Tuesday 28th February 2017

Naira Strengthens to N435/$ on CBN Dollar Glut Another $180m sold for visible and invisible transactions Travelex to get $4m weekly at Lagos and Abuja airports Currency speculators would suffer, central bank warns than N450 to the dollar at which it closed last Friday, as the Central Bank of Nigeria

Obinna Chima The naira continued to strengthen on the parallel market yesterday to close at N435 to the dollar, stronger

(CBN) continued to relentlessly pump the greenbank into the interbank foreign exchange

market to meet the demand of bank customers.

But the buy rate of the

greenback rose slightly to N430 to the dollar yesterday, against N440 last Friday.

Imo, Sokoto, Kaduna PDP Reject Sheriff... Page 40

Several parallel market operators who had been stockpiling dollars for months, were seen yesterday lamenting Continued on page 8

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Tinubu Prepares for Presidential Run, Dumps PDP, Mega Party Alliance Pencils down possible running mates Presidential aide alleges plot to cause rift between Buhari and Osinbajo, says president remains in charge Lai Mohammed: I spoke to Buhari Saturday, his condition not critical Bolaji Adebiyi and Tobi Soniyi in Abuja with agency report The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bola Tinubu has been holding a series of meetings and consultations for his bid for the presidency in 2019, THISDAY has reliably learnt.

According to sources close to the former Lagos State governor, he is also putting together a team, preparatory

for the race and has developed an elaborative strategic plan to make a bold bid for the coveted office.

In so doing, Tinubu, sources confirmed, has abandoned his initial plan of aligning with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to build a mega party to take on the APC in 2019.

Instead, Tinubu, the sources volunteered, has decided to Continued on page 8

South Africans Attack More Nigerians Alex Enumah with agency report The Nigerian community in South Africa yesterday said that another shop belonging to a member was looted in the latest xenophobic attack at Jeppestown, Johannesburg.

Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene, President of the Nigeria Union, South Africa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the phone from Pretoria that the shop was looted on

Sunday night.

“We have received information that there was an overnight attack on shops belonging to foreigners at Jeppestown, a business district in Johannesburg.

“A shop belonging to a Nigerian was affected.

“The goods in the shop were looted by the attackers. The Nigerian was not hurt during the attack.

Continued on page 8

A GIFT WORTHY OF TREASURE...

L-R: U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria W. Stuart Symington, receiving an Ife bronze head from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, during a courtesy call by the Ooni to the ambassador at the Lagos residence of the U.S. Consul General… recently

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TUESDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ ˾ T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT TINUBU PREPARES FOR PRESIDENTIAL RUN, DUMPS PDP, MEGA PARTY ALLIANCE remain in the APC, a party that he played a pivotal role setting up in 2013 and leading it to a historic victory in the 2015 elections.

Tinubu had hinted of his interest to contest for the presidency in Akure last Friday when he told reporters during the inauguration of the new governor of Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), that he could run for the office in 2019.

“There is nothing wrong with such ambition,” he said, adding: “It depends on the timing, the environment and what the political leadership dictates. I will not brush aside such an aspiration.”

Following his brushes with the leadership of the APC and his perceived marginalisation in the Muhammadu Buhari administration, he was said to have opted for building a huge alliance, using the PDP and some other parties to form a new mega party that would serve as a counterweight to the ruling APC and wrest power from it in 2019.

But Tinubu, according to sources, has had a change of mind and has decided not to leave a house he helped to build for others.

Although Buhari’s absence and concerns over his health, which may rule him out of the contest in 2019, may have played a role in Tinubu’s decision to contest for the presidency on the platform of the APC, sources informed THISDAY that the former Lagos governor’s mind is made up to make a go for the presidency.

According to a source in the know, “Asiwaju would actually prefer that the president recovers and returns hale and hearty, but he does not seek

a second term.

“But even if Buhari decides to seek a second term, Asiwaju’s mind is made up, as he will contest for the post in the APC under any circumstances.

“He is tired of being a kingmaker and has decided that he will contest under any prevailing circumstances.”

In this regard, the source said Tinubu remains on course to build a strong counter force within the APC, first in South-west, by stepping up his efforts to reconcile with all his erstwhile political associates, including former Governors Segun Osoba and Gbenga Daniel, as well as other political leaders like Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.

His goal, according to THISDAY sources, is that a reinvigorated alliance in the South-west would help him checkmate his estranged younger associates, including former Governors Kayode Fayemi and Babatunde Fashola, as well as Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, who he believes are being used to clip his political influence in the region.

With the South-west tidied up, the presidential aspirant is said to be consulting widely in the North, reaching out to the region’s political heavyweights and sourcing for alliances that will strengthen his hand in building a strong base in that part of the country.

Already, Tinubu’s team has pencilled down three names as possible running mates, a source close to the APC leader disclosed.

They are Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State due to name recognition and political considerations;

Senator Abu Ibrahim who represents Buhari’s Katsina South Senatorial District, to placate the president’s people and power bloc; and possibly the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, his well-known political associate and an expert on economic reforms that could prove very useful to a Tinubu presidency.

However, as Buhari’s absence opens the field for contenders for the presidency on the platform of the APC, his aide responsible for political affairs, Babafemi Ojudu has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by those in the opposition to cause a division between Buhari and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

Ojudu, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja yesterday, said all the successes recorded by Osinbajo while acting as president were programmes already initiated

by Buhari before he left for the United Kingdom on vacation.

He also dismissed as baseless the claim by some clerics in Katsina that Buhari was poisoned and cautioned journalists to be careful of what they pick from the social media.

He said: “The way I will react to that is that those of you in the media should be careful what you pick from the social media now, it is becoming a factory for fake news in the Nigeria.

“A lot of things you see on the social media can never be true. I saw that, I read it and I assessed it using the prism of these factors – those indices we use to analysis stories in the media and found out that it cannot be true.

“For example, they said someone stashed N77 trillion

somewhere, imagine that. What is the total value of Nigeria’s economy that they decided to use the N77 trillion as the reason for some people to poison him (Buhari), so that they can inherit the money?

“I mean we have a president that nobody in this country can question his integrity. As a young officer, a middle officer, a senior officer and as a head of state, till now, nobody has been able to tarnish his image or come up with anything.

“For me, this is not even worth responding to. As soon as I read it, I dismissed it because it is so ridiculous.

“Again it is the handiwork of our enemies, the problem is that fake news has almost become global and universal, and other countries are experiencing it.

“Those who want to destabilise the country, they come up with all kinds of stupid stories, some kind of unimaginable stories so we should just discountenance those things.”

While warning mischief makers not to cause divisions within the presidency, he insisted that most of the achievements attributed to Osinbajo were programmes already initiated by Buhari.

He cited the acting president’s visits to the oil producing states to consult with stakeholders, saying that the idea was Buhari’s.

He described those making the comparison between the president and his deputy as mischief makers.

He said: “Those people do not wish this country well.

They are always promoting a crisis. Persons who will not allow the people to benefit from this democracy are the ones promoting these kind of

divisive tendencies.”

When asked to elaborate on the comparison of the performance of Osinbajo with that of Buhari, which has the social media agog, he said: “I think it is thoughtless. I also see it as a ploy by the opposition to cause an unnecessary division.

“It is joint ticket, the president and the vice president were elected based on the manifesto of the party and since they were sworn-in, they have been committed to implementing that manifesto.

“The same people who said we never had an economic team, no policy, nothing, are the ones saying this. It is now the policies we are implementing are maturing and they are seeing the result? So it is not a question of one person being better than the other person.”

According to him, there was nothing that has been done since the vice-president started acting that was not already in the works before Buhari’s vacation in London.

“A good example is the Niger Delta initiative: the president called the vicepresident and said I am giving you the mandate, go into the Niger Delta meet with everyone who is a stakeholder, all the communities, talk to the militants and make sure you solve this problem for the benefit of Nigerians.

“And the president had said unless and until we resolve this problem, we would not get out of the recession. So the VP took up the mandate and went to the Niger Delta.

In effect, it is the initiative of Mr. President not that of the vice-president,” he added.

Ojudu also revealed that Osinbajo consults with Buhari almost everyday, especially

when major decisions are to be taken, adding that Buhari remains the president.

He said: “He (Buhari) is in charge but, like I said earlier on, this is a joint ticket and the president of Nigeria remains the president of Nigeria. He (Osinbajo) is acting because it is one and the same.

“Buhari is more experienced, he has been in the game longer than the vice-president and if there are major issues that he needs to take a decision on, he could call on him and say sir, ‘what do you think about this we are about to take decision on it, do you have an opinion’.

So that does not mean he (Osinbajo) is not in charge.”

Ojudu restated he had seen some publications aimed at causing divisions within the presidency.

“Some people who have been condemning everybody in the past, I see them on Twitter and on Facebook and generally on social media. Some people are trying to promote divisions and we are not going to allow that.

“This president and vicepresident work together and in tandem and I know they both have confidence in this nation,” he added.

know the nationalities of the shopkeepers and the police were waiting for owners to come forward, so that they could open cases of violence and damage to property.

Similar incidents have taken place in Pretoria this month, but the police have been reluctant to characterise the attacks as being directed against foreigners.

Anti-immigrant violence has flared sporadically in South Africa against a background of near-record unemployment, with foreigners being accused of criminal activities and taking jobs from locals.

Home Affairs Minister

Malusi Gigaba on Friday acknowledged violence had flared up against foreigners this year, saying that “unfortunately, xenophobic violence is not new in South Africa”.

On Friday, police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse marches by hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters in Pretoria, after mobs looted stores believed to belong to immigrants.

More than 150 people were arrested. Also, a Reuters witness said doors and windows were smashed in, and food and other items were strewn on the floor in

stores believed to belong to immigrants in Jeppestown, an area in the central business district.

“We’ve been stuck inside here until the police came,” Abdul Ebrahim, a Somali shop owner, said after emerging from his store, where a number of his colleagues had barricaded themselves.

“No one told us what they were looking for,” he added when asked why the mob had attacked his shop. At least one person was arrested.

The Nigerian Government on Thursday urged the South African government to put in place measures to end the

incessant xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in that country.

Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, gave the directive in Abuja when she met with the High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu AaronMnguni, for the second time on the issue.

The ministry had on Monday, February 20, summoned the South Africa High Commissioner over the same matter.

Nigerian buildings, property and places of worship worth millions of dollars were destroyed by South Africans on February 5 and 18.

shows the potential in this economy. This economy is bottomless when it comes to investment opportunities.

“So, ultimately, the exchange rate would improve and anybody hoarding dollars would suffer for it.”

Responding to a question on the impact of the continuing ban of 41 items from accessing the official FX market, the CBN spokesman said: “The savings we have made from the elimination of the 41 items from the FX market have been very huge.

“Nigerians are beginning to adapt to made-in-Nigeria products and indeed we have supported some local manufacturers.

“Apart from rice, we are funding the production of palm oil and other produce.

“We have two firms now producing toothpicks in

Nigeria. So, you can see that even though people criticised the removal of the 41 items, which is one thing that we held on to, to change the entire economic landscape of this country.

“No country is known to have succeeded or became great by depending on outsiders for its food, fashion, drinks, and others. We cannot continue like that.

“We must change our appetite for foreign goods and services. We are determined to fund the FX market.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves increased further to $29.414 billion, according to latest figures made available by the CBN. THISDAY’s findings showed that this represented an increase of 14 per cent over $25.843 billion at the end of last year.

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Lai Mohammed: Buhari Not Critically Ill Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed also said yesterday that Buhari was neither critically ill nor in a life threatening situation and there was no cause for alarm.

Continued on page 10

SOUTH AFRICANS ATTACK MORE NIGERIANS “We also learnt that shops belonging to other foreigners were also looted,” he said.

Anyene stated that attempts made to loot another shop belonging to a Nigerian failed as the owner called the police.

He said the value of items lost in the affected shop had not been ascertained while the incident had been reported to the Nigerian Mission and the South African police.

“We have told Nigerians to adopt protective measures to save their businesses and homes.

“The union is in touch with the Nigerian mission and our chapters in the nine provinces

of South Africa are also on alert.

“They have been directed to sensitise our people on the situation in the country and to be cautious in all their endeavours,” he said.

The South African police yesterday said no fewer than 100 people ransacked shops in Johannesburg overnight, in a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks in South African cities, reported Reuters.

“We are following up on leads and we are expecting to make more arrests,” police spokesman Brig. Mathapelo Peters said.

She said she did not

NAIRA STRENGTHENS TO N435/$ ON CBN DOLLAR GLUT that the CBN’s intervention was forcing them to off load their dollars at a loss.

But as they bemoaned their losses, market analysts cautioned that they were likely to incur more losses, as the CBN, in keeping with its determination to increase liquidity in the FX market yesterday pumped a fresh $180 million into the interbank market.

A breakdown of this amount showed that the CBN intervened sold $100 million through its special wholesale intervention forwards and pumped an additional $80 million to the banks, specifically for school fees, medicals, and Business and Personal Travel Allowanced, among other invisible transactions.

CBN also said it would with “immediate effect give Travelex $4 million weekly

to satisfy demand for travel allowances at the Lagos and Abuja airports”.

In a statement released yesterday, the CBN’s acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, said the central bank’s commitment to providing enough FX for legitimate business remains unshaken, reiterating that it would do “everything possible” to maintain the steady supply of forex to the market.

In all, the new FX measures introduced by the CBN aimed at improving liquidity in market has led to the appreciation of the naira by N85 in just one week.

Analysts are projecting that the naira might appreciate to about N400 to the dollar on the parallel market this week, effectively meeting the CBN’s objective of closing the gap

between interbank and parallel market rates.

The CBN had maintained that much of the dollar demand was a bubble created by speculators and hoarders of the greenback.

Also, speaking on a programme monitored on Raypower FM in Lagos yesterday, Okorafor urged currency dealers and others hoarding dollars to make hay and sell their holdings in order to avoid heavy losses.

He added: “I want to assure that we would provide enough liquidity in the market and we will sustain liquidity in the market. The country is opening up and foreign reserves are improving. Many people outside are beginning to realise the huge opportunities in this country.

“You can see the subscription of the Eurobond. It clearly

% 5.0 4.8 4.8 2.6 2.3 % 6.1 5.1 5.0 4.9 4.6

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STARTERS

Nnamani C’ttee Mulls Barring Officials with Pending Election Petitions from Being Sworn-in Reform panel receives 23 memoranda in S’East Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu The Chairman of the Constitution and Electoral Reforms Committee, Senator Ken Nnamani has said that the ongoing reform of his committee will discourage the swearing-in of elected officials with pending cases at the election tribunals.

Nnamani, a former president of the Senate, who spoke yesterday at the Southeast zonal public hearing on constitutional and electoral reforms in Enugu, said that the measure would discourage attempts by politicians to win at all costs.

He said politicians were in the habit of deploying unwholesome means to be declared winners, following which they would wait for their opponents to go to the tribunal.

He stressed that the need for a new Electoral Act could not be over emphasised, as laws are dynamic and must change with the dictates of time.

This came just as the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Ngozi Emehelu advocated for the extension of the 180 days statutory period within which election petitions are adjudicated, insisting that the stipulated timeframe was inadequate for petitioners to prove their cases.

The former lawmaker said: “We want to come up with a new system whereby no one can be sworn into office if they have election petitions hanging on their necks. Politicians are fond of fighting to win and saying, ‘Let’s go to court’.�

Nnamadi said it was sad that the prosecution of election cases had become more expensive than campaigns, as according to him, “Experience has shown that a majority of the cases in our courts are either pre-election or post-election matters and we want to find a way out of this.�

The former Senate president observed that the committee would ensure that future elections are credible such that no court would be able to upturn such elections, noting that this would also discourage unnecessary litigation.

He said that the prevailing circumstance where elections are won in the courtrooms was discouraging, noting: “We want to ensure that after a candidate has spent time to campaign and been given the mandate by the electorate such mandates will not be dropped at the court by way of losing in the case.�

He said the work of the committee would not go the way of others before it, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari, being a victim of electoral fraud, has shown enough political will to implement the outcome of his committee’s recommendations. “The president has been a victim, so Nigerians should not entertain any fear whether or not the report of this committee will be implemented. “I can assure you that if the president remains in office, he is most likely to implement the outcome of our work.

The easiest thing anyone can do is to criticise but we are here to listen to the public,� he said.

In her remarks, Justice Emehelu who also made a presentation at the session, said that petitioners appear to have an

NEWS Imo, Sokoto, Kaduna PDP Reject Sheriff The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued yesterday with the Imo, Sokoto and Kaduna State chapters of the party rejecting Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as their National Chairman.

Page 40

NEWS

TUESDAY FEBRUAR Y 28, 2017 Ëž T

Imo, Sokoto, Kaduna PD Makarfi, Sheri P Reject Sh ff trade barbs over reopening eriff of party’s secret ariat Email davidso

News Editor

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H I S D AY

Davidson Iriekpe

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Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Amby Uneze in Owerri, Mohammed Aminu and John Shiklamin Sokoto in Kaduna

the Mafarfi-led National Caretaker Committee. his cohorts who are established They also pledged agents of opponents.â€? are bent on destroying support the Charles In Sokoto what they Ezekwem-led to The crisis rocking State, the party did not build. survival. the Peoples executive committee under state unanimously Democratic Party He said the leadership endorsed whose decision leadership they “Therefore, we PDP in the state reaffirm of the abide of its stakeholder the party, including yesterday with (PDP) continued loyalty its elders, party resolution of the majority by the remain loyal said they would and commitmentheir total Abuja to recognise s in state and Kaduna the Imo, Sokoto executive members, and t. leaders and governors, of our to The Makarfi State chapters Makarfi’s nationalanswerable chairmen the of the signed communiquĂŠ which was the authentic national chairman as from wards to party rejecting Board of Trustees including committee caretaker local governmen Senator Ali Modu

by Iwuanayanw the party instead of areas and Sheriff as their until the decision (BoT) of the u, Ihedioha, Udenwa, of Sheriff their supporters t party to support National the Supreme of Senator are Makarfi Court They also pledged Chairman. Achonu, Kema Chikwe, Athan was favoured by the verdictthat solidly behind as the party’s Ahmed the appeal court Jerry Alagbaoso, The communiquon the matter. of only known Makarfi as the the Senator Ahmed to support ThankGod, national the Ezeani recently. chairman,� Milgoma and chairman of the e signed by Edie Mbadiwe, Its state Chairman, Makarfi-led national chairman. authenticated faction of the Chudi communique Uwazurike, Alhaji Also, in Kaduna averred. party.

Ibrahim Ezenwa Onyewuchi Milgoma, made State, the party drafting committee, “We In Imo State, critical and 25 others, Dr. John Ayuba, said journalists shortly this known to taken endorsed the decision declared its loyalty to Makarfi. stakeholders resolved to be of the party, the party by our leaders, focused after a meeting and work In a communiqu including a including the resolution e issued at the by the judgment of the stands Board ultimate in harmony with the with state executive members of Trustees (BoT) end of its state to Federal High seek party of member, objectives the Court in Port redress at executive meeting, and the the Supreme Emmanuel Iwuanyanw Chief PDP Harcourt which it maintained Court. to power in the of returning areas party 23 local government endorsed the that the reinstatemen u; former Governor of the state by 2019. “To appeal decision of the chairmen “The t 21, 2016, the irrational of Sheriff as the national Milgoma describedin Sokoto. national convention.May judgment of Udenwa; formerstate, Chief Achike focused leaders hereby resolve to be chairman by the Appeal the Appeal Deputy Speaker and work in harmony those of Port supporting Sheriff The Court communiqu Court the House of was of the ultimate Harcourt, where an of impunity in the state as with impostors Representativ which is against act in Kaduna State e said PDP objectives it gave es, Hon. PDP our party Emeka Ihedioha; and charlatans viewed the the decision to power in Imo of returning who business to a group that has no constitution of the party. of the Leader, Ambassadorformer Woman to consult State in 2019, whatsoever According to in Port Harcourt Court of Appeal with our the statement, former and presentKema Chikwe; concerningperiodically in matters which state the nullified executives and the the members of members of the decision of the national the national Ezekwem-led party, and that the convention and state assembly state unanimously Cont’d on page initiate meetings executive should rejected the Court 41 in all wards, Appeal which of government reinstated National areas and zones local Chairman of the view to properly with the party, Sheriff. briefing and In a communiqu communica end of her meetingĂŠ issued at the the state,â€? ting party faithful in it stated. yesterday in Owerri, the Imo The communiqu State capital, where ĂŠ further stated: the leaders reviewed “We reaffirm our confidence the state of the party in judiciary. in the the state and at the objective In furtherance to our national level in Court of Appealview of the recent desire and in consonance with the of Harcourt, the judgment in Port recapturethe people of Imo State to stakeholders Douglas House an absolute vote-of-conf passed we disassociate in 2019, idence on and entirely fromourselves wholly both Sheriff and

Amina Moh amm Assumes Duty ed at UN Today

Former Minister of Environmen Ms. Amina Mohammed t, “the , will be UN profile and leadership of swornin today the in Nations Deputy as the United spheres,the economic and social Secretary-General including further at the UN Headquarte efforts to strengthen the UN as a leading rs in New York. centre for developmen t policy Mohammed, who was appointed development assistance.â€? and by the UN Mohammed served as UN AntĂłnio GuterresSecretary-General Under-Secre tary-General 2016, as his deputyon December 15, Special and Adviser to to have assumed , was supposed Secretary-Ge former office on January neral, Ban Ki-moon,UN L-R: Children 1, 2017. of the deceased, Post-2015 Developmen on Dubem, She, however, t Planning. Egbuniwe Okwuosa, at St She was Jude’s AnglicanAzuka , Emeka and Chino delayed instrumental assumption of Okwuosa, Church, Oraifie, in her new role the bringing about the Anambra State....weeduring the funeral service at the for request of President 2030 Agenda Sustainable for their late father, kend Development, Buhari to complete Muhammadu including Pa. Godfrey the SDGs. Before some ongoing responsibilities joining Abiiodun Ajala the UN, at that time. she was handling three Mohammed worked for successive The News Agency Nigeria, serving administrations in of Nigeria as Special Adviser (NAN) reported on MDGs. that Guterres while announcing had, She provided Mohammed alongside two advice on Alex Enumah in Abuja issues including other

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Malabu Oil Block Forfeiture Know Fate : Shell, Agip March 13 , Others

EDITORIAL Disobedience to Court Order

If there is anything that the current administra- tion is increasingly being notorious for, it is in the manner it disregards court orders. Former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as well as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky... Page 15 I

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Disobedience to court

orders constit f there is anything utes threat to tion is increasin that the current administ the rule of law gly being notorious rathe manner for, it disregard s court orders. it is in National Security Former (rtd), Mr. Nnamdi Adviser, Col. Sambo British – and Dasuki he came into People of Biafra Kanu of the Indigeno passport? Do this country us (IPOB) as well Movement as the Islamic with sophistic you know he came into without any of Nigeria (IMN) ated equipme this country Ibrahim Leader, Sheikh for Radio Biafra?� nt and was different times, El-Zakzaky and his broadcasting wife have all, at All the orders secured judgments to be admitted have been ignored. to bail.

What is more his recourse worrisome to cue from the is that, apparent condemnations self help has elicited federal governm ly taking a ernments have ent, including Nobel from several Nigerian several also now adopted state govs, laureate, Prof. court orders Soyinka. “If the habit of Wole such that today, a court grants ignoring such judicial bail, I don’t decisions that there are over 100 care what crimean individual of the various are ual is accused the individelected governm being disregarded are many avenues of,â€? said Soyinka. many of the by ents in the for security cases, the Attorney “There country. In quest without agencies to SANs) have outing the s-General (includin pursue their ďŹ led appeals wrong, orders execution just and we dare and motions of g not continue the court. It is to for stay of one of us – To the extent circumvent the law. to keep silent a citizen of that Section this nation, when tarised or civilianis which the 287 of the whether milipresident, governor constitution and some excuse ed – is granted bail tors swore s, ministers by the court is given for to uphold has court. That and legislaouting the imposed a is order of the binding duty APPARENTLY to all of us. the only arbitration avenue on TAKING We all must that authorities A put an end belongs CUE FROM the orders and to this of the THE persons to GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL obey the We agree with court by any governm contempt of judgments entâ€?.

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Letters to the Editor

Nnamani uphill task proving their cases because of limited timeframe, suggesting that some areas of the Electoral Act needed to be tinkered with to make more time available for adjudication. “The Electoral Act gives 180 statutory days within which to conclude petitions, but there are certain things that need to be put in place even before the adjudication starts. “It does appear that petitioners have an uphill task, because time is not on their side, so there is need to tinker with some aspects of the law,� she said.

Justice Emehelu said that the Constitution and Electoral Act also need to empower tribunals to make consequential orders in the course of adjudication to accommodate the reliefs not sought by petitioners. “There have been cases where petitions were well fought, but were lost because the proper reliefs were not sought by parties. “We recommend that the tribunal be given legal teeth to make consequential orders to grant such reliefs not sought,� she said.

The chief judge said that the Electoral Act has been constantly criticised due to its inherent flaws notwithstanding the several alterations, stressing that “the problem with the system is not with our procedural laws but the unwillingness to enforce the electoral laws�. “We recommended that the report of the Justice Uwais committee should be called into play when your committee is doing its work,� she added.

Justice Emehelu further called for the employment of more judges across the country to make up for lost time by the courts due to the enrollment of several judges to adjudicate in election matters. “It is better to use high court judges to sit on election petitions but it has become necessary to employ more judges to check the depletion of our courts during election petitions hearings,� Justice Emehelu said.

On his part, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

of Enugu State advocated for constitutional reforms that will take care of the lapses in Nigeria’s current electoral processes.

He said the call was necessary as a result of some of the obstacles associated with the elections and their aftermath in Nigeria.

He outlined some of the shortcomings to include: the huge financial cost which the conduct of elections entails, loss of lives and property during elections, violence as well as a general feeling of discontent, disenchantment and bitter litigation that follow each voting exercise. “Reforms in our electoral processes are without doubt very critical, since it is generally accepted that free and fair elections not only constitute the pivot upon which democracy thrives and grows, but it also guarantees the peace and stability needed for the rapid and holistic development of the nation. “It also needs not be emphasised that the severe economic and security challenges currently facing our country today, make it imperative for us to do all that is necessary to reduce tension in the polity, to enable us focus attention on national development and also reinvent among our people a sense of patriotism and unwavering belief in our country,� he said.

Ugwuanyi added that the idea of granting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a first line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund and granting it financial autonomy also needs to be critically re-examined, in view of the recession and the application of Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy in the country.

He later commended the federal government for creating the opportunity for Nigerians to bare their minds on how best to entrench credible and hitch-free electoral processes in the country.

No fewer than 23 memorandums were received by the committee at the public hearing – the first of seven more that will be held across the country.

“Mr. President called me at 2.43 p.m. on Saturday and we spoke. “If Mr. President is in the hospital or is critically ill, as Minister of Information, I will give daily bulletins on his health. “Mr. President is neither critically ill nor in the hospital and there is nothing life threatening about the checks he is going through,� he said.

Speaking on the economy, the minister blamed corruption for the spike in commodity prices.

He said no economy in the world could survive the blind and reckless looting perpetrated by the previous administration. “If one person was found with almost $10 million in an uncompleted house

and another with $136 million in a fake account and another with N7 billion, how can the economy survive that kind of looting. “Naturally, the price of commodities will go up. “These are funds meant for the development of infrastructure and for the provision of services. “That is why you cannot do anything with the economy without first facing corruption squarely. “But the good news is that the government is doing both together, as we are fighting corruption, we are also making sure that we get out of recession by investing heavily on infrastructure.�

Letters in response to speciďŹ c publicatio readers may TO OUR READERS ns in THISDAY opinions on send such letters along should topical local, 1000 words). national and with their contact details be brief (150-200 internatio words) and They should to opinion@ straight to the be sent to opinion@nal issues provided thisdayliv point. Intereste thisdaylive.com they are well-writt e.com. We also welcome en and should along with the comments andd also not be longer email address than (950and phone numbers of the writer.

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respectfully bring Capital Territory the Honourable Minister very warm of the Federal Foremost I felicitations wo ld l

POLITICS Unethical Policing

TINUBU PREPARES FOR PRESIDENTIAL RUN, DUMPS PDP, MEGA PARTY ALLIANCE The minister reiterated this position in Umuahia at the second town hall meeting for the South-east and the launch of the national reorientation campaign, “Change Begins With Me’’ in Abia.

The minister, who was asked to tell the country about the health of the president and whether there was need for regular briefings on his health, restated that there was no reason for such briefings.

Mohammed disclosed that the president spoke with him on Saturday in the afternoon and there was no reason for Nigerians to be worried. “I can say here very boldly and confidently that there is absolutely no cause for alarm.

Two-Minute BrieďŹ ng

of

GREEN AREAS

N

POLITICS

T H I S D AY

EXECUT

IVE BRI EFIN

Ëž TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Group Politic s Editor Olawa le Olaleye Email wale.o laleye@thisda ylive.com 0811675981 9 SMS ONLY

Unethical Polic G ing

The report of the Commission administrative panel of inquiry set up on police compromithe lapses in the Rivers State rerun by the Independent National sed its integrity Electoral during the polls elections last week rippe bout two weeks , Davidson Iriek d open how the presented the after the police report of its pen writes investigative joint panel on rerun legislative the elections

About two weeks after the police presented the report of its joint investigative panel on the rerun legislative elections in Rivers State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last week released damning report of its administrative inquiry... Page 16

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Rivers State, in the National Electoral Independent has proactivel (INEC) last Commission week police officers y taken action against of its administr released damning report ative inquiry, panel report indicted by the investigat six police as substantia blaming the to have comprom ive in serious crises that rocked lly responsible ised, engaged misconduct, for the the election. and for other misuse of firearms, the five-man According panel led by Electoral Act conducts in violation National Commissi the commissi to and other enabling of the on’s the Rivers Ibeanu, it cited oner, Professor Okechukw laws during rerun the obstructiv u “They were election. of security agencies e involvem arrested, investigat subjected to led to the failure as one of the factors ent ed and internal disciplina that of the electoral after being found some local governme guilty, they ry measures, and paraded nt areas. It saidprocess in were dismissed compromised the the police 6, 2017 and before the media on that many securityintegrity of the election January are and agencies whose awaiting prosecutio operatives were and willfully n. Other personnel partisan obstructed by the Joint the process.

Though the Investigative were also indicted report to Panel are expected partially blamed do the same officials of to their personnel the commissi in the report during the on for some some indicted without any polls, lapses statement said. further delay,� one of the major it cited police’s activities the reasons the as The Force in some parts re-run election had earlier submitted in the month, senior police of the state failed. It said the report officers around most of its joint up by the Inspector behaved in during the election disturbing manners General of panel set Ibrahim Idris, lure INEC Police (IG), and tried to to probe the officials away the rerun legislative crises that rocked from their The panel posts. elections in which was last December review the Rivers State mandated preparations state governme. The report alleged personnel and and deployme to: that N360million nt bribed INEC officials the election; identifymaterials on the eve nt of to rig the polls with candidates apparent failure the factors leading of the of the Peoples in favour of the to the of processes (PDP). Speaking Democrat government ic areas; determine in some local the panel report during the presentati Party and possible the involveme Damian Okoro, to the IG, the chairman, on of the conduct culpability of INEC officials nt DCP added that in established the committe recommend and outcome of the cases election; appropriate e electoral officers of misconduct against erring officials sanctions against who, according and law enforcement some on appropria and advise the commissi agents, te measures to be comprom to him, allowed themselve its report, blamed going forward, on ised in their in But from INEC’s line of duties. s failure of aspects security agencies report last no doubt that of the elections “for the local governme the police did week, there is in some its report released not Recall that nt areas.� earlier in the do justice in force in its Idris...police Ibrahim Idris,the Inspector General of month. The efforts to absolve in murky water wrong doings personnel to had deployed 28, 000 Police, itself of during the the state governme polls, blamed some deployed werethe state for the election.police But the most both the regular personnel mind-bog Also of hostage recorded during nt and INEC for the in the state lapses on ground taking, hijack gling were cases by and the elections.

Part of the physical attacks Air Force, and thousands of soldiers, security operative of materials Navy, and on INEC officials s. panel was shoddy job of the police “Of singular The panel civil defence officers. when perpetrated probe note it said failed to unveil was a certain the massive responsible named Akin of security policeman for deployme by the federal DSP Mohamm the gruesome murder those Commander Fakorede, who ostensibly a major complaint government nt of the ed Alkali of the Special is a when was raised by (SARS) in Rivers Anti-Robb the commissi accusing fingers and his orderly even the staff of on and ad State. Fakorede ery Squad certain had been pointed to lure INEC the major impedime hoc staff persons. Specificall first to y, the INEC nts to the freeas one of Port Harcourt staff to travel with him tried fingered the the election. report state Command to Emohua from Fakorede, flow of It area under local governme deployed were also said the security er of SARS, who a week the nt been to the election, collate results. pretext of enabling even engaged mostly partisan, with agents them to Wike,complained about by had Governor Nyesom But for the of ballot boxes,in ballot snatching, many to the stuffing intervention intimidation was distrib police high command Commis i all oth of N ti th f

FEATURES No End in Sight to Farmers, Herdsmen

FEATURES

TUESDAY, FEBRUA RY

28, 2017 Ëž T

H I S D AY

Acting Featur es Editor Charle s Ajunwa Email charle s.ajunwa@this daylive.com

No End in Sig ht to Farmers , Herdsmen Cl ashes

Clashes One of the biggest security challenges Nigeria has been grappling with in recent times is the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen. A long term effect, aside the increasing number of deaths, destruction of farmlands and properties... Page 18 O

The 2017 budg and herdsmen,et does not seem to provi sufficiency. Damindicating that the gove de the solutions to the inces rnment is proba sant ilola Oyedele bly paying lip clashes between farme writes rs service to its plan for food

A cattle rearer

ne of the biggest challenges Nigeria security has been grappling with is the incessant in recent times farmers and clashes between herdsmen. A term effect, aside long number of deaths, the increasing destruction and properties of farmlands reprisal attacks,, sometimes of entire villages in Several states is the threat to food security. of the federation experiencing have been continuous Benue, Kaduna, attacks, particular ly have also been Nasarawa, Taraba and there pockets of rep in Ekiti O t d

the North-eas Southwards. t, the herders have to move As climate change caused

more desertifica and watering tion in Northern Nigeria, establishm 95 per cent of grounds disappearing with commissi ent of a national were forced Lake Chad drying up, grazing reserve on. nomads foliage and to move Southwards Recently, Taraba water to find Darius to the Governan for the cattle. Accordin Ishaku, and State Governor, Mr. ce Advancem g his Benue counterpa for Nigeria ent Initiative Mr. Samuel Ortom, rt, at a meeting the land in the (GAIN), about 15 per to solve North-east became cent of jointconstant communal clashes for the nomads borders, advocated along due to activitia no-go area embraced Haram that ran hi their t f

BUSINESS OPEC: Global Spending on Oil Production

Fell by $300bn in Two Years The Organisation of Petroleum BUSINESSW ORLD Exporting Countries has said that between 2015 and 2016, the global oil and gas industry witnessed a sharp contraction in its overall investment in exploration and production, mainly on account of the market imbalance witnessed within these periods.

OPEC: Global Fell by $300bn Spending on Oil Produc in Two Years tion Page 21 Í°ÍśËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻ

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FIRSTLOUNGE LAUNCH

L-R: Chief Superinte ndent First Street Limited, Bayoof Customs, Aliyu Toro; MD/CEO launch in lagos Adeniji and Deputy First Bank of ‌recently Nigeria Limited Managing Director, and Subsidiar First Bank of Nigeria Limited, ies, Adesola Adedunta n; Director, Gbenga Shobo at the FirstLoun ge

Chineme Okafor

in Abuja

ENER GY The Organisat ion of Petroleum Exporting Countrie Barkindo explained s has said that between that the industry the global oil 2015 and 2016, in any cannot afford to take and gas indust more drop in wit i

PROPERTY FG Develops Draft National Plan for

Implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction A draft National Plan of Action for the implementation of the Sendai Framwork (2015-2030), a global initiative on disaster risk reduction, has been developed for Nigeria.

Page 28

drop in 2016.

Combined, equates to above this According $300 billion. “This has remain a fuel to him, oil will of choice for projects comi impacted new for th b

6-MONTH 9-MONTH 12-MONTH

21 Group Busine ss Editor ChikaA Email: chika.a manzenwachuk manze-Nwachuku wu@thisdayliv e.com 08033294157, 08057161321

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Quick Takes Opuama Field

Output Hits Eland Oil and 150tb well in Nigeria’sGas Plc has announc ed that the OML 40 license barrels of oil has produced Opuama-3 since over 150,000 2017. In addition, the company’s last update on January of crude export the company announce d the implemen 31, from the Opuama continues to tation field through ramp up successfu arrived at the shipping lly. The first terminal last shuttle vessel barrels of crude, week and injected Eland said. around 39,000 “We have designed and engineere alternative d a unique export and dedicated shut-in at Forcadosroute via shipping due to the prolonge Terminal Officer, Mr. d George Maxwell,� said Eland’s Chief “This has involved Executive . significant capital lenges and it partners that is of enormous credit and operational chalto a full export we are able to report that our staff and all our cycle with one we have complete The company vessel,� he d added.

Opuama field had restarted crude oil existing systemsthrough the successfu production in the and the reopenin l recommissioning Gross output of g of two existing aggregate at from the two wells is wells. expected to 2,500 b/d of stabilize in oil.

Nestoil Showc

ases Exper Nestoil Limited, - one of sub-Sahathe flagship company tise at NOG of the Obijackso ran Africa’s is showcasi n Group fastest growing ng Gas (NOG) its expertise in the ongoing conglomerates, Conference Nigerian Oil holding in Specifically, and Abuja.

Nestoil will conference, “A leverage the theme of this the growth of Journey Towards Transform year’s indigenous capacity ation�, to showcase oil compani to investors es. and internatio The company nal ’s Group Managing Azudialu described Director, Mr. Ernest ObiejesiOffshore Technolo the NOG as Nigeria’s version of Texas and enjoinedgy Conference (OTC) the held operators to afforded by explore the annually in the gathering opportunities to foreign investors and to show our country’s business in potential highlight the Nigeria. benefits of According doing to him “L

PROPERTY & ENVI

T H I S D AY

RONMENT FG Devel Draft Nation of Disasterops al Plan for Im Risk Redu plementation ction Ëž TUESDAY, FEBRUA

RY 28, 2017

The Federal Government, developed a with support draft National of the United Sendai Fram ework (2015 Plan of Action for the imple Nations Development -2030). Benn Programme draft National ett Oghifo repormentation of disaster risk (UND included: Plan of Director-G reduction, know P), has Ac- National ts tion for Emergency eneral, the ment Managen as the implementation Agency (NEMA), Muhamm Alhaji of

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ad Sani the SenGeneral, Nigeria Sidi; Directordai Framewor (2015-2030), a global initiativek Services AgencyHydrological on disaster (NIHSA); Chairman, risk House Committe been developedreduction, has on Emergenc e for Nigeria.

The draft Preparedness; y and Disaster National Plan Chairman, House of Action committe last week was developed placed e on Internally Disat persons; Senior the National a meeting of Assistant Special Platform Disaster Risk for Internally to the President on displaced a nationally Reduction (DRR), a persons; representa owned and multi-stakeholder led Governme tive of the Local nts; a representa special emphasis forum with of the tive Academia; on Disaster Risk Manageme Representative of the UNDP; and reflects the nt. The platform of the Ambassad representative the federal commitment of or of France.

At implement government to Nigeriathe meeting, UNDP national and Disaster Risk local in the reaffirmed its believe crucial role (DRM) activities Management functiona of l National a fully up to internation while linking on Platform platform was al efforts. The in Disaster Risk Reduction Nigeria.

July 13th, 2010 inaugurated on amongst “Today’s meeting, by the then others, will President.

Vice and reposition revitalise the platform Platform on towards the Last week’s DRR meets... of a Programmdevelopment Participant meeting of National Platform e of Action the for the s at the opening Sendai Framewo on Disaster ceremony of Risk Reduction strengthen the meeting rk, Regional that produced ed of the National the draft Platform SEMA compact,NEMA and held National Plan Platform for meeting Action was Disaster Risk in Mauritius while laying of a good programm organised Reduction, es of Governm held in Abuja...

National Emergenc by the multi foundation for better recommended (2016), which at all ent to provide levels; emphasis the need recently stakeholder y Management Agency for importanc response and National Plan of Action DRR ed the managem for each country, (PoA) streaming e of gender main- agreed to set up solutions; outcome: support of (NEMA) with the country.� ent of disasters in a technical the the to implemen the substantia Developm United Nations Sendai framewor reduction of t and calls in DRR activities committee to come l ent The up with recomme on Programm Director-G Before developin k.

(UNDP). It losses in lives,disaster risk and take appropriaGovernment to strengthenndations for eneral, held at Rockviewe National Emergenc g the livelihoods the te action in Hotel, Abuja and y Manage- National Plan of Action draft regard; recommen this Platform ing of the National health and in the ment Agency from the 21st for the economic, 22nd February, (NEMA), Alhaji implementation to Muhamm of disaster risk adequate budgetary ded that the need on DRR; recognised physical, social, cultural ad reduction, to Institution environmental Participants 2017. allocation and for DRR be “the UNDP Sani Sidi thanked reviewed the National Platform alise were drawn policies in made by all and the entire State Emergenc from System all sectors DRR sons, businesses assets of perof governme UN implemenand harmonised y Managem , communi nt; re-affirmedtiers national life; resolved of our and the need Agencies (SEMAs), ent support for their continuou ties countries. tation of the National for States to that s existing and, the State and istries of Environm current framewor especially, Min- co-sponso Platform shall The Sendai strengthen SEMAsestablish and twice for developm Framewo meet the ent, Federal ring this yearly on rotational Ministries, and for local successor instrumen rk is ent policies, ks into governments meeting year’s Departments across the planning Agencies (MDAs), t to the and partnershof the platform. Our and programmes. geopolitical basis Hyogo Framewo Emergency to establish Local The zones. (HFA) Management rk Local Govip with the next for The ernments, Non-Gove meeting Action platform Com2005-2015: UNDP the has been very is scheduled then adopted mittees (LEMCs), Building the rnmental Organisations following to perform to hold in October, Resilience rewarding the critical every facet resolution of in a communi 2017 in Calabar, Cross (NGOs), Acaroles of DRR. demia, Paramilita Communities Nations and River State. que issued s, in They advocated management of disaster risk end to ry, Media, at the Organised in the country.� of its meeting: for The Sendai Disasters.

Private that Federal of established institutionthe use Sendai Framewo Ministries, Framework based Organisati Sector, Faith The for Disaster as NOA, s such The Departments rk...

NAN, Agencies, Sendai Framewo and etc, International ons (FBOs) and The process...

2015-2030 wasRisk Reduction States and for effective the Media, 15-year, meeting discussed rk is a Third Developm adopted at Governments Local advocacy and Partners. voluntary, non-bindin ent Hyogo the UN World should develop awareness programm The and agreement framework implement Some dignitaries which recogniseg in Sendai, Japan, Conference es at the and its successor, (2005 - 2015), programm locally oriented grassroots level; , at the event, s 18, on March presented remarks, that MDAs, that the State/nation the Sendai to designate es of Framework has the of 2015. It is the outcome primary role desk officers addresses (2015 – 2030). tualise the Sendaiaction to ac- Disaster and goodwill stakeholder to Also, the meeting messages. These Risk Reduction for risk but that reduce disaster initiated consultations The participan framework. their considered responsibility the outcomes in should in March various ts also affirmed the 2012 and be shared of the African resolved to establishments; stakehold need with other inter-governmental negotiation leverage on DRR into plans,to mainstream ence, s sci- governme ers, including local from July 2014 to March technology, policies and supported nt, academia and indigenou by the United2015, and other the private sector tions s knowledg stakeholders.

Office for Disaste Nae It aims f R d Ri k

‘REDAN Economi RBuilding Expo Will

INTERNATIONAL Oscars 2017: Moonlight Wins Best Picture after Announcement Mix-up Moonlight has won best picture at the Oscars - but only after an error saw La La Land initially declared the winner.

The La La Land producers were in the middle of their acceptance speeches when the mistake was discovered.

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TUESDAY FEBRUAR Y 28, 2017 Ëž T

H I S D AY

INTERNATIONA L email:foreigndesk@

Oscars 2017: Mo Wins Best Pict onlight ure after Announcem ent Mix-up

39

thisdaylive.com

Moonlight has won best picture the Oscars - but at Yet this year’s only after an error ceremony will saw La La Land Universe winner initially declared be remembered for its the winner. in 2015. closing moments, when It was La La Warren Beatty The La La Land Jordan Horowitz Land producer producers were and Faye Dunaway arrived in the middle who announced stage to announce on of the best picture there had been a mistake. speeches when their acceptance winner. the mistake was “This is not a discovered.

Beatty had been audience, showingjoke,� he told the mistakenly PriceWaterhouseCooper the correct handed the previous winner’s “Moonlight is best picture.� card. , the accountancy firm Beatty returned responsible for envelope, containing a card counting the that said Emma Stone to the ballots, apologised had won best microphone to explain for the mix-up. actress for La he had been given La Land. an envelope La La Land still It was this card ended up the that Dunaway Emma Stone’s name inside.with biggest winner read from, of “That is why I home six Oscars the night, taking La La Land mistakenly declaring look at Faye,� took such a long to be best picture actress award including a best creating the veteran actor and continued. for Emma what Stone later described funny.� “I wasn’t trying to Moonlight’s surprise Stone. as “the craziest be best picture Oscar moment win took its haul of “Very clearly even to three, the low- all time�. budget film having In this can’t be true,� in my dreams the adapted screenplayearlier won PriceWaterho a statement, said useCooper “sincerely� director Barry Jenkins. Moonlight award and a best supporting “But apologised to with it because hell this is true. It’s Mahershala Ali. actor prize for said was for the error, which it true, down to the presenters it’s not fake.�

Casey Affleck Paying tribute was named best having “mistakenly been actor for Manchester to the team given behind the wrong category La La Land for while Viola Davis by the Sea, the way “We are currently envelope�. was named investigating they handled the mistake, he best supporting how this could said: “We actress Damien Chazelle, for Fences. deeply regret have happened, and these have been on the road with guys La that and it this occurred.�

32-year-old director, La Land’s Host Jimmy and so generous was so gracious Kimmel said youngest film-makerbecame the blamed of he Speaking backstage,them.� best director Oscar. to win the error - Steve Harvey for the Emma Stone said a reference to Harvey’s to it had been “an amazing thing mistake in announcing hear the Miss picture. La La Land� named best

UK Prime Minis ter’s Trade Envoy , John Howe Visits Nigeria ll Egyptian busine ssmen visit too

Alex Enumah

in Abuja

ambition for the The United Kingdom future cities like development of to interface (UK) Prime the Centenary with their Nigerian Minister’s Trade cities project, counterpart.

John Howell Envoy to Nigeria and needs and Nigeria’s plans is The visit is scheduled two-day visit in Abuja on a innovation. on technology and to run from February 26th starting Monday 27th February. to “In addition, and would see the 6 of March them interacting According to will engage the Trade Envoy and exploring with the the British Higha statement from Stock various Exchange and Nigerian the Nigerian economy sectors of office in Abuja, Commission’s continued encourage with a view of deepening business relations is his second sincethe visit, which both our cooperation between between Nigeria at strengthenin 2016, is aimed financial Stock Exchanges and and Egypt. g According to the existing trade and promoting an effort institutions as part of Ahmed Maher, a statement by relations between to help the UK and Nigeria.

Head of The Press capital markets�, grow Nigeria’s and Information he In view of the On the Nigerian-Britistated.

Embassy, “The Office, Egypt visits meetings sh Chamber have been scheduled AOI of Commerce the delegation is coming to to take place Nigeria to market with a range “The Nigerian-BrTrade Envoy said their products of and they are offering which include key stakeholders of Commerce itish Chamber theirqualit Nigeria’s Mi h d i d

SPORTS CAF Elections: Day of Long Knives in Abuja

Ahead of today’s emergency Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board meeting called by the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, at his office at the National Stadium in Abuja, there is apprehension in football circles in the country that the forum may be used to create fresh trouble in the administration of the game here.

Page 45

Y 28, 2017

TUESDAYSPO

CAF Elections: RTS Day of Long Kn ives in Abuja

45

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ik hazuagbe@t hisdaylive.co m

Duro Ikhazuag be

go ahead to Ahead of today’s in voting for use his discretion They also argued the candidate Nigeria Football emergency will that advance the that the considera Federatio (NFF) board growth of interest of Nigerian football meeting called n football in the country. tion. should be paramou the Sports Minister, by are they “We have consulted indeed football nt over now fretting Why any personal Solomon Amaju Dalung, at stakehold interest and within the executive widely in Nigeria that his office at and discovere ers was mandated National Stadium of the the supporthas openly declared his NFF, the sports to commit ministry and our dismay that there d to this country there is apprehenin Abuja, Is Nigeriafor Ahmad Ahmad? to supportin evidence where is no sion in stressed not just one vote?� football circles Mr Pinnick Mr Ahmad,� the statemeng the board member read in part. that the forumin the country on telephone t with THISDAY to create fresh may be used He administration trouble in the heard admitted to have also. speculatio of the game here. to use the board ns of trying The meeting members to oust agenda: Nigeria’shas just one if he Pinnick from the position refused position on the Confeder of the ministerto toe the line ation of African Football (CAF) in voting for Presidential Hayatou.

Election. “If anybody is thinking The minister of and some interfering in the activities Nigerians in of the board, are known CAF committees wasting they are just to their be openly opposed to 2017. The era time. This is for MadagascPinnick’s support individua when certain ar’s FA President, ls Ahmad Ahmad discredite who have who is administr d world-wide inbeen challenging ation of football the the coveted Isa Hayatou for think will position. they can use One of the any of us is over,� told THISDAYboard members further the board member observed except for one last night that The minister . or two members who had earlier of the NFF board, Pinnick has opposed Pinnick’s aspiration a solid support to contest for men and that base among his CAF a seat on the want to force any attempt to at theexecutive also maintained the position the board change was weekend that Nigeria not in support December 18 it reached at its Ahmad. of Ahmad it asked the Congress where Nigerian his discretionpresident to use included members of CAF in voting at the four CAF election presidents – former NFF may be resisted.

Amos Adamu, “Nobody Dominic Oneya, go against can force us to and Sani Lulu the position Aminu Maigari reached at the we – issued December 18 a press statement condemni Congress. We Pinnick, ng stand and givenhave taken a support while pledging their the President for incumben t CAF President Issa Hayatou.

Barcelona’s duo of Lionel Messi (left) and Neymar may miss the ďŹ nal of the UEFA Champions League due to Brexit

Ordega Plans Foo Academy to Emp tball U E F A C H A M P I O N S LEAGU ower Bre E Young Girls xit May Force Messi,

Donates educa tional mater to schools in ial Benue State Super Falcons’

Neymar to Mis s Final

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

COMMENT

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

THE SEASON OF INIQUITY

Emmanuel Ojeifo contends that the Big Brother Naija reality show devalues our humanity

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re there Nigerians watching the reality TV show called ‘Big Brother Naija’ (BBN)? Just as I was preparing to address a summit of Catholic youths in Abuja last week, a colleague sent me snippets of hard truths, which were largely his conclusions on the iniquitous show and the harm it does to our collective social morality. The snippets provided me with ample raw material to speak about the moral and spiritual foundation of good leadership to the audience of over 200 young people. This is what he wrote: “The winner of the notorious Big Brother Naija is expected to walk away with N25 million and a car. All it requires is: live with a set of fellow crazy people, do all sorts of immoral things and win! If only there could be an educating version of such. If only they could house intelligent scholars like this and make them compete for similar prizes. But No! Our people do not encourage sanity. The best in Mathematics competitions walk home with ridiculous stipends; laughable prizes while these morons in BBN earn millions for coming to suck breasts on international TV.” He continued: “How do we nurture and produce the next Chike Obis, the next Chinua Achebes and the next Wole Soyinkas? What foundation are we laying for the coming generations? What messages of hope and legacies are we leaving behind?” When I finished reading this soul-stirring piece to the youths, I noticed that it imposed a chilling feeling on everyone. It got them thinking. I could see it on their faces.

Sadly, this is what our Nigerian society has become today. We are living in an age without values, without morals and without principles. Ours can rightly be described as a country that very well typifies the Seven Deadly Social Sins spelt out by the Indian sage Mahatma Gandhi: “Wealth without Work, Pleasure without Conscience, Knowledge without Character, Commerce without Morality, Science without Humanity, Religion without Sacrifice, Politics without Principle.” And for as long as we continue on these paths, our march towards greatness as a nation will remain crippled.

I am really concerned about the future of our young people.

What values are we transmitting to them today, in a society where immorality and stupidity are rewarded with big prizes?

Are today’s parents concerned about what their children are doing on their iPads, iPhones and computers? Do they censor what they watch on TV? What are our religious and educational institutions doing to stem the tide of iniquity that has become the order of the day in our society? Yesterday’s children grew up, lived and died within a small community. Today’s children, on the other hand, face a kaleidoscope of choices, and tomorrow’s children will enter an even more diverse world. Are we doing enough to help our children navigate the great moral complexities of the new world they are entering into?

Many of today’s young people are eager to settle for a life of

WHAT VALUES ARE WE TRANSMITTING TODAY IN A SOCIETY WHERE IMMORALITY AND STUPIDITY ARE REWARDED WITH BIG PRIZES?

comfort. They often speak glibly about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg who turned their backs on university education to pioneer breakthroughs in the world of ICT. Yet they forget that success did not come to these billionaires on a platter of gold. Hard work, discipline, commitment and determination were the hidden secrets. Many young people of today do not want to work. They lack the discipline to organise their lives around priorities. They revel in half-baked ideas and waste a lot of time doing frivolous things on social media, when they should constructively and positively engage in enriching human, social, intellectual, and spiritual activities.

As a result of the warped values that we have come to imbibe as a society, many young people no longer cherish the value of deferred gratification. They just want to enjoy all the pleasures and luxuries of life at the instance, without the patient effort of hard work, sacrifice and discipline. We are living with a new generation of young people who display character traits that expose them as seekers of shortcuts to a life of comfort. Values such as integrity, honesty and truth, which used to hold the pillars of family, communal and social life, have all fizzled away. A man’s respect is gauged by how much money he has in his pocket and young people are no longer perturbed about bringing shame, odium, ridicule and disgrace to their family name. That is why thieves and rogues are celebrated today with all manner of chieftaincy titles and honorary doctorate degrees today.

We cannot continue to revel in a society that places a high premium on iniquitous shows such as BBN and expect to groom a generation of cultured, disciplined and morally upright leaders. We need a revolutionary change of mindset to break out of a despondent youth culture of mediocrity and immorality. Parents need to know that they are the architects of their children’s future. The values that they uphold and espouse have a great effect on their children. Values are very important. They are the ideas we have about what is important and what is not; what is good and what is bad; what is right and what is wrong. Values stand behind our beliefs, attitudes, interests and goals. They affect what we do with our free time, how we spend our money, what friends we choose, how we dress and what we eat. In other words, values give meaning and direction to every aspect of our lives. Without good moral values, we are sure to miss our way on the great pilgrimage of life.

The promoters of this immoral BBN show must ask now themselves what they intend to make out of it. They must ask themselves what values and morals they are projecting to the larger Nigerian society. They must honestly answer if they’d be proud to gather their children in their living rooms at home and make them watch such a distasteful show.

Ojeifo is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja

WHERE ISYOUR HUMANITY? The Italian Embassy should treat Nigerians with dignity, writes Joseph Ushigiale

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n the last two weeks or so, scores of Nigerians who have been repatriated from Libya after waiting in vain to transit to Italy have been regaling whoever cares to hear heart rending stories of rape and other inhuman treatment meted to them by the Libyan authorities. It is therefore inconceivable that in this age and time, a foreign embassy in Nigeria would not be sensitive enough and still deliberately subject citizens of its host country to very unsavoury treatment in the name of delivering consular services.

It is doubtful if Italians in their home country will endure the treatment meted out last Wednesday to Nigerians at their embassy in Lagos, where old men, women and kids who are duly on appointment; but when they arrived very early to honour their appointments, were subjected to wait for long hours outside their gate and in the process exposing them to the vagaries of harsh weather.

This reporter got a taste of the Italian hospitality at the embassy last Wednesday when he went with his family to complete some consular documentation. For an appointment he was given by the consular officer January 25, he left home as early as 7am with his family, braving the notorious Lagos traffic along CMS/Marina axis and finally made his way to the embassy’s gate at 8.29am.

The slip on which his appointment was written instructed him to “Come personally and collect your visa.” So the thinking was that the appointment would be brief and over with in less than an hour, but a rude shock awaited them.

On arriving there at 8.29am, there were already over 30 persons converged on the gate, some of whom said they arrived as early as 6am. Yet, there was no displayed time of opening anywhere, neither was there a place for people to sit nor a convenience.

Gradually, seconds grind to minutes and minutes to hours. Meanwhile the gate remained shut with the security men periodically opening to collect papers from those on appointment.

Children who came with their parents were already agitated as the sun gradually rose with temperature climbing gradually to 30’C before peaking at 31’C at noon.

The most pathetic part of this story was the plight of teenagers and some ‘seniors’ who could no longer stand and had to resort to sit on the dusty pavement, famished and thirsty. One woman backing a few months’ old child pleaded with the security personnel by the gate to grant her entry to breast feed and change her child. She was told to do it right there.

It was so ridiculous to learn that there were no tags for people to wear and access the facility. One of the security men told THISDAY that everything worked perfectly well until last Monday when a new order put a spanner in the whole arrangement, which now subjects people to long wait outside the gate. Curiously, there was space inside to take all the people who were left drying in the sun.

But as we waited in frustration not knowing when we would be called or attended to, we witnessed a steady stream of ‘others’ comprising

mostly of expatriates and some ‘privileged few’ accessed the facility and leave in quick succession. For this select few, the situation was so pronounced that names were written for security personnel to open the gate and ask: who is from LAWMA; anyone from Zenith Bank? Annoyingly, some of these people were not even anywhere near the vicinity while their names were being fast-tracked. Those of us on ground were ignored.

Anyway, five hours after we arrived, we finally made our way in at about 1pm, after engaging the security people in hot exchanges. We presented ourselves before the woman who attended to us. She asked us for individual identification and directed that we go back to the waiting area and wait for her boss. After about 30 minutes, we were called and told to write our names and mobile number and that we’ll be contacted. We left without seeing her ‘boss’ and as far as we were concerned, did not achieve anything which amounted to a wasted day and efforts.

So we were subjected to this frustrating five-hour wait for an encounter that did not last for more than 45 minutes. To think that we wasted five whole hours in the sun just to keep an appointment that took just 45 minutes to conclude is to say the least man’s inhumanity to man.

As someone who holds down a job, which employer would allow a staff to waste such precious productive hours for the sake of attending a consular interview? Put differently, is this the same treatment Italians get when they visit our embassy in Rome?

From available information, Italians are given

priority passage over and even above our fellow countrymen in Rome; so why not reciprocate such gesture in our own soil? It is about time this mistreatment of Nigerians by the Italian embassy in Nigeria stopped. If the embassy has no clue on how to manage people, perhaps its officials should borrow a leaf from other embassies next door.

On Walter Carrington Street where the Italian embassy is, there are also the Americans, Indians and Russians just a walking distance from each other. The Indians have a holding area with clearly spelt out useful information displayed for people seeking consular services; ditto the Americans and Russians. Why then is the case of the Italians different?

The question now is: Will the Italian authorities accept for their citizens to be subjected to such inhuman treatment in the Nigerian embassy in Rome, where children and very elderly men and women, some of whom are very ill, are subjected to dehumanising treatment such as happened last Wednesday right in front of their embassy?

If the answer is no, then something needs to be done very quickly to restore human dignity to Nigerians.

To ensure that Nigerians are not treated as second class citizens in their country, perhaps the current Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama should adopt the late erstwhile Foreign Minister, Ojo Maduekwe’s principle of reciprocity which in real terms is diplomacy of consequence to address these issues.

Ushigiale is Deputy Editor, THISDAY Newspaper

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EDITORIAL DISOBEDIENCE TO COURT ORDER Disobedience to court orders constitutes threat to the rule of law

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f there is anything that the current administration is increasingly being notorious for, it is in the manner it disregards court orders. Former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as well as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife have all, at different times, secured judgments to be admitted to bail.

All the orders have been ignored.

What is more worrisome is that, apparently taking a cue from the federal government, several state governments have also now adopted the habit of ignoring court orders such that today, there are over 100 of such judicial decisions that are being disregarded by the various elected governments in the country. In many of the cases, the Attorneys-General (including SANs) have ďŹ led appeals and motions for stay of execution just to circumvent the law.

To the extent that Section 287 of the constitution which the president, governors, ministers and legislators swore to uphold has imposed a binding duty on all authorities and APPARENTLY TAKING A persons to obey the CUE FROM THE FEDERAL judgments of our GOVERNMENT, SEVERAL courts, the agrant STATE GOVERNMENTS disobedience to court HAVE ALSO NOW orders constitutes ADOPTED THE HABIT OF the greatest threat to IGNORING COURT ORDERS the rule of law. The silence of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to this dangerous trend is even more disturbing against the background that the NBA once boycotted courts to protest the outing of a single court order by a military regime in the 1980s.

Asked last year why the federal government was holding on to Dasuki and Kanu despite meeting bail conditions, President Buhari said: “If you see the atrocities these people committed against this country, we can’t allow them to jump bail. We cannot allow that‌ And the one you are calling Kanu, do you know he has two passports – one Nigerian, one

Letters to the Editor

British – and he came into this country without any passport? Do you know he came into this country with sophisticated equipment and was broadcasting for Radio Biafra?�

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TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciďŹ c 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.

ABUJA MASTER PLAN AND GREEN AREAS

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his recourse to self help has elicited condemnations from several Nigerians, including Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka. “If a court grants an individual bail, I don’t care what crime the individual is accused of,â€? said Soyinka. “There are many avenues for security agencies to pursue their quest without outing the orders of the court. It is wrong, and we dare not continue to keep silent when one of us – a citizen of this nation, whether militarised or civilianised – is granted bail by the court and some excuse is given for outing the order of the court. That is the only arbitration avenue that belongs to all of us. We must put an end to this contempt of the orders of the court by any governmentâ€?.

We agree with Soyinka because the federal government cannot continue to trample on the law. But the judiciary must also purge itself of bad behaviour.

For instance, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, once decried the slow dispensation of justice in the country while expressing regrets that some judges intentionally disobeyed court rules by not sitting at the statutory time, thereby contributing to the slow pace of justice.

Besides, a situation where courts of concurrent jurisdiction would give conicting orders on the same matter, where politicians will not only buy “justiceâ€? but boast about it to opponents, where judges are available to be used by the same government expected to obey their orders, where some senior lawyers write judgments for some judges to adopt, do not help to encourage respect for the judiciary.

However, nothing can justify the current situation where the federal government would wilfully disregard court orders, and thus setting bad examples for the states to follow. It has dire implications for the sustenance of our democracy.

respectfully bring the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory very warm felicitations.

Foremost, I would like to acknowledge the robust reform initiatives of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under the purposeful leadership of the incumbent minister, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, designed to holistically restore the capital city and accordingly commend him for demonstrating, so far, ample capacity, focus, commitment and gravitas necessary for the attainment of set goals.

While thanking the honourable minister immensely for the milestone recorded in the meantime, I am constrained to note that current efforts have proved inadequate to arrest and reverse the brazen distortion of the Abuja Master plan, especially as regards the “green areas� component of it, due to decades of accumulated abuse. It is common knowledge that the development of adequate recreational and green areas within the federal capital territory is a key feature of the Abuja Master plan. Going by the strict provisions of the master plan, the city is to be developed in phases on an area of about 250 square kilometres. The total land area for Phase I of the city is about 7076 hectares. Out of this, about 1260 hectares is reserved for ‘greens’ development. This includes open spaces, recreational facilities, parks, gardens, children playgrounds, outdoor games, sport centres, national and district/neighbourhood parks.

Others are green stretches along valleys, riverbeds, hilly patches and some incidental open spaces. The current state of affairs bears eloquent testimony to the sorry pass Abuja green areas have come to. Take for instance the pathetic case of Kubwa that does not boast

of any meaningful recreational facility and/or designated green areas; and tragically, it does appear that same fate is about befalling all other satellite towns, even though my legitimate expectation is that the honourable minister would refrain from permitting a repeat of this anomaly.

It therefore is Abuja’s singular misfortune that the master plan has been so mindlessly violated that what the city can boast of currently as green areas is indeed a mockery of what the International Planning Associates (IPA), designers of the capital city, envisaged in the master plan and report they submitted to the federal government in 1979. To be sure, the brazen conversion of green areas by relevant authorities to commercial and residential purposes in collusion with civil servants, area council’s unrestrained encroachment and reckless subdivision of land and partitioning of green areas in flagrant breach of the master plan have combined to ridicule the very “Neighbourhood Concept� of the master plan, thereby questioning the wisdom in making Abuja the nation’s capital city.

With federal government’s avowed commitment to issues of climate change and sustainable development on the one hand and the glaring imperatives of preserving the green areas of Abuja for the ultimate benefit of residents on the other hand, this worsening menace is one area that is in dire need of urgent “Change�! These pervasive corrupt dealings with designated green areas of Abuja are capable of running a tar brush on the anti-corruption disposition of the federal government.

Chuks Akamadu, Convener, Concerned Abuja Residents Forum

NECO RESULTS: CONGRATS OGUN STATE

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ecently, the National Examinations Council (NECO) released the results of the November/ December 2016 Senior School Certificate Examinations.

According to media reports, Ogun State topped the performance chart among the 36 states of the

federation.

It was fortuitous that the release of the results coincided with the period the state’s helmsman, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was being honoured as the SUN Man of the Year.

I had read earlier in the newspapers an article about the Ogun State Youth Convention, which saw the cream of the Nigerian business community converge on Abeokuta to personally interact with youths of the state with a view to getting them productively engaged.

And just a few days ago, I heard over the radio of the Ogun State Primary School Project, which is aimed at scaling up the renovation of structures in the state’s primary schools and construction of new ones. All this points in the direction of Ogun State Government investing massively in the future of her children.

One can only congratulate the people of the state for the progress being made as regards youth development. The governor of Ogun State has done very well by all accounts. He should not rest on his oars.

Deji Afolabi, Ojodu, Lagos

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

‘NO COMPARISON BETWEEN BUHARI AND YAR’ADUA’S CASES’ Mrs. Boma Ozobia

28.02.2017

2/DASHBOARD

28.02.2017

Conviction on Retracted Confessional Statement PAGE 4

NAPTIP Secures Conviction Against 316 Human Traffickers PAGE 5

Support Buhari's Anti-Corruption Agenda, Oyebode Urges Lawyers PAGE 5

South-West Women Partner With EFCC, Flag-Off Women Against Corruption Project PAGE 5

QUOTABLES 'With what we are going through now, we can't just go on guessing and speculating about the health of the President or the Governor of a State. We must get to a civilised state. We must come to appreciate that if you are going to public office, there is no secrecy.

Everything must be on the table.'

– Femi Falana, SAN

‘Successful Law Practice Requires Character and Passion’ PAGE 6

'If the President can find the time and strength to talk to Donald Trump, then he should be able to talk to us.'

– Professor Akin Oyebode, Professor of International Law & Jurisprudence, University of Lagos

Anti-Kidnapping Law: Death Penalty is not the Solution PAGE 7

COLUMNISTS STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN Stephen Kola Balogun, is a vastly experienced Legal Practitioner who obtained his LL.B from University of Ife and LL.M from School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. He has Post-Graduate Diplomas in Intellectual Property Law, Construction Law, Management and Arbitration. He has served in various capacities since his Call to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, including practicing at Akinjide & Co., and lecturing part-time at Oxbridge Tutorial College. He was the Honourable Commissioner forYouths, Sports and Special Needs, State of Osun, August, 2011 to November, 2014. He is currently the Principal Partner at Kola Balogun & Partners. SKB, as he is fondly called, is accredited with several publications to his name, both International and Domestic.

ABUBAKAR D. SANI Abubakar D. Sani holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Maiduguri, and has been in active private legal practice since he was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.

He is the Principal of Abubakar D. Sani & Co., which has offices in Abuja and Kano. " INSIGHT" aims to unravel, analyse and proffer solutions to numerous anomalies in Nigerian law and practice, particularly statutes, vis-a-vis the Constitution, International Treaties and Conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory, Judicial Precedent and other relevant statutes and issues.

ADERINSOLA FAGBURE Aderinsola Fagbure is a keen writer having written her first article which was published by the junior section of a national daily, at the age of five.

She is a graduate of Igbinedion University Okada and has just completed a Master’s degree in Corporate Law at the University College London. Her column, “In black and white” discusses the need for innovation on the Nigerian legal scene particularly in the fields of Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance and Energy Law.

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE EDITOR JUDE IGBANOI DEPUTY EDITOR TOBI SONIYI ASSISTANT EDITOR AKINWALE AKINTUNDE REPORTER TUNDE BUSARI GROUP HEAD OCHI OGBUAKU II ART DIRECTOR

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Imprisonment in Nigeria: A Fate Worse than Death

O Death Penalty

n February 14th, 2017, we featured Olawale Fapohunda and Chino Obiagwu, who are against the death penalty generally, and the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, on the issue of the new Lagos State AntiKidnapping Law and its provision for the death penalty for kidnappers whose victims die in the course of the kidnap.

While Lagos State found it necessary to ‘up the ante’ and impose the death penalty with the increase in the rate of kidnapping, Olawale Fapohunda and Chino Obiagwu felt that apprehending the culprits with the fear of punishment, would be a far more effective deterrent to kidnapping, especially as the imposition of the death penalty has not stopped other crimes like armed robbery, for example.

While I agree with Lagos State and the imposition of the death penalty by the Anti- Kidnapping Law, I also agree that the fear of apprehension and punishment is an effective deterrent. However, I see things a bit differently.

Antanimora Prison, Madagascar I was watching a program on the Crime Channel last week; a program that features the worst and toughest prisons in the world.

That day, Antanimora Prison in Madagascar, Eastern Africa was the focus. It is purportedly one of the toughest and worst prisons in the world; overcrowding, unimaginable filth, no running water, disease, epidemics, rape, hunger, lack of access to legal advice and representation due to abject poverty, and so on are prevalent there.

Madagascar itself is apparently a very poor country, so you can imagine the condition of the prison, or rather, you probably cannot or would not want to imagine it. Horrid, deplorable, disgusting, abhorrent, shocking, hellish, to mention a few synonyms that describe the place.

Nigerian Prisons Guess what? Looking at the place reminded me so much of the inside of a Nigerian prison. Antanimora Prison bore such strong similarities to the Nigerian prisons. I thought to myself, given the choice of life imprisonment in any of our Nigerian prison facilities and the death penalty, I would probably opt for the death penalty! Being in a Nigerian prison to me, seems like a fate worse than death. I decided that by imposing the death penalty, Lagos State is letting these kidnapping criminals off the hook rather easily. They would certainly face untold hardship and unimaginable pain and suffering, if they had to serve a life sentence in any Nigerian prison.

Government needs to undertake some prison reform, sharply! I’m not saying

that prison should be transformed into a five-star hotel, but people should not be treated worse than animals, especially as so many occupants of the prisons are not convicted criminals, but are awaiting trial; some of them may even have been randomly arrested for crimes as ridiculous as ‘wandering’, and because they cannot afford legal representation or to bribe their way out, they just end up languishing in prison. There was a 75 year old man in Antanimora. He said he had been in prison for 38 years and he had never seen a lawyer, talk less of being taken to court!

Antanimora is legendary like Nigerian prisons, for overcrowding. Originally built to house 800 inmates, it has about 3,000 occupants. Just like Ikoyi Prison that was built with a capacity for 800 prisoners, but houses 2,239 and Port Harcourt Prison with a capacity for 804 but houses a whopping 3,593. People sleep on their sides, almost on top of each other, an arrangement that looks just like a mass grave.

Vile Conditions in Nigerian Prisons are Inhumane Unlike Olawale Fapohunda, Chino Obiagwu and the learned Senior Advocate, Femi Falana, who believe that the death penalty is inhumane and unconstitutional, I am probably using the same constitutional provisions that they are relying on, but in my own case, to say that I believe that incarcerating people under such vile conditions is also inhumane and contrary to Sections 17(2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2010)(1999 Constitution) which provides that “government actions shall be humane” and 34(1)(a)which provides that “no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman and degrading treatment”.

Apart from the gross overcrowding in our prisons, there is a high level of filth, lack of hygiene and disease. In my days as a young lawyer in the very early 90’s, I remember conducting several criminal cases, one of which involved two young men that were arrested for examination malpractice and were facing 21 years imprisonment. They had to be interviewed, and as the ‘baby lawyer’ in the chambers at the time, the burden

Nigerian Prison

Antanimora Prison, Madagascar

"LOOKING AT THE PLACE REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF THE INSIDE OF A NIGERIAN PRISON. ANTANIMORA PRISON BORE SUCH STRONG SIMILARITIES TO THE NIGERIAN PRISONS. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, GIVEN THE CHOICE OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN ANY OF OUR NIGERIAN PRISON FACILITIES AND THE DEATH PENALTY, I WOULD PROBABLY OPT FOR THE DEATH PENALTY!"

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE

THE ADVOCATE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com of going to Ikoyi Prison to conduct the interview, naturally fell on me.

My Two Clients When my two clients were brought out to meet with me in some dirty kind of visitors’ room, I was shocked at how bad their condition was. They were already quite ill from their short stay in prison.

There had also been an outbreak of scabies, a skin infestation, where tiny mites get inside the skin and lay eggs there. The outward manifestation of the skin condition is a terrible rash and relentless itching.

Antanimora Prison also has that type of thing. Lice, mites, rats etc; sometimes epidemics like the plague, also break out in Antanimora.

Of course, the boys had contacted scabies.

To make matters worse, one of them also had jaundice too. I was practically sitting on the edge of what I thought was a somewhat suspect chair, when they came in. When they started scratching their bodies furiously, I had to ask them “ki lon se yin ti en hora be?” (“what’s wrong with you that you are scratching your bodies like that?”). When they informed me of their skin condition, I flew off the edge of the chair that I was sitting on. Throughout the duration of the interview, I prayed that I would not be infected with scabies. They had not been given any medical care per se. As soon as I finished conducting the interview, instead of going back to the office to write my report, I ran straight home to disinfect my clothes, bath in dettol and change.

I was able to win their case, but sadly, the pressure of the deplorable prison conditions was simply too much for one of the boys to bear. He died before he could enjoy the fruits of his victory. Today, the prison conditions which were already terrible then, have deteriorated even further to unimaginable depths.

Some Proposals for Prison Reform In our January 3rd, 2017 edition, Olawale Fapohunda and I, in our piece “2017: Administration of Justice Options for Buhari Government” made some proposals for Prison Reform. For instance, the establishment of a separate Prisons Service Commission to take over from the combined Immigration, Prisons Service and Civil Defence Board, appointment of a Chief Visitor of Prisons to conduct regular inspections of all prison facilities in Nigeria and see to the complaints of prison staff and prisoners, address the issue of the poor prison conditions, decongestion of prisons with emphasis on those that are awaiting trial and access to legal advice and representation for them, employment of more prison staff, review of the laws like the 1972 Prison Act, and provision of adequate medical care for inmates, among several other proposals.

Government needs to heed to our advice as regards Prison Reform.

4/LAW REPORT

28.02.2017

Conviction on Retracted Confessional Statement

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was uncontroverted under cross-examination and sufficient to convict the Appellant.

Facts

he Appellant and two other persons were charged on a two count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery contrary to sections 5 and 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap 398, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.

At the trial, the Respondent called three witnesses, and tendered two confessional statements said to be made by the Appellant (Exhibits A and B1), which were admitted in evidence. The Appellant testified in his defence.

However, during the course of the trial, the Appellant retracted and denied making any of the confessional statements. After hearing and evaluation of the evidence, the trial judge convicted the Appellant and the other accused persons on both counts and sentenced them to death. Dissatisfied with his conviction and sentence, the Appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal which affirmed the decision of the trial Court and dismissed the appeal. The Appellant further appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination At the Supreme Court, the Appellant formulated two issues for determination as follows: 1. Whether the failure of the Respondent to call as witnesses, the victims of the robbery, and tender the items allegedly recovered from the Appellant, was not fatal to its case.

2. Whether the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal were right in affirming the conviction of the Appellant, having regard to the evidence before the Court.

Arguments Counsel for the Appellant observed that eight witnesses were listed in the proof of evidence, however, only three of them gave evidence. He also observed that certain persons who were victims of the robbery and who all gave their statements to the police, were not called to give evidence at the trial, and that the stolen items allegedly recovered were not tendered in evidence. Counsel for the Appellant submitted that the Respondent’s failure to call vital and material witnesses listed in the proof of evidence and failure to tender the stolen items allegedly recovered is fatal to the case.

Counsel for the Appellant argued further that the confessional statements of the Appellant – Exhibits A and B1 - are inconsistent with other facts on the crime scene. He contended that the scene of the armed robbery was stated in the Charge and by the Respondent’s witnesses as No. 23, Anglican Church Guest House, Dauda Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, while the confessional statements of the Appellant stated the scene of the crime as All Saints Lodging Lodge at Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. Counsel for the Appellant submitted that since there was no clarification as to where the offence occurred, the conclusion of the trial Court and the Court of Appeal was speculative.

He also stated that the weapons allegedly used during the armed robbery were not tendered during trial, and since PW1 and PW2 admitted at trial that no offensive weapons or weapons used in the robbery were recovered from the Appellant, the offence committed by the Appellant, if any at all, was robbery and not armed robbery.

Counsel submitted that Exhibits A and B1 were wrongfully relied upon by the trial Court to convict the Appellant, and the Court of Appeal was wrong to have upheld the conviction.

In response, Counsel for the Respondent contended that the evidence of PW3 who was an eye witness and a victim of the robbery, and who gave a positive account of the robbery, was sufficient to establish the offences the Appellant was charged with. He also argued that there is no controversy on the crime scene as All Saints Lodging Lodge, Wuse referred to in the confessional statements and Anglican Church Guest House, Dauda Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja referred to in the Charge are churches. He relied on NKWUDA EDAMINE v STATE (1996) 3 NWLR (PT. 438) 530.

Counsel for the Respondent submitted that the

Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday the 27th Day of January, 2017 Before Their Lordships Olabode Rhodes-Vivour Musa Dattijo Muhammad Clara Bata Ogunbiyi Chima Centus Nweze Amiru Sanusi Justices, Supreme Court SC.144/2013 Between James Simon................ Appellant And The State.............Respondent Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC

Court can act and rely on a retracted confessional statement to convict an accused person, after considering the weight to be attached to the statement. Concluding, he submitted that apart from Exhibits A and B1, the evidence of PW3 was positive, direct and credible; more so, as it

"IT IS LONG SETTLED THAT THE CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT OF THE APPELLANT ALONE, WHERE COGENT AND UNEQUIVOCAL, MAY SUSTAIN HIS CONVICTION ON APPEAL, NOTWITHSTANDING THE INCONSISTENCY OF THE STATEMENT WITH HIS SUBSEQUENT ORAL STATEMENT AT TRIAL. THE COURT IS AT LIBERTY TO DISCOUNTENANCE THE SUBSEQUENT ORAL STATEMENT FOR BEING AN AFTERTHOUGHT"

Court’s Rationale and Judgement In the resolution of the issues before it, the Supreme Court held that all that is required of the prosecution in order to establish the guilt of an accused person for the offence of armed robbery, is to prove that there was an armed robbery and the accused person participated in the armed robbery. On the submission of the Appellant about failure of the Respondent to call material witnesses, the Court stated that the law does not impose any obligation on the part of the prosecution as to the number of witnesses to call to prove its case and it is the quality of the evidence it leads that sustains its case.

Deciding the issue of failure to tender the recovered weapons used in perpetrating the crime, the Apex Court held that tendering recovered items from an armed robbery is desirable but not mandatory, especially when there is damaging eyewitness testimony that the accused person was one of the armed robbers.

The Court also held that there is no principle of law requiring the tendering of weapons of an alleged armed robbery to establish the guilt of an accused person, and that what is required is proof that the robber was armed when he robbed the victim.

The Supreme Court held further that the confessional statement of an accused person alone, where cogent and unequivocal, may sustain his conviction on appeal, notwithstanding the inconsistency of the statement with his subsequent oral statement at trial.

The Court is at liberty to discountenance the subsequent oral statement for an afterthought.

The Court placed reliance on STATE v OKORO (1974) 2SC, 73 and EGBOGHONOME v STATE (1999) 7 NWLR (PT. 306) 383. With regard to the effect of retraction of the confessional statement by the Appellant, it was held that the Court is at liberty to convict on the retracted confessional statement of an accused person, provided that the testimony and confession and all other evidence are properly evaluated.

Relying on its decision in MADJEMU v THE STATE (2001) 9 NWLR (PT 718) 349, the Court held that, in assessing and considering the quality and reliability of a confessional statement, the Court must determine (a) whether there is anything outside the confession which shows that it may be true; (b) whether the confessional statement is indeed corroborated; (c) whether the relevant statement of fact made in it are most likely true as far as they can be tested; (d) whether the accused had the opportunity of committing the offence; and (e) whether the confession is possible.

On the disparity in the crime scene, the Court held that, since the charge and confessional statements stated that the armed robbery occurred at Wuse Zone 5, the Appellant not mentioning the correct name of the Guest House is irrelevant.

The fact that the armed robbery occurred in a Christian guest house/lodge is clearly established.

The Supreme Court held further that, PW3, an eye witness to the incident as well as a victim of the armed robbery, gave evidence which was direct, very credible and compelling, that that the Appellant participated in the robbery and the Appellant and the other accused persons were armed when the robbery was committed. The testimony of PW3 which was uncontroverted and consistent with the Exhibits A and B1 was an attestation of the truthfulness of Exhibits A and B1.

Thus, the Apex Court came to the conclusion that the trial Court rightly convicted the Appellant on his confessional statements and the evidence of PW3, who saw him participating in the armed robbery, and this conviction was rightly upheld by the Court of Appeal.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation: A. Saiki with A. Omotosho, I.T. Hassan and D. Akinyemi for the Appellant.

E. Egele for the Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited (Publishers of Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR))

28.02.2017

NEWS/5

Support Buhari's Anti-Corruption Agenda, Oyebode Urges Lawyers Akinwale Akintunde

L-R: Director of Justice Division, Utah Attorney-General’s Office, United States, Mr. Gregory Ferbrache, a workshop facilitator, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN, and Chief of Special Investigations and Public Corruption Unit, Utah Attorney-General’s Office, Mr. Nate Mutter, during a oneday workshop on human trafficking prosecution and victims’ fund and protection, in Calabar last Tuesday

NAPTIP Secures Conviction Against 316 Human Traffickers Bassey Inyang in Calabar The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced that it has successfully secured the conviction of 316 human traffickers, who were charged to court for committing various related offences.

The disclosure was made last Tuesday, in Calabar by NAPTIP’s Chief Legal Officer, Ijeoma Amugo, while she was speaking at a one-day workshop organised by the Conference of Western Attorneys-General (CWAG) in conjunction NAPTIP. Amugo said that the assets of the convicted people, based on court orders, have been forfeited and kept in the Victims Trust Fund, while about 145 human trafficking cases were still pending in courts across the country.

However, she stated that despite the successes recorded

by NAPTIP, there were some challenges that the agency was still facing, such as the clandestine nature of the crime, interagency rivalry, porous borders, relationship ties, tender age of victims, insufficient funds, lack of training for investigators and prosecutors, unwillingness of victims to testify in court,

oath taking in shrines and delay in the criminal justice system.

Chief Intelligence Assistant of NAPTIP, Mrs. Tolulola Odugbesan, while speaking on the relevance of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund, said that the agency has provided about 9,453 victims of human trafficking with psychological counselling.

Odugbesan said the agency was able to empower 388 victims with skills in petty business, hairdressing, tailoring, hat making, knitting, catering, photography and education etc.

One of the facilitators of the workshop, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN, who spoke on the sideline of event, said there was need for the Federal Government to reform the laws against human trafficking, in order to make it easier to secure convictions.

“Clearly we can do much more, not just in terms of prosecution, but awareness.

From the cases reviewed in this workshop, you can see how it is difficult to pull a case and also the amount of resources needed. We would appreciate if more resources are dedicated to it. It also requires inter-agency cooperation in order to get the desired results. It is work in progress.

“Again, if you look at our law that was amended in 2015, it requires further amendment.

Our law focuses too much on pure human trafficking offence, which is very difficult to prove. We need to amend the law to create lower level offences such as offences related to simple possession of travel documents of another person, without explanation.

Like in Utah, United States, if you have someone else’s travel document and you cannot give a simple explanation of why it is with you, you have committed an offence.

It is enough to prove that the suspect was as at that time trying to traffic in person (s). We need to create those kinds of offences that are easier to prove. With those types of little ones you can actually take people out of the system. The problem with our prosecution system is that we always go for big offences. There is the need for such level of reform and I believe that we are making progress”, Idigbe said.

Board Member of CWAG, African Alliance Partnership, Mr. Markus Green, said: "The whole issue is about the victim.

The justice system serves to

protect the victim. Punishment is important, but the most important is to bring peace to the victim and protect the victim from harm".

The Cross River State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Joe Abang, said the endemic nature of the human trafficking menace in the State, was worrisome.

"It is reported that Calabar has become the transit haven for traffickers, who as a result of the clampdown on their activities in neighbouring states like Edo, have relocated to Calabar, taking advantage of the low crime rate to perpetrate their nefarious activities. They use the ports and various creeks in the area, to transport their victims to countries like Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, among others. But I have bad news for them. Cross River State has never been and will never be a hiding place for criminals. We will use every machinery of government at our new disposal, to ensure that the long arm of the law catches up with them", the Commissioner said.

The Commissioner commended NAPTIP for their efforts in checking human trafficking in the country.

A Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence at the University of Lagos, Professor Akin Oyebode, has urged lawyers to support the anticorruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari in order to transform governance in Nigeria.

Oyebode described corruption as systemic, adding that fighting it would need major contribution of lawyers.

The Professor made the apeal in Lagos last Wednesday, at a Strategic Dialogue Roundtable organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in collaboration with National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USA. While commending SERAP for its unrelenting crusade in the fight against corruption, the Professor pleaded with lawyers to join the crusade and not just be only interested in their briefs.

"Corruption is systemic and we cannot just be fighting the symptoms.

"I plead with our lawyers to join the crusade and not just be only interested in their briefs, because we have seen cases of corruption fighting back.

"The monies that disappeared into private pockets are monies that could have been used to develop our infrastructure, build schools, hospitals and other facilities that could have made life more meaningful for ordinary Nigerians", Oyebode said.

Also speaking at the roundtable with the theme, "Combating Corruption and Impunity: the Imperatives of Improving the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Mechanisms and the Justice System in Nigeria", SERAP Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, said Nigerians had for many years regularly accused government officials of using public funds not only to line their own pockets, but to maintain political control.

According to Mumuni, “The previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan was no exception. A groundswell of public frustration with endemic and gross corruption

under Jonathan helped Buhari secure Nigeria’s presidency in March, 2015.

“Under Buhari’s guidance, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has launched a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign, hundreds of former and current government officials are under investigation.

“Perhaps most prominent among these is the oil minister in the Jonathan government, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is accused of presiding over $24 billion in opaque and mismanaged crude oil swap deals.

“While a report by the Auditor-General says that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $16 billion to the Federation Account in 2014.

“The former National Security Adviser, former governors and electoral commissioners are already in court."

Mumuni however, decried the slow pace of prosecutions, saying it could deny Nigeria the opportunity to translate the anti-corruption agenda into systemic reforms.

Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade said efforts should be intensified to curb corruption in the judiciary, adding that corruption is not limited to a particular person.

Represented by the Chief Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Ogundare, the Chief Judge said, "we cannot allow corruption to exist in the judiciary because this is the last hope for the common man".

On his part, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Chairman of the roundtable, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo said Nigerians must resist corruption at all levels.

“There is a misconception that corruption is only in the highest realm of public service, this is wrong as corruption starts from the lowest ladder", he said.

The roundtable had in attendance Mr. Babatunde Ogala, former Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s Committee on Judiciary, Mr. Martin Ogunleye, Chairman, NBA, Lagos Branch and Mr. Nurudeen Ogbara, former Chairman, NBA Ikorodu Branch, amongst others.

South-West Women Partner With EFCC, Flag-Off Women Against Corruption Project Akinwale Akintunde The fight against corruption received a boost last Wednesday, as Nigerian women in the South Western states converged in Lagos to flag off the Women Against Corruption (WAC) in the South-West Project.

The event tagged: "Nigerian Women Against Corruption - South-West Project Rollout", had a large turnout of women from

various part of South-West for the flag off of the project in the zone.

Speaking at the flag off, the anti-graft agency's Acting Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, commended the presence of the wives of the State Governors and the women for their support to the Commission's efforts to tame corruption.

He noted that corruption is the cause of the present state of the country, and it

must be curbed.

"In fact, corruption is the cause of the current recession and the falling value of the Naira, if there's one enemy that we need to urgently confront, it is corruption.

"We call on you today to be change agents, and help in the difficult task of building a better Nigeria for both present and future generations”, Magu said.

The EFCC boss stated that the power of women to change the destiny of a nation cannot be underestimated; he therefore, urged them to join the crusade of getting rid of corruption.

He promised to take the advocacy to other zones and to the grassroots, to proclaim the important role of women in the fight against corruption.

In her speech, the host of the event, Her Excellency,

Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, stated that the fight against corruption must be seen as a priority in which everyone must be involved.

She further noted that women as moulders of character, should begin to pay proper attention to their homes and ensure the proper upbringing of their wards.

"I will use this opportunity to lend my voice to this campaign, by appealing to

all our mothers and sisters in Lagos and the South West region, to take a stand against corruption.

"Let us start the fight from our homes by discouraging any act, behaviour and attitude that aids and abets corruption. If we succeed as individuals in our various homes, there will be no room for corruption and corrupt practices in the larger society”, Mrs Ambode said.

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28.02.2017

Community Sues Obasanjo, Others, Over Ownership of Presidential Library Land Akinwale Akintunde The Ijeun-Lukosi Community of Abeokuta, Ogun State has dragged former President, Olusegun Obasanjo to court over the ownership of the expanse of land measuring approximately 179.89 hectares (444.52 acres), where his pet project, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), is situated.

The Claimants, in Suit No: AB/442/2016 filed at the High Court of Ogun State in the Abeokuta Judicial Division, are Chief Benjamin Ogunbona, the Baale of Ijeun-Lukosi Community, Chief Akeem Taoreed, Chief Dele Taiwo and Musiliu Oyegunle.

Joined as Defendants in the suit are the Ogun State Governor, Ogun State AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Director of Bureau of Lands and Survey, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Ventures Limited, Inspector-General of Police and Ogun State Commissioner of Police.

The court, presided over by Honourable Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje had on January 10, 2017 granted the community through their counsel, Fatai Erewunmi and Chief Wakeel Olawale Liady, an interim injunction restraining the Defendants, Obasanjo inclusive, from destroying the Claimants' shrines on the land, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

In a 50-paragraphed affidavit, the Baale of Ijeun-Lukosi Community, Chief Ogunbona, claimed that Ogun State Government compulsorily acquired the land in 1976 for the purpose of building the State Secretariat complex.

Ogunbona said the State Government did not use the land for what it initially acquired it for, but rather, started re-allocating the same land to private individuals for private uses.

According to him, more than 100 (one hundred) individuals have now erected private properties on the land, among whom were Obasanjo's Presidential Library, Dr. Kunle Salako (former SSG, Ogun State); Dr. Adeleke Adedoyin, Chief Yomi Majekodunmi, among others.

The Presidential Library was said to be the private property of Obasanjo, as contained in a letter written to the community by the National Library of Nigeria on 2nd February, 2016 and signed by the Secretary to the Board/Legal Adviser, Alhaji Aminu Ojaj.

Ogunbona disclosed that after the community mounted pressure on the government, it (Ogun State Government) excised 33.253 hectares out of the land to the community in 2011, adding that as provided by law, government did not pay any compensation to the people of Ijeun-Lukosi Community for the compulsory acquisition of their land.

"Our land measured approximately 178.89 hectares, which amounted to 444.52 acres of land from time immemorial, and we have exercised undisturbed acts of ownership of same without let or hindrance from any quarters until 1976, when the newly created Ogun State Government compulsorily acquired part of our land.

"Although the notice of the acquisition stated that we shall have access to the survey plan showing the boundary of areas so acquired,

but the 1st and 3rd Defendants (Governor of Ogun State and Director-General Bureau of Lands and Survey respectively), never obliged us with a copy of the survey plan and have not given access to any, to sight the said copy.

"As provided for under the law, with regard to compulsory acquisition, the 1st and 3rd Defendants never paid compensation to the community for the acquisition of Ijeun-Lukosi Land", he stated.

The Baale further claimed that government kept the community in the dark as to the size of the land so acquired from them until 2015 when hundreds of private individuals invaded the land, claiming they have been allocated parcels of land by the governor and the Bureau of lands and Survey.

He averred that findings by the community however revealed in the only gazette available, relating to their land, from 1967 to 2010 that only 62.99 acres of the land was actually acquired as published on July 1st 1976 in gazette No 11 Vol. 1.

Ogunbona also recalled that when former Governor Olusegun Osoba visited the IjeunLukosi Community on January 18, 2003, he told the community that government had released the land from Secretariat acquisition.

He noted that this situation was reversed by Governor Gbenga Daniel immediately after Osoba left office, that he eventually equally authorised the excision of 38 hectares of the land back to the community.

Ogunbona and the entire Ijeun-Lukosi community are praying the court for the reversion

of the land to the community as the bona fide owners, since it's no longer used for the original purpose of the acquisition but shared to private individuals.

Responding through its lawyer, Mr. Omilana Korede of the Bureau of Lands and Survey, the Ogun State Government confirmed that the acquisition of the land in 1976.

Korede in his 12-paragraph affidavit, however, argued that the land was validly acquired, crops properly enumerated and the compensation deposited with the Bureau of Lands and Survey a long time ago.

He also claimed that the 38.253 hectares the community said was returned to them in 2011 had also been cancelled by a panel of enquiry set up by the current government.

"That sometimes in 1976, the Ogun State government acquired a large area of land which forms part of the large expanse of land measuring 3, 674 hectares for public purpose; to construct State Secretariat.

"That the land was validly acquired by the enabling law. That copies of notice of acquisition were served on the affected land owners and villagers and where they were hostile, the notices were posted on conspicuous objects like trees and rock.

"That the 38.253 hectares that was claimed by the defendants to have been released to them has since been cancelled by the Panel of enquiry on Lands headed by Justice Abiodun Akinyemi", he stated.

The matter has been adjourned to March 23, 2017.

Legal Personality of the Week Obinna Dike, Ph.D

‘Successful Law Practice Requires Character and Passion’ I am Dr. Obinna Dike, the Managing Associate at Alliance Law Firm, Lagos. I am a corporate commercial lawyer with a competence in energy law and policy, and I hold a Ph.D in Energy Law and Policy and Community Development Agreements from the Centre for Energy Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, (CEPMLP), the University of Dundee. The title of my Thesis is: Integrating Mining and Petroleum Exploration and Production with Community Development: Towards a Strategic Engagement of Community Development Agreements as an Instrument for Social and Economic Growth, Local Governance and Sustainability in Project Areas. My energy law expertise covers law and policy design advisory, and a wide range of areas from community development agreements to energy sector arbitration, upstream energy practice, and commercial litigation. I started my legal practice with the firm of Olisa Agbakoba & Associates, as an associate in the firm’s Dispute Resolution Practice and as a litigation lawyer. I joined Alliance Law Firm in 2015 after completing my Ph.D. Have you had any challenges in your career as a lawyer and if so what were the main challenges?

Yes, I have had to deal with challenges in the course of my practice and academic pursuits. Indeed, my view is that challenges are normal to the life of every lawyer. So, beyond the usual challenges that lawyers face in trying to provide solutions to every litigation or transaction matter that they are involved in, I cannot remember any peculiar challenge that I have been confronted with as a lawyer. But my Ph.D programme was quite challenging for me. It was easily the most challenging experience of my life.

What was your worst day as a lawyer?

Thesis with effusive commendation from my examiners.

Who has been most influential in your life?

The most influential person in my life is easily my elder brother, Chief Virgil Dike and his lovely wife, who is now deceased. I was formed under their influence to become the resilient character that I am today.

Obinna Dike, Ph.D

None that I can remember.

What was your most memorable experience?

My most memorable experience was the day I received a letter which was addressed to me by the Supreme Court of Nigeria stating that my motion for extension of time within which to lodge an appeal, was heard in chambers and granted. Although, the motion was heard in open court, it was nevertheless gratifying for me considering how young I was at the Bar at the time. This happened in my first year of practice after I was called to the Nigerian Bar. So, it was quite an event for me and I was profoundly elated. In fact, I kept a personal copy of the letter. If I am allowed to name another most memorable experience that I have had, then it will be the day I successfully defended my Ph.D

Why did you become a lawyer?

My decision to study law was probably influenced by the social events that happened in Nigeria in my teenage years. That was during the time when Nigeria was under successive military rule. I was in the habit of reading newspapers so I followed every event as they happened. During those years, characters like Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, and Femi Falana, amongst many others, were always in the news because of the battles they fought, and the unlawful detentions that they were subjected to by the different military regimes that ruled Nigeria. The phenomenal achievements of these men done in defence of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, certainly influenced my career choice. Their activities motivated many Nigerians to challenge the oppressive tendencies of military dictatorships and I was hugely inspired by them to study law and to become one of the instruments of social change.

What would your advice be to anyone wanting a career in law?

The usual advice to any person who desires to pursue a career in Law would be that he/ she must be determined and diligent, so as to be successful in any career including a career in the legal profession.

In addition to this, I will admonish the person that the legal profession is a great

profession which can be a very useful tool for social engineering, and most Nigerians agree that our country is facing a plethora of challenges that are begging for solutions.

So, my advice to such a person would be that he/she must resolve to be part of the solution. To be effective in this, character and passion are critical ingredients. I believe that one of the major problems in Nigeria today is that a vast majority of those who hold the preponderance of power do not walk their talk. Thus, we need more conscientiousness in the legal profession and in Nigeria.

If you had not become a lawyer, what would you have chosen?

I have had the privilege of becoming a member of the legal profession, which was what I really wanted to do. So, I have not really thought about it. But I can remember that I had many fantasies whilst growing up.

For example, as a child, I admired priests and wanted to become a Catholic priest and at another stage in development, I thought about a career as a pharmacist. However, I believe that I was destined to become a lawyer and I am thankful for that.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I see myself as one of the major positive influences both in the Legal profession and in Nigeria. My perspective of life is that we are all created and wired up to add value to society, in a way that is unique to our assignments and callings in life. I have deliberately avoided any emphasis on adding more titles, or occupying any particular office whether in the legal profession or in society, because in my view, it is better and more fulfilling to be relevant, than to occupy an office or to hold any position of significance.

Relevant people will naturally gain societal placements that may be beyond the reach of most office or title holders.

28.02.2017

/7

Anti-Kidnapping Law: Death Penalty is not the Solution In this article, Oluwatosin Popoola examines the new Lagos State Kidnapping Prohibition Law, which provides for the death penalty where the life of a victim of kidnap is lost, while in the kidnappers' custody. He explains that scientific evidence has failed to find any correlation between the death penalty and crime deterrence, citing as examples, crimes like Murder, Armed Robbery and Terrorism which have not abated, despite the fact that the punishment imposed on them is the death penalty

O

n 1 February 2017 the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, signed into law the state’s Kidnapping Prohibition Bill, 2016. The law prescribes the death penalty for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody, and life imprisonment for the act of kidnapping. Lagos State has now joined 13 states – including Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Edo, Kano, Ogun, Oyo – in Nigeria that have enacted laws prescribing the death penalty for kidnapping.

Death Penalty is not the Solution There is no doubt that kidnapping has reached epidemic levels in Lagos State and across Nigeria, and there is an urgent need for the government both at the federal and state level to fight this crime effectively. However, it is of grave concern that several states in Nigeria have resorted to the death penalty in response to the problem of kidnapping, despite the fact that this is not a solution to the problem.

Governor Ambode has argued that the new kidnapping law “will serve as a deterrent to anybody, who may desire to engage in this wicked act (kidnapping) within the boundaries of Lagos State.” He is wrong. There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters kidnapping - or any other crime for that matter.

Scientific studies have consistently failed to find convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments. A series of authoritative studies conducted for the United Nations in regions around the world, have repeatedly found that the death penalty does not have a greater deterrent effect on crime than a term of imprisonment.

It is not plausible that a person with the criminal intent of committing the crime of kidnapping or murder will first give thought to the law of kidnapping which prescribes the death penalty, before engaging in such heinous crimes.

People who engage in criminal activities know fully well that they are breaking the law, but simply hope that they don’t get caught, rather than get deterred by the fact that the law prescribes death for the crimes they are already engaged in or intend to commit.

Death Penalty has not Deterred Any Crime: Murder In Nigeria, the death penalty has been mandatory for murder for decades, that has not stopped the crime, and there is no credible evidence that the death penalty has reduced the rate of murder in the country.

Armed Robbery In 1970 the military government of General Gowon introduced the death penalty for armed robbery, in response to the alarming increase of the crime in Nigeria.

This did not solve the problem, in fact armed robbery is as common today as it was then.

Terrorism Equally, the enactment of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 and the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 – introducing the death sentence for terrorism-related offences, has not curbed the problem in Nigeria. The country continues to be plagued with terrorism-related crimes despite the introduction of the death penalty to deal with it.

Violation of the Right to Life Whilst the Lagos State Government has the legal mandate to enact laws for the state, such laws should not violate the right to life.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Nigeria became a party in 1993, permits countries that have not abolished the death penalty to

use the punishment only for the “most serious crimes”.

Under international human rights standards “most serious crimes” are crimes that involve intentional killing.

However, kidnapping does not meet this threshold. Even if intentional killing occurs during the act of kidnapping, the government should not stoop as low as the criminally minded, who it intends to punish. By legally sanctioning the taking of life through the use of the death penalty, the government is effectively doing the same thing it seeks to punish. The Lagos State Government should protect the life of every person in the state, and never approve the killing of anyone.

The death penalty is a violation of the right to life as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Everyone has the right to life, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime they have committed. This does not mean that criminals should not face justice, and punishment, for their crimes. Anyone who is found guilty of breaking the law after going through a fair trial, should be punished, but without recourse to the death penalty.

"PRESCRIBING THE DEATH PENALTY FOR KIDNAPPERS, IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO ENDING THE SCOURGE OF KIDNAPPING IN LAGOS STATE. RATHER IT IS A KNEE-JERK REACTION BY A GOVERNMENT THAT WANTS TO APPEAR TOUGH ON CRIME"

Government: Address the Root Causes of Kidnapping The Lagos State Government should immediately take steps to address the root causes of kidnapping and other crimes, by dealing with the high unemployment in the state, and ensuring that the Nigeria Police Force and other crime fighting agencies are well funded, trained and equipped to deal with crime. Good investigation into alleged crimes, timely arrests of suspects and effective prosecution is the solution to kidnapping.

The world is moving away from the use of the death penalty. In 1977, only 16 countries had abolished the death penalty as punishment for any crimes. As of today 104 countries, a majority in the world, have abolished the death penalty for all crimes.

Lagos, Imitate Delta State Lagos State should take a cue from Delta State by amending the Kidnapping Prohibition Law to replace the death penalty with imprisonment. In June, 2016, the Delta State House of Assembly replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment in the state’s kidnapping law, following a request from the Delta State Governor.

Prescribing the death penalty for kidnappers, is not the solution to ending the scourge of kidnapping in Lagos State. Rather it is a knee-jerk reaction by a government that wants to appear tough on crime. Instead of being a form of toughness, recourse to the death penalty is in reality a symptom of failure in governance. The Lagos State Government should deal effectively with crime and the causes of crime, rather than sanction the killing of people.

Oluwatosin Popoola, International Human Rights Lawyer. This article was written by the author in his personal capacity. The opinion expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of any organisation he may be associated with.

8/COVER

28.02.2017

Mrs. Boma Ozobia

‘No Comparison Between Buhari and Yar’Adua’s Cases’ Becoming the first minority ethnic lawyer to be the Chairperson of the Association of Women Solicitors in the UK in its over 80 years history is certainly no mean feat. However, becoming the first ever female and first black person to be elected President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, may be an even greater feat. However, Mrs. Boma Ozobia, in her unassuming nature, shrugs off her unique achievements as a mixture of focus and fate. She spoke with Mrs. Onikepo Braithwaite, Jude Igbanoi and Tobi Soniyi in a chat last week, about her passion to see the legal profession in Nigeria move to greater heights; and also about her recommendations for a rancour free succession in the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association

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ecently, the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria called for the NBA to nominate lawyers for the position of Supreme Court Justices. 9 lawyers, including 6 Senior Advocates, have been nominated. What do you think of this step by the Acting CJN? What do you think informed his decision to make this move? Do you think that any of these lawyers will actually make it

to the Supreme Court via this call?

It’s an excellent initiative. The Acting CJN has shown that he is willing to think outside the box and that has to be a good thing. The Nigerian Bar Association, I understand, has been advocating for this for a while and no doubt that may well have influenced the Acting CJN’s decision in this regard. There is a school of thought that is worried about lawyers coming straight from the Bar to the highest level on the Bench. I am not. It has been done successfully in other common law jurisdictions such as England and Wales where we borrowed this system of law

"ON THE TEMPTATION TO BE CORRUPT, I WILL SIMPLY SAY THAT YOU ARE NOT CORRUPT BECAUSE YOU ARE TEMPTED, BUT RATHER, YOU ARE TEMPTED BECAUSE YOU ARE CORRUPT!"

from, and coming to Africa, in Kenya.

In fact, Kenya appointed an academic who had never served as a judge as it’s Chief Justice. We too, have done so successfully in the past with Sir Taslim Elias who was appointed CJN without ever serving as a judge previously. As to whether the lawyers will actually make it to the Supreme Court via this call, I don’t see why not! The NBA has certainly put our best foot forward with this shortlist and I think that they are all very well qualified to serve. The difficulty is of course, the constitutional limitation on numbers that can be appointed to the

28.02.2017 Supreme Court, which is a maximum of 21 and the CJN. Has anything good come out of the October, 2016 DSS Raids on the Judges so far? What do you think that Government can do to curb corruption in the Judiciary? Recently, it was reported that Federal Judges were being owed their salaries for some months. Certainly, this can only exacerbate corruption as opposed to curtailing it. After all, Judges also have families to feed and bills to pay.

The DSS raids on the homes of our jurists diminished us all! I was so sad. It felt like the world was coming to an end.

However, I think the NJC with the support of the NBA has done the right thing by nudging the judges involved to recuse themselves from presiding over cases, until the allegations against them are either proved or dismissed. We must always act in the best interest of the litigating public and ensure that nothing we do undermines public confidence in the judiciary. From that perspective, we have done the right thing for the Nigerian citizen. As for what government can do to curb corruption in the judiciary, government, meaning the executive arm, can stay away and stop meddling in the appointment process for starters, ensure that the budgetary allocation to the judiciary is adequate and promptly disbursed, and the Court infrastructure, regularly upgraded and adequately maintained.

Do you agree with the point of view that compared with their counterparts in other parts of the world, our Judges are overworked and grossly underpaid and that this fact alone makes for temptation on the part of Judges to be corrupt?

Absolutely! Overworked and under paid. I have been advocating better working conditions and remuneration for our judges for many years now. At both State and Federal level. Visit the Federal High Court, Ikoyi and see for yourself the conditions under which our jurists work, it is unacceptable! On the temptation to be corrupt, I will simply say that you are not corrupt because you are tempted, but rather, you are tempted because you are corrupt!

You were the President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) from 2011–2013. What purpose, in your opinion, do International Legal bodies like yours serve? What contributions would you say that you made to the Nigerian legal profession and the global legal landscape during your term in office?

The CLA exists to promote the rule of law in the 54 member Countries and standards in the legal profession. It is a very useful and effective advocate especially when it throws its weight behind the national Bar associations, it can keep the executive in check. For instance, during my tenure, our efforts certainly went a long way in assisting the Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Ugandan Bar Associations in protecting the Judiciary from an over bearing Executive arm of government. Likewise in the Maldives and more recently Malaysia. Contributions to

COVER/9 the Nigerian legal profession? I cannot be a judge in my own case, so this is a question better answered by my colleagues in this jurisdiction.

The 2017 CLA Conference is scheduled to hold in Melbourne, Australia in just a few weeks. What should Nigerians expect at this year's Conference? Do you agree that membership of these International Organisations such as the CLA is elitist, at least for Nigerians, as many lawyers are unable to afford to travel to these destinations for conferences? What advice can you offer to younger lawyers who are keen to attend these conferences and network on an international level like the senior lawyers do, on raising funds to attend?

CLA conferences are always very informative and a useful tool for comparative analysis of jurisprudence from fellow common law jurisdictions. The Melbourne Conference will be no different. As usual we will have participation from all 54 member Countries and more. The program covers many issues we are currently grappling with in Nigeria including terrorism, human trafficking and other such issues.

Naturally, with a theme this year that refers to “thriving in a global world” there are also plenty of topics covering commercial law and practice. The CLA elitist? Far from it! It is better described as an activist organisation, working very closely with other civil society groups for the good of our society. Yes, Melbourne is a long way from here and therefore costlier than most of our conference destinations if you are travelling from Nigeria, or indeed almost any other part of the world apart form New Zealand. The good news is that, the conference moves around the various continents. Prior to Melbourne, It was Glasgow and before that, Cape Town in South Africa. Hopefully the next one will be nearer to us and more affordable.

Despite the cost, I would urge young lawyers to save on non-essentials and invest in their professional development by attending these conferences.

You once recommended the Commonwealth Lawyers Association succession model to the Nigerian Bar Association.

In your opinion, could the crisis that trailed the last NBA elections have been avoided if your recommendation was taken and followed?

I did, and still do. It aids continuity and means that we are able to plan in 3 – 5 years spans with the buy-in of the incoming leadership, since the incoming President would have served as Vice President for two years and been part of the leadership of the predecessor. It is the same model adopted by the Bar Council and Law Society of England and Wales.

You were able to achieve the feat of becoming the first minority ethnic lawyer to be the Chairperson of the Association of Women Solicitors in the UK. How did you make it happen, since you were the first in over 80 years, since the Association’s inception.

Did you meet with much opposition?

Well, similar to the CLA, the Association of Women Solicitors had the same convention. If you are elected vice chair-

woman, then you were likely to be the next chairwoman. Although an election is conducted, the convention is that you are not opposed and therefore, the sole candidate for the position. I didn’t set out to become chairwoman or first ethnic minority chairwoman, I wanted to make a difference and contribute positively to equality issues in the profession. Equal pay for women solicitors and their male colleagues doing the same work. The gender pay gap was 27%! In the United Kingdom. Flexible working hours to enable better work life balance was also a bee in my bonnet and these issues led to me engaging with the AWS, working to contribute my quota and eventually being elected as the Chairwoman.

You practiced as a Solicitor in the UK for several years. Could you highlight some of the differences you have noticed between practice here and in the UK? Are there any leaves that we can borrow from the British book to improve our own legal system?

How would you rate the rule of law in Nigeria?

The most glaring area of difference for me is really in the pre-trial processes and the almost total lack of professional accountability on our part. In England, the pre – trial or house keeping matters are dealt with almost exclusively by the Registry rather than the Judge. This saves precious time, so that the Judge can focus on the substance rather than procedure.

We spend far too much time litigating the margins, clogging up the courts and slowing down the process with interlocutory applications, nitpicking on process and appealing these peripheral issues back and forth at the expense of substantive justice. It was once like that in England too, and this led to delays, similar to or perhaps even worse than we have in our system today. They have reformed and improved, and we should too.

Another leaf which I would commend to us, is the practice in England where you as the lawyer, are held accountable for wasting the Court’s time, rather than your client. If the judge ever has course to ask you in an English Court, ‘have you advised you client?’ you better go back and double check that your claim or defence has a sound footing in law.

"ANOTHER LEAF WHICH I WOULD COMMEND TO US, IS THE PRACTICE IN ENGLAND WHERE YOU AS THE LAWYER, ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WASTING THE COURT’S TIME, RATHER THAN YOUR CLIENT"

Otherwise, you may find that costs in the case, which, can be very substantial - as the award is usually the actual cost and not a token as we get in Nigeria - will be awarded against you the lawyer! And serves you right too.

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has been away in England for over a month for ‘medical leave’.

He has extended his trip twice. Do you think that his travel issue was handled properly by Government? Nigerians are saying that they have a right to know what is wrong with him and do not want to be kept in the dark, like in the late President Yar’Adua’s time. What is the position of the law on this issue? Do Nigerians have a right to know or does the President have a right to his privacy? Do you think that his absence may be having a negative impact on the country?

It is a fine balance between the right to privacy and the citizens’ right to information. I don’t see a comparison with the late President Yar’Adua at all.

In this case, a letter and a further letter have been transmitted to the NASS and the Vice President is the Acting President, so constitutional requirements have been met. Beyond that, similar to the misconception that the Freedom of Information Act gives citizens the right to intrude into the private space of public servants, the fact that Muhammadu Buhari is the President of Nigeria does not give us the right to invade his privacy. He has fulfilled the spirit and the letter of the law and that is all that is required of him at this point in time.

Your books, Sisters in Law, and Survival Manual for New Wigs, which young lawyers confessed that they have really benefited from are not on the bookshelves. What are you doing about this?

Sisters in Law was published in England and is currently out of print. Survival manual for New Wigs was published here by Odade Lexis Nexis as we referred to them at the time. I believe they have copies available as I bought some copies for young colleagues not too long ago.

There seems to be a preference for IBA conferences by Nigerians over CLA. Why? What is your advice?

The IBA is a different conference to the CLA conference, and I enjoy both, particularly the chance to network with my Nigerian colleagues, as we do tend to attend the IBA in large numbers like you rightly pointed out. So, I attend both if my schedule and budget allows, but if I have to choose, I prefer the CLA conference.

I find the topics covered are all relevant to my practice because it is a common law conference and I practice solely in common law jurisdictions.

Coming from Britain, a jurisdiction where bribery and corruption is not prevalent, how have you coped in Nigeria where judicial corruption is no longer strange?

I have to say that the perception, sadly for us, is far worse than the reality in my experience. And I'll tell you how I know.

I always weigh the chances of success before taking forward a claim or appealing against a decision of the trial court.

That process of analysis and evaluation, invariably leads to a prognosis. So far, in the vast majority of the cases the outcome has been as predicted, which indicates to me that the judge has been persuaded solely by the evidence before the Court and not by some other extraneous factors.

You made history as the first woman to have been President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and unarguably did Nigeria proud. But how do you feel that only once has a woman been given the chance to lead the Nigerian Bar Association, even then, not through an election but ascension?

That’s most kind, thank you! As someone once said, ‘Power is not biscuit.’ No one is going to hand it to you. I would like to see more women in leadership positions in the Bar and in the wider society.

But we have to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve this. Get involved. Build relationships and strategic alliances, and more importantly, believe in our abilities.

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28.02.2017

INSIGHT ABUBAKAR D. SANI

xL4sure@yahoo.com

Can NBC Compel State-Owned Tv Stations To Go Digital?

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his question is part of the broader poser about the powers of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to regulate State-owned television and radio stations in Nigeria.

This is because by virtue of Section 4(3) and the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution, the power of the National Assembly to regulate television and radio broadcasting in Nigeria, does not extend to Stateowned television and radio stations.

Contrary, to this provision, however, the National Assembly has, all along, empowered the NBC to assert a monopoly over all radio and tv Stations in Nigeria, by virtue of the National Broadcasting Commission Act 1992. I believe recent developments have emphasised the urgency of rectifying this anomaly in the interest of, not just the industry, but the country at large.

Arrival of the Digital Television Age in Nigeria.

The importance of the clarification of the power or lack of it, of NBC to regulate State-Tv stations was highlighted by the launch

by President Buhari on Thursday, December 22nd, 2016 of the switch from analog to digital transmission of television broadcasts in Nigeria.

This point is not over-stated because State-owned Tv Stations constitute the over–whelming majority of such media in the country, given that each of the 36 States owns at least one Tv Station.

The President was reported to have described the occasion as “historical” and to have added that the development would “liberalise access to and increase media versatility”. True . But, with power comes responsibility. This is why, in my view, the legal framework for regulating the potential power which has been unleashed with the switch, is critically important.

NBC’s Legal Construct As previously stated, NBC is the sole regulator of all tv stations in Nigeria, both Government-owned (State and Federal) and otherwise (i.e privately-owned). The Commission was established vide the National Broadcasting Commission Decree 1992. To that extent, it is an existing law under Section 315(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution. Accordingly, it can only take effect under the Constitution to the extent to which its provisions are consistent with the Constitution: TOGUN v OPUTA (2001) 16 NWLR pt.

740pg. 597@ 645 & 668. If any such anomaly exists, it has to be modified by the appropriate authority, Mr. President or the Law Reform Commission, by making the necessary adaptation Order to the text of the Decree; unless that is done, it stands invalidated: ADIGUN v ATT-GEN OF OYO STATE (1987) 18 NSCC pt. 1 pg. 346@ 365 & 405 per Obaseki, JSC; OSADEBAY v ATT-GEN OF BENDEL STATE

(1991)22 NSCC pt. 1pg. 137@ 170. In UWAIFO v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF BENDEL STATE (1982) 13 NSCC 22, the Supreme Court, (per Idigbe, JSC), put it succinctly , when it held follows: “Even a Decree or an edict which can be regarded as an existing law cannot have effect as or be deemed to be a law of the National Assembly or a House of Assembly unless it can be modified in such a way as to bring it into conformity with the Constitution”.

We shall now review the relevant provisions of the NBC Decree (now Act), 1992, as follows: -Section 2(1)(b)(ii): “The Commission shall have the responsibility to receiving, processing and considering applications for the establishment, ownership or operation of radio and television stations, including radio and television stations owned, established or operated by the Federal, State or Local Governments”.

-Section 2(2): “No person shall operate or use any apparatus or premises for the transmission of sound or vision by cable television, radio, satellite or any other medium of broadcast from anywhere in Nigeria except under and in accordance with the provisions of this Act”.

-Section 9(1)(a): “The Commission shall, in the consideration of an application for a licence under this Act, be satisfied that the applicant is a body corporate registered under the Companies and Allied matters Act or a station owned, established or operated by the Federal, State or Local Governments ”.

-Section 9(6): “Any broadcast station transmitting

from Nigeria before the commencement of this Act shall be deemed to have been licensed under this Act and accordingly shall be subjected to the provisions of this Act”.

-Section 14(2)(a): “There shall be paid and credited to the fund established pursuant to subsection (1) of this section such percentage of fees and levies to be charged by the Commission on the annual income of licensed broadcasting stations owned, established or operated by private individuals, Federal, State or Local Governments”.

It is self-evident that the foregoing provisions are inconsistent with those of Section 4(3) and Item 66 of the Exclusive legislative List of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to regulate, inter alia, only broadcasting and television owned by individuals, corporate entities and the Federal Government.

Effect of Non-Modification of the NBC Act To the extent that the said provisions of the NBC Act, 1992 have not been modified by the appropriate authority as aforesaid, to bring them into conformity with Item 66 of the Constitution, they are in, my view, ultra vires, invalid, null and void. It follows that the NBC is incompetent to regulate state-owned television stations.

The implication of this is that, regulation of such media is deemed to be in the Residual List of the Constitution in respect of which only State Houses of Assembly are competent to legislate upon. This position was affirmed in TOGUN v OPUTA, supra, where the court, per Oguntade, JCA, (at page 644 of

"TO THE EXTENT THAT THE SAID PROVISIONS OF THE NBC ACT, 1992 HAVE NOT BEEN MODIFIED BY THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY AS AFORESAID, TO BRING THEM INTO CONFORMITY WITH ITEM 66 OF THE CONSTITUTION, THEY ARE IN, MY VIEW, ULTRA VIRES, INVALID, NULL AND VOID. IT FOLLOWS THAT THE NBC IS INCOMPETENT TO REGULATE STATE-OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS"

the report) held that: “Nigeria is a Federal Republic with a Constitution in which the Legislative Powers of the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly are clearly defined. We have the Exclusive and the Concurrent Lists on which the National Assembly could legislate. This leaves the State Houses of Assembly to legislate exclusively on residual matters not included in either the exclusive or concurrent lists. It is the function of the court to ensure that each legislative arm operates within its constitutional limits”.

See also SELE v THE STATE (1993)24 24 NSCC pt. 1 pg. 47 @ 96, where the Supreme Court, per Karibi-Whyte, JSC, held: “Our Constitutional policy of enumerated subject-matters has left the exercise of legislative powers in respect of residual matters to the State Legislatures”.

Conclusion Given the overwhelming preponderance of State-owned television stations in Nigeria, the implications of the incompetence of NBC to regulate them are more real than imagined. This is because in a plural, multi-ethnic society such as ours, partisan political and other untoward considerations, often influence and dominate content broadcast in Stateowned television stations, sometimes with serious implications for national security, law and order. To that extent, the much-vaunted benefits of the switch-over from analog to digital television transmission may become illusory. This is simply because the NBC is powerless, in my view, to compel any State-TV station to go down that route.

Accordingly, it is clear that action is required in order to rectify the said inconsistency between the NBC Act and the 1999 Constitution.

This can be achieved through an Executive Bill sponsored by the President, the Minister of Information, or the National Law Reform Commission, to amend Item 66 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution, in order to omit references to “State-owned radio and television stations” therein. Alternatively, the aforesaid provisions of the NBC Act may be amended to delete such references, i.e, to State- owned media, therein. Of the two options, given our peculiar circumstances, the first is preferable.

28.02.2017

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MY BRIEF BY SKB STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN

stephenkolabalogun@yahoo.com

Remembering the Late Honourable Justice Kayode Eso

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he legal profession in Nigeria is littered with various descriptions of greatness, particularly of those who claim it. The Late Hon. Justice Kayode Eso JSC, CON, CFR was one of those few who actually embodied it. Fondly remembered for being very bold, fearless and courageous, the public presentation and launch of the book Justice Kayode Eso ‘Beacon of Judicial Activism’ today at the Sheraton Hotel Ikeja, Lagos should be a reminder to us all, of the level of professionalism, discipline and integrity required on the Bench. Former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN is expected to chair the event, while the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen has been pencilled down as the Guest of Honour. The father of the day for the book launch is Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, while the Chief Launcher and Book Reviewer are Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group of Companies and Professor Ademola Popoola, Dean of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun is the Chief Host, while Royal Fathers of the day are HRH Oba (Dr) Sikiru Adetona, Awujale of Ijebuland and HRH Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II is the Host Royal Father.

The late Honourable Justice Kayode Eso

Life of Hon. Justice Eso The Late Justice Kayode Eso who died on 16th November, 2012 was born on 18th September, 1925 in Ilesa, Osun State. He entered Ilesa Grammar School in 1940 and completed his Secondary education there in 1944. He finished as the best graduating student and was given the proficiency prize of Ilesa Grammar School. In 1946, he took the University of London matriculation. He was later admitted into Trinity College, Dublin where he obtained both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law. He was called to the English Bar in 1954 at Lincoln’s Inn. On his return to Nigeria, he was initially based in Jos in Northern Nigeria, where he engaged in private legal practice.

He was later to join the Government of Western Nigeria, initially as State Counsel and later as Senior Crown Counsel II from 1960 to 1961 and later Senior Crown Counsel I from 1961 to 1962. He later became Principal State Counsel from 1962 to 1964 and the Principal Legal Draftsman and Head of the Legal Division from 1964 to 1965.

Subsequently, the Late Justice Kayode Eso was appointed as an Acting Judge of the High Court of Western Nigeria on the 8th of March, 1965. Later that same year, he became a substantive Judge of the High Court of Western Nigeria.

On the 1st of March, 1967, upon the creation of the Western State Court

of Appeal, the late Justice Kayode Eso was appointed a Justice of that Court. At that time, he held the distinction of being the most junior High Court Judge to be elevated to the Western State Court of Appeal.

He later rose to become acting President of the Western State Court of Appeal. After the abolition of the Western State Court of Appeal, he was appointed upon the creation of Oyo State as the first Chief Judge of that State in January, 1978, a position he held until 18th September 1990 when he was elevated and appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court.

Landmark Judgements Some of late Justice Eso’s celebrated landmark judgements include the verdict of not guilty

upon Wole Soyinka in the case of the "Mystery Gunman" in the mid 1960s, when armed with a gun, he forcibly took over a Radio Station in Ibadan, Western Nigeria and the celebrated case of AWOLOWO v SHAGARI, in 1979. In the Shagari case, the Supreme Court in deciding the law relating to election cases by a majority of 6-1, affirmed the election of Alhaji Shagari as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, Justice Eso’s courageous dissenting judgement in this case, stole the hearts of many, and it has remained a reference point till this very day.

In his opinion, 2/3 of 19 states could only be 13 and not 12 2/3.

In another case of interest, ABAYE OFILI v IKEM UCHE (1986), late Eso had this to say

"HOWEVER, JUSTICE ESO’S COURAGEOUS DISSENTING JUDGEMENT IN THIS CASE, STOLE THE HEARTS OF MANY, AND IT HAS REMAINED A REFERENCE POINT TILL THIS VERY DAY. IN HIS OPINION, 2/3 OF 19 STATES COULD ONLY BE 13 AND NOT 12 2/3"

on the validity or otherwise of an Act – “If an act is void, then it is in law a nullity. It is not only bad but incurably bad. There is no need for an order of court to set it aside. It is automatically null and void without more ado, though it is sometimes convenient to have the court to declare it to be so.”

The late Justice Kayode Eso was also a critic of the extensive and unfettered powers of the AttorneyGeneral when he once said “...............Attorney-General has, at common law, been a master unto himself, law unto himself and under no control whatsoever, judicial or otherwise, vis-à-vis his powers of instituting or discontinuing criminal proceedings.”

Most of the judicial exploits of the late Justice Kayode Eso have been narrated and chronicled by Professor Yemi Akinseye George, SAN and the late Professor (Emeritus) J. F. Ade-Ajayi in “The Making of a Judge” (long regarded as the late Justice Kayode Eso’s official biography). If that book is anything to go by, then this new book titled “Beacon of Judicial Activism” is one that should be included in the legal libraries of all lawyers, judges and academics alike, and my simple advice is - just go out and get one, so that you can enjoy and feel the true practice of law from the perspective of one of Nigeria's most erudite, clear minded and thorough bred judicial activists.

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28.02.2017

IN BLACK AND WHITE ADERINSOLA FAGBURE

afagbure@yahoo.com

Rights of the Online Shopper

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Online Shopping Scams he e-commerce world is a fast place made up of several businesses operating on different platforms, at various levels, and flung across several jurisdictions. As we all know, a one man business with little or no legal cum operating structures, can be whitewashed on the internet to appear as a leading multinational with a track record. An undiscerning eye can easily fall prey to a fraud or scam.

As they say in the local dialect, “one chance”.

Delivery of Wrong Goods to Customers I must observe that online shopping can be convenient, until a completely different product is delivered, and one has to get involved in a complicated claim process. Reading through some of the worst online shopping experiences, the story of an Indian who received a box of two mangoes, through the global courier company, FedEx, in place of the smartphone he ordered, caught my attention.

As at the time I read the story, the disappointed buyer was still trying to get either the product that he had originally ordered, or a refund. I do hope the poor electrical engineer was adequately compensated in the end.

Coming closer to home, a colleague of mine had a not too pleasant experience with the Black Friday sales advertised on one of the indigenous e-commerce platforms. He ordered a television which was being sold at a giveaway price (we all like discounts, don’t we) and never received it. His excitement was fast dampened and he complained to anyone who cared to listen. The retailers claimed that the television was wrongly priced, and asked him to pay an amount over the advertised price. He almost burst his spleen as he complained to me. It took this customer writing a strongly worded demand letter to the team involved, to get a refund.

The response highlighted a number of defences which were described as being available to online enterprises.

The ridiculousness of the arguments raised by the Company motivated me to share this particular experience and discuss the legal structure of e-commerce in Nigeria, with particular focus on the expectations of an online business promoter. I wondered if there was any difference between the rights and responsibilities of a virtual seller, as compared with those of a retailer with a brick and mortar shop.

Applicable Laws It might interest one to know that generally there are two distinct sets of laws applicable to online retailers.

Firstly, the age-long consumer protection regulations apply to all such sales. These rules are well established and are relevant to e-commerce sales platforms as well as to traditional retailers.

For example, the Sale of Goods Act gives certain rights to purchasers about the quality of the goods they receive, and their rights if the goods fall short of the expected standards. The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations protect consumers' rights where they enter into agreements

with retailers who try to impose unfair terms in sales agreements.

Electronic Transaction Bill, 2015 Secondly, there are regulations designed specifically to deal with problems and issues facing retailers online, because of the electronic element which distinguishes e- commerce from other transactions. Nigeria currently does not have e-commerce specific legislations. The electronic transaction bill which will regulate the e-commerce sector and protect consumers, was passed by the National Assembly on June 3rd, 2015 but still awaits presidential assent.

Among the issues highlighted for regulation are non-disclosure of full information on products and services, deceptive advertisement, improper description of products, delivery of defective products, poor informal dispute settlement procedures, double payments and poor customer service.

The proposed law stems from the growing concern over the safety of online transactions in Nigeria. Current laws such as the Consumer Protection Council Act, 1992 make absolutely no provision in regard to electronic transactions. It may therefore be a challenge to determine what remedies avail an aggrieved party in an online transaction, at the moment.

European Union Regulations E-commerce specific regulations exist in the European Union. These regulations are relatively new, and were brought into force largely to protect consumers when they buy products either over the internet

or by telephone. They include the E-commerce Regulations, the Distance Selling Regulations and the Electronic Signatures Regulations. These are the regulations that control the actual on-line sales process, and they provide the foundation from which we can consider the practical business requirements of on- line retailers.

The various regulations are aimed at ensuring that companies do not hide themselves from purchasers, and should provide as much information to purchasers as possible. The E-Commerce Regulations require that all commercial websites make the following information directly and permanently available to consumers via the website: the company's name, postal address (and registered office address if this is different) and email address; the company's registration number; any Trade or Professional Association memberships; the company's VAT number. All these apply regardless of whether or not the site sells on-line. In addition, any commercial communication – that is any email or even SMS text message – used in providing an "Information Society Service" must display these facts.

The E-Commerce legislations also require that all prices must be clear and unambiguous. Websites must state whether the prices are inclusive of taxes and delivery costs. These legislations set out the information which must be provided to a consumer prior to the conclusion of the sales contract.

Such information includes all the issues which a supplier should, in any event, wish to provide in relation to: the identity of the supplier; the main

"READING THROUGH SOME OF THE WORST ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCES, THE STORY OF AN INDIAN WHO RECEIVED A BOX OF TWO MANGOES, THROUGH THE GLOBAL COURIER COMPANY, FEDEX, IN PLACE OF THE SMARTPHONE HE ORDERED, CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. AS AT THE TIME I READ THE STORY, THE DISAPPOINTED BUYER WAS STILL TRYING TO GET EITHER THE PRODUCT THAT HE HAD ORIGINALLY ORDERED, OR A REFUND"

characteristics of the goods or services; their prices; arrangements for payment and delivery; and the existence of the right of cancellation created under the Distance Selling Regulations. These should be set out in the Terms and Conditions.

It is important for e-commerce retailers, to ensure that the contract entered into with the consumer under the process described above is legally correct and affords the retailer the maximum protection. The web can be a wild place to trade in, and a number of businesses have found to their cost, that simple mistakes can escalate into significant business threats in a short period of time.

In times of recession, disputes should be minimised or completely avoided, where possible. It may interest non-lawyers to know that the legal profession is gradually moving from curative to preventive. It is vital that small businesses are aware of their legal obligations and adhere to their guiding laws. It should be understood that the customer comes first both in the real and virtual world. In support of the standard consumer protection laws, a raft of legislations have been enacted to protect consumers or buyers making purchases across the internet from web sites.

E-Commerce Laws in Nigeria A proactive step should be taken to ensure that internet- specific laws are passed in Nigeria, as many vendors currently see the internet as a way of avoiding day to day regulations.

Ultimately, the establishment of these specialised laws is to the benefit of all small businesses, as consumer confidence will improve, which will be reflected in the amount of business being transacted across the web. The onus is on the relevant regulators to ensure that the provisions of the available laws are adhered to, pending when internet specific laws come into force. Consumers should also understand their rights. My colleague was encouraged to go after the e-commerce establishment not for pecuniary reasons, but to serve as a deterrent to all the players within this niche industry.

28.02.2017

THE LIGHTER SIDE/13

LEGAL HUMOUR This Lawyer Is Thorough…

The attorney tells the accused, “I have some good news and some bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?” asks the accused.

“The bad news is, your blood is all over the crime scene, and the DNA tests prove that you did it.”

“What’s the good news?”

“Your cholesterol is 130.” ˾˾˾

Guilty of Annoyance

We Hold Your Brief JUDE IGBANOI jude.igbanoi@thisdaylive.com

Dear Counsel, I would appreciate your shedding some light on this issue. I recently read in a national tabloid, about two men dressed as women who were caught enticing two other men into sexual acts. It was reported that they were remanded in police custody, while awaiting prosecution.

Commenting on the same incident in an article in another newspaper, the writer said that the two suspects should be left alone, since homosexuality is already so rampant in some parts of the country. The writer also said that because the two men they were trying to entice were not the ones that lodged the complaint against them, they had no case to answer.

I was discussing this issue with my friends and I discovered that although considered reprehensible from a religious and moral perspective, most people are not aware of what the law says on same sex relationships.

I would therefore be grateful if you could explain the law to me.

G.O., Ikorodu, Lagos.

same sex liaisons are considered sinful and abominable.

Legally, it is a serious crime in Nigeria and our statutes provide extensively for punishment for it. Section 214 of the Criminal Code, Chapter 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria provides that “Any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or has carnal knowledge of an animal; or permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen (14) years.” Section 217 of the Criminal Code further provides that “Any male person who, whether in public or private, commits any act of gross indecency with another male person, or procures another male person to commit any act of gross indecency with him, or attempts to procure the commission of any such act by any male person with himself or with another male person, whether in public or private, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”

I am of the view that aside from religious Dear G.O., abhorrence for the act, most people know Until recently, sodomy was not a very that it is crime; it’s just that many might common occurrence in most parts of Nigeria. just not be aware of the exact provisions However, culturally, morally and religiously, against it.

A defendant isn’t happy with how things are going in court, so he gives the judge a hard time.

Judge: “Where do you work?”

Defendant: “Here and there.”

Judge: “What do you do for a living?”

Defendant: “This and that.”

Judge: “Take him away.”

Defendant: “Wait; when will I get out?”

Judge: “Sooner or later.” ˾˾˾

The Case of The Imaginary Dogs

TMy niece was dragged into court by a neighbor who complained about her barking dogs. At one point, the judge asked the neighbor a question. The neighbor didn’t reply.

“Sir, are you going to answer me?”

The neighbor leaped to his feet. “Are you talking to me?” he asked. “Sorry; I can’t hear a darn thing.”

The case was dismissed. ˾˾˾

The Best Legal Advice Ever…

…was spotted on a billboard ad for the law office of Larry L. Archie: “Just because you did it doesn’t mean you’re guilty". ˾˾˾

What Does DUMB Stand For?

While serving jury duty, I noticed that the defence attorney seemed a bit nervous. At one point, he picked up a piece of evidence and asked his client, who was on the witness stand, “I see an acronym on this receipt. What would CAR stand for?”

The defendant replied, “Car.”

Who Dunnit?

On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head.

Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide. He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency.

As he fell past the ninth floor his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.

Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.

"Ordinarily," Dr Mills continued, "A person, who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing suicide."

That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had

a homicide on his hands.

In the room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife.

They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun.

The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger he completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the window striking Mr. Opus.

When one intends to kill subject "A" but kills subject "B" in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject "B".

When confronted with the murder charge the old man and his wife were both adamant and both said that they thought the shotgun was unloaded.

The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, if the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident.

It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger.

The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus. Now comes the exquisite twist.

Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus.

He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23rd 2016, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window.

The son had actually murdered himself, so the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide. Brilliant - facts are sometimes stranger than fiction !

A true story from Associated Press, Reported by Kurt Westervelt

14/

28.02.2017

Retired Judges: Their Dilemma This article written by Ahuraka Isah discusses the issue of Judges and Justices not being able to practice as lawyers in Nigeria, after retirement from the Bench. He compares Nigeria's position with other jurisdictions like England, USA, and India, and concludes with some possible suggestions for the way forward

W

hile many professionals and their counterparts in the civil and public service retire without having been handed down ‘’dos and don'ts’’ or restrictions to personal freedom while in retirement, the Nigerian Judges are guided by the law, on what they can or cannot do after retirement. In other words, they are without total freedom of choice of job to do for a living in retirement.

Nigerian Laws Section 292 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), without any reservation provides that ‘’Any person who has held office as a judicial officer shall not on ceasing to be a judicial officer for any reason whatsoever thereafter appear or act as a legal practitioner before any court of law or tribunal in Nigeria’’.

Cheerlessly too, Rule 6 (3) and (4) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners directs that ‘’a judicial officer who has retired shall not practice as an advocate in any court of law or judicial tribunal in Nigeria’’ and ‘’a judicial officer who has retired shall not sign any pleading in any court’’ England In England, where we borrowed our laws, Judgeships are not permitted to return to practice as advocates when they retire as well. Instead they are able to pursue options in private practice as arbitrators and mediators, offering Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services. Many of them choose to do so. This is a sensible solution, which permits them to earn a living, avoid going mad with boredom and keeps them away from court.

United States of America But in the US, retired judges may practice in a court in which they sat; if there is a conflict of interest or an appearance of conflict, then the judge hearing their case would recuse themselves and another judge will hear the case. There has to be more of a relationship between the current and former judge, than just that they worked in the same court for that to happen.

India However, a retired Supreme Court judge cannot argue in any Court in India, whether High Courts or Lower Courts.

This is because the influence of a Supreme Court Judge is nationwide, and he would have an unfair advantage over other lawyers in any Court in the country.

Unlike in Nigeria, a retired High Court judge in India is only prohibited from practicing law in any state where he has been a High Court judge. But he can practice in other states, or in the Supreme Court, and a few retired High Court judges do start practicing in the Supreme Court after retirement.

Arguments For and Against The return of retired judges to practice has been argued in many quarters worldwide as capable of posing a threat to the administration of justice. It poses a serious threat to the perception of judicial impartiality, and perceived unfairness in the courtroom.

Ian Binnie, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, stated, "You always have to consider in these cases the position of the losing party; are they going to go away from court thinking they got a raw deal because the other side had a former judge? Even if that’s not the reality, that will be the perception and I don’t think the courts want to give that impression".

"Retired judges should be prohibited from returning to court as counsel altogether. It is difficult to imagine any exceptional circumstance where the appearance of a retired judge as counsel would not taint a litigant’s perception of impartiality. Retired judges should be permitted to provide strategic and practical advice, but should be kept out of courtrooms, where justice must be seen to be done", Ian Binnie added.

The antagonists of judges’ return to advocacy further felt that the outcome of a case may suffer if a retired judge who is acting as counsel is required to argue a position that is contrary to his or her judicial decisions. Conversely, the outcome of a case may be affected if a former judge cites his or her own precedents to advance a position. The dignity of the judges will be better preserved if the retired judges remain at the background, writing legal briefs, rendering legal opinion or at best legal consultancy and arbitration.

Professor Itse Sagay, SAN

J.B. Daudu, SAN

Karin Litzcke , a Canadian commentator had, on the other hand, averred that ‘’the retired judges are people too, and they are people who have tremendous skills and insights with which, first of all, they have a right to earn a living, and secondly, that the legal system benefits from adding to its mix. If retired judges can never practice courtroom law again, fewer brilliant senior advocates will be interested in becoming judges, even at the Supreme Court. The argument of undue influence or that a judge could be swayed by facing a retired judge can’t stand, partly because the whole design of the legal system depends on judges disagreeing with each other, so it should be nothing new.

Coming back home, in Nigeria, these arguments need to be weighed on our scale of prevailing circumstances. Every judgement delivered in the court appears in the eyes of the public to be predicated on ‘’buying and selling’’ syndrome; not on the merit of a case or based on the facts and laws underlining the doctrine of justice.

‘consultants’ are privileged to know."

According to J.B. Daudu, SAN As far back as February 17, 2012, the then President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr J.B.Daudu, SAN had accused politicians of using “consultants” to buy election cases with “incredible sums of money.” Daudu who made the allegation at a valedictory court session held in honour of late Justice Anthony Nnaemezie Christopher Aniagolu at the Supreme Court, said NBA was aware of all the senior counsel and eminent retired judicial officers that served as conduits between election courts and parties in electoral matters.

Daudu said: “Corruption is now a live issue that is threatening to tear apart the foundations and fabric of the society, which if left unchecked will sink the whole ship of state.

“We are no doubt aware that some of our colleagues including very senior counsel and at times eminent retired judicial officers, go about offering their services as ‘consultants’ particularly in election cases for incredible sums of money so as to act as conduit between the client and the election court.

"The end result is to facilitate ready-made justice for the persons they are acting for. We must strongly deprecate this practice. We must fight this ill because it renders irrelevant the work and skills of hardworking lawyers who daily toil in and out of courts and who do not have the advantage of knowing with certainty the outcomes of cases as these

Cause for Corruption?

The nation has a choice to make between keeping the retired judges in confinement and boredom or at the departure lounge for their journey to life hereafter. Most of them were into practice before going into the bench. They were neither allowed to socialise nor could they indulge in any trade while in the service of the State or Federal Government. Adjudication and advocacy are the only businesses they are aware of till 65 or 70 years of age when they retire. An arbitration or ADR concept is still at primordial level in the country. With paucity of opportunities or alternatives to their known trade of adjudication and advocacy, some revert to a devilish alternative, midwifing between litigants and sitting judges. Perhaps, this is the greatest fountain by which green shoots of corruption are watered and kept sprouting in the Judiciary at present.

"IN JANUARY THIS YEAR, THE CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGAINST CORRUPTION, PROF. ITSE SAGAY (SAN) SAID TWO RETIRED SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, HAD OVER THE YEARS, ACTED AS CONDUITS FOR CORRUPTION ON THE BENCH"

Professor Itse Sagay's Accusations In January this year, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) said two retired Supreme Court Justices, had over the years, acted as conduits for corruption on the Bench.

Sagay who failed to name the two former Supreme Court Justices, said that they were fond of collecting bribes on behalf of serving judges, to pervert the course of justice. These retired Justices, according to him, had brought ruin to the judiciary, as they were still collecting bribe in dollars on behalf of their ‘vulnerable colleagues’.

The bottom-line of these accusations or the x-ray of what some judges do in their retirement in Nigeria is that they are into consultancy business, but not with registered consultancy firms that are allowed by law, call it ‘’black market or bribe and corruption consultancy’’.

Suggestions President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to stamp out corruption from the system; and such cannot happen when laws that fuel corruption abound. According to Mr Alasa Ismaila, an Abuja based legal practitioner ‘’Section 292(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended is one of such laws that should be reviewed for the retired Judges of the High Court and Court of Appeal to practice advocacy; while Section 291 (1) which prescribes mandatory retirement age of 70 years for the Justices of the Supreme Court be revised to up their retirement age to life or 80 years of age’’. ‘’We can make it mandatory for only retired Court of Appeal or Supreme Court Justices to be eligible for appointment into ECOWAS Community Court of Justice. While Nigeria could as well strive to rally other African countries to establish a court similar to that of the ECOWAS for the entire African continent; at least to absorb some of the teeming retired justices of our appellate courts’’, Alasa added.

Ahuraka Yusuf Isah, Media Aide to former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar (GCON) and Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed (GCON)

T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

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Condt’ on page 16

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

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T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

politics

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

Executive Briefing

Unethical Policing The report of the administrative panel of inquiry set up by the Independent National Electoral Commission on the lapses in the Rivers State rerun elections last week ripped open how the police compromised its integrity during the polls, Davidson Iriekpen writes

A

bout two weeks after the police presented the report of its joint investigative panel on the rerun legislative elections in Rivers State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last week released damning report of its administrative inquiry, blaming the police as substantially responsible for the crises that rocked the election. According to the five-man panel led by the commission’s National Commissioner, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, it cited the obstructive involvement of security agencies as one of the factors that led to the failure of the electoral process in some local government areas. It said the police compromised the integrity of the election and that many security operatives were partisan and willfully obstructed the process.

Though the report partially blamed some officials of the commission for some lapses during the polls, it cited police’s activities as one of the major reasons the re-run election in some parts of the state failed. It said most senior police officers around during the election behaved in disturbing manners and tried to lure INEC officials away from their posts.

The panel which was mandated to: review the preparations and deployment of personnel and materials on the eve of the election; identify the factors leading to the apparent failure of processes in some local government areas; determine the involvement and possible culpability of INEC officials in the conduct and outcome of the election; recommend appropriate sanctions against erring officials and advise the commission on appropriate measures going forward, in its report, blamed security agencies “for the failure of aspects of the elections in some local government areas.”

Recall that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had deployed 28, 000 police personnel to the state for the election. Also deployed were the regular personnel on ground in the state and thousands of soldiers, Navy, Air Force, and civil defence officers.

The panel said the massive deployment of security by the federal government was a major complaint raised by the staff of the commission and ad hoc staff as one of the major impediments to the free flow of the election. It also said the security agents deployed were mostly partisan, with many even engaged in ballot snatching, stuffing of ballot boxes, intimidation of voters and all other vices associated with elections. The report also did not spare politicians, whom it accused of using careless and reckless utterances to cause instability in the state.

“One of the low points of the Rivers rerun election was the intervention of security operatives in the process. This was widely identified by staff of the commission and independent observers alike as one of the major factors that led to the failure of the process in some local government areas. There were too many security agencies involved in the process outside the framework of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). It was not clear whether many of them were acting as part of their various organisations or as groups and individuals serving political interest.

“Most importantly, many of them showed profound political partisanship. Ironically, security operatives, who were expected to protect the process, turned on it. There were reported cases of willful obstruction of the process by security operatives, including snatching of materials and intimidating voters.

In other cases, they refused to accompany and protect men and materials for the elections.

Idris...police in murky water

But the most mind-boggling were cases of hostage taking, hijack of materials and physical attacks on INEC officials perpetrated

There were reported cases of willful obstruction of the process by security operatives, including snatching of materials and intimidating voters. In other cases, they refused to accompany and protect men and materials for the elections. But the most mind-boggling were cases of hostage taking, hijack of materials and physical attacks on INEC officials perpetrated by security operatives

by security operatives.

“Of singular note was a certain policeman named Akin Fakorede, who ostensibly is a Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Rivers State. Fakorede first tried to lure INEC staff to travel with him from Port Harcourt to Emohua local government area under the pretext of enabling them to collate results.

But for the intervention of National Commissioners, we suspect that he would have put our staff in harm’s way. When he failed in his initial bid, he stalked the INEC officials to the collation centre in Port Harcourt and physically assaulted Dr. C. Odekpe and Mrs. Mary Tunkuyo. In fact, Odekpe ended up with a gash on his head and both spent days at the Air Force Hospital in Port Harcourt,” the report said, among other findings.

But in its characteristic manner of denying everything concerning it, the force in a swift response, said the indictment of its personnel was a disservice to the force. It maintained that the force remains apolitical and would continue to ensure that election security is guaranteed across the country. Reacting in a statement signed by its spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, the police said the indictment was misleading and that the six officers found wanting in its report had been dismissed.

Rather than put the blame on it, the force said INEC should blame its personnel.

“The report by INEC is a disservice to the Nigeria Police Force because all the issues raised were discovered by the Joint Investigative Panel and have been dealt with.

The story is therefore misleading, malicious and capable of misinforming members of the public on the statutory roles of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Nigeria Police Force identified and

has proactively taken action against six police officers indicted by the investigative panel report to have compromised, engaged in serious misconduct, misuse of firearms, and for other conducts in violation of the Electoral Act and other enabling laws during the Rivers rerun election.

“They were arrested, investigated and subjected to internal disciplinary measures, after being found guilty, they were dismissed and paraded before the media on January 6, 2017 and are awaiting prosecution. Other agencies whose personnel were also indicted by the Joint Investigative Panel are expected to do the same to their personnel indicted in the report without any further delay,” the statement said.

The Force had earlier in the month, submitted the report of its joint panel set up by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, to probe the crises that rocked the rerun legislative elections in Rivers State last December. The report alleged that the state government bribed INEC officials with N360million to rig the polls in favour of the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Speaking during the presentation of the panel report to the IG, the chairman, DCP Damian Okoro, added that the committee established cases of misconduct against some electoral officers and law enforcement agents, who, according to him, allowed themselves to be compromised in their line of duties.

But from INEC’s report last week, there is no doubt that the police did not do justice in its report released earlier in the month. The force in its efforts to absolve itself of some wrong doings during the polls, blamed both the state government and INEC for the lapses recorded during the elections.

Part of the shoddy job of the police probe panel was when it failed to unveil those responsible for the gruesome murder of the DSP Mohammed Alkali and his orderly even when accusing fingers had been pointed to certain persons. Specifically, the INEC report fingered the state Commander of SARS, Fakorede, who a week to the election, had been complained about by Governor Nyesom Wike, to the police high command that he was distributing SARS personnel to opposition chieftains, allegedly for the elections. He said the SARS personnel were assigned to the chieftains for the purpose of snatching election materials and the intimidation of PDP supporters. He wondered why politicians, who are expected to stay away from the polling units, were allocated such SARS officials.

This was followed by the arrest of some printers caught in Port Harcourt printing thousands of INEC documents. Upon their interrogation, the suspects named a chieftain of the opposition party as the sponsor of the nefarious act. Rather than arrest the chieftain and parade him for the shameless act, the police authorities moved the case to Abuja where the case has died.

While reacting to the INEC report, public affairs analyst, Ebere Chukwu hailed the commission, saying it was a vindication that the police report was bias. He described the police report as selective and politicallymotivated, saying until the force and other security agencies begin to accept responsibility for their lapses in any given task, the country would not have credible solution to curbing the menace of electoral malpractices.

“Recall that when the police released its report some weeks ago, we rejected it in toto because it was absolutely one-sided. The INEC report has vindicated us. Until security agencies Continued on next page

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 , 2017

PERSPECTIVE

Dickson Waxing Stronger Nats Onoja Agbo reckons that Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has exemplified good leadership in the oil-rich state in the last five years and remains unrelenting

S

ince 2012 when Henry Seriake Dickson was sworn-in as the executive Governor of Bayelsa State, February 14 has been a special day for the people of the state. Being the day he took the oath of office during which he promised to rule Bayelsa State with honesty, love and care, people often look forward to the day, to celebrate his achievements and Valentine’s day. This year’s celebration is unique and different for several reasons. First, it is coming after the afterglow of the governor’s well-deserved victory both at the polls and at the Supreme Court. Secondly, this anniversary marks the end of his fifth year in office as the Governor of Bayelsa State, just as it marks the anniversary of his first year in office for his second tenure. Also, this year’s celebration is remarkable for the number of projects listed for commissioning. Planned to last for six days, according to the governor’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Francis Agbo, the commissioning will cover projects in various sectors including health, education, roads and bridges. The projects are so many that they would have to be commissioned in batches.

The foundation for the phenomenal successes recorded by the Dickson administration was laid early in 2012. The Valentine Governor, as he is fondly called by his political associates, had promised to regularly render account of money accruing to the state from the federation account. He followed it up with an executive bill, which was passed into law by the Bayesla State House of Assembly. The law stipulates that the governor of Bayelsa State must always render account of all money accruing to the state, including from the federation account, to the people of the state. Governor Dickson is the only state chief executive who chose, through an Act of Parliament, to compulsorily render account of money accruing to the state.

Governor Dickson was also desirous of creating an enabling environment for his development programmes by ensuring that politicians whether in the ruling party or in the opposition, are given room to operate without hindrance.

He believes that only a turmoil-free political landscape could guarantee the speedy growth and development of Bayelsa State. He therefore liberalised the political space by allowing opposition politicians the freedom to thrive. Even when members of the opposition party criticise him, he simply laughs over it. That was how he virtually eliminated political violence, which was the rule in the state before he came to power. The height of that political tolerance was seen in the build up to the 2015 general elections when he made available to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and President Muhammdu Buhari, the state owned Samson Siasia Stadium for their campaign at great cost to his political career!

Thereafter, Governor Dickson embarked on what are now fondly referred to as the legacy projects, in education, health, roads construction, the hospitality industry, religion and industrialisation. Education was his first port of call. Having witnessed at close quarters how difficult it was for Bayelsans to access education, he introduced free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school levels. According to his media department, the governor also spent about N40billion on education to build over 30 first ever model boarding secondary schools in the 24 state constituencies, as well as 400 primary schools with headmaster/staff quarters in many

Dickson...working relentlessly

parts of the state. In addition, government gave primary school pupils and secondary school students free textbooks, uniforms, sandals, bags, and writing materials. Government also picked the bills for students registering for WAEC, NECO, and JAMB examinations. Part of the N40billion was spent on scholarships to enable Bayelsans and other Ijo-speaking peoples study for graduate and post-graduate degrees in some of the best of universities in Nigeria and the world. Governor Dickson also tackled teacher education, which had been neglected for many years due to inconsistent government policies. The absence of training schools for teachers, he learnt, was responsible for the fall in the standard of education in the country. To change the situation, he established a Teachers’ Training Institute and equipped it with modern

Notable international figures, including Jesse Jackson, have been to Yenagoa to savor its new flavour. So far, the Valentine Governor has lived his vision of bringing the world to Bayelsa, and taking Bayelsa to the world and he can only get better if he remains focused on the job!

teaching facilities for the training and re-training of teachers. The deliberate efforts to reposition education in the state have been so phenomenal that by 2014, Bayelsa State became the fourth best-performing state with a pass rate of 52.83 per cent as 34, 242 students scored five credits and above, including Mathematics and English in the West African Examinations Council results.

Governor Dickson also made dramatic changes in the health sector, introducing health institutions that were thought impossible for the state. His desire, as he often said, is to enable every Bayelsan have direct access to quality health facilities. It was in line with that resolution that he built a referral hospital in the headquarters of each local government area.

He also built a Diagnostic Center in Yenagoa, which has been acclaimed as world-class and one of the best in the country. Apart from a modern clinic that is attached to Government House in Yenagoa, Governor Dickson also built a drug mart, conceived to flush out fake drugs from the market! The construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges also received the attention of the governor. It will be recalled that prior to his emergence as governor, Bayelsa was derisively described as a one-road state.

With his resolution to change the face of roads and bridges in the state, it did not take long before Governor Dickson turned Bayelsa State into a construction site with the construction of roads in various parts of the state. Among the outstanding road projects are the Ring road, which allows Yenagoa-bound visitor from Port Harcourt to go through Igbogene, thus avoiding the hassles of traffic gridlock in the capital city; construction of the first-ever flyover in Yenagoa, which was named Restoration Flyover; expansion of the Isaac Adaka Boro Express Way in Yenagoa into three lanes; construction of the Ogobiri/ Toru Ebeni bridge, which is the longest in the state, connecting Sagbama with the Southern Ijaw local government; and the construction of one major road in each of the three Senatorial Districts in the state. Also outstanding was the

boost the restoration government gave to the construction of the Ogbia-Nembe road in Bayelsa East senatorial district. The construction of that road has given the residents of Nembe the first opportunity of driving their cars from Yenagoa to their various homes.

In the tourism sector, Governor Dickson realised quite early that it required the expertise of trained hands to make any serious impact globally. To attain that goal, he established the School of Tourism and Catering, the School of Music and the School of Languages to train people who could either man the tourism industry in the state, start their own businesses or seek relevant employment in other parts of the world. It was to also tap into the tourism industry that Governor Dickson established a Museum in Yenagoa. An Entertainment and Tourist centre is presently under construction at the Oxbow Lake area of Yenagoa, just as an 18-hole international Golf Course/Estate and a world-class Polo Ground and Club are at various stages of construction.

The Governor also ordered the rehabilitation of tourist and recreational sites across the state, including the Whiteman’s Grave at Akassa in Brass local government area.

The ‘Countryman Governor’ also built four state secretariat annexes, a permanent secretariat for members of the Bayelsa Traditional Council and a special court for Alternative Dispute Resolution, which has drastically reduced the volume of litigations in regular courts. He also built a police officers’ mess, deputy governor’s residence, a driving school, transparency plaza and government guest houses. Other major achievements of Governor Dickson include the establishment of a Football Academy in Sagbama, the NYSC orientation camp and Youth Development Centre, Kaiama and the Sports Academy, both in Kolokuma Okpokuma local government area, construction of a stadium in Nembe city, as well as the building of an ecumenical centre and an ultra-modern new governor/deputy governor’s office, all in Yenagoa.

To shore up the agricultural base and the industrial sector, Governor Dickson established a commercial cassava starch processing factory in Ebidebri, in Sagbama, which would create 30, 000 jobs when fully operational. The government also built 500 fish ponds, which will engage about 700 youths. An airport on the Wilberforce Island, Amassoma meant to open up the state and make it a player in the Gulf of Guinea is under construction. Governor Dickson promoted private sector participation in real estate by setting up the Bayelsa Geographic Information System to simplify the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy for land titles within 60 days of application.

Dickson often describes Bayelsa as ‘‘the world’s best kept secret.’’ The world appears to have discovered the state as it now attracts major national and global events. The most memorable events that have taken place in Yenagoa are the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria contest, Miss Century contest, the annual Nigeria Editors Conference, the annual Fashion Festival, the African Movie Academy Awards, and the Global Jazz Festival. Notable international figures, including Jesse Jackson, have been to Yenagoa to savor its new flavour. So far, the Valentine Governor has lived his vision of bringing the world to Bayelsa, and taking Bayelsa to the world and he can only get better if he remains focused on the job!

Agbo, a veteran journalist, wrote in from Lagos

UNETHICAL POLICING begin to accept responsibilities for the failure during elections the country will go nowhere toward achieving credible electoral process.

Accepting responsibility will make them do better subsequent elections.

“Recall that all the issues raised by the state government before, during and after the elections were ignored by the police. Does one need to consult a native doctor to know

that the police are no longer apolitical in the matter, and had no moral right to conduct an investigation in a matter that it is an interested party?

“Our view is that the police have played into the hands of politicians, thereby making a mockery of the whole process. There is nowhere in the world that a skewed judgment can stand the test of time. Rather, it even

becomes an antecedent condition for future violence. The police panel did not only end up wasting time and money, it achieved nothing that can end electoral violence in Nigeria in the future.

“We heard that the police were massively bribed during the elections. Did you see that in their report? Instead, they tried to create the impression that PDP has the monopoly of

bribery but you can tell that to only children.

If we are serious about going into the root causes of what happened during any election, let an independent body be constituted to conduct the investigation, where the police would be invited to come and explain their own roles in that election. The non-neutrality of the police has been said to be one of the reasons why elections are marred by violence”.

18

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

No End in Sight to Farmers, Herdsmen Clashes The 2017 budget does not seem to provide the solutions to the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen, indicating that the government is probably paying lip service to its plan for food sufficiency. Damilola Oyedele writes

A cattle rearer

O

ne of the biggest security challenges Nigeria has been grappling with in recent times is the incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen. A long term effect, aside the increasing number of deaths, destruction of farmlands and properties, sometimes of entire villages in reprisal attacks, is the threat to food security.

Several states of the federation have been experiencing continuous attacks, particularly Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba and there have also been pockets of reported clashes in Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Abia and others in the South. According to reports, at least 1, 269 persons were killed by the rampaging herdsmen in Benue State alone, between April 2013 and July 2016. On February 29, 2016, the herdsmen, armed with guns, allegedly attacked several Agatu villages, murdering about 500 villagers, and displacing several thousands.

Southern Kaduna has been in the news for a while now due to recurring clashes between both farmers and the herdsmen, with hundreds losing their lives, and property worth millions destroyed. About 800 persons, including women and children, have allegedly died in the Southern Kaduna crises in recent months.

Fulani herdsmen have also been under attack, with reprisal killings on them, and killing of their cattle, which is their source of livelihood. For instance, in both Kaduna and Benue, Fulani leaders have accused local communities of killing their cattle, and attacking their people.

Major causes The major cause of the clashes is the need by the herdsmen to feed and water their cattle, and because of the effects of climate change, and the activities of Boko Haram in

the North-east, the herders have to move Southwards. As climate change caused

The major cause of the clashes is the need by the herdsmen to feed and water their cattle, and because of the effects of climate change, and the activities of Boko Haram in the North-east, the herders have to move Southwards.

As climate change caused more desertification in Northern Nigeria, and watering grounds disappearing with 95 per cent of Lake Chad drying up, nomads were forced to move Southwards to find foliage and water for the cattle

more desertification in Northern Nigeria, and watering grounds disappearing with 95 per cent of Lake Chad drying up, nomads were forced to move Southwards to find foliage and water for the cattle. According to the Governance Advancement Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN), about 15 per cent of land in the North-east became a no-go area for the nomads due to activities of Boko Haram.

Unfortunately, farmlands in the South were the casualties of the movement of the cattle, as the manner of indiscriminate movement, has led to the destruction of whole farmlands, sometimes, close to harvest, and pollution of waters with cattle faeces. The development has given rise to the constant clashes between the herdsmen and farmers.

Ranching Vs grazing argument Several experts and stakeholders have since proffered solutions to the crises, with the major arguments bordering around ranching versus creation of grazing routes. Ranching is being suggested as the most viable option to check indiscriminate grazing of cattle. They argue that to create grazing routes, which some sections of the society have advocated for, would cause fresh clashes over land ownership. Proponents of ranching argue that the method is adopted by developed countries involved in animal husbandry, and would address the problems of foliage and water for cattle, in addition to ensuring basic necessities and infrastructure required by herdsmen.

The proponents of grazing however argue that Nigeria used to have grazing routes in the pre-independence era, and this can be recreated to ensure adequate sustenance for the cattle. This would be done by appropriation and preservation of land in different parts of the country, and

establishment of a national grazing reserve commission.

Recently, Taraba State Governor, Mr. Darius Ishaku, and his Benue counterpart, Mr. Samuel Ortom, at a meeting to solve the constant communal clashes along their joint borders, advocated that ranching be embraced to solve the clashes.

“The trend all over the world is ranching.

Moving cattle from one place to another is not encouraged all over the world. We will agree with one another to give land for ranching and I am already discussing with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to get about eight special grasses to be planted at Mambilla. Machines would cut the grasses when they are matured and they will be put in bales to sell to ranches. It makes cattle grow faster, bigger and healthier.

It would be another source of revenue for Taraba,” Ishaku said.

Ortom, who has long been an advocate of ranching said grazing routes are no longer feasible due to population explosion.

“We must understand that ranching cannot be done overnight. We are setting up machinery to collaborate with the federal government to establish ranches. We must support the herdsmen to establish ranches so that we can have lasting peace in our country because the land is no longer there,” he said at the meeting.

The 2017 budget Despite the arguments, the 2017 budget with its proposal of N82 billion to the agricultural sector, does not make any provision for ranching development, while the sum of N1.4 billion was proposed for the establishment of the National Grazing Reserves Development Commission.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Services, Hon. Mohammed Tahir

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FEATURES

Monguno

Ogbeh

Onuigbo

Tarkighir

Monguno, in an interview with THISDAY, not leave animals to roam around in the noted that the 1.7 per cent allocation to the sector is an improvement in recent years, even though it falls short of the minimum 10 per cent requirement by the Maputo Declaration for all African countries.

He also emphasised that ranching remains a major solution to the constant clashes apart from the proposed grazing reserves.

“When we say ranching, you have veterinary facilities there, the grasses, and conducive atmosphere for fattening and better quantity of milk production. It is not in the budget, but we can, as National Assembly, use our powers of appropriation to allocate money for it, because it is very important. It is an important means of averting the clashes,” he said.

Monguno also noted that the transportation of live cattle to distant places affects the quality of the meat and milk production of the cattle, and called for investment in cold store haulage of cattle and its products.

He further disclosed to THISDAY, that the planned importation of special grass from Brazil was discouraged to allow the National Animal Production and Research Institute, which has the mandate for development for local pasture, develop grass species that can withstand local climate.

In the same vein, Hon. Dickson Tarkgihir who is the sponsor of the Ranching Bill, said animals cannot be allowed to roam around in the name of grazing.

“Cattle rearing is a business, it is done in other climes, developed countries do

When we say ranching, you have veterinary facilities there, the grasses, and conducive atmosphere for fattening and better quantity of milk production. It is not in the budget, but we can, as National Assembly, use our powers of appropriation to allocate money for it, because it is very important. It is an important means of averting the clashes

name of grazing. The cattle owner is doing business just like the farmer. People who are interested in ranching should acquire lands, and rear their cattle safely, so that the person who wants to farm, can also have access to his land unhindered, and do his farming,” he said.

The lawmaker from Benue, one of the states mostly affected by the conflict said farmlands are assets, particularly for agrarian Nigerians, which should be protected if the government is serious about economic diversification and food sufficiency.

“Agriculture remains the easiest way to diversify and make profit almost immediately, especially when farmers are given certain inputs. For solid minerals, you need to make massive investments in infrastructure, before you make gains,” he added.

Echoing Governor Ortom, Tarkgihir said to force citizens to surrender their lands, would result in fresh crises, adding that grazing is an outdated model towards cattle rearing.

Speaking on the lack of provision for ranching in the 2017 budget, the lawmaker disclosed that he is already in talks with the leadership of the National Assembly to invite the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on the matter. “To be invited before the budget is passed, to explain what solutions his ministry is working on to resolve the clashes. If it comes to it, the National Assembly can make provisions, if it requires funding for that particular item,” he told THISDAY. On his part, Chairman of the House

Committee on Climate Change, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, in an exclusive interview he granted THISDAY in Lagos, noted that it was time to focus on the impact of climate change which he attributed to the constant herdsmen/farmers clashes across the country.

“We have a responsibility as a nation to act fast to arrest this situation,” he said. “Today, we have come to some kind of agreement that we must be proactive in containing the negative effects of climate change, and where possible, go ahead to take advantage of the opportunities that abound.

“That is why we came up with the National Policy on Climate Change which is to guide the different sectors affected by climate change, so that each sector is able to prepare to face the impending threats and, where possible, to benefit from the problems. For example, if we want to grow a green economy, we will have to invest in solar and hydro energy.

“We encourage each sector to do a sectoral variability assessment, for each sector to know how variable they are. When they do this, they have a scientific basis for taking action, for moving ahead. But if this is not done, we continue to move in the dark. That’s why we encourage different sectors to do this and get prepared.”

Conclusion It is clear that if the clashes are not addressed, whatever efforts the country makes at attaining food sufficiency, would come to naught.

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IMAGES

L-R: Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun State branch, Mr. Wale Adegbite, Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, President, Ogun State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Chief Mrs. Adesola Adebutu and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Jonathan Onajobi during the 9th quarterly meeting of the State and MAN in Abeokuta....recently

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

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L-R : Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah;Acting Managing Director, Bank of Industry,Mr. Waheed Olagunju;Veteran Nollywood Actress, Mrs Joke Silva,and Executive Director, Corporate Services, BoI,Mr. Jonathan Tobin, during the official tour to the proposed site for Malete film village, in Ilorin, Kwara

L-R:Group Head, Retail, Skye Bank Plc, Ndubuisi Osakwe; Executive Director, Technology & Services, Innocent Ike; Winner, Nnorom Ronald and, CBN Representative, Mohammed Ogidi at the cheque presentation ceremony of the on-going MoneyGram/Skye Bank ëReceive N Winí promo in Lagos....recently

L-R: Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Olumide Ojo; Hip-Hop artiste and Samsung Brand Ambassador, Reminisce; Director & Business Leader, Information Technology and Mobile, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas; Head, Product Marketing, Information Technology and Mobile, Ms. Jumoke Okikiolu and Head, Regional Operation, Mr. Tony Akindele all of Samsung Electronics West Africa during the launch of Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime plus in Lagos....recently

Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu(right) receiving from the State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade the Award of Best Governor on Security Matters presented to him by Security Watch Africa in South Africa.....recently

L-R; Head; Wealth Management; Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria; Simpa Adaba; Senior Investment Advisor; Wealth Management; Standard Chartered Bank; Adetolani Temilola, Vice President; Sales and Relationship Management Africa; Allianz Global Investors; DiÈnabou KÈita and Head; Investment Advisory; Wealth Management; Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria; Lanre Olajide at Standard Chartered Bank Global Outlook session for Clients in Lagos....recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

R-L ; Commercial Director of Republican, Mr Eyitayo Olayemi, Advisory board member and promoter Ewit Track Education and women in technology. Mr Enilia Asim-Ita, Executive Director, Connect marketing services limited, Tosin Omoyajowo and the General Manager Techplus, Mr Taiwo Oyewole, at the unveiling of General Managers and announcement of Techplus 2017, In Lagos...recently DAN UKANA

L-R; Consultant to Loeries Awards (South Africa) Adenike Adefila; CEO, Loeries Awards, South Africa, Andrew Human; Chief Creativity Officer/ CEO, X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko and PA to the CEO, Victoria Buzugbe during Loeries Awards official visit to X3M Ideas in Lagos...recently

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Group Business Editor ChikaAmanze-Nwachuku Email: chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157, 08057161321

F E B R U A R Y

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Quick Takes Opuama Field Output Hits 150tb Eland Oil and Gas Plc has announced that the Opuama-3 well in Nigeria’s OML 40 license has produced over 150,000 barrels of oil since the company’s last update on January 31, 2017. In addition, the company announced the implementation of crude export from the Opuama field through shipping continues to ramp up successfully. The first shuttle vessel arrived at the terminal last week and injected around 39,000 barrels of crude, Eland said. “We have designed and engineered a unique and dedicated alternative export route via shipping due to the prolonged shut-in at Forcados Terminal,� said Eland’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. George Maxwell. “This has involved significant capital and operational challenges and it is of enormous credit to our staff and all our partners that we are able to report that we have completed a full export cycle with one vessel,� he added.

The company had restarted crude oil production in the Opuama field through the successful recommissioning of existing systems and the reopening of two existing wells.

Gross output from the two wells is expected to stabilize in aggregate at 2,500 b/d of oil.

Nestoil Showcases Expertise at NOG

FIRSTLOUNGE LAUNCH

L-R: Chief Superintendent of Customs, Aliyu Toro; MD/CEO First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Subsidiaries, Adesola Adeduntan; Director, First Street Limited, Bayo Adeniji and Deputy Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Gbenga Shobo at the FirstLounge launch in lagos ‌recently

OPEC: Global Spending on Oil Production Fell by $300bn in Two Years Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has said that between 2015 and 2016, the global oil and gas industry witnessed a sharp contraction in its overall investment in exploration and production, mainly on account of the market imbalance witnessed within these periods.

OPEC’s Secretary General, Dr. Sanusi Barkindo stated recently at the 2017 International Petroleum Week in London that within these years, spending on oil and gas exploration and production fell by around 26 and 22 per cent, totaling about $300 billion.

ENERGY Barkindo explained that the industry cannot afford to take in any more drop in investment for the third consecutive year, adding that it was necessary to stabilise the market going forward because oil would remain top on the world’s energy choice for a long time. “The gravity of the sharp contraction in oil industry investment is underscored in the fact that in both 2015 and 2016 we witnessed a dramatic rationalisation of projects. “Global oil and gas exploration and production spending fell by around 26 per cent in 2015 and a further 22 per cent

drop in 2016. Combined, this equates to above $300 billion. “This has impacted new projects coming on-stream and new discoveries too. To put it simply, the industry cannot afford to see investment levels fall for a third year in a row.

Stability today is also vital for stability in the future, given that the oil industry is very much a medium-to-long-term business,� said Barkindo.

He stated that since the oil industry was a growth business, OPEC anticipates that the world would require more oil in the years ahead, and as such oil related investments worth $10 trillion would be required between now and 2040.

According to him, oil will remain a fuel of choice for the foreseeable future. “We see the world requiring more oil in the years ahead.

Oil will remain a fuel of choice for the foreseeable future.

In OPEC’s latest World Oil Outlook, oil is still expected to supply over 26 per cent of the world’s energy demand by 2040. Oil demand increased by around 17mb/d between 2015 and 2040 to reach close to 110mb/d. This will require significant investments. And new barrels are needed to not only increase production, but also to accommodate for decline Continued on page 22

Petroleum Engineers Seek Gas Terms for Deep Offshore Raise concern over cancellation of AGFA Ejiofor Alike Petroleum engineers under the aegis of the Nigeria Council of the Society of Engineers (SPE) have urged the federal government to provide the terms for investors to develop gas in deep offshore terrain.

The engineers have also raised concern over ongoing plans by the federal government to cancel the 1992 Associated Gas Framework Agreement (AGFA).

AGFA, which was introduced in 1992, but has never been fully implemented, contains

ENERGY a package of fiscal incentives for utilisation of gas.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos ahead of 2017 Oloibiri Lecture Series & Energy Forum (OLEF 2017), scheduled for Abuja next month, the Chairman of SPE, Nigeria Council, Dr. Saka Matemilola said a favourable gas terms would incentive investors to develop gas in the deep offshore.

He said huge undeveloped gas resources were locked up in the offshore terrain as a result of lack of terms for

the development of gas in this challenging environment.

Matemilola argued that the current policy where oil producers in the deep offshore do not have right over the gas resources do not encourage investment. “But the question is what gas terms will make it profitable?

Don’t forget that operating in deep offshore is a lot more expensive than onshore and some offshore. So, you have to give the right terms,� he said.

According to him, the issue of gas pricing is a major issue, adding that the current policy

where the government directs the gas producers to sell at a particular price does not encourage investment in gas infrastructure. “But there are small companies in some other areas where it is a willing-buyer, willing-seller agreement. And you see that that is where a lot of companies are interested because I cannot go and look for funds and you tell me that I can’t sell above this particular price when someone is willing to buy at that price because the Continued on page 22

Nestoil Limited, the flagship company of the Obijackson Group - one of sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest growing conglomerates, is showcasing its expertise in the ongoing Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference holding in Abuja.

Specifically, Nestoil will leverage the theme of this year’s conference, “A Journey Towards Transformation�, to showcase the growth of indigenous capacity to investors and international oil companies.

The company’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Ernest ObiejesiAzudialu described the NOG as Nigeria’s version of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) held annually in Texas and enjoined operators to explore the opportunities afforded by the gathering to show our country’s potential to foreign investors and highlight the benefits of doing business in Nigeria.

According to him “Let us take the Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference as our version of the Offshore Technology Conference and leverage the opportunities it presents to highlight our economic potential to the world. Nigeria is currently undergoing a process of rebirth that will bring prosperity to everyone. As Nigerians, we have a duty to help the world understand this, and showcase the opportunities that come with the transformation that is occuring in every facet of our lives as a people. .

W/Bank Pledges $60m to Gambia The World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Makhtar Diop, said at the weekend that he had agreed to give Gambia $60 million in budget support after government allegations that former ruler Yahya Jammeh took tens of millions of dollars in public money, leaving it heavily indebted.

Diop told reporters after meeting with the new government that he had pledged to give $40 million before June with the remainder to follow later. Jammeh fled into exile last month after regional leaders convinced him after marathon talks that he should accept defeat in a December election.

Since then Gambia’s new pro-Western government has alleged that Jammeh committed fraud on a massive scale including siphoning off tens of millions of dollars in public money into various bank accounts not in his name but from which he withdrew cash, including at the central bank. “All parastatals, especially the National Water and Electricity Company, GAMTEL (telecommunications) and Gambia Public Transport, are bankrupt and the government coffers are empty,� said finance minister Amadou Sanneh, who was one of more than 100 political prisoners pardoned at the end of Jammeh’s rule.

“It is time the Discos make sure that the consumers that are subsidised for each distribution network do not constitute more than 10 per cent of the load they get�

Former Managing Director of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), Mr. Rumundaka Wonodi

22

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

BUSINESSWORLD OPEC: GLOBAL SPENDING ON OIL PRODUCTION FELL BY $300BN IN TWO YEARS

rates from existing fields.

Overall, we see oil-related investment requirements of around $10 trillion over the period to 2040,” he explained.

He also said that the industry needed regular, timely and sustainable investment to guarantee security of supply to the world.

He noted that in the longterm, OPEC will be required to meet much of the expected additional demand for oil in the world, and that member countries were committed to making new investments despite the recent downturn in prices.

“In terms of crude, OPEC’s supply is estimated to increase to 41mb/d by 2040, an increase of around 9mb/d from 2016, while non-OPEC is anticipated to witness an overall decline of 2mb/d. In terms of all liquids, the increase for OPEC is close to 12mb/d from 2016, and for non-OPEC there is growth of about 3mb/d. It means that the estimated share of OPEC crude in the total world liquids supply in 2040 is 37 per cent, which is three percentage points higher than the 2015 level.

PETROLEUM ENGINEERS SEEK GAS TERMS FOR DEEP OFFSHORE

person who is buying it at the market rate knows that it is profitable. That is why he is buying it at that rate, anyway.

But if a company is forced to sell at a particular rate, which the company thinks will not make economic sense, it will be very tough,” Matemilola explained.

He also raised concern on government’s plan to stop the implementation of the Associated Gas Framework Agreement (AGFA), adding that the government should find alternative policy to AGFA. “It has not been replaced yet, but that is something government needs to think about a replacement because the policy is still going round through stakeholders’ engagement.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Cap Mkt)

NEWS

Nigerian Content a Veritable Tool for National Development, Says Ojulari Ejiofor Alike The Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Mr. Bayo Ojulari has described the local content law in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry as a veritable tool for national development.

In his presentation on “Service company – Operator Collaboration Models; Drawing on experience from other providences,” at the recent maiden edition of the West African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC) held in Lagos, Ojulari noted that even in the developed world, the concept of “country first” is becoming increasingly popular.

Ojulari, who called on services providers to collaborate in order to survive the current low oil price regime, added that in other countries such as Brazil, companies have leveraged on each other’s capability to deliver Floating Production Storage Offshore (FPSO) vessels “at half the price and half the time.”

Ojulari revealed that Brazil currently has 43 FPSOs, while seven are under construction.

He however, listed six conditions that would make local content to work in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

One of the conditions, he pointed out, is stability of government policies. According to him, the stability of government policies is critical to the survival of local content, adding that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board

(NCDMB) should seize to be a policeman and assume the role of an enabler. To ensure the survival of local content, Ojulari advocated a consistent commitment to local capacity development, as well as effective collaboration in goods and services and the supply business.

He also stressed the need for the service providers to exploit economy of scale and ensure standardisation.

According to him, the service providers should maintain standard in the current era of paucity of jobs.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO), a subsidiary of NNPC, Mr. Siky Aliyu, who represented the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru said it was “ imperative that local companies rendering services

in this larger segment need to emulate the Engineering companies by coming together to position themselves for effective competition with international companies who currently have a competitive advantage in this current low price regime.”

Earlier, the Chairman of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Bank Anthony Okoroafor, said the mission of WAIPEC is aimed at

promoting the region’s oil and gas industry, while seeking the industry best practise, explore new technologies and develop commercial opportunities for business and international investment.

Okoroafor stated that the inaugural event, which is commissioned by PETAN is focused at serving the industry as an integrated platform for business organised by the industry.

CAPACITY BUILDING

L-R: Head, Membership Services, The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Funbi Akinloyi; President, Professional Women Bankers Association of Nigeria (PWBAN), Oluwatosin Ojo and Busola Awosile of Customer Experience Management Group of Sterling Bank Plc at a workshop organised by PWBAN and supported by Sterling Bank Plc for students of Secondary Schools in Lagos…recently

DPR Accuses Marketers Abuja Disco Installs 3,500 Meters for Maximum of Diverting Petroleum Demand Customers Products The Abuja Electricity Distribu- mission (NERC), but has Process Reengineering (BPR) Stories by Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has said that it has uncovered fresh cases of diversion of petroleum products by fuel marketers.

According to the regulatory agency, products loaded in trucks are being diverted from their original destinations by some marketers.

The agency also alleged that some of the marketers have gone back to hoarding products at their respective retail outlets, and warned that instances of petroleum trucks not getting to their designated ports within the approved three days delivery timeline would not be tolerated.

The agency said in a statement that such reemerging practices amongst oil marketers would be nipped on the board by the regulatory agency. He stated that it has intensified its surveillance activities against this.

“It has come to the attention of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) the unwholesome activities of some petroleum products marketers who indulge in

hoarding and diversion of petroleum products at their various trucks holding terminals across the country while also manipulating their retail dispensing pumps at the filling stations to the detriment of unsuspecting buyers.

DPR reiterates its commitment to ensure that marketers comply fully with oil and gas business best practices. Consequently, marketers are hereby warned to desist from such sharp practices and deliver products lifted from the depots to designated filling stations, within the stipulated 1-3 days grace period, depending on the point of discharge,” the statement explained.

The statement assured the public that the DPR would continue to provide regulatory backings to ensure that the country maintains adequate daily sufficiency of products, in anticipation of the completion of the government’s repair and enhancement of the performance of Nigeria’s refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt to fill in any identified gaps in domestic petroleum products consumption.

tion Company (AEDC) has stated that it has provided meters for 3,500 out of the 3,900 maximum demand (MD) customers under its network.

In an update on the implementation of its MD metering programme, the company also stated that the MD customers were placed under an automated meter reading (AMR) system, which allows them to monitor their electricity consumption patterns from their premises, while it observes the working conditions of the meters from a control centre at its head office.

AEDC’s Managing Director, Ernest Mupwaya disclosed this to the members of the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy who were recently at the company’s headquarters in Abuja to take stock of its operations.

Mupwaya explained that another 76,000 meters were installed in the homes of other categories of customers through the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) that was set up by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Com-

now been rested. He noted that the Disco’s has adopted an aggressive strategy in its deployment of meter to its customers because it wanted to effectively deal with consumers’ misgivings on estimated billing method.

Mupwaya equally stated that the Disco wanted to reduce the huge financial revenue it incurred on a monthly basis from consumers’ non-payment of bills for electricity services rendered to them.

“First of all, we recognise that affordable, adequate and safe electricity is a key ingredient to any sustainable economic development, and that we cannot talk of sustainable progress if we are providing a service that is not satisfactory. This is why we are conscious of improving our customer satisfaction level,” Mupwaya told the committee, which included its chairman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, its deputy chairman, Senator Mustapha Bukar, as well as Senators Mao Samuel Ohuabunwa, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, and Ahmed Salau Ogembe.

Similarly, the Disco has initiated a two-year Business

project to instill better work culture, greater productivity and improved customer service delivery within its workforce.

To drive the BPR project, the Disco said it selected 76 of its employees. It charged them to drive the reform project which according to it would lead to it employees striving for excellence in the discharge of their respective official tasks.

Mupwaya in his request from the workers on the need to adopt a fresh approach to their job, stated that they cannot continue to do things the same way and expect different results from same.

He equally reminded them that with the privatisation of the power sector, customers expected high levels of service delivery from the Disco, thus, the need for adjustment to standard practices for improved service delivery.

Mupwaya noted that the recent ranking of the Disco by the NERC as the overall best performing Disco in Nigeria in the third quarter of 2016 was an indication that it was the right path to realising its vision to be a world class utility soon.

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TacklingChronicLogisticsChallengesinCooking Gas Supply The berthing priority accorded vessels discharging petrol at NNPC’s Apapa jetty, coupled with delays in the arrival of cooking gas vessels from the Bonny Island plant of Nigeria LNG Limited, have continued to lead to the hike in the price of cooking gas by marketers. Ejiofor Alike reports When former President Olusegun Obasanjo directed the Nigeria LNG Limited to set aside certain volume of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), better known as cooking gas, produced at the Bonny Island plant of the company for the domestic market, the measure was to bridge the supply gap created by the collapse of the refineries.

The collapse of the refineries, which were the main sources of cooking gas in Nigeria, led to the disappearance of the product from the Nigerian market.

In compliance with the directive, the Nigeria LNG initially set aside 100,000 metric tonnes of LPG for the domestic market yearly.

With the abysmally low consumption of LPG in the country at that period – about 60,000MT yearly – the 100,000MT was more than enough for the domestic market.

Nigerians were initially constrained by the high cost of the product and its accessories, coupled with the misplaced fear of looming dangers in the use of LPG. But as more awareness is created on the benefits of LPG as a cheaper, cleaner and safer domestic fuel, more households and businesses switched over from the use of coal, firewood and kerosene to cooking gas, thus leading to increasing demand for the product.

To keep pace with the increasing demand, the Nigeria LNG increased domestic supply to 150,000MT yearly and later to 250,000MT annually.

Apart from the 250,000MT from the Nigeria LNG, other companies are also engaged in importation of LPG through the seas and land borders to argument the volumes from the Bonny Island. However, for a country of 170 million that is supposed to be consuming at least one million metric tonnes of LPG yearly, Nigeria’s current consumption has continued to keep the country’s per capita consumption of LPG far below other countries.

Logistics challenge Despite the huge consumption gap, the biggest challenge facing the LPG sector is not supply as the Nigeria LNG and other importers have stabilised supply; the chronic challenge is in the area of logistics.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has three jetties in Lagos that constitute the Apapa Jetty - Petroleum Wharf (PWA); BOP and NOJ, all used by vessels to discharge petroleum products.

But only NOJ has facilities to discharge cooking gas and thus dedicated for the discharge of LPG, base oil and other similar products from vessels.

However, NOJ is also used to discharge petrol and other petroleum products from vessels.

So, whenever NLNG brings LPG vessel to Lagos and another vessel is discharging petrol at NOJ, the LPG vessel will either wait and incur huge demurrage or go to NAVGAS terminal, a private jetty and the only alternative jetty for LPG vessels to discharge in Lagos.

Even when NOJ is vacant and NLNG brings in LPG vessel, once a petrol vessel is around the corner, it will be given priority to berth before the LPG vessel “to avoid creating fuel scarcity” as the PPMC and petrol marketers usually claim.

This logistics challenge in the supply of cooking gas has allegedly given the operators of NAVGAS terminal and some officials of the NNPC the opportunity to create monopoly situation by ensuring that when NLNG LPG vessel arrives from Bonny Island in most cases, the NOJ will always be occupied by a petrol vessel, thus forcing NLNG to discharge at the private terminal, thus fueling price hike.

Though the country has not experienced acute scarcity of cooking gas since NLNG intervened in 2007, persistent hike in price occurs whenever

LPG vessel NLNG vessel experiences delays in loading at the Bonny Island plant or when the vessel is diverted to a private facility in Apapa as a result of lack of berthing space in PPMC jetty.

NLNG’s General Manager in charge of External Relations, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke had alluded to this fact in a statement when he attributed the current hike in the price of the product to what he described as the recent delays in the discharge of LPG vessel at the receiving facilities in Apapa. He argued that the multi-use terminal at Apapa, which accord berthing priority to vessels discharging other petroleum products had led to a temporary supply disruption.

Eresia-Eke’s clarification came after the company’s dedicated LPG vessel was unable to discharge LPG at the Apapa port from December 29, 2016 to the second week of January as a result of jetty unavailability.

International pricing Another challenge that leads to the escalation of the price of cooking gas in Nigeria is the international pricing of the product by the NLNG. Marketers have blamed the high cost of the product to the sale of the product in Nigerian market at the international price, as well as the payment of associated costs, otherwise called agent fees, in dollars. With the pricing of the product based on the fundamentals at the international market, marketers argue that the current high price is also fueled by the rising price of crude oil and the high cost of forex.

“NLNG produces LPG locally but the domestic price is based on the price in the international market. That is why when there is winter in Europe and the price of gas goes up, Nigerians are also made to pay the high price even though there is no winter in Nigeria,” one of the marketers had told THISDAY. Another marketer, who also spoke off record, had also stated that as long as NLNG hinges the domestic price on the international market fundamentals, the current high cost of dollars will escalate the domestic price of gas.

“The high cost of dollar and high cost of crude are responsible for the current price hike. Unless there is domestic pricing, Nigerians will continue to pay the international market price, despite

the fact that it is a local product,” the marketer said. In a recent interview with THISDAY, the President of the Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr. Basil Ogbuanu had also blamed the price hike partly on international pricing but pointed out that the “good news is that the product is available in the market.”

“Unless the pricing template of LPG is changed, Nigerians will continue to be affected by the international pricing. The good news is that intervention of NLNG has solved the problem of supply,” he added He argued that the scarcity of foreign exchange should not have affected the price of cooking gas in the country because it is a local product and not an imported product.

The NLNG, through its spokesman, Eresia-Eke, had also admitted that the company’s domestic LPG price is based on an international price index plus 50 per cent of the shipping cost of delivering the product to receiving facilities in Lagos. According him, that price is invoiced in Naira at the prevailing official interbank exchange rates.

“The reality of this is that although LPG is produced and consumed locally, the product like crude oil, is an internationally traded commodity with an international price benchmark, open to global demand and supply pressures,” he added.

Eresia-Eke had, however, pointed out that NLNG mitigates the impact of price variations by continuing to subsidise the cost of transporting about 40 per cent of total domestic market share, which it supplies from its production facility in Bonny Island.

Addressing the bottlenecks While some LPG marketers are creating awareness on the benefits of LPG usage and also addressing the problems of inaccessibility to cylinders and other accessories, there is need for the challenge of inadequate berthing spaces for LPG vessels to also be addressed to arrest frequent hike in presence, which hinders efforts to deepen LPG usage.

For instance, Techno Oil’s LPG cylinder manufacturing plant being built in Lagos would be completed this month.

Also recently, Techno Oil and CAKASA Nigeria Limited signed a deal for the construction of an

automated LPG terminal to be completed in less than 20 months. The 12,000-metric tonne capacity terminal to be financed by Access Bank Plc, would be the largest of its type in West Africa. Managing Director of Techno Gas and Power, Mr. Collins Onyeama, had revealed that the facility being built at the Kirikiri coastline at Apapa, to boost LPG storage in Nigeria, would be completed in November 2018.

He said that the project would be handled

by CAKASA in partnership with a leading European firm that had handled similar facilities in Nigeria and other African countries.

The Managing Director of CAKASA, Mr. Yaro Balami said when completed, the berthing space on the terminal would receive 15,000 metric tonnes LPG vessel.

NIPCO Plc had also assured that its additional 5,000 metric tonne-capacity LPG storage facility under construction to boost domestic supply of cooking gas in the country, would be completed in August this year Spokesman of the company, Mr. Taofeek Lawal told journalists during a recent tour of the facility in Apapa that the project would be completed in August this year.

“When completed, the company will have a total of 9,500 MT of LPG storage capacities. So far, over 110,000 man hours has been spent on the project. This 5,000 MT LPG storage facility will grow and boost cooking gas availability in Nigeria,’’ Lawal explained.

NLNG had also committed to continue to work with stakeholders, including offtakers and terminal operators, to eliminate bottlenecks and improve operational efficiencies to ensure product availability and help correct market price distortions.

“We are also engaged with other public and private stakeholders along the domestic market value chain to stimulate price stability and growth. In conclusion, NLNG remains fully committed to the goals of ensuring LPG supply availability, reliability and affordability which are key for the development and growth of the Domestic LPG market. It is in this regard that the NLNG Board recently approved an increase in the LPG dedicated for supply into the domestic market from 250,000 metric tons to 350,000 metric tons annually,” Eresia-Eke had said.

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Wonodi: How Nigeria’s Electricity Market Slipped into the Current Mess Rumundaka Wonodi was the pioneer head of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET). He shared with Chineme Okafor how Nigeria’s electricity market began its current trajectory into financial distress, pointing out that certain participants took advantage of the situation to further its troubles. Excerpts: The difficulties with the market financials were pretty obvious before you left office in 2016, are you able to tell how this started?

Before I left in June, we have had issues with liquidity in the market and payments or remittances by distribution companies (Discos) to the market that would allow payments to the generation companies (Gencos). One of the issues then was having a tariff everybody thought was cost reflective and if the Discos would be able to pay in full for services, but we could not ascertain if that was possible.

One thing we knew then was that the regulator, NBET and Market Operator could apply sanctions because at least the commercial frameworks which we worked on would apply to everybody.

We were able to finish the commercial and security frameworks that would compel people to play by rules in the market, and there was excitement especially from the upstream Gencos and gas suppliers. We were also able to assign the letters of credits (LCs) from the Discos to the Gencos, which meant that the usual reticence of government acting was taken off and most Discos that believed they would perform welcomed this, but the ones that could struggle to meet the terms felt the pressure because it was now time to perform.

Indeed, everybody were beginning to look at an industry that had changed in its form of commitment and level of obligation, but then some ill-informed ruling came out from the court reversing the tariff and stating that the regulator had not done all that it needed to do before the tariff review.

Once that was done, the underpinning legislation and foundation for all the work we did went loose, and the Discos sensing an opportunity to relieve themselves from their obligations also went to court and got an injunction that without cost reflective tariff the NERC cannot enforce compliance and NBET cannot call on their LCs. That was granted them, and after that everything in the market happened on best endeavour basis and a coupled industry suddenly became loosened and decoupled.

From then until now, it became a basic challenge that included the generation levels, and macroeconomics.

So, the market was beginning to self-solve its problems then with these interventions?

Yes, and if we had the contract and work we did in May 2016 that caused the CBN to begin to disburse its stabilisation funds to operators, and continued along on that line, we would have seen the Discos buckled up and Gencos which have Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that guarantee them revenue, would have been working harder to get more capacities.

There would have been firmer commitments and standards that would have allowed everybody to operate. We were also working on a parallel bond to support the revenues of the Discos in the short-term because the tariff was sculptured in a way that there was under-recovery in the early years and then over-recovery. So, the Discos would have required additional capital, but then, we would have seen better performance and there would have been an uptake in revenue mobilisation. But, without the tariff, and firm commitments, the incentives became loosened.

We see the government now making moves to reset this, what really needs to be done?

There are other things that could help the market, there is a big gap now, first, you need to normalise the exchange rates, and address the tariff. We always say we cannot transfer the tariff and that it is not yet time,

from them. Where the Discos have refused to be open, they have attracted condemnation and to a large extent, some of that are selfinflicted, but I cannot say if they are fair or all true. The only thing I advise is that they should be open.

If there are claims that they receive revenues and hold on to some of them, there is only one thing to do – agree to an escrowing or a full transparent mechanism that hold together the industry finance and that way everybody sees your books, but to the extent that they do not want that, they cannot claim it is an unfair allegation.

The Bulk Trader and others do not want to know how much you are making as long as you are paying your bills, but if you are unable to pay and seeking some interventions from the market, then participants need to know what you are doing.

Are these issues enough to result to investment apathy in the market?

Your question would seem as if investments were coming and then stopped. Under this climate, it is difficult to attract new investments except for an investor that is already in and wants to increase his investments.

This is a matter of policy and regulation because the sector has too much opportunities to ignore. Where the tariff is today is so low compared to the alternatives, but you need to put policies around that because it is not the problem. Something needs to be done around macro policies and regulation and let us see how that will play out now that the regulator has been reconstituted.

Wonodi but when will it be time to get the consumers to pay for what they consume?

It is time the Discos make sure that the consumers that are subsidised for each distribution network do not constitute more than 10 per cent of the load they get. When these cadre of customers are about 60 to 70 percent in a distribution zone then there is trouble because you can’t have only 30 per cent subsidising that number. It is also time the government found a way to make sure that people pay for services fairly.

Indeed, everybody were beginning to look at an industry that had changed in its form of commitment and level of obligation, but then some illinformed ruling came out from the court reversing the tariff and stating that the regulator had not done all that it needed to do before the tariff review

With the country’s unfriendly macroeconomic conditions, can the sector get out of this?

First, we need to identify and dimension the current issues. The very first thing would be to see what the fair tariff or market price would be for now, and then identify what to do with it, whether to transfer to the consumer or not.

The government by the way will not find money from anywhere to subsidise power consumption, and so the fairness of service will mean that the Discos would have to do more to raise the standard of service they render, that way people will find out that power from the grid is extremely competitive and cheap once the Discos can put some reliability premium on their supplies.

Do you share in the recent narrative that the sector could collapse on these challenges?

I think that you cannot overemphasise the fact that so much money is being owed to the Gencos. For some, what they are being owed is actually more than what they paid for these companies and when you look at it that way, they face imminent troubles.

The people who bought the Gencos seem to be of deeper pockets that the Discos, and have somehow managed to make investments, recover capacities, being owed and continue to generate but I don’t know how long they can hold out and that is why when you hear the chairman of Transcorp say that, then it is imminent, and so yes, it is possible that if nothing is done, they might go under.

From your perspective, are the Discos really responsible participants in the market?

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to trust, it is totally broken in the industry and the Discos have not helped themselves in this. From my view, the Discos are monopolies and running them as private business where they feel that they are not required to share information is faulty.

It behoves the Discos to be as transparent as possible and the regulator should demand that

For the NERC that just got its board reconstituted, what would you expect of it?

I think that this industry has stagnated in the past four years. It is an industry that requires finance. NERC has to keep its eyes on investment in regulations they make. They have to think about what opens the market, what type of regulations should drive this and not close it or make people comfortable.

It is an industry that requires financing and therefore, the instinct of the commissioners should be, does this make market sense? It is not a welfare industry or at the social level where you start thinking about people not paying or being subsidised. And so, regulations that open up the market should be their focus.

Is this market due for eligibility customers’ regulation?

I think it is overdue and important. The Gencos are pushing for this as an alternative to selling to the Discos who are reluctant because they think it would mean the Gencos would poach their best of customers but the Discos still reserve a pathway to revenue in this.

Within the market there is Distribution Use of System Agreement (DUOS), and if you want to push power through a local distribution network, you have to pay a wheeling charge and so as a Genco or load aggregator, NERC should approve the DUOS fee that would allow the Discos make some revenue on that.

Gencos should also not expect to take from their current capacity and sell to eligible customers because they would be breaking the sales contract they already signed with NBET which buys their power. The eligible customer regulation will actually drive new capacities in embedded generations.

Another aspect of it is that the Discos would also look for extra capacities and sell to premium customers. This comes hand-in-hand with clusterisation and limits cross-subsidisation.

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Benin Disco to Install 39,000 Meters in First Half of 2017 Stories by Ejiofor Alike Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. (BEDC) has unveiled plans to install 39,000 meters in the first half of 2017 in compliance with the directive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to distribution companies on massive metering of customers.

This initiative stemmed from the conclusion of the company’s first quarter customer fora across its coverage states of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states with a pledge by the management on improved service delivery The roll-out plan announced to customers at each of the customer forum location in Benin, Warri, Akure and Ado-Ekiti, according to a statement from BEDC, is to be given to customers across the BEDC franchise areas, with a view to ensuring that power generated and distributed to customers were utilised in a most efficient manner and to avert illegal consumption of electricity so that it will be made available to paying customers.

Head of Metering, BEDC, Mr. Meshaic Okhumeode said the meter installation will be preceded by enumeration of customers on feeders servicing the earmarked locations to reduce power theft through bypass and illegal connections, adding that the meters will be mounted on the pole as against the practice of mounting it on

challenge of system collapse and readiness to improve service the slightest anger. residential premises, saying foreign exchange factor.

Obishai who pointed out that low generation of power to the In his opening address to delivery especially in the area this will engender collective monitoring by residents within a customers in Benin, Chief State of power supply, but warned the task of providing power grid, said this was invariably neighbourhood and the service Head, Edo State, Mr Fidelis against the habit of vandalising supply to customers on regular slowing down BEDC’s ability Obishai assured them of BEDC’s the company’s properties at basis was being affected by the to meet customer expectations. provider.

He also affirmed BEDC’s readiness to ensure total metering of its customers within the next five years, urging customers to be patient until the metering reaches them, as the metering will be done in batches.

In his opening remarks at the fora, Head of Key Clients Services Group, Mr Abel Enechaizam said the fora was designed to dialogue with BEDC customers on ways to serve them better, adding that issues bordering on operations and services and the customers’ expectations were being resolved.

Enechaizam told customers that there were five major stakeholders in power sector business namely; gas suppliers, generation companies (gencos), transmission, distribution companies (Discos) and consumers, stressing however that the customers were very key to the substance of the chain.

He explained that on the part of BEDC, some critical issues were equally affecting R-L: Group Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank Plc, Fela Ibidapo; Media Sales Executives at Multichoice, Omobolaji Mogaji its ability to give customers and Gifty Powers, Big Brother Naija’s housemate, during her visit to the bank’s head oďŹƒce in Victoria Island Lagos ‌recently the expected service delivery listing them to include nonpayment of bills, low power generation, high energy theft, illegal connections and funding restrains occasioned by Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) limit and

GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE

Baywood Eyes Acquisitions of Marginal Fields, Bigger Acreages

Police Arraign Sub-contractor of Eko Disco for Stealing Electricity A forty-three year old man and sub-contractor of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Sanni Kayode, has been arraigned by the police before an Igbosere Magisrate Court in Lagos on a two-count charge of felony and energy theft.

The accused was said to have committed the offence with others who are now at large early this month at Number 6, Wolex Street, Korogboji Agbara in Lagos Island Magisterial District.

According to the charge sheet read in the court, Kayode was accused of using his position as an electrician to Olajob Nigeria Ltd, a sub-contractor to Mojec International to wilfully bypass prepaid meters that he installed at 6, Wolex Street Korogboji, Lagos.

Mojec International is meter vendor for Eko Electricity Distribution Plc. The meter bypass was said to have been done after collecting gratification from the person for whom the meter was installed.

It was further stated in the charge sheet that the bypass was done so that the meter would not record electricity units being used in the house and the occupants would not be paying for electricity consumed.

The offence is punishable under section 321 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

When the charge was read, the accused pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in sum of N50, 000.00 with two sureties.

The case has been adjourned till March 7, 2017.

Commenting on the development, EKEDP’s spokesman, Mr. Godwin Idemudia advised customers of the company to shun meter bypass and other criminal acts in electricity consumption. Idemudia noted that energy theft remains an act of economic sabotage against the state, stressing that anybody caught should be ready to face full the wrath of the law.

The company had recently announced the arrest of one vandal in Lagos. Idemudia had stated that luck ran out on the cable vandal at Thomas Street in Surulere area of Lagos when he was caught in the act by a security guard in the area.

According to Idemudia, the vandal was said to have been caught trying to cart away 4core/70mm cable at Eko Club sub-station. He added that the security guard who suspected some unusual movement at the sub-station quietly walked to the sub-station where he caught the suspect as he was trying to make away with the electricity cable and other accessories he had already removed.

He was subsequently handed over to the police at Bode Thomas police station.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Baywood Continental Limited (BCL), Mr. Chris Baywood Ibe has stated that his company is positioned to upscale its operations through the acquisitions of marginal fields and matured oil fields in Nigeria. Speaking to journalists in Lagos at the weekend, Ibe said the future for Baywood Continental Ltd was extremely exciting, adding also that the company would explore new frontiers in the energy sector, such as cluster power generation using abundant gas for upcoming new cities and towns. “Baywood Continental Limited is re-branding to achieve a brand equity balance between current and projected profile of the company. We have developed the broad and specific elements of the company strategy to actualise this vision. Therefore, the BCL organisational brand is one to watch out for; we will be more active across the print, electronic and social media platforms within the nearest future,� Ibe said.

Ibe said the company had made massive investments in all key sectors of its operations in order to sharpen its competitive edge and re-enforce its leadership position in these areas.

According to him, this is in line with its corporate mission to be the “Provider of energy services that meet and exceed client expectations always’’. “This we have been able to achieve by constantly evaluating the business dynamics to position the company for optimal growth whilst maintaining profitability with a staff strength of over 1000 comprising some of the most experienced and competent personnel in the industry. We have made signifi-

cant investments in our human capital and will continuously seek to leverage the skills and competences of BCL staff in our pursuit of excellence in performance standards,� he explained. He noted that over the years, the company had achieved a widely acclaimed track record for excellence in our project deliveries with a number of industry firsts.

According to him, BCL is the first to have engineered, designed and constructed the largest on-shore gas pipeline in Nigeria for Total Exploration and Production. “This project being BCLs’ flagship under OML 58 Upgrade Obite-Ubeta-Rumuji (O.U.R) is a 42� X 46km gas pipeline a major artery supplying gas to ALAOJI power plant for power generation to the grid as well as gas supply to NLNG. Additionally, BCL is first to carry out river crossing through HDD of the largest bore pipe of 1km crossing through SAMBRERO RIVER. It is a record setting feat in the Nigerian Oil Industry by an indigenous company,� he added.

He added that the company is currently executing projects in Escravos Terminal operated

by Chevron; Forcados Terminal operated by Shell; Bonny Terminal operated by Shell; Akpo FPSO operated by Total in deep water and Sea Eagle FPSO operated by Shell. “Each of these terminals supports NNPC and her joint venture partners thereby ensuring that Nigeria’s production and export quotas are achieved in alignment with national economic objectives.

This clearly shows that Baywood Continental Ltd is the leader in the industry,� Ibe added.

Propel to Partner Foreign Firm in oil Bunkering Business

A leading indigenous company, Propetrol Limited has stated that it has concluded plans to partner a foreign company in oil bunkering business in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

In the global petroleum/ marine industry, oil bunkering is a legitimate business that involves the process of supplying a ship with fuel.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos to mark the 15th year anniversary of doing business in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Propetrol Limited, Mr. Harry Ebohon, disclosed that his company has become a leading player in the bunker supply business. “We are a key indigenous player in the bunkers market.

Our inroad into the bunkering market was informed by the gap in the sector in terms of indigenous participation. The sector, which was dominated by the foreign players, witnessed series of withdrawals due to insecurity and slump in the price of crude oil in the international market.

Today, we are one of the leading indigenous players in the bunker supply sector in Nigeria, providing services to leading IOCs, NOCs, rigs, platforms and PSVs, dredging companies, vessels on Nigeria waters, marine equipment. In consolidation of our market leadership in this niche, we have entered into partnership with international corporates to offer even more robust services to our customers in markets where we are not physical. We shall be making announcements in this regard in the coming weeks,� he explained.

He posited that when Propel

commenced operations 15 years ago, it was providing logistic services to downstream petroleum marketers. “They relied on our trucks to speedily and efficiently move products to every part of the country. But we decided to play a more prominent role in the industry and increase our footprints and investments across the oil and gas value chain.

We went into retail marketing franchise with Oando, a leading major marketer. Down the line, we saw a gap in the forecourt experience in the retail market and decided to increase our capacity and market share and launched our brand - Propel.

The Propel brand was designed to represent the vibrant energy inherent in the customer service delivery of Propetrol limited.

With our value proposition of competitive pricing, reliability, quality products and exceptional forecourt experience (introduction of outdoor video screens on the forecourt for entertainment and information purposes) our retail network has spread across 18 outlets in the Southern part of Nigeria.

We don’t only retail all refined petroleum products such as PMS, AGO, Kerosene, LPG, lubricants, LPFO, we also distribute and supply these products in bulk to commercial and industrial customers in the country,� he said.

In the supply and distribution of these products, he said his company actively engaged in importation from the international fuel market to meet local demand in Nigeria. “To ensure efficiency and reliability in our supply and distribution, we invested in the maritime logistic end of the business.

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BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

FG: Trade Exhibitions Vital for Economic Growth Peter Uzoho in Kaduna The federal government has stated that the annual Kaduna International Trade Fair is a vital platform for the consolidation of the competitive positions and enhancement of the market share of the firms operating in the Nigerian economy.

It said the fair was also an excellent platform for sensitising prospective local and foreign investors to Nigeria’s immense investment potentials, noting that the consistency of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) in organising the trade fair annually, clearly demonstrates the Chamber’s commitment to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 38th edition of Kaduna International Trade Fair yesterday in Kaduna, Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, described the theme of the 38th editions as very appropriate and well timed, saying the present administration was quite aware of the imperative of economic diversification as the only way to move the economy forward.

Represented at the occasion

by the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. Segun Awolowo, Abubakar said: “It is in recognition of this reality that I see as very appropriate and well-timed the choice of the theme of the 2017 edition of the Kaduna International Trade Fair, namely “Promoting Public Private Partnership as Panacea for Accelerated Growth and Development.

“This administration is committed to a true partnership with the private sector in our desire to ensure rapid transformation of the Nigerian economy for the benefit of our people. Promotion of public private partnership (PPP) is a major plank of the programme of this administration. In fact, Government has directed Public Agencies to increase their patronage of made in Nigeria products through public procurement system”.

She added: “The theme of the event is apt and relevant to our Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) with stated objectives of fast-tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and industrialisation. The success of these policies is already evident in increased value addition in the agricultural and manufactural sectors.

“As we are all aware,

IFMA, Max-Migold Partner on Capacity Building for Facility Managers Crusoe Osagie The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Nigeria chapter is poised to deepen the capacity for practical facility management knowledge and skills amongst its Nigerian practitioners. In this light, the association has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Max-Migold Limited, a globally respected facilities management technology solutions firm. This partnership is aimed at delivering world class training services to corporate organisations and individual professionals in the facility management industry in Nigeria.

The collaboration, which symbolises the brand positioning of IFMA Nigeria Chapter as the premier FM Association, is also to bring to the awareness of concerned stakeholders in Nigeria, the need to foster collective actions for development in the industry.

Speaking at the event, President, IFMA Nigeria, Mr. Pius Iwundu disclosed that, the training collaboration will create more awareness about facility management in Nigeria, it will also address the challenges of the nation’s poor maintenance culture. He also revealed that public campaigns will be carried at Industries, public offices, Government agencies and Parastatals where good Facility Management culture can have major and positive impact.

Iwundu added that, Facility Management is the fastest growing industry in the World today. His words: “The fact that it takes two to three years to build a facility but takes

about one hundred years to manage it, should make us realise that we need adequate number of facility managers to tackle this huge task. IFMA Nigeria Chapter is committed to developing facility management professionals through its training to ensure sustainability maintenance culture.”

Under this new arrangement, IFMA Nigeria will continue to organise training sessions and issue certificates to participants while Max-Migold will lead the academic development process, working with a team of experienced and certified faculties and facilitators.

In his comments, Chief Executive Officer, Max-Migold, Mr. Paul Erubami listed unavailability of undergraduate degree and diploma programs for facility management and the high cost of foreign professional training as factors that necessitated the development of local training offerings such as the ones being championed by this partnership.

He further disclosed that, Practitioners can now gain the skills and tools to operate their buildings sustainably, cost effectively, and proactively as well as execute maintenance strategies and deliver on occupant services such as Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Mechanical and Electrical , janitorial cleaning, Horticulture, fumigation, Health and Safety , . Other benefits include increasing asset quality and value through maintenance, as well as ensuring business continuity through risk management and emergency preparedness.

capital investment is a vehicle for industrial growth in any developing country like Nigeria. However, the bulk of industrial inputs in Nigeria are imported, which should not be the case. To promote the inflow of foreign capital, we should undertake measures for using and promoting our own inputs to produce our goods.

Announcing some major steps taken by the Federal

Government towards driving the economy to the part of success, the minister said: “The Acting President, Yemi Osibanjo has inaugurated the National MSMEs Clinic and Booklet with the aim of finding solutions to problems militating against the speedy growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

This is part of Government strategic commitments aimed

at improving the business environment across the country.

The clinics would serve as one stop shop for dealing with various business concerns and approval issues.

Therefore, Kaduna State Government is expected to play a key role in assisting with facilitating the business of MSMEs”.

Abubakar also said: ‘It is pertinent at this juncture to inform this gathering that

Government in a bid to develop and promote the activities of MSMEs, has expanded the number of the participating agencies in the Nigeria Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) to include Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON, and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

A NEW OFFERING

L-R: Dana Air’s Head of Ground Operations, Mr. Emem Ettete; CEO of MMA2, Captain Jari Williams; Customer Service Agents, Juliet Ogbeche and Edekobi Stella; Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa during the launch of Dana Air’s Self Service Kiosk at MMA2 Lagos … recently

VConnect, Nolands Tax Hold Business Forum for SMEs Eromosele Abiodun In a bid to reinforce its commitment to the development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMSE) in the country, Nigeria’s search engine, VConnect last week organised a business forum for SMEs in Nigeria in partnership with Nolands Tax. The company, in a statement, said the event was put together to address challenges hindering the growth of Nigerian SMEs and to educate business owners on how to leverage the new ‘Vconnect for Business’ platform to grow their business.

The event, which was themed: “Leveraging Online Tools to Grow Your Business”, had in attendance entrepreneurs and SMEs. Speaking at the event, the Head of SME Sales, VConnect, Vishal Tulsiani, reiterated the importance of effective communication.

“Many businesses just want to be online, they know it’s good to have an online presence, but don’t know exactly what they want to achieve by being online or how to go about it. Some year’s back people did business based on referrals from friends and family but that is not the case now. Today, when in need of a product or service the first thing people do is go online,” Tulsiani said.

He stated that the busi-

ness forum was organised to teach small and medium scale enterprise owners how to leverage and effectively use available online tools to grow their businesses in order to yield great returns on investments (ROI).

VConnect also used the forum to unveil its newly released website services where businesses can create their own website with three simple clicks by creating their profile to get a free one month trial.

The interactive business forum enabled the participants and business owners discuss concerns facing their businesses especially as relating to web presence.

These concerns ranged from poorly built and low performing websites, tedious back and forth arrangements by developers, hindered access to information relating to websites and recurring charges by the developers for requested changes. Others had to do with high cost of marketing and advertising.

Rotimi Hephzibar of Circlestone Errand Services, who attended the forum said, “VConnect is a great platform for small businesses to promote themselves.”

On his part, Majiri Otobo of KUI said:“The business forum met his expectations and I will recommend other SMEs to attend.”

The event facilitators, Ayo Akinsiku and Toba Akerele, educated participants on how the ‘VConnect for Business’

platform helps to solve problems through its multipurpose dashboard as well as other affordable solutions available.

FAAN Unveils Customer Service Telephony System Crusoe Osagie The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has introdeced customer service telephony system to give customers the opportunity to reach out to the agency.

According to a statement signed by the acting General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, the introduction of the telephony system was to conform to global trends and international best practices.

The Managing Director of the agency, Saleh Dunoma said that FAAN would continue to improve on service delivery and ensure ultimate satisfaction of customers by providing excellent services.

The User Group Telephony System would afford consumers of FAAN services the opportunity to make calls to appropriate quarters, either to make enquires or lodge complaints when necessary.

Dunoma, who was represented at the occasion by the Director of Finance and

Accounts, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, however explained that, the overriding factor of this facility was purely to enhance excellence and quality service delivery.

The deployment of this system would allow 24 hours of unlimited phone calls amongst its users. It will also enable FAAN achieve 100 percent customer satisfaction with minimum cost, while it increases customers’ trust and loyalty to the organisation.

“Users can make and receive calls without any interruption of airtime running out within the group. It also has specialised serial numbers for easy rememberance by its users,” the agency said.

The General Manager, Servicom, Mrs. Ebele Okoye in her remarks, stated that the Closed User Group Telephony System was selected amongst many options even as she confirmed that some phones have been purchased and would be distributed to various airports across the nation.

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Benefits of Risk Management Nume Ekeghe reckons that applying risk management principles is essential for the growth of any business and the economy

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun

Risk management is essential in financial institutions and other organisation. It helps to guard against bad loans, among other things.

Basically, risk management is the process of identifying, analysing/evaluating as well as providing mitigation strategies to curtail risks.

To minimise losses and withstand internal and other environmental threats to business and corporate/national existence, individuals, corporations and nations need to imbibe risk management culture.

Today, the economic recession being experienced in Nigeria clearly shows the lack of appreciation of the concept of risk management at the level of the federal government.

Clearly, with the steady rise in inflation, exchange rate volatility and other structural challenges faced by the Nigerian economy, applying risk manager principles in the economy has become essential.

Risk Management in Nigeria Speaking about how he would assess risk management in Nigeria, a board of trustee member of Risk Managers association of Nigeria (RIMAN), who is also a Partner and Head Risk Consulting Services, KPMG Mr. Olumide Olayinka said: “If we say risk management in Nigeria and if we look at Nigeria, we knew without a doubt that we are a mono-product economy and that was the risk we took and today it has crystallised into a recession. “At that time, in other countries what they did when crude oil prices where over $100 per barrel, was that they saved. They had huge sovereign funds that they could use during this period. So again, these are the key principles risk management would teach you that there would always be ups and downs. “We had the 2007/2008 financial crisis and the only reason we did not feel that much was because the oil rebounded very quickly.

But this time around, oil is yet to rebound even in three years. “We have not put things in place to diversify our foreign exchange income; because we only have one which is oil. What risk management tries to do is make sure it is

not concentrated. Risk management would tell you that anything above 20 per cent of concentration is not very good for you.�

On his part, the president RIMAN, Mr. Jude Monye said: “On the side of the federal

Today, the economic recession being experienced in Nigeria clearly shows the lack of appreciation of the concept of risk management at the level of the federal government.

Clearly, with the steady rise in inflation, exchange rate volatility and other structural challenges faced by the Nigerian economy, applying risk manager principles in the economy has become essential.

government and the public sector, what we should have as a nation is risk assessment centres. “This should be both federal parastatals, MDAs and every project that we undertake in this country, risk management and risk assessment should take place. In terms of reputational risk or in terms of any other forms of risk has to happen.�

For example, he said in oil companies after all they do, they also carry out risk assessment to ensure that with the project they want to embark on, they fully understood the risks and opportunities. However, in Nigeria we do not do this in or federal states and MDAs,�

Monye added.

Effects on the economy According to the experts, the effects of lack of risk management practice in the public sector have contributed to the situation in the country.

Adding to this, Money said: “The situation is painful for everyone but government is in the right path and we are beginning to see that the fundamentals are being put in place. “The challenge we are having today is the drop in our earning capacity as a nation. We are an import-dependent country and once your earning capacity dwindles, then it bites even to the man in the village. “However the economy is still very good for investments. If anything, this is the right time for anyone to invest when everything seems to be low. The fundamentals are there, agriculture, mining and many other areas of growth potential are available. It is true that statically our GDP has contracted but we are beginning to see signs of growth.�

Also, Olayinka noted that the adoption of risk management at the federal level had been slow, but he expressed optimism saying: “Risk management from a maturity perspective is not as matured as we want it to be. We are still at the early stage of risk management adoption if not we shouldn’t be where we are while some countries did the right thing. We didn’t even hedge our risk; some countries would have done some hedging techniques to help.�

Speaking on ways to tackle foreign exchange crisis in the country, Olayinka said: “We need to look at our foreign currency management to ensure that we build confidence because without confidence there would be a lot of issues. “I would advise the federal government to build confidence in the foreign exchange market. Also we shouldn’t play lip service to agriculture. You have to do things that would engender investment in agriculture.

You have to create an investment environment for people to put investment in agriculture and agro allied. “Also we need to reduce our importation for example, if we refined all the crude oil we need that would reduce pressure on our foreign exchange.�

Furthermore he added: “Apart from banks and financial institutions that have very strong risk management framework, RIMAN is trying to take it beyond financial institutions and banks to food and beverage, agriculture, aviation, construction, and every sector of the economy to make sure that risk management becomes a practice in everything we do.�

Advice to Government While advising the government on how best to approach risk management, Olayinka said: “One of the cardinals of this association is to increase advocacy and hopefully we have people that would listen and do the right thing. “We need ensure that we diversify our foreign earnings. The economy is diversified but were we earn foreign earnings is not diversified.�

Also, Monye said: “As custodians of the public trust in terms of policy direction and regulation, the importance of risk management in the public sector cannot be overemphasised. “If we had not left everything to chance or otherwise taken deliberate steps to employ the technical expertise of risk managers, the recession in Nigeria would have been avoided or at worst minimised. “While commending the private/corporate sector in Nigeria with respect to the practice of risk management, it is clear that the public sector has a lot of catching up to do.�

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT FG Develops Draft National Plan for Implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction The Federal Government, with support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has developed a draft National Plan of Action for the implementation of disaster risk reduction, known as the Sendai Framework (2015-2030). Bennett Oghifo reports

A

draft National Plan of Action for the implementation of the Sendai Framework (2015-2030), a global initiative on disaster risk reduction, has been developed for Nigeria.

The draft National Plan of Action was developed last week at a meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), a nationally owned and led multi-stakeholder forum with special emphasis on Disaster Risk Management. The platform reflects the commitment of the federal government to implement national and local Disaster Risk Management (DRM) activities while linking up to international efforts. The platform was inaugurated on July 13th, 2010 by the then Vice President.

Platform on DRR meets...

Last week’s meeting of the National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction that produced the draft National Plan of Action was organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It held at Rockview Hotel, Abuja from the 21st to 22nd February, 2017.

Participants were drawn from State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), State Ministries of Environment, Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Local Governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Academia, Paramilitary, Media, Organised Private Sector, Faith based Organisations (FBOs) and International Development Partners.

Some dignitaries, at the event, presented remarks, addresses and goodwill messages. These

included: Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi; DirectorGeneral, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA); Chairman, House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness; Chairman, House committee on Internally Displaced persons; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Internally displaced persons; a representative of the Local Governments; a representative of the Academia; Representative of the UNDP; and representative of the Ambassador of France.

At the meeting, UNDP Nigeria reaffirmed its believe in the crucial role of a fully functional National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in Nigeria. “Today’s meeting, amongst others, will reposition and revitalise the platform towards the development of a Programme of Action for the Sendai Framework, strengthened NEMA and SEMA compact, while laying a good foundation for better multi stakeholder response and management of disasters in the country.”

The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi thanked “the UNDP and the entire UN System for their continuous support and, especially, for co-sponsoring this year’s meeting of the platform. Our partnership with the UNDP has been very rewarding in every facet of disaster risk management in the country.”

The process...

The meeting discussed The Hyogo framework (2005 - 2015), and its successor, the Sendai Framework (2015 – 2030).

Also, the meeting considered the outcomes of the African

Participants at the opening ceremony of the meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Abuja... recently

Regional Platform meeting held in Mauritius (2016), which recommended the need for National Plan of Action (PoA) for each country, to implement the Sendai framework.

Before developing the draft National Plan of Action for the implementation of disaster risk reduction, the National Platform reviewed and harmonised the implementation of existing and current frameworks into development policies, planning and programmes.

The platform then adopted the following resolutions, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting: that Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, States and Local Governments should develop and implement locally oriented programmes of action to actualise the Sendai framework.

The participants also affirmed the need to mainstream DRR into plans, policies and

programmes of Government at all levels; emphasised the importance of gender mainstreaming in DRR activities and calls on Government to take appropriate action in this regard; recommended that adequate budgetary allocation for DRR be made by all tiers of government; re-affirmed the need for States to establish and strengthen SEMAs and for local governments to establish Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), to perform the critical roles of DRR. They advocated for the use of established institutions such as NOA, NAN, the Media, etc, for effective advocacy and awareness programmes at the grassroots level; that MDAs, to designate desk officers for Disaster Risk Reduction in their various establishments; resolved to leverage on science, technology, academia and indigenous knowledge

to provide DRR solutions; agreed to set up a technical committee to come up with recommendations for the strengthening of the National Platform on DRR; recognised the need to Institutionalise DRR policies in all sectors of our national life; resolved that the National Platform shall meet twice yearly on rotational basis across the geopolitical zones.

The next meeting is scheduled to hold in October, 2017 in Calabar, Cross River State.

Sendai Framework...

The Sendai Framework is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognises that the State/nation has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders, including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.

It aims for the following

outcome: the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.

The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted at the Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015. It is the outcome of stakeholder consultations initiated in March 2012 and inter-governmental negotiations from July 2014 to March 2015, supported by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction at the request of the UN General Assembly.

‘REDAN Building Expo Will Stimulate Real Estate Can Pull Nigeria out of Recession, Economic Recovery’ Says Patunola- Ajayi The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), has said it would use its forthcoming building exhibition to stimulate economic recovery in the country.

The building exhibition, with the theme: ‘Investing in Real Estate for Economic Recovery and Expansion,’ will hold between March 15 and 16, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

President of REDAN, Mr. Ugochukwu Chime, who stated this in Abuja, recently, said Nigeria’s economic renewal would be fueled by housing development. According to Chime, “A renewed economy that is vibrant, robust and well equipped is necessary for a sustainable growth and that

is what we hope to achieve through that expo.” He said there would be a side event at the exhibition where professionals in the housing sector would discuss issues of housing and proffer solution to deficits in the sector, particularly affordable housing.

According to him, “We are asking people to come together so we can develop not only ourselves through this expo but to develop some policies that can help in tackling housing problems.

“We are looking at gathering developers and everybody involved in financing, whether from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), refinancing companies, commercial banks and Shelter Afrique.”

Chime said that the housing sector would in future contribute much more than five per cent of Gross Domestic Production (GDP) being the contribution from housing. “This five per cent GDP contribution may be very low for us now but the reality is this, it presents an opportunity for growth, employment and we cannot do it in isolation.”

REDAN, FMBN and Shelter Afrique recently signed a two billion dollar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide affordable housing for Nigerians.

Chime noted that the event would avail REDAN members opportunity to know more on how they could benefit from the recently signed MoU.

Bennett Oghifo The president Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors &Valuers (NIESV), Dr. Bolarinde PatunolaAjayi has called on the Federal Government to diversify and embrace the real estate sector to combat recession. He said the nation has not succeeded in unlocking the wealth in the sector noting that it is the only robust solution to grow the economy. He spoke to select reporters in his office in Lagos on how the economy can be diversified and imperative of the real estate sector. He said it is about the only lasting solution to grow the nation’s economy.

He said, “Real estate business is about management of

all land resources which give the support for all activities of man. Every business is done on land, human life and basic needs are dependent on land; hence Nigeria must pay attention to real estate, except we are not prepared to come out of our economic woes. Real Estate investment is the pedestal for economic development and growth, and many developing nations that understand this like Singapore, Dubai, and others have seen the positive impact on their economies, he added.”

There is effective demand in the real estate sector; developers only need to seek the consultancy services of estate surveyors and valuers to know which type of real estate should be developed

in a particular place.

He wondered why the government thinks the economy can only be diversified through agriculture and film and fashion industry rather than the real estate sector. According to him even the focus on agriculture is not well handled to ensure a stable development because government has refused to do sufficient work on the survey of every parcel of land in Nigeria.

Surveying every parcel of land will ensure that every owner including every farmer has registered title to their land. He said this will make it possible and easier for the public to have access to loan facilities for all types of developments such as residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial.

T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

CIBN Urges Support for TSA Obinna Chima The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has stressed the need for Nigerians to continue to support the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

The President of CIBN, Prof.

Segun Ajibola, who made the observations at a recent TSA retreat in Abuja, described the TSA as a tool for fighting the hydra headed corruption in public and private sectors.

He however, sought the extension of the initiative to other areas of the country where “parasites, pests and locusts still operate freely� and feeding fat on the commonwealth. Ajibola said the institute was aligned to the spirit and letter of the initiative. He recommended that government should intensify efforts in the on-going restructuring of the economic environment, particularly in staying away from business ownership. “Privatisation of government

ownership in critical sectors of the economy - oil drilling and exploration, oil refinery, transportation, iron and steel, shipping and admiralty would leave government with less cash to ponder about,� he added. “It is often said that government has no business being in business. And that the business of government is to maintain law and order, create conducive atmosphere for business to thrive and evolve governance rules.

Banking it should be noted, is both supply-led and demandfollowing business. “Bankers would always struggle to operate a template that would pull cash from whoever the holders are, and that has been the problem over the years. If governments continue to account, directly and indirectly, for about 60 per cent of the country’s GDP, this will be too significant for banks to ignore. “As it is, the public funds

pulled out of the banks are in a way sterilised at the moment.

The economy is presently in dire need of some element of reflation at to assure growth and by extension development.

Elementary economic principle tells us that the impact of money stock on economic performance of any country is a function of the velocity of that money stock over a period of time. “There are several ways TSA funds could be applied to achieve this - infrastructural financing, public private partnership, etc..

The challenge with the various intervention funds revolves around the question as to who bears the credit risk associated with such concessionary lending! Which perhaps is the main reason why banks shun such credit windows,� he added. He noted that one of the key mandates of CIBN was to promote ethics and professionalism among banking and finance practitioners in Nigeria, corporate and individuals.

Fidelity Bank Reiterates Support for Agric Value Chain Funding Fidelity Bank Plc has pledged to support ongoing efforts aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value-chain by providing innovative funding schemes and technical advisory services to Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) and commercial agri-business projects.

The bank’s Head, Agric Division, Omobola Odubanjo disclosed this in a keynote address at a breakfast meeting organised by Nigerian-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (NNCC) in strategic partnership with Fidelity Bank in Lagos.

Odubanjo said the bank’s decision to move in this direction was driven essentially by the sector’s huge potential to become a major foreign exchange (FX) earner and help boost the country’s revenue base. “Nigeria is blessed with over 84 million hectares of arable land suitable for crop cultivation and livestock production. In fact, only 40 percent of that land mass is cultivated while one percent is irrigated. Nigeria has a youthful population yet to be sufficiently engaged,� she was

quoted to have explained in a statement.

With a population of 180 million people, Odubanjo noted that the country has one of the largest economy in Africa with great opportunities for its agricultural, manufacturing and services activities. She urged attendees some of whom included investors, entrepreneurs and delegates from NetherlandsAfrican Business Council (NABC) to take immediate advantage of the prevailing opportunities in the sector, assuring them of quick returns on investment.

Odubanjo however identified funding constraints, infrastructural bottlenecks, security, food storage and processing facilities, poor research & development, and unfriendly government regulations as some of the critical challenges hindering the development of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

She said the bank was wellpositioned to assist Dutch investors navigate Nigeria’s evolving economy in relation to business matchmaking, facilitating links to market and liaison with regulatory agencies. “Having the right partner

makes doing business in Nigeria easy. We can also help you manage your trade risk through Documentary Collection, Documentary Credits via Letter of Credits, market research, enhancing your Working Capital and providing Bonds and Guarantees to support payment obligations.�

While admitting that agribusiness holds the key to sustainable economic development, she however pointed out that the financial institution has moved well beyond assisting businesses involved in food production, processing, supply and marketing activities to focusing on more sophisticated and value-creating areas such as AgriFinance, AgriEducation, AgriHealth, AgriEnergy, amongst others.

On his own part, the chairman, NNCC, Reginald Ihejiahi, said Nigeria’s agricultural sector has a high potential for growth, but this potential is not being realised.

Ihejiahi, a former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc said “Let us be actively involved in agriculture for the economy of the nation to grow�.

Diamond Bank Moves to Posses Firm over Loan Default A Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday fixed March 2 for ruling on an application filed

by Diamond Bank Plc seeking possession of assets, machinery, equipment and property of a construction firm in Ekiti, CIMA Resources Nigeria Limited.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo fixed the date after hearing counsel to parties in the suit on Tuesday.

The bank had accused the firm and its owner, Mohammed Cofie – respondents in the application, of owing N181.9m as balance of a loan obtained in 2011.

According to a statement, trouble began when the bank (first applicant) appointed a lawyer, Mr. Funmi Roberts (second applicant), as a Receiver/ Manager to take over and pre-

serve the property and assets used by the firm as security to the loan.

The motion on notice was brought pursuant to Sections 391 and 393 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, Order 28 Rule 2 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009, Section of the 13 of the Federal High Court Act and Sections 6(6), 44(1) (2)c) and k of the 1999 Constitution.

The applicants asked the court to grant an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the respondents by themselves and other directors, their privies, servants and agents from preventing them from having free access to the assets and properties on Km 6,

Ado-Ikere Road, Ado Ekiti. They also prayed the court to direct the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, to give police protection to the receiver appointed under clause 5 of the Deed of All Assets Debenture to gain access to the assets, machinery, equipment and property.

At the hearing on Tuesday, counsel to the firm and Cofie, Mr. Kayode Oyeyemi, urged the court to discountenance the application. He argued that the bank did not follow due process in appointing Roberts as receiver/manager to take control of the company and its assets.

He stated that the bank did not serve any demand notice on the respondents.

A view of Lagos ďŹ nancial district

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

OCTOBER 2016 Broad Money (M2)

22,275,512.54

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,023,616.69

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,521,797.77

---- Demand Deposits

8,501,818.92

-- Quasi Money

12,251,895.85

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,612,243.68

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,654,268.86

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,774,684.47

---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,705,049.41

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

6,242,932.95

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

2,537,883.55

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,424,953.01

--Other Assets Net

-9,738,841.27

Reserve Money (Base Money)

6,580,594.55

--Currency in Circulation

1,825,664.51

--Banks Reserves

4,415,126.62 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

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 % )

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯͲϹ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT FRIDAY 24, FEBRUARY 2017 The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $53.61 a barrel on Friday, compared with $53.95 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Rabi Light (Gabon), 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

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͶ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

31

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

27-Feb-17

24-Feb-17

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

01 Dangote Cement Plc

168.99

168.99

0.00%

2,879,675,346,370.95

9.20

18.36

5.07

4.73%

3.85

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

132.00

130.00

1.54%

1,046,641,317,216.00

4.03

32.72

3.47

2.73%

6.39

03 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

24.62

24.05

2.37%

724,595,632,494.88

4.90

5.02

1.80

7.19%

1.47

04 Zenith Bank Plc

14.80

14.73

0.48%

464,668,108,032.80

3.91

3.79

0.98

12.16%

0.67

05 Nestle Nigeria Plc

570.00

570.00

0.00%

451,814,063,640.00

8.81

64.69

2.62

5.09%

14.32

06 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd

388.00

370.00

4.86%

214,684,401,444.00 -44.58

-8.70

2.77

4.10%

0.54

6.72

6.70

0.30%

194,395,969,360.32

2.59

2.60

0.55

8.18%

0.44

47.10

47.00

0.21%

187,009,468,819.50

0.03

1,610.82

2.62

2.76%

4.47

09 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

9.90

9.90

0.00%

181,660,557,028.50

0.68

14.64

0.31

6.26%

0.29

10 United Bank for Africa Plc

4.90

4.91

-0.20%

177,769,678,977.80

1.75

2.81

0.53

12.24%

0.41

11 Lafarge Africa Plc

39.00

39.00

0.00%

177,641,170,590.00

-9.39

-4.15

0.83

7.69%

0.88

12 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

17.36

17.36

0.00%

173,600,000,000.00

2.04

8.52

1.24

0.58%

1.47

07 Access Bank Plc 08 Presco Plc

13 FBN Holdings Plc

3.15

3.11

1.29%

113,070,172,294.80

0.21

15.18

0.21

4.76%

0.18

14 Unilever Nigeria Plc

29.00

28.50

1.75%

109,715,591,250.00

0.69

41.90

1.65

0.17%

11.70

15 Guinness Nig Plc

68.00

68.00

0.00%

102,400,396,784.00

-3.06

-22.24

0.99

4.71%

2.60

16 Mobil Oil Nig Plc

280.00

285.00

-1.75%

100,966,673,360.00

19.32

14.49

1.11

2.57%

5.45

17 Total Nigeria Plc

273.01

273.01

0.00%

92,692,856,719.37

38.02

7.18

0.34

5.13%

4.07

6.19

6.06

2.15%

74,280,000,000.00

1.03

6.03

0.52

8.08%

1.19

50.02

50.35

-0.66%

65,150,104,772.06

3.31

15.13

0.42

6.90%

1.51

100.00

106.50

-6.10%

64,059,036,300.00

-0.05 -2,189.38

0.69

2.20%

2.89

4.81

4.71

2.12%

57,886,516,880.14

-3.15

-1.53

0.23

15.59%

0.36

22 International Breweries Plc

15.70

15.70

0.00%

51,719,713,696.00

0.02

696.79

1.94

1.59%

4.71

23 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

38.66

38.66

0.00%

51,031,200,000.00

-2.95

-13.12

0.44

3.88%

2.69

24 Flour Mills Nig. Plc

17.80

17.80

0.00%

46,711,421,928.60

-1.19

-14.92

0.11

11.24%

0.47

25 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

44.18

44.18

0.00%

42,143,743,800.00

4.82

9.16

6.41

0.23%

2.61

26 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc

0.72

0.75

-4.00%

27,879,118,146.00

-0.47

-1.54

0.53

0.00%

0.38

27 FCMB Group Plc

1.27

1.29

-1.55%

25,149,442,691.87

0.61

2.07

0.15

7.87%

0.14

13.00

12.60

3.17%

24,971,237,031.00

3.37

3.86

0.33

7.69%

0.33

29 Fidelity Bank Plc

0.80

0.81

-1.23%

23,170,068,553.60

0.39

2.07

0.15

20.00%

0.13

30 Sterling Bank Plc

0.73

0.74

-1.35%

21,017,005,231.98

0.29

2.54

0.19

12.33%

0.26

29.60

29.60

0.00%

20,720,000,000.00

2.28

12.96

3.11

3.89%

12.11

32 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

3.41

3.40

0.29%

20,057,156,904.95

0.76

4.47

0.55

4.11%

0.70

33 Wema Bank Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

19,287,233,040.50

0.06

8.39

0.38

0.00%

0.41

34 Diamond Bank Plc

0.83

0.82

1.22%

19,223,122,843.44

-0.29

-2.83

0.09

0.00%

0.08

35 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

7.00

7.00

0.00%

18,546,068,646.00

0.85

8.24

0.99

7.86%

2.51

14.10

14.10

0.00%

16,861,858,480.80

-2.98

-4.73

0.60

2.13%

1.92

37 Mansard Insurance Plc

1.57

1.57

0.00%

16,485,000,000.00

0.28

5.64

0.82

3.18%

0.78

38 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

8.55

9.00

-5.00%

16,058,627,442.00

0.50

17.12

0.57

15.20%

1.57

13.99

13.99

0.00%

13,990,000,000.00

5.69

2.46

0.98

0.71%

0.38

40 Continental Reinsurance Plc

1.01

1.04

-2.88%

10,476,471,755.12

0.42

2.40

0.47

11.88%

0.56

41 Unity Bank Plc

0.79

0.79

0.00%

9,234,576,974.18

-0.10

-7.71

0.14

0.00%

0.11

42 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

1.05

1.00

5.00%

8,326,707,540.90

-0.40

-2.60

0.17

15.24%

0.25

43 Skye Bank Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,940,150,705.00

-2.93

-0.17

0.04

60.00%

0.07

44 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,126.00

0.18

2.78

0.85

6.00%

0.41

45 Resort Savings & Loans Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

5,664,866,202.00

0.03

17.71

3.72

0.00%

1.94

46 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

4.28

4.28

0.00%

5,378,580,838.48

0.22

19.55

0.48

2.34%

0.50

47 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

2.45

2.45

0.00%

3,979,335,937.50

0.15

16.21

0.49

8.16%

0.66

48 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.55

0.55

0.00%

3,811,612,464.00

0.22

2.47

0.13

9.09%

0.37

49 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

1.85

1.85

0.00%

3,179,687,490.75

0.30

6.18

0.75

37.84%

0.09

50 Fidson Healthcare Plc

0.91

0.95

-4.21%

1,365,000,000.00

0.24

3.87

0.21

5.49%

0.21

18 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc 19 Forte Oil Plc. 20 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc 21 Oando Plc

28 U A C N Plc

31 Cap Plc

36 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

39 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

TOTAL

8,194,447,439,805.79

TOTAL MARKET CAP

8,781,262,225,800.23

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

93.32%

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion) Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Open 24-Feb-17

Close 27-Feb-17

Change %

25,250.37 8.74

25,373.42 8.78

0.49 0.49

104.69 8.15

105.24 8.19

0.53 0.53

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

Open Close Change 24-Feb-17 27-Feb-17 %

Honeywell Flour Mill Plc Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd U A C N Plc Guaranty Trust Bank Plc Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

1.00 370.00 12.60 24.05 6.06

1.05 388.00 13.00 24.62 6.19

5.00 4.86 3.17 2.37 2.15

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

Open Close Change 24-Feb-17 27-Feb-17 %

7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc Cadbury Nigeria Plc Fidson Healthcare Plc Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc Continental Reinsurance Plc

106.50 9.00 0.95 0.75

100.00 8.55 0.91 0.72

-6.10 -5.00 -4.21 -4.00

1.04

1.01

-2.88

Market starts week positive with 0.49% appreciation Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Monday, February 27th, 2017 ended on a positive note as the stock market closed green. This was further highlighted by positive performance from the NSE Subsectors: Banking, Consumer Goods and Oil & Gas (Save Insurance). Furthermore, trading activities increased in volume as 254.75m shares worth of N2.54 billion in 3,373 deals exchanged hands today. This is an increase from 259.31m shares worth of N2.42 billion in 2,402 deals which exchanged hands on Friday. Topping in volume terms are: Zenith Bank Plc, Unic Insurance Plc and Cornerstone Insurance Company Plc, while Zenith Bank Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms. Today Brent crude oil price settles at US$56.25 per barrel.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed positive with 0.49% (+123.05) increase to close at 25,373.42 from 25,250.37 the previous trading day. Market capitalization appreciated in tandem to N8.78 trillion from N8.74 trillion of prior trading day. Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index closes with an increase of 0.53 to 105.24 from 104.69 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at N8.19 trillion from N8.15 trillion of the previous trading day.

Market breath closed positive today as 17 stocks gained on the bourse while 17 stocks also declined, leaving 47 stocks unchanged. Leading the pack was Honeywell Flour Mill Plc with a gain of 5.00% to close at N1.05 per share. It was followed by Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd with a gain of 4.86% to close at N388.00 per share. Others on the gainers’ list include: UACN Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc among other. On the decliners’ list, 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc led with a loss of 6.10% to close at N100.00 per share. It was followed by NPF Microfinance Bank Plc with a loss of 5.08% to close at N1.12 per share.

Others on the decliners’ list are: Cadbury Nigeria Plc, University Press Plc and Vitafoam Nig. Plc. Topping the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list is Honeywell Flour Mill Plc as it emerged as the day’s toast of investors with a gain of 5.00% to close at N1.05 per share.

It was followed by Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd with a gain of 4.86% to close at N388.00 per share. Others on the gainers list include: UACN Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc; while on the decliners’ list, 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc lead the pack with a loss of 6.10% to close at N100.00 per share. It was followed by Cadbury Nigeria Plc with a loss of 5.00% to close at N8.55 per share.

Others on the decliners list include: Fidson Healthcare Plc, Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria 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

32

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

MARKET NEWS

Zenith Bank Posts N130bn Profit, Declares N1.77 Final Dividend Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie Zenith Bank Plc yesterday released its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2016, posting an impressive performance despite the challenging operating environment.

All major performance indicators inched up while the directors recommended a final dividend of N1.77. Specifically, Zenith Bank

posted gross earnings of N384.56 billion, showing an increase of 10.4 epr cent. Net interest income grew by 6.9 per cent from N224.58 billion in 2015 to N240.2 billion in 2016.

Net impairment charges jumped by 106 per cent from N15.67 billion to N32.35 billion.

However, other operating income soared by 401 per cent from N5.302 billion to N26.598 billion. The bank maintained a

T H E

low cost profile as personnel expenses rose marginally by 2.3 per cent to N69 billion, from N67.5 billion. Similarly, other operating expenses rose by 4.9 per cent from N89.9 billion to N94.4 billion. Profit before tax rose by 24.7 per cent to N156.75 billion from N125.62 billion, while profit after tax stood at N129.65 billion, from N22.7 billion, showing an increase for 22.7 per cent.

Zenith Bank’s loans and

N I G E R I A N

advances improved by 15.1 per cent to N2.289 trillion, from N1.989 trillion, while customers’ deposits recorded a fast growth of 16.6 per cent to hit N2.983 trillion, from N2.557 trillion. In all, Zenith Bank ended the year with total assets of N4.739 trillion, up by 18.2 per cent from N4.01 trillion in 2015.

Based on the impressive performance, the directors recommended a final dividend of

STO C K

N1.77 for shareholders, bringing the total dividend for the year to N2.02 per share. Commenting on the results, analysts at FBN Quest, said compared with their estimates, although PBT was impressive, beating their forecast by 44 per cent, PAT missed by 47 per cent because of the OCI loss.

They said: “We had forecasted zero on this line. Returning to the PBT line, the main drivers behind the better-than-expected

E XC H A N G E

result were positive surprises in non-interest income and opex which beat our forecasts by 45 per cent and 34 per cent respectively. Given that profit before provisions came in nine per cent weaker than we were expecting, we would not want to make too much of the results (net interest income was weaker than our forecast by 25 per cent; this may have been due to the revenue recognition).

33

˾ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Restates Commitment to Investor Protection Goddy Egene The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has restated its determination and commitment to the protection of investors and ensure that illegal operators are not allowed to operate in Nigeria’s capital market. As part of efforts in that line, SEC has sealed up the premises of Yuan Dong (YDEC), a company that parades itself as an investment company thereby extending invitations to unsuspecting members of

the public to subscribe in a scheme identified as a Resources Investment Account.

According to SEC, “Investments in the scheme range from a minimum deposit of N10, 000 to a maximum deposit of N240, 000.The investment period of the scheme is pegged at a minimum of 30 working days to a maximum period of 10 months with offer of interest rates on short and medium term basis, which include promise of a daily profit of N80.00 and N2,

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

400 depending on the category of investment”.

The commission disclosed that the company also enticed its customers with payment of bonuses should they convince more investors to invest in the scheme.

“The Commission has since conducted an investigation into the activities of this company and has established that its activities constitute a breach of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA), 2007. Furthermore it

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 24-Feb-2017, unless otherwise stated.

was discovered that contrary to their supposed existence in over 20 locations across the country, the company only has functional offices in Asaba, Kano and Abuja.

The Promoters of these illegal operations have been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force and are undergoing interrogation,” SEC said.

The capital market regulator alerted the investing public that the company is not licensed to carry out investments business of any sought; and as such its

operations are illegal.

“Consequently, pursuant to the commission’s non tolerance policy of unhealthy practices in the market, the general public is hereby informed that in exercise of its powers enshrined in Section 13 (w) of the ISA 2007, the commission sealed up the premises of the company on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

This action became necessary to completely put an end to the unlawful activities of the company against unsuspecting investors”

he stated.

While SEC reiterated its commitment to sanitize the Nigerian capital market of all illegal operators, it advised investors to exercise due diligence and caution in the course of making investment decisions.

According to the commission, valid licenses of lawful operators can be obtained on its website, saying members of the public should confirm the licenses of firms they intend to carry investment activities with.

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 aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 126.42 126.70 -0.54% Nigeria International Debt Fund 219.35 219.76 1.84% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.69 0.70 -1.08% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.42% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 12.07 12.43 -2.28% ARM Discovery Fund 284.85 293.43 -0.81% ARM Ethical Fund 21.67 22.32 -3.00% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.06% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 105.25 105.99 0.16% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.59% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Nigeria Global Investment Fund 2.20 2.26 1.36% Paramount Equity Fund 9.39 9.63 0.32% Women's Investment Fund 86.45 88.67 2.19% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.32% FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,114.71 1,115.82 2.23% FBN Heritage Fund 109.04 109.76 -2.29% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.40% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $106.07 $106.96 2.04% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $105.79 $106.67 2.46% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 110.93 112.46 -1.51% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 0.93 0.94 -0.53% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.63 2.63 2.19% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,174.49 2,199.77 -1.58% Coral Income Fund 2,163.98 2,163.98 2.84% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.19% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.92% Vantage Balanced Fund 1.67 1.69 -0.66% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.54%

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 1.01 0.71% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,018.28 1,018.28 1.54% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.49 9.58 -1.78% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.90% 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 1.07 1.09 1.56% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.42 10.45 0.14% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.42% 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 108.84 109.74 6.91% 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 1.26 1.26 1.56% 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 1,810.55 1,820.11 -1.14% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 152.86 152.86 -0.71% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.74 0.75 -3.25% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 190.08 190.08 1.71% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 125.29 126.92 -3.49% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.34% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,182.31 7,268.06 -5.27% 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 1.13 1.15 9.86% United Capital Bond Fund 1.27 1.27 15.68% United Capital Equity Fund 0.64 0.66 0.39% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.66 9.83 0.37% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.04 11.14 1.17% Zenith Income Fund 17.12 17.12 3.65%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 124.66

1.01% 0.56%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

7.61 70.14

7.71 71.46

-13.25% -7.44%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.74 5.99 11.38 15.31 123.78

2.78 6.07 11.48 15.51 125.78

-0.36% -14.71% -5.08% -3.99% -4.66%

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.

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INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Oscars 2017: Moonlight Wins Best Picture after Announcement Mix-up Moonlight has won best picture at the Oscars - but only after an error saw La La Land initially declared the winner.

The La La Land producers were in the middle of their acceptance speeches when the mistake was discovered.

PriceWaterhouseCooper, the accountancy firm responsible for counting the ballots, apologised for the mix-up.

La La Land still ended up the biggest winner of the night, taking home six Oscars including a best actress award for Emma Stone.

Moonlight’s surprise best picture win took its haul to three, the lowbudget film having earlier won the adapted screenplay award and a best supporting actor prize for Mahershala Ali. Casey Affleck was named best actor for Manchester by the Sea, while Viola Davis was named best supporting actress for Fences.

Damien Chazelle, La La Land’s 32-year-old director, became the youngest film-maker to win the best director Oscar.

Yet this year’s ceremony will be remembered for its closing moments, when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway arrived on stage to announce the best picture winner.

Beatty had been mistakenly handed the previous winner’s envelope, containing a card that said Emma Stone had won best actress for La La Land.

It was this card that Dunaway read from, mistakenly declaring La La Land to be best picture and creating what Stone later described as “the craziest Oscar moment of all time”.

In a statement, PriceWaterhouseCooper “sincerely” apologised for the error, which it said was down to the presenters having “mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope”.

“We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”

Host Jimmy Kimmel said he blamed Steve Harvey for the error - a reference to Harvey’s mistake in announcing the Miss

Universe winner in 2015.

It was La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz who announced there had been a mistake.

“This is not a joke,” he told the audience, showing the correct card.

“Moonlight is best picture.”

Beatty returned to the microphone to explain he had been given an envelope with Emma Stone’s name inside.

“That is why I took such a long look at Faye,” the veteran actor continued. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“Very clearly even in my dreams this can’t be true,” said Moonlight director Barry Jenkins. “But to hell with it because this is true. It’s true, it’s not fake.”

Paying tribute to the team behind La La Land for the way they handled the mistake, he said: “We have been on the road with these guys and it was so gracious and so generous of them.”

Speaking backstage, Emma Stone said it had been “an amazing thing to hear La La Land” named best picture.

UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy, John Howell Visits Nigeria

Egyptian businessmen visit too Alex Enumah in Abuja The United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria John Howell is in Abuja on a two-day visit starting Monday 27th February.

According to a statement from the British High Commission’s office in Abuja, the visit, which is his second since 2016, is aimed at strengthening and promoting the existing trade relations between the UK and Nigeria.

In view of the visits meetings have been scheduled to take place with a range of key stakeholders which include Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Petroleum, UK and Nigerian business leaders and also officials from the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC).

The statement signed by the embassy’s Press and Public Affairs Officer, Joseph Abuku, added that the Trade Envoy will also hold meetings that spotlight Nigeria’s

ambition for the development of future cities like the Centenary cities project, and Nigeria’s plans and needs on technology and innovation.

“In addition, the Trade Envoy will engage with the Nigerian Stock Exchange and encourage continued cooperation between both our Stock Exchanges and financial institutions as part of an effort to help grow Nigeria’s capital markets”, he stated.

On the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce the Trade Envoy said “The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce has made a huge contribution to help facilitate trade between our two great nations.

I’m looking forward to celebrating the hard work of the Chamber and also engaging with Nigerian businesses and learning about their needs and how British expertise can help Nigerian companies grow.”

Meanwhile a delegation from the Arab Organization of Industrialization (AOI), are already in Abuja on a 9-Day business visit

to interface with their Nigerian counterpart.

The visit is scheduled to run from February 26th to the 6 of March and would see them interacting and exploring various sectors of the Nigerian economy with a view of deepening business relations between Nigeria and Egypt.

According to a statement by Ahmed Maher, Head of The Press and Information Office, Egypt Embassy, “The AOI delegation is coming to Nigeria to market their products and they are offering their quality products at competitive prices”.

He added that the delegation would also meet with the head of the Nigerian- Egyptian business council Mr. lere Mohamed as part of strengthening bi-lateral relations.

Maher disclosed that the AOI which is an Egyptian organization located in Cairo, Egypt opeartes 13 factories covering a wide range of products, ranging from household to industrial as well as infrastructure projects.

Philippine Abu Sayyaf Jihadists Behead German Hostage inVideo Islamic militants in the Philippines have posted a video showing the beheading of a German hostage.

Jurgen Kantner was abducted from his yacht off Malaysia’s Sabah state in November. His companion Sabine Merz’s body was later found on the boat.

A deadline for a 30m peso (£483,000; $600,000) ransom expired on Sunday.

Mr Kantner, 70, and Ms Merz had been abducted before. They were held for 52 days in 2008 by

Somali pirates and were released after a ransom was paid.

The video, reported by the SITE militancy-monitoring group, shows Mr Kantner being killed by a knife-wielding man.

Government envoy Jesus Dureza confirmed the killing.

“Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the armed forces, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best but to no avail,” he said.

Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest

and most violent jihadist groups in the southern Philippines, known for its brutality, including beheadings.

It has pledged allegiance to socalled Islamic State and has carried out kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos. Some have been released for ransoms but a number are still being held.

A Philippine police report said Mr Kantner had been killed in the Indanan area of southern Sulu province on Sunday afternoon.

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NEWS

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

Imo, Sokoto, Kaduna PDP Reject Sheriff Makarfi, Sheriff trade barbs over reopening of party’s secretariat

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Amby Uneze in Owerri, Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto and John Shiklam in Kaduna The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued yesterday with the Imo, Sokoto and Kaduna State chapters of the party rejecting Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as their National Chairman.

They also pledged to support the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the party.

In Imo State, critical stakeholders of the party, including a Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; former Governor of the state, Chief Achike Udenwa; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; former Woman Leader, Ambassador Kema Chikwe; former and present members of the national and state assembly unanimously rejected the Court of Appeal which reinstated National Chairman of the party, Sheriff.

In a communiqué issued at the end of her meeting yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where the leaders reviewed the state of the party in the state and at the national level in view of the recent Court of Appeal judgment in Port Harcourt, the stakeholders passed an absolute vote-of-confidence on

the Mafarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

They also pledged support to the Charles Ezekwem-led state executive committee under whose leadership they reaffirm their total loyalty and commitment.

The communiqué which was signed by Iwuanayanwu, Ihedioha, Udenwa, Kema Chikwe, Athan Achonu, Jerry Alagbaoso, Ezeani ThankGod, Edie Mbadiwe, Chudi Uwazurike, Ezenwa Onyewuchi and 25 others, resolved to be focused and work in harmony with the ultimate objectives of returning PDP to power in the state by 2019.

“The leaders hereby resolve to be focused and work in harmony with the ultimate objectives of returning PDP to power in Imo State in 2019, to consult periodically in matters concerning the party, and that the Ezekwem-led state executive should initiate meetings in all wards, local government areas and zones with the view to properly briefing and communicating party faithful in the state,” it stated.

The communiqué further stated: “We reaffirm our confidence in the judiciary. In furtherance to our objective and in consonance with the desire of the people of Imo State to recapture Douglas House in 2019, we disassociate ourselves wholly and entirely from both Sheriff and

his cohorts who are established agents of opponents.”

In Sokoto State, the party unanimously endorsed the decision of its stakeholders in Abuja to recognise Makarfi as the authentic national chairman of the party instead of Sheriff that was favoured by the verdict of the appeal court recently.

Its state Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma, made this known to journalists shortly after a meeting with state executive members of the party and the 23 local government areas party chairmen in Sokoto.

Milgoma described those supporting Sheriff in the state as impostors and charlatans who

are bent on destroying what they did not build.

He said the leadership of the party, including its elders, party state executive members, chairmen from wards to local government areas and their supporters are solidly behind Makarfi as the only known and authenticated national chairman.

“We endorsed the decision taken by our leaders, including the resolution to seek redress at the Supreme Court.

“To appeal the irrational judgment of the Appeal Court of Port Harcourt, where it gave our party to a group that has no business whatsoever with our

survival.

“Therefore, we abide by the resolution of the majority of our leaders and governors, including the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party to support Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the party’s national chairman,” Milgoma averred.

Also, in Kaduna State, the party declared its loyalty to Makarfi.

In a communique issued at the end of its state executive meeting, it maintained that the reinstatement of Sheriff as the national chairman by the Appeal Court was an act of impunity which is against the constitution of the party.

According to the statement, the state executives and members of the

PDP in the state said they would remain loyal and answerable to Makarfi’s national caretaker committee until the decision of the Supreme Court on the matter.

The communique signed by the chairman of the communique drafting committee, Dr. John Ayuba, said the party stands by the judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which endorsed the decision of the May 21, 2016, national convention.

The communique said PDP in Kaduna State viewed the decision of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt which nullified the decision of the national convention Cont’d on page 41

Amina Mohammed Assumes Duty at UN Today Former Minister of Environment, Ms. Amina Mohammed, will be swornin today as the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Mohammed, who was appointed by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on December 15, 2016, as his deputy, was supposed to have assumed office on January 1, 2017.

She, however, delayed the assumption of her new role at the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to complete some ongoing responsibilities she was handling at that time.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Guterres had, while announcing Mohammed alongside two other women appointees, described them as “highly competent.”

“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action.

“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity,” Guterres had said.

The office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General was formally established by the General Assembly in 1997 to handle many of the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary-General.

As the fifth Deputy SecretaryGeneral, Mohammed will help to manage the UN Secretariat operations, and “ensuring intersectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programmes.”

She will also support the Secretary-General in elevating

“the profile and leadership of the UN in the economic and social spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the UN as a leading centre for development policy and development assistance.”

Mohammed served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on Post-2015 Development Planning.

She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs. Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on MDGs. She provided advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.

In accepting the appointment, the then environment minister said she would continue to lay strong foundations for the various ongoing initiatives critical to the Nigerian Government’s success in the environment sector.

Mohammed also thanked her colleagues and the various stakeholders in the environment sector.

“The next phase of my continued service to the people of Nigeria at the global level, will certainly build on the rich insights and lessons drawn from engaging with leaders, colleagues and stakeholders across our beloved nation.”

She recalled her positions of responsibilities over the last three decades and her contributions to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and recently working for environment protection as part of Buhari administration’s vision to transform Nigeria.

FAREWELL PAPA

L-R: Children of the deceased, Dubem, Azuka , Emeka and Chino Okwuosa, during the funeral service for their late father, Pa. Godfrey Egbuniwe Okwuosa, at St Jude’s Anglican Church, Oraifie, Anambra State....weekend Abiiodun Ajala

Malabu Oil Block Forfeiture: Shell, Agip, Others Know Fate March 13 Alex Enumah in Abuja The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has reserved till March 13 ruling on two separate applications filed by Shell Nigerian Exploration and Production Company and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited seeking to set aside an order of forfeiture granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in respect of Oil Prospecting Licence OPL 245 also known as Malabu Oil. Justice John Tsoho yesterday fixed the date after listening to submissions from counsel in the matter.

Prof. Koinyinsola Ajayi (SAN) represented Shell while Babatunde Fagbohunlu (SAN) and Mr. Johnson Ojogbane represented Agip and the EFCC respectively in the matter.

Justice Tsoho had on January 26, sequel to an ex-parte motion brought before him by the federal government, issued an order of forfeiture of the Oil Operating Licence of OPL 245 also known as Malabu Oil to the federal government.

Tsoho also ordered that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) should in the interim,

manage the Oil Processing licence of OPL 245 on behalf of the federal government.

At the resumed trial yesterday, counsel to Shell, Ajayi, arguing his application that the court vacates the forfeiture order, stated that EFCC did not meet the conditions prescribed in the EFCC Açt such as arrest, trace , and an application to the court for attachment before it rush to the court for an order of forfeiture.

According to him, the court should set aside the order made on January 26 because conditions precedent were not met by EFCC before the agency obtained the order.

Ajayi added that the EFCC Chairman did not only file a wrong court process but misled the court in issuing the forfeiture order without hearing from Shell and Agip.

Similarly, counsel to Agip, Fagbohunlu, who adopted the submissions of Ajayi, however, added that it was unconstitutional to attach properties belonging to parties through an ex parte motion because it denied them fair hearing.

But counsel to EFCC, Ojogbane, responding said the

arguments of both counsel were misconceived and therefore should be discountenanced by the court.

Ojogbane while arguing that the OPL 245 was tangible, added that the order was properly made to prevent any action on the oil block.

He said: “OPL 245 is a subject of criminal investigation and prosecution. In fact; there are charges now before the court on the criminality.”

“The order was not only about preserving the subject matter but stopping criminality from progressing,” he added.

Ojogbane stressed that asking the court to vacate the order was a disservice to the country.

He therefore urged the court to dismiss the application for lacking in merit.

Earlier, during the sitting, the court had overruled Abdullahi Haruna who announced appearance for Malabu Oil and Gas. The counsel had wanted the court to stand down the matter to enable him fetch an application he filed seeking to vary the court order.

The EFCC had approached the court last month following controversies and allegations of

fraud associated with the licensing of the oil block.

The commission in a 21-paragraph affidavit, sworn to by one Ibrahim Ahmed, had stated that the properties attached are proceeds of crime that should be forfeited to the federal government.

According to the commission, sometime in April 1998, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited was incorporated in Nigeria with share holders namely Mohammed Sani, fronting for the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Kwekwu Amafegha representing Dan Etete, the then Minister of Petroleum Resources aand Hassan Hindu, on behalf of Ambassador Hassan Adamu.

It also stated that in the same month, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources offered the company deep water oil block processing licence in respect of OPL 245.

That in June 1998, Abacha died, and between 1999 and 2000, the corporate status and share holding structures were ultterred severally through forged board resolutions which eventually divested Mohammed Sani of their shares while new share holders and directors were appointed fraudulently.

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NEWSEXTRA

Barkindo: Decline in Oil Prices Denied OPEC Countries $1tn Revenue Says cartel has restored market confidence with output pact Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dr. Mohammed Barkindo, yesterday said the cyclical downturn in crude oil prices which lasted from 2014 to 2016 meant that member countries of the cartel could not earn about $1 trillion of oil revenue.

Barkindo also stated that globally the oil industry lost up to $1trillion in terms of deferred projects and outright cancelations of projects across its entire value chain.

He made this disclosure even as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated that his election as OPEC Secretary General has restored the credibility of the cartel.

Speaking during his visit to Kachikwu in Abuja, Barkindo stated that in the long run, member countries of OPEC had difficulties managing their domestic economies because of the price dip and thus needed to reach an agreement on how to overcome the recession.

He explained that the agreements reached by the cartel and non-OPEC members in Algiers and Vienna during their meetings in November and December 2016, were lifesaving measures, adding that from these, they have been able to overcome the market challenges and now looking forward to better days.

According to him, the economics of the oil market were looking good for OPEC members while its reputation as a significant market player had been restored.

He said the cartel and nonmembers would now go ahead to solidify the partnership they

reached in December so as to maintain a comfortable balance in the market.

“This industry globally has lost nearly $1 trillion in terms of deferred projects and outright cancelations of projects across the supply chain and this is the greatest threat that is facing future security of supplies.

“We need consistent investments in order to maintain current production and take care of reserves and secure future supplies,” said Barkindo.

He further stated: “In terms of national revenues, since all our countries are dependent on this commodity, within OPEC alone, we have lost cumulatively about $1trillion. Therefore, we together with our non-OPEC friends, we remain determined to solidify this platform and maintain a stable environment and restore confidence for investors.”

Speaking further on the impact of the December production freeze agreement on the market, as well as claims of OPEC’s renewed confidence, Barkindo stated that: “When we met in Vienna, we agreed that we needed the nonOPEC members to come on board, we are a marginal supplier and supply about 40 per cent to the world market and the real balancing that would restore stability to the market would require the non-OPEC to join hands with us.

“And for the first time in history we were able to build a platform of 24 producing countries to agree on a joint supply agreement seeking to adjust about 1.8 million barrels a day within six months in order to address the stock overhang which has been the variable to the supply

Nigerian Leaders Lack Focus, Commitment, Says Obasanjo John Shiklam in Kaduna Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said Nigerian leaders lack focus, commitment, continuity and sometimes, proper knowledge about economic and development issues.

He declared that one of major problems facing the country which urgently needs to be corrected is poor leadership.

“Nigerian leaders lack focus, commitment, continuity and sometimes, proper knowledge about economic and development issues, hence we have not been able to achieve meaningful result,” Obasanjo said.

He lamented that “another problem is that we take one step forward and another step backward.”

Obasanjo said: “Nigerian leaders must be tough and ready to bite the bullet, because Nigeria cannot have it easy and until we get the right leadership, the problem will continue.”

The former president spoke yesterday in Kaduna at a one-day seminar on ‘Promoting Public Private Partnership as panacea for accelerated growth and development,’ organised by the Kaduna Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture ( KADCCIMA) to flag off the 38th Kaduna International Trade Fair.

Expressing displeasure over inconsistency in policies, Obasanjo

said as a military Head of State, his administration banned the importation of toothpick in 1977, “because it was the most stupid thing to import when we can produce it here.”

He regretted however, that “about 40 years after, one of the presidents that came after me, I won’t mention his name, unbanned toothpick. Then, I put on my Babanriga and went to Abuja to express my shock about the policy, but to my greatest surprise, the president told me he signed the document unbanning toothpick without reading it.

“Another thing is that, he came in saying he will generate additional 30,000 megawatts to the 3,500megawatts we left behind, and I told him, don’t trouble yourself, if you can add 3,000 megawatts to the one we left behind, you will receive the best of awards. But, to my greatest shock, he couldn’t add one megawatt before leaving office.”

Speaking further on the economic challenges facing the country, Obasanjo said lack of synergy in public and private sectors was responsible for the setbacks in the nation’s economy and growth.

He noted that the public sector perceives the private sector as a profit making Industry that reaps where it does not sow, stressing that in actual fact, they are two legs that when brought together can accelerate development in all sectors of the economy.

equation that had sent this market off balance since 2014.

“Today, I can confidently report that those three historic events have altogether changed the energy landscape and turned a historic page in oil for good. We are on the course of pulling this industry out of the worst recession that we have entered to restore stability to the market on a sustainable basis that will allow investments to come back on a continuous basis.”

Barkindo also commended Kachikwu for taking steps to solve Nigeria’s longstanding challenges with joint venture

cash-call obligations. He said the approach adopted by the minister was innovative.

“In the seven big wins initiatives that you have rolled out, I must single out the lingering funding challenge of exploration and production – the joint venture cash calls.

“Many of my colleagues that we served together will testify that government after government, regime after regime, we had battled with this issue continuously without solutions and the day that I got information that you have been able to overcome this issue, you

made my day and all participants in this industry who know what previous governments have battled to stay afloat cash calls.

He noted that while Nigeria’s exemption from the production freeze would last for only six months, the cartel was confident that the market would absorb the extra volumes of oil that would come from her increased output.

“This decision is for six months and as the countries continues to be exempted for these months, we will continue to pray that they will recover production and return to

the market fully because the market needs every barrel that Nigeria can produce or Libya or Iran.

“The demand figures continue to show a robust growth of over one million barrels per day going forward,” he stated.

Similarly, Kachikwu in his remarks explained that OPEC was in a messy situation with its credibility greatly impaired and thus needed someone like Barkindo to restore its posture.

He said the coming of Barkindo has helped restored the integrity of OPEC, as well as salvage the economies of its members.

OPEC DELEGATION VISITS NIGERIA

L-R: Governor, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim; OPEC Secretary General, Mohammed Barkindo; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu; and OPEC National Representative for Nigeria/ Director, Planning Research and Services, Mr. Olusegun Adekunle, during the visit of OPEC delegation to Nigeria in Abuja... yesterday

IMO, SOKOTO, KADUNA PDP REJECT SHERIFF of May 21, 2016 and reinstated the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) as a miscarriage of justice and complete negation of the party’s constitution.

“The Kaduna State chapter of the PDP views the reinstatement of the former Sheriff-led NWC of the party by the appellate court as an act of impunity which is against the principles of the PDP constitution hence, an attempt to derail the democratic governance of our country. “Members of the PDP in Kaduna State should not lose focus of where we are going as we know where we are coming from. We must face the current challenges headlong to ensure that we change the change in 2019” “The PDP in Kaduna State remains united, strong, resolute, steadfast and solidly loyal and answerable to the national caretaker committee under the leadership of Makarfi.

“The stakeholders and leaders of the party are enjoined to go back to their senatorial districts, local government areas and wards to convene meetings of the party and disseminate the foregoing to members.

“However, members are to remain calm, law abiding as they await the verdict of the Supreme Court on the matter,” the communique said.

Meanwhile, the factions in the party have continued to accuse each other of breaching the law.

The renewed altercation came just as dozens of policemen yesterday successfully blocked pro-Makarfi protesters from gaining entrance into the national secretariat of the PDP where Sheriff has commenced renovation work.

Apparently aware of the planned protest, the police authorities deployed two truckloads of anti-riot policemen to disperse the pro-Makarfi PDP youths who stormed the secretariat early morning yesterday.

Addressing journalists at the temporary office of the Makarfi- led National Caretaker Committee, its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, accused Sheriff of occupying the PDP national secretariat illegally.

He said the police and the lovers of peace and democracy should prevail on Sheriff and his group to respect the on-going litigation processes.

The PDP spokesman said the police should ensure that Sheriff and his group do not occupy the national secretariat in order to avoid breakdown of law and order.

According to Adeyeye, since the party led by the National Caretaker Committee has filed appeal against the recent judgment of the Appeal Court, the status quo ante remains until the determination of the appeal to the Supreme Court.

“We are calling on the police and the general public and lovers of peace and democracy to ask Sheriff and his followers to respect

the on-going litigation processes.

The police should ensure that Sheriff and his followers do not occupy the National Secretariat in order to avoid breakdown of law and order. We have noticed that the Police have taken sides in this matter perhaps because of directives from the APC but “a stitch in time saves nine.”

While accusing Sheriff of forcefully breaking into the National Secretariat of the party, Adeyeye said the caretaker committee wants him to immediately vacate the party premises. Adeyeye said Sheriff has perfected plans to receive nonserving state executive committees at the National Secretariat in order to mislead unsuspecting members of the public that he has been accepted by the party’s organs.

He urged party supporters to remain calm and steadfast pending the determination of the appeal before the Supreme Court.

The National Caretaker Committee spokesman again accused the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), of complicity, adding that it has it on good authority that “the Minister of Transportion, Rotimi Amaechi, has deployed his former Abuja Liaison Officer Mr. John Enebeli, among others to lure some members of staff in support of Sheriff by promising them huge sum of money to offset their outstanding allowances.”

However, the former adviser to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan

on Political Affairs, Ali Ahmed Gulak, has defended Sheriff’s action, saying he is keeping to an agreement reached by party stakeholder that whoever wins at the appeal should unite the party and organise a national convention.

Speaking to journalists at his private office in the Wuse area of Abuja, the former presidential aide accused Makarfi of distorting the facts on the gentleman agreement reached between him and Sheriff.

“Our leaders called all parties together and they agreed that in order to pursue genuine reconciliation that once the Port Harcourt Appeal Court judgment comes, that we all should come together and nobody should appeal the judgment because we believe that even if you have a legal victory in court, you still need political solution.

“It was agreed all that whichever side that wins at the Appeal Court, we should unite the party and organise a national convention where new national officers will be elected. But instead of keeping to the agreement, some of the stakeholders of the party were encouraged by Makarfi to go on national television to say they are appealing against the judgment at the Supreme Court,” he said.

He said Sheriff leadership is not afraid of the supreme court because the apex court does not belong to those that grandstand and make statements as if the supreme court belongs to them.

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FG Targets 4,000 Metric Tonnes as It Starts Production of Fertilizer To site $20bn gas industrial park in Delta Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative of the Muhammadu Buhari administration has started yielding results, with the production of more than 4,000 metric tonnes of locally-blended fertilizer in the first week of operation.

This was contained in a statement

issued yesterday in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande.

The initiative was approved by President Buhari in December 2016, to achieve the local production of one million metric tonnes of blended nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) fertilizer

Over 25 INEC Officials in Hospital after Rivers Rerun Attack The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yeserday said more than 25 of its staff members were receiving medical attention as a result of attacks suffered during Saturday’s supplementary election in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Aniedi Ikoiwak, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), blamed the attacks on the people of Rivers.

He said one of the victims just regained consciousness last Sunday.

“This is one area that Nigerians should ask questions: over 25 INEC staff members are in hospital today because the people of Rivers state decided to either kill or wound them,” he said.

“They were all beaten up because they went to those villages to conduct an election.

“Let the people of Rivers State tell us the offence any of them committed. What did they do?

They were bringing materials for the election; they decided to descend on them, beat them up, collect their personal belongings and run away.”

Ikoiwak noted that the victims were on official duty and needed a peaceful environment to achieve success.

He called on Nigerians to condemn the alleged attack.

“It is very sad. None of them was beaten up in his home but

where they went to conduct an election,” he said.

“Why shouldn’t Nigerians discuss that? Why should people sent to conduct an election be beaten up and their belongings taken away from them?”

But the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described the election as one of the most peaceful in the history of the state.

Speaking at a church service in Port Harcourt, Wike commended security operatives for the role they played in the exercise.

“For the first time, I want to commend the security operatives in the state. If they have been doing this way, we wouldn’t have been having problems in this state,” he said.

“This is the first election I have seen in my life, since this government came, that you don’t see too much involvement of security operatives and that is why nobody has died, that’s why the election went on peacefully.

“I told the opposition party, because security is not interfering, that’s why you can’t get one seat. If they were carrying [electoral] materials as they used to do before, they would have allocated some seats.

“So, I want to commend them.”

About 700 staff members of INEC were mobilised for the supplementary legislative election in Etche.

Nigerian Human Trafficking Victims Deported from Mali Chinedu Eze About 41 Nigerian girls who were victims of human trafficking billed to be taken to Europe through road and sea were yesterday deported from Mali, their enroute destination.

They arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a military transport aircraft otherwise known as Hercules C139 marked with registration number Nigerian Air Force 913.

The aircraft landed at the Nigerian Air Force Hangar wing of the Lagos Airport about 7.25p.m.

Immigration sources said the deportation of the girls, was as a result of the collaboration between the Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Air Force, Office of the Senior Assistant to the President on Diaspora, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) which evacuated the girls from Bamako, the Malian capital.

Some of the young ladies who

were slovenly scantily dressed, were complained as they were photographed while alighting from the military aircraft.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, Hon Abika Dabiri-Erewa explained in an interview that the girls’ evacuation was made possible with assistance from the Chief of Defence Staff, Nigerian Air Force, NAPTIP and relevant agencies of government.

She said their return home was part of directive from President Buhari, who insisted that Nigerians stranded anywhere in the world should be assisted to return home.

She urged the returnees to make the best use of their lives as there was nothing tangible they were doing in Mali, remarking that there were many Nigerians that were stranded in Mali, who should be brought home.

She said prior to their evacuation, NAPTIP officials had travelled to Mali for documentation and other logistics to ease the return of the girls.

for the 2017 wet season farming.

Prior to December 2016, Nigeria’s stock of blended fertilizer was shipped into the country as fully-finished products, even though urea and limestone, which constitute roughly two-thirds of the component of each bag, are available locally.

The objective of the presidential initiative is to procure the 4 constituent raw materials for NPK Fertilizer – locally-sourced urea, locally-sourced limestone granules (LSG), Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) imported from Morocco, and Muriate of Potash (MOP) sourced from Europe – and blend these locally to produce NPK Fertilizer at a much reduced cost.

Akande said the fertilizer would be delivered to farmers at a starting price of about N5,500 per bag, compared to the N8,000 - N9,000 cost of imported fertilizer.

The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative is being executed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) through a Special Purpose Vehicle that would roll out the one million tonnes of NPK Fertilizer in five batches of 200,000 metric tonnes each.

Production of the first batch is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Beyond the broader goal of ensuring food security for the country by providing high-grade fertilizer to enhance harvest in the 2017 farming season, the Buhari Administration is by this initiative reinforcing its commitment to reviving and diversifying the economy, and creating growth, through a focus on agriculture.

The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative is expected to stimulate local production of NPK Fertilizer by resuscitating moribund fertilizer plants, and reviving the local blending Fertiliser industry.

It is also expected to make fertilizer available to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices and in time for the 2017 wet season farming.

Government also planned to save US$200 million in foreign exchange, and 60 billion in budgetary provisions for fertilizer subsidy while also creating thousands of jobs.

In a related development, Akande said the federal government has announced plans to build a gas

industrial park valued at about $20 billion through a Public-Private Partnership model in the Niger Delta.

Akande, who disclosed this in another statement he issued yesterday said the park was a result of recent engagement between the federal government and stakeholders in the Niger Delta.

Tagged: ‘Gas Revolution Industrial Park, (GRIP)’ and envisaged to be a regional hub for all gas-based industries, the project, Akande said, would cover 2700 hectares with fertilizer, methanol, petrochemicals, and aluminium plants located in the park that has already been designated as a Tax Free Zone by the federal government.

The plant will be sited at Ogidigen in Delta State.

He quoted Osinbajo as saying that the Buhari administration “is committed to the development of the Niger Delta, and the importance of this project is underlined by the presidential attention it is attracting.

The presidency is very interested.”

Before he went on vacation, President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated the Vice President

to embark on visits to oil-producing communities to demonstrate the resolve of this administration to the pursuit of a new vision for the Niger Delta.

“The building of an industrial gas hub in Delta State was one of the feedbacks that was received during the visit to the state,” Akande said.

Akande said Osinbajo had already met with international developers and investors in the project. Those who attended the meeting alongside Osinbajo were: the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu;the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru and other top government and NNPC officials.

Akande said group of international investors and developers put together under a consortium by Dubai-based firm, AGMC would handle the project.

The consortium is made up of Fortune 500 companies like the GSE&C of South Korea, the China Development Bank, Power China and several others global operators from Asia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle-East.

MEET-THE-PEOPLE TOUR

L-R: Minster of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh; Minster of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; his deputy, Sir Ude Okochukwu; and Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development, Alhaji Bawa Buhari, during their courtesy visit on the governor as part of the town hall meeting in Umuahia....yesterday

Air Peace Aborts Flight over Burst Tyre on Take off FG appoints new Directors for NCAA Chinedu Eze Air Peace flight from Lagos to Abuja was aborted yesterday by the Pilot-in-Command when he noticed a burst tyre while about to take off.

Also, the federal government, which sacked five Directors at the weekend, has announced the appointment of new Directors and a General Manager for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

According to statement from the spokesman of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, the flight aborted take-off at about 11a.m. and passengers were transferred to another aircraft.

“At about 11a.m. today, our Lagos-Abuja flight aborted takeoff at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in

Lagos when the pilot-in-command suspected that there was an issue with one of the tyres of the aircraft.

“Passengers on board were transferred to another aircraft to ensure they did not miss their appointments. The passengers were all calm, as it was not a life-threatening incident. There was no question of air return as our very experienced flight crew noticed the development much before takeoff,” Iwarah said.

The airline said because of the “premium we place on safety, our pilots are under a duty to call for checks when they suspect any fault however basic it may be. That was what happened in this case.

“Although it was initially suspected to be a case of burst

tyre, our engineering department later inspected the aircraft and confirmed that one of the tyres got deflated. The issue has since been addressed.”

The airline dismissed earlier report that the aircraft lost three tyres on take off and explained that it was one tyre that was deflated, adding that unless there is serious damage by external object, it would be difficult for the aircraft to lose three tyres at the same time.

Meanwhile, the federal government has appointed five new Directors and one General Manager for NCAA. In a statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, those

that were appointed and their designations include Group Captain Edem Oyo-Ita (Director of Air Transport Regulations, DATR), Ahmed Abbas Sanusi (Director, Human Resources and Administration, Department of Human Resources and Administration) Others include Bilikisu Adamu Sani, (Director of Finance and Accounts, DFA), Odunowo Tayyib Adetunji (Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, DAAS), Ita Awak, (Director of Airworthiness Standards, DAWS) and Lawrence Mathew Kwajok, (General Manager, Air Navigational Standards).

Adurogboye said all appointments were with immediate effect.

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Crisis Hits Labour Party as NEC Suspends Chairman, Others Accuses them of financial mismanagement, Electoral Act violation Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja The National Executive Council of the Labour Party (LP) yesterday suspended and removed three of its members: National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Abulkadir Salam; the Deputy National Chairman (South), Mr. Calistus Okafor, and

Acting National Secretary, Mr. Julius Abure, over what it described as ‘’brazen’’ misappropriation of the party’s funds running into millions of naira.

The removal of the senior officials was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the party’s emergency National Executive

Stop Meddling in National Security Matters, DHQ Warns Amnesty International Paul Obi in Abuja The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday warned Amnesty International (AI) to stop meddling in national security matters and local politics of the country.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Rabe Abubakar, said the incessant cases of intrusion by AI portends great danger to the nation’s security apparatus.

This came on the heels of a recent report by AI indicting the Nigerian military over the killings of the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) agitators in the South-east and 240 persons, including children, in the North-east.

Abubakar said: “Nigerian military wishes to warn international non-governmental organisations operating in the country such as AI and their affiliates to desist from meddling into security issues in our country which is inimical to national interest, cohesion and unity.

“Activities of AI in our nation have shown that AI never meant well for Nigeria and the situation is getting clearer to national and international communities what the AI is up to.

“This could be corroborated by inherent lopsidedness in the AI’s portrayal of Nigeria, its involvement in local politics and taking side with terrorists and other belligerent groups to cause internal disorder which no country can tolerate.”

He observed that “the military

in this new dispensation has maintained open door policy and has been cooperating with all stakeholders in ensuring that Nigerian Armed Forces remain one of the best and a proud institution for all Nigerians.

“For AI to be making spurious allegations, especially without substantiated and cogent reasons, apart from those adduced by the AI itself for the reason best known to it and its collaborators is disturbing and unethical of an international organisation that is supposed to stay clear of local politics and to be seen as maintaining neutrality in its reportage of the countries it operates.

“Incessant negative report on Nigeria in general and the armed forces in particular by AI is condemnable by all well-meaning Nigerians who have seen and appreciate what the military and other security agencies have done to decimate Boko Haram terrorists and contain other criminal elements.”

Abubakar added that “the AI infamous act only succeeds in giving an insight to the possibility of the organisation sponsoring various criminal gangs in our country with a view to achieving the sponsor’s intent.

“As much as the military welcomes comments, criticism and observation that could help the institution to grow higher for the interest of our nation, the activities of the AI, to say the least, is far from being noble. Al has negative mission in Nigeria,” he said.

Enugu State Belongs to PDP, COCMEP Replies APC, Lauds Ugwuanyi Sunday Okobi Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy stability (COCMEP) has described as false and misleading, the statements and innuendos credited to Enugu State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) that the party is firmly rooted in the state and may likely take over the state in 2019.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Executive Director of COCMEP, Innocent Ebirim Okadigbo, in a statement,laudedthenumerousprojects put in place by the state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to move the state forward.

Hemaintainedthatthedevelopment andinfrastructurestridesofthegovernor in housing, roads, transportation, education, tourism, agriculture, health, staff welfare, rural development, empowerment programme, among others within two years “are unprecedented in the political history of the state and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for any

other party to defeat Ugwuanyi in any election in the state.

“In other words, Ugwuanyi’s many developmental projects speak loud for themselves and there is no vacancy in Enugu State Government House in 2019.”

The activist stated that the so-called defection of 5,000 people to the APC in the state, including Chief Jim Nwobodo and Senator Ken Nnamani, is a mere media gimmick to attract the attention of the national level and are not a threat to the governor because majority of the people are solidly behind him due to his marvelous achievements, and also, that the defected political heavyweights are living in past glory.

Okadigbo emphasised that Ugwuanyi is always in the news for good reasons of kicking off new projects, inspecting on-going projects, inaugurating completed projects, visiting the less privileged on regular basis and interacting directly with the masses all the times.

Committee (NEC) meeting held at AES Luxury Apartments, Jabi, Abuja and signed by some members of the NEC. They include, the Deputy National Youth Leader, Mr. Gbenga Daramola; Deputy National Women Leader (North East), Lami Ahmed; Deputy National Women Leader (South South),Hosanna Samuel; Deputy National National Women Leader (South West) Mrs Olajumoke Awodeyi; Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Abatcha and National Youth Leader, Ukpebitere.

In the same communiqué, Mr. Bobo Atare Adou was appointed National Vice Chairman, Southsouth, was appointed Acting National Chairman, and Mr. Akingbade Oyelekan was appointed Acting National Secretary of the party respectively.

The new NEC members were mandated to ensure that all

allegations against the suspended officials are investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and diligently prosecute them if found wanting.

The suspended officials were also accused of “unconstitutional and unilateral’’ dissolution of the state executive committees and suspension/expulsion of officials and members of the party without NEC’s knowledge and approval.

According to the communiqué, ‘’NEC resolved to take such necessary measures, legal and otherwise, to purge the party of impunity, arbitrariness, lawlessness, and financial corruption that characterized the tyrannical leadership style of Alhaji Abubakar Abulkadir Salam as National Chairman. ‘’The NEC of LP met on February 27, 2017 at an emergency meeting on the necessity of

strengthening and repositioning our great party to play its constitutional role as a viable, credible and vibrant opposition party. ‘’NEC notes with deep concern that since the October 11, 2014 National Convention of our great party held in Akure, Ondo State, the affairs of the party have been mismanaged with persistent impunity, high-handedness, dictatorship, and crudeness leading to the unjust, unconstitutional and unilateral dissolution of States Executive Committees (SECs) of the party and suspension and/or expulsion of prominent members and leaders of the party by Alhaji Abubakar Abulkadir Salam (as National Chairman), supported by his willing lackeys in the Party as cheerleaders.’’

The resolution of the NEC added that despite its unique strengths and political brand, the party had

continued to lose its vibrancy as a reasonable, thoughtful and responsible opposition party and has failed to make strategic political inroads towards positively growing the party nationally.

It said the collapsing state of the party was a clear evidence of the ‘’irresponsible, rudderless, corrupt, and dictatorial approach’’ of Salam and his willing lackeys and cheerleaders in the party to the serious and sensitive issue of political party leadership.

‘It also accused the suspended officials of violating section 225 (2) of the 1999 Constitution which states that: “Every political party shall submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission a detailed annual statement and analysis of its sources of funds and other assets together with a similar statement of its expenditure in such form as the commission may require.”

BOI AT YOUR DOORSTEP

L-R: Benue State Commissioner for Industry Trade and Investment, Dr. Tersoo Kpelai; Acting Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr. Waheed Olagunju; Governor Samuel Ortom ; and Executive Director, Corporate Services, BoI, Mr. Tobin Jonathan, during the inauguration of BoI’s Benue State Office in Makurdi....yesterday

Court Sacks Akwa Ibom Senator for Electoral Fraud PDP asks members to remain calm Okon Bassey in Uyo After more than one year of legal battle, the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has nullified the election of Senator Bassey Albert Akpan in the 2015 senatorial election for Uyo senatorial district (Akwa Ibom North-east) over alleged electoral fraud.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Akpan who was presented as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of that election.

A former member of the House of Representatives for the Uyo Federal Constituency, Bassey Etim, armed with facts, had approached the court to challenge the wrongful substitution of his name as the winner of the primary for Akwa Ibom North-East senatorial district in 2014 by INEC with that of Akpan.

Delivering judgment in the legal tussle yesterday in a pre-election matter brought before the court, the presiding judge, Justice Ritman Fatun, held that Akpan was not duly elected in the PDP primary held on December 7, 2014 as he was not eligible to stand for the election.

In the judgment, which lasted for about two hours, the judge held that “Akpan was a candidate for the governorship election but was only smuggled into the Akwa Ibom North-East senatorial district at the last minute.”

Justice Fatun, accordingly ordered INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Bassey Etim as the duly elected candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-East senatorial district while the certificate earlier wrongfully issued to Akpan be forfeited.

Also, the judge directed that the leadership of the National Assembly should swear in Etim as the senator

for the senatorial district as well as awarded N200.000 as fine in favour of the plaintiff against the defendants.

The judge further ordered for the refund of all monies illegally accrued to Akpan to the federal government.

Reacting to the judgment, the lead counsel to the plaintiff, Taiwo Abe, described it as lucid and educative, declaring that, “it will go a long way to enrich the jurisprudence of the country.”

He lauded the judge for his exceptional courage and sincerity in the handling of the case which he described as a victory for democracy.

He stressed: “I am happy for this victory, it a victory for democracy and I assure you that no court of law will fault this judgment.”

On his part, Offiong Offiong, the lawyer to Akpan, said he would brief his client appropriately on the judgement before taking the

next line of action.

He said: “I cannot advise my client through the media, I will advise him professionally on the matter when I meet him.”

Meanwhile the state chapter of PDP, has called on members of the party in the senatorial district in particular and the state in general to remain calm, saying the judgment was shocking and dramatic.

The state Chairman of the party, Obong Paul Ekpo who spoke through the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Ini Ememobong, said as law-abiding legal entity, the teeming supporters of the party should not panic as the party would continue to defend the truth concerning the nomination of Akpan.

The legal department of the party, he said, had been directed to immediately file a notice of appeal in the Court of Appeal, as the party continues to study the judgment of the lower court.

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT Killer of Bayelsa Electoral Commission Secretary to Die by Hanging Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa One of the killers of the Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission, Chief Simeon Akpane, has been sentenced to death by the state High Court 2, sitting in Yenagoa.

Kurotimi Clarkson, 27, an only

son, said to be a member of the three-man gang that shot the BSIEC scribe in the head in 2014, the court held, was found guilty of a one-count charge of murder.

Justice Margaret Akpomiemien, in her judgment, maintained that all the elements that constitute murder in law, had been successfully proven by the prosecution team from the

Man Nabbed in Bayelsa for Alleged Rape of 13-year-old Girl Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa A 56-year-old man identified simply as ‘Old Soldier’ was yesterday arrested by operatives of the Bayelsa State Police Command for allegedly engaging in the serial rape of a 13-year-old teenager.

Old Soldier, according to those close to the matter, had unlawful and repeated carnal knowledge of the young girl along the Akenfa 3 area of Yenagoa Local Government council of the state.

However, the suspect, now in police net, reportedly told investigators that the teenager was betrothed to him by the parents of the girl, saying he had not committed any offence.

It was gathered that two others who knew about the matter, but were trying to cover up for the suspect and prevent the crime from being reported to the Akenfa Divisional Police Station, were also nabbed along with him.

The girl child advocacy group, Operation Rescue and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the two organisations handling the case, told journalists in Yenagoa that the victim, Miss Idesimi James, from Okoloba area of the state, was heard screaming occasionally from the house of the suspected rapist.

It was learnt that the suspect had also earlier told his landlord

that the little girl was his daughter when she was first brought to live with him.

The state Coordinator of Operation Rescue, Elizabeth Egbe, described the incident as “shocking.”

“The owner of the house the suspect was staying heard the 13-year-old girl screaming and peeped to inquire what was happening and discovered that the man was having sexual intercourse with a child he claimed was put in his custody as a daughter” “On the second occasion that he heard the scream again, he drew the attention of the neighbours and the suspect was arrested in the act,” she said.

She added that the members of the two advocacy groups were thereafter called in to rescue the child, noting that they are now currently handling the matter.

The suspect, under preliminary interrogation, was said to have claimed the victim was betrothed to him by her mother and reportedly threatened to deal with those involved in the matter since he was a soldier. It could not be verified if the suspect was actually in the security services.

Speaking on the development, the Chairperson of FIDA, Dise Ogbise-Erhisere, assured the public that her organisation would ensure that the case was charged to court promptly for prosecution.

Father of Two Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Rape Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Having been found guilty of rape, an Ado-Ekiti High Court, yesterday sentenced a 35-year-old man, Tope Odeyemi, to life imprisonment.

Justice Adekanye Ogunmoye, in his judgment, said based on the confessional statement of the accused and other corroborative evidence of the prosecution reinforced the conviction.

He added that the culprit was guilty as charged and that he must face the consequences of his action, saying “he should face no other consequence than to go for life imprisonment,” the judge ruled.

The judge, who observed that the act of rape and defilement was rampant in the state, said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to other potential rapists.

During trial, the prosecution, led by the state Attorney General, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, told the court that the father of two committed the offence on September 4, 2014 in Iyin-Ekiti.

Ajayi averred that the accused, on the said date, sexually assaulted a 27-year-old woman and inflicted grievous bodily harm on her , which led to her admission in a hospital.

The state’s chief law officer, said the offence contravened Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Laws Cap C 16, Laws of Ekiti State 2012.

For diligent prosecution of the case, the prosecution called five witnesses to prove his case , while the defence counsel, Taiwo Adeloye called two witnesses.

Adeloye urged the court to discountenance all the evidence of the prosecution against his client describing them as feeble and porous.

The accused claimed that the victim was his girlfriend, and because he refused to buy her a BlackBerry phone, lied against him.

The state counsel also urged the court to convict Odeyemi based on the evidence laid before the court.

Office of the Special Prosecutor on Violent Crimes and other Related Offences, led by Arthur Andrew.

The judge held that the plea of alibi by the convict was inadmissible, as the court was convinced that Clarkson, a father of two, was on the scene of the crime on October 10, 2014, when the incident happened.

Justice Akpomiemien further held that the International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, on the pack of the phone which was snatched from the deceased, as presented to the court by the deceased’s wife and through which the convict was traced, were exactly the same.

Of the three suspects, however, only Clarkson was convicted, as the others, including Freedom Allen, said to have pulled the trigger, had

escaped from the federal prisons in Okaka, Yenagoa.

Akpomiemien concurred with the testimony of the wife of the deceased, who on hearing the voice of her husband just outside the door having an argument with his assailants came out to see her husband suddenly shot by the trio before taking off.

According to the judge, who recalled the particulars of the case, Allen, now at large had approached the convict, his friend, complaining about the hardship in the land.

They thereafter journeyed on a tricycle from Biogbolo through Otiotio, where they reportedly saw the vehicle of the deceased BSIEC employee, trailed him to his house, before shooting him at close range during an argument

that ensued.

The court recalled that investigations showed that the culprits were traced through the stolen phone which was sold to one Mallam Ibrahim Abubakar for N5,000.

“I have carefully examined the evidence and exhibits. The prosecution has established its case. The prosecution has proved that the action of the accused caused the death of the deceased,” Akpomiemien held.

She added that though the accused did not directly pull the trigger that killed the BSIEC scribe, all the ingredients for conviction for a case of murder, which was carried out by the use of a locally-made revolver, had been met.

“I have carefully considered the fact that he is a first offender. But

the court lacks discretion in this case. The sentence of this court is that you be hanged until you be dead. May the lord have mercy on your soul,” the judge held after changing into a black cloak.

Akpane, aged 48, an indigene of Ofoni in Sagbama council area of the state, was shot in the head at close range on October 10, at about 8p.m., in front of his residence at Bethel Church Close, off Otiotio Road, Yenezue-Gene, Yenagoa, in front of his door, while returning from an outing.

Allen, who escaped from custody, according to the Department of State Services which first investigated the matter at the time, shot the BSIEC scribe while he was struggling with the other attackers.

WAR AGAINST COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLISTS

L-R: Lagos State Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Olanrewaju Elegushi; Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Caster Bade-Ajibade, during a media briefing on the thousands of impounded motorcycles (Okada) at Olusosun Dumpsite, Ojota....yesterday

Fire Guts Onitsha Industrial Cluster David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka Barely two weeks after a tanker fell, igniting fire that razed a filling station and over 10 houses and 15 vehicles in Onitsha, another fire incident last Sunday evening razed Ekene Dili Chukwu Industrial Cluster, destroying machines, goods and raw materials worth over N2 billion.

Though no life was lost, over 10 people involved in rescue mission during the incident sustained various degrees of injuries, while

assorted industrial machines, numbering over 50, belonging to the members of the cluster were burnt beyond repairs.

When THISDAY visited the area, victims and sympathisers were seen bemoaning their fate, with others crying over their losses.

Chairman of the cluster, Tony Ubakasi, who was also affected by the fire, said he could not give account of the cause of the fire, saying that he was only called on phone by somebody and before he arrived, the whole cluster was already up

in flame.

He said the machines lost in the cluster to the fire incident included blowing machine, cutting machine, recycling machine, injection machine, extruder machine, dying machine and punching machine, Lister power generators and other generators numbering over 30, including others, adding that finished goods and raw materials were also gutted.

He expressed fears that over 200 workers and 50 indirect workers would lose their jobs because of the incident.

He called on the federal government, Anambra State Government and good spirited individuals to come to their aids.

Another victim, Mr. Hyacinth Ogugua, said he lost over N20 million in machines, goods and raw materials, and lamented that his family and all his dependants will be devastated by the incident.

Other members of the cluster, Mr. Jonas Ugwu, Mrs. Victoria John, lamented their losses, while calling on the government to come to their aid.

Traffic Law: Lagos to Crush over 4,000 Impounded Commercial Motorcycles The Lagos State Government yesterday said it had concluded plans to commence the crushing and recycling of over 4,000 impounded commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada, in line with the provisions of the state Traffic Law 2012.

Disclosing this to journalists at the Olusosun refuse dump site in Ojota, the State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the recent clampdown on Okada across the state was a fall out of

the government’s resolve to address the security concerns posed by their operations, saying that criminals are in the habit of using Okada to perpetrate crime and get away.

The Lagos Traffic Law 2012 prohibits the operations of Okada and tricycles also known as Keke Marwa in certain routes and areas across the state.

He said the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, had directed that the police and other security agencies concerned redouble efforts

to ensure the law is complied with, assuring that the clampdown will be sustained vigorously on a daily basis.

He said: “It would not be one off. So far, we have impounded about 500 motorcycles since we started our renewed efforts and we now have a total of about 4,000 bikes ready to be crushed. The law made provisions on how those motorcycles should be handled and the law also made provision on how to handle those that have

flouted the law itself.”

According to Owoseni, the decision to crush and recycle the impounded motorcycles was in accordance with the provision of the law Owoseni said aside impounding the motorcycles and tricycles, the enforcement would also clampdown on the operators and residents who patronise them, adding that mobile courts would be instituted to try arrested offenders.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

CAF Elections: Day of Long Knives in Abuja Duro Ikhazuagbe Ahead of today’s emergency Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board meeting called by the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, at his office at the National Stadium in Abuja, there is apprehension in football circles in the country that the forum may be used to create fresh trouble in the administration of the game here.

The meeting has just one agenda: Nigeria’s position on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Presidential Election.

The minister and some Nigerians in CAF committees are known to be openly opposed to Pinnick’s support for Madagascar’s FA President, Ahmad Ahmad who is challenging Isa Hayatou for the coveted position.

One of the board members told THISDAY last night that except for one or two members of the NFF board, Pinnick has a solid support base among his men and that any attempt to want to force the board change the position it reached at its December 18 Congress where it asked the president to use his discretion in voting at the CAF election may be resisted.

“Nobody can force us to go against the position we reached at the December 18 Congress. We have taken a stand and given the President

go ahead to use his discretion in voting for the candidate that will advance the growth of football in the country. Why are they now fretting that Amaju has openly declared his support for Ahmad Ahmad?

Is Nigeria not just one vote?” stressed the board member on telephone with THISDAY. He admitted to have also heard speculations of trying to use the board members to oust Pinnick from the position if he refused to toe the line of the minister in voting for Hayatou.

“If anybody is thinking of interfering in the activities of the board, they are just wasting their time. This is 2017. The era when certain individuals who have been discredited world-wide in the administration of football will think they can use any of us is over,” the board member further observed.

The minister who had earlier opposed Pinnick’s aspiration to contest for a seat on the CAF executive also maintained at the weekend that Nigeria was not in support of Ahmad Ahmad.

Nigerian members of CAF included four former NFF presidents – Amos Adamu, Dominic Oneya, Sani Lulu and Aminu Maigari – issued a press statement condemning Pinnick, while pledging their support for incumbent CAF President Issa Hayatou.

They also argued that the interest of Nigerian football should be paramount over any personal interest and

consideration.

“We have consulted widely within the executive of the NFF, the sports ministry and

indeed football stakeholders in Nigeria and discovered to our dismay that there is no evidence where Mr Pinnick

was mandated to commit this country to supporting Mr Ahmad,” the statement read in part.

Barcelona’s duo of Lionel Messi (left) and Neymar may miss the final of the UEFA Champions League due to Brexit

Ordega Plans Football U E F A C H A M P I O N S L E A G U E Academy to Empower Brexit May Force Messi, Neymar to Miss Final Young Girls Donates educational material to schools in Benue State Super Falcons’ Forward, Francesca Ordega, has disclosed that her pet project, The Francisca Mlumun Ordega Foundation will soon build a multi-million dollars female football academy in the country to take young hawkers off the streets to discover their talents in sports.

Ordega stated this when she visited some schools and orphanage homes in her native town of Gboko, Benue State where she presented some educational materials like note books, dictionaries, pencils, pens, school bags and footballs to them.

“My foundation wants to build a football academy to educate young girls, take them out of the street and give them a new lease of life. If I can get to where I am now, I am sure a lot of our girls can do same.

So there is no need to wallow in self-pity,” stressed the senior national team player.

Ordega, 24, who currently plays for Washington Spirit in the National Women’s League in the United States of America believes so much in the future of young girls in her community and charged them to remain focus.

She maintained that they can achieve greatness in every area of their endeavor.

The Falcons forward called

on privileged Nigerians not to forget their roots and to always show love to those in need in order to give them a sense of belonging in the society.

According to her the best way to show gratitude for what a society has given to any individual is to give back and added that for her she will continue to demonstrate such gesture.

She urged the students not to despair irrespective of the family they were born into as they cannot change that but can change their future for the better and stressed that they can make their state great through various means and capacity.

“I conquered, you can conquer. I served my country by playing for the national team. You can serve our country by being the president, governor or something greater. I played international football for Nigeria. You can work in any multinational abroad if that is what you prefer with the right qualification. I made Benue proud, you can make Benue greater. Dream, have focus, pray and the sky will be your starting point,” Ordega noted in her message to the girls.

Lionel Messi and Neymar may not be allowed to enter the United Kingdom for this year’s Champions League final if their Spanish team, Barcelona, makes it to the last game.

First, Barcelona will need to turn around a 4-0 last-16 first-leg deficit to Paris SaintGermain to keep their hopes of playing in the final alive.

Cardiff’s Principality Stadium is scheduled to host the final on June 3.

If Luis Enrique’s men are able to complete that remarkable comeback and progress to the final then it is possible there could be issues with Messi and Neymar – who both have proceedings surrounding tax evasion ongoing – gaining

entry to the country.

UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, who warned Brexit could damage Great Britain’s hopes of hosting major tournaments, yesterday expressed his worries with the rule.

Ceferin’s concerns were sparked by the refusal to allow PSG defender Serge Aurier who was appealing a conviction for assault into the UK during the French team’s group stage clash with Arsenal last November.

Wembley is to play host to the semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020 and, while Ceferin and UEFA are committed to those games being held in London, he believes Brexit may stymie any hopes Britain has of

hosting either Euro 2028 or the 2030 World Cup – with England’s Football Association having expressed an interest in both competitions.

“If ‘Brexit’ happens, everything changes,” Ceferin told The New York Times.

“But football was played before, and it will be played in the future. Now, with free movement in the European Union, it is much better.

“I was very disappointed when Aurier, from PSG, was not allowed to enter England.

“That will worsen when Brexit happens, especially if the reasons were as formal.

We could have a serious problem.

“If we see that players cannot enter because they have any sort of procedure

ongoing, then we will simply think if we should play our European matches there.

“Neymar and Lionel Messi both have (tax evasion) procedures going on. This year, the Champions League final is in Cardiff. Imagine if they did not let them in.

“That is a big thing for us, if players from England can travel anywhere but players from other teams cannot travel to England. With free movement in Europe, it is much better.

“Even in 2020, if Brexit has happened, then it can be a big problem for fans. That stays firm, and we will speak to the British government, and I am sure the English Football Association will help us.”

Nlareb Wins FCT Golf Classic Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Issa Nlareb became a first time winner in Nigeria after edging an under-strength field to win the FCT Classic at IBB International Golf and Country, Abuja at the weekend.

The Cameroonian won by six shots and was rewarded to the tune of $4,000 after posting a five over par 221, beating Visitor Mapwanya of Zimbabwe.

Nlareb, who had featured in six tournaments in Nigeria

since last year, finally secured a victory in the event listed on the West Africa Golf Tour calendar by closing with a 76 on the third day of the tournament after setting the tone with an opening round of 69.

“I am highly excited to win in Nigeria after all my efforts ended in futility since last year.

I gave it everything though the field was not strong. I played three under the first day and with that score on the card, I knew I had been offered a

clear route to winning the tournament.

“The future of Cameroon golf looks promising with the calibre of players coming up and gaining inspiration from a role model like Desire Ebele Mvondo,’’ said Nlareb from Yaounde Golf Club.

The tournament was shorn of real contest mainly due to the absence of Nigerian and Ghanaian professionals from the event. This development limited the field to eight players and enabled

Cameroonian players to dictate the pace.

The youngest competitor at the tournament, Pristhy Nji, defied the odds by finishing in third position at 14 over par 230. The 14-year-old Cameroonian got a handsome cash prize of $2,000 after edging compatriot Bolu Michel by nine shots.

Nigerian D. Obadofin in fifth place ahead of the two amateur players, Michael Edet and Wisdom Ilori from Ado Ekiti Golf Club.

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2017

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“We are demanding that they should break the ties between both countries if there’s any, because the xenophobic attacks that happened a long time ago have recurred,...We have decided to clear the madness with madness” – National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), president Aruna Kadiri issuing an ultimatum to the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to severe relations with South Africa over the latest xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other Africans in their country.

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TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

The Nigeria-Prays-For-Buhari Competition

A

fter the publication of my column last week, titled “I want to go to London… to see Buhari”, I received a lot of feedback from persons who were either amused or dead serious that they had been overlooked in my compilation of the list of persons who should go to London.

One fellow asked: “Abati, you left out the Miyetti Allah and the cattle herders of Nigeria.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, they too will like to go to London” “With due respect, to go and herd cattle?”

“No, to visit the President and reassure him about the welfare of his cattle” “My friend, are we talking about cattle or the health of Mr. President?”

“We are talking about everything and anything that can ensure the President’s speedy recover.”

“Speedy recovery!”

“Speedy recover!”

“My friend, it is speedy recovery, not speedy recover!”

“That is your problem. You spend too much time worrying about grammar and big words you don’t oftentimes know what to do. Look at you, you even left out local government chairmen. You left out an important organization like ALGON, the umbrella body of local government chairmen.

You also did not insist that there should be a special resolution of the National Assembly in both chambers authorizing that a formal joint delegation should be sent to London to see the President, instead of the Senate President and the Speaker sneaking to London, behind every one else’s back.”

Candidly, I didn’t know what to say. But just about then, I received a text message and a phone call.

“Abati” “Yes?” “I don’t like that your article. An old man is ill, and you are mocking him with your pen.”

“No. You are misreading the article. That is not my message. I understand that a President is a human being. No President has supernatural immunity. It is not unusual for any human being to have a medical challenge.”

“I didn’t get that message. You sounded like you were having fun, with your article dripping with cruel sarcasm. You have to be careful how you come across. You were just busy throwing yabis up and down. Are you Fela?”

“Calm down. My point is that the President’s stay in London should not become an opportunity for eye service, which is the biggest enterprise in Nigeria. Before you know it now, everybody will start trooping to London to see the President, and that will create too many leaking buckets, a lot of waste. I tried to use the vehicle of humour and laughter to ridicule and stop that.”

“I have said my own. Maybe you should re-read the article. When they decide to do something about you, don’t just say your friends abandoned you.

If you want to be a stand up comedian, make up your mind. But this one that every time you carry your pen, you’ll start making jest of serious national matters in the name of writing, well, na you sabi oh.”

No writer should be placed under pressure to explain his own message. Language is invariably embodied, iconic, symbolic, semiotic and hence open to interpretations relative to levels of perception. So,

President Muhammadu Buhari I gave up on that conversation. But I was vindicated a few days ago. Another friend called, also anxious to discuss the most important subject in Nigeria today: President Buhari’s health and absence.

“Ore, ki la ri wi, ki l’on sele, ewo lewo, omo boy” “Abati” “How are you?”

“Have you noticed something?”

“What?”

“Since you wrote that article on your plan to go to London, people have stopped going to London or they have stopped them. When last did you see anybody posing for a photo opportunity with Sai Baba in front of Abuja house?” ”They are probably still going. London is Nigeria’s new Holy land. It may well just be that they are no longer publicizing the visits.”

“If there is no publicity, then very few people will go. A handshake with the President shown to all Nigerians, while the President is on medical exile, can open many doors for many people.”

“Medical exile. I like that phrase.”

“Forget that. I am not here to discuss grammar.

I have a business idea that I think we can discuss.

What you don’t know is that some people are already exploiting the business opportunities involved in Sai Baba’s absence.”

“How?” “I pity you. The only thing you know is to speak and write English and lift your head to the clouds. You can’t smell business. The biggest business in Nigeria today is to be seen to be loyal to President Buhari.”

“I don’t quite get the business angle.”

“This is my proposal, then. We have to do something. In this season of recession, you have to think creatively. That is the best way to beat recession. We also have to organize a solidarity rally or a prayer session for Buhari.”

“How is that a business?”

“Very strategic business” “How?” “First things first. Do you think all the people who have been organizing rallies and prayer sessions are doing it for fun, or free of charge, or for love?”

“I am aware that they are doing it out of love for the President. They have all said they wish him well. They are praying for his good health

and for the well-being of the nation.”

“Is that why there is so much competition to pray for Buhari, then?”

“What I am aware of is that prayer sessions have been held in parts of the country, in Kano by the Governor, and the Emir, in Kaduna by the state Governor and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), In Katsina state, where 50, 000 youths gathered in Daura under the umbrella of the Buhari Youth Congress for Change. In Nasarawa, Muslim faithful from 13 local councils and 18 development units spent 4 hours praying in Lafia. Security was even provided by the Nigerian Army, the Police, the Civil Defence Corps and other government agencies. The same thing happened in Kwara State, and Jigawa where the state chapter of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam also conducted prayers.”

“I am glad you have been following the trend.”

“You should trust me. Let me also tell you that all mosques across the North have been placed in a prayer mode, under strict instructions from the Sultan. Not even the private sector is left out: The Pyramid Radio Mosque in Kano held a prayer session for Buhari, attended by over 200 Muslim faithful.”

“And you still don’t see the business opportunity in all of this?”

“No. My only concern is that Nigeria is a secular state. The Constitution says so. When we begin to involve the state in prayer sessions, we are violating the law.”

“Leave that matter. The Constitution says we are a secular state. It does not say the people must not pray for their leaders.”

“Not quite so” “I beg. Let’s talk business. See, I have a business proposal in my head. We can beat all these people to it. Instead of all these, small, small, prayers-forBuhari that they are organizing, we can have a grand prayer rally, at every stadium in this country.

I know people who can link me up with all the big Pastors and Imams in Nigeria, and every week till President Buhari returns, we can have inter-denominational prayer rallies and vigils from one state to another.”

“But where is the business in that?”

“We will buy tickets, keep people in hotels, organize transportation from every local government to the state capital, we will put money in envelopes, pay for venues, provide refreshment, and we will ensure we surpass the prayers warriors of Nasarawa who prayed for only four hours. We will make our own 8 hours. We will also involve evangelical musicians and prayer warriors. These prayers don’t come cheap or free.”

“How? Where will the money come from?”

“I can’t give you all the details. You see this my head, it is full of business but to give you an idea, we will get the state governors and local chairmen involved, corporate Nigeria and SMEs will also be mobilized. They will bring money. They won’t want to be seen to be opposing prayer sessions for the President. They too will understand the business implications.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You still don’t get it? What don’t you get?

Can’t you see that even the People’s Democratic Party and all their Governors are also talking about holding prayer sessions for the President?

Last year, when the President went for an ear infection vacation, the PDP – Governors, National Assembly members and other stakeholders held a

prayer session. This year, with the President now on medical exile in London, the PDP is planning an even bigger prayer session from Delta state to Bayelsa to Ekiti. Fayose who once predicted that the President would fall sick is now a Buhari prayer warrior. Bet with me, the way this thing is going, you would wake up one day and Fayose will hold a prayer rally in Ado Ekiti. I know what I am talking about.”

“I don’t know. So, why are you telling me?”

“You know people. You can provide relevant contacts and we can get this thing done.”

“But what if you don’t make any money?”

“We can’t fail. The business model in my head cannot fail. People are making gains already.

Everything is not money. The President made a phone call to the Governor of Kano while a prayer session was going on at the Government House in Kano. Just 300 Imams and Islamic scholars oh, but the Governor made sure the phone call was broadcast live on all local radio stations in Kano state. Calculate the cost of that in business terms. An ordinary phone call from President Buhari at this time is worth its weight in gold.

Since that phone call to Governor Ganduje, other state Governors have been falling over themselves to organize prayer sessions. The Governors of Katsina, Kebbi and Gombe have also received their own phone calls.”

“I am confused.”

“You will soon get it. The day we succeed in organizing our own prayer session, with over a million Nigerians, I will make sure President Buhari makes a direct, live telephone call to the stadium.

He will mention the names of Governors, CEOs, VIPs, media executives, and the whole thing will be on skype, whatsapp, snap chat, instagram, you tube, live streaming. And the prayers will go straight to heaven, because we will make sure we invite only those pastors and imams who have been saying they have direct telephones to God.” “There are such religious leaders in this country?”

“Yes” “But you seem to have left out the diviners, the aborigines, the herbalists…”

“Sai Baba is a devout Muslim. We can’t bring such people to the public domain, but we’d find a way of providing for them. We’d give them cows, rams, goats, clothes, palm oil, kolanuts, alligator pepper… and they will pray and be happy in their underground covens.”

“And you, what will you do?”

“If Sai baba can just make that phone call, I will jump in the air and dance like Dekunle Ajokete.”

“But what if something goes wrong and the network connection fails. Or your phone runs out of battery.”

“A text message from Sai Baba will be just fine.

If I get just that, Walahi, I will twerk publicly like Tiwa Savage.”

“Tiwa Savage? Does Mummy Jam Jam twerk also, with that her small 2G package? To twerk properly, you need 3G, 4G, or wifi Bakassi. What you are proposing sounds like Kwa-ra-pption.”

“Dey there. You think any judge will indict or convict anybody for praying for the President?

Even the Judges may soon organize a prayer session for Buhari.”

“Let’s talk a bit more about this twerking business. “ “Get out. I am talking business; you are talking twerking! You have no business sense.”

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