Friday 6th January 2017

Almost 1,000 Days After, Another Chibok Girl Rescued, President Welcomes Recovery Boko Haram is gone forever from Sambisa, DHQ insists Women in Lake Chad forced into prostitution to survive, Says Red Cross Tobi Soniyi in Abuja, Ernest Chiwno inPortHarcourt,Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa President Muhammadu Buhari

yesterday welcomed the recovery of another Chibok schoolgirl, Rakiya Abubakar,

by Nigerian troops at the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area in

other captured girls would one day be reunited with their families, friends and community.

Her discovery, with her six-month-old baby, brings

Borno State.

A statement by his media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the president noted that the recovery raised renewed hopes that the

to 23 Chibok girls that have been recovered from Boko Haram captivity in recent months. One hundred and ninety six girls remain in captivity almost 1,000 days

after more than 200 girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory by members of the deadly sect.

Continued on page 8

Total to Resume Operations Today After Shutdown by Oil Workers…

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Finally, Buhari Condoles with Victims of Southern Kaduna Violence

Orders army, police to end crisis Osinbajo: Nigeria can’t be Islamised Tobi Soniyi in Abuja with agency report After coming under heavy criticism for keeping silent on the killings in Southern Kaduna, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday condoled with residents affected by the violence and directed the military and police to end the crisis in the area.

Continued on page 8

RAISING SHORT-TERM DEBT…

L-R: Director, Investment Banking, Chapel Hill Advisory Partner Limited, Ayo Fasina; Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe; Managing Director, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Bola “Koko” Onadele; and Managing Director, Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, Abubakar Jimoh, at the signing ceremony on the quotation of Access Bank’s N35 billion Commercial Paper on the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange… yesterday

Green Shoots Start to Sprout as External Reserves Hit $26.1bn

Obinna Chima

The accretion of Nigeria’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves, which started about two months ago, continued in the new year, when figures released yesterday by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that reserves

had grown to $26.094 billion, signifying a slow but steady improvement in the country’s current account balance.

It was also indicative that the drop in militancy in the Niger Delta and rising oil exports, have led to an improvement in foreign

exchanges earnings, which the CBN has been stashing away, notwithstanding the lingering forex scarcity in the economy.

The present value of the reserves, derived mostly from the proceeds of crude oil sale, represents an appreciation by $2.137

billion or nine per cent, compared with $23.957 billion as of November 2, 2016, data gathered by THISDAY showed yesterday.

A CBN source, who spoke with THISDAY on the condition of anonymity, said the increase in the level of exports as well as

the drop in imports in the country following renewed import-substitution drive by the central bank and federal government could be responsible for the appreciation of the external reserves.

“There are several reasons for the uptick in reserves;

exports may have been relatively stable in view of the relative calm in oil producing regions, particularly the Niger Delta. What it means is that for some time it hasn’t happened.

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PAGE EIGHT ALMOST 1,000 DAYS AFTER, ANOTHER CHIBOK GIRL RESCUED, PRESIDENT WELCOMES RECOVERY Buhari also commended the military for the diligent investigation, which led to the recovery of Rakiya and urged them to continue in the spirit with which they cleared the Sambisa forest of terrorists.

The president assured Nigerians that the federal government would continue to do all within its powers to assist the military with locating the rest of the girls and eradicating the menace of terrorism in Nigeria.

The girl, according to military source, was rescued with her baby yesterday morning by troops of 27 Brigade, which is under the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, with headquarters in Jos, Plateau State.

The brigade was deployed in the present fight against the insurgency along the Borno/ Yobe border, according to the source.

The source said the troops found the mother and child around Alargano area near Ajigin which is also very close to Buni Yadi in Yobe State.

In an official confirmation of her rescue, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman, said: “Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, during investigation of arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists, discovered one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Rakiya Abubakar, with her six-month-old baby.

“According to preliminary investigation, it was discovered she is the daughter of Abubakar Gali Mulima and Habiba Abubakar of Chibok.

“She further stated that she was a student of Senior Secondary School Class 3B (SS 3B), before her abduction along with her colleagues on April 14, 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists.

“Rakiya Abubakar is presently undergoing further medical investigation and would soon be released to the Borno State Government.”

‘Sect is Gone from Sambisa’ In another briefing, the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe

Abubakar, yesterday stressed that nothing can bring back Boko Haram into its haven in Sambisa forest or the country, as the sect has been completely defeated.

Addressing journalists at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Port Harcourt, Abubakar stated that the Nigerian Military has successfully and completely defeated the Boko Haram insurgency.

“What we are seeing now as Boko Haram in Nigeria are just remnants that carry out these attacks. Most of the children that we caught were children who don’t even know what they were doing.

“They were being drugged and have the explosive devices strapped on them. Most of them were drugged and they were ambitious, so that those who sent them will meet their target.

“Even in most developed nations, you can hardly completely wipe out insurgents. There is always one scenario or the other just to pretend as if they are alive.

“But Boko Haram and all its apparatus have been completely destroyed. Boko Haram members are in disarray and that was why we issued a statement last week that due to the ongoing crackdown on Boko Haram, some escapees may try to integrate into the communities.

“As we announced this, we were equally working with other security agencies, who we have always collaborated with, to ensure that those fleeing Boko Haram members are apprehended.

“That helped us in Abuja and other places where we apprehended fleeing Boko Haram members.

“Boko Haram is gone from Nigeria and it has gone for good. There is no Jupiter that can bring Boko Haram; what we are doing is to only sensitise citizens on the need to alert us on fleeing Boko Haram members.”

Abubakar, who said he was on a nationwide tour to seek support and the understanding of stakeholders,

Rakiya Abubakar and her six-month-old baby, after they were found in Alargano, Borno State… yesterday especially the media, called on journalists to be guided by the national interest in their reportage of security issues.

On the fate of the Chibok girls, he said, “our Operation Rescue Finale is still ongoing to rescue the girls. Everybody who has been held hostage by Boko Haram, including the Chibok girls, will be rescued.”

The DHQ spokesman also stated that the opaqueness that characterised its operations in the past was gradually giving way to openness, stressing that there was now a new effort to relate better with the Nigerian public.

Abubakar who also spoke

when he visited the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council, said the openness of the military occasioned his tour to media houses and the interface with relevant stakeholders in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

“I felt I must come to the Niger Delta and have a chat with the media executives and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

“The essence is, there is a (policy) shift in the military now. The issue of secrecy is now gone. We are now open.

And because of this openness, we decided that we should extend a hand of fellowship

to stakeholders, especially the media,” he said.

While seeking the partnership and collaboration of journalists in the Niger Delta to enable the military succeed in its operations in the region, he stressed the need for the military to be supported while carrying out its mandate of protecting lives and property and critical national assets across the country.

Abubakar added: “We need ourselves for this great country to move forward. We have a responsibility to protect the lives of innocent citizens. It is only when we do that that we can move the country away from crisis.

“Our duty as a military is to ensure total peace not only in the Niger Delta, but in all areas where we have operations.”

The defence spokesperson explained that Operation Delta Safe, the special security outfit set up to tackle militancy in the region, was established to guard against activities inimical to oil and gas facilities in the area.

He called on the media to lead a campaign that would produce lasting peace in the nation.

In his remarks, John Angese, the chairman of NUJ, Bayelsa State Council, thanked Rabe Abubakar for the visit.

He lauded the armed forces for their sacrifices in ensuring Nigeria remained a united country and assured him of the council’s support.

Hunger Forces Women into Sex Trade Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday said women in the Lake Chad basin had been forced into prostitution to survive.

ICRC attributed it to the insurgency by Boko Haram fighters that had driven millions from their homes and left children to starve.

“The violence has displaced over 2.4 million people across the swamp lands of Lake Chad, where the borders of Chad, Cameroun, Niger and

Nigeria meet, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of others,” ICRC was quoted in a joint report by Reuters and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as stating.

According to the United Nations, up to a million people had been cut off from humanitarian aid by Boko Haram in spite of a regional military offensive against the Islamist militants.

“It’s extraordinary to see a woman and her family and they have nothing other than what they have been given.

“The children are clearly malnourished and it’s just hopeless,” Simon Brooks, head of ICRC’s delegation in Cameroun, said.

According to Brooks, as the head of their households, some mothers have been forced to prostitute so they could feed their family, since many no longer have husbands because of the conflict.

“When you don’t have the means to survive, you’ll go begging for it.

“It’s a loss of dignity when you’re having to resort to something like that just to keep your children alive – fraternising with people who have money,” he said.

The unfolding catastrophe in the Lake Chad basin was named the most neglected crisis of 2016 in a poll of aid agencies by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq and the global refugee and migrant crisis, Lake Chad has barely made the headlines,” Brooks said during an interview in London.

The report said over seven million people lack food but insecurity makes it hard for aid agencies to reach the most vulnerable.

“Half a million children are severely acutely malnourished and on the brink of death if they are not treated.

“This area has suffered from decades of chronic neglect … if it continues to be underfunded and under-reported, then millions of people will continue to suffer,” Brooks said.

FINALLY, BUHARI CONDOLES WITH VICTIMS OF SOUTHERN KADUNA VIOLENCE A statement issued by his media aide, Mr Garba Shehu said the president had over the past week, given instructions for decisive measures aimed at bringing an end to the recurring acts of violence and destruction in the southern part of Kaduna State.

The statement said: “On the directive of President Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police was in the region on Saturday and Sunday to assess the situation first hand.”

Shehu also said that in addition to conventional policemen deployed in the area, a squadron of mobile policemen has now been stationed there.

He said the Nigerian Army was also in the process of setting up two battalions in Southern Kaduna, while the military continues to carry out air surveillance across flash points in the area.

He said the president had equally directed the National

Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to carry out a joint assessment of the situation with the sister agency in Kaduna, SEMA, to determine the level of response required for urgent aid to the victims of the violence.

“These measures should soon ensure the return of normalcy to the region, while the Kaduna State Government continues its peace building efforts,” the statement added.

He said the president commended the efforts of the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies in the steps taken so far to curtail the violence.

The statement also said Buhari had sent condolences to the people of Southern Kaduna, who have lost loved ones in the recent violence.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina had earlier defended the decision of the president not

to speak on the killings in Southern Kaduna.

Adesina, while speaking on a Channels Television programme said that the president did not have to speak on every issue.

Adesina was also criticised for the statement.

Also, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday enjoined faith-based organisations in the country to shun rumours that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was moving to Islamise Nigeria.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he made the remark after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria (SCM) in his office, stressing that religious leaders should dwell on facts.

Before the general election in 2015, Osinbajo had dismissed fears that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was secretly plotting

to Islamise Nigeria if it won the elections.

Yesterday, he again reaffirmed that stand, stressing that the rumour making the rounds about plans to make Islam the official religion of Nigeria was unfounded as the country “cannot be Islamised”.

Osinbajo emphasised that it was impossible to Islamise the country given the 1999 Constitution that forbids state religion.

He urged religious bodies to channel their energies towards proffering solutions to the numerous challenges facing the country.

The vice-president also challenged Nigerian youths to wake up from their slumber and take advantage of the abundant opportunities in ICT, agriculture and other sectors.

While noting that the opportunities were far much more now than they were in the past, Osinbajo harped on

the need for young people to take responsibility for their future and be creative.

He also emphasised the importance of using the internet to acquire knowledge, as well as learning a second language to boost their global competitiveness.

Thanking SCM for the honour, the vice-president solicited the organisation’s assistance in disseminating factual information about the federal government’s policies and programmes.

The National President of SCM, Rev, Eric Ighalo, commended the government for its social intervention programmes such as the N-Power initiative and the conditional transfer scheme.

Ighalo expressed the willingness of the body to partner with government in several areas, including serving as its ambassadors in constituencies.

The SCM national president said that the award was

conferred on the vice-president in recognition of his integrity and the outstanding leadership he had demonstrated over the years.

The award presentation, according to him, culminated with the 75th anniversary of the organisation.

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PAGE NINE

Malaria Vaccine Passes Trial Test

Mosquito

Malaria vaccine that uses a weakened form of the parasite has passed a critical milestone in human safety trials.

According to Africa Review, doctors used a genetically modified form of malaria that is unable to cause a full infection in people.

Trials were published in the journal of Science Translational Medicine, which suggested it was safe with a good immune response.

Tropical disease experts described the findings as “promising”.

The malaria parasite goes through multiple stages

both in mosquitoes and inside the human body.

The team at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, in Seattle, deleted three genes from the parasite so it could not infect liver cells.

The idea is that “infecting” people with the weakened parasite

will expose the immune system to malaria, but the parasite will not be able to complete its lifecycle to cause disease.

Ten persons took part in the safety trials. No one went on to develop the disease and there were no severe side effects to the treatment.

The patients’ antibodies were then given to mice, which showed greater immunity when they were deliberately infected with malaria.

Sebastian Mikolajczak, one of the researchers, said: “The clinical study now shows that the vaccine is completely

attenuated in humans and also shows that even after only a single administration, it elicits a robust immune response against the malaria parasite.

“Together these findings are critical milestones for malaria vaccine development.”

Artists Shut down Radio Nigeria Artists on the payroll of Federal Radio Cooperation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Radio Nigeria Atlantic 104.5 FM in Uruan, Akwa Ibom, have shut down the station.

They shut down the station yesterday in protest against the nonpayment of arrears of their salaries.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions: “The artists of Atlantic 104.5 FM want the release of our February 2016 to

January 2017 salaries, else there will be no broadcast.”

Others included: “Pay us our 11 months’ salaries, we are very, very hungry,” “We the artists of Atlantic 104.5 FM want our 11 months’ salaries. Else no work, enough is enough,” “We have been patient enough, pay us 11 months salaries now.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the office of the radio station was under

lock and key.

Mr. Asuquo Ekpo, the spokesman of the protesters, told NAN that the management had refused to pay them their salaries for inexplicable reasons.

He said the management of the station was not fair to the plight of the artists who had work tirelessly to make the station functional.

“How can we be working for 11 months without paying us salaries;

we have waited patiently and that is why we have decided to shut down the station.

“We are calling for the removal of the zonal director of the station, because artists in Port Harcourt have been paid and we don’t know why we have not been paid up till now,” Ekpo said.

He called on patriotic Nigerians and other stakeholders to intervene and ensure that they are paid their entitlements,

stressing that their children are hungry and they cannot pay their school fees again.

The management of Atlantic 104.5 FM, artists and industrial attachment staff were seen roaming outside the office premises.

Some workers were seen eating in the cafeteria of the station while others were seen discussing the issue in hushed tones.

Reacting to the development, a senior

management staff of the station, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that the zone owes the artists, assuring that the management was working to ensure that their salaries are paid.

He commended them for the peaceful protest, saying that the management will address their plight.

Owing to the protest, all the heads of department of the station met to resolve the crisis.

administers import and export tariffs within the West African sub-region on the movement of goods, importers of yachts and other luxury automobiles such as SUVs, boats, sports cars, and other vessels used for pleasure are now to pay 70 per cent of the value of the vehicles as taxes (duties) to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Meanwhile, crude oil prices rose yesterday after Saudi Arabia started talks with customers about a reduction in crude sales to support a plan by the Organisation of the

Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

OPEC promised in November to cut output to help prop up prices.

Under the deal, Saudi Arabia agreed to cut output by 486,000 barrels per day (bpd), or 4.61 percent of its October output of 10.544 million bpd.

Investors have been suspicious that OPEC may not cut as much as promised, but several sources told Reuters yesterday the world’s biggest oil exporter intended to lower exports to comply with the OPEC reductions.

Benchmark Brent crude oil was up 50 cents a barrel yesterday at $56.96. Also, U.S. light crude was up 45 cents a barrel at $53.71. Both contracts rose by around two percent on Wednesday.

However, analysts at Goldman Sachs had said even if OPEC reduced production as promised, there was “only a moderate oil spot price upside given the expected supply response to higher oil prices and new production”.

The U.S. bank said it expected Brent prices to peak at $59 a barrel by mid-2017.

GREEN SHOOTS START TO SPROUT AS EXTERNAL RESERVES HIT $26.1BN “Secondly, the rate at which the reserves had been draining, if you look very well, we’ve not been intervening very much apart from the (forex) forwards we have done.

What it also means is that the forwards have helped to reduce the demand.

“It is also a sign that some inflows are trickling in by way of people bringing in money and there’s also the seasonal angle to it – Christmas when Nigerians come home, they bring forex as well,” the source said.

THISDAY recently

reported that the import substitution policies being driven by the central bank and the federal government appeared to be yielding results, as a recent country assessment report on Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated that a sharp decline in imports had contributed to a modest recovery in Nigeria’s external current account balance in the first half of 2016.

Although the report had shown that Nigeria’s exports declined by 14 per cent in the first half of 2016,

it revealed that imports fell more than proportionately by 25 per cent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year.

In a bid to promote domestic production, the federal government last week raised duties on luxury goods such as yachts and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) imported into the country.

Also affected were some food items such as rice, salt and sugarcane that have local alternatives.

Under the new ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) regime which

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

FG Explains Choice of Kaduna During Planned Closure of Abuja Airport Airline operators kick, say Kano is preferable Kaduna Govt: We’re ready to provide logistics in the interim

Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, yesterday said government had concluded all necessary arrangements to use the Kaduna airport as an alternative to local and international flights during the six weeks closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

At an all stakeholders interactive session in Abuja, he averred that the Kaduna airport remained preferable to Ilorin and Minna airports, because of its status as a seasonal international airport capable of accommodating jumbo jets during Hajj operations.

Also complementing the usage of the Kaduna airport, he added is the Nigerian Air Force base and runway in Kaduna that can be used should there be hitches in the course of landing.

While assuring stakeholders of smooth operation during the six weeks of closure, he added that government had put in place the necessary security measures both at the airport in Kaduna and Abuja to ensure that passengers can commute without hitches.

He said: “Government has concluded arrangement with the army, DSS, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the NSCDC, AVSEC, air force personnel, FRSC and Kaduna State Government to ensure that there is adequate security and free flow in between Kaduna and Abuja during the closure.”

Sirika, who assured that the situation that led to the closure of the Port Harcourt runway for more than two years should not be allowed to happen in Abuja, adding that government has a morale responsibility to deliver the runway only in six weeks.

He acknowledged that it might come with some pains,

but the safety of Nigerians and passengers remain uppermost, he stressed.

He said: “Government will increase security presence at every intersection, deploy air force and police helicopters for security with NEMA and K9 dogs to ensure that there are no hitches while travellers get maximum comfort on the road.”

Responding, the Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt.

Nogie Meggison, while expressing reservation about the use of Kaduna airport, said Lagos and Kano airports remained the best routes for international flights.

He said: “AON is in total

support of the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport which has been long over due.

Today, we have seen the efforts that has gone into what he Sirika is doing at the airport especially the runway rehabilitation.

“AON’s view is that we are in total support of the rehabilitation of the runway which has been long overdue mainly because of safety issues, which should be addressed as soon as possible.

“On the flip side, AON is of the view that shutting the runway is not the immediate solution.

“The runway should either be repaired at night like what is done in other countries

where repairs can be between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Examples is the case study of the Gatwick airport which was repaired and 85 years later handles 400,000 passengers yearly, while Abuja handles only 14,000 which is less than 10 per cent.

“If we have that kind of volume going through Gatwick and it was not closed, then we should look at it again before moving out of Abuja to other places because of the logistics,” he said.

Alternatively, Meggison said the runway in Abuja which is 3,900 metres, can be split into two “and with this one side can be fixed for

three weeks and the other side for another three weeks.

“With a 2,000-metre runway in Abuja, a Boeing 737 can comfortably get into Abuja for a one hour flight, a CRJ, a Dash 8 and local flights can come in and domestic carriers can come in, while international carriers can go to Lagos and Kano.

“From Lagos and Kano, the local carriers will distribute for them like what is done anywhere in the world,” he said.

According to him, the Kaduna airport might not be ready for the volume of passengers that would be

Cont’d on Pg 48

Wike: Police Covering Information on Murder of DSP

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the Nigerian Police of withholding information on the death of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mohammed Alkali, who was murdered during the rerun legislative elections in the state.

Wike challenged the force to inform the world how and where he was murdered instead of trying to cover obvious facts.

The governor also wondered why the police have refused to make public the communication that an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Commissioner for Power, Mr Augustine Nwokocha, allegedly had with the killers before the DSP was brutally murdered.

Wike spoke yesterday when he granted audience to the management of Independent Newspapers Limited at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

He said: “The police should let the world know where the DSP was killed? What is the polling unit where he was killed? The former commissioner of power who was mentioned by the killers, has he been questioned?

“Where is the call log of that former commissioner as communicated with the killers? Have they checked the discussions between the commissioner and the arrested killers?

“They know the truth, but they want to cover a lot of things. The army announced that they recovered the uniforms from the forest, was there a polling unit in the forest?”

He noted that the steps being taken to blackmail the state government would fail because the Rivers people cannot be cowed.

He appealed to journalists to always defend the truth and speak out regularly.

He said: “The survival of democracy to a large extent depends on a vibrant media.

Certain things happening in the country must be made public by the media.”

On the award of the “Man-of-the-Year 2016” by the Independent Newspapers Limited, Wike dedicated the award to God and the people of the state.

He said: “When you have the opportunity to serve and make a difference, excuses will not be tolerated by the people. That is why we are committed to the development of the state.”

Earlier, the Managing Director of Independent Newspapers Limited, Mr. Ted Iwere, stated that the Editorial Board and Board of Editors of Independent Newspapers Limited resolved to honour Wike as the Manof-the-Year 2016 for his sterling performance in the areas of infrastructure, human capital development and internal revenue generation.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (right), and General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Kasimu Abdulkareem, during a visit of the GOC to the governor at the Government House, Port Harcourt...yesterday

Clark’s PANDEF Condemns Persecution of Jonathan and His Family Sylvester Idowu in Warri The Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) led by Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday berated the perceived persecution and humiliation of the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his family.

The group comprising elders, monarchs and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region, also condemned the seeming silence over the matter by President Muhammadu Buhari.

PANDEF’s position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting held in Kiagbodo in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, the country home of Clark.

The communiqué was signed by Clark as convener/ leader and former military administrator of AkwaIbom State, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), as acting Chairman of PANDEF’s Central Working Committee.

The body, which drew participants from various ethnic nationalities within the region, also expressed dissatisfaction with the recent statement credited to the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Femi Adesina, insinuating that the presidency was still searching for credible representatives in the region.

It described the statement as most insulting.

On the wanton destruction of lives and property in the

southern part of Kaduna State, PANDEF urged the federal government to urgently take an action and arrest the situation.

It also charged the federal government to urgently release the over N1trillion owed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

“The forum takes very strong exception to the statement credited to Special Adviser on Media to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, that the president was still in search of credible leaders of the Niger Delta, with whom to dialogue. This is an assault on the sensibilities and integrity of the people of the Niger Delta.

“PANDEF remains a united body of credible and patriotic leaders who have paid their

dues in various walks of life and not a body of attention seekers, as being bandied by the enemies of the Niger Delta.

“The forum condemns the wanton destruction of lives and properties in Southern Kaduna and calls on the federal government to urgently ensure the safety of the lives in the area.

“PANDEF expresses concerns at the orchestrated assault on the family of Jonathan, with the obvious intention to humiliate him and finds the silence of President Buhari worrisome.

“Forum also demands the urgent release of the over N1 trillion federal government under-contribution to the funds of the Niger Delta Development Commission,” the communiqué read in part,” it concluded.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Total to Resume Operations Today after Shutdown by Oil Workers Ejiofor Alike Total Nigeria Plc will today resume normal operations after its loading activities were yesterday halted by oil workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) in protest against plan by the company to sack unionised workers.

The South-west Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, had ordered the suspension

of loading activities at the company’s depot in Lagos, following what he called the resistant of the company to the unionisation of its workers in Lagos, Kaduna and Koko in Delta State blending plants, who are under the company’s contract employment.

Korodo told THISDAY that Total introduced three-month contract employment, whereby staff who had worked for the company for five to six years, were made to reapply for three-month contract,

instead of regularising their appointments after threemonth probation.

He said the introduction of the three-month contract employment instead of the normal three-month probation, amounted to slave labour.

“Those who have worked for five to six years are made to re-apply for three-month contract, which is alien to the labour laws. The management has also penciled down all the unionised workers for sack,” he alleged.

Korodo accused the company of resisting the unionisation of workers under its contract employment.

According to him, the company has moved to terminate those workers who had joined the union in spite of the union.

“In view of this, the union has directed all workers in Total downstream to stop work until the management allows workers to unionise and slave labour introduced are cancelled,” he added.

But after a meeting that lasted for four hours in Lagos between the management of the company and officials of NUPENG, Korodo stated that all the contentious issues had been resolved.

The meeting was summoned at the instance of Total after the union shut down the activities of the company.

Speaking to THISDAY after the meeting, Korodo confirmed that Total has agreed to halt the plan to

terminate the appointment of those workers who had joined the union.

“We have resolved all the issues and everybody has been asked to maintain the status quo. No more three-month contract staff and there will be no victimisation of workers.

Our members have been asked to resume work effective from tomorrow (today) and everybody is ready to comply.

The union, the contractors and Total have signed an agreement,” he explained.

PDP Leadership Backs Staff Protest on Reopening of Secretariat

Urges speedy dispensation of party’s case Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under its National Caretaker Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has expressed support for the peaceful protest by staff to seek the re-opening of the national secretariat.

The protest which was carried out by staffers under the auspices of PDP Staff Welfare Forum demanding the reopening of the party’s national secretariat and speedy delivery of judgment pending before the appellate court is a demonstration of their commitment to service, loyalty and dedication to the party’s well-being, peaceful Nigeria, and advancement of democracy at large.

In a statement issued by the PDP spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind the plot to keep the party’s secretariat locked.

“It is our firm belief that keeping the PDP national secretariat locked since June 2016 till date is orchestrated by the ruling party to decimate and silence our party from providing viable opposition.

The gross incompetence of the APC to deliver on its campaign promises to Nigerians has pitched it against the progress of the PDP. “This is shameful, inexplicable and unfortunate as the PDP in 16 years did not interfere with internal affairs of opposition political parties or used instruments of state to shutdown their secretariats due to internal crisis or for anything whatsoever. We allowed all parties in the country to strive and stabilise our democracy for which the APC is the primary beneficiary of in the 2015 general election.

“These harassments and intimidations of the APC-led administration against opposition in Nigeria portend grave danger for democracy at large; and we demand as a matter of urgency, the unconditional reopening of the national secretariat of the PDP to allow staff access into their offices to carry out the duties of holding the government in power accountable.

“We again commend the Nigerian judiciary for its effort to actualise the principles of separation of power which is the main pillar of democracy; and therefore urge the courts to keep up the good work by maintaining independence on all matters brought before it.

“In the same vien, we pray the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to deliver the reserved judgment on the party’s leadership issues pending before it to allow the PDP concentrate on its rebuilding process and provide alternative governance in the country. It is no gain saying that any democracy without a viable opposition is considered a dictatorship, unstable, unhealthy and a recipe for anarchy.

“We also urge the National Judicial Council (NJC) to urgently do the needful in respect of the petition submitted against the Special Appeal Panel of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division

by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The current petition like the two previous ones, is another delay tactics he devised with his collaborators against justice to the PDP and its membership nationwide.

“To this end, we further call on all our members and teeming supporters nationwide to be vigilant and remain committed to the rebuilding of the PDP and advancing our democracy.

FOR THE SAKE OF FALLEN HEROES

Commandant of 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, Brigadier General Charles Ofoche (left), decorating Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, with the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem, at the governor’s office in Akure...yesterday

BBOG Says Recovered Abducted Chibok School Girl on Its List Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement yesterday confirmed that one of the found abducted Chibok school girl by the Nigeria military is indeed on its list of the missing girls.

BBOG in a statement by its spokesperson, Sesugh Akume, in Abuja stated: “Having exhausted all our internal verification modalities, our movement can confirm that Rakiya Abubakar Gali (#49 in our list as Rakiya Gali) is indeed one of our missing Chibok girls.

According to Akume, “She is the 24th to return out of 219 missing #ChibokGirls.

One hundred and ninety-five (195) remain missing. It is three days to #Day1000 and we remain highly hopeful that the rest of our girls will be rescued and reunited with their families.”

Stating further, the statement read: “We

commend the Nigerian military, the Multinational Joint Taskforce, the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman announced earlier today that Nigerian troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-east during investigation of arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists discovered one of our abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Rakiya Abubkar, with her six-month-old baby.

“According to him, preliminary investigations show she is the daughter of Abubakar Gali Mulima and Habiba Abubakar of Chibok, and in Senior Secondary School Class 3B (SS 3B), before her abduction along with her colleagues on 14 April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists 997 days ago today.

“We commend the Nigerian military, the Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF), the Civilian JTF,

and all the security forces working day and night to rout the terrorists, and

return our #ChibokGirls and all others abducted,” concluded the release.

Presidency Reassures Nigerians, Foreigners of Villa’s Safety after Accidental Discharge Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The presidency has assured Nigerians and foreigners that the State House, Aso Rock Villa, is safe.

The assurance followed an incident which occurred on Wednesday when a weapon accidentally went off while the a security official was trying to submit his weapon at the reception.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, said the incident had been investigated.

He said an investigation conducted by the presidency

revealed that the operative conducted the normal safety precaution as professionally required when the pistol accidentally fired.

The statement read: ”According to the reports received so far, the security official involved in this incident is not attached to the State House. Rather, he came on invitation as a witness in an ongoing investigation and was required, as is the rule, to surrender his weapon at the gates before entry. “ The lady by his side, a caterer was hit by a pellet of the bullet. Both of them were attended to at the clinic and discharged.”

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWS

Troops Arrest 1,400 Boko Haram Suspects in One Week Paul Obi in Abuja Soldiers fighting the Boko Haram insurgents on Wednesday said they arrested 1,400 terrorists in one week.

The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Leo Irabor, explained that the suspects and rescued persons were also parts of those involved in the operation.

He said: “A total of 1,400 civilians were arrested by our troops during all our operations conducted between 28 December, 2016 and 4 January, 2017 “On December 25, 2016, at about 1000hrs, troops deployed in Fob Potiskum apprehended a suspected Boko Haram member Musa Abdullahi at Fika. The suspect is in custody undergoing interrogation.

“Troops in conjunction with NSCDC arrested a suspected Boko Haram suspect, Rabiu Ibrahim, at Bajoga in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State. The suspect fled to Gombe as a result of the recent attacks on Boko Haram terrorists by troops.

“During preliminary interrogation, the suspect confessed that he joined the sect about four years ago and took part in the attack of troops along Damaturu Maiduguri road. The suspect is in custody for further interrogation.

“On December 30, 2016 at about 1330hrs, the troops arrested a confirmed Boko

Haram terrorists member at Goni Kalla. While the suspect was being moved from Goni Kalla to Damaturu, the Boko Haram terrorists member attempted to escape by jumping out of the vehicle.

He was therefore shot and killed. His corpse has been deposited at General Hospital Damaturu.

“On Christmas Day at about 1330hrs, troops and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel trailed two suspected high profile kidnappers (Mohammed Ali and Sani Digaru), for an alleged plan to carry out an operation in Gombe and possibly escape to their camp at Yuga Forest in Bauchi State. The two kidnappers were tracked and arrested

by DSS in conjunction with troops at Silas area along Gombe-Dukku road.”

He further stated that “during the operation, one of the suspects (Sani Digaru) attempted to escape and was shot in the leg and later died in DSS custody. However, the other suspect Mohammed Ali, was taken into DSS custody.

Items recovered from the suspects included the sum of N28,800, three mobile phones, three rings, tobacco, one eye glass, wrist watch and a lighter.

“On January 2, 2017 at about 1920hrs, troops deployed in Numan arrested one Dahiru Saidu who was on transit from Lafiya- Lamurde to Jada in Adamawa State.

He is suspected to be among

Wike Pledges to Support Military Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the state government would support the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in strengthening the security architecture of the state and its environs.

Wike also advised the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army 6 Division against the politicisation of crime, noting that security was vital to the actualisation of all developmental programmes.

Wike spoke yesterday at the Government House, Port Harcourt when he received the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Kasimu Abdulkareem, who was on a courtesy visit to the governor.

He said: “Let me assure you that as a government, we will continue to support the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army with the needed logistics to carry out her duties. Security leads to the improvement of the other sectors.”

He commended the new

GOC for the quick successes in Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) where cultists were uprooted.

The governor urged the military to step up its operations in ONELGA to dislodge the remnants of cultists who have refused to accept the state amnesty programme by laying down their arms.

He lauded the federal government for establishing the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army to help fight crime in the state, pointing out that his administration would continue to work for the unity of the country.

In his response, General Abdulkareem said the new division was created on November 7, 2016 out of the 82 Division to promote regional security.

He said the division, with headquarters in Port Harcourt, covers Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Bayelsa States.

According to him, the new division would fight pipeline vandalism, cultism and militancy.

The GOC c a l l e d o n the state government to support the division.

the Boko Haram members declared wanted in Serial 164 of Wanted Insurgents Poster circulated in the Theatre. He is in custody undergoing investigation,” Irabor said.

The Theatre Commander also provided an update on the troops’ operations in Sambisa forest, stressing: “The operation in Sambisa Forest and its environ is continuing; our troops are conducting various exploitation and mop-up operations against fleeing Boko Haram terrorists who are in complete disarray.

In that regards, some clearance operations were conducted during the period under review.”

He added that “troops embarked on clearance operation to Dumur forest in continuation with Operation

Rescue Finale. The troops cleared Dumur and Bula Julta villages and carried out bombardment of Adzunge, Gombole, Malabi, Sowolowo, Izuwe, Ngwalimiri and Latan villages.

“However, a mini Boko Haram terrorists camp was discovered and destroyed. At AIWA village, villagers were assembled and thoroughly screened which led to the arrest of a suspect named Modu Babagana Goni.

“The locals informed the troops that the suspect sometimes assists Boko Haram terrorists in getting food items. He has been arrested and currently undergoing investigation,” Irabor submitted.

Speaking on efforts to enable some internally

displaced persons (IDPs) to return home, he said: “The residents of Damasak have started returning to the town following the re-opening of Maiduguri - Gubio Damasak road.

“Most of the returnees who were earlier displaced by Boko Haram terrorists attacks on the community are returning from either Maiduguri or Niger Republic where they had taken refuge. Clearing and sanitation of Damasak town have been taking place while troops in conjunction with CJTF continued to dominate general area of the town with aggressive patrol and screening of locals coming into Damasak.

He added that “a female suicide bomber detonated her explosive device strapped

on her at Customs Area in Maiduguri. She was the only casualty. Also, on January 1, 2017, at about 0930hrs, own troops in conjunction with CJTF discovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suicide vest that had been dropped by a suicide bomber around Gomari low cost area.

“The Nigeria Police EOD Team was contacted and they recovered and detonated the IEDs vest safely. Again, early this morning at about 0615hrs, three female suicide bombers enroute Banki Dutse village were gunned down by own troops deployed for an ambush operations. The 3 female suicide bombers were killed in action and no other casualty recorded.”

WORKING TOGETHER

Former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (left), and former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, at a dinner hosted by the former army chief in honour of the former governor in Abia State... recently

NLC Decries Misappropriation of Bailout Funds by Some State Govts

Bauchi gov tasks labour on flushing out ghost workers

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has lamented a situation where some state governments in the country misappropriated the bailout funds given to them by the federal government to settle outstanding payment of workers’ salaries and pension.

This is so as the Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, appealed to the congress to assist his government in flushing out ghost workers by supporting the on-going workers’ verification exercise.

The NLC president stated this yesterday when he led a delegation of the leadership of the union on a courtesy visit to the state governor at the Government House in Bauchi.

He said investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related

Offences Commission (ICPC) have revealed that some state governments did not utilise the bailout judiciously, thus creating the problem of backlog of outstanding salaries in those states.

“The bailout fund given to them by the federal government was meant to cushion the effect of outstanding salaries and pension, but sadly, some states did not utilise these funds as they were diverted for other uses by some state governments.

“These funds are public funds and they must be accounted for. We are all aware of the current challenges posed by the state of economy, and when we put money in the hands of state governments, we expect that the economies of those states should kick start.

“State governments must ensure the prompt payment of workers’ salaries because there is a connection between

payment of workers salary and the progress of the economy,” he said.

He urged the state governor to make the payment of workers’ salaries a priority in his administration, saying the measure would mitigate social vices in the state.

The NLC president commended the state government for reengaging the disengaged teachers sacked by the previous administration in the state and settling all their entitlements.

In his remarks, the state governor, appealed to NLC to assist his government in flushing out ghost workers by supporting the on-going workers’ verification exercise.

Abubakar also told the state council of the NLC to support his government in fishing out perpetrators of ghost workers in the civil service, stressing that his government will not embark on deliberate reduction

of the work force.

“It is so alarming today that Bauchi State has a work force of 106,000 and I feel it is artificial because of the syndrome of ghost worker phenomenon.

“Fishing out ghost workers is the strongest way of maintaining continuous payment of salaries, so I urge the state chapter of the NLC to assist me in carrying out this task,” Abubakar said.

The governor lamented how some entrenched interest groups in the state blackmailed his efforts at conducting the ongoing verification exercise for workers because they were benefiting immensely from the ghost worker syndrome.

“It was disheartening to discover that this group of persons was making brisk business from ghost workers because monthly, they take away N1billion, but I was not distracted,” he added.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY JANUARY 6, 2017

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T H I S D AY FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

COMMENT

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

THE POWER SECTOR AND EMERGENCY EXPERTS The mix of politics and electric power is hazardous to the nation, argues Ikeogu Oke

T

he danger emergency experts pose to the Nigerian power sector became clear to me and deserving of exposure in the public interest on July 15, 2016.

By emergency experts, I mean people who presume to be very knowledgeable about specialised subjects and with that presumption air misguided views or make unrealistic propositions about such subjects.

The risk such people pose to the power sector had existed before that date and has continued to manifest afterwards. But that was when I first encountered the phenomenon directly as a guest of Kakaaki, African Independent Television’s breakfast programme, through some utterances by my interlocutor.

That episode of the programme was dedicated to power issues and held in the wake of the judgment by Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos. The judgment had reversed a 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) – on the ground that the increase violated the court’s substantive order restraining NERC from increasing tariff before meeting certain statutory conditions.

I was invited to the programme to discuss the implications of the judgment with Mr. Onu Uche, my said interlocutor, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos-based Consumer Rights Project.

And while, like Mr. Uche, I upheld the judgment, especially on technical grounds, I also stressed that there is an argument for increasing tariff and an argument for not increasing tariff. And that I happen to support the argument for (lawfully) increasing tariff because the increase is necessary to generate enough revenue to run the power sector effectively and sustainably in the interest of all stakeholders. Beyond that, the wrongness of a process does not necessarily negate the rightness of the end it seeks to achieve, as in the case of the tariff increase.

However, the very evidence of the danger emergency experts pose to the power sector emerged with Mr. Uche’s response to one of the anchors’ questions.

He began the response with a hackneyed, unsubstantiated allegation of misconduct in the privatisation of the power sector, ending – predictably – by calling for the exercise to be “revisited,” having blamed it for “the avalanche of inefficiency, maladministration and non-performance” (in the sector). And I must mention in passing that when I appeared on the same programme with Mr. Joe Ajaero, the Secretary General of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), on April 25, 2106, he made similar allegations, hinting at his having evidence that one of the distribution companies (Discos) was improperly sold to some unqualified bidder. But he failed to substantiate the claim even with repeated promptings by the anchors.

Needless to add that we must discourage representatives of such organisations or others making wild allegations that undermine the integrity of such landmark ventures as the power sector privatisation and those associated with it, apparently in support of vested interests fighting for the soul of the power sector. Otherwise we would be collectively guilty of tolerating calumny – a socially destructive vice.

Now, having also alleged that “the way and manner the privatisation was structured… did not give room for … market power as provided under section 82 of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act,” Mr. Uche expatiated that “… it has made it such that most of these Discos operate as core monopolies in the sector,” adding, “… what that means is that … whether the people are providing good services or not, you subscribe to

WE MUST DISCOURAGE ORGANISATIONS OR OTHERS MAKING WILD ALLEGATIONS THAT UNDERMINE THE INTEGRITY OF SUCH LANDMARK VENTURES AS THE POWER SECTOR PRIVATISATION AND THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH IT, APPARENTLY IN SUPPORT OF VESTED INTERESTS FIGHTING FOR THE SOUL OF THE POWER SECTOR

their services; and it is not supposed to be so.”

Then he offered what he deemed a solution to what he saw as an anomaly. “There should be fair competition,” he said, “like what we’re experiencing in the telecom industry, where NCC … brought out what they call mobile portability, so that if you try this network and it’s not working for you, you could switch over.”

As I hinted in my response at the programme, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of how the power system works, compared to telecoms, would recognise the impracticability of his presumed solution to a non-existent problem of lack of competition he wrongly blamed on the privatisation of the power sector.

This is because, unlike telecoms, especially its GSM component, the circuit that brings electricity to our appliances is a solid link from the generating stations through the transmission lines and then the distribution lines right down to any means by which we connect the appliances to receive electricity.

This explains why we can move around with our cell phones without a visible link to our telecom networks and still enjoy telephone services in transit. But we cannot do the same with, say, our electric irons, which we must plug to a visible power source for it to function. I hope this analogy suffices to explain the difference even to the layman, and convince all that his recommendation of providing for what would amount to “electricity portability” compared to “mobile portability” is impracticable.

To achieve such parallel portability, different Discos will need to build their own generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and run parallel networks to connect each electricity consumer. In doing this, they will cease to be Discos and resort to managing power systems holistically. This, too, is impracticable.

Unfortunately, it is people with such wrongheaded views who with “passionate intensity” a la W. B. Yeats now seek to influence policy in and give direction to our power sector, even against established technical norms. We risk disaster in the power sector if we accede to their recommendations.

When they are not making such impracticable recommendations, they are raising unfair doubt about the performance and integrity of top functionaries in the power sector, apparently to undermine public confidence in the sector for political reasons, as reflected in a recent editorial by one of our dailies highly critical of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, entitled “Fashola’s Missteps in the Power Sector,” and a synchronised story published online, alleging that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Mr. Louis Edozien, and other individuals “cut dubious financial deals under Buhari.”

I once visited Mr. Edozien in his office and was so surprised by his Spartan appearance and that of the office that I made a special remark about that. So I would be surprised if the allegation is not unfounded.

Even one of the AIT anchors asked my interlocutor “how much of political interest is embedded in all these we’re saying.” So much.

Because power has become a recognisable means of undermining the re-election of an incumbent government in our country, and we can expect such attacks on the power sector and its key functionaries to intensify as we approach the 2109 elections.

Oke, a former staff of the National Electric Power Authority and Technical Adviser (Media) to the former Minister of Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, wrote from Abuja

LIFE’S UNFINISHED BUSINESSES

P

Patience Akpan-Obong pays tribute to Osita Ike, son of renowned novelist, Chukwuemeka Ike

rior to moving to Lagos in 1987 to take up employment as a staff writer with the Punch Newspapers, I knew only one person in the Lagos journalism world.

But soon I met other people and many have remained friends. One of those earliest connections was Osita Ike whom I met at a children’s health event sponsored by UNESCO (or perhaps it was UNICEF). We shared a love for poetry: he was a published poet while I played at writing poetry. It was later that I learned that he was the son of Professor Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike, the acclaimed and much beloved author of Toads for Supper (among other novels).

As folks around me know, I have a knee-buckling weakness for dimples. As babies, my children suffered from constant pokes on their cheeks in my futility to create dimples that God “forgot.” Obviously, God used up all his dimples raw materials on Osita because he had the deepest and longest of dimples … and a smile to complement them.

Over the months, we ran into each other at different events and I got to know more about him beyond the dimples and ever-ready smiles. I found his humility and humanity quite astounding, especially for an only child of famous parents. Osita didn’t act privileged or entitled. If anything, his concern for people who were not as privileged was remarkable, demonstrating a good upbringing of care and compassion.

Years went by and we gradually lost touch, reconnecting about a couple of years ago on Facebook.

Even then, our interaction was mostly in the “likes” and comments that we left on each other’s posts.

However, when I was in Nigeria last year, I called him and we spoke for the first time in more than 20 years. He was in Lagos and it would have been a great opportunity to catch up but I was in Benin.

I promised to visit him and his family, and finally get to meet his parents, Professors Chukwuemeka and Adebimpe Ike, two people I have admired from a distance over the years. I once saw Osita’s Dad at the airport during one of my visits. I was too shy (uncharacteristic of me) to go up and introduce myself. I was simply content to “worship from afar.”

My phone conversation with Osita occurred toward the end of my time in Nigeria. I promised to visit the next time I was in the country. I even practiced how to say, “Igweee!” when I came face to face with his father, the Ikelionwu XI of Ndikelionwu in Anambra State.

Only recently, I thought about Prof. Ike and vowed to make the trip to Ndikelionwu even if it was the only thing I do during my next visit to Nigeria. I didn’t want to wake up one morning and hear that the “Minister” has gone to meet his ancestors. The “Minister” has been my nickname for Prof. Ike after I titled my first novel, “The Minister’s Son.” The main character was based on Osita and everything that I liked about him: the dimples (of course), his nice-ness and his concern for Nigerian children, the platform on which I first met him. For years, I have dreamed of taking the finished novel to the “Minister” and his “Son.”

The manuscript, handwritten on newspaper offprint, lies abandoned somewhere in the back of my closet here in Arizona. About 28 years have gone by since I started writing the novel, scraps of which have followed me everywhere. Indeed, after I spoke with Osita last year, I felt a renewed urgency to finally complete the book, tighten the storyline and give it a happier ending. I was determined to write it while the “Minister” is still on this side of Heaven.

Osita, born about six months before me, would always be here, I believed.

On Dec. 19, 2016, while waiting in a hospital cafeteria for news of the outcome of my husband’s surgery, I browsed absent-mindedly through Facebook. Suddenly and painfully, I got hit in the guts. Osita, it seemed (because I still couldn’t believe the news) passed away some 48 hours earlier after an asthma attack.

Between 2006 and 2010, there was a “harvest of deaths” in my family and I myself almost died, thrust as I was into the depths of depression. At the beginning of 2011, I managed to drag myself back from the cliff, and determined that death and the news of death would no longer have a hold on me.

When my five-month old granddaughter died in 2014, I was nearly dragged back down the abyss but the saving grace was the impulse to be strong for my daughter, the bereaved mother.

As news of Osita’s passing sank in, I kept telling myself, “You can’t go down on this one.” It was easier said than done because I spent the night tossing and turning and muttering the name, Osita,

as if trying to conjure him back to life, or make myself come to grips with the tragic reality. I also worried for my sister, Udeme, a close friend of the Ike family. She lives outside Nigeria and does not frequent Facebook but could she have heard? She is asthmatic and wasn’t doing too well the weekend Osita passed. Was it the news that brought on her own attack? We have communicated many times in the last one week but Osita’s name has not come up. Perhaps we are both being careful not to be the bearer of bad news.

In 2011, I finally accepted the reality that we will all die. That freed me from the fear and power of death. Still, some deaths are hard to take. Osita’s is probably the hardest because my grief is compounded by regret: “The Minister’s Son” remained an unfinished business and Osita will never read it; I didn’t follow up on my promise to visit him and his family the three “next times” I was in Nigeria. The grief is also accentuated by the tragedy of parents mourning the passing of their only child in a season when men and women of goodwill (like they are) were celebrating the birth of God’s only Son. Only a poet like Prince Osita Ike would understand these contradictions and tragic twists of fate.

If there is at all a silver lining in this tragedy, it is that the Ikes have raised many social and intellectual children in and outside Nigeria. It is time they and all of us who called Osita a friend stood up to ensure that The Oyster lives on by continuing his legacy of care and compassion for humanity.

Prof. Akpan-Obong wrote from Arizona, USA

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

EDITORIAL AGAIN, DEATHS FROM LASSA FEVER Government must sharpen the surveillance and social health education activities to prevent the disease from spreading

T

here are fears that Lassa fever, which ravaged many states across the nation earlier in the year, may spread farther, after a nurse and a patient died of the disease recently at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta in Ogun State. “We thought Lassa fever was gone,” said Professor Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, “until we recorded one or two cases which turned out sour. The one in Abeokuta was particularly worrisome. The nurse (who died) spent almost two weeks in the hospital and they did not even think of it (as Lassa fever) and that created a big problem because we now monitor about 350 people who came in contact with the nurse.”

We hope the authority will act quickly on this matter. Lassa fever has been a serious challenge for the country’s health authorities since it was first diagnosed in Lassa (the village for which it was named) in Borno State in 1969. While there have been efforts in the past to contain the scourge, it resurfaced in epidemic proportions late last year and spread through Bauchi to 17 other states inTHE SYMPTOMS OF THE cluding Nasarawa, FEVER ARE GRADUAL, Niger, Taraba, Kano, ‘STARTING WITH FEVER, Rivers, Edo, Oyo GENERAL WEAKNESS, and Lagos. By early AND MALAISE. AFTER A this year, about 100 FEW DAYS, HEADACHE, patients had died of the disease. “The SORE THROAT, MUSCLE PAIN, CHEST PAIN, NAUSEA, government will continue to enhance VOMITING, DIARRHEA, its surveillance and COUGH, AND ABDOMINAL social health educaPAIN MAY FOLLOW’ tion, information and communication activities to prevent the disease from spreading further in Nigeria,” said Adewole at the time.

The resurgence of the deadly disease is a failure of the measures to contain it. From what happened at the FMC Abeokuta, even simple tests were not carried out to confirm the nature of the ailment that afflicted the nurse before complications set in. She was treated for

Letters to the Editor

malaria. “Because she was a nurse, they never thought of Lassa fever”, said Adewole. “Even if the patient is a bishop, it (the disease) can be Lassa fever. When we launched malaria programme, we said nobody should treat malaria without diagnosis.”

L T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOlAJI ADEBIYI, JOsEph UshIGIAlE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOlA BEllO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOlAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OlUsEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOsA UWUGIAREN

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

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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.

WHY SENATE SHOULD REVISIT BABACHIR’S INDICTMENT

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n the performance of its legislative function of oversight of the executive arm of government and its agencies, the Senate had set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the worsening welfare conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North East. In its report submitted to the Senate on December 14, 2016, the Senator Shehu Sani-led committee had indicted the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr. David Babachir Lawal, for alleged corrupt practices that were not in tandem with the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s fight against corruption.

The committee alleged that the SGF awarded a N233 million contract for the clearing of invasive grass to his company, Rholavision, in which he had interest, and recommended that he should resign his appointment or be sacked by President Buhari. The Senate approved the recommendation. Events since the purported indictment have since shown that the Senate committee misled the Senate. First it was found that the committee did not allow Babachir to defend the allegations against him, thus breaching his right to fair hearing. This much was admitted by the leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume in one of his interactions with the media.

Secondly, the claim that Rholavision was awarded the contract had also been disproved as the company that got the contract was Josmon Technologies Limited, which however engaged Rholavision as its consultant

assa fever is a viral disease transmitted when a human comes into contact with an infected rat’s feces, urine, or the bodily fluids of an infected human. These rats are often found in human homes. Transmission through contaminated food is common, as the rats can leave excretions in food stores. The infection, in some cases, has no noticeable impact while it could be fatal in others. The Centre for Disease Control estimates that in 20 per cent of Lassa fever cases, patients suffer a “severe multisystem disease”. The symptoms of the fever, often with incubation period of six to 21 days, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are gradual, “starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise.

After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow”.

Fortunately, Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa fever and the laboratories have confirmed all the cases reported so far. Lassa fever is treated with an antiviral drug called Ribavirin. However, because the symptoms of Lassa fever could be so varied and nonspecific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. For that reason, steps should be taken to direct all health facilities in the country to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures. Family members and healthcare workers are advised to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons.

This is the time to internalise all the lessons learnt from the way and manner in which the Ebola scourge was handled in our country. While members of the public are advised to keep clean environment, healthcare workers are enjoined to immediately contact the epidemiologist in the State Ministry of Health or call the Federal Ministry of Health on seeing any patient suspected to have the fever.

at a fee of N7 million. This much was found by a civil right group, Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN) which addressed the press in Abuja on January 3, 2017. The group which had supported the Senate resolution and given Babachir up to December 31, 2016 to step down would soon recant upon finding that the Senate acted in error.

CATBAN also found that political intrigues were at the heart of the Senate decision, adding that evidence at its disposal showed that contrary to the general belief that the contract was to clear grass in IDP camps, the contract documents clearly stated that it was for the removal of invasive ‘’thypa grass,’’ along the river channels to enhance irrigation farming in Yobe State. It added that the contract had nothing to do with grass cutting at IDP camp, but of course, it was to remove invasive plants along river channels to aid the rehabilitation of IDPs by enabling easy flow of water through the channels, to boost fishing activities, proper irrigation for farming activities and eliminate flooding for the communities during the raining season, when they return home from the camps after being displaced by Boko Haram insurgency. On the money Josmon paid to Rholavision’s account, the group said its investigations found that it was to cover a loan to execute a contract for the supply of 49 locally made canoes, 12 power boats, and 115 bore holes dug in the region.

Olatunde Lawani, Akure

NYSC IS HOLDING YOUTHS BACK

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t is widely said that “children are the leaders of tomorrow and youths the backbone of a country’s civilisation”.

Well, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a cancer eating the bone marrow of Nigeria’s civilisation. The programme was established in 1973 by the Nigerian government to involve the country’s graduates in the development of the country.

“Corps” members are posted to cities far from their state of origin with a view to be familiar and socialise with people from different ethnic backgrounds in other to bring unity in the country. But frankly, NYSC at the moment is doing quite the contrary. It is true that there are merits and demerits to everything but at the moment the programme is doing more harm than good to the country’s development.

Nigerian graduates are ineligible for employment till they have completed the mandatory one year service. Most recently, graduates can’t even advance their education without serving as the NYSC discharge certificate is a major requirement for enrolling into any post graduate programme in any of the country’s accredited institutions. But however, graduates wait months, sometimes years after graduation waiting to be mobilised

for the NYSC programme. This in turn clearly slows down the growth of youth development in the country. More so, the objective of posting corps members to other areas to enhance unity at the moment is somewhat being defeated. Corps members are always complaining of not being able to sustain themselves in their respective stations due to their being underpaid, paid late or not paid at all. More so, several youths carrying out the NYSC programme have been killed in the “foreign” regions they were posted due to religious, ethnic or political violence.

Some might argue that we don’t even need the NYSC programme anymore while some still believe it still serves its objectives.

Whatever be the case, the fact is the state of affairs with regard to the programme at the moment is deplorable. The policies with regard to the NYSC discharge certificate need to be reviewed. Graduates should be allowed to advance their education if they will, without waiting for NYSC. This will in fact reduce the number of prospective corps members significantly as some graduates prefer to go back to school.

Bello Mahmud Zailani, bellomahmud34@ gmail.com

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY FOCUS

The Demonisation of Amosun

There seems to be a conscious attempt to demonise and reduce the person of the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun in the emerging power game, writes Olawale Olaleye

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he Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun isn’t your usual character in power, but one properly schooled in the art of politics, power and development governance. What can best define him, however, is style, which of course is what always distinguishes people from people. There is no doubting the fact that he had a clear idea what he wanted to do with his mandate as governor from inception.

As a prominent son of the state from Abeokuta, the state capital, his desire for a 21st century city was not questionable. He had a clear picture what model he wanted to adopt across the three senatorial districts of the state and from the word go, his eyes were set on the ball.

Thus, experimenting with his first term of four years, Amosun proved to both the cynics and the critics alike that there was nothing esoteric about governance and or delivering on electoral promises. His vision was evidently disturbing to the opposition. They said he was too ambitious. They didn’t see the vision in his mission because they were unable to relate with it – too deep for them to comprehend. Instead, it became a ground to launch futile attacks.

But the worst of his criticism was yet to come – in fact – the beginning of his demonisation by mostly the intimate and familiar enemies.

The emergence of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency was soon to give him a different but condescending tag. While some described him as a sellout, there were those who preferred the word traitor because it suited their idea of him.

Sadly, whilst a majority of these political enemies are presumed to know the relationship between Amosun and the president, it is convenient for them to play it down because the fact about their engagement is not to stand on the altar of truth in assessing him, but to circumvent the very truth and deconstruct him.

The relationship between Amosun and the president, for the record, can be traced back to Buhari’s days as Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, when Amosun as an accountant provided professional services to the agency.

It didn’t start during their association as politicians in the All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP), on which platform Amosun first ran his governorship election.

But how such a flourishing relationship suddenly became a threat to some interests in the new political era still beats the imagination of the discerning. How that is being interpreted to mean a betrayal of one of the leading political lights in the country, Bola Tinubu is evidently incomprehensible. How such a relationship now translates into selling out the South-west geo-political is to say the least, ludicrous and a cheap attempt at an already failed blackmail.

The Yoruba have an interesting but instructive illustration to a thing of this sort. They reckon that when one man walks out of a door, points at some people and declares them mad, there is something fundamentally wrong with the individual. The Yoruba seriously frown at such a blanket dismissal and would rather the one person is referred for some sanity check.

In this whole finger-pointing, something appears to be constructively missing and it is the fact that if indeed, all the one-time loyalists or godsons of Tinubu have suddenly fallen out with him for one reason or the other and about the same time, it points at something – something rather worrisome.

Are those allies truly the bad ones or something is inherently not right with that one individual with whom they have fallen out? That’s a very relevant question for the critical minds that can reason beyond the realm of blind loyalty, situate issues in context and

Amosun...undistracted!

ascertain that which is the fact.

This example suffices. Today, the governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola is generally known as the closest to Tinubu among others.

There is this insinuation that Tinubu hardly takes any decision without bouncing it off Aregbesola and ultimately, his buy-in. Many of the decisions taken by Tinubu are believed to have been orchestrated and often implemented

by Aregbesola.

His role in the recent Ondo State governorship election, even against the interest of Tinubu is well documented. He had his candidate, Olusola Oke and detailed a trusted aide of his, Bola Ilori to drive his campaign. When finally Tinubu’s candidate, Segun Abraham failed from clinching the ticket after Aregbesola’s candidate had successfully divided the votes he ordinarily should have garnered, Tinubu would later turn around to support the same candidate without as much as asking questions or querying why he put him up against his own choice in the first place.

That was not interpreted as betrayal against Tinubu or his closeness to Tinubu seen as discomforting to other allies of the former Lagos State governor, some of whom are known to be unhappy about the situation.

Even where they were uncomfortable with his demeanor, no one has ever gone on the

The story of today’s Ogun State is arguably a distinct departure from what it used to be. While this is no veiled attempt to dismiss the efforts of his predecessors, the fact that he has set an all-new standard in politics, governance and power game is the reason his traducers have continued to have sleepless nights

offensive to raise the matter or frontally accuse Aregbesola of anything. Yet, the trend continues with Aregbesola influencing everything and anything for as long as it is Tinubu-related.

Therefore, how is Amosun’s closeness to Buhari a problem or an act of betrayal, either to Tinubu or the Yoruba cause? It is all about interest and everyone is expected to align where their interest is best served and protected. But those who have a premeditated intention to demonise Amosun only see it their way and would not stop even though a majority of observers of the development have begun to see through their lies and the sheer victimisation.

A recently leaked audio of a meeting by Amosun with some members of the state and national assemblies, allegedly devised by a former speaker of the state only depicts the height of the desperation by these avowed enemies in their resolve to both demonise and stigmatise the governor. The issue is not that the audio was leaked, but the fact that his statement at the meeting was needlessly amplified for whatever intentions further exposed the sinister moves against him by no less some of his own.

Before this development was the mischievous reference to him as the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in South-west, soon after the Ondo election. There was no debating the intention behind this as one designed to pit Amosun against Tinubu since he was said to be itching to take over “his place” in the party and beyond.

Perhaps, this was the only time Amosun deemed it fit and justifiably so to respond and put the issues in perspective. He knew that such a ploy to rewrite history was evil and deliberate to create a wedge that could further undo his relationship with Tinubu. Whilst he did not dwell needlessly on it, he consciously set the record straight and the matter died almost immediately.

Hear him: “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 gathering and 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 privacy, 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.

“True leadership cannot 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.

Interestingly, for a man who understands the art of politics and power, his idea of what is on the card is admirable. And as a tactician in his own right, he knows when to either move forward or retreat. That Amsoun has refused to dignify anyone with any more responses shows his capacity to think deeply, objectively analyse issues and critically determine what is true or false.

On the contrary, as a strategist that he is, he has concentrated on his development strides and would rather do a debate on how far he has come in his second term than waste precious executive time discussing character or matters that are extraneous to the development of the state.

Since his re-election on May 29, 2015, the “Mission to Rebuild” the state, using what he is quick to describe as the “Ogun Standard” has continued undistracted.

Still holding down his focus on Affordable and Qualitative Education, Efficient Health Care Delivery, Agricultural Production and Industrialization, Affordable Housing and Urban Renewal and Rural and Infrastructural Development/Employment Generation, Amosun is certainly not one to engage in a dog fight with his obviously idle opponents.

Political differences notwithstanding, the story of today’s Ogun State is arguably a distinct departure from what it used to be. While this is no veiled attempt to dismiss the efforts of his predecessors, the fact that he has set an all-new standard in politics, governance and power game is the reason his traducers have continued to have sleepless nights.

They probably didn’t expect the level of performance he has since put up, which seeks CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

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POLITICS

PERSPECTIVE

How to Effectively Defeat Boko Haram The only way to effectively contain the Boko Haram menace is first by having a good knowledge of their modus operandi and thereafter deploying a sustainable winning strategy, reckons Saheed Ahmad Rufai

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here is a growing discomfort over the claims and counterclaims concerning the fall of the Boko Haram Movement between the Presidency and the insurgents. Towards the close of December, 2016, it was widely broadcast from official quarters in Nigeria that the insurgents had been “effectively” defeated.

The leadership of the Movement, too, wasted no time in demonstrating beyond any doubt, through a video clip released almost instantaneously, that the baseless announcement by the federal government was only a continuation of its veiled misinformation and deception of Nigerians.

The current leader of the Movement, Abubakar Shekau, who had been “killed” many times, specifically alluded to the Army’s claim that “there is no big Boko Haram Commander alive in Sambisa Forest” as all of them were said to have been wiped out by the Nigerian troops. Shekau unequivocally questioned the rationale behind the government’s false claim to having “crushed” the group when it was not even close to that.

The unfolding scenario lays credence to Adelakun’s recent allusion to “past similar cases of premature announcements of Boko Haram’s defeat” and the submission that “this announcement is a mere cliff-hanger; more episodes are coming”.

It would be recalled that during the last presidential electioneering, General Muhammad Buhari (Rtrd, now President) scored a significant political point through his promise to terminate the Boko Haram insurgency within six months of his take-over. Probably desperate to actualise this electoral promise, the presidency declared in December, 2015 that the Boko Haram insurgents had been “technically” (not effectively) defeated.

As if to quickly declare the presidency a Liar Entity, the Movement struck in the same month killing 20 in a mosque bombing in Adamawa on December 21, 2015 and killing 16 in an inferno in Kimba, Borno on Christmas day.

Early in the new year, and specifically on January 8, 2016, a Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a mosque in Kolofata, Far North Cameroon, killing 2 and injuring one, repeating same in another mosque after five days (January 13, 2016) in Kouyape, also Far North Cameroon, killing 12 and injuring one, and recording yet another one at another mosque after another five days (January 18, 2016), killing four.

From February 13, 2016 till date, there have been multiple Boko Haram attacks in Borno and its environs including the one in which worshippers were forced into a mosque and shot, leaving several fatalities and casualties including Nigerian Army’s most gallant commander, Muhammed Abu Ali a lieutenant colonel, Major D.S Erasmus, Lt. Col. K. Yusuf and several senior officers, who were killed by the insurgents between September 25 and December, 2016.

This discourse conjectures that Nigeria does not know the enemy she is fighting.

It also conjectures that Nigeria seems somewhat insensitive to the Boko Haram ideology and recruitment strategies. Again, it conjectures that Nigeria’s counter-terrorist strategy is essentially military, a kind of fire-for-fire approach, and neither sufficiently ideological nor adequately orientational. The

Buhari...not yet uhuru

fact that Boko Haram is not a standing army is expected to give the Nigerian troops a smooth passage!

There however is a grossly unstrategic approach to intelligence, on the part of the Nigerian troops. I shall engage critically with these four conjectures through some theoretical explanations with a view to demonstrating that firearms, (which have been Nigeria’s only ammunition) alone cannot defeat Boko Haram who, at times, prove more militarily sophisticated and battle-strategic than the Nigerian troops.

The central theme of Boko Haram message was that Islam is averse to Western secular education. In a similar token, the group maintained that evangelism, which is being deceitfully given the colouring of Western education, is Islamically unacceptable.

It may be reiterated here that this particular anti-Western education stance cannot be regarded as an initiative of Muhammad Yusuf, given the fact that literature is replete with information concerning the apprehension of Northern Nigerian Islamic scholars, who had been unrepentantly critical of Western education, which they saw as a potential instrument for possible conversion of their unsuspecting children and wards to Christianity.

As time progressed, illiterates and jobless youths flocked around Muhammad Yusuf to embrace his doctrines. Some of the educated ones among his followers were said to have torn off their certificates in demonstration of their total commitment to the path of Yusuf.

Yusuf’s claim was that their mission was to fight the Taghut system and enthrone the Shari’ah in the country. However, the group was able to attract to itself few members of some of the most influential families in Maiduguri, such as Maikanti Indimi and Bana Mulima. According to Muhammad Murtada, who wrote in 2010, Yusuf’s persistent attack on anything western made him a hero among his followers.

As recently pointed out by Borom, the unrepentant nature of Boko Haram Movement suggests the outcome of their recruitment strategy where established members are

charged with the responsibility of recruiting others by seeking to identify those who are most likely to agree to act, if asked, and to further the cause.

This way, the leadership of the Movement charges its rational prospectors with the use of intelligence to find likely targets after which recruiters provide further information and deploy inducements to persuade recruits to say “yes”.

This strategy which relies on social bonds and relationships has been a source of strength to the Movement, especially with regards to its ever-expanding recruitment networks. It would be an appreciable counter-terrorist strategy for the Presidency to investigate the specific attractions that have prompted recruits to continue to join the Boko Haram insurgents.

It saddens that Nigerians are not given concrete evidence of the progress made so far in the fight against Boko Haram. Declarations of victory were made but no strategic documents, action plans or procedural maps of Boko Haram have been presented to the public as having been uncovered from the purportedly conquered territories in Gwazo or elsewhere.

If analysed well, such documents have the potential to shed light on several aspects of Boko Haram operations like their recruitment strategy, registration procedure, deployment and redeployment system, mode of military operations, training and retraining method, intelligence gathering and infiltration of the larger society, possible associates, acquaintances and sympathetic citizens at the corridors of power and elsewhere, sources of funding, remuneration and gratification arrangement, and other vital pieces of information none of which Nigeria does not seem to have been able to access.

Social scientists have proffered four explanations concerning how Boko Haram see or relate with themselves namely depersonalization, social cohesion, conformity and obedience, as well as bipolar worldview. The depersonalization dimension may be explained by the fact that the Boko Haram insurgents may see themselves as interchangeable members of an organization and are therefore motivated to make uppermost in their hearts the interests and goals of the organization.

As regards the social cohesion dimension, it may be explained by the collective identity shared by members of the group as such identity binds them together and promotes positive relationships and the spirit of togetherness. The conformity and obedience factor concerns the need for an unrestricted identification with terrorist organizations through an unrestricted identification with the norms that guide the member’s behaviour.

Concerning bipolar worldview in connection with the Boko Haram Movement, it is interesting to note that the insurgents nurse disdain against and develop negative feelings about people outside their group, as a result of the motivation they derive from their unrepentant identification with their group.

The implication of this in the estimation of terrorists is that the world is divided between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

They see themselves as bastions of the values and interests of an ethnic or religious community. It is theoretically predictable that the self-identification of terrorists as members of a much larger community will help them

to fulfill their avowed goals. This may be an explanation for the unrepentant nature of Boko Haram and a systematic counterideological orientation may prove efficacious in this regard.

It is not out of place to situate the Boko Haram Movement within the broad area of fundamentalism which scholars have identified as the most marginal of the dominant streams of Islamic thinking in contemporary Nigeria. They associate it with anti-system movements that express aversion to the established political authorities which are regarded as being grossly secular. These movements are not only opposed to the government but also to established religious elites whom they perceive as lethargic.

According to David Chalk, the fundamentalists cite the dysfunctional conditions of the secular Nigerian state as a reason to challenge current moral and political order through religion. Whether Boko Haram are sincerely or deceitful in such a claim, does not invalidate the perception that this is a good indoctrination that has been working to their favour for some time now and there may be need to urgently design counteractions along that line.

In a recent study by David, he argues that a state’s inability to fulfill its obligations to the citizenry constitutes an enabling environment for terrorism. He adds that the responsibilities of a state comprise “adequate discharge of political good and social welfare to its citizens and effective territorial control given its monopoly of the use of force” and argues that the state’s failure to discharge these responsibilities may pave way for “various forms of politically motivated violence including terrorism” Describing a failed state as one that is unable to discharge specific roles that are regarded as functions of a properly functioning state, David rationalizes that the failed state thesis has potential to enhance our understanding of conflicts in the country as occasioned by the rebellion of the so called terrorist or extremist group.

The Boko Haram experience may also be understood in the context of the relation/ vengeance theory which focuses on inter-group conflict in factors such as economic, political, sociological, religious, and historical relationship in a society and proffers explanation to the “We” versus “Them” dimensions of inter-group relationship which is often “characterised by some enmity perception among groups based on the aforementioned factors”.

Yet, the rational choice theory seems to be of more relevance to the Boko Haram question. This theory presupposes that motivation for terrorism is tied around utility maximization. The underlining thinking in the main behavioural assumption concerning individuals’ participation in collective terrorist action is that the cost of participation is less than the benefits.

This analysis is not oblivious of the fact that “given that the benefits accruing from collective actions is hardly enjoyed by, and restricted to, the individual as well as the fact that the individual’s effort is quite significant when the group is large in size, the question regarding why individual would participate in such group or its collective actions remains unanswered in the first place, using economic perspective.

- Dr. Rufai is the acting Dean, Faculty of Education, Sokoto State University

T H E D E M O N I S AT I O N O F A M O S U N to transcend many generations and thus, to reduce all that he has contributed to both local and national politics – his demonisation appears the only answer to their fears.

There is, of course, the need for improvement in some of the sectors of the state’s economy as well as completing some of the prime

projects he had initiated since his first coming in 2011. Sources close to the governor have also confirmed this, saying he has dealt with some of the distractions that have held down progress for some time and would certainly address all the critical issues before the end of his tenure.

His detractors do not have to demonise him to make their principal look good or elevate whatever their hidden project is, ultimately.

Besides, demonising him is also not going to aid anyone’s ambition, either as a bonafide indigene of the state or one on transfer window from a neighbouring state.

These are issues directly in the hands of the people and owners of the state. Amosun has secured his place in history and it is a very good one at that. It is left to his detractors to strive to either catch up or surpass him.

But any conscious attempt to demystify him is dead on arrival.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

A S

A T

NIBOR 18.5083% 16.6507%

3-MONTH 6-MONTH

17.7268% 20.3556%

Group Business Editor Chika Amanze-Nwachuku

Email chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157

D E C E M B E R ,

NITTY 1-MONTH 2-MONTH 3-MONTH

15.4261% 15.7513% 16.1576%

6-MONTH 9-MONTH 12-MONTH

1 6 , 19.2703% 20.6120% 22.3006%

2 0 1 6 EXCHANGE RATE N314.77//1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Society Records Successful Year

Airport Fire and Safety Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited (AFSCMS), in its 16th Annual General Meeting recently demonstrated a successful turnout of the 2016 Financial Year, declaring a dividend offer across board for all its members. The AGM held at Murtala Muhammed Airport Staff School in Ikeja, Lagos attracted members cutting across Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and other aviation agencies expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the year. Speaking at the AGM, President of the Society, Mr Gbade RichardTella said the society has assisted its members in its 16 years of existence, saying that it has helped a lot of members in terms of welfare.be beneficiaries.” The Vice President who confirmed that they are enjoying cordial relationship with various aviation agencies said that, although monthly deductions are supposed to be remitted to them but unfortunately, these deductions don’t come as at when due. He therefore, called on the agencies, particularly FAAN to improve on their remittances so that the society can improve on their mandate. “Fire Coperative has been the pacesetter. Today, we are number four in Lagos State. Others look at us and they follow us. Because of this, there have been challenges and expectations are high. It is difficult to satisfy everybody”, Aturu noted.

CONGRATULATIONS

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankola, (left), presenting award to Chief Executive Officer, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, (BASL), Capt. Jari Williams at Med-View Airline 2016 night award held in Lagos.

Customs May Lose 50% Revenue to Ban on Vehicles Importation Eromosele Abiodun Following the federal government ban on the importation of vehicles through the land borders, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command, is set to lose 50 per cent of its monthly revenue valued at about N13 billion.

The Seme command of the NCS rakes in between N25 billion to N28 billion monthly with 50 per cent of that amount coming from vehicle importation.

The federal government had last year prohibited the importation of vehicles, new and old, through land borders, restricting all vehicle imports to Nigeria Sea Ports only.

However, Customs Area Controller of Seme Border, Victor Dimka said: “You will

MARITIME agree with me that over 50 per cent of our revenue comes from vehicles importation in this command, so that is going to be completely removed and what is left is what we should expect but we will create a very friendly environment just as we have been doing. You will also agree with me that the trade between Nigeria and the countries of the corridors are more or less informal, we will try to perfect on this relationship so as to make the place more business friendly.

“We will have flyers all over the places, we have help desk as you can see, our officers will tell people what must be done and what must not be done. So when you have

two or more sources, two are removed, the one remaining we will guide Jealously, so importation on General goods from Benin Republic and other countries of the corridors to see we maximize revenue collection optimally.”

He said the Seme Command raked in over N1 billion a few working days to the take off of the ban following the rush to bring in vehicles into the country by importers.

He said the ban on vehicles as was announced by the federal government meant that the command will re-tighten its belts, “because it very difficult to see vehicles being smuggled through Seme even before the ban. So what is going to happen just to tighten what we have, make sure we deploy officers to all the likely routes

they will follow. We have also discovered through intelligence new routes they are creating but by the time we finish, we are going to move officers there permanently.

“Of course there is going to be a combined force from the Command, Federal Operations, Compliance Team and even the military to ensure total blockage. Believe me, the war is going to be fierce because you know most of them in this vicinity see smuggling as a birthright, so they will want to try but we will resist them.

“They attempt justifying the act by saying its buying and selling. For them, it is merely traveling from one end to buy or trade at the other end. They even argue that their fathers Continued on page 20

Harsh Operating Environment Discourages Investment in Aviation Sector Chinedu Eze Some stakeholders in the aviation industry have said that harsh operating environment, including disincentive government policies, high cost of doing business and scarcity of aviation fuel are discouraging investors from the sector.

In the past four years there have been more commercial airlines that went under than the ones that came in and in the last two years it is only Air Peace that started schedule services and is still operating.

Many in the industry attribute the development to

AVIATION the disincentive government policies, high charges, high taxes, epileptic supply of aviation fuel and extremely very low profit margin.

The backbone of airport services is the airlines and without the growth of the airlines other business will not grow and investors may not be willing to invest in airports.

This is because airlines bring people and take people from the airports. They attract oil marketers, food vendors, restaurants, hotels, service providers, including handling

companies and others.

THISDAY investigations from the commercial department of FAAN showed that there has been downward trend in investment at the airports, a situation that might have been aggravated by the current economic recession.

Recent airlines that have gone under in the last five years or have stopped operation include Chanchangi, Air Nigeria, Discovery, IRS Airlines, Afrijet and others.

Recently the CEO of Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, decried the hostile operational environment and the seeming government’s

indifference to the welfare of the airlines and pointed out that there are critical things government must do to ensure that scheduled government policies continue in the country.

THISDAY learnt that there are some airlines that have been going through start up process with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to obtain their Air Operator Certificate (AOC) but are yet to start operation because they may not have the needed funds and they would have to operate for sometime before they even begin to generate good revenue.

Continued on page 20

Etihad Partners Lufthansa on Code-Share

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates and Lufthansa German Airlines, have announced the conclusion of a codeshare agreement. The arrangement is set to start in January 2017, subject to government approval. The wet-lease agreement between Lufthansa Group and airberlin – in which Etihad Aviation Group indirectly holds a 29 per cent stake. Lufthansa’s point-to-point carrier Eurowings and Austrian Airlines, a Lufthansa Group airline, have signed an agreement to wet lease 38 aircraft from airberlin.

33 of these aircraft are to be operated for the Eurowings Group, an additional five aircraft are to be flown for Austrian Airlines. The agreement has a term of six years and becomes effective from February2017subjecttoanyregulatoryrequirements.Theleaseshave been agreed at competitive rates. Under the codeshare agreement, the German airline will place its ‘LH’ code on Etihad Airways’ twice daily non-stop flights between its home base of Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt and its twice daily non-stop services between Abu Dhabi and Munich, the biggest city in southern Germany.The UAE’s national airline will, in turn, put its ‘EY’ code on Lufthansa’s long-haul, non-stop intercontinental services between its home base of Frankfurt, the business and commercial capital of Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as well as Bogota, Colombia.

Africa’s Rising Middle Class

There has been marked growth of the middle class in Africa due to the growing economy, Africa being seen as the next big market by the world economies. African Development Bank (AfDB), said as far back as 2011 there were already 313 million people – or 34 per cent of the continent’s total population – that could be referred to as middle class, but other economic institutions have differed in this. According to Standard Bank, only 15 million households in the 11 largest Sub-Saharan African economies fall into the bracket.

Consultancy firm EIU Canback agrees there has been growth, but not as much as many think, suggesting that the African middle class rose to 6.2 per cent of the continent’s population in 2014, up from 4.4 per cent in 2004. Africa Business Central reported that disparities in estimates arise from differences in defining what exactly “middle class” is. The AfDB defines it as people spending between $2 and $20 per day, and has a separate category for “stable middle class” – which it said stood at 123 million people in 2011. Income, wealth, and consumption can all be used to establish class.

Yet despite the disparities in exactly how big it is, all observers – including the AfDB and Standard Bank – remain convinced Africa’s consumer market is burgeoning, and bringing with it increased opportunities for businesses on the continent. Investor George Soros says the growth of the continent’s middle class is one of the only economic bright spots across the world currently.

“Every segment of port operations is being affected by this exchange rate crisis. Ten years ago when the ports were consessioned, the naira was exchanging for N125 to a dollar against N473 or N490 of today in the parallel market.

CEO, ENL Consortium Limited,

Vicky Haastrup

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BUSINESSWORLD CUSTOMS MAY LOSE 50% REVENUE TO BAN ON VEHICLES IMPORTATION have been trading between the Nigerian area and Benin Republic, so stopping them is like stopping what they have known to be doing for hundreds of years.” he said.

He added, “Those at the Nigerian end of the border share lingual, cultural and historical similarities with some communities in Benin.

In fact, some Nigerian families have branches in Benin. As a customs officer, I have seen them celebrate, worship and mourn together as one. We tell them daily that what they enjoy is the ECOWAS treaty on free movement and that the family houses they claim to be going fall within the territory of a different state.

“This is where enlightenment comes in. I am regularly educating the people on Nigerian side that the Benin Republic is a different country from Nigeria and the dont share uniform economic policies.

HARSH OPERATING ENVIRONMENT DISCOURAGES INVESTMENT IN AVIATION SECTOR There have also been airlines that got their operations licence long time ago but have been unable to start operation.

Industry consultant and CEO of BeluJane Konsult, Chris Aligbe said one of the factors forestalling the establishment of new airlines is economic downturn under the current recession, unfriendly government policies, forex problems, high taxation and high charges.

“Existing airlines are subjected to high taxation, high charges, government is pushing the agencies to increase revenue, so they put pressure on the airlines and these charges are threatening the existence of these airlines. These realities discourage others from coming in. Government is not helping the airlines. They see them as privately owned so they do not feel committed to them but they forget the economic role they play and do not realise the consequence of their going under,” Aligbe said.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

NEWS

Domestic Airlines May Lose N21bn to Abuja Airport Closure Chinedu Eze Nigerian airlines may lose about N21 billion due to the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on March 8, for the rehabilitation of the runway of the airport.

For the period which the Abuja airport will be shut down, Kaduna airport will be used as an alternative.

However, THISDAY learnt that due to safety and security challenges associated with the Kaduna Airport, some airlines may not use it as alternative airport. Also because of security fears some air travellers may not go to Kaduna and travel by road back to Abuja. Some would prefer to travel to Abuja from Lagos, so the airlines would lose huge revenue.

An airline operator told THISDAY that the airline would use Minna airport as alternative to Kaduna.

Informed source disclosed that Minna has fire cover which puts it at Category 6 airport. Although it has airfield lighting but it also lacks complement manpower, as some of the staff from Abuja airport would now be seconded to Kaduna, which has been designated as alternative to Abuja.

Sources in the travel industry have said that due to security reasons and poor infrastructural upgrade at Kaduna airport, the traffic on the Abuja route will drop by 40 per cent once the closure comes into effect and many are of the view that the six week planned for the completion of repair work at

the airport runway would not be enough and may up to eight or more weeks.

“So passengers would cut down the frequency of their travel by air and may use alternatives when important businesses call and travel for leisure may come down to drastic low,” a source said

Aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), who is the Secretary General, Aviation Round Table, while suggesting that Minna Airport could serve as a better alternative considering the size of the airport, security reasons and proximity to Abuja airport, said smaller

aircraft could still land and take off in that same airport, while work is on, using just 1000meters. \He explained that with the security issues in the northern parts of the country, none of the American and European airlines would want to fly to Kaduna.

PROMOTING AGRICULTURE

L-R: President, Agriculture Graduates Association of Nigeria (AGAN), Michael Egbuta; General Manager, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), Abimbola Okoya; Chairman, BATNF Rice Farmers Group, Bida, Niger State, Abu Far; Coordinator, Niger State AGAN, Illyasu Hussaini; and Communication and Events Manager, BATNF, Tajudeen Akinwande at the BATNF exhibition stand during the 3rd NEPAD Nigeria Rice Investment Forum in Abuja..... recently.

NEPZA Issues Licence to Maritime Africa Economic City Eromosele Abiodun In a bid to hasten the development of what will be Nigeria’s largest and most ambitious Free Trade Zone and Mega Port project, the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has granted licence to the Maritime Africa Economic City otherwise known as the Badagry Free Zone.

The licence was handed over to the Project Director of the Zone, Mr. Patrick Bird by the Managing Director of NEPZA, Mr. Gbenga Kuye in Abuja.

Speaking shortly after receiving the NEPZA licence, Bird said the company, with the cooperation of NEPZA intends to develop the Maritime Africa Economic City into one of the most successful special economic zones in all of Africa According to him, “Today marks a tremendous milestone in the development of the

Badagry project. The benefits of having this approval are enormous for our clients and despite the current downturn in the economy; we are still fielding a lot of interests from domestic and foreign companies wanting to set up in Badagry. We thank NEPZA for their continued support.

This is going to be a great partnership to the benefit of Nigeria.”

Bird said some of the benefits of the new free trade zone include various tax advantages, 100 per cent repatriation of profits and dividends, immigration incentives, round the clock operations, and fast track cargo clearance procedures.

The Maritime Africa Economic City, he said, would be developed on 1,100 hectares of land with over six kilometres of quay wall, including a container terminal, roll-on-roll-off (RORO) terminal, general cargo

terminals, oil service centre and refined products import terminals.

“It will also include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park, warehousing and inland container depot functions as well. The Zone is connected to Lagos by the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which is currently being upgraded and expanded by the Lagos State Government as well as the Porto Novo Creek, allowing for the barging of cargo between the existing port system of Lagos and the new facility. A rail line will also be developed in the future to connect the new Free Trade Zone for even more seamless transit of goods,” he said.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had said the Badagry Free Zone and Mega Port project would be a major turning point that would go a long way to bringing about global growth

to Nigerian waters and by extension the nation’s economy.

The governor said the project would also complement the emergence of Lagos as the fifth largest economy in Africa.

Ambode, while lauding the investors for staying the course with the project, which is expected to generate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs upon completion, pledged his government’s commitment to ensuring the interests of the host communities alongside a sustainable regeneration and urban renewal of the area.

The federal government had approved the construction of the proposed Mega Port and Free Zone at the Federal Executive Council meeting of August 3, 2016.

Also, speaking in support of the project, Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi said the project would boost foreign direct

Iinvestment in the country.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said the approval shows that Nigeria is still a preferred investment destination in Africa despite the challenges it is currently facing.

Also speaking on the project, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, while thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for granting the approval, said: “There are bigger vessels now being built across the world that require larger depths and drafts to berth. Now some of our competitors on the continent like Djibouti are building bigger ports, so if we don’t build this port we risk becoming uncompetitive and we risk a threat to our maritime hub status in the sense that we may become a transshipment port instead of a port of original destination.”

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Capital Market)

NIMASA Hails US Support for Implementation of ISPS Code Eromosele Abiodun The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside identified the support of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and cooperation of Nigerian stakeholders as reasons behind the success the agency has achieved in the implementation of the International Ship and Port

Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

The DG stated this when he received a delegation of the USCG led by Mr. Edward Munoz, who are in Nigeria on a pre-assessment visit of port and terminal facilities in Nigeria.

Peterside, who observed that the effective implementation of the ISPS code is for the good of the global shipping industry, also noted that NIMASA as the designated authority(DA) for the implementation of the code

in Nigeria is committed to safe and secure shipping.

He welcomed third party evaluation from the USCG team, saying it provides the agency a better opportunity to assess its progress and adopt new improvement initiatives.

“Ultimately all of us are working for a common purpose, a safer world through safety and security of the maritime sub sector. If we fix our different corners of the earth, the

whole world will be safer for everybody. And so no effort should be spared in trying to guarantee safety and security of all our people,” he said.

He assured the delegation of NIMASA’s readiness to collaborate with its partners even as he said the full implementation of the ISPS code is capable of drastically reducing security challenges in the maritime industry.

“We are totally committed, we

are working very hard with all our partners and one thing we are sure of is that by the time the full assessment team comes in February, they would have noticed remarkable improvement. I am sure that delegation will be more than satisfied that Nigeria is on course and that our dream of being the hub of maritime activities in the whole of West and Central African will be inching closer by the day,” he said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Ogun State Govt, Wood Exporters Begin Planting Campaign Eromosele Abiodun The Ogun State Government in collaboration with the Tropical Wood Exporters Association of Nigeria (TWEAN) has flagged off the tree planting campaign with a view to tackling the massive deforestation of the nation’s forests.

Speaking at the tree planting ceremony, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosu said that that Nigerians should see tree planting as solving the problems of global warming and its challenges on the environment.

Amosu also said the campaign would further create awareness on the need for people to imbibe the culture of reforestation and to desist from habits that are detrimental to a safe environment.

According to the governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Forestry, Kolawole Lawal, Ogun state is the only state in Nigeria with a dedicated Ministry of Forestry, adding that the government has been working round the clock to see that tree planting is not only seen as an option to conserve the forest resources but as the right strategic choice towards restoration, beautification, healthy, and

industrial friendly environment.

“We are committed to raising trees of both exotic and indigenous species that will support the natural symbiotic relationship between man and mother earth,” he said.

Similarly, Minister of Environment, Hajia Aminat Mohammed noted that the government has expressed concern over the rate of deforestation a development she says claims has led to the loss of between 350,000 to 400,000 hectares of land mass per annum.

Mohammed disclosed that Nigeria’s current forest cover is five per cent which, according to her, is at variance with recommended 25 per cent of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) The minister further disclosed that the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in its 2013 report, said that Nigeria has a total of 309 of threatened species of flora, fauna and wildlife.

According to the minister, it was the staggering statistics that moved the government to control the wanton destruction of the forests.

“With this staggering statistics, the Federal

Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the state forestry services needed to take drastic measure to control the wanton destruction of our forests. If we must prevent the imminent danger of total collapse of the ecological system in our country, then we must speedily embark on massive aforestation and restoration of our degraded forest reserves.

“We must fashion out appropriate policies and strategies for sustainable forest management in our country while the entire citizenry must adopt responsible behaviour towards our forests. The Federal Government will continue to provide appropriate policy guidelines, facilitates dialogue with relevant stakeholders’ participation in aforestation and sustainable forest management for the enhancement of livelihoods, socioeconomic development and environmental protection in Nigeria.

“Currently, the Federal Ministry of Environment is dialoguing with relevant agencies of government on the promotion of alternative sources of energy so as to reduce the pressure on our forest due to fuel wood extraction,” she said.

Farmcrowdy.com Online Portal for Agric Products Launched Emma Okonji Farmcrowdy.com, Nigeria’s first digital agriculture platform, has been launched to offer new ways for Nigerians to participate in agriculture, using online technology.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos recently, the Co-founder and CEO of Farmcrowdy.com, Onyeka Akumah, said by partnering Farmcrowdy to own a minimum farm space, it is now possible for Nigerians across the world to commit an agreed sum to starting and completing a farming cycle. In doing so, the farm partner is able to sponsor a farmer in one farming cycle thereby empowering the farmer, expanding their farm operations, participating in the drive to end food scarcity and making use of 50 million hectares of arable farm land in Nigeria that is currently under-utilised according to the World Bank.

The Farmcrowdy.com platform allows farms partners to sponsor any farm of their choice including maize farms, poultry farms (broiler), cassava farms and tomato farms.

The farm partners then gets bi-weekly updates about their farm progress including pictures and videos from the farmers. Also, farm partners can visit their farms if they

wish to at any point in time to learn about the farmer they have partnered with and the farm products they are working on.

According to Akumah, the company has acquired over 1,000 hectares of farmland in the South-eestern part of Nigeria especially in Oyo and Ogun states as it launches the initiative.

“With one farmer working on one hectare per season, this means that we have provided a platform to engage a minimum of 1,000 farmers with Farmcrowdy. Our goal is to secure 10,000 hectares around the eastern parts of Nigeria and the Lakaji Corridor in other to make use of dams and irrigation facilities in these areas,” Akumah said.

He further explained that the launch of Farmcrowdy’s website and platform was brought forth out of a need to engage Nigerians especially youths in agriculture, empower small-scale farmers and increase food production to keep up with the growing Nigerian population.

“According to a UN research, crop yields need to double within 40 years in order to keep up with the world population growth.

For this to happen, it is important to create an efficient farming industry that

operates on a large scale so that our food can be saved and our economy can rapidly progress. This revelation has prompted Farmcrowdy to join the farming industry through its Agric-Tech Start-up which makes use of technology to execute agriculture,” Akumah said.

Farmcrowdy boast of an experienced team including its second Co-Founder and COO, Mr. Africanfarmer Mogaji, who has over 19 years of experience both in the livestock and crop production industry within and outside Nigeria. Described by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a‘Champion for Change’, Africanfarmer Mogaji before Farmcrowdy, was the CEO of X-Ray Farms Consulting - a new generation agricultural expert, coach and consultant.

Operating in Agric-tech space, Farmcrowdy is here to bring the best out of the resources available in Nigeria so that Nigeria can increase the production of agricultural raw materials to meet the growth of an expanding industrial sector, reduce poverty and unemployment, offer returns on investment for farm owners and farm partners while proffering a win-win solution for everyone.

RISK MANAGEMENT WATCH Robert Mbonu

Taming the Unknown

A

Are you afraid of anything? Perhaps if you can’t name something you fear or dread, you can think of someone who has such an anxiety.

For example, there are many people who are afraid of flying and who go to great lengths to avoid aeroplane journeys. With the state of our national security, there is increased fear of kidnappings and physical attacks.

The irrational fears that people have are many and varied; fear of heights, fear of dark lonely roads, fear of open or enclosed spaces, reptiles, dug wells, underground tunnels, forests (no thanks to Sambisa!), manholes, birds, elevators, escalators, dentists, blood, doctors, rats, dogs, cats… and the list goes on.

Irrational fears are about perceptions of risk. The height represents a fall, lonely roads are hideouts for robbers, open spaces expose you, closed spaces compress you, reptiles can kill, you can fall down a dug well, get lost in a tunnel or forest and never be found, fall down a man-hole – I think you have got the picture. Fear is often perceived as risk, with the notion that risk represents a real and present danger. Our minds have built up associations based on stories or films or previous adverse experiences with a skewed perception of risk as harm. More than that, the sense that your safety is in other people’s hands, that it’s out of your control, is often behind irrational fears like fear of flying.

For instance, in the wake of an air tragedy, some travelers have been known to switch from flying to driving – leading to a drop in air passenger traffic while road use surged.

But after having to deal with road checkpoints, accidents and long traffic delays on the expressways most people return to the skies. Available statistics indicate that flying is faster and safer than driving long distances.

So risk management enables us to put a structure and framework around the unknown or what we fear, bringing it within control. To understand if there is a rational approach towards risk, we will examine one of the classic definitions of risk; Effect of uncertainty on objectives. Note that an effect may be positive, negative, or a deviation from the expected. Also, risk is often described by an event, a change in circumstances or a consequence (ISO Guide 73 ISO 31000; 2009) This definition helps us to think further about risk than we have addressed it thus far; we know that risk can be a combination of likelihood and impact, and that it can be positive or negative, but we are now looking at the effect of risk on objectives; and the fear that lurks in the shadows. When we are looking at the management of risk or what we call risk management, we are looking about identifying, analysing and responding to risk in the context of those objectives.

The standard definitions of risk management are not so uniform as those for risk, but in the main there are references to the ‘processes’ or activities behind identifying, analysing and responding to risk; Coordinated activities to direct and control an organisation with regard to risk (ISO Guide 73 ISO 31000).

This short treatise leads us to the concept of ‘enterprise’ risk management. We will tackle this in depth in a later article, but it’s worth saying that enterprise risk management or ERM is risk management for the whole organisation – i.e.

enterprise wide; Imagine that you go to the doctor with a bad neck, your back hurts and you are getting headaches. The doctor gives you some “Panadol” and tells you to come back if you don’t get better. At a visit to your mother at the weekend, she looks at you and asks how long you are spending at the computer each day. She can see you squinting in bright light and she observes the heavy bags under your eyes and tells you to do 10,000 steps outdoors each day for one month – and she’s going to check that you do it. You do as you are told, because you always obey your mother, and like a miracle, by the end of the month not only have you no aches and pains, but you are sleeping better and being more successful at work. Both your mother and the doctor exercised the same process of analysis, but the doctor couldn’t make the connection between the ailments and other non-verbalised issues so he treats the particular issues. Your mother made the connections and she treats the whole body.

Enterprise risk management is the treatment of the whole body, whereas risk management deals with the particular risk area.

This is why sometimes risk management is misunderstood; some people think it’s just about health and safety, or fire prevention.

Others think that it’s about protecting the computers or data. If you ask someone in finance what risk management is to them, they would respond in terms of delegated authority levels and segregation of duties, someone in Human Resources would argue that it’s about taking up references and checking people’s backgrounds. Risk management is all of those …… and more. Enterprise wide, it is about treating the entire organisation, mapping the risks, their interconnectedness, and finding those risk responses that affect each part of the business. It’s about managing the unknown, and overcoming fear by controlling it.

How do we overcome the fear of the present economic recession digging deeper and making daily life more difficult? We need to tackle the root cause of what led us to this sad state of affairs.

Our dependence on oil as a main source of revenue is not entirely bad. The problem is that we did not react quickly to the oil price shock. There was no framework to foresee this danger, and therefore there were no quick responses. Will Nigeria be better in the long run? The answer is an outstanding YES, if we learn from this and put the right measures in place now.

So fear is all together not bad. It could be a pointer to risks. We must embrace risk, and do the uncommon if the opportunity presents itself. Failure is a great learning opportunity.

The risk management approach to controlling fear of the unknown is to strip away the fear and start with the rational basics, and then we can get to the root cause of what the problem is, strip it away or deal with it, or isolate it or change it or flip it into an opportunity.

With these steps, we can rise from fear of the unknown and then begin to build success.

Mbonu, studied Engineering, is an experienced Banker and Enterprise Risk Management specialist. Has undergone post graduate studies in Risk Management at Stern – New York University, and is a member of the UK Institute of Risk Management.

Can be reached on 09092092046 (SMS Only); email: rm4riskmgt@gmail.com

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Dana Group Reiterates Commitment to Nigeria’s Economy Dana Group of Companies has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to support Nigeria’s economy with quality products and services, even as the country continues to grapple with the current economic recession.

Deputy Group Managing Director, Dana Group of Companies, Mr. Gautam Hathiramani, who made this known at the 2016 Most Valuable Brands Recognition Award, said: “We are committed to providing proudly Nigerian products and services that can also serve as launch-pad for the economy.

‘Our investment in automobile, aviation, pharmaceutical, steel, plastics, water, chemical, banking, and real estate, is strategic, and we will continue to explore locally made materials to reduce importation and create jobs to ensure that our people continue to benefit directly from our

intervention in these areas,’’ he said.

Speaking further, Mr Hathirmani said: “For us to have emerged one of Nigeria’s Top 50 brands for the 3rd consecutive time, is a clear indication that we are living up to our top priority, which is to be the number one, in terms of quality and customer satisfaction in all the markets we serve.’’

He thanked the staff of Dana Group for their loyalty, commitment and dedication. Also speaking at the presentation ceremony, the CEO of Top 50 Brands, Mr Taiwo Oluboyede said the model that was used in arriving at this result include consumer’s familiarity with the brand, quality element a brand possesses, market/category leadership, innovation, spread, corporate social responsibility initiatives and several other factors.

“We started with the

top on the mind survey where we engaged members of the public.

They were made to list out brands they are familiar with. This also tests people’s knowledge of brands and affinity. We particularly focused on the corporate class from manager’s level and above. Respondents listed brands that they can easily recall or they are familiar with. It was observed that people easily recall brands they recently relate with or they see often,” he said.

The conglomerate, which has grown to become one of Africa’s largest and presently among Nigeria’s 100 most respected companies, according to a survey conducted by Business Day’s Research and Intelligence Unit, can boast of a multi-billion dollar vehicle assembly plant which is currently supporting the Nigerian economy with the production of over 27,000 exquisite KIA cars.

Peacock UK Clinches 2016 Outstanding Performance Award Peacock of Travels and Tours Limited United Kingdom has clinched a global travel award in London.

The company won the 2016 Outstanding Achievement award at the Carrier Preferred Partner Awards 2016 held in London recently.

The event is a celebration of the achievements of UK travel management companies in 2016.

Peacock Travel and Tours was among three nominations for the 2016 Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition of exceptional support and performance in 2016.

The award has clearly shown the position of the company in the UK travel industry and by extension the global travel scene.

Receiving the award on behalf of the company, the Manager, Peacock Travels and Tours, UK, Leon Shaier, said he was delighted to receive the award on behalf of the company, noting that it was great for the company to be recognized among the hundreds of travel management companies in the UK. According to Shaier, the award, which is a process of rigorous inde-

pendent screening by the organizers, is based on meeting several criteria including volume of ticket sales and business.

He said: “I was delighted that we were nominated but then to be announced as winner was such a thrill. A wonderful evening that I will never forget. I am happy Peacock won ahead of the other contestants in the nomination.

Commenting on the award, the Executive Chairman, Peacock Group, Aare Segun Phillips, said he was delighted to receive the award

BA Cabin Crew to Strike January 10 British Airways cabin crew working under ‘mixed fleet’ employment terms will strike for 48 hours from January 10, the Unite union said.

According to Airwise, Unite said the industrial action was called after mixed fleet crew rejected a British Airways pay offer before Christmas.

The union said BA had “refused to extend the mandate of the strike vote to allow for talks”.

The December ballot was 79 per cent in favour of strike action on a turnout of 60 percent.

The union said its members were legally required to take industrial action within 28 days of voting for it, unless British Airways agreed to an extension. “Instead of listening to why its ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew rejected the offer negotiated at Acas, British Airways has sought instead to try and bully a workforce of young men and women who are trying to eke out a living on poverty pay,” Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said.

The 2,500 mixed fleet crew, which make up

about 15 percent of the airline’s cabin crew, earn just over GBP£12,000 (USD$14,750) plus flight pay of £3 per hour when they start, the union said.

British Airways said in a statement that it was “extremely disappointed that Unite has once again chosen to target our customers. We are looking to ensure that all of our customers, with bookings on those two days, will travel to their destinations.”

The airline said it would publish more details about contingency plans on Friday January 6.

AIR WATCH

AVIATION

Inefficient Airport Facilities

I

n the last one month there have been acute problem of aviation fuel scarcity and bad weather that severely interrupted flight operations. These two problems, which are solvable, seemed at that time to eclipse the fundamental problem that has dogged flight operations over the years. The problem has been inefficient airports due to obsolete infrastructure, inadequate facilities and obvious lack of commitment by the airport management.

Industry insiders said that the deplorable situation of Nigerian airport is not due to lack of funds. Rather it is due to mismanagement of funds and lack of commitment and patriotism of those whose responsibility is to provide these facilities, from the officials in the Ministry of Transportation to the leadership among the aviation agencies.

The observers said that the failure of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian (FAAN) to provide airfield lighting at all the airport runways is because they agency did not see it as a priority. Yet the absence of airfield lighting in these airports give rise to many flight cancellations every day. And when airlines cancel flights, passengers take them to the social media and literally slaughter them. An operator told THISDAY that when an airline schedules flights for a day, exigencies caused by mainly delays could make the airline not to meet timely targets of take offs. So the flights to all the airports besides the major airports in Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos face the risk of being cancelled if such flights are delayed till 6:00 pm because FAAN did not install airfield lighting at many of the other airports.

In 2015 FAAN generated N162, 887, 530. 00 from the Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar but it cannot provide airfield lighting at the airport. It generated N457, 725, 797. 86 from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu but it cannot provide efficient airfield lighting and good runway. FAAN generated N119, 732, 831. 27 from the Benin airport in 2015 but the airport has no airfield lighting. Airlines and concerned industry observers ask, where have all these monies gone. Where did the N251, 989, 023. 68 generated from Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in 2015 gone that the airport does not have airfield lighting. They wanted to know how FAAN prioritises its airport development that the airports that generate so much money for it are not developed. After the four major airports in Lagos, which generated N21, 997, 298, 790.92 during the same period, Kano, which generated N1, 297, 298, 790. 92, Abuja, which earned N6,820, 466, 119.12, and Port Harcourt that generated N2, 011, 400, 531. 38 within the same period, the aforementioned airports generate huge revenues without having essential terminal and other facilities.

The Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison said despite all the charges collected by FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), these agencies couldn’t provide the needed airport and landing equipment to enhance flight operations; rather, the deficient facilities at the airports lead to flight cancellations and delays, noting that 50 percent of daily flights are either delayed or cancelled.

“What are they doing with the charges they are collecting? What are they doing with the navigation charges, terminal navigation charges. FAAN has 11,000 staff. The money they ought to use to provide airfield lighting they use to pay over bloated staff. The economic loss to the airlines is huge and unbearable. Instead of using the money to provide and modernise facilities we are using it to service recurrent expenditure. The equipment that we have became obsolete in 1968,” Meggison said.

He regretted that after 6:30 pm most airports in Nigeria close, recalling that in those days (1983) Benin had landing lights, Calabar had landing lights, Enugu had landing lights, Port Harcourt had landing lights.

“In Benin the light does not exist now. No cable, no lighting

bulbs as I experienced three months ago. There was no physical light in Benin,” he said.

He said the problem is from the service providers (FAAN and NAMA), “Either the navigational aids are bad or there is no fuel or the processing bottlenecks at our boarding gates. When they call for flights in Abuja you check the passengers through only one boarding gate.

“It is the same thing in Lagos. Arik Air has about 14 departures between 7:00 am to 8:00 am in Lagos.

If you go to the processing during boarding, Arik has only one exit. Inevitably there will be a delay.

Arik has an average of 120 passengers per flight; there are about 1600 passengers to be processed through one gate in one hour. Even the human fatigue on the person screening for security is a problem.

By the time they get to the aircraft, to the airside, it is only one bus that will be there to convey them.

By the time they get to the aircraft to distribute them, there is a delay. These are caused by the limitation of facilities,” Meggison said.

He added that the solution to this problem is the concession of the airports in “clear and transparent manner.” “As far as I am concerned concession is not a bad idea if it is transparent. The concession will make Nigeria a hub, if it is transparent and clear. One of the ways to move forward is to concession the airport. If you give a private man to run this terminal building the man will make the airport Category 3 because he wants to maximise opportunities to make money. Can you imagine the number of planes that will be coming to Lagos to refuel if there is fuel? The man will make his money; the government will make its money through taxes.

There will be more people that will be employed.

It will end up being a win-win situation,” he said.

Also decrying the deficiencies of Nigerian airports, travel expert and the International Consultant to Calabar Carnival, Ikechi Uko said the flight cancellations and the closure of Calabar airport in December, 2016 during the Carnival cost the state government huge amount of funds to provide hotels, pay for no show on tickets to the numerous guests that travelled from overseas to experience the carnival. He regretted that bad aviation facilities and management were responsible for the sudden closure of the airport because the management was not preemptive to inform concerned authorities about the harmattan haze and there was no navigational equipment that could enable airlines to operate at low visibility.

“For the future two things should be done. One, concerned agencies should provide prior information so that we can plan for the possible closure of the airport. Two, what are the instrument you should provide to the airports that suffer severe weather and why not provide them at this airport that generates revenues for FAAN and the federal government?” He added that a country like Ethiopia, which has challenging topography, has the most active airports in Africa because the country was able to provide the necessary equipment at these airports.

“Ethiopia has much more deficient environment but it is able to put airports in those places. They have the most active airports in Africa, even more than South Africa,” Uko said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

Tackling the Harmattan Haze Operators in the aviation industry believe that with the right equipment, aircraft can fly under zero visibility, Chinedu Eze writes The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) said last week that harsh operational environment, which include lack of airfield lighting in most airports, deficient and obsolete airport facilities, poor and obsolete navigational aids force airlines to cancel about 50 per cent of their flights daily.

Flight Cancellations According to informed source, total daily domestic flights of all the airlines is about 200 but 50 per cent of these flights are cancelled mostly due to the infrastructural inefficiency and bad weather. To make the matter worse, every year Nigerian airlines cancel most of their flights during the peak period of December and early January due to the Harmattan haze, which gives rise to low visibility and brownish thick haze, that appears when the sun shines on the atmospheric dust during the day. During this peak period of the yuletide, all the domestic airlines barely operated any flights.

Poor Navigational Aids The Chairman of Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison said most navigational aids at the airports are not working because they are obsolete and in Nigeria the airports have Category 1 Instrument Landing system (ILS), which means that flights cannot operate when the weather is below 800 meters visibility, depending on the airport.

He said that many of the airlines have grappled with suspension of operations due to the difficulty they go through and the failure of government to take action to rectify these problems.

“On December 27 visibility in Lagos was about 500 meters so most international and local flights had to be diverted to Cotonue (Tuesday night), which is rather unfortunate.

The issue of the harmattan haze is a yearly seasonal occurrence as Nigeria has mainly raining (Thunderstorms) and dry seasons (Harmattan).

“If the world has been landing in zero or virtually no visibility since December 28, 1968, today 48 years later on December 28, 2016 on the anniversary of the first Category 3 landing at Heathrow Airport, London, Nigeria still can’t land below 800 meters of visibility.

Why are the navigation aids not working or upgraded over the years? Why is there no solution to this issue after 40 years of the airlines crying out? It is rather shameful that today in the 21st Century, we are still talking of operating at CAT l and unable to land at below 800m at our airports,” Meggison said.

He disclosed that for three days (26-28 December 2016) the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in Lagos was shut down until 6:00 pm before flights could land.

Hence no airline could fly and passengers were delayed with colossal loss of revenue to the operators.

“This is very unfair to operators who cannot charge passengers for the extra cost the airline has to bear on return or cancelled flights and we have to feed and lodge them in a hotel.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) need to be more responsible to ensure that our airports are equipped with the right landing aids to allow 24 hours operations in any weather condition,” Meggison said.

NAMA In reaction to AON condemnation of obsolete and dysfunctional navigational aids, NAMA issued a statement on December 29, 2016 and argued that the major reason why airlines could not land at low visibility was because their aircraft do not have corresponding equipment to dovetail with the navigational aids the agency has on ground.

The agency called on the airlines and reminded them that it had earlier taken appropriate measures to ensure the availability and reliability of air navigation facilities at

all airports.

“In addition, the agency in October 2015 implemented and published Performance Based Navigation (PBN) flight procedures for the guidance of aircraft into and out of 16 domestic airports in addition to similar procedures implemented at Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt in 2012. The agency wish to use this opportunity to encourage Nigerian airline operators to equip their fleet and take advantage of these new PBN flight procedures, as well as other satellite based navigation systems such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (ADS-C) and Controller Pilot Data Link Communication Systems that were implemented in 2015, with increased level of safety, accuracy, reliability, integrity, availability and continuity of service,” NAMA said.

But pilots, who spoke toTHISDAY said NAMA was being clever by half because the agency knows that there are other corresponding facilities needed to make PBN work besides airlines having certain equipment in their aircraft. They said that even some of the basic navigational equipment are not working in most of the airports.

Deficient Navigational Aids THISDAY also spoke with the former Managing Director of NAMA and currently the Deputy Managing Director of Arik Air who is a seasoned pilot, Captain Ado Sanusi who gave details why airlines do not operate at low visibility in Nigeria.

“There are two ways you can land in the Nigerian airports: precision approach and non-precision approach. These could be visual approach or navigation aided approach. Now, in most of the airports we have in Nigeria, there is either a VOR (VHF Omni Directional Radio Range) or ILS (Instrument Landing System). In most modern commercial aircraft they have VOR receiver and ILS receiver and INS (Inertial Navigation System), which is a self-positioning system for the aircraft.

“What we are talking about is ILS. Most modern commercial aircraft have instrument landing system receiver onboard and we must have corresponding ground equipment that will propagate the lateral guidance, the localizer, and the vertical guidance called the glide slope,” Sanusi explained.

He said that most aircraft operating in Nigeria have INS and modern aircraft have GPS (Global Positioning System which works with satellite), “so when they (NAMA) claim that most aircraft don’t have equipment onboard that will match the ground equipment, it means the

aircraft does not have ILS receiver. But I don’t think this is possible because most commercial aircraft have ILS and VOR receivers onboard, which they use to conduct approaches.”

He said there is another form of approach, a navigational system called Performance Based Navigational System (which NAMA referred to in its statement). This one allows somebody to use R-NAV (Area navigation, which is a method of instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation approaches). R-NAV is approach aided with GPS (Global Positioning System). It is R-NAV approaches on an instrument flight rules (IFR) using only the GPS in aircraft to land at a low visibility situation.

“All the airports in the country have R-NAV approaches, but the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has to license each operator for that operator to conduct those types of approaches in all the airports. This is because there is need for special training and special equipment in the use of GPS. In this situation, there is no ground equipment needed for R-NAV approaches. This is because such landing is utilising GPS, which is satellite based and it is always calculating the performance of the aircraft, in terms of how accurate its position is based on the satellite. The moment it moves out of the parameters of accuracy, the GPS will warn you and you correct it.”

On Ground Equipment Sanusi explained that what the NAMA has on ground is either VOR or ILS and said the ILS ought to have the localizer and the glide slope, adding that all the commercial aircraft built must have those receivers on board.

“If NCAA approves or authorises it, some airlines can land their aircraft at low visibility below the presently given minima. But they cannot land on zero visibility. For you to land on zero visibility you must have ground equipment. You must have category 3 ILS minimum.

With NCAA approval airlines whose aircraft have GPS can do R-NAV approaches. This means they can go for Performance Based Navigation and R-NAV approaches.

“To land at zero visibility there must be Category 3 approach, which is a positioning approach. This is a positioning instrument approach and landing with position instrument lower than 100 feet. First of all you must have Category 3 ILS and Category 3 C approach is a precision approach with no decision height and no runway visual range, which is zero visibility,” Sanusi said.

Confirming what Meggison said, Sanusi noted that aircraft could land in Cotonou, Benin Republic at low visibility because they

have Category 2 ILS, noting that what Nigeria has is Category 1and stressed that the ILS in Nigeria are Category 1.

Interagency collaboration Sanusi noted that to operate aircraft at low visibility, it is not only NAMA that will provide the equipment. It cuts across the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). NIMET ought to provide the runway visual range, which is a form of measuring visibility at the beginning, middle and end of the runway. So NIMET must give the Runway Visual Range. Then FAAN has to provide airfield lighting. There is standard airfield lighting for low visibility landing, which includes centerline lighting, which Nigeria does not have. There is centerline lighting in the runway and the taxiway lighting.

“This means that in totality, we are ill equipped for low visibility landing in Nigeria and those responsible are FAAN, NIMET and NAMA. There should be inter agency meeting to make sure the equipment are okay for us to declare low visibility in an airport. They will now announce on the control tower that low visibility is in operation in these airports,” former Managing Director of NAMA said. Sanusi therefore advised government to provide Category 3 equipment so that during Harmattan it will be deployed at the airports.

“It is very expensive to maintain Category 3 A Instrument Landing System because of the maintenance of runway field lighting and maintenance of power because power supply is very, very important. You cannot afford to have power supply interruption when landing at low visibility. It could be expensive to maintain it for 12 months in a year. The critical time we need this equipment is in December, so why don’t we have the capacity to have that Category 2 or Category 3 ILS and we make sure that just before December and after that the equipment is maintained and effectively running and resort to Category 1 thereafter.”

He said that is what Ghana does at the Katoka International Airport, Accra. They downgrade it to Category 2 or Category 1 after the Harmattan season. But on approach to Harmattan they do all the maintenance and make sure everything is in place. They now upgrade it and then send a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that from this period there will be Category 3 landing system in Accra. Analysts believe that Nigeria has the resources to make this possible but may lack the political will and commitment to do so.

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AVIATION

Okakpu: We are Suffering Today Because of Oil

CEO of ABX World Nigeria Limited, Captain John Okakpu told Chinedu Eze that Nigeria will make more than twice the revenue it generates from oil from agriculture and jobs at the grassroots. Excerpts:

Okapku

What is the expected market value of the volume of agricultural produce that ought to leave Nigeria for the European and other markets?

Sometimes I don’t like talking about value because we have not started but I can discuss about the potential. First of all, in terms of geographical location, Nigeria is best located in terms of dealing with the world in agricultural produce. We have the weather and the sun.

Why are we not doing it? That is the question.

The leadingA nation in Africa in terms of agricultural QZaway from Europe than Nigeria.

Nigeria is bigger than Kenya and has better weather. We have more educated people than Kenya. Why are we not doing it? This is the question and this is what brought us to what we are doing here today. We need to close this gap. We need to open the environment for our people to thrive. Talking of our potential, this is an industry of over $50 billion a year; we can go as high as $500 billion. I can give you a simple statistics. You have 10 million A outside the shores of Nigeria spending 100 dollars a week on Nigerian farm produce.

That is one million dollars a week. That is 52 billion dollars a year. Why are we not doing it?

Now if you take 100million people including Nigerians, spending 100dollars a week on our food, you are talking about half a trillion dollars a year. If you take 100million people including Nigerians, spending 100dollars a week on food, we are talking about half a

trillion dollars a year. That’s what we are joking with. I have looked at this over the years and I have been trying to put Nigeria on this for years but nobody listened to me because the price of crude oil was way up there.

The money was coming and we were sharing without saving. At the end of it we did not use the money to develop ourselves. We shared the money and scattered it all over the world.

This is one of the reasons I called the Nigerian government to introduce something in terms of amnesty for those who stole our money and stashed them overseas so that we can find a way to bring funds back to the system, so that agriculture can have access to these funds on a single digit credit facility and be able to develop ourselves. It is a very serious issue we have on our hands, we need to solve Nigerian problem and somebody has to take the lead.

Now that Nigeria is economically down, what should be the right approach? How do we begin to build the economy up through export of farm produce?

There is a quick phase for us to get out of this problem. The nation can put up a bill and we will sign it into law by the executives backed up by the judiciary and introduce amnesty programme for the looters to put their funds back into the system. Believe you me, in three months, we will have over $100 billion dollars in our system and we Nigerians in key sectors of the economy can have access to that money

on a single digit. We are losing because the looters have the money and no Nigeria can enjoy themselves one day outside the shores of the country, they always want to be here.

That is why some of the looters when they steal the money they run away, their lawyers will sit here, perfect a lot of things with the authority, do all their bargaining, they go to Kirikiri (prison) for two weeks and come out because they cannot enjoy themselves overseas as they would in Nigeria.

They have no life outside Nigeria. This is our own. I have lived outside Nigeria for more than 30 years. The bottom line is that we have to start looking for a quick phase.

Twelve months amnesty, anyone that brings the money, the federal government should just keep it in Nigerian banks. Nobody will persecute you or take it away from you or even ask you how much it is. We are going to gain from that money being in our system, then agriculture can have access to it, maybe three or five percent interest rate because where this money is, they do not earn interest rate on the money. The factories and the industries that need raw materials will have access to it.

This is a hard- core foreign exchange.

The region around West Africa depends on Nigeria. We are the big brothers and we need to take that position as the big brother. We all know about what happened in Panama. Panama papers, how many American are there? You can hardly count because they have had such kind

of a similar programme for many Americans that snatched away trillions of dollars outside United States because they do not want to pay tax. So they had to find a way to work with them. When they released the Panama papers, we were looking for the Nigerians. Yes, we can continue fighting these looters but since we have been fighting them, some of them had died and once they die, you cannot get access to that money. Why don’t they work with them while they are alive to bring the money into our system? Even if they die the money will still be in our system and we will have access to it to develop ourselves. It is a way out.

There ought to be a law to cover that because any President can come tomorrow and change it.

It has to be an act, properly scripted through the National Assembly by the presidency, scrutinised by the judiciary, then we will have a complete system. After twelve months, whatever we can do to get anyone with our money, we will go after them. Someone like me will canvass for death penalty because the single act has taken many Nigerians lives and if your act kills people, you don’t deserve to live. That is my stand. Let us first start afresh in Nigeria.

It hurts me much. I was born in Obalende and I grew up in Ajegunle but that didn’t stop me. There is no country that I have not been to, due to my profession.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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BUSINESSWORLD

What advice do you give to government on how to go about cargo airports and good cooling system so that agro allied products can be efficiently exported?

For now we have a state-of-art cooling facility built by Afolabi Taiwo at Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL). If you go to SAHCOL now, the facility they have is only being used by my company. This will tell you how bad the situation is in Nigeria. In Abuja, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has some too. The reason why other people are not using it is because they do not have the structure to make use of it. There is no market or certification. The only viable cargo airport in Nigeria is Lagos airport and the only two airports in Nigeria that will be more interesting is Lagos and Abuja because if you look at the trend of aircraft manufacturing, it is changing from the conventional cargo aircraft to more of passenger aircraft. If you look at what Boeing is doing for example, B777 aircraft.

B777-300 ER (Extended Range) will take about 425 passengers, their luggage and still take about 30 tonnes of cargo. My airplane takes about 35 or 40 tonnes. So one Boeing B777 gets rid of the cargo aircraft. So what the industry is doing now is to move towards passenger aeroplane.

If you start looking at building cargo airport, then am sorry for you. You need to start looking at what will happen in the next 20 years because you will not have aircraft going there. It is going to be focused more on the passenger terminal. When Emirate ordered for 150 B777ER, people were asking questions. Emirates did their work very well. They stayed ahead of a lot of airlines. If you have 100 Boeing 777 and each of them takes about 30 tonnes of cargo, you know what they are? You do not need cargo aircraft no more. That is where the technology is going to. So, people have to start thinking ahead of time and no one is thinking about that in this nation.

I heard about people building cargo airport in Nasarawa, and I just keep wondering. We need to get on with what is going on. Who will go to the cargo airport in Nasarawa? I heard the governor saying they want to tap into Abuja. Now look at the cargo statistics in Nigeria, 76 per cent of in-bound cargo that is coming into Nigeria, comes to Lagos, 21 per cent goes to Port Harcourt because of the oil related industry and three per cent goes to Abuja. Is that the three per cent you want to tap into by building a cargo airport? The so-called three per cent is more of government related contracts. If the military import arms, so you tell them to go and land in Nasarawa, then back to Abuja? It doesn’t make sense.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) printed money outside the country and they bring it in, so you tell them to go and land in Nasarawa? If you want to talk about cargo airport, you can talk about Enugu airport because you have cargo people there, people that will import things. If you want to focus on agricultural output, you need to think well. It can cost you about $30, 000 to drop cargo and airlift another. What are the cargos they are coming to take from the Nasarawa airport? The cargo plane cannot just come and drop cargo and take nothing to go back with. So, that is where our expertise is coming from. To be able to create that out-bound cargo business by filling it up with agricultural products. That will now reduce the high cost of freight in-bound Nigerians are paying over the years because if you import anything from China, Europe, US, you pay for aircraft coming in and pay for the aircraft going back because they have no cargo to go back with. That was what encouraged me to go into agro-allied.

I want to encourage farmers. I will go out there and bring buyers to buy the product from farmers, so that I can fill my aeroplane. People that are involved need to understand this and we do not need to mention government here.

I know what I have invested in terms of time and money to get to where I am today. Kenya processes 350 tonnes of perishable to Europe, Nigeria does not do up to 10 tonnes a day and it is sad.

How do you move perishable produce from agricultural concentrate areas to Lagos?

I grew up in Califonia and most of the farms in certain areas there they produce and they take to cities. There are so many areas.

So, when you talk about agriculture, it is not only about farming, you talk about packaging,

AVIATION Nigeria is best well located in terms of dealing with the world in agricultural products. We have the weather and the sun the Eastern part of Nigeria. No processing, no packaging, no storage. There is a lady I met and I bought mangoes from her. This lady was going to the market. I packed my car and I told her I want to buy mangoes.

So I took N100 worth of mangoes and the mangoes she gave me was so much. And I looked at her I thanked her. I put my hand inside my pocket and gave her N2, 000. The woman was surprised and I just told her to keep the money. I am from that area and I did not want my name to go everywhere. So she kept thanking me. I went into the car and drove away. While driving I was looking at the mirror and discovered that while I drove off, the woman turned around and threw away the tray of mangoes. She turned around to start going and I reversed and I went right back and asked her why she did that. She said what was the need of going to the market when all the mangoes she had was less than N500 and I gave her N2, 000. So, I asked her to put the mangoes right back into the tray and that I was going to drive her to the market. I told her I wanted her to get back to the market and interact with people. Even if she didn’t sell them, she could just give them out to people.

So, we got back to the market.

Okapku

transportation amongst others. You can farm vegetable in Adamawa and bring it to Lagos, as long as you have the facility to bring it to Lagos, such as the cooling van, temperature control, good roads and obstruction by the police should be minimal. You have to look at all those areas and then start planning. Benue is the basket food of the nation but we are not getting anything out of Benue because we have not taken our time to think about how we can go about it. If you are a transporter and into logistics, then come on board, we sit and talk. Come to ABX world, we sit and talk. We have a lot of areas for people. We do it as a group.

Why can’t you apply the same strategy you used in partnering Anambra state government with Lagos state in developing agriculture?

The bottom line is the leadership. It is the person not the state government. We had a discussion with the governor of Anambra state , I gave them proposal and they approved it.

You can go to the state government of Anambra today and you can ask them how much they have paid to ABX world, nothing. It is just that we agreed to work together. The agreement was that they needed to train and empower their people. We are not a contractor. For other people to be attracted to come and do business we asked the Governor create some kind of subsidy. And the governor agreed to this proposal. We first had to train to enable people meet up to some certain standards to enable them to export their products.

The government needs to empower its people and look at their social needs based on the standards of the international community. If every state in Nigeria spends N100 million in each state to empower their people, it will turn this country around. I had a discussion with Enugu state government about exporting yellow pepper. I have invested so much in this area, taken a lot of engineers there, they did a lot of survey but the overseas customers said the problem is with sustaining the supply, or else they will not be interested. So, we had to look for a way to make it sustainable. These expatriate buyers are here now and we have brought them to Nigeria to train the farmers.

We have gone to the farming communities, spent days and nights. I slept with them in their houses to see how we can make this

work and we found one. Their problem is water, when there is no rain, what happens next? We called engineers all the way from Benin because that is where they are located.

They came in Nsukka and spent four days.

They went to all the areas and they came up with a solution.

We set up 10 boreholes and out of the 10 of the boreholes, we now had to find ways the water get to the farmers. The next was manure. Americans and Europeans like organic products. Natural manures can go a long way and they use poultry feeds but the best form of manure is fish waste. So, we thought we could get the borehole, set up a fishery where we can raise fish; we sell the fish and drain the water. This way we water the pepper and manure it at the same time. A lot of people are ready to set up fish farms; we have manures from the fish farms. I approached Enugu State government and asked them to give me N50 million-loan facility to pay to the contractors that dig borehole for the people and set up the whole system. The whole community and I will sign a contract to pay that money to the state government in three years so that the people would be able to come and do business with us.

Our customers want sustainability because we are dealing with Europeans and Americans.

I am a US citizen by paper but a Nigerian by heart. When you do business with Americans and the business they have with you is good and the contract they have with you is also good, tomorrow they will go and buy a house, get it mortgaged for 20 or 25 years. They will buy a car, some people that like style and profiling will buy a boat. Every month they pay out of it. So their business with you will sustain that commitment. So, if you fail, they lose everything. It is a chain reaction thing.

So, that is the reason why I said I am here to evangelise. Some people say they need foreign exchange and they don’t know how to get it. You need to sit down and understand the nitty-gritty of it all. The more you get to know, the more you go deeper. These are part of the issues I looked at and I said I was ready for Nigeria.

How do we reduce post-harvest loss in agricultural produce in Nigeria?

This year, I have never seen the amount of mangoes in my life like I saw this year in

Nigerian yams are trucked to Ghana for export. How difficult is it to export yams?

I love yams more than any other food and I wanted to find out how the Ghana yams looked like. I found out that 60 percent to 70 percent of the so-called Ghana yams out there are from Nigeria because we didn’t prepare ourselves to enter the market. So they came in here, process our yams and sent them into the market. No, they are Nigerian yams. So that is what I am here to change.

How do we help to process food here, sell it and export it, improve the value chain and we have more money for Nigerians to live quality lives?

The kind of yam they sell outside Nigeria is not the kind of yam we have here. There are some specific kinds of yam. They have to weigh between 3 to 4.5 kg; they have to be packaged in a specific way. There are so many other areas. We have identified all these. Some of the farmers that grow the yams are here with me. Some of the yams have their early harvest by end of June or July. When they come out, we have to fly them by air because at that stage, there are certain pressures they can take in terms of the durability, getting there and that is the peak period. People make a lot of money at that time. You can buy like a 20kg worth of yam in London for 40 or 45 pounds. That is wholesale, and the retailers buy and go and resell. As the yam gets stronger, they start moving it by sea, but they use the air to support it.

These are part of the areas we need to start teaching the Nigerian people. Yams business is a big business. When you go to America and Europe, you hear about French fries. We have come up with Nigeria fries, which are yams. We are processing it right now. You go to any ShopRite in Europe and buy it as French fries. We must sell something to the world market. We are going a long way and I do not see any reason why we should be suffering in Nigeria. We have no reason. The only reason we are suffering today is because of the so-called crude oil. This thing has killed us. All we have is upstream investment, there is no downstream.

Exporters are complaining that they are charged N5 to N7 per kilogram to export.

They need to reduce this rate so that they can encourage people to export. Anambah state government subsidized airfreight. We are working with the Nigerian government to reduce the handling charges at the airport so that we can encourage people because every N2 they subsidies may end up 2dollars for Nigeria. We are working towards all that.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Reforming the Maritime Sector Eromosele Abiodun urges the federal government to take urgent steps to address the various issues impeding smooth operations at the nation’s ports Like many sectors of the economy, the maritime sector is as old as the country itself. Like the many issues facing the country, the maritime sector is also bedeviled by many challenges that look impossible to resolve.

Oil was discovered in commercial quantities in Nigeria in 1956, four years before independence from Britain. Before then, maritime activities in Nigeria had largely been stimulated and sustained by export of agricultural products and solid minerals for earning of foreign exchange. The leading agricultural exports then were groundnuts, cocoa, palm produce and rubber. With the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in 1956 at Oloibiri

by Anglo-Dutch consortium, Shell D’Arcy, the oil and gas sector become the main driver of the economy and of maritime activities in Nigeria.

But the state of the ports is a critical factor for efficient maritime operations. Hence the establishment of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) by Ports Acts (Cap 155 LFN 1954) was to create a structural framework for the management and regulation of port operations. The authority executed its first wharf extension project between 1956 and 1961 in Lagos and Port Harcourt ports.

Further expansion of Lagos Ports were done between 1970 and 1975 and, in 1977, the Tin-Can Island Port Complex was commissioned to ease the pressure of heavy imports (mostly government cargoes) on Apapa Port. In 1979, the Warri and Calabar ports were commissioned. Port construction and expansion continued between 1981 and 1985; the Sapele port was constructed in 1982. In 1996, Federal Ocean Terminal Onne Phase 1 was constructed. Financing was done through agreement with the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank.

Statistics in the mid-1980s showed that the public ports operated at 47 per cent of their capacity at the best and cargo throughput dropped down to 28.7 per cent of previous years. To increase efficiency, enhance capacity and introduce healthy competition in government enterprise.

Government in 1988 promulgated the Privatisation and Commercialisation Decree. In 1993, the implementation of the commercialisation programme of the NPA was partially carried out and it became Nigerian Ports Plc. This was reversed in 1996 as a result of inherent weakness of the policy and government, through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), upgraded the state of NPA from full commercialisation to partial privatisation called concession, to make room for private sector involvement in port operations.

Following the calamitous multi-year port congestion that gripped the nation’s ports and arrested Nigeria’s development for much of the oil boom years of the 70s, the federal government made efforts to reform the system. The efforts never yielded any reasonable fruits as corruption and inefficiency reigned, denying government the needed revenue from the sector.

As a result of the painful experiences of congestion in the 70’s, the federal government again made efforts to reform the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in the 1980s.

Consequently, the NPA management was restructured into four zones: Western, Central, Eastern and Headquarters. The government also created Nigerian Ports Plc. However, the policy failed abysmally due to rear-guard action from the diehard culture of centralisation. Government interference was rife and patronage and self-enrichment by some government officials overseeing chunks of the maritime sector hit a new level. Foreign exchange earnings from Nigerian Ports Plc disappeared into private pockets and port infrastructure were allowed to rot.

In a bid to arrest the situation, the federal government, in 2001, came up with the idea of concessioning the ports to qualified private operators.

Dutch firm, Royal Haskoning BV was commissioned to study Nigerian ports preparatory to the reform.

The report, called Haskoning Study, was submitted to the federal government and was accepted as a cogent x-ray of the Nigerian seaport system.

The report criticised the over-centralisation of administration that saw NPA function as both

regulator and operator; the overlap of authority in the system and the duplication of efforts. It recommended a “Landlord” port administration model where government’s role would be restricted to policy formulation while private operators undertake the day to day running of terminal operations, stevedoring, warehousing; and investments in port equipment and infrastructure, among other activities. The report called for NPA to be unbundled into three zones and for concessions by open bidding.

After examining the report, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), endorsed the “landlord” model, and under a new transport policy, NPA was given the role of technical regulator to manage the ports for which there were no bids. The National Transport Commission (NTC) was to become commercial regulator while National Ports Commission would become overall coordinating agency for the ports sector. Five landlord port authorities were slated for Lagos; the Niger Delta; Port Harcut; Calabar; and the inland ports. A total of 25 concessions were identified in 11 ports and there were bids from 110 companies to manage eight ports: Bonny, Calabar, Koko, Port Harcourt, Sapele, Apapa, Tin Can & RORO. With bids submitted by March 2005, concession commenced in 2006 with 20 concessions

concluded. In March 2006 the concessionaires commenced operations.

The flagship concession, Apapa Container Terminal was signed in March 2006 with APM Terminals, which had taken over P&O Nedlloyd earlier in the year. The Danish shipping firm, A.P. Moller (APM Terminals’ parent company beat 25 other bidders to the 25-year concession.

Doing Business at the Ports Prior to the concessioning of ports to private operators in 2006, doing business in the nation’s ports was a hellish experience laced with a myriad of problems.

Some of which were turnaround time for ships which took too long making businesses to brace themselves for weeks if not months of endless waiting before their cargo could be loaded or discharged.

“Most of the few cargo-handling facilities owned by the NPA were moribund, so shipping companies had to hire such facilities from private sector sources, leading to extra costs.

Dwell time for goods in port was so long that overtime cargo filled the most active seaports and led to massive port congestion. Labour for ship work was controlled by a mafia that controlled dockworker unions and had no scruples supplying less than the manpower paid for.

Many port premises that could have been put to good use were abandoned, giving maritime businesses less options.

In the road sections of the ports, massive portholes were the norm, rather than the exception, and this did nothing to reduce waste of man hours brought about by snail-like movement of goods to and from the ports. The resulting congestion led to consignments becoming untraceable as if they suddenly disappeared into thin air, and in such cases, NPA often seemed helpless in effecting the return of such absconded cargoes, to the chagrin of hardworking businesspeople. As a result of porous entry points, dangerous miscreants also known as wharf rats swarmed the ports to also eke out their daily bread, leading to predictable tales of woe on the part of responsible business people,” said a leading operator.

However, following the concessioning, there has been some improvement in port operations in areas relating to anchorage/berthing, ship turnaround time, throughput time, clearance and yard handling. Though considerable progress has been recorded, there is still great room for improvement given the evolution of trade patterns globally and increase in cargo tariff.

A report by Financial Derivative Company Continued on page 39

WEEKEND WEEKLY PULLOUT

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

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THISLIFE | P37

FILE

‘WHY I’M ADVOCATING FOR PRIVATE BROADCASTING DAY’ ACTING EDITOR CHARLES AJUNWA / charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

28/COVER

06.01.2017

‘Why I’m Advocating for Private Broadcasting Day’ A media practitioner, Christopher Ebuetse, is the Director General of the Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development, a non-governmental organisation that harnesses the ideals of the founder of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi. Ebuetse, in this interview with Mary Ekah, explains why he is proposing that every October 25 be declared ‘Private Broadcasting Day in Nigeria’, among others Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development is named after a media guru in Nigeria and the world over, so what is its focus?

Our vision at the Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development is to promote media practice in Nigeria, to contribute our quota to the development and educational advancement of the Nigerian state. The centre is also focused on creating a voice for significant issues that will promote the advancement of international security, advancement and promotion of our democratic values, enhancing and bridging our international capacities, promoting the corporate ideals of the corporate governance, enhancing organisational structures of companies as well as individuals that have collectively contributed towards the development of the Nigerian state. Our vision is to continue to harness the ideals of High Chief Raymond Dokpesi whose incontrovertible contribution to broadcasting is overwhelming; our vision is also to promote education through electronic medias as tool for national development as well as to create template for the immortalisation of all the historic data of the man Raymond Dokpesi, so as to provide other avenues to honour him and other great men in this sector.

So every year, we hold a press briefing and in process we get our theme and what we intend to highlight for the year. Sometimes it could be in line with the annual lecture. Sometimes it could be on topical national issue and our own standpoint in respect of such topical national issue. For example, our theme for 2016 was on a private broadcasting day. We are trying to persuade the government to recognise every October 25 as a day for private broadcasting in Nigeria. And why must we have a day for private broadcasting? It is as result of the significantly growing nature of the private broadcasting in Nigeria. It has continued to grow and licenses are being issued almost on a daily basis and if you look at Lagos for Instance, there are several private electronic media all over the place and even in Ibadan, too, we have nothing less than 20 private electronic media in there and so also it is in other states in the nation and even government owned institutions like University of Lagos, are being given licenses to operate electronic media. This shows the height of growth information dissemination in the country.

What is the significance of the ‘Private Broadcasting Day in Nigeria’, which you are canvassing for?

‘Private Broadcasting Day in Nigeria’ will give room for the owners of private stations and practitioners to bring to the fore their challenges and progress, as private broadcasting is a critical sector in information dissemination.

A country that is impoverished as a result of lack of information can never grow, so private broadcasting is key to national development and peace; it is key to issues that affect growth and progress as far as the country is concerned and if we don’t have a day for private broadcasting in Nigeria, it means we would just have a section of media practice that is just developing without a synergy between the owners, practitioners and government of the day. But on the day of private broadcasting, people can articulate their views on what they think on the journey so far; how private broadcasting has improved in the country and what roles individuals could contribute for further development of the sector.

And the Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development is of the view that every October 25 should be dedicated to private broadcasting in Nigeria and that is the persuasion we are giving to government. The Centre was named

misrepresented and that was one of the reasons he decided to go into satellite broadcasting.

The idea of AIT was to globalise issues about Africa and Nigeria and that was what led to his establishing of African Independent Television (AIT) and at that period, when he set up Ray Power, we found out that the government was on his trail. I am equally aware that shortly after AIT took off, the late Sani Abacha, the Head of State at that time was interested in buying over Daar Communications, operators of Ray Power and AIT. He told the Raymond Dokpesi to calculate his access and liability when Ray Power and AIT became the voice of Nigerians at that particular time but unfortunately for him and fortunately for Daar Communications, Abacha did not live to realise such plans. Now as Chairman emeritus of Daar Communications, we feel that Raymond Dokpesi’s birthday should be recognised, as the day earmarked for private broadcasting practice in Nigeria to give honour to whom homour is due.

We do not have history in this country, that is why most times, if you ask students of Mass Communications who started the first private broadcasting in Nigeria, you get so disappointed that they do not even know and this is a thing that should be in their fingertips as Mass Communications scholars and practitioners, we are supposed to have historical data of such things.

So this is a movement to ensure that the private practice gets itself along the line of progressive thinking, unity, progress and development.

Ebuetse

Ebuetse

after High Chief (Dr.) Raymond Dokpesi due to his role in building and enhancing private broadcasting in Nigeria.

Why the date October 25?

October 25th is imperative as is exactly on that day that High Chief (Dr.) Raymond Dokpesi, pioneer of private broadcasting, was born. And Dr. Raymond Dokpesi is the very first of those who took the giant stride to establish a private media practice in this country and he did it in 1993 at a time when the military were ruthless with journalists, opinion leaders and activists and some of them were even brutally killed. But that was the time Dokpesi built Ray Power 100.5 FM as an alternative voice to government owned broadcasting houses. He was the first to place this country on the world map through satellite television broadcast. It is therefore the Centre’s view that Dokpesi significantly contributed

to the enhancement of private broadcasting in Nigeria. We cannot talk of the origin of private broadcasting without the name Raymond Dokpesi. He scored first in starting private electronic media practice in Nigeria by taking the risk to start a private broadcasting in 1993, a time when it was a crime to air opinions on national issues as journalists were being arrested and jailed. It was government owned electronics that were the in thing then, stories and news were one-sided, tilting to the side of government at all times.

It’s no doubt that Dokpesi's role in the sector is enviable and that is why we have so many private electronic media houses across the country presently. The birth of the first private broadcasting station by Raymond Dokpesi kick started the revolution we are witnessing toady.

High Chief Dokpesi schooled in Holland from Bachelor degree to Ph.D. level, but whilst he was in school, he did notice that Africans were

Is Chief Raymond Dokpesi’s relatives involved in your NGO? I am not in any way related to High Chief Raymond Dokpesi. And none of his children is involved in this. This is an NGO. Nigerians are just fund of thinking that when an NGO is formed, the children or relatives must be involved. But an NGO could be a movement where you imbibed the philosophy of a man.

If a man has grown beyond his own family values and all that, other people will tap from his tenacity, strength, purpose and wisdom.

Late Professor C.S. Momoh described Raymond Dokpesi as someone that has a nationalistic and Pan-Africanist idea, he called him a nationalist.

And if you talk of a man with a Pan-Africanist ideal, you would see beyond the enclave of relatives and I want to tell you that when Mandela died, the whole world celebrated him because of his nationalistic ideals. And I am sure that there are vibrant people in the world today that have the vision of Mandela.

Martin Luther King was also celebrated and others, these are people that have affected their generation and history cannot be said without them and that is why we want High Chief Raymond Dokpesi to go into the annals of history of this country. Communications is growing deeply as far as Nigeria is concerned and except we have this historical data base built for our children yet unborn, to understand how it started, we might just be doing injustice to our history. So the Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development is just a movement of people who have studied the tenacity of this man and his philosophy. Some people may not understand who he is but some of us have come so close to him and we understand his growing passion for a nation and the risk that is involved in private media broadcasting especially in this part of the world. So the idea of naming this organisation after High Chief Raymond Dokpesi is based on his philosophy, his sense of purpose, his direction and his ideal and we feel that they are rich enough to create assembly of moving this country forward. And the Centre is basically eight years in existence.

29/XTRA

06.01.2017

The Wedding Party Begins Olisa Nwokedi Acting as collaboration between Ebony Life Films, Film One Distribution, Koga Studios and Inkblot Productions, The Wedding Party seeks to chronicle the shenanigans that go on during a wedding in Nigeria. The story follows the beautiful and well-behaved Dunni Coker (Adesua Etomi), a 24-year-old art gallery owners and only daughter of her Yoruba parents Bamidele Coker (Alibaba Akporobore) and Tinuade Coker (Sola Sobowale). She was about to marry the devilishly handsome IT entrepreneur and former playboy Dozie Onwuka (Banky Wellington) who is the son to Igbo parents Felix Onwuka (RMD) and Obianju Onwuka (Ireti Doyle).

But as everyone knows, Wedding Parties are not only a ceremony to celebrate the newly weds. It is also a battlefield for the wedding planner who is determined to put her name on the map. The party becomes a physical manifestation of the dating app Tinder, as matchmaking attempts on the bridal train will occur. Parents of the families will have to endure the unruly behaviour of some guests and family members who hail from the village.

Amongst all this chaos murmurs of infidelity will also rear its ugly head, as a ghost from the couples past will question the faithfulness of one of the parties involved in this matrimony.

All this craziness is wrapped around colourful asoebi, geles, kaftans, suits, dresses, energetic music, ho, a rampant phone thief and gift bag wahala . With this entire event happening at the pace of a speeding bullet one must wonder if the soon –to-be married couple can crawl out of this party intact.

The movie comes with a relatable premise that will resonate with Nigerians. It features an all-star cast featuring Nollywood rising stars Adesua Etomi, Somkele Iyamah- Idhalama and Beverley Naya. Veterans get to flex their muscles the guise of Richard Mofe Damijo, Sola Sobowale and Ireti Doyle; the comedic talent of Alibaba and star power of music mogul Banky Wellington a.k.a Banky W. With that said, The Wedding Party has all the ingredients to be a great swansong that caps off what has been a remarkable year for Nollywood.

One of the dangers of having an all-star cast is that it ends up being used as a publicity gimmick to draw in crowds. Most times, the sad reality of this allure is that a lot of the stars featured don’t get prominent screen time and in certain cases are just reduced to mere cameo roles. It is with great heart I can comfortably announce that the Wedding Party doesn’t fall into this trap as the movie evenly balances out its stars screen time so that they get a lot of room to leave a lasting impression.

On the topic of the stars and their reasonable screen time, the cast is an extremely lovable one thanks to good performances across the board. I have to give props to the films leads Banky Wellington for giving us a solid lead

Dozie, Dunni and AY in The Wedding Party

performance as Dozie. He played the role of the straight and sincere former playboy with conviction, as he did not try to overdramatize his role and keeps it natural. Adesua Etomi once again gave the audience a solid performance as the sweet and kind hearted Dunni who you can definitely believe that is in love with her significant other. The movie is made or broken on the two stars chemistry and the actor and actress connection is very tangible and believable.

Sola Sobowale turn as Dunni’s mother Tinuade, was without a doubt the films stand out performer as she gives the audience a hilarious over-the-top depiction of a Yoruba mother at a wedding. I loved her rapport with Ali Baba’s character Bamidele who was also the vessel to some of the film’s best jokes.

Richard Mofe Damijo continues his great year with a good outing as Dozie’s father, a proud Igbo father trying to instill wisdom onto his sons while trying to save his own failing marriage with Obianju, a pretentious and cold hearted woman who is not fond of her daughter-in-law that is expertly portrayed by Ireti Doyle. Zainab Balogun presence as Wonu the wedding planner will have you cackling from start to finish because you won’t be able to stop looking at her descent to madness when she starts losing control of the party after her posh and militaristic introduction would suggest otherwise.

I enjoyed Somkele performance as Yemisi Disu, Dunni’s no nonsense maid of honour who’s acts as the perfect foil to Dunni’s politeness and naivety. I also got a kick out of Daniella Down’s performance as Deardre Winston, the Caucasian co-maid of honour of Dunni who really immersed herself in the Nigerian culture was endearing to watch. Beverly Naya also

had a good showing as Rosie, the antagonistic ex-girlfriend of Dozie who will stop at nothing to ruin the wedding with various seduction techniques and psychological tricks to get one over Dunni and steal Dozie from her.

Even Ayo Makun who many will recognise as AY gets to redeem himself as he gives a relatively subdued performance as the MC for the celebration.

Time and time again I have said one of the greatest things a comedy movie can do is keep its audience laughing at a fairly consistent rate. The picture does not disappoint in this regard as the jokes come at a machine gun rate that will have you chuckling. From the scene where everyone intensely stares each other down when the priest asks the congregation if there is anyone who is opposed to the wedding to the Pastor’s speech in the reception which goes too far to the class and tribal tensions that is hilariously felt throughout the day to the phone thief who laments about the economic situation we currently face whilst holding guests at gun point, the movie is definitely not short of comedic moments.

One of the things that you will notice out of the gate was the films fantastic production values. Compared to the similarly themed movie Its Her Day, The Wedding Party blows the movie out of the water in this department.

The movie looked crisp and clean, the sound quality was top notch, the movie had some great shots of Lagos and the director, Kemi Adetiba and the cinematographer were very creative with their camera work and direction.

The movie also feels authentic thanks to the soundtrack as the movie plays popular songs played at weddings like Flavour’s Ada Ada, Kiss Daniel’s Mama and Laye and Skales

Ijo Ayo which help add to the movies style and character.

One of the challenges that hurt the movie was its handling of various sub-plots. I mentioned earlier that I appreciated the movies fair treatment of its cast as they were given enough time to shine. Despite this, the movie comes out scathed no thanks to its rushed sub-plots. Due to the fact all characters have to resolve their issues in the time limit of an hour and a half, some of the films secondary storylines are lazily forced into proceedings and get resolved in a manner that isn’t completely satisfying. Key examples of this particular flaw is evident when the movie chooses to focus its attention on the growing tension between RMD and Ireti Doyle’s character or RMD relationship and trust issues with Dozie’s older brother, Nonso who is played by Enyinna Nwigwe.

This particular criticism is mitigated as a lot of the sub-plots still get a gratifying pay-off.

A highlight of mine was definitely the one revolving around the wedding planner and the local caterer, as the conclusion of that side-story was hilarious.

The films first two acts were refreshing for a romantic comedy because it has the Nigerian character, culture and humour backing the production. Unfortunately, the third act of the film whilst still being very funny and well executed falls into the realm of clichéd romantic comedy tropes that were a little too cheesy for my liking. With that said it’s not enough to damage the whole experience.

The Wedding Party is a star studded romantic comedy affair that will have you laughing from start to finish thank to its relatable story that is backed up with great characters and performances from its talented cast.

Azuka Jebose: I Never Defrauded Majek Fashek Recently, your medium interviewed Reggae musician, Majek Fashek wherein he made allegations and accusations that included: I defrauded him of royalties and other artistic earnings: that I am a scandalous cab driver who depended on his financial support in United States.

Please for purposes of records and history, I am stating the following to counter his lies against me. I never signed any contract with Majek. I had a onetime monetary transaction with Majek throughout my relationship with him that spanned between 2005 and 2011.

The transaction was receiving money from Charles Noviah to pay Majek for the 2006 THISDAY Music Festival. Other times money changed hands regularly were when I sent him money from my Raleigh North Carolina residence to his hangouts in either New York or Atlanta, through Western Union.

The records of monies sent to Majek are to this day, at Western Union.

I never defrauded Majek Fashek.

Throughout my relationships with Majek, I offered him management contracts and he refused. I tried several times to help organise his music catalogue so he could receive royalties from various record com-

Jebose

panies that released his songs on various compilations, but Majek wasn’t interested in residuals for his intellectual property. For

example, I once called Majek and asked him about his royalties from Mango, Putumayo and other known labels that published his music? Majek had no coherent response.

Imagine a Nigerian huge reggae star that had performed and recorded with biggest world labels and world music stars, not able to have a consistent royalty from his music. Majek told me so many stories and accused a lot of lawyers of stealing from him.

I asked him to send me whatever papers, contracts he had signed in the past so I could read and study them. Contracts do expire.

Papers have a life span. But Majek would get angry and hang up the phone. Yet he would excitedly tell you how he cheated Jimmy Cliff and Tracy Chapman out of performance billings. While Tracy and Jimmy got paid huge money for their appearances, Majek received welfare checks. In summer 2007, Majek opened for BB King in New York. He was paid $5,000 performance fees. By the time he got to my place in North Carolina, one week later, he could not account for how he lavished $5,000.

It is ungrateful for Majek to claim that I am dependent on him.

I owned a Taxicab company between 1996

and 2001 in United States as a college student.

I was able to provide employment for startup Nigerians who arrived to the United States without work permit or survival means. I was also attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The business boomed.

I had 20 cars on my line. BEST TAXI became one of the most successful cab companies in Raleigh NC offering employment to Nigerians, Black and white Americans. Majek had been a musician since late 1970s. How many people did he privilege employment opportunities?

How many job opportunities did he create and sustained in his lifetime.

In 2001 and after the terrorists attack on United States, everything slowed. The economic boom burst. America’s economy tanked. I dissolved Best Taxi business and went into Toyota/public relations and the university system. Some of the great young Nigerians Best Taxi provided employments to during those years are today successful millionaires in other endeavours. Between 2005 and 2011, I financially sustained Majek.

I sent money every other week by Western Union.

I risked my life, job, children and family for Majek.

30/ NEWS

06.01.2017

Avance Media Releases Names of 2016 100 Most Influential Young South Africans Reputed rating establishment and Africa’s leading Media and PR firm, Avance Media has announced its inaugural list of 100 Most Influential Young South Africans.

The list which reflects the achievements of young South Africans throughout the year 2016 was streamlined in 10 distinct categories which represent key sectors across South Africa’s economy.

The list which has a gender equity of 39 women and 51 men is an initiative meant to serve as a source of inspiration to young people around the world.

According to Prince Akpah, MD of Avance Media, the initiative which was previously only launched for Ghana is embarking on a continental agenda of leading in sprouting the works and achievements of young people whose immerse contributions are sidelined and South Africa happens to be part of the first set of countries involved in the ranking.

In rating who becomes the 2016 Most Influential Young South African, the general public is being invited to vote for their most impactful youth on sa.avancemedia.org.

After public votes ends on 17th January, 2017, winners will be announced according to their respective categories before the young person voted as the Most Influential Young South African for 2016 will be announced.

Avance Media is also successfully replicating the same ranking in Kenya,

Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana as they partner with various local and international organisations to honour young people across the continent.

The 2016 ranking is in partnership with Reputation Poll, Jagari Designs, CELMBD

Africa, My Naija Naira, Just Elect, EOD Partners, Africa Youth Awards, Dream Ambassadors Foundation GH, iCare Hub Africa, Global Skills Exchange, Core Foundation, Project Know Thyself International and Barcity Media.

Supernatural Breakthroughs Beckon as Mgbidi 2017 Kicks off Today Mary Ekah All is set for the Lord The Lord Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries’ annual Holy Ghost inspired international three-day power packed programme tagged, ‘What God Has Determined Shall Be Done’, which kicks off today, Friday, January 6 and will run till Sunday, January 8 at the Chosen International Secondary School, Along Oguta Road, Mgbidi, Imo State by 8am daily. The programme, which is interdenominational, is designed to produce a spiritual rebirth that will usher the participants from all over the world into the New Year. This year’s edition, which is the 11th of its kind, designed to produce a spiritual backbone that will help all to overcome the challenges of spiritual, physical and financial recession that has bedeviled the entire nation.

The theme for this year, a release by the organisers stated is expected to produce solution to the mirage of national problems.

“It is no longer in doubt that the world is going through its worst perilous time and this has given rise to despondency in the mind of the citizenry. Consequently the future has become so bleak that human efforts could no longer guarantee the general

Over one hundred youths, drawn from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria are currently undergoing entrepreneurial skills acquisition programme at Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji- Arakeji, Osun State.

The Missions' a department of the Christ Apostolic Church (Worldwide), in collaboration with the Bank of Industry is also set to empower those who excel after the programme with start-up packages worth millions of naira.

The scores of young minds were selected after going through thorough spiritual and capability screening exercise.

According to the CAC Director of Missions, Pastor Caxton Fasuyi, the empowerment programme which is expected to be a continuous programme after the completion of the first batch will no doubt help eradicate poverty in the church.

Fasuyi announced that CAC missions have spent over 10 million naira on putting the training in place and many more will be spent as every aspect of the training exercise is expected to be provided free of charge for participants including feeding and monthly stipends throughout the duration of the programme.

Pastor Fasuyi appreciated the management of CAC and the authorities of JABU for their cooperation in making the training exercise a reality.

He also congratulated the participants who scaled through the rigorous screening exercise to be among the first batch of the laudable project.

He however warned participants to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations of the university as JABU is known for its zero tolerance to indiscipline.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sola Fajana, urged participants to take their training seriously as they would evidently become products of JABU; a university that is known for excellence in moral standard and academic excellence.

The Registrar of the university, Pastor Wale Aderibigbe, Acting Bursar, Mr. Oladiran Ajayi, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Solomon Owolabi and the Senior Manager, the centre for Entrepreneurship, Mr. Ade Oladele, were also present to guide the participants.

Access Bank Gives Back to Community Peace Obi

The Lord Chosen chior ministering during a recent crusade in Lagos

security of the people. Amidst the insecurity and depression that have pervaded the minds of the people, God inspired this theme to elicit the fact that the bases of our hope does not lie on our ability but on what God has predetermined. What happens to us is the determined recommendation of God being accomplished, because He alone knows the future, plans the future and accomplished it,” the statement noted.

It stated further that, “God knows the future because He plans what is going to be the future and performs what He plans.

God has the rightful authority, wisdom and power to bring about everything that He

intends. This year’s programme will help the participants to see in the sovereignty of God as our only hope for success in all our endearvour. God has decided through this programme to give man a rebirth by making him understand the future is only for Him to determine.

“We should recognise the fact that our lives are so troubled this time. People are losing their jobs, stocks are crashing, and natural disasters and uncertainties are everywhere. The threat of militants and religious fanatics is no longer a joke. In today’s economy, there is little to hope for the future.

Governor Ugwuanyi Commends ESUT Governing Council, Management The Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has commended the Governing Council, the management, staff and students of the state owned university, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), for keeping faith with their mandate, and ensuring that the institution’s flag continues to be high despite many odds.

The governor who is also the visitor to the university made this commendation at the 17th convocation ceremony of the institution in its Agbani Campus, recently.

Stating that he had at the inauguration of the Governing Council in January 2016 charged the Council and the Management of ESUT, to deploy all their energies and competences to improve the fortunes of ESUT and take it to the desired pinnacle of intellectual and technological excellence.

"Today, we have come, not just to witness the 17th Convocation but also to cel-

CAC Missions Partners BOI on Youth Empowerment

Ugwuanyi

ebrate the milestones that it has achieved in the recent times.” The Governor, who is also an Alumnus having obtained two Master’s Degree from ESUT, assured that “as a government and in line with our promises, we have continued to place a very high premium on the improvement

of the quality and standard of education in Enugu State, and we have continued to develop and implement policies that are designed to reposition and revitalise educational institutions at all levels in the state. These include provision of critical infrastructure, renovation of existing facilities and the re-equipment of our schools so as to enable them compete favourably with their contemporaries and keep up with emerging realities and developments,” he added.

On the challenges facing the university as highlighted by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Luke Anike, the governor assured that “apart from other interventions we have made and are still making in the school, we will continue to work in concert with relevant ministries and agencies of government to as far as available funds can permit to address these challenges adequately and satisfactorily.”

The Access Bank Plc has through its Conduct and Compliance Group reconstructed a dilapidated building, bringing out of it three mega size classrooms, two offices and one toilet for Obele Community Senior Secondary School Surulere, Lagos.

Speaking during the inauguration in Lagos recently, the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Education District IV, Mrs. Lola Are-Adegbite, said it takes people who value education to give back or put their money into things that will be of educational benefit to others.

According to Are-Adegbite who was represented by the Director Co-Curricula, Science and Technology, Education District IV, Mrs. Abimbola Muyinat, the conducive environment and comfort the bank's intervention brings to the school will definitely redefine education for the students of the school.

Appreciating the bank's gesture in partnering with the Lagos State Government in meeting the infrastructural needs of the school, Are-Adegbite noted that increase in school enrollment has necessitated that Lagos State government to constantly build, renovate carry and out regular maintenance of its school facilities. According to her, "This responsibility has been made easier with the emergence of old students association, NGOs and some other corporate organisations coming to the rescue. Among them all, Access Bank stands tall.

"They have helped in the reconstruction of a fully dilapidated building out of it, three mega size classrooms, two staff rooms and a toilet. I am quite happy and impressed that all the new classrooms are built in a very modern taste bearing in mind styles and comfort of the students. Looking at this magnificent edifice, learning has been redefined in terms of conducive and comfort. The principal and the entire staff as well as students, parents, old students association and other stakeholders in Obele community Senior Secondary School are indeed happy and elated that this rare gift has come at the right time and to meet the needs on ground too,” she said.

In his remarks, the Head, Conduct and Compliance Group, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Pattison Boleigha, noted that Access Bank has a culture of giving back and that it is one of the major visions of the bank which it does in such a unique way that staff are personally involved.

According to Boleigha, the bank has been doing it for a long time now. "Today it is Obele Community turn to enjoy this special services Access Bank Plc through its staff are able to provide for schools."

31/LIVING

06.01.2017

Eat Right, Live Long Mary Ekah Mrs. Edirin Metseagharun, Founder, Passion for Healthy Kids Initiative (PHKI), is of the view that if we don’t help our children learn to eat right and be active every day, and then this generation may live shorter lives than their parents. This is where PHKI comes in. PHKI is focused on raising awareness and helping schools and parents to close existing gaps and help children learn to eat right and be active everyday. And so the organisation recently visited a school at Ajah, in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos. The event was the annual PHKI Mini Kitchen and Health Fair tagged ‘Balance My Day’, which aims at teaching children to eat balanced meals to enhance learning in school.

“Your food should cut across the six classes of food but with the spring of fast food these days, a lot of people find it hard to eat right.

So I think we really need to cut down on the junks that we eat and learn to eat more of fresh vegetable and fruits and that will help us to live healthy lifestyle and also aid in the longevity of our lives,” she noted PHIK, she said is a non-governmental organisation that addresses childhood malnutrition, obesity prevention and also help children to eat right and be active, adding, “Basically, our overriding objective is eating right, move more and live long.”

Speaking on the activities of the organisation in recent time, she said, “We have gone round the schools over the year and we noticed that majority of children don’t eat breakfast before coming to school and large percentage of children also don’t take healthy meals, they do not know what healthy meal is all about.”

The PHIKI boss however noted: ‘We also noticed that schools, have gradually removed physical exercise from their curriculum, replacing it with other extra-curricular activities forgetting the importance of exercise to the health of a child.

And also in rural communities, we noticed that a lot of these children lack basic information on healthy living and personal hygiene. Hence this gave birth to Mini Kitchen and Health Fair tagged ‘Balance My Day’.

“We are actually trying to talk to children and parents about the importance of healthy living, why the parents should live healthy lifestyle so that they can impact on their children’s lives.

And part of what we do is giving out healthy pack to children, it might not be much but what we give to them will last them for at least one or two weeks this will also help to improve their healthy lifestyle and also encourage their parents to build on it,” Metseagharun said.

PHIKI’s target, she said, is on the children, noting, “we go to both primary and secondary in both private and public schools and the truth is though the children are our targets, and they cannot do this alone. They need the help of the parents, so we cannot tell children to live

Mary Ekah

A dentist, Dr. Maria Naboya of Asman Dental Clinic examining the children dental state during the Health fair

Founder, Passion for Healthy Kids Initiative (PHKI) giving out gifts to children during the recent PHKI Mini Kitchen and Health Fair

College of Education, Warri, and then got a degree in Education from the University of Port Harcourt still in Education Management.

A volunteer fitness instructor and Productivity Solution Specialist with Microsoft, Vivian Atureta, said, “I am not a fitness instructor, my passion is actually technology.

But I noticed from the kind of job that I do that we sit a lot, from morning to night we sit A volunteer instructor, Vivian Atureta training the children on some workouts at PHKI on chairs in the office, we don’t move, we eat Mini Kitchen and Health Fair and sleep on our seats a healthy lifestyle when their parents are not and everything we do, we are always sitting being educated, hence, we always talk to parents, down and when you get home we, you are so we go to school PTAs to educate parents on tired and everybody, including the kids just eat the importance of healthy living. It is not just and then we go to bed. . And I just said, we theory we are doing but also the practical and cannot continue this way. This life style is not so we pack stuff for healthy meal for them. So sustainable because if we want to live healthy that they would know what it is like to have lives, we need to change our diets and the level of our fitness activities and so my volunteering healthy meals.”

She said therefore that a lot of children have to work with PHIK, was born out of the desire been impacted by this initiative the organization to see children get active and get more healthy. has gone to over 200 hundred schools till date. I found that so many children are obsessed Her vision: “In the next couple of years, I see already at tender ages. This is very upsetting and myself having a centre for the less-privileged funny enough every time we see such children; where I can at least provide them with healthy they are going into various eateries. This obesity breakfast. My vision is to have a centre where is as a result of what they eat, watching TV the children whose parents cannot provide them all the time and not exercising. So PHIK is breakfast could come in and have healthy breakfast really addressing that in my opinion because and also where we can help those who are obsess when we visit schools, we teach them simple to live healthy lifestyle, Metseagharun, whose exercises that they can do every morning or every passion drove her into pursuing the initiative evening before they go to bed. In addition to on healthy living, is a teacher by profession the exercises, we teach them what to eat, which who read Education Management at the is what PHIK is seriously preaching – balance

diet is very important, making sure that the meal is balanced at all time to ensure that the child has enough energy throughout the day.

Another things I have always advocated for is break time, where the kids can come outside, play and get their activity level up, so that they are not in the classrooms all through the day without any exercise at all,” Atureta said.

Another facilitator, Dr. Dennis Kalu, an Optometrist screened the children on errors that could arise as a result of malnutrition or food deficiency. He said his role was to ensure that the children sights were healthy.

“Once your eyes are not okay at the early stage of live, it can become a worst situation at middle age like 40. So the earlier you start taking good care of your eyes the better your vision will be at later age in life,” Kalu noted.

From his observation during the exercise, he said, “On average, the children’s visions were not good. We saw a lot of signs that have to do with malnutrition, which is why this NGO has really come all out to reach out to this area as it sensitise people about the need for balance meal.” In order to have good and long lasting sight, Kalu encouraged kids to eat balanced food, especially those that contain vitamin A. “And again, they should not skip meals, especially breakfast, because it goes a long away to stabilise the body and once you miss breakfast, the whole system will be knocked out, especially the eyes.”

A dentist, Dr. Maria Naboya of Asman Dental Clinic, said, “Coming into this community was a sort of awareness that is being created for healthy living and what I told the children was that having a healthy mouth is very important.

If you don’t have a healthy mouth, you cannot have a healthy body. So we are here to sensitise the community and then the children because it is good to catch them young. And what we have discovered here is that their oral health is so bad.

Another Re-dedication for the Church of the Pentecost

The Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican Communion), Church of the Pentecost, Festac Town, Lagos, recently held another rededication of its church building to the glory of God and exclusively for His use. The occasion spearheaded by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, His Lordship, and the Rt. Revd. James Olusola Odedeji was one of the several expansions and rededication that the church has been through over the years.

Established in 1977 shortly after the black festival event, the Anglican occupants later came together for fellowship, which later turned to a church. And between 1977 and today, the growth both spiritually and physically has been greatly increased that there were need for expansions, the latest being the last expansion that was rededicated recently.

Speaking with journalists after the church service, His Lordship, and the Rt. Revd. James Olusola Odedeji said the significance of the re-dedication of the church building lies in the fact that, when something has just been done for God, it is ideal and scriptural that it is dedicated to God. “This place has been dedicated before and now it has to be re-dedicated because we have expanded it and many other components have been added to it. This is significant, because this place is a hallow ground, away from profane

Odedeji (middle) flanked by some leaders of the Church of the Pentecost, Festac Town, Lagos during the rededication of the church building recently

and common uses but for the use of the blessed trinity, indicating that this place is exclusively for God. Dedication is setting apart - something that has been taken away from other uses but for God alone. Nobody eats in this place, nobody drinks there, the only food that is accepted here is the body of Christ and the Blood of Jesus, which we call Holly Communion,” he noted.

His message for the nation, specifically, was that, just as the church building was being re-dedicated, everybody in Nigeria should endeavour to be

re-dedicated in the sense that everybody should be able to pray more, run away from sins and let love be shared amongst us.

“We must shun violence, unrighteousness and whatever amounts to ungodliness and whatever will tarnish the image of God must be avoided like a plague. That is what dedication should be to us as a nation. We should separate ourselves from all unrighteousness. We cannot wear two garments at the same time; you cannot put on righteousness and unrighteousness at the same

time. Our prayer at this season should be that Almighty God should give us the grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the amour of God, which is the new man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says to us that if anybody is in Christ, he is a new creator, so everybody should turn anew,” Odedeji noted.

On if the expansion of the church will also bring about numerical expansion, he said, “Yes, before the expansion was done, whenever I came here, I noticed that a lot of people were under the canopy outside, the church was not able to contain them anymore and it is unfair if some people are in the comfort of a church building while some people are outside feeling very uncomfortable, especially when it rains but with this expansion, the church building will contain everyone that comes for service. And we are still praying for more expansion in the nearest future, so if by tomorrow this place is grossly inadequate for worshippers, we would still look for a way of expanding it and that is evidence that the church of God is marching on, that the church is not stagnant but progressing and moving from one glory to another. “ The Vicar/Archdeacon of Festac Archdeaconry, the Ven. Israel Omotunde Owoyele, expressed joy that the church expansion and re-dedication was happening at his time. “I give glory to God for His grace and opportunity serve. I’m just an instrument in His hand, so I have nothing to say but thank you God.”

32 /XTRA

06.01.2017

Financial Literacy Path to Economic Prosperity With the recognition of financial literacy as a necessary foundation upon which wealth creation is built, PAL Pensions has launched a massive financial literacy campaign among Nigerian students to groom great resources managers, Peace Obi reports

L-R: Branding/Communication Analyst, PAL Pensions, Esther Ahaiwe, Regional Manager, Lagos, PAL Pensions, Mabel George, winner of 3rd prize for PAL Pensions Art and Essay competition, Quadri Uthman of Western College, YabaLagos and the Principal, Olamoyegun Olusegun, during the prize presentation by PAL Pensions in Lagos…recently

A society gets her leaders among her populace for whatever leadership position.

Hence a strong and viable economy does not come from the moon, neither do the managers of successful enterprises from a different planet other than the earth. The difference has been said to be traceable to power of financial literacy. Financial education has been recognised as an important contributor to improved financial inclusion, individuals well being as well as financial stability of a country. And just as great economic policies do not necessarily translate into successful economy without conscious implementation; financial experts have warned that demographic strength of youthful population may also not bring about the expected economic and social development, especially when its youths lack financial education.

Having identified financial literacy as a necessary pre-condition for wealth creation, by industry players in financial sector, stakeholders have continued to show commitment in educating and preparing Nigerian youths for the challenge of becoming better financial managers. And for the experts, wealth creation is not a game of chance but a conscious, careful and dedicated effort by individuals to manage resources at their disposal to bring about healthiness, success and expansion of businesses, the economy, among others.

And for PAL Pensions, good financial judgment, savings culture, among others are at the heart of wealth creation. And to inculcate this important culture among Nigerian youths, the pension fund administrator has taken the campaign into schools across the country, providing free financial education as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility projects. And in most cases instituting financial literacy clubs in these schools for more effective impact. With a three year active campaign, in October 2016, the company organised the maiden edition of its PAL Pensions Arts and Essay competition, with a theme, ‘What Does Financial Literacy

Mean to You?’ Speaking at the prize giving event for the successful participant in Lagos, recently, the Regional Manager, Lagos, Mabel George, hinted that PAL Pensions had its financial literacy initiative launched in response to the need to provide Nigerian students the much needed financial education which she said was lacking in their school curriculum.

According to George, the desire to arrest a situation where Nigerian youths do not get to know how to manage money, save, or even develop entrepreneurship skills and right financial judgement up until they start working spurred PAL Pensions' choice of CSR in that direction. "What we have found is that most schools do not have financial literacy in their curriculum. And so you find people who go up until tertiary institutions and even graduates who do not know how to manage money. They don't learn it until they start working. So, we thought that it is important we start to educate students at the grassroots,” she said.

Poised for a wider reach of its target audience, the regional manager disclosed that her organisation has taken the campaign to over 200 schools within a period of three years. And what seems like an impact assessment, she said, "We have covered 200 schools, introducing financial literacy clubs.

In 2015, we introduced financial literacy clubs in some select schools. And so, in 2016 what we thought to do was to have a competition among the schools across the country. We had two categories - arts and crafts as well as essay writing. The students were required to show how they can use either arts or in essay form project and describe what financial literacy is to them."

Speaking further, George stated that financial education teaches students independence and what to do with resources that are at their disposal. Adding that the establishment felt providing the students with such knowledge at the early stage of their life would expose

and equip them with the skills to recognise and explore opportunities. "What we are doing is that from this stage, we want the students to learn how to save, have entrepreneurial skills and know what to do with money.

What financial literacy does is to create independence. We want them to realise that beyond leaving school and the search for 8am to 5pm job, there are other skills they can harness at a younger age that could be very helpful at that point.

"Nigeria is a country of over 150 million people and every year millions of people graduate to join the overburdened employment market. For us, we want to have more people who have entrepreneurship skills, so that beyond looking for a white collar job as difficult as it is getting now, people can be independent and be more financial savvy. We want to have people who are more conscious as to how to manage funds better. We want to people who will be better managers and custodians of little income, that no matter how little the income, they are able to manage because they have built the skills."

Addressing the students, George told the students that the PFA wants them to grow knowing that there is hope and opportunities in their beloved country. And that even if the country does not give them what they think they deserve, they can tap from the knowledge being made available to them through the financial literacy campaign of PAL to create it for themselves. "Acquire knowledge, knowledge is key; acquire financial knowledge, financial knowledge liberates. So, we want you to be better managers, better thinkers with great ideas as you grow older."

Urging government to make education a top priority, George called for more investment, saying that government need to pledge more in terms of its budgetary allocation in addition to support from the private sector.

According to her, with improved funding such problems as poor infrastructure, unmotivated

teaching force, poor teaching and learning environment, among others can be taken care of. According to her at the end of the day, "we are building a nation of builders and people who will be more successful in future."

In his remarks, the Principal of Western College, Yaba, Lagos, Mr. Olamoyegun Olusegun whom one of his students, Master Quadri Uthman finished in the third position in the competition, commended the pensions funds administrators for their unique corporate social responsibility of capturing and building minds of the younger generation for greater productivity, as well as grooming quality financial and resources managers.

According to him, PAL Pensions has not only demonstrated its competence as good custodians of funds and investment but also great managers of human resources for the attainment of both individual, corporate and national development.

Urging the students to make the most of the knowledge acquired through the PAL Pensions' CRS project, Olusegun told the students to take their studies seriously and work hard to be among the achievers. "Do something that will announce your name and make your school proud, he said.

Standing tall in the competition that recorded 120 (90 essays and 30 arts) entries from across the country were Master Titus David, Miss Nneoma Mbalewe and Master Quadri Uthman as the first, second and third position winners. Presenting the winners with their prizes, the first prize winner, a JSS 2 student of ASCL School 1, Kogi State, Master Titus David, smiled home with a tablet while winning a desktop computer for his school.

Also, the first runner up, Mbalewe Nneoma of Babcock High School won a school bag with educational kits as well as winning a 3 in 1 printer for her school, while the second runner up, Master Quadri Uthman won a school bag and other educational items while his school got a white board.

33/ ANALYSIS

06.01.2017

TSA Impact Beyond Corruption

Peter Uzoho writes that the introduction of the Treasury Single Account policy by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has helped to curb corruption in the system Mabawonku, Chief Financial Officer, Wema Bank, told newsmen in a recent interview.

“The policy sterilised about N1.2 trillion from the banking sector through the CBN, cutting the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 31 per cent to 25 per cent, while injecting about N740 billion into the system.”

Though tough, this development has had a positive impact on the banking industry.

With the unavailability of funds to trade with, banks are said to be making frantic efforts to fill the gap. The Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) recently disclosed that total savings accounts rose from 59.737 million as of January to 65.435 million by the end of September, 2016.

Year 2016 in review The Treasury Single Account (TSA) is touted as President Muhammadu Buhari’s single most important achievement. Though received with mixed feelings in many quarters, analysts say the policy has had a profound impact on the economy just over a year after its full implementation.

Stakeholders have attributed the Federal Government’s recovery of N4.3 trillion of its cash assets to its successful adoption of the TSA, including the elimination of over 40,000 ghost workers from the public sector as well as the government’s newfound ability to keep tabs on its financial position without hassle.

A recent Economist report discloses that the TSA has replaced a “labyrinth” of piggy banks and given Nigeria more control of its earnings, serving as a lesson in transparency to other African countries.

The TSA is a unified structure of government bank accounts that gives a consolidated view of government cash resources. It is based on the principle of unity of cash and treasury through which the government transacts all its receipts and payments. Gratifyingly, the TSA is ratified by section 80 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that all revenues raised or received by the federation …shall be paid into and form one Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federation.

Pan-African Fiscal System The TSA policy may be new in Nigeria, but Africa is not exactly a stranger to the policy. In 2005, Rwanda adopted a zerobalance drawing system which requires that its ministries and budget agencies’ accounts are held in the National Bank of Rwanda.

The policy stipulates that all ministries and budget agencies begin a new fiscal year with zero cash balance on their accounts. Thus, cash transfers are made from the treasury to the ministries’ accounts monthly, and the financial transactions they (ministries) make are restricted to their allocations for the month. To make the policy more fool-proof, daily checks are conducted to ensure that whatever funds left at the close of business are transferred to the Treasury for re-issue the following day to drive transparency.

Uganda adopted its TSA policy in 2013 in accordance with section 4 (1) of its Public Finance and Accountability Act (2003) which states that “the Minister responsible for Finance is responsible for maintaining transparent systems which, among others, ensures the efficient and cost effective cash management of the Consolidated Fund, any other fund established under the Act and other public moneys.” The policy in Uganda started out aggregating all government cash balances into a set of linked bank accounts, with the long-term plan being a single bank account where all revenues would flow from and payments made. Before the adoption of the policy, the country’s MDAs operated over 2000 accounts which were dormant and became a breeding ground for corruption and misappropriation of public funds.

Last year, Kenya announced its proposed adoption of a TSA policy in reaction to the loss of billions of dollars in its public system.

Its earlier Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) had proved ineffective in waging and winning this war, much like previous financial management systems had failed to curb corruption in the Nigerian public sector. Thanks to its TSA policy, Kenya proposed National Treasury and County Treasury Single Accounts, which would both be housed at the Central Bank of Kenya and align with the government’s renewed technological focus.

McKinsey-approved System One year after its implementation, the TSA has given teeth to the Federal Government’s tough stance on anti-corruption. However, experts argue that the TSA is more than just an anti-corruption tool, but is fast developing data-based administration of public funds, setting the stage for Nigeria’s inclusion in the comity of nations practising e-Governance.

MDA Monitoring The TSA has fast-tracked MDAs’ compliance with the e-payment and cashless policy of the CBN, allowing the government to monitor the financial activities of over 900 MDAs from a single platform. The policy has eliminated the process of cash backing MDA accounts with commercial banks, eliminating corruption and ensuring timely reconciliation of MDA accounts.

Recently, the Bauchi State government announced its resolution to adopt the policy as a way of further blocking leakages and wastages in its MDAs. The state Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Alhaji Garba Sarki Akuyam reportedly told newsmen that the decision was hinged on ensuring accountability and prompt remittance of revenues by all revenue-generating MDAs because “the TSA has proven to be an effective tool of ensuring transparency and prudence in government's financial dealings.”

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun

They cite a recent McKinsey report which argues that evidence-based governance is the future and will increase in the run-up to 2020.

The report, tagged ‘Policy in the Data Age: Data Enablement for the Common Good’, explains that digitalised governance “gives governments the tools they need to be more efficient, effective and transparent while enabling a significant change in public policy performance management across the entire spectrum of government activities.”

IMF-endorsed Fiscal Policy The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been vocal in its endorsement of the policy as a pre-requisite for cash management, treasury oversight and centralised monitoring of government’s cash resources in the modern economy. The IMF argues that the policy is an essential tool for government cash management. In a recent report, it says the TSA enhances the overall effectiveness of a public financial management (PFM) system, and should form a crucial part of public financial management reforms. According to the IMF, a country with fragmented government banking arrangements pays for its institutional deficiencies in multiple ways: “First, idle cash balances in bank accounts often fail to earn market-related remuneration.

Second, the government, being unaware of these resources, incurs unnecessary borrowing costs on raising funds to cover a perceived cash shortage. Third, idle government cash balances in the commercial banking sector are not idle for the bank themselves, and can be used to extend credit. Draining this extra liquidity through open market operations also imposes costs on the central bank.”

Control of Budgetary Execution If the revolutionary changes made by the TSA are any indication, Nigeria may very well circumvent the IMF’s dire projections.

Powered by indigenous software Remita, the TSA has gone beyond basic financial services to make government compliance with budgetary allocations the norm rather than the exception. Case in point was the recent tussle between former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who claimed that the Federal Government had overdrawn its

funds in the TSA to the tune of N4.7 trillion.

He said this was in violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007 (Section 38.2). Thankfully, the argument was short due to the system of accountability that the TSA has brought to the administration of public funds. The records showed that as of December 2, inflows into the TSA stood at N4.4trillion, out of which government only actually spent N1.913trillion. This systematic record-keeping was well-nigh impossible before, but has come to stay with the adoption of the TSA which keeps the government on top of its finances at any point in time.

Payment Automation In line with experts’ arguments for digitalised governance, the TSA has made payments to the Federal Government much easier and traceable. As against the practice of only making payments through commercial and microfinance banks, customers can now do so through alternative channels such as POS terminals, debit/credit cards, online banking sites and digital wallets, among others. Unlike before, government can now receive funds from any part of the country, and pay salaries without the need to upload salary schedules from separate software to the e-Payment platform.

Moreover, MDAs make less deals with physical cash and contractors are paid for their services much faster since they are no longer obliged to wait for cheque clearances before executing projects of national importance.

Deposit Mobilisation Meanwhile, the TSA has eliminated commercial and microfinance banks’ use of public funds for investment purposes. It has reduced the amount the Federal Government loses in interest rates on borrowing from commercial banks, triggering innovation in deposit mobilisation in the banking sector.

Industry experts observe that Nigerian banks are having a hard time staying afloat following the closure of 17,000 accounts necessitated by the TSA. However, they add that the policy has roused DMBs from their dependence on the interest from government deposits to a renewed focus on other sources of income.

“The TSA is a sound policy directive which has had meaningful impact on fiscal reform by plugging leakages within the system,” Tunde

Records and Statistics The data functions of the TSA extend beyond fiscal management; it includes statistics on alternative revenue streams such as levies and fines which are typically paid into the account. Recently, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) announced the arrest of 7,645 traffic offenders between January and November, 2016. The State Sector Commander, Mr. Wobin Gora, told newsmen that the offenders violated traffic rules and regulations, narrowing this down to worn-out tyres, failure to use seat belts and fake or expired driver’s licences. This system of data gathering reinforces the benefits of the TSA and the McKinsey projection that governance of the future will be digitalised and evidence-based.

The Future The TSA continues to take a lot of flak from a cross section of the public despite what some list as its many gains. Some months ago, the Sports Ministry claimed it was unable to remunerate the sports team who participated in the Rio Olympic Games because its funds were domiciled in the TSA. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) took issue with the policy as well, alleging that lecturers were unable to access foreign grants and other perks due to the TSA which was undermining their autonomy. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) is currently making the same argument for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), saying that its funds are trapped in the TSA and the NHIS is in danger of failing if the government does not exempt it from the TSA. “The TSA is in the best interest of the larger economy as it will help in reversing the current high level of debt service expenditure and also reduce the upward pressure on interest rate, exchange rate and inflation,” President Buhari was quoted as saying at the 10th Banking and Finance Conference recently.

He admitted that the government was fully aware of the unpleasant business environment in which both the private and public sectors operate, while assuring that the challenges would be plugged soon. This may very well be the expectations of stakeholders as the nation collectively turns the chapter on 2016.

34/XTRA

06.01.2017

‘Economy Will Be Better if We Invest More in Entertainment’ Legal practitioner, Mrs. Sandra Oyewole weeks back delivered the post Made-inNigeria (MAIN) Festival lecture on ‘Innovation and Technology in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Economic Growth and Development’.

She said Nigeria could do better for her economy if we invest more in the creative industry like China, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

The Chinese government has taken advantage of its creative and innovative industry and that has taken the country’s entertainment industry to greater height and command global attention,” she noted.

She cited the example of ‘Felebration’ which promoters across the world have licensed the rights to host and organise in their respective countries, “we will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of China, Russia and the United Kingdom if we pay more attention to our creative and entertainment industry.”

According to her, it is not all gloom and doom for the industry, adding, “When considering how to leverage and grow our economy using innovation and technology

Oyewole

we should consider what goals have been met. On talent, we have the talent, on

laws: we have laws and there are plans to promulgate new laws. We have regulatory and security agencies like the Lagos State Law on Street Trading, there is finance like Project Nollywood and the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Nigerian Customs Service is clamping down on importation of pirated books.”

She however, highlights ways to strengthen the industry, “I want to note that while it may seem like a Herculean task to continue to connect our creative and innovative industries to the economy, it is do-able.

Other countries face similar Herculean tasks and are able to definitively tackle them. I say this because as noted above, we are already making inroads.”

She pointed out that there is anti-piracy police in the UK, a step Nigeria can follow to fight intellectual property theft. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of UK established Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) a specialist national police unit dedicated to protect UK industries that produce legitimate, high quality, physical goods and online digital content.

“But the fact is that this country has recognised the roles of its creative and innovative industries and by doing the following boosted its values- strengthening of its laws, building of studios, enforcement of the laws and clamping down on piracy and counterfeit,” she added. The renowned lawyer said that the broadcast media segment of the country alone can employ over 2000 Nigerians as can be seen in various Nigerian films such as ‘Invasion’, ‘Tango with me’, ‘The Gods are not to Blame’ and so many others which saw over 892 Nigerians employed.

The Made-in-Nigeria Festival (MaIN Festival) 2016, under the chairmanship of Prince Segun Oniru, is an international festival of ideas, innovations, and opportunities that brought the world to Nigeria to explore and engage the best of Nigeria. The seven-day event, which, took place recently in Lagos, offered a platform to showcase Made-in-Nigeria solutions, highlight global innovations, identify potential partnerships and connect the world to Africa's largest economy.

COFFAH Strategises for the New Year As the New Year begins, Committee of Friends for Humanity (COFFAH), a group of women who have excelled in their chosen career, is making big plans to affect more lives in the years 2017. The group recently held a one day forum in Lagos where they deliberated on how best to improve the lives of the less-privileged women and children in the society.

The President, Mrs. Caroline Akum Ufere, said the gathering was borne out of the need for to brainstorm on how to further achieve the mission of COFFAH, which has been in existence over two decades. Giving a brief history of the organisation, which was founded in 1991, Ufere said three friends who later invited other friends with the same ideas and vision, and hence the name Committee of Friends for Humanity, established it. The orgnaisation’s mission, Ufere said was to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the society. She revealed further that the new COFFAH centre, on the front burner, is a sustainable project which when

COFFAH members during a recent meeting

completed will act as a veritable tool to fund

future project as well as form a training ground

for women and youths.”’It is a multi-purpose centre that will stand on an acre of land with an educational institution, hall and workshop for various skills,” Ufere added. Some of the projects executed by the organisation she said include; building of COFFAH Centre at the Isolo General Hospital Lagos, refurbishment and furnishing of a 16 – bed female ward and the provision of 20KVA generating set for Apapa Health centre, Lagos; donation of kidney dialysis machine to Gbagada General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos and a host of others. Highlighting the organisation’s initiative, Women Empowerment Programme (WEP), one of its members, Mrs. Christy Ray – Okoye said that the initiative, which was conceived during her tenure, was borne out of sympathy for widows who are forced to face harsh realities due to the circumstances beyond their control. ’’To alleviate the sufferings of some of these widows, we offer encouraging talks/lectures, provide small working capital in addition to existing trades for those already engaged to run profitable/sustainable business units.”

Group Celebrates Yuletide with Physically Challenged Oluwafunke Lasisi A group willing to impact knowledge and love in the lives of people, JoinValue initiative, during the yuletide extended its loves to young generation, women, physically challenged persons and others. The group who are all graduate of University of Ibadan (UI), visited Modupe Cole Home (Child Care and Physical Treatment) Lagos, to celebrate Christmas with the physically challenged children with lot of gifts for them. The gifts

included food items, cloths, toiletries, and snacks among many other things.

According to the founder of the initiative, Chichi Ogbonnaya, history encouraged her in doing charities, saying when she looks back from where she is coming, it really helped her. She said their mission to the home was to make the children happy by dancing, singing, talking and sharing gifts letting them know people out there still care and remember them.

Ogbonnaya added that as an initiative with the passion for touching lives, they believe

that it will help a society filled with teenage girls carrying unwanted pregnancy, dropout school children, cultists, less privileged to access meaningful advantages among others will become a thing of the past when they can differentiate their right from left.

She lamented that despite campaign, awareness, seminar, publicity, advert and other related programme to avert unwanted pregnancy, the young generation are still getting pregnant which makes her to found the initiative so to impact knowledge and understanding in

‘Ayamma’ Gets Positive Review Barely few weeks in cinemas, ‘Ayamma’ produced by Nollywood filmmaker, Emem Isong-Misodi and directed by Chris Eneaji, is receiving affirmative reviews from audiences who have watched the movie. The movie which was released in cinemas on Friday, December 23, stars Adesua Etomi, Wale Ojo, Ime Bishop Umoh, Ekere Ekanga, Theresa Edem, Majid Michel, Moses Armstrong and so many others. The star-studded movie, which focuses on culture and history, is a magical story of love, treachery, lust and revenge, all entwined in the beauty of music and dance.

Ayamma tells the story of Prince Daraima (Wole Ojo), the fascinating heir to Obong Ikpaisong, who repeatedly

dreams of Ihuoma (Adesua Etomi), poor but radiating maiden whose beauty is matched only by her voice. He is in love with the girl of his dreams. In the real world, Prince Daraima is set to marry Princess Ama (Tinsel star, Theresa Edem), the arrogant child to a neighbouring Monarch. Princess Ama observes her groom-to-be captivated by Iko and resolves to nip this obvious threat in the bud. Nollywood actress ChiomaAkpotha had this to say about the movie; “I like the fact that people like EmemIsong take the pain to tell the world about our culture in a very tasteful way. Take time out with family and friends to go see it and I promise you won’t regret it”.

A scene in the movie 'Ayamma'

people most especially the young ones not only to abstain from sex but to also know their menstrual cycle and what it means preventing them from getting pregnant at their tender age.

Member of the initiative, Ebuka Odikpo said the visit was the seventh programme since the establishment in 2012 and they had touched many lives both in Ibadan and Lagos among women and children. He mentioned that it was their first time of being to the home and willing to visit more times.

35/ENTREPRENEUR

06.01.2017

Digital Investment is Next Frontier of Wealth Creation The Managing Director of Awoof-Dey: an e-commerce platform and ICT guru, Mr. Peter Elofusim, in this interview with Dele Ogbodo averred that banking and other financial institutions should re-strategise their wealth creation models, otherwise the emergence of creating wealth through digital money may erode their relevance How did you evolve from being an ICT practitioner to digital-money entrepreneur?

Well, first it is through sheer courage coupled with knowledge of the ICT terrain, which is daily, evolving. From my background, I studied Engineering in the University and after my NYSC, I got job with Vodacom as Satellite/Radio Communication engineer and later I moved to MTN as Switch-engineer. After acquiring enough experience and exposure I felt it was time to move on and add value to myself and impact on the society. So from MTN, I launched out to set up my 2 ICT firms: Awoof-Dey, an e-commerce shopping engine and Promosol.

I'm still fully into Information Technology (IT) because of the evolving convergence of IT and telecommunications, which is my background; I was able to venture into television infrastructure.

One of the things that my company does is that we set up satellite television stations for other TV stations. I also set up e-commerce platforms. I'm a strong believer in IT driving innovations. Today, Awoof-Dey has gone into wholesale provision for smaller e-commerce companies. We leverage on our international connection to get good prices, which has always been our dream out to smaller e-commerce companies. Today, with my varied knowledge of ICT I have ventured into making money online with the hope to build more entrepreneurs on how they can improve their well being through digital money making.

What is the status of ICT as driver of investment opportunities considering the perception that it is not too safe making money online?

Well, as it is I will take it that yes, there is a place for naysayers. There is one thing that cannot take it away even if Information Technology has been driving business for the past 100 years in Nigeria. There will still be people who will wake up and say that they will not be part of it, but the truth about it is that it is all part of human nature to resist change. But eventually human beings will fall in line, because not changing is fatal. Eventually, human beings will adapt. I know there are people who will tell you that they don't want to use ATM card. Some people will tell you they don't want to do online banking. But over time, when they see the pressure from it, you will start seeing them use the ATM card or do online banking All over the place new forms of making money online are emerging, what is your take?

You would have noticed that money had evolved over time and it had been changing forms though a lot of people didn't quite notice it. It started from trade by barter. Later it moved to cowries and coins and from there, it moved to paper money and again it proceeded to plastic money referred to as ATM cards, which million of Nigerians are using today. In all these forms of monies, there is one essential thing that money has been lacking: That means storage of wealth and assets that will remain relatively stable over a period of time. This is because once you store money in any 'fiat-form' like naira, pound or dollar, there is that likelihood that it will depreciate over time because of the dynamics of social and political events in any country. That tells you that there is no safe haven for any currency to store wealth. In other words, all currencies are subject to depreciation.

Investigation has shown that businessmen are looking for transactions that guarantee instant payment; however and to some extent you can say that technology within the local and external environment guarantees instant transfers/ payments. Also as in most cases when this is not delivered within 24 hours due to hitches or other reasons, complaints are lodged and it will take the bank 72 hours to resolve the issue, so it means that there is no 100 per cent guarantee of fool proof instant money transfer and therefore clients and people may wait for upward of three days for accounts to be credited overseas. Today, modern businesses do not have

own bankers. By so doing, charges, which drive the banking system, were taken away. Whether, the world likes it or not, the fact that businesses are looking for other means of transaction that are relatively cheap, instant and without charges at all and also because businesses are looking for means of storing assets that are relatively stable over a period over time that are not affected by any socio-political event. This is exactly what cryptocurrency does.

Elofusim

that luxury of time any more. It is the answer to these discrepancies that led to the emergence of money in digital form known as cryptocurrency, which is gaining wide acceptance and creating wealth for people across the globe.

What is the evolution of this currency?

A Japanese established the first cryptocurrency that came into existence. He started basically by putting out some mathematically algorithm on the Internet in such a way that any person who solved a mathematical equation was rewarded with a coin called or known as Bitcoin. In the course of time, there were hitches because it was only those who were mathematically and technically oriented that could solve the equation and as more equations were solved they were getting more difficult just like the: who wants to be a millionaire programme on TV. Essentially, the Bitcoin that was created in 2009 became the answer to the lack of stability in storing wealth and assets as an instant payment for transactions that will not depreciate over time. The man who developed this currency in digital form was though facially anonymous, he even did not envisage or know that Bitcoin was going to be a success. As things evolve, the first Bitcoin was therefore exchanging for $10. With spread in technology, businesses started accepting it as they found out that if wealth and assets were stored in digital money/currency, the value of that wealth keeps appreciating. Between 2009 and 2012, the value of Bitcoin jumped from Cent10 to $1,200. This led to the emergence of millionaires across the globe. Coincidentally these millionaires were people who ventured to take positions ahead of time mainly due to their technology instinct. Now, hear the poster boy story of Bitcoin: A Norwegian lad called Christopher invested $27 in Bitcoin and by 2012, the value of his investment was networth was $8,086. As an IT guru, I can say that cryptocurrency is an idea whose time has come, nobody or force that can stop it. In several of my workshop on digital currency, I have often said that very soon commercial and central banks across the world will close shops, it may sound far too fetched. I have also predicted that within the next 15 years commercial banks will be looking for what to do because of the technology called blockchain technology which is essentially a digital open ledger that tracks, verifies and validates transactions which essentially is what our CBN does. The digital open ledger what is driving cryptocurrency. You will agree with me today that the world is looking for more transparent means of payment and therefore what cryptocurrency seeks to do is that its takes away the middle man (who is the bank) from the banking transaction and makes individual their

How does perception affects the value of a country's currency?

I want to say first and foremost that money is what it is, but it is the perception that is given to it that matters. For example, N100 and $100 is the same money but with so much value difference. It takes about five times more to produce the naira than the dollar because of the colours embedded in the production of the different currencies, but today the dollar has greater value than the naira. As Nigerians, if we can create enough perception and hope in our currency and people buy into it, the first thing that will happen is that the Nigerian currency will take a jump at least to a greater measure. If there is a major threat to peace in U.S. or anywhere in the world, the dollar will depreciate or go down, it is all about perception.

That was exactly what happened to Brexit. The confidence that is put on a currency to some extent determines the value of that currency. On the other hand, the only thing that determine the value of cryptocurrency is the demand and supply dynamics. There are though many cryptocurrencies that have come out after Bitcoin.

Any cryptocurrency that essentially has a strategic marketing platform to boost demand and has confidence in it will rival the U.S. currency in the future as the world reserve currency, and this is Bitcoin. The driving force behind cryptocurrency is the blockchain technology.

Can government be part of this new vista of creating wealth?

The truth about it is that cryptocurrency seeks to take away power from government and put it in the hands of citizens, individuals and businessmen. This is where the world is headed. With the way things are happening across the globe today, individuals are getting more influential than government, corporations are getting more powerful than government.

For example, the CEO of Facebook, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, is becoming more powerful than some countries. What is evolving now will be a disruption in the next financial institution, which is through cryptocurrency. Banks and other financial institutions should re-strategise on their business models or key into cryptocurrency or they risk being shipped out of the system.

How does this technology create money?

Technology is evolving on daily basis to add value to life and to a greater measure cannot be regulated. This digital money/cryptocurrency technology, which is blockchain, cannot be regulated. Because once it is regulated, the whole essence of blockchain is defeated. Blockchain is an open ledger that cannot be hidden or regulated and it is the most secured means of payment and transactions. For example, you can spend N1000 note today in Abuja and within the next six months it will pass through several hands and come back to you again, but you won’t know that it is the same money that was handed over to you some months ago. But with cryptocurrency, every coin that is mined in blockchain pools goes into my coins. If for instance, I give you a coin now, you will give it to Mr. 'B' and 'C' and before you know it, any day that coins enter your hand you can trace the history of all its transactions that it was used for before it came back to you. It is therefore easy to check the movement of the Bitcoin through the blockchain technology, which is safe and secure.

How about fear of the unknown and

likelihood of collapse systems and networks?

The good thing about it is that there are opportunities that exist in two folds. The first opportunity is to do a due diligence on any cryptocurrency that is presented to you based on the strategic marketing plans to first make it useable and acceptable. Once you have done that, convert part of your fiat money into cryptocurrency by taking a stake because at this point. On conversion for instance of one-coin platform what it does is that it offers you in different platforms like the one coin, ripple coin and on the one coin which I promote there are different packages for potential investors to come onboard and take a chunk of it which depends on how much money you can dispose of for now and the company has packaged it in such a way that there is a generous reward for an early adaptor. For example, an investment of about N3 million in cryptocurrency today will yield about N80 million in a year's time. What Nigerians should take advantage now is the fool proof security of the technology because most people that are rich today in the world are people that took position in technology companies. So Bitcoin is a technology company offering the one-coin cryptocurrency which is an avenue for Nigerians to become million in the nearest future in Euro. If for instance, you have children's school fees to pay abroad together quickest way to create the wealth that can sponsor that education of your children anywhere is to take advantage of this technology company and this one happens to be it.

How can wealth be created for individuals through Bitcoin?

On creating wealth, the way we are used to creating wealth in the past had gone, the traditional way of creating wealth is gone forever. It is awareness that is creating wealth for people now. If you are aware and know that this opportunity exist and you key into it, and any wealth that is tangible now is about value addition and nit about production of goods and services anymore. Production of goods and services as a means of being wealthy is gone, though you can be rich, but in terms of being wealthy, you need to create values and what one-coin is doing basically now is first of all is creation of merchant pools. The wealth creation is left to the company and what it does to create this wealth through actively marketing this opportunity all over the world as they are meeting businesses that will accept the coin, making it popular. If you go to YouTube, there are a lot of presentations on one coin and actively building the network. In Nigeria, there are relatively few of us that have invested in one coin and this is just like Facebook. Most times I travel to educate people and I hold seminar every weekend and what we are doing right now is to basically educate people on digital currency. The value creation for one coin is that it is actively building members in daily basis and about 8000 investors are coming in every day globally. Right now there are about 2000 Nigerians on the network. What gives advantage is that for every new investment, coming at the early stage matters and so anybody coming now is coming in at that early stage because potentially one coin optimistic value is that it is going to reach Euro100 per coin in the next three years. If Nigerians really want to benefit from the wealth creation that one coin technology is doing this is the best time to come. Just like Facebook, one coin is building on the number of its investors. When I invested in one coin about four months ago, the number of investors was about 1.6 million people; today I have invested a lot of money on one coin business.

The first benefit is because we are trying to maintain price stability, you cannot sell until it is a year's time and this is for obvious reasons, because if you allow everybody to sell. The value of Bitcoin will crash when it is sold to everybody and so because of this restriction it will rise to about $1200.

36/COLLAGE

L-R; The Akinrogun of Iju Ogundimu Land, High (Chief) Adegboyega Oguntayo, Agba Akin of Iju Ogundimu Land, Chief Kamoru Ogundimu, and The Aremo Oba of Iju Ogundimu Land, Prince Gbolahan Ogundimu, during thier Chieftaincy Tittles Ceremony to marks the 10th Coronation Anniversary of the Oniju of Iju Ogundimu Land, His Royal Majesty Oba Elijah Adisa Olanire, in Lagos...recently; DAN UKANA

06.01.2017

Baba Laje of Odolewu, Ogun State, Senator Anthony Adefuye and the Itire-Ikate LCDA Chairmanship Aspirant, Hon Toyin Fafiyebi at the annual LEWU DAY celebrations, at Odolewu, Ogun State...recently.

L-R: Mrs. Bunmi Adeniyi, Mrs. Mojisola Babalola. Mrs. Eniola Ibrahim, Proprietress, Elibel Schools, Pastor Mrs. Elizabeth Aremu, Sole Administrator, Mosan Okunola LCDA, Barrister Rotimi Ogunwuyi, Director Elibel Schools, Ms. Adebukola Aremu, Mrs. Ebietomiye, Mrs. Eze,and Mrs. bimbo Akinbohun during the 30th anniversary of Elibel Schools, Abesan Estate Ipaja Lagos...recently

L-R: Former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and the newly married couple, Olaitan Olakunle and his wife, Modupe Alonge during their wedding at the RCCG House of Favour, Redemption Camp, Lagos...recently

King Mohammed VI of Morocco (middle) flanked by Okunoren brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde, when the King was on a state visit to Nigeria at the Made-in-Nigeria drive of the Federal Government in Lagos...recently

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi(Right) Cheers Oyo State Civil Service during the 2017 Annual Inter- Religious Service to mark the beginning of the New Year in Oyo State at Governor’s Office Secretariat Agodi Ibadan....recently FELIX ADEMOLA

37/THISLIFE

06.01.2017

Adeyemi: I Tasted Hardship

Adeyemi

Sam Adeyemi, Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, recently held an interactive session with select journalists in his Lagos office where he opened up on his humble beginning. Charles Ajunwa was there Basically, my life would not have gone on this trajectory if I have not had an encounter with God. I grew up in this country. Well, fairly comfortable family. My Dad was a civil servant then he went into business the business crashed. Then I had the opportunity to taste hardship. Hardship! Wake up in the morning in the house nothing to eat. My Mum will take nylon bag go to the people selling food stuffs in the neighbourhood to buy food on credit. Wake up in the house no tooth paste, I brushed my mouth with no tooth paste, I put salt on brush. I went with my Dad to the court when the landlord took him to court because he couldn’t pay rent. I tasted poverty, tasted hardship.

Gratefully, when I was in the polytechnic as an Engineering student, I accepted Christ into my life and something very interesting would happen to me. I will be praying and my imagination will just kick into this mode like video and I will see myself standing before people to teach. I knew that was not me because like I said I used to be very shy. An introverted that could not have been me and it was consistent. Then I sensed God called me to influence people. So there was a day my pastor preached ‘Where treasure is that is where your heart be. Ask God where your treasure is in life so that you can put your heart there.’ I prayed that prayer honestly and I believe the spirit of God spoke to me you will never be a contractor. Because my Dad’s building contractor I was to take over when he stopped. He said “you will never be a contractor, you will be a preacher”. And I was so sure of it I announced it to all my classmates. I told them humorously ‘you guys are lucky I would contest contract with you because if I did I will take the ones I want first, you will share the rest but you can go ahead’.

So that experience I went through has given me the capacity for compassion to feel what everybody is going through. I can’t forget where I’m coming from. Two, to appreciate that whatever that is happening in my life that it’s the grace of God. There are people that are smarter than I am, there are people who prayed more than I pray and who have not succeeded as much as I am. I know we have this culture of bigmanism where if you are big you show it and people show the surprise how come you so simple and I realised because I know where it’s all coming from.

Even in Daystar the first three years, it wasn’t growing the way like I thought it should. It was frustrating period for me. Why is the church not growing? And I have read powerful books on church growth, I tried all the principles, strategies nothing was working.

But eventually God gave us a strategy and it was boom! We went from running one service to running four services in 10 months.

And even I had to calm down and at the end of the day I said ‘oh Lord please tell me exactly what we did right so that we can be repeating it? I want to know and He told me what it was. He said He helped to solve some cultural problems. That Africa is very weak with leadership, that Africa is very weak with management and that He helped us to solve all these problems. Then He said, ‘put the things you have learned in the curriculum and teach other people.’

That is how we started Daystar Leadership Academy. So sometimes I looked at the crowd, sometimes I asked why do they come here?

There are people who speak better than I do but one thing I know I must always do is be pure in my motives, be pure in my intention. Life is vanity. Life is so vague like vapour. Someone described it in the Bible ‘It’s held today tomorrow it’s gone’. It’s the

things you invest in life that matter and it’s human beings that you can invest your life in. I checked it out and I found out it works, that you should spend your life in service.

I was at the airport some other time, one airline staff said ‘please can I take a selfie with you? I said why not, sure. She took the selfie and said ‘you are too simple’.

To me no human being has more intrinsic value than another person. Our positions are different, our roles are different. I’m not more important and I told them in our church, than the usher or the person who shakes people’s hand when they are coming in. The first time I told our church members you could see the shock on their faces. I said nobody in this church is more important than anybody. I said I told the protocol guys that nobody pushes anybody because of anybody.

I told the church members that they must not push you because of me. It’s because you are special that I’m here. That is why God put me here because you are special, because your destiny is special. And I found that it influences my leadership style and it has been giving fantastic results. When we installed central air condition system here, it cost us more money than what we used to buy the whole premises. So I said to the church members that it’s not that we don’t have other things that we could do with the money. I said it’s simply because we believe that is what you deserve. You are created in God’s image so any quality of anything I deserve, you deserve it. Then I tell them I’m aware some of you will become commissioners, you will become local government chairmen, if you treat Nigerians with indignity, if you treat them less than I’m treating you- toilets we put air conditions there. I will come after you myself and make sure that we vote you

out of that position by all means. We are doing this only as an example, treat other people well too.

I was born in Niger State. I lived the first 10 years of my life in a village called Ndayako near Mokwa in Niger State. No way I could ever have imagined that I will become someone that is pastoring tens of thousands of people, someone who is now on the media and someone who has travelled all over the world. There is no way I could ever have imagined that!

Apart from the fact that I’m an introvert.

When I was a teenager if I was in a group, if you ask someone to volunteer to lead the group, I will be the last person. I was too shy for that kind of business. I didn’t think I was leadership material at all. But I will always be grateful for that elderly reverend in our church when I was a teenager who called me one day and said, “you are gifted but I’m not sure if you know what you have. Read this book, and he gave me one old book on leadership to read and the author contested old theories from Socrates and Aristotle that states that ‘only few people are born to lead everybody else is born to follow.’” The man said that the syllabus has changed, every human being is created in the image of God and has leadership potential. And he said “you reading this you have leadership potential.” He listed the qualities of a leader and said “when you read them you will find out that you have some of them already.”

He said “the remaining that you don’t have you can cultivate.” I took the challenge, the ones I didn’t have I began to pray, I began to read, I began to cultivate new habits which is amazing. I just literally floated to the top of the leadership in our church. The work that is why for me today it’s a huge passion to be global one to help people discover their potentials.

38/OPINION

06.01.2017

ADEOLAAKINREMI HOME TRUTHS

Email: adeola.akinremi@thisdaylive.com

Tel 08116759785(sms only)

Buhari Has His Last Chance with 2017 Finally, we are in 2017. It is the year of fortune teller.

This year, President Muhammadu Buhari's political future will be determined. The fulfillment or failure of the promised change will be the common factor.

But I think Buhari has a rare chance to improve his profile this 2017.

The capture of Sambisa Forest by the Operation Lafia Dole last December is a good chance for the president to improve his ratings.

But so much more will need to be done to consolidate on the gain.

Unexpectedly, counterterrorism experts have counseled us to be cautiously optimistic about seeing the end of Boko Haram so soon.

I cannot disagree based on my personal findings about insurgency, a research of many years.

Oh, and of course the fact that despite the claim by the military and the president that we’re seeing the end of Boko Haram militancy, the inability of the government to rescue the remaining kidnapped Chibok girls and a few comebacks we have seen of Boko Haram in Madagali, Adamawa State, and in some part of Borno State placed a direct question mark on the claim.

The president’s opportunity with the anti-corruption campaign is another rare good chance to repair his image.

With his anti-corruption czar, Ibrahim Magu, who heads the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under public scrutiny for hobnobbing with someone being investigated for corrupt practices by the commission is too serious to be ignored

by Mr. President.

The documents in circulation about the

Buhari

rent payment for his upscale mansion that costs $20 million a year by his good friend Air Commodore Mohammed Umar, and his freebie junket on airplane belonging to the later cannot be dismissed.

The president will do well to get rid of Magu with the New Year.

There are others in his cabinet that he can no longer keep, if he must increase his gains with Nigerians. One of such is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.

Lawal has a reputation for arrogance and now he has added a badge of corruption with a contract his company got from the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE).

A Senate ad-hoc committee looking into the problems being faced by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east had accused the SGF of several misdeeds including failing to account for N2.5 billion

PINE funds and awarding contracts to his friends and cronies, some of whom turned around and paid kickbacks into his company’s accounts.

Honestly, the PINE fund is now another defence arms and equipment procurement managed by ONSA under President Goodluck Jonathan. PINE is another ground where vultures feast.

The next place where the chance is for Buhari is with his populist agenda to pay the poor. That social spending, if properly managed without scandal will help build a strong image for the president before the election year.

But I have a concern. While we have been told that the N5,000 monthly payout is now reaching the hands of the beneficiaries, the transparency around it needs more light.

The goal of the government must also be clear to the beneficiaries as social benefits cannot be a lifetime for recipients.

In the United States where there are different types of social benefits, those in different categories understand the limitations and how things rotate from one generation to another.

For instance, once the government agency handling social benefits calculates that you have appreciable income, then you’re automatically replaced with another household with such need.

In Finland, where similar act is being carried out this year as a pilot phase for the jobless in particular, the government is clear about why unconditional money is being paid out to the unemployed.

The idea according to the government agency is to use the two-year trial period of the scheme to eliminate the "disincentive

problem" among the unemployed.

The government of Finland hopes people without job will have something in their hands to pursue job search and could pick up low- paying jobs without fears “of losing out something.” Ultimately they will climb from low-paying jobs to the high ones and become catalysts.

Behind that incentive is the truth that a jobless person in Finland may refuse a low-income or short-term job for the simple fear of having his financial benefits reduced drastically under Finland's complex social security system.

So the Finish government is doing something to stimulate the unemployed people to go out and seek for jobs.

Now, if the idea behind Nigeria’s social benefit is simply political, it will run into a big ditch with no opportunity for Buhari to take the advantage to improve his profile.

It’s debatable but rolling out a national programme without clear coverage of all the states, even in a pilot phase is a precursor to failure.

The argument that some states do not have social register begs the issue for a programme that had been planned for implementation in the last 20 months.

In fact, the payouts should have been left for the states to manage using national fund with guiding rules or at best for each state to come up with their resident rules.

I could go on, but I seriously think Buhari has the opportunity to make the change happen this year with a robust economy and quick delivery of his plan for a truly new Nigeria, before 2018 comes and the hot wind of politics begins to blow Follow me on twitter:@adeolaakinremi1

Reflecting on Obiano's Devt Strides in 2016 Oliver Okpala When the biblical Joseph found himself in the land of Egypt, through an uncanny ingenuity he saved that nation and other neighboring countries from an impending economic doom by applying the principles of sound economic practices that gave room for savings during the seven years of surplus as a preparation for the subsequent seven years of scarcity.

Perhaps this scriptural account sums up more fittingly, the feat of Governor Willie Obiano in the outgoing year, 2016. It was a year that saw Nigeria falling into deep economic recession, passing through one of the worst periods in its history. Oil prices plummeted to the lowest possible point and the naira has crashed with it. Allocations from the federation account nosedived and left huge gaps in the revenues of states.

The consequences have been severe and unpleasant. Many states now find it difficult to pay salaries and meet their obligations.

But the story was different in Anambra State. Like Joseph, Obiano and his team had foreseen the impending storm and made adequate preparations for the rainy day.

As if he knew what was to come, his first move as a financial expert was to organise a strategic retreat for the state executive council members to prepare them for the task ahead immediately he assumed office.

This was as far back as March 2014 when Obiano mounted the saddle of leadership in Anambra State. It was at that retreat that council brain-stormed on the economy and detected the impending fall in oil price. This prepared the administration for the tough times that took place in 2016. The result is that while other states were grappling with this reality, Anambra was not only increasing salaries but also busy embarking on developmental projects.

Obiano

2016 also saw the Obiano administration focusing on the four pillars of development, namely, agriculture, industrialisation, trade and commerce and oil and gas. These four pillars were firmly supported by what he called the 12 enablers without which every effort to develop the pillars would have been in vain. These included fundamentals such as security, education, healthcare, power generation, the environment, finance, social and civil infrastructure, housing and urban development, hospitality and tourism, transportation, water and sanitation as well as youth and sports.

He therefore progressed with the overriding vision of making Anambra the first choice investment destination and most preferred location to site new industries.

Throughout the year, the Governor sustained his agenda of transforming the state and it is no surprise that he has given the people a new lease of life. The year witnessed consistent investments through the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) justifying the governor’s background as an investment banker with remarkable statistics. In this regard, despite all odds, the administration maintained its

impressive record in internally generated revenue (IGR) of N1.3 billion per month from the N500m monthly that it inherited.

And this was done without any increase in taxes. This was achieved through a timely deployment of cutting edge technology and a clinical weeding out of ghost workers from the state civil service.

These investments cut across agriculture, trade and commerce, manufacturing, hospitality, housing, electricity generation, waste management, health and oil and gas. With the quality of investments the government has attracted so far, the unemployment problem in the state was drastically reduced. Obiano also invested heavily in agriculture during the year, attracting $150m from Coscharis farms project in Anaku, $50m from Novtec Farms Ltd in Ndikelionwu, $160m from Joseph Agro Ltd Rice Project in Omor, $220m from Ekcel Farms Tomato Production Farm in Omasi and $50m from the Songhai/Delfarms Integrated Organic Farm project in Igbariam.

Rehabilitating bad roads and constructing new ones continued throughout the year. These included a bridge in Ayamalum to facilitate the movement of people, pedestrian bridges in Awka as well as construction the three arm zone structures, for members of the state Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary.

Obiano also embarked on projects aimed at revamping the educational system, as well as equipping schools for optimal performance in academic activities. By these interventions he has opened up Anambra to the world and made the state attractive to investors.

The education and health sectors were also being given priority as schools and hospitals were either re-constructed or built.

The government did not also fail in tackling environmental challenges as it mounted a serious campaign to retrieve cities from the menace of dirt and instill a culture of cleanliness in the people during the year.

Brand new taxis and luxurious buses were procured. Some modern bus stops and bus terminals in strategic parts of the state were constructed. Public utilities were also being put in place such as the 47 solar-powered boreholes that will serve 27 communities in Aguata and Anambra East Local Government Areas respectively inaugurated during the year. The governor did not also relent on rural electrification, expanding 33kva supply lines and installing transformers in strategic locations across the state amongst other projects as well as installation of streetlights.

He also maintained the victory of Anambra State over kidnappers, armed robbers, drugdealers and child-traffickers. The smashed crime syndicates remained subdued throughout the year under review.

For these, the governor won several awards and other national recognitions of excellence.

And as the year was winding up the governor also took the opportunity to say thank you to distinguished Anambra indigenes by organising a ceremony in their honour.

The event afforded him the opportunity of thanking them for their unflinching support to his administration which he said was reflecting in all facets and sectors of Anambra State. The honorees themselves, acknowledged just like other Anambrarians and Nigerians in general that Chief Willie Obiano is a man who has brought finesse and a heart of love to governance, thereby demystifying politics and proving that one can be a cerebral governor and yet be simple as well as approachable. His governance style also opened up a new era that demonstrates a robust and dynamic leadership. He has clearly and remarkably shown his ability to lead and a very deep understanding of governance. More of these leadership qualities are expected to characterise his administration in the New Year and beyond.

Prince Okpala is a political analyst

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

REFORMING THE MARITIME SECTOR (FDC) and the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), revealed that the cost of trading goods remains a significant hurdle with the import and export times’ reduction of 25 per cent and six per cent respectively since 2013, Nigeria’s seaports still rank as the most expensive in West Africa.

On the import side, the report stated that extra costs related to yard handling fees (which include demurrage and storage) represent an extraordinary 77 per cent of the total cost, driven by longer-than-ideal border clearance times, yard handling procedures, and informal payments to customs and other government agencies.

“Extra costs related to transportation between the port and Lagos warehouses represent 94 per cent of the total cost, driven mostly by congestion and poor road conditions. Additionally, 41 per cent of the cost to import is attributable to inefficiencies or informal payments. On the export side, costs are lower than import costs, but distributed similarly. Conclusively, 43 per cent of the cost to export is attributed to inefficiencies and informal payments. The major driver of extra costs on the export side is also transport between Lagos warehouses and the ports, due to congestion, freight forwarding and yard handling costs.

“Nigeria’s ports have seen 3.3% Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in Gross Tonnage of 144.2 million tons within the past five years and an annual growth of 1.8 per cent is expected until 2021. Notwithstanding this progress, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report indicates that Nigeria trails far behind many smaller economies in Africa in terms of ports and maritime activities. According to the report, Nigeria ranked 4th in Africa in maritime industry by size of annual quantity of Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) in 2014.

Specifically, Egypt ranks first with 8,810,990 TEUs, South Africa (4,831,462 TEUs) and Morocco (3,070,000 TEUs) respectively while Nigeria reported 1,062,389 TEUs,” the report said.

It added, “Severally, survey from port users indicated that it takes an extended number of days (five to14 days) to clear a container at Nigerian ports.”

This, the report added, is a far cry from what obtainable at the ports of neighboring countries such as Republic of Benin and Ghana (with 48hours cargo clearance time).

Exporters of fragile goods, the report revealed, complained of about 20 per cent damage to their goods due to bad port roads and poor physical infrastructure within the port terminals.

This, it stated, is compounded by unwieldy documentation process making importers and exporters go through the pain and associated costs of processing about 25-33 different papers from multiple agencies and departments.

Port Location Problems Furthermore, the report added that the Lagos maritime ports which process more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s non-oil exports are located in populous urban areas and as such, constitute a major strain on key roads which cause congestion and environmental issues.

This, it added, is compounded by the absence of a functional rail transport system to compliment the over used and dilapidated road network.

“Due to the urban location and being a major transit route of imported refined petroleum products, ports in Lagos are susceptible to considerable disruption in the event major or minor “shocks,” such as fuel scarcity which translates to long queues blocking major roads or regular vehicle breakdown that blocks key feeder road. The road systems linking the ports complex are regularly congested. The mix of cargo trucks, buses, cars, and other users stretches the capacity of the roads. Faulty and parked cargo truck awaiting access to and from the ports do exacerbates the already bad situation. The Nigerian trade imbalance appears to be very evident on the ratios of laden and empty container flow at its ports. In 2014, record shows an empty and laden container ratio of 85 per cent and 15 per cent respectively at the Nigerian port.

“Only port reform and improved doing business conditions are needed to reverse this imbalance.

Furthermore, Nigerian ports are yet to conform to international standards in the adoption of electronic payment of Customs duty; electronic container loading list and electronic risk-based inspection. Presently, physical examination is still the major form of container inspection

STATE OF NIGERIAN PORTS

Poor Ranking on Trading Across Boarders (Ports): 182 out of I85 Countries in World Bank Ease of Doing Business Ranking.

No. of Government Agencies in the Ports: 14 instead of 6

Employment Potential: 800,000 industrial and 10,000 maritime new jobs.

Average timeline for clearing TEUs: 14 days instead of 2 days.

Revenue Losses: Over N1 trillion attributed to port inefficiencies.

Costs Attributed to Illegal Payments: About 50% import and 61% export processing costs.

Economic Competitiveness Index: 124th out of 140 countries in 2016 –World Economic Forum.

Delays: 71% of the time spent to import and 64% of the time spent to export are linked to delays.

Large GDP Size $478 billion, now 2nd largest in Africa

as opposed to electronic scanning. Port Users Survey conducted by NEXTT in 2015 reveals that physical examination of containers accounts for 47 per cent of container inspection while electronic scanning constitutes 27 per cent of terminal operator’s container inspection rates,” it added.

Pre-Arrival Assessment The LCCI report noted that persistent delays in the clearance of cargo at the Lagos ports have become a major cause for concern for the business community.

It added that the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) arrangement being managed by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is evidently fraught with capacity challenges.

“The PAAR, which was originally programmed to be issued within six hours now takes over a week in most cases before it is released. Without the issuance of PAAR, other cargo clearance procedures cannot progress. Closely related to this is that the NCS officials do jerk up the value of containers and at the same time determine issuance of alert, leading to delay in processing time. It is advised that PAAR values should not be arbitrarily jerked up above invoice values.”

Shipping Companies and Terminal Operators Terminal operators, the LCCI said, are not maintaining or renewing the facilities at the terminal.

“They charge high fees without recourse to any regulatory approval. For now, there is no clear agency in Nigeria that regulates the activities of Terminal operators. The terminal operators also face incessant server breakdown. This leads to delay in the dropping of containers for physical examination and processing the Terminal Delivery Order (TDO). Also, booking should be made immediately terminal payments are affected.

In other words, container dropping process for physical evaluation should be modified, which implies that containers should be dropped when terminal charges paid are updated.

“Shipping Companies should replace obsolete servers with modern electronic ones in order to forestall server failure and breakdown, which causes adverse interruption in port operations, resulting in high cost of demurrage and delays in the collection of debit notes. Nigeria is lagging behind in ship businesses and spending so much on freight payments. Thus, the present reform must suggest road map for indigenous participation in shipping,” it stressed.

Eliminate Human Interface The report stressed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should enforce rules that moderate the chances of human interface in its processes.

This, it advised, will eliminate the rate of complaints relating to its official intimidation of businesses and illegal levies demanded from trucks on the road after they had been cleared at the Port.

Charges at Bonded Terminals “It is noted that when containers are transport to the bonded terminal as a result of congestion

at the Port, the Terminals often add 100 per cent extra charges to the containers thereby increasing the cost of clearing. There are high incidence and reported cases of the containers being vandalized or stolen at the terminals.

“There are evidences that congestion at the Port was also compounded by the trucks returning empty containers. It is suggested that a separate bay for empty containers should be constructed to ease the congestion and traffic at the Ports, “LCCI said.

Multiplicity of agencies The LCCI noted the presence of too many security agencies at the ports such as Plant Quarantine, Vet Quarantine, State Security Service (SSS), Police and Bomb Squad, NAFDAC, NDLEA among others.

Their respective functions, it added, are apparently interwoven and need to be consolidated.

“There are so many parallel units within NCS and each group working at cross purposes making things more difficult for port users.

Unfortunately, each of the agency prefer to carry out an independent check on the same container.

This leads to waste of time, unnecessary fees, fine, charges and high operational cost.

“Additionally, the constant demand for gratifications from port users fuel corruption tendencies at the port which further raise the cost of clearing. Most these cost are difficult to transfer to the importer or end customers.

The former administration in 2010 reduced the number agencies at the Port considerably to six.

Sadly, many agencies have since found their way back into the Ports and coursing all sorts of hindrances,” it explained.

Truck call-up systems LCCI noted that the menace of trucks, trailers and tankers on port roads in particular, and the national road network in general has assumed an unbearable dimension.

This, it warned, need to be addressed through the adoption of truck parks and truck call-up systems.

It stated, “Private sector can easily invest in this project if the right policy and regulation is put in place. The near-by port in Cotonu, Benin Republic has since adopted this model and it has improved efficiency and better use on manpower. The Trailer Park which is under construction in the neighbourhood of the Tin Can Island Port should be urgently completed to reduce the menace of trucks and tankers on Lagos roads. It is gathered that this trailer park is 80 per cent completed already and it should be run using the Truck call-up system.

“This research is concerned about the deplorable condition of the roads around the Port and proposed that the government should do something even if it’s temporary to alleviate the sufferings of commuters. The long term approach is to initiate good reforms that allow private sector investment in port roads and other physical infrastructures. Above all the rail system designed to evacuate cargo from the Lagos Ports need to be resuscitated as a matter of urgency.”

Transportation Crisis The report noted that stakeholders expressed

grave concern over the deplorable state of roads leading to the Lagos Ports - Apapa and Tincan Island Ports.

These Ports, it added, account for over 60 per cent of the cargo into the Country and an estimated 70 per cent of customs revenue.

“The poor state of the roads has had multifarious effects on the private sector, economy and the citizens. Persistent delays in the clearance of cargo at the ports have become a major cause for concern for the business community.

This situation has the following implications: Risk to the lives of citizens arising from containers falling off the trucks as a result of bad roads. Several lives have been lost in recent past as a result of this.

“Congestion at the Ports resulting from the delay in the evacuation of cargo from the ports, high demurrage paid by importers to Terminal Operators and Shipping Companies as a result of delay in the clearance and evacuation of cargo in the ports, high cost of transportation for evacuating cargo because of the prolonged engagement of the trucks by importers arising from the delays, serious traffic congestion along the roads leading to the Ports, which often spills over into the Lagos metropolis causing severe traffic jam and loss of man hours in Lagos and delays in getting raw materials and other inputs from the ports to the factory premises in Lagos and other parts of the country.”

In conclusion, the reports stressed that the unfriendly business environment such as the situation we currently have in the ports continue undermine the capacity of investors to maximize abundant trade and democratic opportunities in Nigeria.

It added that one of the major shortcomings of the investment environment in Nigerian is cargo delays at the ports. The 48-hour target set by government is still far from being achieved.

Speedy processing of import and export Documents, it stated, are important elements of trade facilitation process; “it is also a major variable in the 2016 World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking in which Nigeria ranked very low at 169 out of 185 countries profiled. This has made very difficult to achieve any of the port reform objectives set by the past political administration as listed below: To improve the overall efficiency of the port operations, to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports for users and operators, to decrease government expenditure and boost its revenue, to boost economic activities by the introduction of the private sector and to make Nigerian ports the hub for international freight and trade in West Africa.”

It added, “Estimates from the research show that trillions of naira in revenue lost annually within the port and business community due to inefficiencies and inherent shortcomings of the nation’s maritime ports. It is evident that recommended reform measures if implemented can reverse this leakage within in the near term. Moreover, about 10,000 new jobs in the maritime port sector and approximately 800,000 jobs in the industry can be generated over the same period giving a more efficient and productive port in Nigeria.

According to the report, these estimates are potentially feasible under the assumption that the port can double its 2014 non-oil volume of 1.1 million TEUs within a period of 24months and from that point, grow consistently at 15-25 per cent annually. It is widely acknowledged that coordinating the reforms in the maritime port is predicated on the buy-in of the Presidency and National Economic Team.

Public authorities and the private sector have come to a convergent realization that one of the starting points for activating the diversification objective of the present government is fixing the ease of doing business at the nation’s ports. “The time is now.”

Thus, it stressed that a well-coordinated reform in the nation’s ports at this time will give significant boost to non-oil economy, output growth, greater wellbeing of the citizens and democratic gains.

Overall, the report stressed that political will that flow right from the presidency down to the MDAs is the most essential enabler to enforce and sustain the reforms.

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CITYSTRINGS

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

Instilling Old Values For several decades, Ilesha Grammar School has enjoyed enormous infrastructure and financial support from the old students. This time, the 1994 set championed an essay writing competition to improve the writing skills of the school’s students.

Martins Ifijeh reports

The Ilesha Grammar School 1994 set and some winners of the essay competition

T

he Holy Trinity Grammar School in Sabongida-Ora, a quiet town in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State has produced several prominent Nigerians, including the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Sunday Ikhioya, who has made a mark in the Ministry of Youths and Sports, Directors, Permanent Secretaries, notable politicians, among others. However, this has not translated into giving the past and present students of the school a new lease of life, as the school continues to battle with dilapidated facilities and lack of several science, arts, social and sporting facilities.

A visit to the 68 years old school that has produced former and present players in almost all of the sectors of the country, including the Nigerian Army, Customs, Ministries of Finance, Education, shows that only minor renovations have so far been done when compared to the influence and wealth of the privileged Nigerians who started their little beginnings from the school.

But the same cannot be said of Ilesha Grammar School in Ijesha Land, as it has enjoyed enormous good will from old students for several decades. A continuous and consistent gesture that has in no small measures affected the academic, social, creative and sporting lives of the students.

The old students, who, like the Holy Trinity School, has produced some of the big names in Nigeria, believe students of the school will continue to add relevance to

While I was a student of the school about three decades ago, some of our old boys came back and built a library on a full plot of land, erected several class room buildings, provided school buses for us, equipped the laboratories, provided books, among others. All these, were part of what helped us in acquiring the knowledge that we are giving back to the society today through our various life endeavours

the country when their needs are constantly met by the seniors they look up to in the society. Some of which are former Governor, Lagos State, Pa Lateef Jakande, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, retired Honourable Justice Alfa Belgore, among others.

The old boys also believed the gesture and their constant touch with the school will continue to be a morale booster for the students to study hard to one day become like their seniors who have never shied away from giving back to a school that has shaped them into what they are today.

For instance, as far back as the 90s, the old boys were already investing their time and money into transforming the school into a mini university campus through infrastructural, social and mental developments, in a bid to making the young students better than them in the society when they grow up.

“While I was a student of the school about three decades ago, some of our old boys came back and built a library on a full plot of land, erected several class room buildings, provided school buses for us, equipped the laboratories, provided books, among others. All these, were part of what helped us in acquiring the knowledge that we are giving back to the society today through our various life endeavours.”

This was the statement made by a member

of the 1994 set, Mr. Oludare Adanri, who, together with some old students of his set, have decided to return the gesture of the school that has moulded them into who they are today in the society, and then as a token of remembrance to what the older students of the school during his time did for the comfort of the students and the school administration at the time.

“While the government was doing the little it could at that time, the old students gave much more. And through their gesture, we did not lack anything during our time as students of the school. There was free bus shuttle, standard library, fully equipped science laboratories, and a whole lot more.

It’s also our turn to give to the younger students of the school, and we believe this tradition will continue for several decades to come,” Adanri added.

According to him, the 1994 set has decided to take the development of the school as a project which must be accomplished yearly, and for every student passing through the school henceforth, “there must be something to benefit from the 1994 set,” he vowed, adding that the legacy will continue yearly.

“Due to the efforts of the school management and contributions from other old students, it was the only good school in Ilesha land, hence we will not want the legacy to die. We want the students to learn

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

CITYSTRINGS

One of the winners of the essay competition receiving her cheque

in a conducive environment and be better in the various subjects needed for them to face life,” he added.

While other sets of the school have provided infrastructures; including libraries, classroom blocks, among others, the 1994 set is focusing on making impact in the students’ writing and speaking skills, arts, and sporting activities since it is becoming a new trend in the 21st century that students are losing touch with essay writing and public speaking due to the advent of social media and societal nonchalance to writing and speaking skills of young persons.

To achieve this, the set decided to start the project with the reading, writing and speaking competition, while the arts and sporting competition will run sometime in 2017. “We decided to introduce the annual essay competition, where we asked the students to write an essay on ‘Social Media and the Nigerian Student’,” said Mr. Adanri, who is the chairman of the project committee.

He said out of the over 1,000 students of the school, 118 submitted their essay writings, which were assessed by a team of independent educationists who are not staff or teachers of the school, and the best 12 persons emerged as winners. “The quality of the essay content from the 12 winners showed what the school has been known for – Excellence. They did creditably well by explaining how the advent of the social media was shaping the lives of the Nigerian student. The winners all received cash prizes and books, while all the 118 participants were also rewarded with books, as a motivation to continue to write,” he added.

He called on Nigerian youths to imbibe reading, writing and speaking habits, adding that to be in leadership positions, they must possess these leadership skills. “A leader who fails to communicate to those around him through speaking or writing only has short term span,” he stressed.

On his part, the senior prefect of the 1994 set, Mr. Ayo Awe Alagbinla, said the low turnout of participants, for the essay competition by the students (118 out of 1,000) showed that the society must do something about the dearth of reading, writing and speaking abilities among youths, adding that the culture of short messaging due to social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, has unconsciously been imbibed

by Nigerian young adults, at the detriment of essay writings.

“Writing has enormous benefits, hence we will continue this tradition yearly in the school because we want the students from here to continuously be the best, as they have always been. This school has produced a former Governor of Lagos State, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye passed through the school and a host of other highly placed Nigerians.

“Products of this school have always been major part of those who have contributed immensely to this country, and we want the culture to continue. These young ones will someday also get to positions of authority,

Alagbinla, presenting a cheque to one of the winners

Some members of the 1994 set with the students

A lot of young Nigerians feel writing is only for the genius, but truth is, whoever is determined to know how to write can achieve it through continuous writing and reading. Also by participating in competitions like this, I believe it has helped our students

Adanri, presenting a cheque to one of the winners of the essay competition

so we must join the school administration in grooming them properly,” he added.

Meanwhile, the principal of the school, Mr. Rev. Donald Oke, said the school has always been lucky with old students who remember to give back to the institution that nurtured them. He appreciated the gesture from the 1994 old students, adding that a

little deed done to a child has far reaching impact even in decades to come.

“The essay competition has again reaffirmed the need for young Nigerians to improve on their reading, writing and speaking skills, because any good leader must have one or all of these skills to be able to lead appropriately,” he noted.

He said for students to improve their writing, they must keep writing, reading, listening and looking at things very critically, adding that writing deals with impression.

He said, “A lot of young Nigerians feel writing is only for the genius, but truth is, whoever is determined to know how to write can achieve it through continuous writing and reading. Also by participating in competitions like this, I believe it has helped our students,” he added.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

CBN Sells N173bn Treasury Bills at Flat Rate Nume Ekeghe with agency report The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold N172.85 billion at its first treasury bill sale of the year on Wednesday with yields unchanged from the previous auction, held on December 21, fixed income traders said on Thursday.

Reuters quoted traders to have revealed that the central bank sold N115.85 billion of one-year debt at a rate of 18.68 percent, the same as the previous auction, traders said. They said the central bank also sold N35 billion of 91-day paper at 14 percent and N22 billion of six-month bills at 17.5 percent, unchanged from the previous auction. Subscription at the auction came to N194.12 billion , well up from N42.68 billion at the previous auction.

The central bank issues treasury bills regularly to help lenders manage their liquidity,

curb rising inflation and provide naira to help the government fund its budget.

The monetary policy committee had last November left the benchmark monetary policy rate at 14 per cent. Inflation also stood at 18.48 per cent in December.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele had pointed out that although interest rates are a veritable tool for curtailing inflation, with inflation at 18 per cent; “the CBN would be abjectly failing on one of its cardinal objectives if it cuts interest rates at this time.”

According to him, although he remains a strong believer in low interest rates, discussions around low interest should be based on facts, rather than politics or emotions.

“For those who say we need a rate cut to spur growth, we need to remind that high inflation is highly inimical to economic growth. Indeed, many empiri-

cal studies have estimated the threshold level at which inflation becomes significantly growth retarding to be 11 percent for developing countries.

“With ours at 18.3 per cent, one must question the judgment of cutting interest rates at this time. Finally, I think it is important to underscore that interest rates reflects not just the cost of capital but also the cost of doing business, and so we need to also look at interest rates from the perspective of the lender.

“Given that most banks have decided to individually provide security, power, and other infrastructure, it is not surprising that some of these costs are passed on to customers in the form of high interest rates.

Notwithstanding these facts, we will continue to use moral suasion to encourage commercial banks to be more considerate in interest charges on customers,” the CBN governor had said.

Kie: Ecobank on the Path of Achieving Market Leadership The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie has said the bank is on the path of attaining market leadership in the country.

According to him, “with our bank wide transformation efforts especially electronic payment solutions and strategy designed to boost long-term productivity of our core businesses, we are confident these efforts will position us for strong growth over the next years.”

Addressing members of the public during market storm in different parts of Lagos recently, Head, Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Nigeria, Tunde Kuponiyi, who represented Kie, according to a statement, said the sensitisation exercise which was held in different parts of the country, was to create awareness amongst members of the public on the benefits inherent in the global digital payment platform, stressing that, the technology makes electronic payments safe, simple and smart.

Ecobank recently launched Mobile App and Masterpass QR. The Ecobank Mobile

App, according to the bank would enable it leverage the power of digital to deliver real convenience to customers.

Furthermore, it said it would give Ecobank the scale and capacity to achieve its 100 million customer ambition in a profitable and sustainable way.

“With a mere click or two on the Ecobank Mobile App, customers can open a new digital account with no paper references. Ecobank is also the first bank to issue Masterpass QR in Nigeria, which reaffirms its undisputed pioneer position in bringing convenient international digital payments products to delight its customers as the bank is also the first to issue International MasterCard payment cards in Nigeria.

“Ecobank Masterpass QR, makes electronic payments safe, simple and smart. It improves customer experience with a clean front-end design and a built-in sophisticated and secure supporting technology. Payments are made by customers scanning a Quick Response code displayed at checkouts on their

smartphones, or by entering a merchant identifier into their feature phones,” the statement added.

Kuponiyi added that the new digital platform was also in line with CBN’s cashless policy and financial inclusion goals, adding that, with it would attract the unbanked to the financial landscape.

“I am impressed with the level of acceptance of this digital payment system since it was launched in October. Merchants in different parts of the country have already started using it.

This product will bring more people to the banking system and also revolutionise the nation’s economy within the shortest possible time,” he said.

Kuponyi further explained that customers will also be able to pay for goods and services using Ecobank Masterpass QR thereby reducing the need to carry cash or bank cards, noting that, the bank would use its network to give customers access to more choice with a larger range of products and services than any other bank across Africa.

UK, China, South Africa Downgrade Loom for Moody’s Moody’s is likely to make key rating calls on Britain, China and South Africa among others this year as rising political risk and debt levels push the number of countries on a downgrade warning back to a record high.

From Europe’s Brexit strains and looming elections to the battles of China, South Africa and Brazil to re-orientate their economies, not to mention Donald Trump’s first months as U.S. president, the rating agency faces a daunting list of decisions.

“A quarter of the sovereigns are on a negative outlook, which is the highest proportion we’ve had since 2012,” the peak of the euro crisis, Moody’s managing director of sovereign risk, Alastair Wilson, told Reuters in an interview.

The immediate pressure may not be quite so “acute” but the geographic spread of the negative ratings is now much wider, he said, adding: “I think in some ways (that) is more concerning.”

Top names on the watch list include Britain, which Moody’s still rates at triple-A and euro zone heavyweight Baa2 Italy as well as Aa3 China, Baa2 South Africa, A3 Mexico and Ba2 Brazil.

Moody’s is due to review the UK on June 2 and then on September 22.

By then formal EU divorce proceedings should have started and Wilson said the “mood music” of the talks should be enough to decide whether to strip London of its triple-A. “Brexit is negative for the UK from a credit perspective,

the question is how negative.

We will only start to learn that over the next few months or year as the negotiations really pick up steam,” he said.

For Baa2 negative Italy, steps over the last couple of weeks to tackle its banking problems could be positive, though it may not be if more than the 20 billion euros set aside is needed.

Political uncertainty in Italy, including a constitutional court decision later this month and the potential for fresh elections in which the populist Five Star party could perform well, pose the other main risk.

“If we conclude that a party (that won elections) are likely to be able to articulate and achieve reforms, or at least not to reverse reforms, that will be credit positive, if not it will be negative,” Wilson said.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 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

5,004,677.26

---- 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 - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT, FRIDAY, 30 DEC 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $53.30 a barrel on Friday, compared with $53.46 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 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

4-Jan-17

3-Jan-17

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

01 Dangote Cement Plc

173.99

173.99

0.00%

2,964,877,883,395.95

9.20

18.90

5.22

4.60%

3.96

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

142.00

142.00

0.00%

1,125,932,326,096.00

4.03

35.19

3.73

2.54%

6.87

03 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

22.90

24.00

-4.58%

673,974,004,229.60

4.90

4.67

1.68

7.73%

1.37

810.00

810.00

0.00%

642,051,564,120.00

8.81

91.92

3.72

3.58%

20.34

14.55

14.40

1.04%

456,818,984,586.30

3.91

3.72

0.96

12.37%

0.66

379.99

379.99

0.00%

210,252,385,836.87 -44.58

-8.52

2.71

4.19%

0.53

40.00

40.95

-2.32%

182,196,072,400.00

-9.39

-4.26

0.85

7.50%

0.90

08 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

9.54

9.77

-2.35%

175,054,718,591.10

0.68

14.10

0.30

6.50%

0.28

09 Access Bank Plc

5.85

5.81

0.69%

169,228,634,041.35

2.59

2.26

0.48

9.40%

0.38

10 United Bank for Africa Plc

4.51

4.45

1.35%

163,620,663,712.22

1.75

2.58

0.49

13.30%

0.38

11 Presco Plc

40.10

40.10

0.00%

159,216,129,504.50

0.03

2.23

3.24%

3.81

12 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

15.63

15.69

-0.38%

156,300,000,000.00

2.04

7.67

1.11

0.64%

1.33

13 Unilever Nigeria Plc

35.00

35.00

0.00%

132,415,368,750.00

0.69

50.57

1.99

0.14%

14.11

14 Guinness Nig Plc

83.05

83.05

0.00%

125,064,014,013.40

-3.06

-27.16

1.21

3.85%

3.17

15 FBN Holdings Plc

3.33

3.40

-2.06%

119,531,324,997.36

0.21

16.05

0.22

4.50%

0.19

83.60

84.22

-0.74%

108,887,420,210.80

3.31

25.29

0.71

4.13%

2.52

17 Total Nigeria Plc

299.00

299.00

0.00%

101,517,029,263.00

38.02

7.86

0.38

4.68%

4.46

18 Mobil Oil Nig Plc

279.00

279.00

0.00%

100,606,078,098.00

19.32

14.44

1.11

2.58%

5.43

19 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc

129.00

129.00

0.00%

82,636,156,827.00

-0.05

0.89

1.71%

3.72

20 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

5.99

6.11

-1.96%

71,880,000,000.00

1.03

5.84

0.50

8.35%

1.15

21 International Breweries Plc

18.50

18.50

0.00%

60,943,611,680.00

0.02

821.05

2.29

1.35%

5.56

4.30

4.47

-3.80%

51,748,861,244.20

-3.15

-1.36

0.20

17.44%

0.33

23 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

38.58

38.58

0.00%

50,925,600,000.00

-2.95

-13.09

0.44

3.89%

2.68

24 Flour Mills Nig. Plc

18.49

18.00

2.72%

48,522,145,587.63

-1.19

-15.50

0.12

10.82%

0.49

25 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

40.17

40.17

0.00%

38,318,564,700.00

4.82

8.33

5.83

0.25%

2.37

0.87

0.87

0.00%

33,687,267,759.75

-0.47

-1.87

0.64

0.00%

0.46

16.90

16.90

0.00%

32,462,608,140.30

3.37

5.01

0.43

5.92%

0.43

28 Fidelity Bank Plc

0.85

0.83

2.41%

24,618,197,838.20

0.39

2.20

0.16

18.82%

0.13

29 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

3.89

3.89

0.00%

22,880,451,718.55

0.76

5.10

0.63

3.60%

0.80

30 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

8.50

8.50

0.00%

22,520,226,213.00

0.85

10.01

1.20

6.47%

3.05

32.00

32.00

0.00%

22,400,000,000.00

2.28

14.01

3.36

3.59%

13.09

32 FCMB Group Plc

1.11

1.10

0.91%

21,981,008,966.91

0.61

1.81

0.13

9.01%

0.12

33 Wema Bank Plc

0.54

0.55

-1.82%

20,830,211,683.74

0.06

9.06

0.41

0.00%

0.44

34 Sterling Bank Plc

0.71

0.73

-2.74%

20,441,196,869.46

0.29

2.47

0.19

12.68%

0.25

35 Diamond Bank Plc

0.86

0.90

-4.44%

19,917,934,512.48

-0.29

-2.93

0.09

0.00%

0.09

15.75

15.75

0.00%

18,835,054,686.00

-2.98

-5.28

0.67

1.90%

2.14

37 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

9.78

9.78

0.00%

18,368,815,951.20

0.50

19.59

0.65

13.29%

1.80

38 Mansard Insurance Plc

1.69

1.69

0.00%

17,745,000,000.00

0.28

6.07

0.89

2.96%

0.84

39 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

14.50

14.50

0.00%

14,500,000,000.00

5.69

2.55

1.01

0.69%

0.39

40 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

1.30

1.30

0.00%

10,309,256,955.40

-0.40

-3.22

0.21

12.31%

0.31

41 Continental Reinsurance Plc

0.96

0.99

-3.03%

9,957,834,539.52

0.42

2.29

0.45

12.50%

0.53

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

0.51

0.52

-1.92%

6,825,196,508.52

0.18

2.83

0.87

5.88%

0.41

44 Unity Bank Plc

0.58

0.57

1.75%

6,779,816,006.36

-0.10

-5.66

0.10

0.00%

0.08

45 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

4.55

4.75

-4.21%

5,717,883,835.30

0.22

20.78

0.51

2.20%

0.53

46 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

47 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

3.16

3.16

0.00%

5,132,531,250.00

0.15

20.91

0.64

6.33%

0.86

48 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

2.75

2.75

0.00%

4,726,562,486.25

0.30

9.19

1.12

25.45%

0.13

49 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.61

0.60

1.67%

4,227,424,732.80

0.22

2.74

0.15

8.20%

0.41

50 Fidson Healthcare Plc

1.33

1.33

0.00%

1,995,000,000.00

0.24

5.65

0.30

3.76%

0.31

04 Nestle Nigeria Plc 05 Zenith Bank Plc 06 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd 07 Lafarge Africa Plc

16 Forte Oil Plc.

22 Oando Plc

26 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc 27 U A C N Plc

31 Cap Plc

36 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

TOTAL

8,551,984,039,446.02

TOTAL MARKET CAP

9,158,242,792,415.32

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

93.38%

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

Open 3-Jan-17

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion)

26,616.89 9.16

26,495.04 9.12

-0.46% -0.46%

110.36 8.59

109.83 8.55

-0.47% -0.47%

Close 4-Jan-17

Change %

Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Close 4-Jan-17

Change %

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

Open 3-Jan-17

Flour Mills Nig. Plc Fidelity Bank Plc Unity Bank Plc AIICO Insurance Plc United Bank for Africa Plc

18.00 0.83 0.57 0.60 4.45

18.49 0.85 0.58 0.61 4.51

2.72% 2.41% 1.75% 1.67% 1.35%

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

Open 3-Jan-17

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc Diamond Bank Plc Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc Oando Plc Continental Reinsurance Plc

24.00 0.90 4.75 4.47 0.99

Close 4-Jan-17

Change %

22.90 0.86 4.55 4.30 0.96

-4.58% -4.44% -4.21% -3.80% -3.03%

Market closes negative as Index loses 0.46% consecutively Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Wednesday, January 4th, 2017, ended on a bearish note compared to the previous closing as market closed red. This was further highlighted by negative performance from the NSE Subsectors: Consumer Goods and Banking (Save Insurance and Oil & Gas). Trading activities decreased in volume as 602m shares worth of N1.20 billion in 2,150 deals exchanged hands today.

This is a decrease from the 3.37 billion shares worth of N3.76 in 2,033 deals which exchanged hands on Tuesday. Topping in volume terms are: Omoluabi Savings And Loans Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and United Capital Plc, while Nigerian Breweries Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed negative with 0.46% (-121.85) increase to close at 26,495.04 from 26,616.89 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization appreciated in tandem to N9.12 trillion from N9.16 trillion of prior trading day. Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with a decrease of 0.47% to close at 109.83 from 110.36 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at N8.55 trillion from N8.59 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 14 stocks gained on the bourse today while 17 stocks declined, leaving 68 stocks unchanged. Flour Mills Nig. Plc emerged as the day’s toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 2.72% to close at N18.49 per share. It was followed by Fidelity Bank Plc with a gain of 2.41% to close at N0.85 per share. Others on the gainers list include: Unity Bank Plc, AIICO Insurance Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc; while on the decliners’ list, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc emerge with a loss of 4.58% to close at N22.90 per share. It was followed by Diamond Bank Plc with a loss of 4.44% to close at N0.86 per share. Others on the decliners list include: CCNN Plc, Oando Plc and Continental Reinsurance 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, JANUARY 5, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Vitafoam Recommends N125m Dividend for Shareholders Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie The Board of Directors of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc has recommended a dividend of N125 million for the shareholders for the year ended September 30, 2016. The dividend translates to 12 kobo per share. The recommendation of the dividend was contained in a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), made available yesterday.

Although full details of the audited results for the period were not made available, the dividend is in line with the recent assurance by the company, which said that despite the economic recession, shareholders would receive dividend.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vitafoam, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi last week

T H E MAIN BOARD

DEALS

MARKET PRICE

explained that 2016 was a very tough period, saying the most difficult problem was how to make realistic business decision in the face of continuous uncertainty in view of insecurity, exchange rate, interest rate, devaluation of the Naira and insecurity of lives and property.

He, however, expressed optimism that his company’s board and management had

N I G E R I A N QUANTITY TRADED

STO C K

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Daily Summary as of 22/02/2016 Printed 22/02/2016 14:36:10.010

Daily Summary (Bonds) No Debt Trading Activity Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. TIGER BRANDED CONSUMER GOODS PLC Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UNITED CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC

learnt how to operate profitably under recession assured the shareholders of dividend.

“Our shareholders are our pride. We have an obligation to work very hard to ensure that they are rewarded. We have consistently paid dividend. We shall pay dividend for 2016 despite the recession. We have always sustained our culture of shareholder value and we shall continue to appreciate our

6 6 12

30.00 34.00

12,629 11,640 24,269

374,530.15 421,345.20 795,875.35

19 19 31

1.25

1,078,511 1,078,511 1,102,780

1,358,964.30 1,358,964.30 2,154,839.65

5 68 13 86 86

0.77 1.13 20.47

33,500 6,740,423 65,995 6,839,918 6,839,918

25,070.00 7,635,453.96 1,344,425.15 9,004,949.11 9,004,949.11

13 13

41.50

31,970 31,970

1,409,214.78 1,409,214.78

5 5 18

5.20

28,901 28,901 60,871

154,716.48 154,716.48 1,563,931.26

6 24 7 98 135

2.85 118.85 20.00 99.00

190,900 53,000 15,200 429,541 688,641

528,079.00 6,201,924.95 293,757.00 42,728,789.84 49,752,550.79

9 9

168.50

166,476 166,476

28,285,937.95 28,285,937.95

54 38 6 12 1 29 140

5.61 19.00 1.37 6.86 6.65 1.27

2,120,306 314,421 40,000 119,863 433 3,285,739,119 3,288,334,142

11,610,520.13 5,953,792.96 55,716.00 842,442.48 2,736.56 4,074,348,894.07 4,092,814,102.20

11 54 65

17.86 700.00

18,825 98,360 117,185

329,518.50 68,567,962.00 68,897,480.50

11 11

4.46

99,050 99,050

420,455.00 420,455.00

13 21 34 394

21.90 28.00

36,887 133,117 170,004 3,289,575,498

820,034.75 3,737,067.92 4,557,102.67 4,244,727,629.11

82 51 21 25 200 41 16 147 11 15 67 676

4.10 1.49 15.60 1.21 16.70 1.07 1.76 2.95 5.30 0.63 0.98

3,962,506 2,163,396 278,470 790,900 4,847,312 1,969,858 1,204,932 8,586,418 39,752 501,617 5,920,564 30,265,725

16,210,255.82 3,314,106.88 4,136,459.40 958,864.34 80,963,793.44 2,115,552.11 2,087,767.85 25,302,954.71 205,645.40 316,018.71 5,813,502.17 141,424,920.83

14 8 2 3 7 10 1 1 46

0.80 0.90 0.50 0.50 2.06 0.76 0.50 0.50

200,107 276,500 5,004,000 1,000,000 351,540 327,285 37,708,135 10 44,867,577

160,838.67 251,350.00 2,502,000.00 500,000.00 720,728.80 245,325.31 18,854,067.50 5.00 23,234,315.28

1 1

1.08

4,760 4,760

4,950.40 4,950.40

31 7 105 7 20 170 893

2.46 4.00 0.85 14.15 1.31

1,149,464 27,041 31,257,120 38,035 708,255 33,179,915 108,317,977

2,830,722.84 104,002.06 26,613,309.20 537,985.34 931,556.31 31,017,575.75 195,681,762.26

27

2.69

614,065

1,572,223.05

shareholders’ advice on how to move the company forward.

It has been difficult to plan under recession. But we have mastered the terrain. We can now do better planning. Our strategic focus is now to plan by the day. We plan as they come. At least we can now forecast some variables. This is helping us,” Adeniyi said.

Speaking on the manufacturing sector, Vitafoam boss

noted that companies that import most of their raw materials had challenges with the exchange and availability of Dollars due to improper alignment of fiscal and monetary policies.

According to him, the federal government’s policy of preferential allocation of Dollars to genuine manufacturers did not achieve desired result because it is cashed backed.

E XC H A N G E

MAIN BOARD GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals HEALTHCARE Totals ICT IT Services TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals ICT Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC Printing/Publishing Totals Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals SERVICES Totals EQTY Board Totals Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals CONSUMER GOODS Totals ASeM Board Totals Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Other Financial Institutions FBN HOLDINGS PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Building Materials Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals PREMIUM Board Totals Equity Activity Totals

DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

32 4 6 69 69

25.33 0.94 0.69

551,998 16,020 597,000 1,779,083 1,779,083

13,903,164.18 15,299.40 412,110.00 15,902,796.63 15,902,796.63

1 1 1

1.69

500 500 500

805.00 805.00 805.00

16 9 4 6 10 31 76

24.00 9.30 35.78 8.62 3.36 80.50

110,727 40,229 26,700 142,300 299,900 14,373,223 14,993,079

2,707,053.97 362,501.29 992,680.00 1,227,076.00 966,480.00 1,157,057,077.16 1,163,312,868.42

6 6

1.51

134,500 134,500

204,240.00 204,240.00

5 5 87

50.00

24,529 24,529 15,152,108

1,165,135.50 1,165,135.50 1,164,682,243.92

2 2

0.50

24,262 24,262

12,131.00 12,131.00

90 90

3.47

3,827,573 3,827,573

13,288,632.05 13,288,632.05

21 7 8 21 7 64

18.34 1.84 342.00 150.00 145.00

81,125 100,300 20,300 16,295 13,699 231,719

1,505,034.50 182,832.00 6,595,470.00 2,396,080.60 1,959,692.96 12,639,110.06

33 33 189

318.00

389,934 389,934 4,473,488

124,037,602.56 124,037,602.56 149,977,475.67

1 1

0.50

941 941

470.50 470.50

5 5

3.80

32,870 32,870

127,756.40 127,756.40

13 13

0.89

624,500 624,500

538,430.00 538,430.00

1 22 23

2.29 4.00

4,588 251,094 255,682

10,001.84 1,001,583.80 1,011,585.64

1 1 43 1,811

1.68

10,000 10,000 923,993 3,428,226,216

16,000.00 16,000.00 1,694,242.54 5,785,390,675.15

2 2 2 2

1.21

270,464 270,464 270,464 270,464

327,261.44 327,261.44 327,261.44 327,261.44

306 306

11.45

13,929,679 13,929,679

159,605,439.23 159,605,439.23

278 278 584

3.74

10,438,552 10,438,552 24,368,231

39,515,087.18 39,515,087.18 199,120,526.41

35 35 35 619 2,432

139.83

38,770 38,770 38,770 24,407,001 3,452,903,681

5,304,666.00 5,304,666.00 5,304,666.00 204,425,192.41 5,990,143,129.00

2 2 2 2 2 10 10 10

2,330.00 2.33 6.02 11.09 18.07

3,000 20 20 20 15 3,075 3,075 3,075

6,986,000.00 46.70 120.20 221.80 270.65 6,986,659.35 6,986,659.35 6,986,659.35

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA BANKING ETF VETIVA CONSUMER GOODS ETF VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF VETIVA INDUSTRIAL ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals ETF Board Totals ETP Activity Totals

45

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Access Bank Boss Explains Successful N35 Billion Commercial Paper Goddy Egene Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Mr. Wigwe has said the high level of confidence investors reposed on the bank led to the successfully raising of N35 billion commercial paper(CP) from the money market. The bank raised N35 billion through Access Bank Plc N8.45 billion Series 1, N4.22 billion Series 2 and N22.33 billion Series 3 Commercial Paper (CP) Notes under

its N100.00 billion CP Programme.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the listing of the CP on the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange yesterday in Lagos, Wigwe said: “Access Bank was able to raise N35 billion from the money market, the largest listed commercial paper issuance ever in Nigeria despite the current economic headwinds and prevailing tight liquidity situation in the country. This indicates the high level of investor confidence in Access

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

Bank. This issue will allow us create a liquidity buffer as we align our liquidity management to international best practice based on our internal Liquidity Adequacy Assessment Process (ILAAP).This is particularly important given the prevailing macro environment and its impact on industry liquidity.”

Welcoming the guests, Vice President & Divisional Head, Marketing & Business Development of FMDQ, Ms. Tumi Sekoni, congratulated Access

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 4-Jan-2017, unless otherwise stated.

Bank Plc on successfully raising of N35.00 billion from the market at relatively competitive rates.

She also lauded the contribution the bank was making to the development of the Nigerian markets, highlighting that the positive impact a quotation of this sort would have on the market was not to be underestimated.

Following the signing of the FMDQ CP Quotations Register and the presentation of the FMDQ CP Quotations Certificate to the

issuer, Mr. Abubakar Jimoh of Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, said: “There is strong investors’ perception towards corporates with strong fundamentals and a good track record like Access Bank. This issue further demonstrates Access Bank’s commitment to continuously explore innovative financing options and consistently drive value growth for its stakeholders.”

Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Ayo Fashina of

Chapel Hill Denham, said: “This largest ever CP Issuance in Nigeria’s money markets, provides further credence to Access Bank’s long-standing reputation as a topgrade issuer. We remain grateful to the domestic institutional investors – especially the Nigerian pension fund administrators – for their overwhelming support, and to the FMDQ-OTC management and team, who have worked with us to ensure a timely completion and quotation of this CP issuance.”

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 126.02 Nigeria International Debt Fund 213.89 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 0.69 AIICO CAPITAL LTD Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price AIICO Money Market Fund ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name ARM Aggressive Growth Fund ARM Discovery Fund ARM Ethical Fund ARM Money Market Fund AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund AXA Mansard Money Market Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Nigeria Global Investment Fund Paramount Equity Fund Women's Investment Fund FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name FBN Fixed Income Fund FBN Heritage Fund FBN Money Market Fund FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Equity Fund Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund

100.00

aaml@afrinvest.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 127.13 -0.59% 215.40 0.47% info@acapng.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.70 -1.25% ammf@aiicocapital.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

100.00

17.31%

enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Bid Price 12.51 290.95 22.57

Offer Price 12.88 299.72 23.25

Yield / T-Rtn 2.63% 4.10% 2.35%

1.00

1.00

17.06%

investmentcare@axamansard.com Bid Price 105.58

Offer Price 106.32

Yield / T-Rtn 5.95%

1.00 1.00 15.30% investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 2.14 9.19

Offer Price 2.20 9.43

Yield / T-Rtn 0.93% 0.65%

83.57

85.71

1.14%

invest@fbnquest.com Bid Price 1,089.72 110.91 100.00 $104.49 $103.78 110.91

Offer Price 1,090.93 112.35 100.00 $104.74 $103.80

Yield / T-Rtn -0.06% -0.29% 15.06% 0.22% 0.11%

111.68

-1.86%

fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Bid Price 0.92 2.58

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.94 -1.06% 2.58 0.44% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 2,189.46

Offer Price 2,214.18

Coral Income Fund 2,108.26 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 -0.35%

2,108.26 1.13% enquiries@investment-one.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund

1.00

1.00

15.90%

Vantage Balanced Fund

1.67

1.69

-0.65%

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 1.00 1.02 0.21% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,011.24 1,011.24 0.13% 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 9.60 9.68 -0.68% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.98% 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 1.05 1.07 6.65% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.37 10.54 0.28% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.09% 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 109.19 109.96 7.18% 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 1.25 1.25 0.14% 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 1,838.75 1,848.95 0.41% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 154.29 154.29 0.21% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.77 0.78 0.65% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 187.52 187.52 0.34% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 131.21 132.95 1.08% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.32% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,545.65 7,643.80 -0.43% 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 1.12 1.13 7.13% United Capital Bond Fund 1.23 1.23 17.13% United Capital Equity Fund 0.67 0.69 1.89% 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 9.85 10.03 3.19% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.13 11.24 -2.78% Zenith Income Fund 17.16 17.16 6.96%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.58 123.25

1.01% 0.00%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.76 75.15

8.86 76.52

-0.23% -0.86%

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

2.66 6.94 12.16 15.82 129.88

2.70 7.02 12.26 16.02 131.88

-3.21% -1.27% 1.31% -0.81% -

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

FRIDAY JANUARY 6, 2017 • T H I S D AY

WORLD OF ISLAM INTERNATIONAL Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

The Amazing Quran – 1 Queen Elizabeth Gary Miller/IslamiCity

One thing which surprises non-Muslims who are examining the book very closely is that the Quran does not appear to them to be what they expected.

What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the book should look something like that – an old book from the desert. And then they find out that it does not resemble what they expected at all. Additionally, one of the first things that some people assume is that because it is an old book which comes from the desert, it should talk about the desert.

Well the Quran does talk about the desert – some of its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks about the sea – what it’s like to be in a storm on the sea.

Merchant Marine

Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man who was in the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him a translation of the Quran to read. The merchant marine knew nothing about the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Quran. When he finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, “This Muhammad, was he a sailor?” He was impressed at how accurately the Quran describes a storm on a sea. When he was told, “No as a matter of fact, Muhammad lived in the desert,” that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on the spot.

He was so impressed with the Quran’s description because he had been in a storm on the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that description had also been in a storm on the sea. The description of “…a wave, over it a wave, over it clouds” (Surah Nur, 24:40) …was not what someone imagining a storm on a sea to be like would have written; rather, it was written by someone who knew what a storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Quran is not tied to certain place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem to originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.

The Smallest Thing

Many centuries before the onset of Muhammad’s prophethood, there was a well-known theory of atomism advanced by the Greek philosopher, Democritus. He and the people who came after him assumed that matter consists of tiny, indestructible, indivisible particles called atoms. The Arabs too, used to deal in the same concept; in fact, the Arabic word dharrah commonly referred to the smallest particle known to man. Now, modern science has discovered that this smallest unit of matter (i.e., the atom, which has all of the same properties as its element) can be split into its component parts. This is a new idea, a development of the last century; yet; interestingly enough, this information had already been documented in the Quran (Surah Saba’, 34:3) which states: The Unbelievers say, “Never to us will come the Hour”: Say, “Nay! but most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you;- by Him Who knows the unseen,- from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth: Nor is there anything less than that, or greater, but is in the Record Perspicuous.

Undoubtedly, fourteen centuries ago that statement would have looked unusual, even to an Arab. For him, the dharrah was the smallest thing there was. Indeed, this is proof, that the Quran is not outdated.

Honey

Another example of what one might expect to find in an “old book” that touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies or cures.

Various historical sources state that the Prophet (sas) gave some advice about health and hygiene, yet most of these pieces of advice are not contained in the Quran.

At first glance, to the non-Muslims this appears to be a negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allah would not “include” such helpful information in the Quran. Some Muslims attempt to explain this absence with the following argument: “Although the Prophet’s advice was sound and applicable to the time in which he lived, Allah, in His infinite wisdom, knew that there would come later medical and scientific advances which would make the Prophet’s advice appear outdated. When later discoveries occurred, people might say that such information contradicted that which the Prophet (sas) had given. Thus, since Allah would never allow any opportunity for the non-Muslims to claim that the Quran contradicts itself or the teachings of the Prophet (sas), He only included in the Quran information and examples which could stand the test of time.” However, when one examines the true realities of the Quran in terms of its existence as a divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly brought into its proper perspective, and the error

in such argumentation becomes clear and understandable.

It must be understood that the Quran is a divine revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine origin. Allah revealed the Quran from Himself. It is the words of Allah, which existed before creation, and thus nothing can be added, subtracted or altered. In essence, the Quran existed and was complete before the creation of Prophet Muhammad (sas), so it could not possibly contain any of the Prophet’s own words or advice. An inclusion of such information would clearly contradict the purpose for which the Quran exists, compromise its authority and render it inauthentic as a divine revelation.

Consequently, there was no “home remedies” in the Quran which one could claim to be outdated; nor does it contain any man’s view about what is beneficial to health, what food is best to eat, or what will cure this or that disease. In fact, the Quran only mentions one item dealing with medical treatment, and it is not in dispute by anyone. It states that in honey there is healing. And certainly, I do not think that there is anyone who will argue with that!

Prophet Muhammad (sas) and the Quran

If one assumes that the Quran is the product of a man’s mind, then one would expect it to reflect some of what was going on in the mind of the man who “composed” it. In fact, certain encyclopedias and various books claim that the Quran was the product of hallucinations that Muhammad underwent. If these claims are true – if it indeed originated from some psychological problems in Muhammad’s mind – then evidence of this would be apparent in the Quran. Is there such evidence? In order to determine whether or not there is, one must first identify what things would have been going on in his mind at that time and then search for these thoughts and reflections in the Quran.

It is common knowledge that Muhammad (sas) had a very difficult life. All of his daughters died before him except one, and he had a wife of several years who was very dear and important to him, who not only proceeded him in death but died at a very critical period of his life. As a matter of fact, she must have been quite a woman because when the first revelation came to him, he ran home to her, afraid. Certainly, even today one would have a hard time trying to find an Arab who would tell you, “I was so afraid that I ran home to my wife.” They just aren’t that way. Yet Muhammad (sas) felt comfortable enough with his wife to be able to do that. That’s how influential and strong woman she was.

Although these examples are only a few of the subjects that would have been on Muhammad’s mind, they are sufficient in intensity to prove my point.

The Quran does not mention any of these things – not the death of his children, not the death of his beloved companion and wife, not his fear of the initial revelations, which he so beautifully shared with his wife – nothing; yet these topics must have hurt him, bothered him, and caused him pain and grief during periods of his life.

Indeed, if the Quran was a product of his psychological reflections, then these subjects, as well as others, would be prevalent or at least mentioned throughout.

Scientific Approach to the Quran

A truly scientific approach to the Quran is possible because the Quran offers something that is not offered by other religious scriptures, in particular, and other religions, in general. It is what scientists demand. Today there are many people who have ideas and theories about how the universe works. These people are all over the place, but the scientific community does not even bother to listen to them. This is because within the last century the scientific community has demanded a test of falsification. They say, “If you have theory, do not bother us with it unless you bring with that theory a way for us to prove whether you are wrong or not.”

Such a test was exactly why the scientific community listened to Einstein towards the beginning of the century.

He came with a new theory and said, “I believe the universe works like this; and here are three ways to prove whether I am wrong!” So the scientific community subjected his theory to the tests, and within six years it passed all three. Of course, this does not prove that he was great, but it proves that he deserved to be listened to because he said, “This is my idea; and if you want to try to prove me wrong, do this or try that.”

This is exactly what the Quran has – falsification tests.

Some are old (in that they have already been proven true), and some still exist today. Basically it states, “If this book is not what it claims to be, then all you have to do is this or this or this to prove that it is false.”

Of course, in 1400 years no one has been able to do “This or this or this,” and thus it is still considered true and authentic.

To Be Continued

Almost Shot by Guard The Queen was almost shot by one of her own guards while she took a late-night stroll through palace grounds, it has been reported.

The guard is said to have shouted into the darkness when he spotted a figure walking around Buckingham Palace at 3am, believing it might be an intruder.

But the shadowy suspect was in fact Her Majesty, who had stepped out for some fresh air because she couldn’t sleep, The Times reported.

The guard confessed to Her Majesty he had nearly fired his weapon, to which she quipped: ‘Next time I’ll ring through beforehand so you don’t have to shoot me.’

Yesterday the Queen performed her first royal engagement since falling

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as OWOLABI ADENIKE, now wish to be known and addressed as OWOLABI RAMOTA GBEMISOLA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS FAKORE OLUWASEYI LABAKE ESTHER, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS FATOBA OLUWASEYI LABAKE ESTHER. All former documents remain valid.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKERE EKITI, EKITI STATE and the general public should please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as MR KASALI KEHINDE, now wish to be known and addressed as MR KASALI YOMI TAIWO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as FOLASADE OLUWATOYIN AKINOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as FOLASADE OMOLARA AYOOLA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MRS. HELEN OSEGBEOJEME IRETEH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. HELEN OSEGBEOJEME OSAYANDEIRETEH. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AJAGBE ABIKE MUIBAT, now wish to be known and addressed as AJAGBE OLAOLU MUIBAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

ill with the heavy cold that forced her to miss church services over the festive season.

The Queen presented a trusted member of staff with an honour as she continues to recuperate at Sandringham.

The monarch invested Ray Wheaton, the Queen’s Page of the Chambers, with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, according to the court circular.

The LVO, which is the Queen’s personal gift and is bestowed independently of 10 Downing Street, recognises service to the Royal Family and household.

The monarch, who missed church on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, is said to be

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SHUAIB RAFIAT BOLAKALE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADEBIMPE RAFIAT BOLAKALE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as ISIBOR DAWN EFEWENGBE now wish to be known and addressed as IGBOKWE DAWN EFEWENGBE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AMODU SIMIAT OLABIMPE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AKINYELURE SIMIAT OLABIMPE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IRETIOLUWA ADURAGBEMI ODUKOYA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS IreTIoluwa aduraGBemI oBaOKOJIE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

up and about and dealing with her red boxes of official papers.

Yesterday the Queen also sent a message of condolence to the President of Turkey, following the attack in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day that killed 39 people.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh both fell ill with colds in the run-up to Christmas, forcing them to delay their trip to the Norfolk estate by a day.

While Philip went to the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church, the Queen stayed indoors. A week later, she also missed the New Year’s Day service.

CHANGE OF NAME

This is to notify the public that my name was wrongly written as TANJA ZAINAB instead of TANJA JAINABA. Henceforth my correct names remains TANJA JAINABA. All documents remain valid, Nigeria Immigration Service, GTBank and the general public should please take note

I, formerly known and addressed as YINKA DEBO now wish to be known and addressed as MRS YINKA I.F ONITIRI. All former documents remain valid. GTB and the general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ZAINAB KIKELOMO KESINGTON now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ZAINAB KIKELOMO KESINGTONLAWAL. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AMODU SIMIAT OLABIMPE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AKINYELURE SIMIAT OLABIMPE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWANKWO MIRIAM NEBECHI now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKPALA NEBECHI MIRIAM. All former documents remain valid. the general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as CARLISTUS ONOCHIE NWANKWO now wish to be known and addressed as EMMANUEL ONOCHIE ONUZULIKE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as CLEMENT TAIWO now wish to be known and addressed as CLEMENT ADEOLUWA TAIWO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as EJIOWHOR PROGRESS CHIMOBU, now wish to be known and addressed as HARRY- EJIOWHOR PROGRESS. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MRS LATIFAT AGHARESE BELO-OSAGIE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS LATIFAT AGHARESE OKARA. All former documents remain valid. the general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as JOHN CHIGOZIE now wish to be known and addressed as OBINNA CHIGOZIE RAPHAEL. All former documents remain valid. the general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OLAIDE AGBENIGA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLAIDE AGBAJE. All former documents remain valid.

University of Pretoria and the and the general public should please, take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AGBENOTO LAME SERAPHINE now wish to be known and addressed as AGBENOTO KOMI MAWUSI. All former documents remain valid. UBA and the general public should please, take note.

47

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

OPEC Oil Output Fell in December Amid Nigeria Disruptions Oganisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) crude production fell by 310,000 barrels a day in December, as unplanned disruptions in Nigeria reduced the group’s supply before deliberate cuts take effect this month.

Nigeria’s daily output dropped by 200,000 barrels to 1.45 million in December, ending three months of gains as the African nation struggled to restore capacity after a year of militant attacks on oil infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s production fell by 50,000 barrels a day while Venezuela declined

by 40,000.

“Crude oil production in Nigeria in December was once again severely impacted, mostly due to a field maintenance as well as a strike of port workers,” Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at London-based consultant Energy Aspects Limited, said by e-mail.

The decline in December comes as OPEC, which controls around 40 percent of global supply, is planning to curb output in a bid to boost oil prices. The organisation reached a historic deal last month with Russia and other non-members

to cut global production by almost 1.8 million barrels a day starting from this month.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, advanced 52 per cent last year, the biggest annual gain since 2009. Prices were down 0.3 per cent at $56.31 a barrel as of 6:39a.m. London.

Overall, the OPEC excluding Indonesia which suspended its membership on November 30 -- pumped 33.1 million barrels a day in December, according to a Bloomberg News survey of analysts, oil companies and ship-tracking data.

That compares with a November total of 33.41 million barrels a day for the 13 continuing members of the group, or 34.14 million including Indonesia’s daily output of 730,000 barrels.

Under the terms of last month’s agreement, OPEC’s total output, including Indonesia, would fall to 32.5 million barrels a day. Compliance with that target would be judged against independent estimates compiled

by OPEC, which can vary from the survey.

In Nigeria - which along

with Libya is exempted from making cuts because of conflict - maintenance on the Erha field and strike by workers at Exxon Mobil Corp.’s operations in the country disrupted both exports and production, Sen said.

A year ago, the country was pumping almost two million barrels a day.

No cargoes of the Agbami crude grade were shipped in first half of December, while three out of the four Erha cargoes originally scheduled to load were deferred, with

two of those moved into January, according to loading programmes obtained by Bloomberg.

Iran, Kuwait and Angola each reduced output by 20,000 barrels a day while Algeria and Iraq dropped by 10,000, the survey showed.

Libya pumped an extra 50,000 barrels a day last month as the Northern African nation reopened two of its biggest oil fields and loaded the first cargo in two years from its largest export terminal.

Nigeria’s Internet Users Fall to 92.4m The internet users in Nigeria’s telecommunications networks declined to 92,446,687 in November 2016, from 93,176,061 in October, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

The telecommunications industry regulator made the disclosure in its latest Monthly Internet Subscribers Data obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

The data indicated that internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks reduced by 759,683. Out of the 92.4 million internet users in November, only 30,309 users were on CDMA networks, the same number recorded in October. The rest were hooked to the GSM networks.

The data revealed that MTN

had 32,017,779 subscribers, a decrease of 447,000, compared with the 32,464,779 subscribers in October.

Globacom has 27,122,892 customers on its network in November, revealing a decrease of 62,660 users, from the 27,185,552 in October.

Unlike Glo and MTN, Airtel gained 311,462 customers to balloon to 19,143,700 internet users in November. The telecom firm’s October record was 18,832,238.

Etisalat lost more customers than other networks, recording 14,132,007 customers who browsed the internet in November.

The figure was 561,485 lower compared to the 14,693,492 users it had in October.

The NCC data revealed that of the CDMA operators, Visafone is king, commanding 30,305 users, the same as in October.

Multi-Links has just four internet users.

Two Journalists Arrested in Akwa Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo

Two journalists in Akwa Ibom State were yesterday arrested and detained by the police in the state for undisclosed reasons.

They are Publisher/Editor-inChief of a local tabloid in the state, The Ink Newspaper, Mr. Nsibiet John, and the Editor of the paper, Mr. Emmanuel Akpan.

At the time of filing in this report, there was no official explanation from the police authorities in the state in connection with the arrest, but sources said the arrest could be on the directive of the state government over alleged criminal defamation by the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has decried the arrest and detention of the two journalists by the state Police Command.

A statement issued yesterday by the leadership of the NUJ in the state and signed by the state Secretary, Amos Etuk, warned that the journalists should not be detained beyond 24 hours without official trial as provided by the law.

“Needless to remind the police to be guided by the fact that suspects cannot be detained beyond 24 hours and if they have

sufficient evidence, a formal trial should take its course immediately and bail granted accordingly.

“We have accordingly commenced investigations into the reasons of their arrest and wish to appeal to the state police command to give us the needed cooperation in this regard and also to have unmitigated access to them by the leadership of NUJ, their families and lawyers.

“In the light of this, we urge the police to respect the fundamental rights of the journalists and follow due diligence on the issues necessitating their arrest and detention,” the statement noted.

Also reacting, The League of Newspaper Publishers in the state has also condemned the arrest of its Secretary and Publisher of The Ink newspaper, John, by the police.

A statement by the League and signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ernest Akpan, noted that “the arrest purported to be on the orders of the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, is shocking, unacceptable and unfortunate, as there are other channels of communication and conflict resolution which have not been explored in addressing whatever perceived breach, if there is, from the Nsibiet John.”

MULUMBA LADIES

L-R: Ladies of Knights of St. Mulumba, Lekki Sub-Council, Lagos,Theresa Chiejina; Nnenne Ukairo; Ify Mgbemene and Florence Anyakwo, during the Christmas/end-of-the-year party organised by Knights and Ladies of St. Mulumba, Lekki Sub-Council in Lagos...recently

Ganduje Blasts Kwankwaso Loyalists over Kano Light Rail Project Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, yesterday lampooned those condemning the proposed light-rail project of his administration, describing them as enemies of the state bent on pulling down his government.

The governor who just returned from China where he struck a deal with the Chinese government on the light rail project, also constituted a 13man implementation committee on the light rail project headed by an industrialist, Alhaji Isyaku Umar Tofa, who is the District Head of Tofa Local Government Area.

Ganduje’s reaction is coming against the backdrop of a series of criticisms from a political group known as the Kwankwasiyya Movement loyal to the immediate-past state governor, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, describing the project as a misplaced priority that would not benefit the state.

Apparently referring to Kwankwaso’s surrogates, Ganduje said: “For those doubting Thomases, for those day-dreamers, for those distracters, for those liars, for those ignorant people, for those political vandals who are antidevelopment of Kano State, we

will like to inform them that this project is a project that will make Kano a mega-city.”

Speaking in Government House, Ganduje said his government would not succumb to any intimidation from any quarters bent on circumventing his good policies that would better the life of the good people of the state.

“We visited the headquarters, we inspected some of their projects in China and also we have seen that they are the contractors that are doing the light-rail project in Saudi Arabia and we have even entered the train which they built from Tianjin to the headquarters in China with a very high speed; but the one in Kano will not be on that high speed because we can not do high speed within the city.

“We can only do high speed from one city to another. Like Lagos to Kano. We held meetinge with three banks - Bank of China, China Development Bank and China Import and Export Bank. We held meetinge with these three banks; and right now, the three banks are competing in giving us proposals.

“We also held meetings with the China Sure, an outfit of the Chinese government which will coordinate the loan, and of course, the bank is expected

to give 85 per cent of the total cost which is $1.8 billion and the state government is to give 15 per cent. We are negotiating on the interest, but from the look of things, the interest will not be more than three per cent, unlike in Nigeria where the interest is not below 15 per cent.

“Also, the repayment period is up to 15 years; and when we calculated it, we concluded that from our increase in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), we will be able to pay the 15 per cent, and also the repayment period will start after the completion of the project, after the rolling stock is already on the ground, after the people and passengers will start enjoying and the revenue will start coming in—that is when the payment will begin and from the calculation of experts, the light-rail project will pay itself in the long run.

“And after payment, then the whole infrastructure will become a huge asset to the state government and government will continue to get revenue from the rail system; and only God knows when the revenue collection from the rail project will finish. By the grace of God, it will continue forever.

“From our investigation, in the Great Britain, London, light-rail was established and

constructed through a bank loan. The same thing in France, the same thing in Germany and the United States. Now, coming back home, in Lagos, light-rail construction is going through a bank loan, go to Port Harcourt, it is going on through a bank loan, even the federal government is constructing speed rail from Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna to Kano—the contract has been signed and it is from bank loan.

“Even the one from Abuja to Kaduna which has been completed is from loan. So, anybody who thinks light rail can be developed within a metropolitan city without bank loan, that person is ignorant of the modern day development.

So, I assure the people that we are bent on making Kano a mega-city because a mega-city is not only based on population.

“A mega-city is based on the services that are provided within the city and light rail is one of them. So, we are praying we shall succeed. What remains now is for the final articulation and for the final agreement between China and the state government, with the approval of the federal government. The federal government is going to be the guarantor of the loan, so, once these things are ironed out, the project will kick-start.”

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NEWSXTRA

Sheriff-led PDP Faction Slams Shettima over Call for Proscription of Party Shettima doesn’t reply impostors, says aide

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has condemned the statement credited to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State calling for the proscription of the PDP, describing it as ploy to foist one party system on the country.

In a statement issued yesterday by spokesman of the faction, Mr. Bernard Mikko, it said such a call in a country with an enviable antecedent of multi-party democracy was an aberration.

“The PDP remains the most formidable opposition political organisation in black Africa and any suggestion for its proscription is not only an apparent campaign for one party system, but also an apophasis for dictatorship in Nigeria.

“We therefore call on the organised private sector, the civil society and lovers of democracy all over the world to condemn Shettima’s suggestion as he might be flying a kite for the hawks in the ruling party to surreptitiously foist a one party system on Nigerians.

The governor’s ignorance for our constitutional democracy should not be taken for granted.

Mikko said the primary responsibility every government is to protect lives and property of citizens, provide housing, healthcare and basic education.

He said people have lambasted Shettima for failing to meet up these basic responsibility of government to the people of Borno.

“The governor rather than discharging his core mandate to the people of Borno, is more

interested in prebendal politics and mischief. Borno State in past two years has been raided over 50 times, while in July 2014 the governor himself admitted that over 176 school teachers have been killed and 900 schools destroyed, culminating into the kidnapping of over 250 Chibok school girls by terrorists under his watch leading into an international outcry.

“Nigerians will recall that only a few days ago, Shettima paid a solidarity visit to Plateau State over unwarranted destruction of lives and property by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State.

“Regrettably, this violence on innocent indigenes of Plateau State escalated as a result of the ineptitude and lackadaisical attitude of the governor and lack of capacity to discharge his basic constitutional mandate leading to insecurity in the contiguous North east zone by the deadly Boko Haram sect, now camouflaging as rampaging herdsmen.

“While the governor was on tour to some peace loving states, two of his close associates (the local government Chairman of Mafa Local government Council and Deputy Chairman of Dama Local Government) being held by security agents for harbouring a notorious Boko Haram kingpin and fugitive of the Nigerian government. Curious Nigerians are worried that the ambush and killing of top military officers in the theatre of military operation in Borno State may have been facilitated by some strategic insiders working as double agents.

“PDP therefore calls Nigerians to remain vigilant as we enter another phase of struggle against

hypocrites who have turned constitutional immunity into impunity, brigandage and license to irresponsibility, particularly in Borno State, an ancient empire with richly endowed and distinguished political personages.”

In his reaction, Shettima said he does not respond to impostors.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, the governor said his remarks were taken out of context as he neither wished an end of the PDP nor does he support a one party state that is unhelpful to any meaningful democracy.

“The issue is about PDP and to the best knowledge of everyone, former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, is the one that is recognised by genuine majority of the key leaders and members of the PDP. He is the one that followers seek unlike an imposter that is forcing himself on very unwilling followers.

“In Borno State, like it is in most parts of the country, no one regards Sheriff as National Chairman of the PDP and this is why Shettima will not respond to him. If the statement had come from Makarfi, Shettima would have considered the need to speak or otherwise.

“Sheriff hurriedly issued a statement mainly to lay claims to being leader of PDP, so as to seek relevance whereas, deep down he knows, he is an imposter that is without followers. If he raises any other matter, he might get response but certainly not on PDP. We know who the PDP chairman is.

“Shettima is educated enough to know that the Nigerian constitution does not have room for a political party that has on its platform, sitting governors, senators and members of House of Representatives to be abolished by any individual or institution.

“In the last five years, key leaders of the PDP in Borno State can attest to the fact that

from 2003 to date, Shettima has been the most tolerant of the opposition in Borno State.

He respects and openly relates with the opposition as everyone can attest. He also knows and respects the fact he has network of friends in the PDP with whom he shares brotherly ties.

“As someone chosen by his humble colleagues to chair the Northern Governors’ Forum, Shettima recognises and respects the fact that there are governors in some of the 19 northern states who are of the PDP and he has excellent relationship with them.

“He could never have meant that the PDP should be proscribed. The governor’s remarks in Benue was in the context of security challenges the country has been bedevilled.

Naturally, thoughts of the Boko Haram insurgency that has led to the deaths of 100,000 citizens and destructions of government and private property worth six billion dollars in Borno alone came to his mind.

“Revelations about alleged

diversion of funds meant for procurement of arms to prosecute the Boko Haram crisis would hardly stay off the mind of any governor that has suffered as much as Shettima has within the last five years.

“Added to this was the fact that throughout the last five years, Borno received a paltry sum of N200million from the previous administration despite its huge expenditures that include massive support for the armed forces deployed to the state.

“It is only expected that a party, under whose occupation, these happened, would not escape being mentioned by governor of a state that is victim of improper handling of the situation.

“The governor assures those with genuine concerns that he fully supports multi party democracy as he has demonstrated in Borno State within the last five years as governor,” Gusau said.

FG EXPLAINS CHOICE OF KADUNA DURING PLANNED CLOSURED OF ABUJA AIRPORT coming to Abuja during the closure.

The representative of International Airlines’ Committee, Mr. Osho Joseph, while expressing the same fears, said Kaduna should be used for local flights but not for international flights.

He said: “On behalf of the international operators, I want to say that we have our concern based on security issues and for us we believe that Kaduna airport might be an alternative for local operators but definitely not for international airline operators and also we are concerned about the availability of aviation fuel.”

Speaking on behalf of the British High Commission and the other foreign missions, Ms. Maria Careayo, said the British mission in Nigeria had no intention of leaving the country because of the closure of the Abuja airport.

She, however, urged the government to put in place security measures that will guarantee the safety

of passengers commuting between Abuja and Kaduna.

In his remark, the Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Investment Agency, Mr. Gambo Hamzat, said the state government had taken the necessary measures to facilitate the movement of passengers between Kaduna and Abuja during the six weeks.

Hamzat said: “We see this as a prime project for Nigeria and we have taken all the steps that the minister listed out and we have done a risk matrix to ensure that all the issues on security are addressed.

“Today, if you going to Kaduna at every 11 kilometers, there are 20 policemen. Also, at the airport we are doing all that we can to assist FAAN in the project and for aviators and all stakeholders with hotels.

“This project is worth supporting, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway is being fixed and we shall deliver by January ending what is expected of Kaduna State.”

GET DOWN TO WORK

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Adeshina Odeyemi; Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Olabisi Ariyo; Members, Mrs. Arinola Odulana; Mr. Adeleke Kara; and Mr. Jacob Ashaka, after the inauguration of the Technical Committee on Schools’ Rehabilitation in Alausa, Ikeja....yesterday KOLA OLASUPO

Low Oil Prices Make Inland Basins Oil Exploration Cost Effective, Says Baru Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has said the current low prices of crude oil in the global market has made prospecting for crude oil in Nigeria’s inland basins quite cheap.

According to a statement from the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of the NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu yesterday in Abuja, Baru said this when he played host to the management of Media Trust Limited.

He also said the NNPC had developed plans to establish a security advisory council which would bring a lasting solution to the perennial problem of pipeline

vandalism and sundry security challenges bedeviling the country’s oil and gas industry.

He explained that the NNPC was taking advantage of the low oil prices to commence exploratory activities in the Gongola Basin, to grow Nigeria’s oil and gas reserves.

Baru said there was need to evolve new measures to bring an end to pipeline vandalism which is a major threat to the nation’s economy.

According to him, the security advisory council would involve critical stakeholders which include security agencies, Niger Delta leaders, and International Oil Companies (IOCs) to address all security and host community agitations.

“We want to passionately

appeal to those behind indiscriminate acts of infrastructure vandalism to put an end forthwith to these despicable acts which are a great threat to the economy, the eco-system and energy security of the country,” Baru stated in the statement.

He further explained that since coming on board, he has ensured that the NNPC was run as a FACTIbased corporation (Focused, Accountable, Competitive and a Transparent organisation conducting its business with Integrity.)

He noted that the corporation’s monthly operational and financial reports were always in the public sphere for all to see, adding that it was this

new wave of openness and transparency that has earned the NNPC rave reviews and accolades among Nigerians.

“With the consistent release of our monthly financial and operational reports, the Nigerian Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) recently commended us for embracing openness, subjecting our activities to greater public scrutiny and providing real-time information about the state of the nation’s oil and gas sector,” he noted.

The GMD said through the 12-Business Focus Areas he initiated, the corporation had kick-started the implementation of policies to place it on the path of growth and profitability.

49

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Okowa’s Christmas Largesse Tears Delta APC Apart State secretary suspended, probe panel inaugurated

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba The crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken another turn with the alleged suspension of the state party Secretary, Mr. Chidi Okonji, for allegedly being involved in anti-party activities.

According to state APC chairman, Jones Ode Erue, who announced Okonji’s suspension in Asaba, a fivemember disciplinary committee has subsequently been set up to investigate the alleged wrongdoing of the secretary.

THISDAY however, learnt that the fresh crisis in the state APC arose from disagreement among executive members of party over the formula to share the sum of N600,000 grant said to have been meant as Christmas largesse from to the party by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state government of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Nonetheless, Erue claimed that the secretary had collected the said Christmas largesse from the PDP-led government on behalf of the state APC but allegedly kept the money for

Naira Depreciation Rubbishes N304bn Health Budget for 2017 Due to continuous depreciation of the naira, stakeholders in the health sector have raised the alarm over inadequate budgetary provision of a total sum of N304billion for the Federal Ministry of Health in the 2017 national budget.

The stakeholders under the platform of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFAH), disclosed that the proposed health budget is cumulatively lower than that of 2016 due to foreign exchange challenges in the value of naira to dollar.

In a statement on the state of the health budget in 2017 issued by the PACFAH, the stakeholders noted that the proposed 2017 health budget is an improvement from past trends on the face value, especially the capital expenditure bit.

The statement read: “The total sum of N304billion has been proposed for the Federal Ministry of Health, amounting to 83 per cent for recurrent expenditures (salaries and overheads) and 17 per cent for capital expenditure (health infrastructures and services).

“This 2017 proposed Ministry of Health budget is 4.17 per cent of the national budget, a poor improvement on the 2016 budget of 4.13 per cent. With about 80 per cent improvement in terms of capital expenditure of the 2017 proposed budget compared to that of 2016, the reality is that this proposed health budget is cumulatively lower than that of 2016 due to the skyrocketed foreign exchange rate of the naira to dollar.

“In 2016, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) pegged the exchange rate at N197/1dollar. Midyear of 2016 and for the 2017 proposed budget, the exchange rate is at N305/1dollar. As a result, while 2016 health budget was $1.269million, the proposed 2017 health budget is less by 21per cent at $0.997million.

This is important because

most of our health services are reliant on importation.

“By extension, the National Health Act was signed into law in 2014, unfortunately the proposed 2017 budget does not make provision for it.

If it did, the sum of N46bn would have been added and dedicated to health projects and services and would have gone a long way to improve the lives of Nigerians.”

“Lastly, the federal government committed to the Abuja Declaration of 2001, promising to allocate 15 per cent of its budget to Health, year 2017 budget this is the 16th budget year, the best Nigeria has done in health allocation was 5.95 in 2012.

The 2017 proposed health budget is at 4.17 per cent, a whopping 73 per cent gap from the 15 per cent benchmark.

“Health is wealth. No sector of the Nigerian economy will function properly and at all if health is not guaranteed.

The government needs to urgently reconsider the inadequate 2017 proposed health budget and upwardly review it to a minimum of 10 per cent allocation while also considering the National Health Act (2014) and the Abuja declaration.

“The PACFaH NGO partners include Association for the Advancement of Family Planning in Nigeria (AAFP); Family planning at Federal level; Civil Society Initiative for Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CSSUNN); Community Health and Research Initiative (CHRI): Federation of Muslim Women Organisations of Nigeria (FOMWAN); Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).

“PACFaH is a health policy advocacy project led by Nigerian nongovernmental organisations holding government to account to fulfill health policy and funding commitments.”

himself.

He therefore slammed an indefinite suspension on the party secretary pending the report of a five-man disciplinary committee set to investigate the allegation and other alleged anti-party activities of Okonji.

However, Okonji in a swift reaction debunked the allegation, describing his alleged indefinite suspension as a nullity from the outset as there was no meeting of the state party executive council to begin with.

According to the secretary, only a properly constituted State Executive Council (SEC) of the APC made up of 35 members has constitutional

powers to suspend him.

On the alleged N600,000 grant from Okowa, also being interpreted among some APC members as “bribe money,” Okonji told journalists in a statement in Asaba yesterday that he was duly authorised by the state chairman (Erue) to collect the money of which he (chairman) allegedly appropriated half to himself.

The embattled secretary said, “Erue (state chairman) authorised me, Okonji, through a letter to collect the grant of N500,000 on behalf of the party which Erue split into two and collected half. He further insisted that the amount ought to be N600,000, and that

he was going to see the SSA (Senior Special Adviser to Governor Okowa) to confirm the amount.”

He said the present crisis started when he (Okonji) asked the chairman to “return the party’s bus donated by the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar (and) call SEC meeting to address burning issues including the N13.5 million Christmas gift given to the party.”

The secretary also claimed he had asked the state APC chairman “to account for the N5 million given to run the party every month and to stop using his personal account to siphon money from the party’s

account.

“The purported suspension is null and void as the nine person-meeting (State Working Committee) lacks the constitutional power to suspend or apply any punitive action without the approval of SEC,” Okonji submitted.

Meanwhile, the embattled Delta APC Secretary has appealed to the national leadership of the party to institute an investigation into the series of financial scandals rocking the state executive body under the leadership of Erue, and to compel him to give financial accounts of his stewardship since 2013.

REMEMBERING FALLEN SOLDIERS

R-L: Deputy Commandant General and Chairman Nigeria Legion, Osun State, Mr. Alimi Samotu, decorating the state Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; and Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, at the launch of the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration emblem at the Government House in Osogbo....yesterday

LASG: $70m Transport Interchange will Transform Oshodi Begins compensating Mosafejo traders

Gboyega Akinsanmi The Lagos State Government yesterday said a $70 million transport interchange project currently being developed by Planet Project Limited would completely transform Oshodi into a world-class business district.

The state government said it had already started compensating affected traders at Mosafejo Market, one of the markets it took over to give way for the development of the Oshodi Transport Interchange.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Anifowose Abiola, disclosed this at a news conference he addressed alongside the Special Adviser on Urban Development, Mrs. Yetunde Onabule and Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Boladele DapoThomas, among others.

At the conference, Abiola said the project, which the administration of Governor

Akinwunmi Ambode awarded in June 2016, would drive unprecedented commerce and investment into Oshodi and its environs.

He noted that work has already commenced on the Oshodi Transport Interchange, adding that plan to transform Oshodi into a world class Central Business District (CBD) “is already on course.”

When completed before the end of 2018, the commissioner added that the project would have such facilities as international bus terminals, shopping/business malls, local bus interchange, theme parks, car parks and other facilities that will add to a modern city lifestyle.

He explained that the transport interchange “has commenced.

When completed, the project will be of immense benefit to all Lagos residents, especially major stakeholders including traders, commuters, transport

unions, transport operators and shop owners.

“Redevelopment of Oshodi and its suburb will drive commerce and investment into Oshodi. The traders should embrace the plan just as the case with most urban regeneration in other parts of the world.

“The extent of what the state government is doing for the traders may not be immediately appreciated. But upon completion, traders will realise that the value of your business and your quality of life would have improved tremendously,” Abiola explained.

The commissioner acknowledged that the state government had started paying compensation to traders at Mosafejo Market, assuring that no affected trader would be left uncompensated.

Onabule, Special Adviser on Urban Development, explained the strong need to redevelop Oshodi, noting that

the regeneration of Oshodi “will transform the area into a world class district.”

She added that redevelopment of Oshodi “will greatly enhance security of lives and properties in the neighbourhood. It will not only reduce crime in the area, but will also address the environmental nuisance and confusion often associated with the area.

“Oshodi, in its present state, accommodates one million pedestrians daily with 100,000 passengers daily accessing 13 parks scattered within the area, while 76 per cent of the area is dedicated to transport and related activities, causing serious traffic congestion and other environmental issues, “This project will rebrand and transform Oshodi, thus turning Lagos into a befitting and an iconic international gateway to the rest of the world. It will also ensure an organised transport system that will aid free flowing traffic.”

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

PDP: Fayose’s Impeachment will Consume Buhari’s Govt You he can’t run from his shadow, says APC

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared that the alleged subterranean moves to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose would lead to the total collapse of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, if eventually carried out.

The party described as reasonable and justifiable, the letter written last Wednesday by the governor to the acting Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Justice

Walter Onnoghen, informing him on the alleged moves to co-opt a section of the judiciary to the devilish plot.

In its reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said Fayose’s accusation portrayed him as a drowning man looking for whom to clutch onto.

Fayose had in a letter to Justice Onnoghen, accused former Governor Segun Oni and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of clandestine moves to coerce the judiciary to use Army Panel report to reverse

Ganduje Signs 2017 Appropriation Bill into Law Ibrahim Shuaibu inKano Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, yesterday signed into law the 2017 Appropriation Bill which was jacked up from N209, 857, 330, 288 billion to N217, 931, 867, 387 billion by the state House of Assembly.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Kabiru Alhasan Rurum, while passing the bill to the governor, said the assembly decided to add over N8 billion to the original bill presented by the governor last December, after consultations from stakeholders.

“Today is a great day, and the good people of Kano have to celebrate because we are presenting the processed budget after consultations and public hearing. The budget presented today is the budget of the good people of the state because everybody participated,” he stated.

Rurum said despite the increment, priority areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, education and health remain the same.

In his remarks shortly after signing the bill into law, the governor hailed the House of Assembly for doing a thorough and good job by speeding up the passage of the budget.

“There is no doubt that history

has been made today and the state assembly deserves to be highly commended on this task. This budget, which I have just signed into law, is a budget of self-reliance for sustainable development.

“We are all aware that the oil money has gone down; what we are getting from Abuja is always getting down, so, we have to resort to self-reliance through our state Board of Internal Revenue Service which has done very well even though it is at a formative stage.

“But all indicators of success have shown us that the board is a board to beat in this country from the improved receipts that we have been getting almost every month.

“I am happy that this budget is being increased and the increase is a judicious one. In fact, there is zero-padding in the increment of this budget because the budget was increased as a result of consultations with appropriate authorities and also with consultations with members of the public.

“So, it is an open process that the state assembly followed.

Therefore, we must be proud of this budget and this increment.

There is no doubt this budget will move the state forward,” he said.

Go Fitness Centre Launched in Lekki, Offers Free Classes Foremost health and exercise organisation, GO Fitness Centre, has launched its flagship division at Lekki, Lagos.

According to the Founder and Lead Trainer of the foremost fitness centre in Nigeria, Dominic Mudabai, the gymnasium centre which is fully-equipped with high-end cardio and strength training equipment, is offering free weights and group class areas with luxurious locker rooms with showers; airconditioning for maximum comfort; and smooth and uninterrupted power supply.

“Our vision is to help individuals and corporate personnel improve their fitness, health and wellbeing by offering quick, convenient and affordable wellness and fitness centres in their neighborhoods,” Mudabai stated in a statement made available to THISDAY Mudabai, who is the former winner of Gulder Ultimate

Search Season IV, said to commemorate its recent opening unit at 26 Kusenla Road (4th Round-About), Ikate-Elegushi, and to help Lagosians get a jump start in their new year fitness resolutions, GO Fitness will be offering a variety of free group classes from January 7 to 14 2017. Classes include Aerobics, Yoga, Taebo, Zumba and body weight. Interested participants may visit GO Fitness’ Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter pages for more information, he added.

GO Fitness currently offers personal and group training programsmes, health and fitness awareness programmes, postural analysis and ergonomics advice, fitness and health assessments, nutrition counseling and sports conditioning. It also provides procurement and supply services of fitness equipment to individuals and corporate clients as well as certification and training programmes.

his election victory, praying the CJN to resist the move to preserve democracy and integrity of the judiciary.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the state PDP Chairman, Mr. Gboyega Oguntuase, said the alleged plot to remove the governor would create crisis of monumental proportion that would be difficult for the Nigeria army to curtail.

Oguntuase branded Fayose as a man of the people and the opposition leader in the country, who commands enormous followership across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

“Fayose is not just the governor of Ekiti State, but the opposition voice in Nigeria. He speaks for all the oppressed Nigerians in the South-west, South-east, South-south, North-central and even in the far North.

“Removing Fayose from the power is like removing the whole Ekiti people who voted for him in all the 16 local government areas of this state. Any war wage against our governor will be resisted by the people from all these zones.

“The governor has been the most consistent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, particularly against the poorly managed economy leading to this recession . So, all Nigerians

will rise up against this evil plot.

“If you look at the results of the 2014 governorship poll, you would think it was a tsunami because he won in all the 16 local governments areas.

If truly democracy still remains the government of the people, then attempt to remove Fayose will be tantamount to usurpation of the people’s power,” he said.

Contrary to insinuation by some people that the governor only played to the gallery by his letter to the CJN, Oguntuase justified the action, saying: “It was not misdirected since it was reliably gathered that a section of the judiciary was allegedly involved in the evil plot.”

Oguntuase appealed to Justice Onnoghen to do the needful by making the third arm of government apolitical to forestall the country’s judiciary from being desecrated by desperate politicians.

But the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, scoffed at the allegation, describing it as the “ranting of a notorious blackmailer, electoral robber, political harlot and a pathological liar.”

He said Fayose was afraid of his own shadow as a “lawless misfit in the position of authority who has no respect for the supreme law of the country after his serial

rapes on the constitution but who is now jittery and as a result, has resorted to blackmail.”

Insisting that there was no meeting between Fayemi and Oni to plot Fayose’s removal, Olatunbosun said: “Fayemi and Oni are too decent and busy in their assignments to engage in such frivolous boasts that Fayose is accusing them of. Their track records as democrats and ‘Omoluabi’ are there for all to see as opposed to Fayose’s hit-and-run and ‘bolekaja’ reputation.

“He believes he is the wisest Nigerian who thinks he can cunningly manipulate people’s reasoning and cheat the law to get away with his crimes, otherwise how can Fayose indulge in that disingenuous allegation that he is being haunted for refusing to join APC when the truth is that APC leaders have been frustrating his pleas to join the party to save his head,” he explained.

He added: “A man who invaded the court to beat a judge and assault court officials with thugs to stop “Though no case has been filed before the Supreme Court, if a party feels aggrieved in Ekiti State election matter and decides to urge the Supreme Court to have a second look at the matter after the revelations

in Capt Sagir Koli’s audio tape, military reports and confessions

by PDP principal leaders who participated in the poll crime, there is no amount of blackmail of the judiciary that will stop such aggrieved party from approaching the court to seek redress no matter how long.”

He added: “It is the practice of criminals all over the world to always cry wolf when the long arms of the “Because he always knows that he will one day pay for his crimes, this is not the first time Fayose will be shouting about plots to remove him: if his accusation is not against the House of Assembly members, it will be against the judiciary, but the question to ask is; why will a governor who always boasts to have won with a landslide be afraid of being removed by real and imaginary enemies?

“What this means is that Fayose knows that he didn’t win the election in actual sense of the word, otherwise he should have nothing to worry about if he has nothing to hide about the circumstances surrounding his victory and we wonder why he is assuming the role of a judge in a matter that has not even been filed.”

INSPECTION TOUR

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare; Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adeyeni Saliu; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, during an environmental inspection tour to Ikotun main market, in Lagos..... yesterday KOLA OLASUPO

FG: No Polio Case in Cross River Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The federal government has debunked the rumour of a suspected case of polio in a remote community in Odukpani Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State.

The child who was suspected to have been infected, a two-yearold male, had been served with six doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in his course of life.

The child is however said to have a history of deformity which was observed at birth for which he was attended to by a local bone healer at the age of three weeks.

The acting Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency

(NPHCDA), Dr. Emmanuel Odu, who announced this yesterday in Abuja, said physical assessment and examination revealed that the sign that suggest complications of polio virus infection were not present in the child whose legs were not flaccid, loose or weak.

He said disease surveillance and notification officers in all LGAs work daily and are positioned to reach any community in every LGA throughout the country, to detect any child that presents signs suggestive of polio paralysis which are fever, weakness of flaccid paralysis of a limb or limbs.

He urged individuals and families to continue to

contribute to the survival and development of every Nigerian child by presenting them for vaccination, promptly utilising available PHC services and reporting any case of a child with fever and sudden weakness or paralysis of limbs.

“A leg or muscles paralysed by polio would be loose, very weak, flabby or soft. These were not found in the child.

Rather, a clubfoot of the right leg was found. It is known in medical circles as tilapes (varus), a condition in which one or both feet are twisted into an abnormal position, usually at birth.”

“Stool samples of any affected child are collected

for lab examination, of which result will be available in two weeks of stool sample submission. The result will confirm if such paralysis was caused by polio or not. In the particular case under reference, in Cross River state, it does not even qualify for sample collection. It is not a case of polio. There is no paralysis.”

It will be recalled that 2008, Nigeria recorded the case of 798 children with polio and with federal government intervention, the number has continued to drastically reduce for good. In 2015, no case was recorded until in August 2016 when four cases were documented.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017• T H I S D AY

CRIME&PUNISHMENT

IG Deploys 200 Special Detectives in Ekiti to Combat Crime Govt to deal with truant civil servants

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Suleiman Idris, has

deployed 200 special police detectives in Ekiti State to combat cases of kidnapping and assassination that have become rampant in the state.

Lagos to Prosecute 38 Street Traders, 33 Miscreants Chiemelie Ezeobi The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) yesterday said it had concluded all arrangements to charge 38 arrested street traders and 33 miscreants to the Lagos State Environmental Courts for immediate prosecution.

According to the Head, Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Task Force, Adebayo Taofiq, the 71 persons were arrested after operatives of the agency carried out an enforcement exercise.

He said the enforcement dislodged traders from hawking, selling and displaying wares on road setbacks/walkways in order to protects their lives and also to pave the way for free flow of traffic along Ketu axis to Ikorodu roundabout.

The 38 arrested street traders were mainly women who hawked or displayed wares on road setbacks/walkways, thereby causing obstruction to free flow of traffic from Ketu to Ikorodu roundabout.

Also, the other 33 arrested miscreants were those who specialises in terrorising people living around Ketu, OwodeElede, Ajelogo, Alapere and Mile 12, including those collecting

illegal fees from motorists.

The enforcement exercise according to the Chairman of the state Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, was to reiterate the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in providing a safer and conducive environment for the people of the state.

While the chairman enjoined members of the public particularly traders to desist from either hawking goods or displaying them on road setbacks/walkways, he however said the agency would not relent in enforcing every dictate of both the state Road Traffic Laws of 2012 and state Environmental Sanitation Laws.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, after he was briefed about those arrested, was said to have directed that they all be charged to court immediately.

One of the arrested traders at Mile 12, Mrs. Awawu Adeyemi, who disclosed that she has a shop inside the main market, claimed that customers no longer patronise them because of those outside hawking and selling on the road.

She said that prompted her to join them outside hawking and selling on the road in order to make sales.

Adeyemi however pleaded with the government to temper justice

There have been reported cases of kidnapping and assassination in the state in recent times, with the most recent being the mysterious abduction and killing of the police’s paymaster, Mr. Idowu Taiwo, by unknown gunmen last December.

In a statement in Ado Ekiti by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, he said: “This is to bring to the attention of the public that in order to enhance police presence and bring crime to the barest minimum and to prevent crime and the fear of crime in the state, the police command has deployed more personnel and vehicles to strategic places in the state, especially the capital, Ado-Ekiti.

“The IG in this regard deployed additional 200 personnel to beef up the manpower of the command.

These personnel will be deployed

in every nook and cranny of the state.

“The public is therefore enjoined to cooperate with the police by giving vital information.

As stated above, the ongoing exercise is a proactive measure designed to tackle the issue of crime and criminality across the state.

“Anyone who observes the presence of any group or individual in suspicious circumstances should report such without any delay.

The officers involved in the exercise as traditional with the force have been adequately briefed to exercise high level of professionalism.”

Meanwhile, the government has rolled out six emergency telephone numbers that people in the state can use to reach out to the newly commissioned Joint Security Task Force in the state in event of emergency

or to provide information on suspicious movements that may lead to security breach.

The numbers are 09069099386, 09069099751, 09069100733, 09069552946, 09069556155 and 09069560366.

A statement from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Modupe Alade, solicited the support of the people for the Joint Task Force codenamed ‘Operation Flush’.

The statement stressed that the primary function of the task force is to flush out criminals and curb crime in the state.

Reiterating the commitment of the Ayodele Fayose-led administration to the security of lives and property of people in the state, the SSG stated that no form of criminality would any longer be tolerated in the state.

Also, the Head of Service

(HOS), Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka, has read the riot act to civil servants in the state and warned that errant public servants would be duly sanctioned for truancy and lateness to work in 2017.

Speaking during an unscheduled early morning visit to the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Ado Ekiti, the HOS, Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka, stated that 2017 would not be business as usual for truants and late-comers as no form of irresponsibility would be condoned.

Faseluka said workers need to justify government’s investment in the public service especially the recent promotion of more than 15,000 workers despite the paucity of funds, Warning that he would continue to monitor the activities of civil servant and extend the activity to the rural areas to checkmate truancy and lateness to work.

Four Suspected Kidnappers, 81 Others in Police Net Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

operatives who were on patrol.

The kidnappers were among Desmond Ozo, a 32-year-old the 85 suspects arrested for various kidnap suspect yesterday narrated crimes, ranging from armed to journalists how his gang robbery, murder, cultism, stealing, kidnapped a middle-aged woman impersonation by the Edo State (names withheld) and also rapped Police Command and paraded by her serially. the State Commissioner of Police, Ozo who was arrested Mr. Haliru Gwandu. alongside three other members Briefing journalists, Gwandu, of his gang, namely, Innocent listed items recovered from the Lucky (27), Roland Ode (22) suspects paraded to include and Friday Dominion (26), eight cars, 191 bags of Indian kidnapped their victim in Benin. hemp, cartridges and guns.

He said the gang also raped Gwandu who disclosed their victim after collecting N2 that one Austin Ibeto (45), million ransom from her relations. was also apprehended for “We slept with her several times impersonating the police, said before we released her. We also the suspect was caught in collected N2 million ransom. possession of police ID card When asked if he used condom bearing his picture and a T-shirt while raping their victim, Ozo with inscription of F-SARs, Lagos said, “I did not use condom when State Command. sleeping with her.”

According to him, the police Luck however ran out of fought criminals to a standstill them, when they were arrested in the State during the yuletide by operatives of Edo State Police He admonished members Command on new year day. of the public to provide the Narrating how they were police useful information that arrested, one of the gang members, we in order to vigorously Innocent Lucky, said the four of fight criminality in the State; them were driving in their car adding that the operatives now along Sapele Road, when they responds to distress call within were stopped by the police three minutes.

INSIDER SUSPECTS

A dismissed police officer, Promise Ukwuoma (left), and a bank staff, Samuel Ndudiri, being paraded as principal suspects in a foiled armed robbery attack....yesterday

FUT Minna Rusticates 700 Students

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Not less than 700 students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State have been rusticated from the institution for poor academic performance among other reasons.

Some of those affected were first year students who could not meet the 1.5 grade points average set as bench mark for them to move to the next level in their academic pursuit.

The Vice Chancellor of the unuversity,Professor Musbau Akanji, disclosed this yesterday

at the matriculation of 5141 students admitted for the 2016/2017 academic year.

“At the end of the 2015/2016 academic session, the university expelled about 700 students for various offenses, majority of them are due to low academic performance. We have cancelled Pass degree and this has raised the bar, most of those expelled could not score above 1.5.”

The Vice Chancellor said the University had put in place measures aimed at reducing the high rate of failures among which is the engagement of teachers from the Postgraduate

school to tutor the students.

“We have investigated why we have such a high number of failures and we have put in place structures to address the situation one of the mechanism is to engage tutorial teachers from the Postgraduate school.”

Akanji advised the matriculants to start working hard and be consistent in their studies cautioning them not to perform woefully during their first semester because it would be difficult for them to meet up in the second semester.

Akanji also warned them

against engaging in financial recklessness, examination malpractices, cultism, fighting, theft, assault and illicit drug trafficking, adding that the University has put in place a committee against Anti-Social activities to monitor students with anti-social behaviour.

Akanji also told them to actively participate in workshops, seminars and academic club engagements to complement their formal classroom activities, stressing that the university would deal decisively with any act of indecent dressing.

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friDAY, jAnuArY 6, 2017 • T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS Mahrez Crowned 2016 African Best Player

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

G LO - CA F AWA R D S

Iheanacho, Iwobi, Oshoala also winners Duro Ikhazuagbe Leicester City and Algeria forward, Riyad Mahrez, was last night voted CAF African Footballer of the Year 2016.

The 25-year old forward who was part of Claudio Ranieri’s army at Leicester City that did the unimaginable, winning the English Premier League last season stood among the three nominees for the continent’s best player category in terms of achievement.

It therefore was no surprise when his name was mentioned as Africa’s Best Player for the next one year. Winner of the last edition of the award, Gabon and Borussia Dortmund star, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, took consolation in the runner up position with Senegal and Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, in the third placed.

In his acceptance speech, the France-born Mahrez dedicated the award to his family and team mates at Leicester City who made the feat possible.

“It’s a huge honour, I am happy and pleased. I thank all my teammates at Leicester and Algeria.

“I dedicate this to my family and all those who support me every day,” he noted.

Mahrez polled 361 votes to beat Aubameyang (313 votes) to the crown while Mane was a distant third on 186 votes.

Mahrez played a key role in the stunning run of ‘The Foxes’ – 17 goals, 10 assists in 37 appearances.

He was the first Algerian to win a Premier League winners’ medal and spark a massive following back home in Algeria for the club, who he had first thought was a rugby club when he was contacted to join them four years ago.

All three players who made the short list for the African Footballer of the Year were also picked in CAF XI that also feature Cote d’Ivoire defender, Eric Bailly, from Manchester United.

Goalkeeper Denis Onyango was picked for the African Player of the Year Based in Africa ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Khama Billiat and Zambia’s Rainford Kalaba.

Onyango was outstanding when seven-time South African champions Sundowns won an

historic CAF Champions League and also when Uganda qualified for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations after a long absence.

Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala grabbed her second African Women’s Player of the Year award on the back of her goals and five-star displays as Nigeria retained their continental crown in Cameroon.

The Arsenal Ladies star won her first when she also helped the Super Falcons emerge African champions in 2014.

Other Nigerians honoured last night include; Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi who emerged the Most Promising Talent and Youth Player of the Year award winners, respectively.

Gambian referee Bakary Papa Gassama won the Best Referee Award for the third straight year.

ALL THE WINNERS AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City) AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Based In Africa) Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns) WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Arsenal Ladies) MOST PROMISING TALENT Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria & Manchester City) YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR Alex Iwobi COACH OF THE YEAR Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns) CLUB OF THE YEAR Mamelodi Sundowns NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR Uganda WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR Nigeria REFEREE OF THE YEAR Bakary Papa Gassama

FIFA Invites Pinnick to 2016 Awards World football governing body, FIFA has invited Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, to Monday’s The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 ceremony taking place in Zurich, Switzerland.

The invitation letter dated 7th November 2016 and signed

by FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura read, inter alia: “The Best FIFA Football Awards are all about football. They recognize those who truly write the history

of the game – the players, coaches and fans. They belong to them.

We have taken the sport’s most prestigious individual award in a new, modern direction. We look forward to celebrating with you The Best of the season in a brand new and exclusive award show.”

Monday’s ceremony is the first since the old –style Ballon D’Or that was organised jointly with France Football collapsed, with FIFA coming up with its own Best Football Awards.

Mahrez (left) receiving his 2016 African Best Player of the Year certificate and trophy from CAF President, Isa Hayatou (right) and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung at the ceremony in Abuja… last night

Iwobi Battles Mane, Toure for New African Soccer Award Nigeria youngster Alex Iwobi of Arsenal will fight it out with Yaya Toure from Manchester City and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane for the December 2016 African Player of the month in the Premier League.

The New African Soccer Awards have shortlisted Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, Liverpool Senegalese forward Said Mane and Alex Iwobi

of Arsenal for the December 2016 African Player of the Month in the English Premier League.

In a brief release, the New African Soccer Awards called on journalists and its teeming followers to vote on their choice of the Award winner and continue to support the initiative.

Yaya Toure last won the Award in December 2015 and

has endured a torrid start to the current season before a recall that cemented his place in the first team and has performed well recently.

Sadio Mane has been very active and prominent in Liverpool’s title pursuit and will be sorely missed by the Anfield team when he jets out to the Africa Cup of Nations. His contribution to the team lying in second

place has been phenomenal so far.

The young Alex Iwobi, who burst on to the scene in Arsenal towards the end of last season has continued to impress, and has even added a couple of goals to the mix.

The 20-year old is a favourite in the club and has earned his place on the shortlist despite a very busy schedule in December.

AC C E S S / L AG O S M A R AT H O N

Sharubutu Banks on Paris, Doha Marathon Experience to Excel As the countdown to the 2017 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon begins, the first Nigerian male marathoner to cross the finishing line at the 2016 edition, Philibus Sharubutu, is hoping to replicate the same feat come February 11th.

Sharubutu feat at the Access Bank/Lagos City Marathon got him an invitation to the 2016 Paris Marathon and Doha Marathons.

Now, the Plateau-born road runner is banking on the experience he has garnered from his international outings will come to bear

in his performance at the 2nd edition of the Access Bank/ Lagos City Marathon.

He said: “I am preparing well for the forthcoming Lagos Marathon. I just commenced full training this week because I ran two marathons in November, and needed some time to recover. First was the Doha Marathon which I ran on the 11th, where I placed 10th overall. I then competed in the International Jos Marathon on the 27th which I won.

“In fact I have recorded a lot of improvement

because I shaved off about 4 seconds from my Personal Best (PB) of 2:32.41 at the Jos Marathon. I finished among the Top 40 at the Paris Marathon last April, so racing in both Paris and Doha have really helped me.

My plan is to retain my title that’s why I’m working this hard for it.”

Sharubutu surprised many athletics buffs by beating more experienced Emmanuel Gyang to become the first Nigerian to cross the finish line. Sharubutu is not only confident of upstaging Gyang once again, but beating the

world best.

He said: “The 2016 Access Bank Marathon was Gyang’s first time of running the 42km, so he isn’t too familiar with the tactics involved, and that was why I came from behind to beat him. His strong area is the 10,000m and the 21km. I also defeated him at the Jos Marathon which he led for the better part, before I came once again from behind to beat him. The 42km is my race, so I’m confident of beating and staking a claim to the ultimate title at the 2017 Access Bank Lagos Marathon.”

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

FRIDAYSPORTS

Aruna Partners Assar in ITTF World Tour Doubles For this year’s ITTF World Tour, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has decided to partner his continental rival – Egypt’s Omar Assar in the men’s doubles event in their bid to make it to the World Tour grand finals later in the year.

The Africa’s best two players to begin their quest by joining might in the men’s doubles event of the first ITTF World Tour tagged Hungarian Open in Budapest.

Having started their partnership in the event in 2015 and 2016 when they made it to the quarterfinal of 2015 Polish Open and main draw of 2016 Austria Open with their biggest win being against the duo of Portugal’s Marcos Freitas and Croatia’s Andre Gacina at the 2015 Polish Open.

For Aruna Quadri, the decision to join forces with Omar Assar was smooth having played together in previous tournament. “It was an easy decision for me to decide to partner Omar Assar because we seem to understand ourselves when we play together. We played very well at the Polish Open and

Austria Open and we have made up our mind to play together in all ITTF World Tours this year with the aim of having Africa’s presence at the World Tour grand finals later in the year. We intend to play doubles together in all the World Tour we will be taking part in this year and I am hopeful that we can achieve our aim.”

Explaining the rationale over their decision to concretise their doubles partner in 2017, Omar Assar said: “Aruna Quadri is a very good player in singles and doubles and I think our relationship has been closer lately so we share more ideas off the table too. The first time we played together was at the 2015 Polish Open when we got to quarterfinal with our big win over Freitas and Gacina. Our target is to make it to the grand finals of 2017.”

With both players plying their trade in the elite French league, Aruna Quadri is spearheading Jura Morez while Omar Assar is the key man in Istres.

Everton Signs Lookman from Charlton for £11m

Aruna Quadri (left) with Omar Assar during one of their matches at the previous ITTF World Tour

Ezenwa: Absence of Coach at FC IfeanyiUbah No Threat to Ambitions Finishing fourth in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and winning the Federation Cup was adjudged a successful run for FC IfeanyiUbah in the 2015/16 season. But the celebrations got muffled in a rash of appointments to the technical bench which eventually saw the Federation Cup winning Manager, Brazil-born Rafael Everton calling it quits and his replacement, Japanese American Kenichi Yatsuhashi spent only two games at the NPFL Super4 and got sacked.

The development has left on the saddle, Ghana’s Yaw Preko

Cup title.

“Yes, it’s true we don’t have a substantive coach with just days to the league kick-off, but we have the character and we are professionals, so I don’t think we will have any problem going into the first game of the season.

We still have our training regimen religiously carried out, so we are in shape,” the Super Eagles’ goalie opined.

FC Ifeanyi Ubah faces fourtime NPFL Champions, Kano Pillars in Match-day One of the new season and Ezenwa is optimistic the “Anambra Warriors” will come out tops in

the encounter when both sides clash at the FC Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium on January 14th.

“Pillars are a fantastic side, we respect them, but we are getting very prepared and we will take the game like it’s a final, of course it’s a final between former champions and Federation Cup champions,” the former Sunshine Stars FC goalie told npfl.ng The Nigeria Professional Football League 2016/2017 kicks off on the 14th of January with fixtures across the country.

Rangers International clinched the league title last season after a 32-year jinx.

NFF Inaugurates Nigeria Women Football League Board

Lookman Everton has completed the £11m signing of Charlton Athletic’s teenage forward Ademola Lookman.

The 19-year-old joins on a four-and-a-half-year deal until June 2021.

The England Under-20 international, who has scored seven goals in 25 games this season, becomes the most expensive signing from League One. Lookman said: “It feels great to be an Everton player. As soon as I heard about Everton’s interest I knew this would be the right place for me.”

Charlton had hoped Everton would loan Lookman back to them for the rest of the season but he is seen as someone who

who arrives as assistant to Kenichi with speculations that short life expectancy at the club may be scaring off other coaches from the Nnewi dugout. But goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa believes that not having a substantive coach few days to the start of the new NPFL season would not affect the billionaire club’s performance, both at the home front and on the continent.

Ezenwa, a key member of the Nnewi-based club, was seen as one of the players that were instrumental to the team’s fourth place finish in the NPFL last season and the 2016 Federation

could quickly play a part at Goodison Park under manager Ronald Koeman.

“Everton has a big history and I was also attracted by the manager,” Lookman added.

“When you look at what he did at Southampton, and what he does with young players in terms of developing them, that was a big attraction.

“It was great playing in the Championship last season and for the last six months in League One but I feel like I’m ready to make the step up to the Premier League.”

Koeman said: “Ademola is a big talent and, at 19 years old, he has a big future in the game. I’m really happy that we’ve been able to bring him here to the club.”

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has charged the newly-inaugurated Board of the Nigeria Women Football League to work with passion and commitment to lift the women’s League to a new pedestal.

Speaking at the new board’s inauguration at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja yesterday, Pinnick poured encomiums on the board’s independent Chairman, Aisha Falode and the other members, and expressed faith in their ability to lift the game to a new level.

“I am aware of the prowess of Falode in marketing, and what she can bring to the League to develop it. I also

know that most of the members are well connected and could bring a new lease of life to the women’s League. They are all seasoned, passionate and capable.”

Falode, a member of the CAF Media Committee and CAF Match Commissioner, said it was a great honour for herself and other members to be called upon to serve.

“The reactions since we were appointed indicate that we are condemned to perform, to work hard and to achieve results. The past Boards of the women’s League did their best, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

“We will look at the structure and the issue of players’

welfare and we are committed to running a women’s League that is functional, compact and competitive. What we saw at the 10th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon confirmed that the gap between the so –called big teams and the so –called small teams in African women football has narrowed significantly.

“It is our responsibility to run a women’s League that will turn things around and we will give it our best shot.

In truth, times are hard, but tough times also have a way of bringing the best out of people, in terms of innovation.”

Pinnick was joined at the inauguration by NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed

Sanusi, Alh. Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu (NFF Executive Committee members), Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (Deputy General Secretary), Mr. Bitrus Bewarang (Technical Director) and Mr. Bola Oyeyode (Director of Competitions).

THE NEW NWFL BOARD: Aisha Falode (Independent Chairman); Margaret Icheen (Independent Vice Chairman); Joe Amene (Independent Director); Kemi Adesanya (Director); Matilda Otuene (Director); Henrietta Ukaigwe (Director); Hussaina Suleiman (Director); Mustapha Tahir (Director); Usman Mustapha (Director); Nkechi Obi (Chief Executive Officer).

54

friDAY, jAnuArY 6, 2017 • T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS AFCON 2017… AFCON 2017… AFCON 2017…

Tunisia Backs Home-based Players Tunisia coach Henryk Kasperczak has chosen a 23-man squad for the African Nations Cup finals in Gabon that features mostly home-based players - a rarity for the tournament.

A total of 14 players come from top Tunisian clubs in contrast to most of the other squads at the tournament, which are dominated by players based at clubs in Europe.

But Tunisia will have Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour, Sunderland winger Wahbi Khazri and centre back Syam Ben Youssef from Caen in France’s Ligue 1 as their marquee players as they seek a second African title after their only previous success 13 years ago.

Tunisia has been drawn in Group B and play their opening game against Senegal in Franceville on January 15 TUNISIA SQUAD Goalkeepers: Moez Ben Cherifia (Esperance), Rami Jeridi (CS Sfaxien), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile Sahel) Defenders: Aymen Abdennour (Valencia), Syam Ben Youssef (Caen), Zied Boughattas (Etoile Sahel), Chamseddine Dhaouadi (Esperance), SlimeneKchok(CABizerte),AliMaaloul (Al Ahly), Hamza Mathlouthi (CS Sfaxien), Hamdi Nagguez (Etoile Sahel), Mohamed Ali Yaakoubi (Caykur Rizespor) Midfielders: Larry Azouni (Nimes), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Etoile Sahel), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland), Hamza Lahmar (Etoile Sahel), Youssef Msakni (Al Lekhwiya), Ferjani Sassi (Esperance), Naim Sliti (Lille) Forwards: Ahmed Akaichi (Al Ittihad Jeddah), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain), Taha Yassine Khenissi (Esperance).

Tunisia’s defender Aymen Abdennour (right) challenges Equatorial Guinea’s midfielder Emilio Nsue

Kante Urges Chelsea to Bounce Back Midfielder N’Golo Kante has said he hoped Chelsea would make a swift return to winning ways after their record-equalling 13-game winning streak in the Premier League came to an end in Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite the deflating defeat

Only Four Home-based in Uganda Squad Uganda coach Milutin Sredejovic has named only four home-based players in his 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

The Serbian-born coach, who has successfully managed to steer the Ugandan team to their first Nations Cup in 39 years, has included 18-year-old striker Muhammad Shaban in the squad.

Shaban, who turns out for the Arua-based Premier league side Onduparaka, is one of the three players who have received their first call-ups to a squad which is heavily-laden with overseas-based players.

The others are defenders Timothy Awany of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Shafik Batambuze, who plays with the Kenyan champions Tusker FC. Top goalkeeper Denis Onyango, whose heroics helped South African club Mamelodi Sundowns win the CAF Champions League title last October, is also included.

Uganda are drawn in Group D alongside Egypt, Ghana and Mali, and will play their first-round group matches in the port city of Port-Gentil.

The Cranes lost their first

warm-up match 2-0 to Tunisia on Wednesday, and are set to play two more build-up games against Slovakia and the reigning African champions Ivory Coast in Dubai on January 8 and 11 respectively.

UGANDA SQUAD Goalkeepers: Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA) Robert Odongkara (Saint George/ ETH) Salim Jamal (AL Merreikh/ SUD) Defenders: Joseph Ochaya (KCCA) Timothy Dennis Awany (KCCA) Shafik Batambuze (Tusker/ KEN) Dennis Iguma (Al Ahed/ LBN) Isaac Isinde (Unattached) Murushid Juuko (Simba/TAN) Nicholas Wadada (Vipers) Midfielders: Tony Mawejje (Throttur/ISL) Khalid Aucho (Baroka/RSA) Luwagga William Kizito (Rio Ave/POR) Moses Oloya (Hanoi T and T/VIE) Geoffrey Kizito (Than Quang Ninh/VIE) Godfrey Walusimbi (Gor Mahia/KEN) Hassan Mawanda Wasswa (Nijmeh/ LBN) Mike Azira (Colorado Rapids/USA) Strikers: Faruku Miya (Standard Liege/BEL) Geoffrey Massa (Baroka/RSA) Muhammad Shaban (Onduparaka) Yunus Sentamu (Ilves/ FIN), Geoffrey Sserunkuma (KCCA).

by their London rivals at White Hart Lane, Chelsea still hold a comfortable five-point cushion at the top of the table after 20 games but Kante said it was vital that Chelsea won their next game to regain momentum.

“We have to show character now, focus on the next game.

We lost, we have to accept that and to come back stronger, with strong character and with a desire to win. It’s game after game now,” the 25-year-old Frenchman told British media.

“We are not thinking about making another long run, we just need to win the next game

and make sure we come back strongly. We will see now. I think we are a good team and we must show good character for the next game to make sure we win.

“It’s important for the confidence and to keep our advantage in the league. We must fight to stay at the top.

We must stay in front for as long as possible.”

Chelsea host third-tier side Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday before a trip to face league champions Leicester City six days later.

Ngolo Kante (left) challenges Tottenham’s Dele Alli during their Premiership clash on Wednesday

Woods to Open 2017 Season at Torrey Pines Tiger Woods’ first event of 2017 will be the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, which starts on 26 January.

The 14-time major winner last played at the Farmers in 2015, but withdrew injured during the first round.

Woods, 40, will then compete in the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, which begins on 2 February.

He will also play the PGA Tour’s Genesis Open, starting on 16 February, followed by the Honda Classic.

Woods finished 15th at the Hero World Challenge in December after 15 months out through injury.

World number two Rory McIlroy, Open champion Henrik Stenson and Masters champion Danny Willett will all compete alongside Woods in Dubai.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in Dubai and it’s fantastic to see how the city has grown from when I first started playing

Tiger Woods (red shirt) is four behind Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 major titles there,” said Woods, who won the event in 2006 and 2008.

“When you win in Dubai, you know you’ve beaten an outstanding field,” he added.

On competing at the Genesis Open, Woods said: “I’m very excited to come back to Riviera.

“This is where it all started

for me. It was my first PGA Tour event. I was 16 years old, I weighed about 105 pounds.

It was a life-changing moment for me.”

55

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017

FRIDAYSPORTS

CAF Denies Any Wrong Doing in Lagardere Broadcast Contract Duro Ikhazuagbe The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has denied any wrong doing in the award of broadcast rights to Lagardère Sports.

In CAF’s reaction to the intent to probe the transaction with Lagardere Sports by Egyptian Sports Authority, the continental football body insisted in a statement that Isa Hayatou is not liable for any wrong doing.

The CAF statement reads: “False information, published in the Egyptian press since yesterday and widely reported around the world, indicates a recommendation for prosecution of the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to the Attorney General of Egypt on corruption charges.

“The said recommendation is supposed to be made by the Egyptian Competition Authority, which accuses CAF of violating the competition rules in Egypt regarding the procedure for the allocation of commercial rights for certain CAF competitions for the period 2017- 2028.

“It should be noted that in the letter sent to CAF by the Egyptian Competition Authority, there is no mention of any prosecution against the president of CAF, whether for acts of corruption or something else.

“The CAF recalls that its Executive Committee, after evaluating the different offers submitted, and in strict compliance with the existing contractual clauses, agreed to renew the contract with Lagardère Sports for the 2017-2028 cycle.

“This was done in June 2015. This contract guarantees African football a substantial increase in revenues and substantial funding for the development of football on the continent.

“CAF wishes to point out that the contract with

Lagardère Sports does not contravene national or supranational legislation, as established by categorical legal opinions in this regard.

“The marketing zones for audiovisual rights do not apply only to CAF competitions, but correspond to a universally recognized division, notably in the marketing of the rights of sporting events.

“It should be noted that even for the FIFA World Cup, commercial rights are ceded for more than one edition in the MENA Zone (Middle East and North Africa). No marketing is done on a country-by-country basis. This is also valid for most European championships.

“CAF, which has adequately and independently managed African football over the past 60 years, commit itself to cooperate with all relevant bodies and institutions in strict compliance with its statutes and regulations, its contractual commitments and the legislation in force on the African continent and beyond,” the unsigned statement posted on CAF official website concluded.

BBC Sports reported earlier yesterday that the 70-year old Cameroonian who is serving his seventh term in-charge of African football is being investigated by Egyptian authorities for allegations bothering on award of several CAF tournament broadcast rights to a media company, Lagardere Sports.

According to the Egyptian Competition Authority, Hayatou is suspected of not opening up the tender to free and fair competition as required by Egyptian law.

CAF is based in Cairo so the authorities say it must follow their laws. Hayatou was first elected as CAF president in 1998.

Although Lagardere is not the subject of the referral, an official of the company insisted that the allegation “ is wholly unfounded.”

Uzoenyi Wants FIFA to Cancel His Sundowns Deal Nigeria star Ejike Uzoenyi has asked world football governing body FIFA to cancel his lucrative contract with African champions Mamelodi Sundowns because he has failed to play at least half of their matches in the past two years.

The cancellation of Uzoenyi’s three and a half year contract will see the former Enugu Rangers star walk out on the South African club a free agent.

A top source told AfricanFootball.com: “Ejike’s agent has petitioned FIFA asking that they terminate the player’s contract, which still has a year to run.

“The reason they put forward for the contract

cancellation is that he has not played a minimum of 50% of the club’s games in the last two years.”

Uzoenyi has been training with former club Rangers fueling speculations that he could head back to the Nigeria champions.

However, the player himself has insisted he is only trying to keep fit at the Enugu club while on holidays.

The left-sided winger won a lucrative contract believed to pay him five million Rands a year (about 100 million Naira) from Sundowns when he was named MVP of the 2014 CHAN hosted by South Africa.

He featured for Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Osimhen (m) at his unveiling… yesterday

Osimhen Says He’s in Wolfsburg to Learn Nigeria youngster Victor Osimhen has said he is at German Bundesliga Wolfsburg to learn after he signed a three and a half year contract today.

“I am here to learn and wait for my time,” said an elated Wolfsburg.

He first signed a pre-contract to join the top German club last year.

He has been handed jersey No 18.

He was presented to the media at the Wolfsburg training base in Spain, where they are preparing for the resumption of the Bundesliga season.

Wolfsburg will be home to Ausburg on January 28.

The Wolves are 13th on the table with 16 points from as many matches.

Elsewhere, another Nigerian international, Wilfred Ndidi, who moved to Leicester City from Genk in Belgium trained

with his teammates at English Premier League champions Leicester City for the first time.

After completing the session, Ndidi voiced his sentiments about his new surroundings and objectives he wishes to achieve.

The former KRC Genk man says he will gain plenty of experience at Leicester City after training with his team-mates for the first time on Thursday.

“I feel good. My team-mates are nice people and they have welcomed me, so I’m happy.

“My first impression was ‘wow.’ I trained and it was really good because it was really high intensity. I feel I can learn a lot here.

“Claudio (Ranieri) welcomed me and then he explained to me how the team and everything worked, which I’ve sometimes seen on TV,” he told LCFC TV.

The pace of the Premier League is notoriously difficult for new entrants to adapt to and the Nigerian star knows he must hit the ground running if he is to hit the heights at the King Power Stadium.

He is now aiming to get a good understanding of how games in the Premier League unfold, as he prepares to ply his trade in one of the most highly-regarded leagues in the world.

“I want to just try and understand how the game flows in the Premier League and then work towards that.

“For now, I am the kind of player that plays for the team. I try to win the ball for the team – that is one of my main attributes.

“I have to achieve a lot here,” he said.

Ndidi, 20, will be in the travelling party that heads to

Merseyside on Friday ahead of the weekend’s FA Cup game against Everton.

Subject to his registration being cleared by the Premier League and the Football Association, he could feature in the third round tie at Goodison Park.

City manager Ranieri expressed happiness at the arrival of the Nigerian who will now add to his options in midfield.

“We’re very happy to have Ndidi here - he’s an impressive player with a big future.

“We’ve followed him a lot and we hope he can impress our fans quickly.

“He trained well with the squad today (Thursday). It was his first training session so we need to see him tomorrow before we decide whether he will play at Everton on Saturday,” he said.

Murray Reaches Qatar Open S’final Andy Murray progressed to the Qatar Open semi-finals by beating Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7-4) 7-5.

The top seed was broken in his opening service game by 31-year-old Almagro, ranked 44th in the world, but recovered to take the first set tie-break.

The pair exchanged breaks early in the second set before Murray prevailed.

Murray will face either JoWilfried Tsonga or Tomas Berdych in the semis and, if he progresses, could meet Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s final.

Djokovic, whom Murray replaced as world number one in November, beat veteran Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3 in their quarter-final to book a meeting

with Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the last four.

Elsewhere, Britain’s Aljaz Bedene beat Slovakia’s Martin Klizan to reach the quarter-finals of the Chennai Open in India.

And Australia’s Nick Kyrgios was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Jack Sock at the mixed teams Hopman Cup, in the tie between Australia and the United States.

Kyrigos was defeated in under an hour and later pulled out of the mixed doubles event with a knee problem.

His injury comes less than two weeks before the Australian Open - the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.

Elsewhere yesterday, British number one Johanna Konta continued her good start to 2017

by reaching the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open in China.

The world number 10 defeated Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic, ranked 60th, 6-4 6-7 (11-13) 6-3.

Her next opponent will be another Czech, Katerina Siniakova, who beat Serbian Nina Stojanovic 6-3 6-4.

Konta is now the highestranked player left in the event after world number three Agnieszka Radwanska’s exit.

The Polish top seed was beaten 6-2 3-6 6-0 by American world number 39 Alison Riske, who will face Camila Giorgi of Italy in the last four.

Konta looked in control early on against her opponent - the twin sister of world number six

Karolina Pliskova - as she took the first set with a single break of serve.

Neither player could force a break point in the second set and in the resulting tie-break Konta wasted two match points before the big-serving Pliskova levelled the match on her fifth set point.

But Konta stayed firm in the final set, claiming the break and reaching the semi-final on her fifth match point.

“I am very happy to have extended my stay here,” she said.

“She is one of the best servers on tour so I knew I was going to have a hard time on her service games. I was very happy I was able to get that break in the third and see it out in the end.”

TR

Friday, January 6, 2017

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE Obasanjo to Adetona

“Kabiyesi, I believe that I should set the record straight for posterity and to caution you from engaging in unedifying rumour-mongering and untruth(s).” – Former President Olusegun Obasanjo cautioning Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona to refrain from peddling rumours and half truths.

FEMIFALANA GUEST COLUMNIST

Judicial Recognition of Western Sahara

W

estern Sahara is a territory in North-West Africa which was colonised by the Kingdom of Spain at the end of the 19th century. Based on a demand

by Morocco it was added to the list of non-self-governing territories by the United Nations in 1963 pursuant to Article 73 of the United Nations Charter. In 1965, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Spain to decolonise the territory. A year later, the UN asked Spain to conduct a referendum on self-determination in the territory. As the resolution was ignored by Spain the Polisario Front began armed struggle for independece in 1973. Even though colonial rule ended in 1975, Spain illegally handed over the administrative control of the territory to Mauritania and Morocco despite the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice which had recognised the right of the Saharawi people to self - determination.

However, the annexation led to a war between both countries and the Saharawi national liberation movement, the Polisario Front, which had proclaimed the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Although Mauritania withdrew from the territory in 1979 the war of independence continued between Morocco and the SADR backed by Algeria. After 15 years of the armed conflict both Morocco and the Polisario Front reached a ceasefire agreement on the ground that Morocco would organise a referendum for self determination in Western Sahara.

Notwithstanding that the 1991 agreement was brokered by the United Nations, Morocco has refused to organise the referendum. With the connivance of leading western governments notably United States and France (the major arms suppliers to Morocco) Rabat has defied all resolutions of the United Nations for the peaceful resolution of the struggle of the Saharawi people for self - determination.

Thus, Morocco has continued to occupy the largest part of the territory including the major towns and rich natural resources mainly phosphates, agriculture and fishery products. A smaller part of the territory is however controlled by the Polisario Front whose legitimacy has been recognised by the United Nations and the African Union.

The mineral resources of the territory which are illegally exploited by Morocco are exported to the United States and the European Union member states. In 2000, Morocco and the EU entered into a trade agreement which was reviewed and consolidated by the 2012 MoroccoEU Liberalisation Agreement to facilitate

King Mohammed VI of Morocco

the exploitation of agricultural products, processed agricultural products as well as fish and fishery products.

However, the legal validity of the both Agreements was challenged by the Polisario Front in a suit filed at the European Court of Human Rights on November 19, 2012. Essentially the case alleged that the Agreements violated the human right of the Saharawi people to self - udetermination. In a historic judgment delivered by the Court on December 10, 2015 the Agreements were annulled on the grounds that the term “the territory of the Kingdom of Morocco” therein was understood to encompass Western Sahara.

It was further held that the Agreements had failed to take cognisance of the fact that the exploitation of the natural resources of the territory of Western Sahara under the occupation and control of Morocco was likely to be to the detriment of its inhabitants and to infringe their fundamental rights.

Not surprisingly, Morocco reacted to

The caveat emptor issued by the Polisario Front is a warning to the Government of Nigeria which is currently negotiating a deal with Morocco for a natural gas pipeline that would pass through the territory of Western Sahara

the judgment by temporarily freezing diplomatic relations with the EU. Equally dissatisfied with the judgment the European Council and Commission and 5 countries ( France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Portugal) challenged it on appeal by seeking for its annulment at the Court of Justice. Thus, following an expidited procedure adopted at the request of the European Council the Court took arguments from the parties. In its ruling of December 21, 2016 the Court upheld the appeal. However, the Court categorically stated that in view of the separate and distinct status guaranteed to the territory of Western Sahara under the Charter of the United Nations and the principle of self-determination of peoples, it cannot be said that the term ‘’territory of the Kingdom of Morocco’’ which defines the territorial scope of the Association and Liberalisation Agreements , encompass Western Sahara and, therefore that those agreements are applicable to that territory.

Furthermore and more significantly, the Court held that in view of the Advisory Opinion on Western Sahara handed down in 1975 by the International Court of Justice at the request of the United Nations General Assembly the people of that territory must be regarded as a third party which may be affected by the implementation of the Liberalisation Agreement. In the present case, it is not apparent that that Saharawi people consented to the agreement being applied to Western Sahara . Having concluded that the Liberalisation Agreement does not apply to the territory of Western Sahara the Court set aside the judgment of the General Court on the ground that the Polisario Front is not concerned by the decision of the European Council to conclude that agreement.

The legal implicationof the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights is that all EU agreements and treaties with Morocco cannot apply to the territory of Western Sahara. This is a major legal blow to the claim of Morocco over the occupation of the territory. Indeed, it is a judicial confirmation of Western Sahara as a separate territory distinct from the Kingdom of Morocco in line with the unimpeachable Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 1975. In his reaction to the epochal judgment of the European Court, Mr. Mohammed Sidati, the Polisario Front’s envoy to Europe has correctly asserted that “EU complicity in the exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources is a violation of international law, an obstacle to the peaceful resolution to the conflict, and a stain on the EU’s reputation”.

Morocco and the EU members are totally shocked by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the legal status of Western Sahara. The shock was captured by Morocco’s foreign minister, Salaheddine Mezouar and the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini who responded jointly by saying that “Both sides will examine all possible implications of the court’s judgment and will work together on any issue relating to its application”. Unlike the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice which has been disregarded

by Morocco and her allies the judgment of the European Court is binding on all the parties. Aside the parties to the dispute the judgment has implications for other trading partners of Morocco. Thus; by the judgment any agreement between Morocco and other countries or companies which covers the occupied territory is liable to be challenged by the Polisario Front in municipal and international tribunals.

In view of the financial risk of investing in Western Sahara with the approval of Morocco the Polisario Front has invited governments and corporate bodies involved to legalise their activities by seeking the consent of the representatives of the Saharawi people. The caveat emptor issued by the Polisario Front is a warning to the Government of Nigeria which is currently negotiating a deal with Morocco for a natural gas pipeline that would pass through the territory of Western Sahara.

To avoid unnecessary litigation arising from the proposed commercial agreement the Buhari administration is advised to include representatives of the Polisario Front in the negotiations in line with the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of the Council of the European Union & Ors v Polisario Front.

Finally, Morocco which withdrew from the Organisation of African Unity in 1984 upon the admission of the SADR to the body has applied to join the African Union. As a precondition for joining the continental body, Morocco should be made to withdraw completely from the occupied territory of Western Sahara in line with the resolutions of the United Nations on the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination, the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 1975 and the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights to the effect that Western Sahara is not part of the Kingdom of Morocco. In particular, the attention of Morocco should be drawn to one of the principal objectives of the African Union to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the member states including Western Sahara.

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