Tuesday 9th May 2017

FG: Discos Don’t Have Exclusivity Over Distribution Areas Says it can invoke its rights as shareholder, blacklists ANED Chineme Okafor in Abuja The federal government yesterday said that it did not grant exclusive operational rights to the 11 electricity

distribution companies (Discos) in their areas of operation when it privatised the distribution assets in 2013.

It also said that none of the Discos could claim such

exclusive rights on any of the distribution areas, except they can guarantee their ability to consistently provide electricity services to the areas.

Following from this,

the government, which also accused the Discos of frequently instigating industrial disharmony in the country’s electricity sector, stated that their opposition to “eligible

customers” clause declaration was unlawful and unfair.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, stated this at the 15th edition of

the monthly power sector operators’ meeting in Jos, capital of Plateau State.

Fashola also claimed that Continued on page 8

Prof Adeyemi: FG Must Intervene to Prevent Stigmatisation of Chibok Girls.... Page 42 Tuesday 9 May, 2017 Vol 22. No 8055. Price: N250

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Buhari Expresses Confidence His Absence Won’t Affect Governance President is fit to seek reelection in 2019, says aide Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Twenty-four hours after he proceeded to London on account of his health, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed confidence that his absence would not affect the smooth running of government.

Buhari who relayed this last night in a tweet on his

Twitter handle @MBuhari, said his confidence in effective government apparatus while he’s away was absolute.

“As I noted earlier, I have absolute confidence that government will continue to run smoothly while I’m away. God bless the Federal Republic,” he said.

Buhari had handed the Continued on page 9

Chibok Girls: Makarfi’s PDP Comes Under Fire for Criticising Prisoner Swap Ojuogboh: Jonathan first initiated prisoner exchange, but it was scuttled BBOG, community concerned over secrecy surrounding girls Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Olawale Ajimotokan, Paul Obi, Kasim Sumaina in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna The Peoples Democratic Party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi yesterday came under fire for criticising the prisoner swap brokered by the Muhammadu Buhari administration and its international partners to secure the release of 82 Chibok

girls who were kidnapped from their secondary school dormitory by Boko Haram terrorists three years ago.

This is just as the faction led

by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff provided new insight into the attempt by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls in May Continued on page 8

ITALIAN TEAM COMES VISITING… R-L: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara; Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Falvio Rustico; President, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Hon. Laura Boldrini; and House Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, during Ms. Boldrini’s visit to the National Assembly… yesterday

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PAGE EIGHT CHIBOK GIRLS: MAKARFI’S PDP COMES UNDER FIRE FOR CRITICISING PRISONER SWAP 2014 through a prisoner swap, disclosing, however, that it was scuttled by a top official of the Borno State government.

After the girls’ release on Friday night, Makarfi on Sunday had criticised the prisoner swap, saying the government was strengthening the terror group to continue its atrocities in the North-east.

The party also said the suspected terrorists had escaped justice by their release and “all the efforts made by the security agencies to bring them to book had come to nothing�, adding that the negotiations with the terrorists were in clear violation and indeed a direct assault on the generally accepted international principles never to negotiate with terrorists.

But the federal government in a statement yesterday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, fired a broadside at the PDP faction and accused it of politicising the girls’ release.

Mohammed described the opposition party’s reaction as “indecent, inhuman and ill-timed� and accused the PDP of insensitivity for attempting to douse on the altar of politics the universal joy that has greeted the release of the girls abducted from their school on April 14, 2014.

He pointed to the U.S. and Israel as classic examples of countries that have employed prisoner swaps to secure the release of their soldiers captured

by Taliban and Hamas fighters in Afghanistan and the Middle East. “If that includes swapping some Boko Haram elements for the girls, so what? Will the PDP rather have the girls stay in perpetual captivity, just to prove a ludicrous point? “Didn’t superpower the United States engage in negotiations with the Taliban that led to the exchange of five Taliban fighters for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in 2014? “Didn’t Israel release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in 2011?�

Mohammed asked.

The minister went further to say that the process was consistent with the vow by Buhari, who in his inaugural address in 2015, said the administration could not claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls alive.

Muhammed added: “A lot of factors come into play when a nation has to decide whether or not to engage in prisoner-hostage swap. None, however, trounces the sanctity attached to human life and the consideration for the pains of the loved ones of those involved.�

He kicked PDP in the chin, saying it exhibited disdain for human life, adding that the PDP-controlled federal government took what seemed an eternity before even acknowledging the abduction, thus losing critical time for the girls’ rescue. “Since the PDP failed – as it did in everything – to rescue even one of the Chibok girls, the party should hold its peace while this administration continues to seek the release of all the abducted girls, using every means at its disposal, in addition to working assiduously to end all Boko Haram hostilities,� Mohammed said.

Also, a political group called League of Upcoming Political Parties (LUPP) condemned the statement by the PDP faction.

In a statement yesterday by its National Chairman, Dr. Musa Ahmadu, the group said the comment by the PDP faction at a time when the whole world was congratulating the federal government for leading the initiative that saved the lives of 82 innocent young girls was unfortunate.

According to him, the release of the girls had brought joy to their parents and rekindled hopes of the citizenry in the effectiveness of the federal government.

Ahmadu said: “The statement by a faction of a fractured party can only be excused on the basis that the stress of its prolonged engagement to claim authenticity of the party has begun to affect the psyche of its leadership and raises the question whether the statement is not a subtle extension of the cold war between the Makarfi faction and Ali Modu Sheriff faction. “Hiding under the claim of an international best practice, the Makarfi faction said the negotiations that led to the release of the 82 girls violate international best practices of not negotiating with terrorists, but the faction tends to forget that even U.S. which is the lead figure in the fight against terrorism has never closed the

path towards negotiations when its interest is at stake and has many times entered into negotiations with terrorists groups and exchanged prisoners with the underlying aim of securing the lives of hostages first before any other thing. “The Makarfi faction seems to have forgotten that at the end of every strategy or engagement, it is the result that matters and that best practices are not statutes but strategies, hence cannot be violated but replaced when the matter demands a different approach.�

The group noted that the release of the girls, the largest number so far, rather than sadden the parents of those that are yet to return, has followed a similar pattern by reigniting the hope of those parents yet to see their children, and that it remains a matter of time for them to be equally released. “We hope by the statement, Makarfi and his faction are not saying that no girl should be brought home until the entire 200 are found because that type of reasoning does not belong in the realm of rationality. “The release of the girls has not only restored hope in the whole of the Chibok community, Borno State and Nigeria, but globally,� it added.

It stressed that the Muhammadu Buhari administration will ensure that the remaining girls are found and rescued.

‘Jonathan Initiated Prisoner Swap’ Also, in a bid to dismiss the statement by the PDP faction led by Makarfi, the Sheriff-led faction yesterday provided new insight into the attempt by the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls in May 2014 through a prisoner swap.

It revealed, however, that the attempt to secure the girls’ release was scuttled by a top official of the Borno State government.

Speaking on what transpired three years ago, a former National Vice Chairman of the PDP and currently the Deputy National Chairman of the Sheriff-led faction of the party, Cairo Ojuogboh, said yesterday that former President Goodluck Jonathan first initiated the move to swap

the kidnapped Chibok school girls for the captured Boko Haram terrorists but the attempt was scuttled by a prominent Borno government official who he declined to name.

Ojougboh, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said that contrary to the perception that the past administration made no attempt to rescue the Chibok girls, it was the PDP-led government that first undertook the move to free the girls through a prisoner swap. “We took the information to Mr. President (Jonathan) and he said whatever it would take to release the Chibok girls, any swap that these people demand, he approved it. “So the idea of criticising the swap of the Chibok girls for Boko Haram prisoners is not necessary, because it was the PDP government that initiated it,� he said.

Ojougboh, who claimed that he was part of the team raised by the former president to negotiate the failed swap, faulted the criticism of the deal by the leadership of the PDP led by Makarfi.

Ojougboh said that the negotiating team had already concluded arrangements and committed all resources available, until someone in the Borno government got wind of it and scuttled it. “The only thing I have to say is that when in May, 2014, we were to receive these girls, we had already committed all resources available and logistics were put in place, but when we got to the negotiation point, the ICRC (International Committee for the Red Cross), myself and female doctors from the DSS (Department of State Services), we were disappointed. “Somebody within Borno State government got wind about the development about the release and scuttled it. “That is why today, when I hear people saying Ali ModuSheriff is a sponsor of Boko Haram, I don’t want to listen to them, because we know what happened that night. “And after that incident, when Jonathan left office, ICRC and the Embassy of Switzerland, the then ambassador and the current one, continued with the process. “Let us make it clear that the effort and the battle to release the Chibok girls started a long time ago. In fact, sometime in May 2014, a consultant of the

World Bank visited Nigeria and approached Chief E.K. Clark and informed him that the Chibok girls were alive and they could be rescued. “Chief Clark made contact with the then president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and he authorised Chief Clark to nominate a trustworthy person to negotiate on behalf of the Government of Nigeria for the release of the Chibok girls. “I am proud today to tell you that I was the one who was nominated to negotiate the release of the Chibok girls. “The parties that were put together on behalf of the government of Nigeria were the following persons: one, the then Director of DSS, the then Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, the CSO to Mr. President and my humble self. “We were to negotiate on behalf of the president, while Shehu Sani, who is currently a senator, a particular official and the owner of a school in Borno, whose name I cannot call for obvious reason, were the people who contacted the persons to represent Boko Haram. “And we held a series of meetings with the Red Cross and the Embassy of Switzerland.

We took these representatives of Boko Haram to the Red Cross and to the Ambassador of Switzerland, and they gave us time, they studied what information we had and they approved it. “Arrangements were made to release the Chibok girls sometime in May 2014, provisions were made and persons were gathered. I went for the meeting for the (prisoner) exchange. “Conditions were set and the conditions that were set involved the release of the Boko Haram prisoners. When the Boko Haram representatives met us first, what they told us was that 10 of their (Boko Haram) mallams were arrested in Bauchi when they were praying. “When we took the information to the DSS and the then CDS, Badeh, they laughed, saying they knew these people and gave us their names, which I still have today.

They were not mallams, they were hardened and toughened terrorists. “We took the information to Mr. President and he said whatever it would take to release the Chibok girls, any swap that these people

Continued on page 9

FG: DISCOS DON’T HAVE EXCLUSIVITY OVER DISTRIBUTION AREAS some of the operational actions of the Discos have largely contributed to the existing problems in the power sector.

Alleging that the Discos have often blackmailed other operators in the sector with false information from their trade association – the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) – Fashola said ANED does not enjoy the recognition of government.

He added in his opening remarks at the meeting that the Discos have largely been dishonest with the industry and consumers, noting that through ANED, they have frequently complained about developments in the sector without stating the true positions of things. “As head of the ministry, I regret that I will not deal with an association because the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), acting for the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), did not contract the asset sales and performance agreements with an association and neither

did the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) grant you licences as an association,� he said.

According to him, the government will only relate with the Discos individually, not through ANED. “I am certain that NBET and NERC, your regulator, will communicate a similar position to you,� he added.

Speaking on other issues affecting the sector, Fashola claimed that the Discos have largely misrepresented the situation, explaining that the decision to centralise and escrow their revenues, as well as regulate their procurements was taken to protect the finances of the market and guarantee the Discos’ low interest borrowings from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He stated: “What you failed to say was that the escrow condition was agreed by you with the central bank as a condition for offering you stabilisation funds by way of

loans to fund the business you invested in because commercial banks were reluctant to do so. “What you also failed to state was that the loan was at 10 per cent interest rate which is well below commercial rates. “What you also failed to state was that you also agreed under that arrangement to establish letters of credit to guarantee future payments to NBET and the TCN Market Operations, and that the agreed commercial terms of the letters of credit authorises NBET and TCN Market Operations to draw on the letters of credit for any default in payment to them, and that such defaults have occurred and continue to occur.�

The minister cautioned the Discos that since the government still holds a 40 per cent stake in their assets across board, it has the right to ensure that they are competitively run and their operations not mismanaged.

On the eligible customer clause which he said the Discos

demand, we should do it, so he approved it. “Jonathan approved it, so the notion that the swap of the girls for prisoners was not necessary, is wrong. I will tell you that it was the PDP government that initiated it. “When Jonathan left office, the International Red Cross and the Embassy of Switzerland, the then ambassador and the current one, continued with the process,� he revealed.

When pressed on the identity of the Borno official, Ojuogboh declined to speak further on the issue, stating that his focus was on the rescue of the 82 girls at the weekend.

He said the faction of the party led by Sheriff welcomed the release of the 82 Chibok girls and will continue to encourage the federal government to negotiate more and secure the freedom of other girls still held captive by Boko Haram. “We are very happy that the 82 girls have been released, we are also very concerned about the remaining girls and we urge the federal government to do all it can to secure their release. “We give them kudos and to continue this process of negotiation, and whatever it takes to release the remaining girls should be done. “We are calling on the media and Nigerians that the dissident group, the renegade group, the rebels of PDP, they should not issue statements on behalf of PDP and it is credited to PDP. “None of them on the socalled caretaker committee has ever run a party, they don’t have experience and so they don’t even know what government is all about. “So for them to come out to criticise the process of this release is most unbecoming and we ask Nigerians to completely ignore them; no discountenance what they are saying,� he said Regarding the president’s ill health and its impact on governance in the country, Ojougboh said that PDP would have to wait for the 2019 elections to show the All Progressives Congress (APC) the way out of power. “We, the PDP, are working assiduously and we are focused; we will meet him (Buhari) in the field in 2019 and teach the APC Politics 101 when we regain power at the centre. “So we pray that Mr. President should recover quickly

were opposed to, Fashola said: “Your statement claims that this provision, which allows certain classes of consumers to deal with the generation companies directly is premature and could result in extra cost to consumers. “But your statement is silent about the inability of some of your members to invest in feeders and distribution equipment to get power to consumers. “As you rightly acknowledged, the power to declare eligible customers is provided by law, and what it does is to entitle certain types of customers to deal directly with their power provider or Gencos once they can bear the cost of constructing the distribution facility in cases that we currently have, where their Discos cannot or will not invest the money to do so. “Your statement does not address the illogic of standing in the way of a consumer seeking to get for himself what the service provider, Disco, has

failed or is unable to give them. “What is important is that the law is followed, consultations are held, and decisions are taken. No Disco has exclusive rights over any area and its ability to retain an area must be consistent with its ability to provide service to the area,� he added.

Fashola also said the government had to provide the N701 billion intervention fund to the electricity generation companies (Gencos) and gas suppliers to make sure they remained operational because the Discos were not paying for electricity supplied to them.

On claims by the Discos that their performances had been impeded by the aging and inefficient distribution infrastructure they bought from the government, the minister said: “Rather than complaining about old infrastructure, I wish to remind you that nobody forced you to buy those assets and you knew what you were buying.�

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˾ TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017

NEWS

Femi Kuti Breaks World Saxophone Record Femi Kuti has broken the world record for the longest single note held on a saxophone at the New Africa Shrine.

He attained the feat on Sunday at the New Africa Shrine as shared by his sister, Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti on her Instagram page @yenikuti.

“This evening 7th May at the New Africa Shrine, Femi Kuti broke the world record for the longest single note on a saxophone note set in

1997 by Kenny G. “The record stood at 45mins 37 seconds….Femi did 46mins 38seconds!! Give it up, we have a world champ.

“This was witnessed by a large audience that included Sen. Ben Murray-Bruce, the deputy high commissioners of Netherlands and the United Kingdom.”

The record was previously first set in December 1997 by legendary saxophonist Kenny

G when he held an E-Flat note for over 45 minutes.

Kenny G was reported to have used a technique called circular breathing, which keeps a steady stream of air flowing through the saxophone even as the player breathes.

For Femi Kuti, it is unclear yet what technique he used or even, the member of the sax family he used to achieve the massive feat.

He started playing the sax

when he was 15 and joined his father’s band ‘The Egypt 80’.

He later formed his own band, ‘Positive Force’ in the late 80s.

Femi, four-time Grammy award nominee, is skilled on other musical instruments including the trumpet and piano.

According to media reports, Femi awaits official recognition by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Kuti

Chibok Girls’Parents Learning If Daughters Among Those Freed Via Media Parents of the missing Chibok girls are slowly learning if their daughters were among the 82 freed by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria three days ago.

The girls’ names were put on Twitter by the presidency on Sunday. They were flown to the capital Abuja.

But in Chibok, their home region in north-eastern Nigeria, not everyone has access to the social media site.

It is unclear if the government has made other attempts to let them know if their daughters are now safe.

Yesterday, people were checking the newspapers to see who was on the list and decide whether to make the journey to Abuja, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Even parents in Abuja where the 82 girls were flown to in order to meet President

Muhammadu Buhari before he left the country for medical treatment - were waiting to see if they would be reunited with their daughters.

Esther Yakubu told the BBC that the last three years had been a “horrible nightmare” but that even the possibility of her daughter having been rescued was giving her hope.

“Whether she is among the freed ones or not, I am very happy,” she said. “We started

this year with 24 (returned girls) and now we have 106.

It is a large number, and we have hope that if they are alive, they will come back.

“I have never been happier in my life like today. I am a mother. I accept any child that is back. My baby will be back soon, if she is among them or if she isn’t,” she said.

It is being reported that the girls were handed over on Saturday in exchange for five

Boko Haram suspects after negotiations - a deal which has been criticised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led

by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

In a statement, the PDP faction said the exchange had allowed terrorists to escape punishment and would embolden them to carry out further kidnappings, while the “piecemeal” release of the girls meant they still held bargaining chips.

Boko Haram is thought to still be holding more than 100 of the original 276 girls taken from a school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014.

However, they are far from the only people abducted by the extremist group. Amnesty International has recorded 41 cases of mass abductions in the last three years. It puts the number of women and children kidnapped at a minimum of 2,000.

The vice-president, who made this remark when Borno State elders led by Governor Kashim Shettima came to thank the government for the rescue of 82 Chibok girls, stated that the current allocation for humanitarian services in the region was grossly inadequate to meet the needs of thousands of victims of the insurgency.

Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Ali Ndume were also part of the delegation.

While acknowledging the intervention of the Swiss government and other international bodies who spearheaded the negotiations, which led to freedom of the girls, Osinbajo added that Buhari’s integrity in the international community played a huge role in the girls’ release.

“We thank God for bringing back our girls from captivity.

For anyone who is a parent, it is just a very traumatic thing.

We deserve to be excited that this is happening and we pray that the others will come back.

“What has happened is largely on the account of the international community. They believed in the integrity of the president. So many have sacrificed so much in the course of this insurgency.

“We don’t know how much it will cost us to restore what was lost. It is a challenge before us but I believe that we cannot wait for another generation of leaders to do it for us. We must

resolve to face our challenges.

“We have to take a second look at the budget. What we are providing now is not even 10 per cent of the cost. We will take out some areas to address in the shortest possible time. It is important that people don’t die while we are planning.

“We will take some time out to outline what are the priorities and determine what it will cost us. We must do everything that it takes to make sure that we hold ourselves to account for these children. That in my view is the whole essence of leadership,” Osinbajo said.

Earlier, Shettima while speaking on behalf of the group, expressed profound appreciation to the administration for its commitment in securing the release of the 82 girls, saying Buhari mobilised the entire world for Nigeria.

He also expressed optimism that the insurgency would fade away in the region sooner rather than later.

“We are here principally to thank Mr. President. You and all senior aides to Mr. President – the DSS DG, the army – for bringing back our girls. President Buhari has the country at heart. We must as Nigerians thank God for Mr. President.

“There is no way international actors will continue to facilitate the negotiations if not for the integrity of the president.

Buhari succeeded in moblising

the world for Nigeria.

“In no distant time, the insurgency will be a thing of the past,” Shettima said.

Yari also thanked the president for the efforts leading to the girls’ release, saying the administration had liberated the country from insurgency.

“The efforts to bring 82 girls back to their parents were commendable,” he said.

Also speaking, Ndume solicited for the assistance of the acting president in raising more funds for victims of insurgency, lamenting how innocent children die of starvation and malnutrition everyday in the region.

“The humanitarian crisis is beyond anybody’s imagination.

Every day, one child dies because of hunger. Children are out of school. We have millions of displaced persons.

“The budget of the whole of Borno State is not up to the National Assembly budget.

The feeding of children is not something the Borno State government can bear alone,” he said.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Aisha Al-hassan reported that the freed girls were stable health-wise and thanked the delegation for having confidence in her ministry by leaving the girls in its care.

“The girls are in a good shape. We are getting the place they will stay ready. They are all happy,” she said.

that the president was “fit to seek reelection in 2019 elections”.

The Senior Special Assistant, Legislative Matters (House of Representatives), Hon. Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila made the remark to reporters in Kano yesterday at the Government House.

According to him, “From what I have seen at close range, my boss is quite fit for the 2019 electoral battle.”

Sumaila also expressed confidence in Buhari’s readiness to floor any challenger within his party

and across the political divide, adding that “the president has nothing to fear”.

“President Buhari’s fitness was played upon in 2015 general election. He survived the campaign rigour, won the election and is on the verge of taking Nigeria to the promised land.

“Buhari is quite alright, he is fit to pass through a familiar terrain, and its human to fall sick. I am highly confident he would get better,” Sumaila stressed.

“Those who have legitimate ambitions should step

forward, but they should also have at the back of their minds the fatal consequences of such misadventure in 2015,” Sumaila said.

He also said that the president’s two years in office had been “eventful and fruitful”, adding: “His ability to degrade the insurgency was a landmark in the history of this country.”

The presidential aide appealed to Nigerian to continue to support the government to enable it to deliver the dividends of democracy to their doorsteps.

CHIBOK GIRLS: MAKARFI’S PDP COMES UNDER FIRE FOR CRITICISING PRISONER SWAP so that he can join us in he field for the general election,” he said.

BBOG, Community Condemn Secrecy Meanwhile, the Bring Back our Girls (BBOG) Group and leaders of Chibok community yesterday condemned in strong terms the secrecy surrounding the release of the 82 schoolgirls.

In a reenactment of what occurred last Christmas when 21 of the girls were released last October and taken to Chibok, but were sequestered in the house belonging to the Borno government, while their parents and relatives granted were limited access to them, journalists, parents, community leaders and BBOG members were again barred on Sunday by security agencies and the presidency from seeing the 82 Chibok girls when Buhari met with them at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The secrecy and attempts to shield the released girls have generated controversy, with many questioning the ulterior motive behind the action.

Also, concern has been expressed over the continuing sequestering of 21 Chibok girls who secured their freedom in October.

According to sources in government, they have been camped by the DSS

and prevented from gaining access to their parents and other members of the Chibok community.

Speaking on the development yesterday, the leader of the Chibok Community in Abuja, Tsambido Hosea said even the indigenes of Chibok were concerned.

Hosea said: “We are so concerned that they are keeping everything secret. When they were with Boko Haram, they got out. So why keep it secret now, why?

“Even with some of the leaders of Chibok in Abuja, nobody has been contacted up till now. We don’t know the reason. This is of great concern.

“Back at home (Chibok), they have been asking us if anyone has had contact with the girls and we tell them ‘no’. They asked why and we responded that we cannot force them to allow us access to the girls.

But we know it is not right, we condemn it.”

When reminded that the government might have done so to provide protection for the girls and that it was in their interest to do so, Hosea asked: “What interest of the girls?”

Also, the co-convener of BBOG, Aisha Yesufu maintained that the secrecy and the decision by government to shield the girls from public glare was unwarranted and disingenuous.

Yesufu who commended the government on their release, said: “For us, it is absolutely

unnecessary, because we expect some feedback mechanism.”

She also confirmed that the verification of the 82 girls freed at the weekend was being undertaken by the group.

“Normally, when names come in, the first thing we do is to go through the list and verify in the next few days,” Yesufu stated.

Earlier yesterday, officials from the Italian Embassy visited the BBOG group at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, where its members usually converge.

Speaking at the fountain, the Speaker of the Italian Parliament, Laura Boldrini tasked the federal government and other stakeholders to put more efforts into rescuing other girls still in captivity.

Boldrini assured the Nigerian government of the readiness of the Italian government to “help Nigeria rescue the outstanding girls”.

Shettima, Borno Elders Thank FG Despite the concern expressed by the Chibok community and BBOG, acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday spoke on the federal government’s preparedness to factor the interests and wellbeing of the freed Chibok girls into the welfare package for victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

BUHARI EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE HIS ABSENCE WON’T AFFECT GOVERNANCE reins of power to his deputy, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday before departing for London.

His media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the duration of the president’s trip, which he described as a follow-up medical consultation with his doctors, would be as determined by the doctors.

Adesina said whereas the president had initially planned to embark on the trip Sunday afternoon, he had to delay his flight as a result of the 82 freed Chibok girls who arrived Abuja earlier in the

day.

The presidential spokesman who said the president had transmitted the vacation letter to the National Assembly, in accordance with Section 145 of the Constitution, added that Buhari assured Nigerians that there was no cause for alarm and urged them to remember him in their prayers.

“The president wishes to assure all Nigerians that there is no cause for worry.

He is very grateful for the prayers and good wishes of the people, and hopes they would continue to pray for

the peace and unity of the nation.

“The length of the president’s stay in London will be determined by the doctors.

Government will continue to function normally under the able leadership of the vicepresident. President Buhari has transmitted letters about the trip to the Senate and the House of Representatives, in compliance with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution,” the statement added.

Buhari’s tweet came on the heels of the confidence expressed by one his aides

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TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Appeal Court Dismisses Amaechi’s Suit against Wike’s Judicial Panel of Inquiry

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday dismissed an appeal filed by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, challenging the powers of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the sale of valued assets of the state and other matters.

The court also declared that Wike, as governor of the state, has powers to set up a judicial commission of inquiry as it was in line with extant laws of the state.

Wike had in 2015 set up the Justice George Omereji Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe the sale of valued assets of the state including gas turbines, the disbursement of N2 billion agricultural loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other matters.

But instead of appearing before the commission, Amaechi, under whose administration the assets were disposed, went to court to challenge the powers of the governor to set up the commission and also stated that the time allowed for his appearance was not enough.

But delivering judgment on Suit Number PHC/187/15 filed

by Amaechi, Justice Simeon Amadi declared that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry was not established to investigate the personal activities of the former governor, but set up to investigate previous actions of government as they affect the people of Rivers State.

He also ruled that Wike by the provisions of the law is empowered to establish the Judicial Commission

of Inquiry to investigate previous actions of government.

According to him, there is no law preventing a state government from finding out how her resources were expended.

He declared that Amaechi did not disburse and expend funds of the Rivers State Government and turned around to claim that such powers belong to the National Assembly.

On the claim by Amaechi that the 30 – day set aside for the sitting of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry would deny him fair hearing, the court held that the days set aside did not breach Amaechi’s right to fair hearing.

The court noted that the former governor has not filed a memorandum before the commission and has not appeared before it, hence he could not complain that he was not given fair hearing.

Ameachi, not satisfied with the ruling of the High Court, proceeded to the Court of Appeal where he challenged the court’s judgment that he did not have the locus standi to challenge Wike’s commission of inquiry among others.

Delivering judgment on Suit No: CA/PH/342/2015 at the Court of Appeal yesterday, presiding Judge Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, declared that while Amaechi has the locus standi to challenge the setting up of the commission of inquiry, Wike has powers to set up the commission and that Amaechi had no reasons not to appear before the commission.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on behalf of Justice J.S.

Herdsmen Unleash Fresh Attack on Benue Community, Scores Killed George Okoh In Makurdi Over 10 persons were killed yesterday in three communities in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The incident, according to an eyewitness, took place when residents of the affected communities were leaving the evening church service.

He said the headsmen came into the localities unexpected and unprovoked and began to shoot at anyone in sight.

Over 10 persons were killed in the attack which affected Tse Akaa, Mba’abaji and Tse Orlalu all in Ugondo Mbanar District of Logo Local Government Area of the state. Kester Kyenge, representative of Logo in the state House of Assembly, told journalists on phone that he saw nine corpses in the mortuary adding that several others are missing.

Another source however stated that it was the mass movement of the herders with their cattle that triggered the crisis as the passage by the herders fuelled insinuations that they might be planning to attack the people.

As a result of the development, the villagers were said to have challenged the herders which led to the crisis.

He, however, denied that the villagers’ action triggered the crisis, saying: “Some of the villagers were

coming out of evening church service when the herders began to shoot sporadically and in the process, three persons died.”

The source also claim that the attackers came from the Taraba axis, through Abaji, Mbamar, Ugondo and found their way at Akaa, from where they started shooting sporadically at the village market square.

The displaced persons were said to have moved to Ugba, the headquarters of the local government area.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bashir Makama, who spoke with journalists on the development, said six dead bodies have been recovered in two villages, adding that he would continue to update journalists on the crisis.

He explained that the herders were moving out of the environment when the crisis erupted, and called on the communities along the routes to allow peaceful passage of the herders.

Makama said with the raining season setting in, the possibility of the herders relocating was necessary.

Governor Samuel Ortom who also confirmed the incident, enjoined both the farmers and herders to always show patience, saying: “Two wrongs cannot make a right.”

The state House of Assembly only recently passed a bill to prohibit open grazing of cattle and other livestock in the state

Abiriyi and Justice S.T. Husaini by Omoleye, the court said the refusal of Amaechi to appear before the commission amounted to self-denial.

It insisted that there is nothing wrong for the governor to set up a panel of inquiry as it was in line with the laws of the state Addressing journalists after the judgment, counsel to Wike, Mr. Dejo Laminkanra (SAN), said the implication of the judgment was that “their lordships dismissed the appeal of the appellant. But in doing so, a number of issues were resolved.

“One of the most important was whether the appellant has the locus standi to sue and that essentially raised the question of access to justice and the court resolved that issue in favour of the appellant to say that the appellant had locus standi to institute that action at

the high court challenging the constitution of the commission of Inquiry by the state.

“Apart from that, the rest of the eight issues in the appeal raised by the appellant were resolved against the appellant, which goes to say that the substance of the appeal were dismissed.

“The Court of Appeal upheld the power of the governor of Rivers State to constitute the commission of inquiry into the sale and disposal of valued assets of Rivers state under the previous administration. That is a very pivotal issue because there is an existing law in Rivers State which is called the Commission of Inquiry law, a law which has been in place before the advent of the former administration of the state had relied on, taking advantage of and used to institute a number of commissions of Inquiry.

“The Court of Appeal resolved that question of legality of the constitutionality of the commission of inquiry of Rivers State, by clearly stating that the state House of Assembly has legislative right to legislate on the commission and that the governor of Rivers State has powers conferred under that law to constitute the commission of Inquiry, which he did. Not only that, that the decision of the High Court validating the outcome of the commission of inquiry in terms of references given to it is something to be noted, meaning that the High Court and the decision of the High Court is affirmed, in particulars of the terms of reference of the court.

Also speaking to journalists, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Emmanuel Aguma (SAN), said:

“The court held contrary to what the High Court had affirmed earlier that Amaechi actually had the locus standi and having held that the court now went further to hold that the lower court was right dismissing the action. So that in affect the appeal was dismissed and the decision of the lower court stands which is that Justice Omereji Commission of Inquiry was properly constituted and the corollary of that is that its findings are valid. Whether it is the finding of the sale of the gas turbine, or in terms of the disbursement of the agricultural loan, all the findings, the illegal withdrawal of N52.5 billion in 15 months without due process. So all those findings of the Justice Omereji Judicial Commission of Inquiry with this judgment now stand on solid ground.”

BORNO EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE

L-R: Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima; Acting President Yemi Osinbajo; Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari; and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Udom Emmanuel, during visit of the Borno delegation to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to thank the federal government on the release of 82 Chibok girls... yesterday Godwin Omoigui

CBN Offers $81.2m for PTA,Tuition Fees, SME Segments Obinna Chima Following last Friday’s injection of $389 million into the retail segment of the forex market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday intervened with another $81.2 million in the invisibles and small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) segments of the market.

A breakdown of the interventions indicated that the bank provided the sum of $44 million to meet customers’ requests for invisibles such as Basic Travel Allowances (BTA), Personal Travel Allowances (PTA), medical bills and tuition fees, among others. In addition, the SMEs segment also received a boost of $37.2 million.

The acting Director, Corporate Communications at the CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, confirmed the intervention.

According to him, “The bank remains committed to ensuring that there is enough supply of forex to genuine customers to achieve the goal of forex rates convergence.”

While expressing satisfaction with the current stability in the forex market, Okorafor reiterated his confidence in the ability of the CBN to sustain its interventions in the market.

The CBN had last Friday, sold a total sum of $389 million to authorised dealers in the retail sector of the market as spot and forwards. Of the sum, $87.885

was for spot sales, while $300.8 million was sold as forwards in three tenors of 30, 45 and 60 days, respectively.

But, the naira was still quoted at N391 to the dollar on the parallel market yesterday. However, the naira traded at about N400 to the dollar in deals for investors yesterday two weeks after the new window was opened.

Trading sources told Reuters that investors were demanding rates above N400 per dollar while locals were quoting rates as low as N350.

The sources said traders held a conference call last Friday with market regulator FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange to discuss the wide range of quotes on the naira

for investors, although the meeting did not produce any resolutions.

FMDQ provides daily opening and closing quotes on the naira.

“We have done deals around N400 levels,” one trader said. “Some of the offshores are insisting on N400.”

The central bank said in April it would allow investors to trade the naira at market-determined rates, a move intended to improve the dollar supply and attract foreign investors who bolted from Nigeria at the start of the latest currency crisis.

Meanwhile, the country’s external rose further to $30.984 billion as are May 5, data from the CBN showed.

FCTA Disburses N2.12bn to Six Area Councils Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other stakeholders have received N2.12 billion from the FCT Administration as share of statutory allocation for the month of March.

The FCT Permanent Secretary,

Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, made the disclosure during the Joint Area Councils Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting.

The breakdown of the allocation showed that of the N2.12billion disbursed, primary school teachers got N998,912,759.14;while the 15 per cent Pension Funds received N95,040,159.75, one per cent training fund was allotted N18,886,323.78

and 10 per cent employer pension contribution (15th installment of 23 months), gulped N73,917,439.85.

The Abaji Area Council got N123,966,348.63; Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) received N158,055,434.72 while Bwari Area Council received as its share N121, 395,216.57.

Gwagwalada Council

received N149,941,776.30; Kuje received N125,324,331.04 while Kwali got N127,192,588.45.

Included in the disbursement for the month of March is 10 per cent share of the FCT Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) accruable to the Area Councils for February.

Ajakaiye charged the council henchmen to ensure workers’ salaries are given top priorities.

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

COMMENT

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

INCLUSIVENESS AS SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT The comfort of a uniform guarantee of minimum expectations holds attraction of plural associations, writes Charles Iyore

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ur biggest structural challenge, as a nation, may well be social exclusion, leading to social dislocation, and creating gaps of mutual suspicion in the political economy.

Very many are shut out, or feel shut out of the domestic production process. This is so, because the superintending authorities have not applied enough imagination to knitting the tapestry of domestic production linkages.

Many, in position, but not really in office, are pre-occupied with survival and holding-on to positions. Distribution rather than production is the focus of governance, with officials in an unending dance of musical chairs for relevance.

These consequent acts of omission and commission, often lacking in rhyme or rhythm, cannot bring forth our best, and will widen our income inequalities.

Income inequalities provide the best setting for our markets (social contacts) to fail. Forex markets, money markets, stock markets, commodities’ markets, etc.

The vacuum created by these many acts of dislocation is filled by social strife, mutual suspicion across primordial divides, all of which weaken the genuine efforts of governance.

Many in office are exasperated, and even more, in supposedly high office, are becoming victims of social marginalisation, because of wage disparities and the erosion of purchasing power.

But for the first time in our political history, central planners are assiduously working at developing a moral compass for public service.

We will, however, miss the opportunity to remain on a sustainable growth path, if we do not strengthen our trade and exchange linkages.

These linkages, closely weaved, are necessary to close the cleavages in our governance processes that make the monumental graft of resources, now revealed on a daily basis, possible.

The perpetrators of fund diversion and the society at large are equally victims of these unfortunate circumstances. This is because, apart from the quantifiable gains and losses, all have by passive inclusion, become bereft of constructional thought.

The re-awakening of constructive thinking at all levels, the systematic rejection of hollow subject arguments about right and wrong, and the enthronement of good values over bad and decadent conduct, must be the stuff that “change” is made of.

The creation of 12 states from four regions in 1967, which has now increased to 36 states with a Federal Capital Territory to boot, were supposed to bring governance closer to the people and slay the dragon of exclusion. What is playing out, however, is the dragon’s mutation into a hydra-headed monster-- a replacement of central dominance, by violent and shameless exclusion of various state minorities and the degradation of local governments into a mere vestige in the new structure.

Inclusion which has remained elusive, must mean that hope returns to every village and human settlement in equal measure.

INCLUSION WHICH HAS REMAINED ELUSIVE, MUST MEAN THAT HOPE RETURNS TO EVERY VILLAGE AND HUMAN SETTLEMENT IN EQUAL MEASURE. EACH WITH ITS FULL COMPLIMENT AS IT IS, WITH EVERY CELL OF THE HUMAN BODY

Each with its full compliment as it is, with every cell of the human body.

That hope should not be based on just fair distributions and hand-outs, but on a structured system of minimum guarantees.

In a world where governments are guaranteeing WiFi access to the remotest of communities, can we: One, ensure through enforcement, that fathers play their support roles in the lives of their children? (Emir of Kano’s plea); two, can we guarantee at least primary school education for our children? (child hawkers on our streets); three, can community leaders, Emirs, Obas, Obis and Bales, organising through food banks, ensure that the weak and infirm, in their domains, get at least a warm meal a day? (rich churches and mosques, hungry people); four, can we ensure that the various line items in our budgets, have relevance to the communities they are targeted to serve? (white elephant projects).

It is this system of minimum guarantees, in funded (taxes and commonwealth) and communities’ support funding(charities, local and foreign), that ensures that government comes out with a credible social audit for every budget cycle.

It is the comfort of a uniform guarantee of minimum expectations that holds the attraction of plural societal associations, also known as nationhood.

Central planners should carefully harness social enterprise, working its way up, through volunteering and apprenticeships, to waged positions. This is the only way to build a broad capital production base, for maintaining economic stability.

We must avoid throwing money at everything, so as not to undermine value adding efforts in the economy.

We must use effective and sensible legislation, at all levels, to stimulate demand, otherwise installed infrastructure will fall idle, and become bad economics.

If government takes its minimum guarantees seriously, challenges will emerge in funding, execution and style of execution. The style of execution is what will set the political parties apart in ideology or manifestos’ thrust. The execution at every level will challenge all individually and collectively. The funding challenges will ensure that our commonwealth does not lie idle, only to be stolen, governments will improve their rates and tax collection strategies, and the central bank can be held to account, on how well it meets inflation targets.

All of these will create a matrix of actions, which taken together should put the economy back on the mend.

Import substitution, universal apparel sizing, the composition of the unit house building brick, food and crops logistics, etc.

Hope is still alive!

Iyore is Principal partner, Dion & Associates CTA

BUHARI, MAY DAY AND WORKERS’WELFARE Simeon O’diwe writes that a new minimum wage is in the offing

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resident Muhammadu Buhari runs a labour-friendly administration. What do we expect from an administration whose easy ride to power emanated from an overwhelming trust of the people in its promise to better their lot?

Notwithstanding the teething challenges occasioned by vastly depleted national purse, and further hobbled by furious economic recession, the upliftment and welfare of the people have remained on the top burner.

Close watchers of the internal workings of the administration often reveal how dear the welfare of the people is to the president. In fact, insider sources did recount how difficult it was to convince the president after over a year of persuasion, to agree to the increment in the pump price of petroleum products.

“The people will suffer,” he would say each time he was approached.

However, if there was any guess in the public sphere as to the commitment of his administration to lessening the sufferings of Nigerians, an unprecedented act of compassion on July 6, 2015, barely a month in office, cleared it all. That day, the president approved a whopping sum of N1.2 trillion to bail out bankrupt states to enable them pay a long list of embarrassing arrears of workers’ salaries. The president again went on further rescue when on December 2, 2016, he approved another round of N522 billion for the states. The Paris Refund of March 16, 2017 was also to enable the states discharge their primary obligations and fight

poverty by putting money in the hands of the people.

Worthy of mention at this juncture is the sum of N16 billion earmarked in the 2016 budget for partial offset of an accumulated promotion arrears, retirement benefits, death benefits and re-location allowances totalling about N63 billion, owed since 2008. Though the virement expired with the budget, it has been recaptured in 2017 budget and will be disbursed to deserving workers once the budget is passed.

But in all these, the arm of the federal executive directly charged with the welfare of the Nigerian workers has left no one in doubt of its clarity of vision, firm-footed direction and iron-cast resolve to push their well-being beyond what the administration met. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, a former Governor of Anambra State, former Senator and former federal civil servant has in the last 17 months in office, abundantly represented the mantra of the administration as the best labour –friendly government in the country’s recent history. Though in-charge of labour and employment in a historic moment of ever crushing national poverty, his ingenuity in labour administration has in no small measure arrested what would have been conflagrating industrial unrests, resulting from rioting industrial disputes too many to recount here. The effect of such distraction on the stability of the nation can easily be imagined.

With “if we can’t create new jobs, let’s

retain what we have” as a charter, the Labour Minister relentlessly pursued this goal by making sure that no worker was sacked in the civil service of the federation and went further to impress same on the states governments. Having done that, he urgently waded into simmering volcano of retrenchment in the petroleum, banking and financial institutions as well as in the construction sectors. “We shall not keep silent while workers are being mistreated in their own country. Our strategy is to save jobs by convincing the operators in these sectors to thinker with the heavy allowances at the top so as to save medium and low level jobs down the line,” Ngige said in July 2016. And he largely succeeded.

The issue of the minimum wage which has received a lot of prominence, and is in fact the crux of the last May Day agitation.

Unknowing to the generality of workers but very well known to their leaders, the federal government has committed enormous effort towards the review of the law which the constitution made mandatory every five years. Nigerians will easily recall that when in May last year the federal government effected the appropriate pricing of petroleum products, it subsequently set up a technical committee on minimum wage and palliatives. It comprised government officials and labour leaders; and chaired by the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir D. Lawal.

The committee rounded off its assignment, recommending a broad based, knowledge-

able 29-member minimum wage committee, which will soon be inaugurated by the president.

However, it should be borne in mind that the minimum wage is a national law, properly scheduled in the Constitution and binding not just on the federal government and the states but also on the private sector, hence the reason for tripartite negotiation.

Therefore when the committee on minimum wage is inaugurated by the president, it will table a broad-based negotiation involving the federal and state governments as one leg of the tripartite; the employers represented by the National Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA) the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), National Association of Chambers of Commerce as well as associations in the Small and Medium Enterprises.

On the other hand, the recognised federation of labour unions represented by the Nigeria Labour congress (NLC) the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will represent the organised labour. However, other unions not affiliated to either NLC or TUC are not necessarily shut out from the negotiation. Therefore, it is going to be a large body of negotiators in compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention before an acceptable minimum wage is arrived at. Verily, the passage of time in between deliberations from this committee, the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly may be a little long but it is sure a new minimum wage is real and in the offing.

O’diwe wrote from Abuja

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EDITORIAL NTC ACT AND THE TOBACCO LOBBY It’s time to implement the tobacco control act

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recent alarm that tobacco companies were working to derail the implementation of the National Tobacco Control, (NTC) Act, signed into law in 2015 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, should worry critical stakeholders in the country. According to Akinbode Oluwafemi, who spoke on behalf of a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, the delay in the full implementation of the NTC Act 2015 was being exploited by the tobacco industry which is working with some unscrupulous politicians while aggressively targeting the huge youth population in the country.

Against the background that there are several studies which revealed that 80 per cent of adult smokers began smoking before the age of 18 years, the authorities should take the intervention by the CSOs very seriously. The tobacco industry invests heavily in research on how best to capture the imagination of youths, assured in the knowledge that nicotine (a heavily addictive drug found in cigarettes) would continue to ensure that the target group would persist in smoking into adulthood. Studies have also conďŹ rmed that the UNTIL WE CAN CURTAIL younger the age, the THE USE OF TOBACCO, heavier the addiction OUR YOUNG PEOPLE and thus the harder it is WILL CONTINUE TO GET to drop the habit. The SICK, EFFICIENCY WILL calculation, which has CONTINUE TO DECLINE proved true, is that most of these young people AND OUR NATION WILL never consider the long CONTINUE TO LOSE MANY OF ITS OTHERWISE term risks.

Yet tobacco has PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS immediate adverse health consequences upon addiction, including accelerating the development of chronic health disease across the full life course. The relationship between active smoking, reduced lung function and impaired lung growth is also linked to a strong tobacco habit. As most countries do, Nigeria needs to focus on protecting young people from starting to smoke.

For prevention, regulation is critical in an economy where the necessary statistics on the toll that tobacco has on its

Letters to the Editor

citizenry are lacking.

It is regrettable that the NTC Act has not been implemented after two years of being signed into law as the Ministry of Health through the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) is still working out modalities for its implementation. To worsen matters, there is a private member bill before the National Assembly which is seeking to vest the implementation of the NTC Act with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

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THE GENDER AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES BILL

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recently learnt that the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill has once more been reawakened and I want to start by commending those who put out time to put it together.

Nevertheless I must in the same breath say that it has some loopholes. For example, with respect to parity in the enrolment of boys and girls, it should be specifically directed to co-educational schools, as we also have single-sex schools in Nigeria. On the aspect of discrimination based on gender and disability, which I presume, is with respect to job placements, I do not think it will be feasible to employ a lame man or woman to run errands, just because I do not want to discriminate. And again, the candid truth is that there are jobs better suited for men than women. A woman for example might not produce excellent results in a cement factory which involves carrying of heavy cement bags, etc., compared to a man. My boss sometimes teases us women by saying that when he suggests for a volunteer to do a job, all the women start saying “I am a woman o, please sir ask the men to do it�! Because whether we like it or not a man has a stronger build than a woman, even though we know both complement each other. Then with respect to widows having rights to a man’s property, I have always thought a man’s property belonged to the children, which the woman guards until they come of age. I think it will be unfair if the woman carts away half of the man’s property which the children from her next marriage would benefit from, leaving the children from the first marriage to grapple with the remaining half. This surely will be a lack of justice. Again, with all due respect I do not think I agree with the right of the woman to terminate a pregnancy in cases of sexual assault of whatever kind. To advise a woman to carry out an abortion in the first place is I think very unsupportive as this leaves the woman more

s we have consistently argued on this page, the incongruous branding of tobacco together with food and beverages at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) must be addressed, with the removal of tobacco from all such categorisation.

Education policies, tools and programmes that highlight the dangers endemic in initiating the habit need to be developed and implemented. An increase in expenditure on sustained and comprehensive tobacco control programmes have proved effective in the reduction of youth and adult smoking rates. So governments, at all levels, need to lend its ďŹ nancial support to these initiatives. Until we can curtail the use of tobacco, our young people will continue to get sick, efďŹ ciency will continue to decline and our nation will continue to lose many of its otherwise productive citizens.

We therefore have a responsibility to act now. Legislation has proved to be an essential strategy to curbing tobacco use in other countries, and for promoting robust tobacco programmes at state and local government levels.

Diligence and commitment to the enforcement of the laws and policies to sustain comprehensive anti-tobacco programmes must be sustained. We must avail our young people the true perspective on smoking; we must aim at creating the environment that makes it difďŹ cult for smoking to thrive and we urgently need to prevent the needless suffering of premature disease caused by tobacco as well as the huge expenditure on health.

The tobacco epidemic needs to be addressed so that we can curtail the heavy (but invisible) health expenditure on tobacco-related diseases.

traumatised than the earlier evil. There are so many women out there battling with post-abortion traumas, and serious psychological complications. I think what a victim of sexual assault needs is love, understanding, support and care from her family and she can give up the child for adoption afterwards if she wants. We are talking about killing a human person, who is a separate individual from the mother, but whose rights have not yet been recognised (an innocent child) who is a consequence of his/her father’s crime, but not its cause. We might as well kill the woman to save her from further sufferings. Abortion in whatever form it comes is inherently WRONG except in cases of ectopic pregnancies.

Again with respect to the rights to decisions relating to the welfare and upbringing of children, I think it will be good to specify an age limit. (18 years and below for example) On the right to the number of children a woman may have, this is a right that should be shared by both couples. I think it is unjust for a man to be denied the right to the number of children he wants, just because it is the woman carrying the pregnancy. These decisions are better agreed on before marriage to reduce unnecessary conflicts, and should not be seen as an exclusive right to the woman alone.

I must say I agree with all the laws of violence against women.

Many women have become toothless overnight or lost other body organs or even their lives thanks to irresponsible men who can’t face up to male colleagues at work, but come home to pour their frustrations on their wives. Though a colleague of mine once said if a woman says “my husband beats me, it is only out of respect�.

This is because she can get back at him in so many other ways.

Nevertheless we want peace to reign in families, not chaos. There is enough hardship out there we do not need to enhance it.

Omosefe Oseghale, Benin City

CYNTHIA ADINMAH ON HUMANITARIAN SERVICES

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ormer beauty queen, Cynthia Adinmah, is the face of Independence Nigeria 2015/2016. Her name is written in gold through her outreach humanitarian services to the less privileged Nigerians.

While in office she impacted positively on the lives of people in the South-East and South- South, precisely Imo and Bayelsa States where she donated educational materials to primary and secondary school students and conducted medical checks, treatment of malaria, distribution of drugs and mosquito nets to various communities in the area.

The beauty queen who said malaria is a deadly disease that must be tackled on the continent of Africa, made clarion call to countries and states in Africa, corporate organisations and others to donate generously to combat the malaria scourge.

Besides, Adinmah also identified with

the interest of Nigerian youths in entrepreneurship which she encouraged and promoted while in office, ensuring that beneficiaries excel in their various fields of endeavour.

She has carved a good image for herself by single -handedly funding some of the projects.

Part of these activities are the medical team led by two doctors who visited Karmajiji community in FCT on Saturday, April 29, 2017 to provide free medical treatment to the physically challenged and residents in the Federal Capital Territory. Medical care was offered in various health areas, like the distribution of antimalaria drugs and mosquito treated nets to hundreds of families of the less- privilege to mark her birthday.

The former queen is not hesitant to bring succour to the needy in the society; she is a rare personality who is not concerned about acquisition of wealth but keen on helping the lowly in society.

Kingsley Obot, Abuja

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POLITICS

Group Politics Editor Tobi Soniyi Email tobi.soniyi@thisdaylive.com 08033146139 SMS ONLY

PERSPECTIVE

Struggle for the Creation of Rivers State As Rivers State celebrates the 50th anniversary of its creation, Mrs. Ella Prest, who witnessed the struggle, intrigues and personal sacrifices made by distinguished individuals from the riverine area for the creation of the state, captures the sequence of events that led to the emergence of the state

I

am Ella Prest an indigene of Rivers State.

I am over 80 years and a living witness to some of the major activities that led to the emergence and development of Rivers State. I personally know some of the actors in the agitation, formation and development of Rivers State including, Chief P.G Warmate, Chief Dappa Biriye, Chief Melford Okilo, His Royal Majesty Francis Alagoa Mingi X of Nembe, Chief Godfrey Kio Jaja Amachree, Reverend E.T Dimiari, Chief Emanuel Aguma, Chief Thomanuel, Chief Napoleon Graham Douglas, Chief Opuogulaya and Mr. Ken Sarowiwa to mention a few.

Between 1956 -1964 I worked in the Nigerian Civil Service, first in the Administrator General‘s Office (Lagos, Federal Capital of Nigeria), then in the Director of Public Prosecutions office, Lagos, Federal Ministry of Justice and finally the Federal Civil Service Commission, Lagos. I left for the United Kingdom with my family in 1964. Whilst in the United Kingdom I worked in the British Civil Service Commission, Savile Row, London and thereafter in the Nigerian High Commission Northumberland Ave, London, U.K. During this period, I participated in the Rivers Students Union, marching and agitating for a separate identity for the people of the Riverine Area during the Biafra War. Our president was Mr. Hebron Tom George, a Kalabari from Buguma who later became a Judge in the Rivers State Judiciary. Another principal member was Mr. Koko from Okrika who was always very active in our campaigns, ferrying us up and down in his car. It was at this time that Mr. Hebron Tom George our president submitted copies of memoranda to the British Parliament that referred to the Willink Commission Report which defined the riverine people as a distinct group in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria.

Pan African Bank owned by Chief Godfrey Kio Jaja Amachree was central to the establishment and development of Rivers State. Whilst I was

Our goal today should be to develop the riverine area into the tourism destinations of Africa like the Maldives, Seychelles and Bali with Port Harcourt as its gateway.

Becoming a tourist destination is natural to our terrain and very profitable today and will be more profitable in the future. This will support productivity in the whole State and prepare our People for the near future when oil is no more

Mrs Prest...a living witness to activities that led to the emergence of Rivers State

working in the Nigerian High Commission, Chief GKJ Amachree himself invited me to come and work for him in his bank. In light of the foregoing I am therefore familiar with most of the major events that led to the creation and development of Rivers State.

Reason for the Struggle The reason for the struggle for the creation of a Rivers State was to allay their fears of marginalization, promote development and support the proper identification of the riverine people as a distinct group in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria. This was firmly supported by the British Government, Nigerian Government and all political parties and was fought primarily by the chiefs and people of the riverine area of the former Eastern Region.

The People, their Identity, Culture and Traditions Rivers State, the Venice of Nigeria, surrounded by rivers and seas, a God given state rich in human, mineral and natural resources, is situated in the southern part of Nigeria and Port Harcourt, also known and called the “Garden City of Nigeria” is its capital.The Rivers people consisting of Ikwerre, Kalabari, Ibani, Nembe, Yenagoa, Okrika, Ahoada, Ogoni, Opobo- Nkuro and Bile are a minority group in the southern part of the former Eastern Region along the coastal areas of Nigeria. They are mainly traders, fishermen, and farmers. Most of them live on small islands and towns along the Atlantic Ocean and the creeks. They embraced education due to their early contact with the Europeans in the 17th – 18th century and a good number of them were highly educated and qualified in their various fields. The dominant group in the Eastern Region are the Ibos who live on the mainland area. They are farmers and

traders with a totally different history and culture from the Rivers people.

The Chiefs in the Riverine Area were very civilized and powerful because of their early trade contacts with the Portuguese and other Europeans that first came to the area now called Nigeria in the 17th to 18th century. Due to the lucrative trade with these Riverine Chiefs, the British in 1884 declared sovereignty over the Riverine Areas by establishing it as the Oil Rivers Protectorate which was confirmed in the Berlin Conference in 1885. The Oil Rivers Protectorate was administered by the British Foreign Office.

This means trading with Europeans in what is now called Nigeria started in the Riverine Areas of the Niger Delta, Badagry and Lagos. The Rivers Chiefs traded with the early Europeans in Palm oil/kernel, timber and slaves in exchange for canons, coral beads and clothing. Abonnema established in 1882 was a major seaport. The Riverine People have a long standing history and culture that make them a distinct People in Nigeria.

From 1900 there was a Rivers Province made up of four divisions, Degema, Ahoada, Brass and Ogoni with Port Harcourt as headquarters.

Most of the islands along the sea and towns in the creeks were in Degema District directly under a British District Officer. Degema had its Police Barracks, High Court, the Native Court, the Tax Office, Prisons, General Hospital, Post Office etc. It also had a sea port in Abonnema where the palm oil/kernel, timber and other merchandise were exported to Europe.

Before independence, the Riverine Areas were buoyant with trade and commerce. Individual chiefs owned their launches (passenger boats), like Idoniboyeobu, Amakrita owned by Chief Tom Big Harry, Soberekon by Chief Soberekon, Wahihi and Good News by Chief Briggs and many more with ‘flyboats’ running river

transport networks to Degema the district headquarters. Surprisingly the Abonnema port which promoted commerce and jobs for the people in Degema Division was closed down with no replacement. People from Ahoada and Nembe, who travelled to Abonnema through the creeks to export their merchandise at the Abonnema port, now have to travel to Port Harcourt at great economic disadvantage.

The Rivers Area was difficult to develop due to the coastal nature of the place which attracts huge amount of money to reclaim land from the sea and also build bridges to connect the towns and villages in the sea and creeks to the main land. But Lagos Island, Victoria Island, Apapa are all islands connected to one another and to Ikeja the state capital in the mainland with the same oil money. I do not see any reason why Bonny, Bakana, Tombia and Buguma down to Degema and others cannot be connected to each other and the mainland with bridges as was envisaged in the Master Plan of OMPADEC (Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission) if there is fairness and political will. The Rivers State developmental problems are huge, which is surely why God gave us oil and gas and sea ports. Unfortunately this God given advantage has not been utilized for our people. Most of the main towns and villages along the ocean and creeks in the Riverine Area are still not connected to the mainland in spite of the abundant resources from the area. The lack of good road network and meaningful transportation has hampered communication and development in the Area. Bonny, Brass, Buguma, Abonnema, Okrika, and some other oceanic towns in Opobo, Andoni etc., if connected to the mainland can be turned into cities and thereby create commercial activities and jobs for the people. They can also be the wonders of the world for trade and tourism. One only has to look at tourism “Paradise Destinations” all over the world to know that it is a blessing to be by the sea. My visit to Venice gave me the hope that we can still be developed when politicians will regard development as a duty to the nation. Development is a fundament human right.

May I categorically state that the people of the Riverine areas have been civilized centuries ago, they even have the Bible and hymn books translated in the various languages of the state thanks to Bishop Fubara of the Christian Council.

The Struggle The Willink Commission Report July 1958 This report highlighted the fears of the minority groups of the former Eastern Region and identified them as very distinct groups with a different culture from the dominant group of Eastern Nigeria. The report proposed an “Area for a River State to be comprised of the whole of the Rivers Province which will include the Divisions of Brass, Degema, Ogoni, Port Harcourt and Ahoada together with the Western Ijaw Division from the Western Region and two small sections in Eastern Region from outside the Rivers Province, Opobo and Andoni being one, Ndoki the other”. This confirms the claim of the Riverine people as a distinct group in Nigeria.

The anxiety about possible neglect of their area Area and the fear of marginalization, compelled the chiefs and people of Rivers Area to form various political and pressure groups like The Ijaw Rivers Peoples’ League established 18/11/43, Ijaw Union, C.O.R State – Calabar, Ogoja, Rivers State –supported by the Action Group Party. Chief Dappa Biriye CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017

POLITICS STRUGGLE FOR THE CREATION OF RIVERS STATE (Ibani) from Bonny as Secretary and Chief Thom Manuel (Kalabari) from Abonnema as Chairman, Rivers State Congress (RSC.)/ Niger Delta Congress supported by the Northern People’s Congress Party led by Chief Melford Okilo (Izon) from Yenagoa, and finally Rivers Chiefs and Peoples’ Conference (RCPC) initiated and led by Chief P.G. Warmate of NCNC, the ruling party in the then Eastern Region where the Rivers people were domiciled. The RCPC eventually served as the umbrella party for all the Rivers people, irrespective of their political beliefs and differences, in the struggle for the creation of Rivers State. Chief P.G. Warmate moved the motion, seconded by Chief D.S. Oribo which gave birth to the formation of the Rivers Chiefs and Peoples Conference on 4th July 1956 at the Rex Cinema Hall in Harbour Road, Port Harcourt. Chief P.G. Warmate further moved and was seconded by Chief D.S. Oribo for the nomination of His Royal Majesty Francis Alagoa – Mingi X of Nembe as the Protem Chairman and Chief Harold Dappa Biriye as Protem Secretary. This became the first effective political platform for the creation of Rivers State. It was also as a result of the Rivers Chiefs and Peoples Conference (RCPC) that the Eastern Regional Government accorded a distinct seat out of two seats intended for Chiefs of former Eastern Nigeria at the Constitutional Conference in London in 1957. Chief Dappa Biriye being the Protem Secretary of the Chiefs and Peoples Conference was nominated to represent the RCPC in London in 1957 for the Nigerian Constitutional Conference and other events in 1958. Chief P.G Warmate a top member of the NCNC, the ruling party of Eastern Nigeria was responsible for the formation and eventual acceptance of RCPC by the then Eastern Regional Government. The Rivers Chiefs and Peoples Conference, RCPC became the first effective political platform for the creation of Rivers State.

Historians should never forget these facts which have been supported by previous publications (Ref. Nigerian Tide of August 13th, 1999. Focus – 9.), also refer to Chief E.D.W. Opuogulaya’s book – “History of the Creation of the Rivers State of Nigeria). Chief H. Dapa Biriye personally remarked on this issue on 24th November 1991 at the inaugural special meeting of Leaders of Thought from former Degema Division where he stated that P.G Warmate was responsible for the formation of RCPC which was the effective political platform for the struggle and creation of River State.

At the time of the initial struggle the Rivers people made several petitions and demands for state creation. These were rejected on the floor of the Federal Parliament. The reason given was that Rivers State was not viable to create in spite of the full commercial activities going on and the abundant resources of the Area.

Chief Melford Okilo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Alhaji Tafawa Balewa wept openly when these decisions were taken.

Chief Okilo was one of the primary activists in the struggle for the creation of Rivers State.

Isaac Adaka Boro and other Activists Isaac Adaka Boro (Izon) from Yenagoa, an undergraduate from University of Nigeria Nsukka and his fellow undergraduate Freedom Fighters, declared war on the Federal Government demanding a Niger Delta Republic without which the Rivers People will no longer support the Federal Government in the civil war. The rebellion lasted 12 days. With him were Sam Owonaro (Izon), Nottingham Dick (Izon) , Nyanayo (Nembe) and Okumaye, (Kalabari) (Buguma) and many other university undergraduates, from the state who took up arms and were arraigned for treason. They were defended by Chief GKJ Amachree . This rebellion constituted one of the major pressures on the Federal Government for the eventual creation of the Rivers State.

Apart from these activists, all the People of the Riverine Area including paramount chiefs, politicians, civil servants, clergy men, university lecturers and even children were involved in this struggle for our cultural identity. In fact all the Rivers men and women were in the struggle because they all agreed to work under one umbrella irrespective of their political differences as people of one destiny to make this happen. – I salute all of them for their wisdom and incorruptible patriotism.

Finally, Gen. Yakubu Gowon the Military Head of State immediately after the Nigerian

Map of Rivers State

civil war turned Nigeria into a 12 State nation.

Rivers State was created 27th May 1967 with Port Harcourt as the capital. Lt. Cmdr. Alfred Papapreye Diete Spiff now the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, from Nembe, was appointed by the Federal Military Government as the First Military Governor of Rivers State. It was however not immediately possible to move to Port Harcourt the Rivers State Capital due to the ravages of war in the Eastern Region. It was therefore a government in exile run from No. 24 Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, the then Federal Capital of Nigeria. So, prominent Rivers indigenes like Chief GKJ Amachree, (Kalabari), from Buguma contributed most of the resources needed, including his office, to co-ordinate the Rivers State Military Governor’s Office in Ikoyi, Lagos and Port Harcourt until 1st September 1968. While the Military Governor’s office was still in Lagos, Chief Dr. Melford Graham-Douglas (Kalabari), from Abonnema, was made the first Administrator for Port Harcourt. Mr. Ken Sarowiwa, (Ogoni) from Khana was appointed the Administrator for Bonny, and Captain Elechi Amadi an Ikwerre from Alu, was also appointed the Administrator for Port Harcourt until 1968 when the Military Governor took up office in Port Harcourt, Capital of the Rivers State.

Chief Godfrey Kio Jana Amachree Q.C. The Rivers People had their kings and chiefs that

I salute our Rivers chiefs and elders, our founding fathers, who did not sell us out for cheap selfish bribes and individual love of money and power. I salute the courage and dignity for not allowing themselves swallowed up by the big groups.

They have preserved our identity, culture and dignity. Let us follow their footsteps

ran their communities as self- governing units.

Their kings and paramount chiefs own their lands and allocate the land to their citizens on request, away from government interference.

They also have their own dress codes which are now used by many other Nigerians. Apart from trading with the Europeans, they also educated their children and produced the early educated sons and daughters of Nigeria, amongst whom was Chief Godfrey Kio Jaja Amachree, (Kalabari) from Buguma, who became the first Nigerian-born Solicitor General in 1958 and by the time the colonial administration’s Legal Department was transformed into the Ministry of Justice, he also became the first Permanent Secretary. Chief GKJ Amachree was among the first Nigerian lawyers to be admitted to the Inner Bar in Britain as a Queens Counsel at the age of 43 and Chief GKJ Amachree was also the First Black under- Secretary General to the United Nations. He was the first Nigerian to own a private jet. He was also a key figure in the struggle for the creation of Rivers State.

He was the wealthiest Rivers man who used his wealth to create wealth for the Rivers man and woman by the establishment of the Rivers State Pan African Bank Ltd, and became its first Chairman. With the assistance from the Pan African bank, contractors, traders and businesses emerged. This generated commercial activities and created a new Middle Class and C.E.O’s in the newly created Rivers State because of the availability of finance from the bank to these groups. He also brought the Delta Air Charter to solve air transportation problems in the State. Indeed he should be described as the father of Rivers state. His contribution to the creation of the state behind the scenes and the development of the Rivers State was second to none Naval Lt. Cmdr. Alfred Papapreye Diete Spiff Lt Cmdr. Alfred Papapreye Diete Spiff, (Nembe) the first Military Governor of Rivers State took up office at the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt on 1st September 1968. He was a young, mature, patriotic and selfless governor. He was a listening governor, a true Rivers Son. He was supported at different times by two able Heads of Service, Chief Daniel Kalio, (Okrika), and Chief W.S. Tieinabeso (Kalabari) from Buguma, and patriotic Commissioners and Super Permanent Secretaries of Rivers origin who were transferred from the Federal/State Public Services to serve in Port Harcourt. Naval Lt. Cmdr. Alfred Diete Spiff made Port Harcourt one of the best State Capitals in Nigeria with most of the infrastructure necessary for governance and development.

A special mention must be made of Chief Dr. Napoleon. Graham- Douglas (Kalabari), from Abonnema who was the Attorney General and

Commissioner for Justice who produced the document on Abandoned Property Law that enabled Rivers State indigenes to own landed properties in Port Harcourt. This singular act fulfilled one of the aspirations of all the rivers people as owners of their land. His Law Firm was destroyed during the Nigerian civil war, Chief A.K. Spiff, (Nembe), the Permanent Secretary for Land and Housing Port Harcourt, with Chief C.T.Horsfall, (Kalabari), from Buguma, the Surveyor General, in the same ministry, should be commended for preserving the State lands for good use by the Government and the Rivers People.

The state had the best Secretariat, High Court, PABOD SUPPLY, Rivers State Transport Corporation, Rivbank Insurance, the Risonpalm, 2 Five Star Hotels, and Catering Rest Houses in every local government. Governor Spiff gave several scholarships to Rivers indigenes for higher education and vocational training to study Hotel Management, Catering, Driving, Building and Construction etc. in Nigeria and abroad and automatic scholarship for science students. He established schools for specially gifted Rivers children. He built a 30 Bed Hospitals in all the Local Government Head Quarters, a University of Science and Technology, constructed new school buildings, repaired old ones and built canals in the Riverine Area for ease of movement in the creeks, and good roads to connect the towns on the main land, and in Port Harcourt.

The Pan African Bank established by GKJ Amachree financed all these projects. The bank boosted the economy of the Rivers State and brought a new lease of life to the people that were ravaged by the civil war, thereby providing the much needed development. The various construction works created jobs for the indigenes in the state. This created middle class men and women who were able to send their children to good schools and universities in Nigeria and abroad. This progress was also made possible because of the full cooperation of the state governor who was patriotic and anxious to develop the State. The military governor was also given full support by all the Rivers People too in spite of the challenges of Upland and Riverine politics and the presence of the different political groups in the state.

At the end all the various groups and political party supporters buried their differences and worked under the same umbrella as Rivers people with one destiny.

The Nigerian Tide and Radio Rivers should be commended for their part in disseminating information and news in the various major languages of the state, in Ikwerre, Kalabari, Khana, Izon, and Pigeon English which gives the true identity of the Rivers people.

Ironically, the Rivers State that was rejected as not viable has become the ‘Goose That Laid The Golden Egg’ providing almost 97% of Nigeria’s income. Unfortunately the wealth enjoyed by the whole country is yet to be beneficially applied to the people of our state. The development of the Riverine Area of River State requires a lot of money which fortunately our Area produces. Our goal today should be to develop the Riverine Area into the tourism destinations of Africa like the Maldives, Seychelles and Bali with Port Harcourt as its gateway. Becoming a tourist destination is natural to our terrain and very profitable today and will be more profitable in the future. This will support productivity in the whole state and prepare our people for the near future when oil is no more.

I salute our Rivers chiefs and elders, our founding fathers, who did not sell us out for cheap selfish bribes and individual love of money and power. I salute the courage and dignity for not allowing themselves swallowed up by the big groups. They have preserved our identity culture and dignity. Let us follow their footsteps. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of Rivers State we should reflect on the goals and aspirations of our Founding Fathers and see how far we have gone and plan for the future as a united people with one goal and one destiny.

A Golden Jubilee is historically and biblically an important landmark. Our Governor Nyelson Wike who is at the helm of affairs at this point of our history is not only blessed but is saddled with the enormous responsibility of fulfilling the dreams of our Founding Fathers and the People of Rivers State.

Mrs. Prest wrote in from Rivers State

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TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

The Lifestyle Bank After successfully attracting thousands of Lagosians to its annual food fair, Solomon Elusoji writes that Guaranty Trust Bank is redefining banking to include lifestyle experiences

An aerial view of the crowd at the GTB food and drinks fair in Lagos...recently

E

ver since Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) convinced songwriter Bukola Elemide to compose its theme song (The Place To Be) and focused on corralling youthful Nigeria, it has developed a reputation for coolness. That reputation has been sustained, largely, through its involvement in unconventional shows and a penchant for excellence. In the late 2000s, the bank sponsored a Television Debating series, the Debaters, at a time when the corporate world was obsessed with other things. During that same period, the bank launched Ndani TV, which started out first as a quarterly e-newsletter that attracted scant attention, but was later transformed to a popular online television, home to premium, exciting content.

Last weekend, the bank held the second edition of its Food and Drinks Fair and it was marked with youthful exuberance from start to finish, as thousands of Lagosians trooped into the event centre at Water Corporation Drive, Victoria Island. This reporter, who had previously attended a couple of food fairs in the city, spent hours interacting with scores of exhibitors and visitors. Those who attended the Food and Drinks Fair were impressed with the bank’s succinct organisation. The decor of the centre was GTBank-ish, with the orange as ubiquitous as air, and it blended in well with all other props. The exhibitors' stands were finely demarcated and despite the huge crowds milling through the space, free flow human traffic was hardly a problem. For the kids, there were fun rides and a free

SKS “I Can Bake” junior class. And there was the music that filled the exhibitors' space; it was interspersed with short bursts of announcement from the media box and provided a serenading atmosphere, enough to coach out culinary emotions and, maybe,

Those who attended the Food and Drinks Fair were impressed with the bank’s succinct organisation.

The decor of the centre was GTBank-ish, with the orange as ubiquitous as air, and it blended in well with all other props. The exhibitors' stands were finely demarcated and despite the huge crowds milling through the space, free flow human traffic was hardly a problem

GTB

a bit of glee.

The diverse range of exhibitors was a joy.

The range, which must have been decided on by an army of painstaking curators, accommodated virtually all kinds of food and drinks, from packaged red stew to flavoured pap, to northern delicacies, to assorted spices, to unwieldy pastries, to a staggering variety of drinks. If one was ready to delight the palate with new excitement, there was so much to choose from. For lunch, this reporter had some sweet potato chips, taken with olive herby mustard and some snail skewers. It was some experience.

Away from the exhibitors, there were Master-classes organised that ran through the entire length of the fair, each lasting for one hour. The first class was taken by Chef Abiola Akanji. Popularly known by his fans as Chef Stone, Akanji is a culinary professional with more than a decade of experience in the art of food making. An alumnus of the French Culinary Institute and the International Culinary Education Centre in New York, Akanji owns the Red Dish Culinary School which has produced over a thousand graduates since its inception.

At the Fair, Akanji directed the cooking of two dishes: Salmon Wellignton and Pan Seal Steak. The teams were divided into male and female, and green cooks were selected from the audience to take part in the process. It was an hour of exotic culinary display and cheerful anecdotes, as Akanji took a barrage of questions from the audience, who were eager to learn. At the end, the female group won, after select

audiences had tasted the prepared dishes.

Chef Jehan Powell, who came all the way from the Caribbean, made some Guyanese recipes, cooking a bake and salt fish during her Master-class. “My go-to-spices for most of the meal I prepare are garlic and red pepper,” she said. Renowned for a love of hotness in food, the Nigerians who tasted her meals loved it.

Chef Brian Malarkey had had some hot pepper soup the previous night in Lagos and joked about moving in. “I look forward to taking some of your amazing cuisine to the United States,” he said. The American chef, who adds vinegar to virtually every meal he makes, also noted that “cooking food is great, but the stories behind it are what’s important for sharing, for others to learn.” Using novel techniques, he ended up roasting a chicken in eight minutes during his Master-class, and it turned out well.

During her Master-class, Chef Lerato Umah-Shaylor, advised the audience never to cook their vegetables for too long as they tend to lose most of their nutrients that way. She made a dish with mangoes.

The last chef of the first day was Tolu Eros and he made his version of boli, which was coated with bread crumbs, palm oil puree and jollof risotto.

On day two of the food fair, which was International Workers Day, there was torrential downpour. But that did not stop Lagosians from trooping in, in their thousands. The first Master-class of the day was taken by Chef Nkesi Enyioha, a seasoned Chef with nearly a decade experience in offering private culinary

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FEATURES

Chef Brian Malarkey addressing the audience during his Master-class

and catering services. An alumnus of the Ashburton Cookery School in the United Kingdom, she is widely admired for her fusion of European techniques with the bold flavours of Africa and Asia. And, despite being nervy at the start (it was her first time cooking before a crowd), she did wow the audience with those techniques, preparing a variety of dishes, from miso glazed baby chicken, to jasmine rice, to fish stew, to lamb chops with salsa, to baked hasselback potatoes.

Chef Benedict Okuzu made a four course Italian meal. A typical Italian meal consists of a first course il primo (pasta, rice or similar), a second-course il secondo (meat or fish) served together with a side dish il contorno (vegetable or salad) and fruit. “Balance and consistency are important,� he told the audience while cooking, “and Italian is my balance; that’s what I grew up with.�

Next up was Chef Raphael Duntoye, who prefers olive oil over groundnut oil because “it’s healthier and adds a great flavor to most meals.� For him, “cooking is all about science and a balance of ingredients is necessary.� On being a chef, he said: “to do this job, you’ve gotta love it.�

Chef Kevin Curry was next and he was very engaging, encouraging everybody in the audience to take photos of themselves and share on social media. And the last chef for the fair was Chef Ronke Edoho, who recommended a smoothie drink as the best five minute meal after a long hard day in Lagos traffic.

At the end, this reporter went round the exhibitor stalls and virtually all of them reported that they had had terrific sales.

The diverse range of exhibitors was a joy.

The range, which must have been decided on by an army of painstaking curators, accommodated virtually all kinds of food and drinks, from packaged red stew to avoured pap, to northern delicacies, to assorted spices, to unwieldy pastries, to a staggering variety of drinks

Pork being roasted on a spit

One of the fair's coee stands

The farmers market section at the fair

A restaurateur at Afroleum who made pancakes out of semolina, Ms. Atim Ukoh, told THISDAY that she literally ran out of stock. “It has been overwhelming,� she said. “We ran out of everything.� Some hours to the end of the fair, this reporter approached the ewa agoyin store for some local, mashed-up beans, but came back with empty hands. It had been exhausted.

The story was similar at almost all the stalls – exhausted vendors with fat smiles on their faces. It was an amazing two days of business.

Soon after the event, participants flooded social media to thank GTB for hosting such a successful event. One of the vendors and CEO of Tosh Coconuts, Jadesola Shawana, wrote an open letter to the bank. “This letter comes from a place deep down in my heart,� she started. Five months earlier, she had set up her coconut business with little hope of expansion. But she was selected for the GTB food fair, as one of the exhibiting businesses at no cost, gave her first POS machines, and put in front of thousands of shoppers. Now, she’s on a roll.

“I’ve been through countless conversations about how Nigeria is such a hard country for SMEs without support from government and corporations,� she said in her open letter. “This gesture of yours (GTB) will change my arguments in all such conversations forever. You have done what no other bank has ever done.� “You cannot really call @gtbank a bank anymore,� a Twitter user, @TheOracleVA, posted on the platform, “they have metamorphosed into a lifestyle company.� @ gtbank retweeted it.

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IMAGES

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Photo Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ ÔËÖË Email Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ë›Ă‹Ă”Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

Director General National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe(left)and Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed during the presentation of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and the Bank of Industry to the minister in Abuja...recently

L-R; Brand Manager, Fatgbems Petroleum Company Limited, Mr. Adeosun Azeez; Chief Operating OďŹƒcer, Mr Dare Adeola; Chairman, Radio, Television, Theatre Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (Rattawu) Lagos chapter, Comrade Dare Durosimi and the Secretary, Comrade Bolu Akindoyin during the Rattawu Games and Awards event to mark 2017 workers day sponsored by Fatgbems Petroleum in Lagos...recently

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Home Aairs, Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde; his counterparts in the Home Aairs, Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef and the Director, Press and Public Aairs, Mrs. Toro Oladapo, during a ministerial press brieďŹ ng of the ministry to mark the second year in oďŹƒce of the present administration, in Alausa Ikeja....... recently

L-R: Director, Innovation and Value Added Service, INLAKS, Mr. Koyejo Talabi; Head, Enterprise Business Solutions, Mr. Julius Ariyibi; Executive Director, Finance, Mr. Ashwin Hedge; Director General , Delta State Innovation Hub, Mr. Chris Uwaje; Executive Director, INLAKS, Mr. Olufemi Muraino; and Director, Infrastructure Business unit, Mr. Tope Dare, during the presentation of ICT company of the year award to INLAKS at the 9th Beacon of Information and Communication Technology awards in Lagos... recently

L-R: The deceased son, Oluwatofarati; widow, Ronke; and daughter, Abisola, with Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, during the interment of the late Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa, at the Ikoyi Vault and Gardens, Lagos..recently

Association of Civil Servants, Lagsos Branch, celebrating this year Workers’s Day in Lagos....recently Yomi Akinyele

L-R: Consultant, Mouka Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chris Rembges, Partner, PWC, Darrell McGraw; Marketing Director, Mouka Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Ronke Osho; and Co-Head, Emerging Market, London Stock Exchange, Mr. Ibukun Adebayo at the launch of the Companies to Inspire Africa Report by London Stock Exchange Group in Lagos.....recently

R-L; Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori and Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State, Prince Gboyega Famodun, at the popular audience participation programme for the governor, tagged Ogbeni Till Daybreak, n Osogbo...recently

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

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

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Quick Takes Vervelde Now MD, Heineken Asia Heineken N.V. has announced the appointment of Mr. Nico Vervelde as Managing Director (MD) of its Asia Pacific Region. As a Cluster MD across the Asia Pacific region, Vervelde will take responsibility for Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, East Timor and HEINEKEN Asia Pacific Export. He will resume in his new role on August 1, 2017.

Vervelde, who was Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, was previously Managing Director of Heineken Caribbean and Central America for four years.

He joined Heineken in 1984 as a Management Trainee and subsequently held a number of ever increasing senior management roles in the Netherlands, Rwanda, Bahamas, Ireland and Puerto Rico. He also served as Deputy Director and Director for the Africa and Middle-East region.

The Board of Nigerian Breweries has commenced the process of identifying a successor for Mr. Vervelde as Managing Director/CEO and will make an announcement in that regard in due course.

YOU HAVE OUR SUPPORT

L-R: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ (NCS) Council, Mr. Hassan Bello; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman; Executive Director, Finance and Admin, NIMASA, Bashir Yusuf Jamoh and member, NCS, Mrs. Ify Anazonwu-Akerele, at the investiture ceremony of the new President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping in Lagos ‌ recently

FG to Unveil New Investors for NNPC’s Refineries Stories by Ejiofor Alike The federal government will in September this year, reveal the new investors that will manage the state-owned refineries - Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC), and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC), the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has said.

Speaking recently in Houston, Texas, Kachikwu explained that the country now has sizeable willing investors for the refineries, adding that by September 2017, the successful investors would be made public. “When we came on-board,

ENERGY the refineries were not working but as we speak, we have sizeable investment portfolio for them to an extent that we don’t know who to partner with for the investment. By September, we will unveil the investors for the refineries,� the minister said.

Citing the terms and conditions of the contracts, the minister stated that the new investors are expected to repair, revamp and maintain the refineries.

Kachikwu, however, admitted that when completely repaired, the refineries will not satisfy the country’s consumption need.

The minister said Dangote’s refinery and modular refiner-

ies will fill the gap when the refineries failed to meet the country’s needs.

Also speaking at the conference, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru said the 2019 target set by the corporation to exit importation of petrol was achievable.

Fielding questions from journalists on the sidelines of the OTC, Baru, who was represented by NNPC’s Chief Operating Officer in charge of Gas and Power, Mr. Saidu Mohammed, further disclosed that all the nation’s three refineries are producing petroleum products.

According to a statement by the spokesman of NNPC,

Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, the corporation’s boss argued that because rehabilitation of the refineries had been hampered by lack of regular Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) over the years, it would take more years to get the refineries fully back to their nameplate capacities. “We load out at least 5 to 6 million litres of PMS daily and about that same quantity of AGO daily from the three refineries. That is part of what is making the PMS market in Nigeria stable today. We believe that the set target of exiting PMS importation in 2019 is achievable,� he added.

The PHRC is 210,000 barrels Continued on page 22

PIB: Sale of Shares of Oil Assets to Foreigners May Thwart Nigerian Content The possible sale of shares of the Nigerian Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAMC) and the National Petroleum Company (NPC), which will be vested with certain liabilities and assets of the NNPC, as stipulated in the new Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), may defeat the initial objective of ensuring that Nigerians are the primary beneficiaries of their oil wealth, Professor Emeka Duruigbo of Texas Southern University has said.

Speaking at the recent 10th Annual sub-Saharan Africa Oil & Gas Conference held in Houston, Texas, United States, Duruigbo also raised the alarm that with the sale of the oil assets to individuals, Nigeria’s oil wealth may be

ENERGY overtaken by oligarchs, while the increased political power of share owners could result in political instability Duruigbo noted that Section 36 of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill establishes the Ministry of Petroleum Incorporated as a corporation sole to hold on behalf of the federal government all of its shares in the successor commercial entities established under the Act. Section 37 also provides for the incorporation of two entities - NPAMC and the NPC, which will be vested with certain liabilities and assets of the NNPC. NPAMC shall be responsible for the management of the

NNPC’s oil and gas investment in assets where government is not obligated to provide any upfront funding (essentially the production sharing contracts).

NPC shall be an integrated oil and gas company operating as a fully commercial entity across the energy value chain.

Section 38 provides that 51 per cent of the shares of the NPAMC at incorporation shall be held by the Ministry of Petroleum Incorporated while 49 per cent will be held by the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) on behalf of the federal government. Section 61 contains a similar provision for the NPC. However, Section 66 provides that within five years of incorporation of the NPC, the federal government shall divest not less than 10 per cent

of its shares and within 10 years of incorporation not less than an additional 30 per cent of its shares to the public in a transparent manner.

But while Duruigbo acknowledged that the possible sale of shares to foreigners would increase the liquidity of the asset s, it may also defeat the initial objective of ensuring that Nigerians are the primary beneficiaries of their oil wealth.

He also argued that with government still retaining majority ownership, it could leave room for weak boards, favoritism, inefficiencies and corruption.

Duruigbo identified privatization, corporate finance, Continued on page 22

Enugu Disco Sets Up Call Centre In line with its strategy towards ensuring that its customers experience quality and timely service delivery, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has formally inaugurated its 24/7 Call Centre.

The facility, which is staffed with qualified and courteous personnel, is operational 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

The company’s Head of Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh said in a statement that the centre was designed to attend to calls on diverse enquiries and complaints initiated by customers across the 147 Service Centers within EEDC’s 18 District Offices across the South East, and making sure the complaints are escalated to the appropriate team for necessary action. “We identified this platform as critical towards addressing our customers’ needs, enhancing our customer engagement activities, as well as increasing our turnaround time in resolving complaints and fault clearing,� he added. “With Customer Service as one of our Core Values, we are not relenting in our effort towards ensuring that our customers are happy with our services; they are the reason why we are in business and we will stop at nothing to make their experience an enjoyable one,�

Ezeh said.

Total to Start Cote d’Ivoire LNG An international consortium led by the France’s Total SA plans to start construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Cote d’Ivoire by mid-2017, an official from Azeri SOCAR Trading, the consortium’s member, said on Wednesday.

The project cost is estimated at 120 million-130 million euros ($130.6 million-$141.5 million), Togrul Kocharli, SOCAR Trading’s chief project officer, said.

The terminal’s starting annual capacity is estimated at 36 million British thermal units (mBtu) with a possibility to increase it to 100 mBtu, he said, adding that Cote d’Ivoire would be a natural gas regional hub for neighbouring countries.

Kocharli said that first natural gas supplies to the terminal were planned from mid-2018.

Azeri state energy firm SOCAR acquired a 26 percent stake in Ivory Coast LNG, an international consortium with Total, Shell , Golar, Endeavor Energy and Cote d’Ivoire state companies Petroci and CI Energies in November 2016.

“What we are seeing is that there is a general positive growth in the economy right from the last quarter of 2016 into the first quarter of this year�

Chairman of Board of Directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika

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BUSINESSWORLD FG TO UNVEIL NEW INVESTORS FOR NNPC’S REFINERIES

per day complex conversion plant, which can produce Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Dual Purpose Koresene (DPK), Automative Gas Oil (AGO), Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO), and High Pour Fuel Oil (HPFO).

The Warri refinery is a 120,000 barrels per stream day plant capable of producing LPG, PMS, AGO, DPK, and Fuel Oil from a blend of Escravos and Ughelli crude oils.

Kaduna refinery is 110, 000 per day plant, which produces LPG, PMS , Household Kerosene (HHK), Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK), AGO, and fuel oil.

PIB: SALE OF SHARES OF OIL ASSETS TO FOREIGNERS MAY THWART NIGERIAN CONTENT

managerial discipline and accountability, as some of the strong points of the new reform bill.

According to him, the bill will ensure shareholder responsibility - activism to protect investment value; increase in capital transaction and individual capital formation. He also noted that the new reform bill encourages streamlined regulatory structure - single regulator, clarity of roles, and also eliminates administrative conflicts and overlaps. “In a bid to avoid the unwieldiness of the PIB that contributed to its downfall, this approach breaks the process into bits and pieces.

The current bill deals with governance, the while fiscal, the Upstream and Midstream Administration, and revenue management (including host community fund) elements of the reform process will be handled in separate bills. The Senate seems to disregard calls to discard the Community Host Fund provision, which was a lightning rod in the defunct PIB. Retaining the provision promotes the Fund’s needed dual purpose - community compensation and community accountability – and averts negative consequences,� he explained.

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

Dickson: Those Opposed to IOCs’ Relocation to N/Delta are Enemies of Peace Ejiofor Alike Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has stated that anyone who is opposed to the relocation of the international oil companies (IOCs) to the Niger Delta as directed by the federal government, is against the peace and stability of the region.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworison-Markson, quoted the governor to have said this at a special dinner organised by the state government as a major sideline event at the recent Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, United States. According to the statement, the event, tagged: “Bayelsa/Oloibiri Roundtable,� drew an impressive audience of key industry stakeholders and captains of multinational companies in the oil and gas sector. Dickson reiterated his determination to establish three modular refineries in each of the senatorial zones, adding that he had set up the Bayelsa Petrochemical and Refinery Company Limited for this purpose.

According to him, the board and management of the company will be constituted upon his return to the State from the United States.

The company, he added, will partner willing investors to ensure that work on the establishment of the modular refineries starts in earnest, stressing that the State would provide the necessary institutional backing, coupled with the enabling environment

to ensure that the project is successful. “Part of what we are doing as a government to further indicate our seriousness to would-be investors is to provide land for their investment and to fast track all titles and documents relating to the acquisition of the land complete with a signed C of O within a month. This is in addition to the Industrial Park for which we have acquired the land measuring over 213 hectares in size and as we speak clearing is going on

and the dredging of the land will commence soon. We will provide 24 hours power to the industrial park and so investors should be rest assured of their power needs round the clock ,� Dickson explained. “We have in the last five years invested massively in virtually all the critical sectors of our state economy, like in the area of security which many would readily attest has earned us numerous awards where the State is now rated as one of the safest in the region and

indeed the country as whole.

Our government’s huge investment in security, which is by deliberate and determined deployment of combination of legislation, policy, decisive and clear-headed leadership, has within a given space of time made the State one of the safest places to live and do business in the country�.

On his part, a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Timi Alaibe, lauded Dickson

for his massive investment in education, especially in the award of scholarships and the provision of modern schools with compulsory boarding facilities across the State. “We must put politics aside and commend Governor Dickson for providing leadership where it matters most. The education of our children is key and what the governor is doing will go a long way to help our educated youths to achieve economic success in the future,� he said.

BUSINESS EXPANSION

L-R: Director, International Business Development, Courier Plus, Mrs. Tutu Sanni; President/CEO Superux Group, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi; Regional Head, East and Central Africa, Courier Plus, Mrs. Maureen Kolenyo and COO Superux Group, Mr. Gabriel Okonkwo at the unveiling of Courier Plus, Nairobi, Kenya ‌ recently

CBN Offers N2bn Agric Loan Okoh Tasks Govt, Religious Leaders on Youth to Shonga Farms Empowerment Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN ), Godwin Emefiele has said that the bank has decided to supplement the foreign investment in the poultry syndicate of Shonga Farms Holdings Limited in Kwara State with a loan of N2billion under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme.

Emefiele disclosed this during a working visit to Shonga Farms in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State in the company of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and some members of the Upper Legislative Chamber.

Emefiele, who said the loan attracts a single digit interest rate of 9% stated that Kwara State has a comparative advantage in poultry business, making it necessary to support the management and owners of Valentine Farms, operators of the poultry section, whose business, he said, has provided employment to a lot of unemployed youths in the state.

He praised the state government for the initiative describing it as an example of a successful collaboration with foreign direct

investors that created employment in the agro-allied business in the country.

Earlier, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki thanked the CBN for the gesture as well as the Governor of Kwara State for sustaining the policy and building on it. He pledged the lawmakers’ continued support for agro-allied businesses in the country through appropriate laws.

Responding, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed thanked the CBN Governor for the loan and the Senate President for his pioneering efforts on Shonga Farms in the State.

According to him, “we are truly opening potential that are attached to this business which started in the last 13 years. “The potential are huge but the most importantly is how to put together a programme under the Off-taker demand driven Agricultural Scheme to exploit the potential fully�.

He added that his administration has established an Off-taker Demand Driven Scheme based on the lessons learnt from the Shonga model as a means of empowering farmers, creating jobs and establishing Kwara State as a major agricultural hub in the country.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of all Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh has counseled governments at all levels and religious leaders on the need to empower Nigerian youths in order to secure the future of the country.

Okoh made the call in Abuja at the maiden edition of the interactive session of eminent Anglicans members with Primate held to chart a way forward for the growth of the church as well as its future.

He said the gathering was important for fellowship and for the opportunity to meet as members of the same Christian family to interact on the issues that could have great impact on the future of our church.

According to him, “the situation of our youths is a particular concern at the time. Any church or nation that fails to care for its youths is jeopardising its future. If we are to have a future as a church and as a society, the training and development of our youths in our different localities must occupy a front burner for us.�

Okoh added: “So many

youths, who have graduated from higher institutions are jobless and have nothing to engage them positively. The tendency is that they become discouraged and demoralised. “Many are tempted to join social vices and crimes that are predominant in our land today. It’s almost as if they are wasting their entire lives; many have become hopeless and disturbed. As they were struggling to live in the face of unemployment, the recession came, to worsen the situation,� he lamented.

The primate noted that there was need for the private sector to join force in rescuing the youth of this country by providing them with gainful employment. “Yet, I must add that, having good role models and mentors to guide these young people, offering them creativity guidance that can help them start independent business and grow into respectable entrepreneurs is the task I wish to recommend to you seriously. Our youths must not be allowed to become tools in the hands of the devil� warned.

The Primate however called on Christian faithful to always put God first in

whatever they are doing by shunning corruption and other unlawful acts, stressing that Christians need to be God’s light in the world they live.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Delta State, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa opined that empowerment of the youths should not rest on the shoulder of the government alone saying everybody should be involved.

He charged the church to always look after the needy: “It’s not just to guide them spiritually; it’s about them being visibly engage through some micro credit scheme. We need to redirect them and empower them on vocational skill; it’s not about degrees you have, not about the best certificates, it’s about getting them engage. “Our focus right now in Delta state is about getting our youths to acquire skills and also getting them engaged.

We have already trained several of our youths in the area of Agriculture, Fish farming, Poultry as well as Crop development; we have officially trained over 2,500 youths and equipped them fully on their own into their businesses and some of them are already employing others.� he said.

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ENERGY

Tifase: Power Operators Need Right Regulations to Resolve Challenges The Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Limited, Mrs. Onyeche Tifase, spoke to Ejiofor Alike on how Nigeria’s power sector could wriggle out of its current challenges through right regulations. Excerpts: Your company is emphasising on energy management. Given Nigeria’s challenges in the power sector, how is your energy management programme relevant or important to Nigeria’s power sector today?

Nigeria is facing challenges with the power sector and most of this has to do with supply and distribution/ delivery of power. Siemens limited decided to put together this energy management programme to deal with the transmission and distribution of power and how we can make that more efficient and competitive.

The mandate of programme like this is to also proffer solutions that would ensure Nigeria have more intelligent, sustainable, affordable power transmission.

At the end we are hoping to basically support companies like the discos, utilities, industries and households to maintain and sustain a more profitable outcome and enhance the revenue flow space.

You have also talked about digitalising the grid and I wonder if this is also relevant to Nigeria, given the fact that we are still grappling with liquidity issues, obsolete equipment, gas shortages, among others.

What exactly is the plan for digital grids?

Nigeria is still in a phase where we are using a lot of mechanical solutions or basic automation solutions in our power networks. When we are talking smart grids, you really need to have a network that is completely and fully enabled to send and receive information. The network in Nigeria has not being fully enabled to allow for digital communication that is why you don’t see them rolled out. It would be senseless if you are not able to send and receive information, that means you have to have being able to deploy certain devices

Tifase across the entire distribution infrastructure and we don’t have that in place now.

Nigeria is not matured for digitalisation.

Digitalisation is critical for any country, but you have to progress towards it with a plan in place on how to enable the networks; there has to be investments made; those investments have to be precipitated by the fact that you are making a profit and reinvesting it into developing your network

In view of the fact that we are still very much far behind, how ripe are we for digitalisation?

Nigeria is not matured for digitalisation.

Digitalisation is critical for any country, but you have to progress towards it with a plan in place on how to enable the networks; there has to be investments made; Those investments have to be precipitated by the fact that you are making a profit and reinvesting it into developing your network.

The basic issue that the Nigeria system has it cash flow issues and this has limited the discos from investing according to their five years strategy plans on how they were going to deploy their capital expenditure and operational expenditure.

Siemens have been around in Nigeria for a very long time. At a point, the company was silent but has recently re-launched itself aggressively into the Nigerian market. Having understood Nigeria’s problems, what are the key aspects of your interventions in the power sector?

At Siemens, we give value for money. If a customer wants a certain outcome, they would be able to achieve that with our solutions. At some point, you may not be talking about money. Customers may want to digitalise their grids or they want to be fast and transparent in terms of performance of the grids, you

would have to invest in that.

If there is any client who wants a grid that would last for decades, they can come to Siemens and we give them something that fits into their total cost of ownership. So this is not just about the cost of a single product, but about solutions and how they work for the clients and add value in the long run.

We are constantly dialoguing with the Discos and we have two discos where we are investing our funds in enabling transparency of the grids, power system studies where we study their networks, map them and provide a sort of an outlook for them.

With this outlook we can advise and let them know that in the next five, ten or 15 years, this is what these discos should do if they want to achieve a certain outcome regarding efficiency, profitability, operation ability of the grids.

We can even look at generation and suggest ways to support the companies to ramp up generation. We heard of embedded power generation. We look at how we can help by co-investing in generation and upgrading systems.

Again the issues hampering the power sector are end to end, they don’t just start with the discos or ends with them, but also the consumers. The discos are charging less for power that is produce.

What we are trying to do in Siemens is to look across the entire system and see how we can increase efficiency in the entire generation,

distribution grid including metering and take it all the way down to revenue collection.

We look at how we can support as Siemens from the investment side, from technical adviser side, from a partnership side and for that we are talking to all the stakeholders along the value chain, be it the Gencos, TCN or Discos.

The major challenge that has hit Nigeria’s power sector is the issue of illiquidity of the members of the value chain. How are you going to cope with liquidity challenge?

Again, you have to look at the entire value chain, how power sector operators can optimise generation, transmission and distribution.

How can they have regulations and policies that enable power sector operators make profit? When Nigeria has a policy where NERC issues a tariff that is not viable or cost reflective, then the discos is stock with charging customers based on that.

At Siemens, we are trying to engage with stakeholders across the value chain to see where we can achieve some quick wins and areas we can support the discos to see how to resolve the liquidity issue in the sector. .

Basically, what all the gencos and discos are asking for from government is the right regulations and policy.

The operators don’t even need money to thrive because there are people who are willing to plug fund into the discos as they are now if they know they would still be able to generate a profit

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ENERGY

Benin Disco Partners Global Organisation on Safety in Workplace Ejiofor Alike Benin Electricity Distribution Plc (BEDC) recently partnered the World Safety Organisation (WSO) on safety in workplace as part of the activities to mark the World Safety Day. Speaking at the World Safety Day 2017, held at Oba Akenzua Hall, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin, BEDC’s Safety Manager, Gilbert Nweke stated that data collection on work-related accidents and diseases is very important for analysing and preventing accidents and occupational diseases at the workplace.

Nweke, however said that to realise this objective, there was need to upgrade recording and notification systems of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) data collection and analysis at national level. “Maintaining data integrity is very crucial for setting priorities and raising national and workplace preventive programmes. When the national record keeping and notification systems have been skillfully upgraded, it will be easier to harmonize with the global data collection and analysis system systems for purposes of preventing accidents and monitoring the extent of progress made in this regard� he said.

The BEDC Safety Manager listed sources of OSH data

collection to include; accident reporting, employees, workers union police, Federal Road Safety Corps and other law enforcement agents, hospital sources and insurance.

Nweke said BEDC was statutorily required to report any incident/accident occurrence to Nigerian Electricity Regulations Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) adding that the company has an obligation to forward preliminary accident report to NERC, while final detailed investigation report is expected within four weeks of the incident.

According to the Safety Manager, good and reliable OSH data could be optimised to improve performance monitoring, productivity and profitability, adding “It ensures that target setting follows a given trend. It enhances budget planning and can be used to determine safety awards / bonus using statistical evidence of Safety performance�.

Among safety measures adopted by BEDC are; monthly safety meetings, fire simulation / drill being conducted in each Business Units, safety inspection

by MD/CEO and team visits to BU’s, and the fencing of distribution substations across all business units, hinting that the company has concluded work on a Safety Handbook that will soon be made available

Courier Plus Opens in Nairobi, Kenya Courier Plus Limited, a wholly owned Nigerian company has launched its operations in Nairobi Kenya. Located at Unit 26, Ground Floor, Vision Plaza, Mombasa Road, Nairobi , the company will provide world class services to corporate organisations, government agencies and individuals in the East and Central Africa.

Speaking at the opening ceremony held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, President /CEO Superflux Group , the parent company of Courier Plus Mr. Tokunbo Talabi described the Courier Plus story as that of tenacity of purpose and breaking stereotypes that only international companies can offer excellent services backed by global best practices.

He said that success in any human endeavor is anchored mainly in driving people, process and infrastructure to deliver service excellence. ‘ “It is about integrity and sincerity of purpose at all times while also building a culture of execution� Mr. Talabi said.

Describing the giant steps taken by the company since its takeover in 2012, the Superflux CEO said: “The Company was acquired in 2012 by the Super flux Group and within two years it had transformed its service, reputation and moved to number four position in the market only after the three international courier companies.

This was a remarkable feat being that there are over 300 courier companies in Nigeria alone�

Talabi said that the main

reason for being in Kenya is to build a formidable network across Africa. “We strongly believe this is the time for value to be created by Africans for Africans. Value in terms of revenue and profits that will feed our families, grow our economies and bring as many people out of poverty; value in terms of education, experience and exposure that will be shared between our people creating more informed and competent workforce; and most importantly the value of connectivity via road, rail, air and sea which is the enabler for trade within and across border�.

Also speaking at the event, Regional Head, East and Central Africa of Courier Plus, Mrs. Maureen Kolenyo said that the opening of the Nairobi office is quite strategic at this time and will leverage opportunity on the economic hub in both regions. “Logistically, Kenya has direct flights to all the countries in East and Central Africa; therefore, setting up office in Nairobi will allow us to offer superior services to our customers across the region,�

Kolenyo said.

She said that Courier Plus have put an elaborate plan to open drop-off point and agents in various counties to serve the domestic market.

Courier Plus which is one of the top four logistics and distribution companies in Nigeria plans to expand its operations to other African countries in the coming months.

to the public.

BEDC it will be recalled has demonstrated commitment to

health, safety and environmental protocols within the workplace including: systematic manage-

ment of occupational health and safety; injury management (including return-to-work

programs); and systematic identification, assessment and control strategies for hazards.

FOR TECHNOLOGY GROWTH

L-R: Segment Development Manager, Socomec France, Jeremie Pleynet; Area Manager Africa, Shily Germany, Michael Juv; Area Manager Africa, Socomec France, Enrico Stecchezzini and Managing Director, Integrated Power Technologies (IPT), Karam Chacktoura, during a conference organised by IPT on the latest IT & Data Center Infrastructural Developments in Lagos...recently

IPT Unveils New Data Management Solutions

New NSITF Boss Pledges Better Welfare for Staff

Raheem Akingbolu

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

Integrated Power Technologies Limited (IPT) has introduced some of the latest innovation in IT and data preservation to its Nigerian customers. The firm’s Managing Director, Karam Chacktoura in his opening remark at a conference organised by the firm in Lagos said it was organised to introduce clients and stakeholders to latest ‘IT and Data Center Infrastructural Developments’ Some of the innovations presented includeStulz’ new solutions for mobile and modular data centre, kidde latest fire suppression system technology, SOCOMEC’ modular clean power backup and management; and ORTEA’ high end voltage regulators The products were presented and analysed by experts such as Area Manager for Stulz in Africa, Michael Jux, Tom Gardner of Stulz Technoogy Integrated UK, Area Manager Ortea Africa, Paul-Marie Dable and segment Development Manager Socomec France, Jeremy Pleynet.

Earlier, Chacktoura had explained that the new products were informed by market changes. He added that the company thus organised the conference to bring its clients up to speed with these latest technologies that would improve their operations locally.

Chacktoura, who disclosed that he has spent 21 years of

his career in Nigeria, stated that the products would be of immense benefit across wide spectrum of businesses in the Nigerian economy.

His words: “We work with Port authorities, airports, financial institutions, telecoms operators, oil and gas. There are some latest technologies always coming up every year.

They are innovations to meet up market demands, improving efficiencies, meeting up with regulations. There is more integration in this part of technology. So this is why we are passing these innovations to our clients. These resource persons bring the know-how abroad to our doorsteps here to apply it in an efficient way and at a reasonable cost. “These are technologies adopted in the market especially with the collocations: the big data centres where we are saving power consumption and improving cooling of IT systems. These solutions are improving the environment and infrastructure for information to be stocked inside servers and used properly. It improves the area of operation for information. “It offers protection for telecoms and industrial equipment by giving back up time to change over between sources. These technologies also offer solutions in terms of redundancy: if one fails, not everything fails. To make sure power is available to the equipment to work.

The new Managing Director/ Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mr. Adebayo Somefun, has promised the staff of the organisation a review of their welfare package to keep them motivated.

The new NSITF helmsman, who spoke on assumption of duty with the three new Executive Directors of the Fund at its Corporate Headquarters said that the team was fully prepared to move the organisation forward.

While thanking every member of staff for a wonderful job done so far, he stressed the need for teamwork which, according to him, was reflected as the new Executive Management officially resumed together as one.

The newly appointed Executive Directors of the Fund are: Mr. Suleiman Tijani (Administration), Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson (Operations) and Mr. Jasper Azuatalam (Finance).

Somefun urged staff not to see the new Executive Management as intruders but rather, as a new team appointed by God to take the organisation to its next level, while promising that “the new executive team will not disappoint God� in ensuring that it leaves the Fund better off than it met it. “I assure you that the new executive team has listening ears and our doors are always

open for suggestions and ideas� he said. To buttress the need to work closely with the staff of the Fund, he gave his email address and phone numbers through which he could be reached whenever the need arises.

In her remarks, Nelson, said she had in the past five years pleaded with God for an opportunity to be useful, not only to herself but to a lot of people, noting that this appointment was an answer to that prayer.

She promised to give her best in ensuring she delivers in her new assignment.

On his part, Tijani corroborated the position of the Managing Director, saying the new Executive Management would welcome ideas and suggestions by everyone as it will take a collective effort to move the Fund forward.

Also, Azuatulam challenged the staff of the organisation to increase their level of productivity while assuring them that the new Executive Management team would play its part in keeping them motivated.

Earlier, the General Manager, Legal Department, Sir Adebayo Aderibigbe, who received the team on behalf of the acting Managing Director, welcome the new Managing Director/CE and the Executive Directors and promised adequate support and cooperation of the entire management and staff to move the organisation forward.

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Osikoya: Diversity and Inclusion Drive Innovation at Maersk Group Rachel Osikoya is the Head, Diversity and Inclusion at A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.

Osikoya, who was in Lagos last week for a women’s leadership development programme, spoke with Chika Amanze-Nwachuku on the concept and importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Excerpts: time the managers have to interview and the time when there is decrease in productivity, that would cost the business money, so if we could get the policy right, we can help make some savings for the business.

Diversity and inclusion is a relatively new concept especially in Africa. What does diversity and inclusion really mean?

Diversity is really about differences. At Maersk we are focussing specifically on diversity in terms of gender, nationality and age.

Generational diversity is something a lot of companies are looking at now. It is also about how you think, how you solve problems, what difference you bring to the organisation.

If we have the same particular set of people in an organisation, we are never going to innovate or come up with new ideas. We are going to be doing things in the same way every time and in our industry, things are changing rapidly, so we need to have that diversity in our organisation to compete successfully. The inclusion phase is how you make the diversity work. So there is need to have leaders or managers who would bring in those different ideas and enable people to be able to use that diversity for the benefit of the organisation. So we see it as a competitive advantage for Maersk.

Why is diversity and inclusion important to the Maersk Group?

It brings innovation to the organisation. We know that more women are now graduating from the university and in some of the countries we operate in, women are nearly twice as many than men graduating from the university.

We also know that in the future – by about 2020 - some research has shown that four out of 10 graduates are going to be from China and India.

We know that in countries like Nigeria, the population and the economy is growing.

We want to open our talent pool; we don’t just want to hire one nationality but every nationality across the globe and be attractive to both genders too. The innovation part is quite interesting because research has shown that if you have diversity of thoughts in an organisation, you are more likely to increase your growth in market share and your potential in capturing new markets. Being able to get different perspectives is the key to remaining competitive for Maersk.

Maersk Group operates in male dominated industries. Do you see the idea of getting more women into the Group working considering the inherent nature of your industry?

I believe it is already working. In the Maersk energy division for example, we already have a female Chief Executive Officer. So, we can see it is already working and the difference it brings to the table is the different perspectives to business issues, which is what we want.

We just finished the “Strategy for Success� programme to help women develop their leadership potential.

We know we have fewer women at our senior levels so by investing in leadership programmes for women we believe we can start to unlock the female talent pipeline we have within our organisation. Strategies for Success, is just one of the four leadership programmes we have for women at Maersk.

So we are focussing on leadership and we also look at attraction as well.

Mckinsey research conducted shows that if every country narrowed the gender gap at the same historical rate as the fastest-improving country in its regional peer group, it will add about $12 trillion to the world’s GDP. We know it is not just good for business but for the economy as well. So for Maersk, we believe it is the way forward so that we can really get that competitive advantage.

Is the maternity policy recently introduced by the Maersk Group having the desired

Is the policy extended to the male staff?

Being a Danish company; in Denmark, the fathers have the right to take a longer paternity leave but we have also extended the policy to the male staff across the company globally to have a one-week basic paternity leave, which of course was a good start. Research has also shown that if you have more men involved in bonding with the child, it actually helps more women to go back to work as well.

So involving men in the maternity policy is the key to its success.

Osikoya impact?

We are still measuring the impact because it

We know we have fewer women at our senior levels so by investing in leadership programmes for women we believe we can start to unlock the female talent pipeline we have within our organisation.

Strategies for Success, is just one of the four leadership programmes we have for women at Maersk

has just been a year. In some of the countries we operate in, women are fortunate enough to have a year maternity so we are still measuring how many women are coming back but what we are seeing is an increase in the retention of women in other countries, which is what we want. We saw that we will be retaining roughly about 70per cent of females after maternity leave. Also, 80per cent of the women that left, did so in the first 12 months which is the most critical period in retaining new mothers.

The policy gives the mother the time to bond with the child and be ready to come back to work. Integration back into work after a maternity leave is the key and it is important to provide a little flexibility for the employee coming back.

Interestingly India has just launched a new maternity policy that does just that, giving pregnant women 26 weeks maternity leave and providing them with flexibility when they return to work. Part of the Maersk maternity policy for our onshore employees a reintegration into work plan where employees work for 80percent of their hours but we pay them full time. Although we are still monitoring it but we can see that the number is going up from the retention perspective.

One thing we also did, which I think is vital to any business is a cost analysis and we saw was that the extra cost of those weeks of maternity leave is actually eliminated if you can retain women because if you lose women due to maternity, the cost of hiring, the

How was the maternity policy received by the staff?

We have heard positive response from the female staff and even the male staff commenting on how good the maternity leave was for women. So we had a really positive response from employees and a good response from our Human Resource team as well who implemented the policy across the 130 countries.

It is interesting to see a Nigerian head the diversity and inclusion team of Maersk Group, please tell us your story.

I was actually born in the United Kingdom but my father was a Nigerian and my mother is British.

So I grew up having a Nigerian and British heritage and I think that has really helped me from the diversity angle. The first time I came to Nigeria, I was 13 years old and for me it is a whole new culture and different way of life, working and relating to each other to what I am used to and it spurred the interest in diversity for me.

I have always wanted to work for a global company; I never wanted to work for a company that was only based in one country but a company that would avail me the opportunity to explore the world. Having parents with two heritages has not only helped me understand diversity but also allowed me to learn that there are different ways of doing things and different perspectives and I have learnt to take the best of both.

What is the purpose of your visit to Nigeria?

We network a lot across the Human Resource department and we often discuss what we can do more to support diversity.

The Strategies for Success Programme has been running for five years and we have never had a programme in Nigeria, after discussing this with Bunmi Pratt (Head of HR, APMT Apapa), we decided to bring the programme to Nigeria for the first time. The programme is run in partnership with a UK based leadership company, Edit Development and I had the pleasure of co-facilitating the programme with Sonia Bates the Managing Director and with Bunmi from APMT. We had 29 women at various levels across the organisation and across six countries attend the programme.

The women left with a new form of motivation and aspiration as to what they want to do. What the programme, Strategy for Success, does is to give you the tools to understand how you personally can be successful and also give back to others, which is important for all of our leaders at Maersk.

A lot of women are talking about how they can help and mentor others. It is a fantastic programme that we want to run more of and I hope I will be able to come back to run another edition here in the future.

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BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

Chambers: Through TEXEM, Nigerian Executives Could Develop Strategic Leadership for Change Management Professor Andrew Chambers is a Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Cass Business School. In this interview, he spoke on how through These Executive Minds (TEXEM), Nigerian executives could inspire superlative performance through successful change management tend to settle for ‘satisfactory’ not ‘optimal’ decisions. It is all about ‘limited cognitive capacity’ – we have tiny minds which can’t process the complexity of the information available in an efficient (optimal) way. Better use of IT can help. Different situations demand different decision making processes as Vroom and Yetton and many others have shown. This is too big a subject to dispose of in a few words.

Tell us about TEXEM. These Executive Minds (TEXEM) pride themselves on their ability to customise programmes for their clients and TEXEM have a deep understanding of Africa. Also, TEXEM and its world class faculty partners have a very good grasp of contextual realities of operating in developing countries. Those developing countries which may be ahead of Africa (in some cases) have similar features vis-à -vis fragile institutions, limited infrastructure and the huge size of government. TEXEM’s forthcoming programme on Strategic Leadership for Results Driven Change Management would be delivered by me and Clive Carpenter, Vice Chair Business Council for Africa at the British Deputy High Commissioner’s residence on the 24th and 25th of May. For more information, please email exec@texem. co.uk or visit https://texem.co.uk/programmes/ strategic-leadership-for-results-driven-changemanagement-in-a-recession.html How could executives develop fresh ideas?

Take time out to think, ask the right questions, meet with peers and stakeholders-customers, regulators and employees at all levels including those at the shop floor. Attend a TEXEM training. Empower people to share ideas, develop an organisational ecosystem that generates ideas by creating the culture, structure and process that nurtures ideas. This would help create a system that pressure tests ideas so that great ideas and innovation can flow.

If you were starting this business afresh, what would be different? Listen to what others say.

What steps can be taken to inspire leaders within an organisation in a recession?

Whether markets are going up or down, there are always short and long term opportunities.

Emphasise to your leaders that they should view the world this way.

How can leaders develop skillsets to better govern their organisations?

Practice makes perfect. But first know yourselfbe self-aware and know the skills you need-Then work on building your skills-deficit. Don’t stay within your comfort zone. Encourage others to be frank about your leadership.

What can a leader do to achieve superlative business growth in turbulent times?

Turbulence means opportunity. First, brainstorm to determine where the opportunity lies for superlative growth. Boldly and quickly cut back on investment (and save costs) where opportunity for growth is low or non-existent; but try to retain market share and market presence until the upturn comes. Look after your cash flow.

How could boards inspire change at a time of low morale, finite resources and crises?

Lots of ways. Come down to leadership, including making painful decisions. Early and timely wins will inspire confidence and lift morale. The quality of information available to the board and to top management is important. Always communicate transparently with those impacted. Be fair.

How could the board leadership ensure that strategy conceived at the board gets implemented?

It is a key question how boards know that their policies are being implemented as intended by management. First, the board must be

How could organisations achieve Strategic Leadership for Result driven change management?

Attend the forthcoming programme with TEXEM scheduled to come up on the 24th and 25th of Lagos! Laughs.

We are talking here about successful management of meaningful change. Again, a huge subject! In a few words, it is important to design very carefully a strategy for the future which is deliverable, and everyone needs to know what it is so that all pull in the right direction. Many boards have ‘away weekends’ to thrash out strategy. You need to assign responsibilities clearly and hold staff accountable. Targets should be set and results should be measurable and measured, as what is measured gets managed. That means that the leader(s) needs to monitor and oversee performance. In turn that needs timely and reliable information communicated clearly to the right people. There is much, much more to it than that, but that is a start.

Chambers clear to the CEO what is expected. Secondly the board must give the CEO the resources and encouragement s/he needs. The board must meet sufficiently frequently and must regularly receive the information it needs.

The board should look for assurances from other parties apart from the CEO and top executives – such as consultants, internal audit, risk management, external audit and so on.

Directors should never settle for opaque or non-existent explanations, and must come down hard when the executive springs surprises upon the board. Board members, including non-executive directors, should visit sites and customers, and be seen around at HQ – not just attend board meetings. And so on.

How can a leader turn a negative situation to a positive result?

If you have got this far, it means you know what the negatives are, and what a positive result would look like. So, you are half way there! Get your team focussing on eliminating the negatives and leveraging off what will lead to positive results. Hold them to account.

No room for backsliding! Praise success to reinforce it.

What is your opinion on organisational challenges in Nigeria?

It seems to me that Nigerian organisations have challenges which are rooted in broader economic and societal challenges – such as a weak currency, an unbalanced economy, weak government, high unemployment, corruption, the vestiges of tribalism, civil strife. These challenges are not unique to Nigeria of course. Everyone knows that Nigeria’s potential is immense.

How do you think these challenges can be resolved?

A big question, but the answer is to address each of the challenges in a determined way.

Meanwhile, Nigerian organisations need to navigate their way through the maze of challenges. Good corporate social responsibility and enlightened corporate self-interest suggest a leadership role for Nigerian corporations to mitigate Nigeria’s economic and societal challenges.

Why does an executive need to attend TEXEM’s programme?

Learn from leading international experts.

Network with today’s and tomorrow’s Nigerian leaders. Find out what keeps others awake at night and how to sleep more soundly.

Recharge your batteries.

How could organsations strike the balance between risk management and innovation in a recession?

Organisations need this balance at all times.

Cars have brakes so that they can go faster. If you have truly identified your innovation risks, assessed them and put in place appropriate mitigation measures, you will be able to innovate safely within your risk appetite.

You have no choice. You need to innovate always – especially in a recession.

Good risk management is not just about managing threats (“downside risk�), it is also about anticipating future opportunities that may possibly arise and positioning the organisation to exploit them should they occur (“upside risk�), and that is all to do with innovation.

How could leaders optimise their decisionmaking process?

The Nobel prize winner, Herbert Simon coined the word ‘satisficing’ – that leaders

Why are you best suited to deliver this executive development programme?

This is what people say about be, you be the judge: Eur Ing Prof ANDREW D CHAMBERS, BA, PhD, CEng, FCCA, FCA, FBCS, CITP, FRSA, FIIA Unusually, Andrew Chambers has always had a foot firmly in both camps – the business school world and the business world – both in leadership capacities. He was Dean (CEO) of the leading Cass Business School, London.

At Cass he taught a highly acclaimed double module on organisational behaviour (including leadership) to 200 executives. In the business world he has been a board member of a FTSE250 financial institution, a large insurance mutual, a well-known charity, a group of hospitals and a number of private companies.

Usually he has led their audit committees; and also, for the FTSE250, both their audit and their remuneration committee. He chaired the board of a fast-growing software company.

He has served under good and bad chairs of boards, observing what has made them successful of not.

Andrew has run masterclasses in over sixty countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya. He understands well the developing country context. Currently he also successfully mentors directors and of senior executives who are assuming board positons either as executive or non-executive directors.

Andrew is author of Chambers’ Corporate Governance Handbook [7th ed. Bloomsbury, ISBN 978 1 78451 444 0, February 2017], two dozen other business books and numerous papers in peer-reviewed research journals.

Since 2004 he has belonged to Accountancy Europe’s corporate governance expert group, based in Brussels, most recently chairing it. He was the founder chair of ACCA’s Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of ACCA’s Global Corporate Governance Forum.

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Nigeria Prepares Inventory on Emission, Removal of Green House Gases for UNFCCC Nigeria, with support from the United Nations Development Programme, held an inception meeting to develop the nation’s Third National Communication (TNC) on its emission and removal of greenhouse gases (GHGs), as prescribed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Bennett Oghifo reports

A

s part of their commitment to honouring Agreements on climate change, which seeks to lower global temperatures below 2ºC, Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are expected to send reports, known as National Communication, to the secretariat, providing information on emission and removal of greenhouse gases in their various countries.

The National Communication (NC) is submitted every four years to the secretariat by each Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

It provides information on emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (GHG) and details of the activities a Party has undertaken to implement the UNFCCC, among other information about the status of Climate Change in the country.

Nigeria, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Nigeria), has provided two National Communications to the UNFCCC secretariat. Recently, the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Climate Change Department, also with the aid of UNDP, brought together stakeholders in Keffi, Nasarawa State to aggregate information that would constitute the Third National Communication (TNC).

TNC’s objective...

The preparation of the Third National Communication (TNC) and the strengthening of institutional and analytical capacities would enable the country to prepare improved

change and commitments. In fact, the Third National Communication should present an opportunity to transform the process from merely reporting to development of a strategic and policy support tool.”

Dr. Yerima Peter Tarfa, Director, Department of Climate Change, while welcoming participants, noted that “Climate Change has emerged as one of the most important issues facing the global community in the 21st century.

“It is expected to pose a serious threat to development and livelihoods, and the effects will be felt more strongly by the developing countries, that rely on the natural environment for their livelihoods and have less capacity to adapt to the adverse impact of climate change,” he said.

Dr. Tarfa said the purpose of preparing National Communications was to ascertain the level of Greenhouse Gas composition in the atmosphere, the Vulnerability, Adaptation

and Abatement analysis of impacts of Climate Change.

“It also serves as a basis for reference on future auditing of Greenhouse Gas Inventory in the country.

“The Department of Climate Change in collaboration with the UNDP have organised this stakeholder’s inception workshop, which has brought together the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (ICCC), Academia, relevant private sector organizations, NGOs, and the Media to among other things assist all stakeholders and partners to fully understand and take ownership of the project.

“As we are gearing up now for the preparation of the Third National Communication, we need data, more especially Primary and spatial data to understand the processes at play and build projections we can trust. These are essential for sustainable development planning and strengthening resilience in our communities.

“Also, we need to fill the knowledge gap observed in the BUR and the previous national Communications. We therefore count on you as custodian of some of the needed data and information to make it available, when we come calling in the near future.”

He acknowledged the strong commitment of the UNDP as the Ministry’s for their continuous support towards national efforts in tackling climate change strategic partner and Nigeria government towards the environment and climate change issues and are committed to continue our engagement and support to the government to achieve our jointly stated goals.

Building authorities will likely not approve some designs and propositions that will enhance affordability due to existing codes and policies.

These codes and requirements need to be reviewed in line with changing realities and the demands of urban renewal & regeneration.

“Optimal utilisation of the land: To solve the issues of housing deficit in Lagos State, building lone bungalows and single-family dwellings will not suffice. Land is a scarce resource in Lagos State, which must be fully optimised at all times, this invariably translates to the need to build multi-level buildings to accommodate more people. In designing these buildings, the people that will live in them and the

challenges they currently face must be adequately addressed.

Power generation, Water, Parking, Noise Pollution, etc must be tackled intelligently.”

The discussants agreed that stakeholders who believe in the vision of affordable housing delivery and are willing to invest in the vision/modus operandi should be invited, that the professionals should develop local capacity to add to the value chain. They resolved to send a Communiqué of the session to the N.I.O.B, N.I.A, N.S.E, Ministry of Housing and other relevant bodies, saying there was need to “increase the local content drive in the building construction industry, to ensure that 60-70% of building components are sourced locally, thereby creating employment.”

climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, enhanced technology transfer for adaptation and mitigation, and functional sustained institutional capacity for developing future national communications.

Role of UNDP...

It is determined that UNDP Nigeria assistance to national climate change effort within UNDAF 2014 - 2017 recognizes an increase in the country’s vulnerability to climatic changes and identifies that sustainable funding is critical to addressing the challenges effectively.

In his remarks at the TNC workshop in Keffi, UNDP Country Director, Mandisa Mashologu said, “United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment have over the years invested in the preparation, collection and validation of data on GHG emissions which have resulted in the successful preparation and submission of Nigeria’s First and Second National Communications to UNFCCC. “The Third National Communications (TNC) will therefore be building on the strong national capacities developed with the support of UNDP and lessons learnt over the years.”

The TNC, Mashologu said “takes on a whole new significant meaning, coming on the heels of the country’s active participation in the negotiations, ongoing development of a Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and ratification of Paris Agreement by the President, with which Nigeria has clearly demonstrated political will and commitment to tackling climate change.

Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Yerima Peter Tarfa

“This is why a national institutional framework approach that will ensure full participation of relevant MDAS in the identification of potential for options for GHG emissions reduction across all sectors, sourcing of the necessary data is being promoted to improve the quality and consistency of the data and ensure reliability.”

Federal Government’s position...

At the opening of the 2-day Inception Workshop, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Shehu Ahmed said the main objective of the meeting was to create an enabling process involving all relevant national stakeholders to prepare and submit Nigeria’s Third National Communication (TNC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

According to Dr. Ahmed, Nigeria ratified the UNFCCC and submitted its Initial and

UNDP Country Director, Mandisa Mashologu

Second National Communication reports in November 2003 and June 2014 respectively. “It is in line with fulfilling its obligations to the Convention that the Government of Nigeria through the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment is initiating the process of preparing the Third National Communication report on Climate Change.

“The First and Second National Communication provided the baseline information on inventories of greenhouse gases, mitigations, vulnerabilities and adaptation to climate change, awareness and education activities and proposed projects for further monitoring and mitigating climate change.”

He said, “Preparing National Communication report presents huge opportunity for the collection of climate relevant data that will help us to better plan our economies and also respond to global challenges of climate

Builders Advised to Employ new Systems to Avoid Waste Fadekemi Ajakaiye Professionals in the building construction industry have been advised to start employing more sustainable ways of construction, as the current system is predicated on a lot of wastages.

This was an outcome of deliberations at an interactive session organised by The Oak Grove, a major stakeholder in nation’s housing sector, in Lagos, recently.

According to the promoter of The Oak Wood, Emmanuel Owo, an Architect, the brainstorming session was designed to focus on the challenges of providing affordable housing in Nigeria. The interactive session attracted the presence of 21 stakeholders/professionals across the building industry and

other related fields. Builders, Engineers, Mortgage Bankers, Architects, Real Estate Investors, Flooring/Finishing experts, among others were present at the session. Owo said “To bring some consciousness of our current realities as a nation to the building construction industry, the discussion centered on: Construction methodology: As opposed to the conventional building construction methods, that is full of wastages and mediocrity, professionals should start moving to modular systems with a little bit of mechanisation to improve efficiency.

“Professionalism: We, professionals in the building construction industry, should adopt the “build more with less” approach to projects without

compromising on quality and aesthetics. Professionals are also charged to work with what is REAL and not just what is ideal.

“Quality of labour: The current dearth of semi-skilled labour and the level of supervision imparts largely on the final output and cost of a building.

Professionals should pay more attention to the quality of work and also invest in training and retraining workmen, taking people out of unemployment.

“Materials: Local content must be vigorously pursued with the use of readily available building materials. This implies that we must begin to look at ways in which resources that we have in abundance are the materials that form the core of building materials and processes, as this would likely

translate to cheaper buildings at the end of the day and also generate local employment.”

He said, “Questions like embracing solar energy must be critically asked and considered critically. The use of polished concrete (e.g. terrazzo), as opposed to imported tiles.

Bamboo is a readily available type of wood that can be used in the building process from start to finish because of its versatile range of uses. This is an unexplored alternative to hardwood, imported boards and in some cases steel. It is a cheaper alternative and it is also locally sourced.

“Regulations and standards: There is need to revisit this, as some are not entirely relevant and dynamic with the times anymore.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT

Africa50 Appoints Klousseh Director of Project Development Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform has announced the appointment of Koffi Klousseh as Director of Project Development.

Africa50 is an infrastructure fund owned by African governments, the African Development Bank, and institutional investors.

Its mission is to mobilise long term savings from within and outside Africa and private sector funding to promote infrastructure development in Africa.

A statement by AfDB said, “The appointment of Koffi Klousseh marks another important step in Africa50’s mission to facilitate infrastructure development in Africa,” said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Africa50.

“His experience and expertise in infrastructure project development, combined with his strong leadership skills, will help Africa50 increase the pipeline of bankable projects ready to

be financed.”

A citizen of Togo, Klousseh is a recognized expert in infrastructure development, with a solid track record in structuring and financing private, and public-private projects in Africa and other emerging markets.

Prior to joining Africa50, Klousseh served as Regional Lead for the World Bank Group’s Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund (“IFC InfraVentures”), where he contributed to creating and executing a pipeline of early stage transactions in the conventional and renewable power sectors. He was also a Principal Investment Officer in the Africa Infrastructure Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), leading a team of professionals in executing transactions in the power, water and transport sectors across East Africa.

Prior to joining IFC in 2010, Klousseh held several positions

in the financial services industry, including Vice President at Helios Investment Partners, a London-based private equity firm. Klousseh holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Master of Finance

from the George Washington University.

“I am pleased to join Africa50, which has the challenging but exciting mission of supporting the development and financing of infrastructure in Africa,” said Klousseh. “I am convinced that

this unique institution, with the sponsorship of governments and other public sector stakeholders such as the African Development Bank, will leverage private sector participation to deliver infrastructure projects more efficiently.”

“I am delighted to welcome Koffi,” added Africa50 CEO Alain Ebobissé, “his in-depth knowledge of developing infrastructure projects from their earliest stages will be a great asset as we speed up infrastructure delivery in Africa.”

L-R: Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikeazu; Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; the National Vice-Chairman (South-East) of the Peoples Democratic Party, Austin Umahi, during the inauguration of the reconstruction of the Aba-Port Harcourt section of the ever-busy Port-HarcourtEnugu Expressway... recently

Nations Meet in Bonn to Take Forward Guidelines for Fully Implementing Paris Gessi, Rockwell Group to Launch Inciso Collection at Agreement ICFF 2017 in New York City In a next round of UN climate change negotiations, nations are meeting from 8 – 18 May 2017 to further develop the guidelines needed to fully implement the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement now and over the decades to come.

A statement by the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said, “Issues under discussion range from ensuring transparency on the reporting of climate action by nations to the provision of climate finance.”

Next to the negotiations on the operational rules of the Agreement, which are scheduled to be completed in 2018, governments will also prepare the budget of the Bonn-based UNFCCC secretariat, the statement said.

The budget is designed to support governments implement the Paris Agreement and provide a range of assistance to developing countries to help them meet their climate action plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

“The May meeting provides governments with the opportunity to clearly advance on the implementation guidelines for making the Paris Agreement fully operational while advancing preparations for the assessment, to take place next year, on progress since Paris,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. “The May meeting will also prepare the next budget for the secretariat that governments will need to take forward the implementation of their Paris Agreement,” she added.

The May meeting is a staging-post for the annual climate change conference – COP23 – which will be held in November 2017 and the preparation of its key outcomes.

The final budget is also set to be agreed at COP23.

Given that immediate and accelerated climate action is required for governments to reach their climate goals, another key focus in Bonn will be on activities which have a high potential to curb and reduce emissions.

At a “Climate Action Fair”, governments will discuss crosscutting issues in the urban environment and on land use.

Specifically, they will focus on efforts to mobilise diverse groups of stakeholders, including the private sector, for urban services and agriculture, forestry and other land use activities with high emission reduction potential and sustainable development benefits.

The Climate Action Fair is taking place against the backdrop of continuing global momentum including a growing wealth of policy-making that promises to embed the transition to a low carbon, resilient and sustainable world.

At the May meeting, the Grantham Institute which is part of the London School of Economics, will unveil findings spotlighting the world-wide growth in climate or climaterelated laws pre-and post-Paris 2015. “I look forward to these findings,” said Ms. Espinosa.

“In many ways, they are the proverbial ‘proof in the pudding’ as the implementation of both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals hinges on solid national policies that set a clear direction for action,” she added.

Ms. Espinosa said the secretariat was also looking forward to welcoming members of the Fijian Government including the Prime Minister at the May sessions. Fiji will be the COP23 president at the November conference.

Bennett Oghifo Gessi, the world-renowned Italian bath and kitchen fittings company whose products can be found in the world’s most luxurious hotels, spas, yachts, and private residences, has announced their first collaboration with architect David Rockwell and his award-winning firm Rockwell Group.

According to a statement by PR Manager for Gessi, Bayardo Barrios, the Inciso Collection of bath fittings and accessories, which will be unveiled in May at ICFF in New York, marks Gessi’s first collection in collaboration with an American designer.

Bringing a new visual language to the contemporary bath-scape, Inciso channels the honesty of traditional craftsmanship. The line’s clean modern forms are consistent with the tradition of Gessi, and is highly customizable, fully flexible, and suitable for many environments.

The design of the collection

looks to the classic form of early plumbing fixtures and the refined, architectural sensibility of modern metalwork to arrive at the distinguished profile for Inciso. With sculpted contours paired with smooth surfaces and textured patterns, the collection achieves captivating allure in alignment with Gessi’s philosophy of enriching intimate living spaces with beautiful, well-made, highly functional objects.

“The philosophy of our company is expressed by the private wellness concept. It consists of designing and communicating products, concepts, and values which create a wellness culture through enjoyment in the most private areas of the home, transforming utilitarian spaces into places capable of regenerating us every day in the same way private spas do.

The Inciso line inaugurates the commitment of Gessi to bring this culture into the North American Bathroom, through a design with Italian flair and

American style and know how,” said Gessi founder, Gian Luca Gessi. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Gessi on our first-ever line of fittings and accessories,” said David Rockwell, founder and President of Rockwell Group. “Defined by simplicity and possibility, the Inciso Collection weds modern style with heritage details and finishes that invite touch and discovery.” The collection is made of solid brass, available in a large number of finishes, including black, nickel and bronze. Inciso can be easily customized by mixing different texture inserts and finishes, providing a wide variety of combinations suitable for any bath environment. Whether in a residential or a commercial setting, the line of bath fixtures coordinates well with sinks, bathtubs, and showers, and complements accessory pieces such as towel bars and soap dispensers.

Through the creativity and innovation of both companies,

the David Rockwell for Gessi products will rock any setting in style.

Gessi is one of the largest Italian design companies in the world, designing and manufacturing exclusive bathroom and kitchen fittings and furnishing for over 20 years. Today, the Gessi brand is acknowledged worldwide for its fashionable bathroom designs in all types of living environments, including hotels, spas, yachts, and private residences. Gessi bathroom products enjoy an extraordinary client base of architects, interior designers, and lifestyle enthusiasts. Embodying authenticity Made in Italy, Gessi produces innovative concepts by combining high-tech with the touch of craft, making them a recognized leader in the world of design. Gessi designs involve all of the senses to allow the user to enjoy personal spaces that offer a daily wellness experience in which to celebrate a renewed contact with one’s inner self.

Hardware Resources’No-Wiggle Base Cabinet Pullout Helps Homeowners Declutter Kitchen Bennett Oghifo Hardware Resources’, a home solution firm, has developed a new product, known as No Wiggle Base Cabinet Pullout to organise the always-busy kitchen, arguably the most cluttered room in the house.

According to the company, “This premium cabinet organizer keeps heavy loads of canned goods, jarred food, and other staples organized, visible, and readily accessible to homeowners on the go.

“Our No Wiggle cabinet pullout is a real problem solver,” says Marisa Sanchez, Product

Manager for Hardware Resources. “Its smooth action helps consumers reach everything in their base cabinets without bending and twisting. Plus, its heavy-duty top-mounting bracket and slide eliminate side-to-side movement and sag, which helps extend cabinet life,” she says, adding, “These are the innovations that make our pullout organizer far sturdier than conventional pullouts in the market.”

The No Wiggle organizer innovations also include soft-close, concealed undermount slides for silent, smooth operation, while keeping shelf contents

safely in place. In addition, the soft-close feature also means pinched fingers are a thing of the past, since the cabinet pullout cannot be slammed shut. “Busy millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers want to be able to grab everything in their kitchen cabinets quickly and easily,” Sanchez says. “And they would prefer not to hurt their necks, backs, or fingers in the process. That’s why we made ergonomics a priority for these pullouts. It’s that kind of thinking that assures our trade partners they can help their customers happily get organized once and for all.”

The product features UV-coated white birch wood construction, comes with two adjustable and two fixed shelves; comes in 5 , 8 , 11 and 14 widths for face frame or frameless cabinet applications; uses patent pending, top-mounting bracket with heavy-duty slide on top for added support that eliminates sagging and excessive wiggle; features premium softclose, concealed undermount slides on the bottom; includes patent pending, 6-way adjustable door-mounting brackets for easy mounting of doors; and ships fully assembled and ready to install.

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍˇËœ 2017

30

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

FG, Islamic Devt Bank Seal Deal on Research Findings Adedayo Akinwale Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The federal government on Monday said the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia has agreed to help Nigeria in the Commercialisation of research findings. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja.

The minister, who expressed concern over technology gap in Nigeria, noted that countries that are doing very well paid attention to science and technology.

He said that the only way to get the best is when Nigeria starts paying crucial attention

to science and technology.

According to him, “We are very happy that President Muhammadu Buhari is convinced on this and he’s giving us the necessary support to make sure that this is achieved. I visited three countries, the first country I visited was Saudi Arabia; we went to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the president of Islamic Development Bank (IDB). “We entered into detailed discussions with them. They were very interested in the work we are doing here, on the area of commercialisation of research findings. Even though we are not investing much as a nation

on research and innovation, our research institutes and agencies had been working hard and many of them have come up with research findings, some are patented and many of these have gotten to a level where they should be commercialised. �

Onu noted that many Nigerians are looking for job and the present administration wants all Nigerians who want to work to do so. “Commercialisation leading to creating wealth, producing what we need, it will be creating jobs for our people and it will also create wealth for the nation and for our GDP.

Bank of Agriculture Injects N9bn into S-east States Christopher Isiguzo Ă“Ă˜ Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă&#x; The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) said it had injected a total of N9.08 billion in states in the South-east zone of the country, in its quest to achieve economic diversification.

A breakdown of the amount showed that while Anambra got the lion share of N3.304billion, Ebonyi got N577.888 million.

Abia on its part got N1.451 billion, while Enugu and Imo got N1.703 billion and N2.048 billion respectively.

The bank had also during the last meeting of the South East governors’ forum made a presentation on the activities of the bank in the region and efforts to explore areas the zone had comparative advantage.

Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Kabiru Mohammed explained in Enugu that the

bank had the mandate to provide agricultural credit and non-agricultural micro-credit with a view to curbing poverty.

He, however, said that the amount so far disbursed in the zone fell below the expected target for the region, considering the abundant opportunities in the area. “Our bank and its stakeholders are making concerted efforts to curb all known challenges to agro-entrepreneurship to widen the space for more participation,� he said.

According to him, most of their credit facilities were directed at women whom he said had suffered from neglect; chronic underinvestment and regional protectionism. “We know that lots of women in the rural areas are involved in agriculture but presently not being taken care of. “They are poorly served by

infrastructure, financial systems, scientific innovations or access to market and the results are reflected in poor levels of productivity. “Our intension is to make sure our activities extend to them,� he said.

The managing director said that with the effects of climate change and expected upsurge in the country’s population in the year 2050 “all hands must be on deck to help safeguard the future of people�.

Kabiru said that the bank desired to partner state governments in the zone with a view to exploiting the huge potentials in the area. “The South-east is blessed with good land for the cultivation of tree crops like oil palm, rubber, cashew, roots and tuber crops with abundant water bodies capable of sustaining viable aquaculture,� he said.

Wapic Insurance Q1 Profit Rises by 135% Wapic Insurance Plc said it recorded growth across key performance indicators for the period ended March 31, 2017.

The Group’s first quarter result showed that profit before tax (PBT) grew by 135 per cent, from N163 million recorded in the first quarter of 2016 to N384 million in the period under review.

Similarly, the Group’s Gross Written Premium (GWP) increased by 25 per cent over the previous year’s figure of N3.022 billion, to N3. 771

billion, which it said signalled a departure from the erstwhile converse relationship between profitability and gross written premium in the company’s operations. In the recent past, Wapic Insurance has had to pay out significant sums in the bid to set the institution free from legacy claims.

According to a statement from the company, the insurer also recorded a 23per cent growth in Net Underwriting Income, from N1159 million in 2016, to N1428 million recorded in 2017. In the

same vein, Underwriting Profit rose by 19 per cent to N426 million, from the N358 million posted for the corresponding period in 2016 to affirm the effectiveness of the Group’s operations. “As Wapic Insurance continues its quest for leadership, operational efficiency; product innovation; channel utilisation and capacity building will remain the focal points of our agenda,� the Managing Director, Wapic Insurance, Yinka Adekoya said.

Afreximbank to Host Business, Political Leaders The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will hold its 24th annual general meeting (AGM) in Kigali from 28 June to July 1, with participation by some of Africa’s most high-profile political and business leaders, who would be joined by leading international experts. A statement from Afreximbank yesterday, explained that the AGM and its related activities would be held under the overarching theme: “Boosting intra-African trade and integration.�

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and the Prime Minister, Anastase Murekezi, are expected to attend, along with the Minister of Finance

and Economic Planning, Claver Gatete. They will be joined by a series of serving African presidents and former heads of state, as well as high-profile political and business leaders who will deliver keynote speeches. “The speakers include Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria; Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank; Roberto Azevedo, Director-General, World Trade Organization; Prof.

Justin Lin, Director, Center for New Structural Economics and Honorary Dean, National School of Development, Peking University, China; Ahmed El Sewedy, President, El Sewedy Industries,

Egypt; and Kola Karim, Managing Director, Shoreline Energy International, UK.b“Others include Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria; Bassem Loukil, President, Loukil Group, Tunisia; Albert Muchanga, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry; Dr. Ahmed Darwish, Head of Suez Canal Special Economic Zone, Egypt; Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade, Craft and Promotion of SMEs, CĂ´te d’Ivoire; Amina Mohamed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Kenya; Ade Ayeyemi, CEO, Ecobank Transnational; Andrew.

Onu

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

DECEMBER 2016 Broad Money (M2)

23,840,392.42

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,520,166.67

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,820,415.90

---- Demand Deposits

9,699,750.76

-- Quasi Money

12,320,225.75

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

9,353,504.03

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,486,888.39

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,774,684.47

---- Credit to Government (Net)

4,595,579.89

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

7,436,917.79

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-2,841,337.90

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,374,718.08

--Other Assets Net

-12,483,409.58

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,837,322.41

--Currency in Circulation

2,179,174.28

--Banks Reserves

3,318,344.71 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

MONEY MARKET INDICATORS (%) December 2016 Inter-Bank Call Rate

10.39

Monetary Policy Rate (MPR

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

13.96

Savings Deposit Rate

4.18

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.53

3 Months Deposit Rate

8.80

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.23

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.76

Prime Lending rate

17.09

Maximum Lending Rate

28.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯͲϹ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT FRIDAY 5, MAY 2017

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $48.97 a barrel on Tuesday The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $46.56 a barrel on Friday, compared with $47.44 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).

42

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍˇËœ 2017

MARKET NEWS

NSE All-Share Index Gains 0.70% on Sustained Bull Run Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie The stock market sustained its bullish trend yesterday following high demand for fast moving consumer goods, insurance and banking stocks.

Having gained 1.85 per cent last week, some level of profit taking was expected as trading resumed for the week yesterday.

However, it appears investors are delaying their profit taking as bargain hunting remained high. Consequently, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index appreciated by 0.70 per cent to close at 26,418.33, while market capitalisation added N63.2 billion to close at N9.1 trillion.

Yesterday’s performance reduced the year-to-date decline

T H E

to 1.70 per cent. The market recorded 26 price gainers, while 12 stocks depreciated.

Although bellwether stocks such as Nestle Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, GTBank Plc were among the price gainers, Oando Plc led the chart with 10.0 per cent, trailed by Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc with 9.7 per cent.

Continental Reinsurance Plc and

N I G E R I A N

AIICO Insurance Plc chalked up 9.4 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively among others.

Oando Plc last week recorded a revenue of N138.4 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, showing a jump of 116 per cent from N63.9 billion in the corresponding period of 2016, while profit stood at N1.7 billion.

The Group Chief Executive,

STO C K

Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu had said: “Following a successful restructuring in 2016, we are pleased with our Q1 2017 results which reflect a return to normalcy and growth in spite of continued security challenges, economic headwinds and a fluctuation in crude prices.�

He added that the company has continued to reduce its

E XC H A N G E

net debt, standing at N225.9 billion as at March 31, 2017, compared with N316.6 billion as at March 2016.

Conversely, Champion Breweries Plc led the price losers with 4.6 per cent, followed by Jaiz Bank Plc with a decline of 4.5 per cent. African Prudential Plc and Dangote Flour Mills Plc shed 3.3 per cent and 2.3 per cent in that order.

32

˾ TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Stockbrokers Collaborate with Regulators for Market Buoyancy Goddy Egene The Chartered Institute of Stockbroker (CIS) is reinforcing its collaborative efforts with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and other stakeholders so as to restore confidence and create more value for investors in the nation’s capital market.

The President and Chairman of the Council, CIS, Mr. Oluwaseyi Abe, disclosed this at the annual general meeting (AGM) of

the institute held recently in Lagos.

Although he said decried the negative impact of the tough operating environment on the capital market operations, he expressed optimism that the future would remain bright.

According to him, the immediate challenge is to restore the market to buoyancy.

“The challenge before us is to join hands with other market regulators to restore the market to buoyancy, while continuing to raise the profile

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

of the Institute,” he said.

Speaking on the collaborative efforts with SEC, Abe stated that “CIS was actively involved in the development of the curriculum for the introduction of capital market studies in primary and secondary schools in the country by the SEC in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational, Research and Development Council.”

On the proposed Bill to globalise the Institute, Abe said: “The Council, during the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 05May-2017, unless otherwise stated

year under review, approved the creation of Stand-Alone Certifications for candidates who wish to specialise and focus on their core career area.

This is in conformity with global best practice and our proposed Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) Bill, which we will continue to lobby the National Assembly to pass into Act.” The CIS boss noted that in pursuit of investor education programmes and career talks designed to bring young ones into the capital market community, CIS visited

several higher institutions and for the first time, a secondary school King’s College, Lagos in the review period.

According to him, the career talks and investor education are consistent with the enlightenment programmes of SEC and the NSE. Commenting on the performance of the Institute in the review period, Abe noted that the macro-economic headwinds adversely affected operations of stockbrokers with attendants effects on their ability to pay

membership fee and other levies, a development he said was impacting negatively on the Institute’s cash flow.

He, however, commended the stockbrokers for their resilience despite the tough operating environment.

A stockbroker advised CIS to devise a strategy to recover the backlog of debts in order to boost the Institute finance while a council member, Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu assured the members that the Institute had embarked on a series of activities to improve on its financial status.

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 137.00 137.73 7.95% Nigeria International Debt Fund 223.67 224.70 3.99% 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 0.71 0.72 2.20% 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 17.03% 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 12.82 13.21 3.83% ARM Discovery Fund 299.51 308.54 4.29% ARM Ethical Fund ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.62% 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 113.73 114.53 8.13% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.07% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.00% Paramount Equity Fund 10.11 10.37 8.02% Women's Investment Fund 89.21 91.51 5.46% 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 18.33% 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 1,064.72 1,065.84 5.42% FBN Heritage Fund 116.55 116.90 4.26% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.92% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $107.77 $108.58 4.75% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $107.43 $108.25 5.14% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 117.66 119.14 4.40% 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 1.02 1.04 9.57% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.71 2.71 5.27% 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 2,288.76 2,316.67 3.63% Coral Income Fund 2,234.15 2,234.15 6.17% 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 17.43% 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 17.66% Vantage Balanced Fund 1.79 1.81 6.31% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 17.60%

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 1.03 1.04 3.77% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,020.27 1,020.27 3.71% 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 10.26 10.32 6.02% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 16.30% 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 1.10 1.12 11.47% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.52 10.58 1.22% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.43% 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 115.53 116.43 13.45% 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 1.29 1.29 3.89% 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 1,892.51 1,902.27 3.33% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 156.71 156.71 1.79% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.79 0.80 3.25% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 196.68 196.68 5.24% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 132.72 134.54 2.27% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.07% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,580.74 7,668.66 -0.04% 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 1.16 1.18 8.88% United Capital Bond Fund 1.28 1.28 15.74% United Capital Equity Fund 0.66 0.67 0.80% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.11 1.11 11.71% 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 10.55 10.75 9.37% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.56 11.68 5.87% Zenith Income Fund 17.69 17.69 7.07%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 126.75

1.01% 2.24%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.13 75.87

8.23 77.28

-7.36% 0.11%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.92 6.31 12.28 16.77 130.13

2.96 6.39 12.38 16.97 132.13

6.07% -10.18% 2.30% 5.11% 0.19%

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.

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Hillary Clinton Calls Macron Win a ‘Defeat to Those Interfering with Democracy’ In a nod to her own most recent race, Hillary Clinton called Emmanuel Macron’s landslide victory over Marine Le Pen, a far-right nationalist favoured by President Trump, in Sunday’s French presidential election a win for France, the European Union and the world — and “defeat to those interfering democracy.”

Macron’s campaign said on Friday it had been the target of a “massive” computer hack of its emails, a breach reminiscent of the one that targeted Clinton during the 2016 election.

The U.S. accused Russia of spearheading the hacks, which resulted in weeks of negative

headlines for Clinton as leaked emails were published on WikiLeaks. Some security analysts also believed the Kremlin had a role in the French hacking, which also released a trove of emails on the eve of that election.

Le Pen had staked out a more pro-Russia and anti-European Union stance than Macron, who was endorsed by former President Barack Obama. Trump praised Le Pen as the stronger candidate on immigration and terrorism.

“Victory for Macron, for France, the EU, & the world,” Clinton tweeted. “Defeat to those interfering w/democracy. (But the media says I can’t talk about that).”

Last week, Clinton argued that she would be president had it not been for Russia’s meddling in the election and FBI Director James Comey’s 11th-hour letter to Congress about the investigation into her use of a private email server.

But some media critics, including former Obama White House communications director Jen Psaki, aren’t so sure.

“I do think if you look at her comments … about how it would have been guaranteed she would have won in October 27th, we don’t really know that,” Psaki said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.

“The perception of her was baked into the cake for about 10 years.”

Evacuation of Syrian Rebels Starts in Barzeh Hundreds of Syrian fighters have begun to leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Barzeh as part of an evacuation deal reached with the government, according to state television and a war monitor.

State-run Ekhbariya television cited its reporter there as saying the evacuation of fighters from Barzeh for the rebel-held Idlib province had begun to be implemented on Monday, but without giving

further details.

Idlib, a mostly rural province in northwest Syria abutting the Turkish border, is a major opposition stronghold.

“Armed men and some of their families have begun leaving Barzeh on 40 buses heading towards northern Syria,” the channel said in a news alert.

An AFP news agency photographer in Barzeh saw rebel

fighters carrying light weapons looking on as children and women in brightly-coloured headscarves pulled shabby suitcases and duffel bags.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Britain-based war monitor, reported that buses had arrived in Barzeh at dawn and a group of hundreds of fighters and their family members had started to board.

38

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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9.05.2017

THE TRANSACTION GREG NWAKOGO

greg@rosberglegal.com

Project Management and the Legal Profession: A Developing Inextricable Link?

I

Introduction t is not in doubt that, as Legal Practitioners (whether litigators, transactional associates, or in-house counsel), we often contend with deadlines and time management concerns on a day-to-day basis. We face increasing pressure to be efficient, handle matters effectively, and produce quality work and services, as clients are increasingly seeking better value, more efficiency and lower costs. They are no longer prepared to bear the entire economic risk of the cost of legal work, that may or may not produce the expected results.

Hence, as legal practitioners, we are faced with the task of unearthing ingenious ways to better coordinate multiple tasks to achieve desired outcomes, and this is precisely where Legal Project Management (LPM) becomes somewhat imperative to the legal practitioner.

Defining Legal project Management (LPM) Legal Project Management (LPM) is a disciplined approach to legal work, resulting in improved use of resources and improved performance against budgets. It provides a structured approach to planning, pricing and managing legal work, that will bring a legal practitioner’s or law firm’s service delivery model in line with the changing expectations of clients. LPM equally provides a framework that allows the legal practitioner provide more reliable fee estimates, better matter management and improved matter profitability.

LPM equally encompasses valuable approaches that enable legal practitioners to meet or exceed client expectations, while both respecting cost reduction mandates and improving profitability.

LPM- The Business Case Research has shown that legal practitioners and law firms who practice competent LPM, manage legal matters more efficiently and cost effectively. An integral tool of corporate business units for years, project management has become important to legal practitioners and law departments, as a result of ever-expanding client expectations, in addition to the evolving role of in-house counsel. Clients now expect more than substantive legal knowledge; they require that legal practitioners possess a higher than average business acumen, as well as provide legal services in an efficient, predictable, and consistent manner.

Consequently, LPM is beginning to provide that hitherto elusive effective approach to enhance planning, budgeting and more efficient delivery of legal services; LPM, is fast becoming a key component for legal practitioners and law firm’s profitability and growth in client relationships.

Therefore, bearing in mind that most legal practitioners are not trained in project management and arguably may be predisposed to being insufficiently acclimated to the effects of budget, timing, or staffing; LPM facilitates fulfilment of this broader role since it propagates more effective planning, cost control, resource allocation and

are raised by the client are handled, and that there is financial transparency through regular fee updates. The major deliverables of this stage are initiating the project, managing the team and communications, managing the schedule, budget and quality control, assessing and mitigating risks, and lastly refining the project plan as needed

risk management.

LPM- The Process LPM is incorporated into a simple framework that is premised on the proposition that legal mandates are projects, and can be managed accordingly. Accordingly, legal practitioners and law firms are now expected to accept a dual responsibility for performing legal work, and managing such legal work within a budget.

The LPM framework provides a context within which this dual role can be performed, as it divides legal matters into its component project parts, as opposed to its substantive legal parts as follows: 1. Define the Scope – Identify the goals and deliverables for the project 2. Establish the Project Plan – Establish the parameters for time, people, and cost within which the project will be accomplished 3. Execute the project plan– Carry out the project within the established parameters, making adjustments as required 4. Review the Process and Outcome – Assess the project results and lessons learned after its completion 1. Defining the Scope: The scope identifies what the project is to encompass and what it is to accomplish, and is the foundation for subsequent planning and project management. A clearly defined scope will make it easier to determine the project’s phases and timeline, staffing, and budget. It is useful to create a ‘project charter’, to set forth the scope and related, overarching key matters.

The outset of the project is also a good time to develop a communication plan that sets forth

how, to whom, and how often progress of the project will be communicated, to make sure that all stakeholders are sufficiently informed and aware of developments.

2. Establish the Project Plan Proactively planning in advance, certainly saves significant time as legal matter progresses, in addition to minimising the risk of unpleasant surprises. Therefore, it is necessary for legal practitioners and law firms to invest valuable time in understanding a client’s overall strategy and success criteria, as well as the scope of work. It equally involves creating a clear plan that is presented to the client in digestible form.

Establishing a project plan, similarly, involves drawing up a comprehensive budget, as well as an agreement between legal practitioner/ law firm and client on how the matter will be run, including understanding the client’s reporting requirements, allocating clear roles and responsibilities and agreeing how risks will be managed and decisions made. This is also the appropriate time to mobilise the right blend of core team members and specialists, who will make up the project team. All of these factors – tasks, schedule, people, and budget- become part of the project plan, although the budget may be a separate document.

3. Execute the Project Plan This stage involves implementing the project plan, whilst remaining flexible in the face of any changes that occur along the way. Accordingly, it is advised that at this stage, lines of communication be kept open as the matter progresses, such that the client is fully aware of progress. This will equally ensure that any issues or risks that

THE UNCONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE OSINBAJO COMMITTEE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 executive power by himself or through his VP, Ministers. But he cannot directly exercise a power that has been vested on an agency by the or by an Act of the National Assembly (as in the case of the EFCC and the ICPC).

It is clear that by the guideline rolled out by the Osinbajo Committee, that it is not a case of internal affairs of the Presidency. The Committee will take evidence from the SGF and the DG, NIA, and other relevant officers and the public. The Committee will make findings of facts as regard the liability of the two officials. Furthermore, the responsibility of the Committee in respect of the SGF, is “investigations into the allegation of violation of law and due process”. The nature of the investigation raises the bar of the proceedings to criminal proceedings, and in line with the Supreme Court’s decision in Garba v University of Maiduguri, the proceedings of the Committee, are beyond the powers of an internal administrative committee.

President Can Hire or Fire

There is no doubt that the President retains the power to hire and fire members of the executive branch of government. In the case of the SGF and the DG, NIA, their continuance in office is at the pleasure of the President.

The concept of a unitary and effective executive branch, the Constitution empowers the President to remove an officer, if the President no longer trusts his or her judgement, especially if such officer is tainted with allegations of corruption. The President can exercise this power at any time.

But where an officer of the President, has been accused of commission of an offence or corrupt practice as in the case of the two officers, only the Police, the EFCC and the ICPC have constitutional and statutory powers, to investigate the allegations. Already the EFCC is engaged in the investigation of the NIA case and the National Assembly has already indicted the SGF. The best the President can do in these circumstances, it to authorise the EFCC and the ICPC to investigate the allegations in line with their statutory responsibilities. By setting

up the Osinbajo Committee, the President has, perhaps unwittingly, preempted the ICPC and EFCC, created a situation of fait accompli and violated his responsibility to ensure “execution and maintenance of the law”. The President’s action in establishing a committee unknown to law, to investigate allegations of corruption and violation against his officers, is a violation of the Constitution. Any action or proceeding by the Committee in respect of these allegations violates the Constitution.

Disband Osinbajo 3-Man Committee For the interest of protecting the Constitution and not violating the separation of powers in the Constitution, the President should disband the Osinbajo Committee and refer the allegations against the SGF and the DG, NIA to the ICPC and the EFCC respectively, for investigation and other consequential actions.

Dr. Sam Amadi, (LL.B, (Calabar), B.L; LLM, MPA, SJD (Harvard)), Senior Law Lecturer, Baze University, Abuja

4. Review the Process and Outcome Following completion of the matter, it is imperative that loose ends are tied up, and that legal practitioners/law firms capture the client’s feedback on how the matter was handled, and then jointly, share lessons learned to inform future work with the client. Therefore, it is pertinent that the client be allowed the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the project; and potentially educate the client regarding issues that will improve communication and expectations for future similar projects. It is also important to capture and communicate lessons learned, as there may be some activities or tasks that could be better done or performed in a different sequence. Issues to examine at the project wrap-up meeting may include what went well, what was unexpected, the accuracy of the original project plan- including estimates of schedule, people, and budget- and overall learning for future projects.

Conclusion To truly reap the benefits of LPM, legal practitioners and law firms, have to buy-in to the idea that it will help them via increased efficiency. To this end, acknowledging that the legal practitioners already possess the basic skills and that LPM techniques merely provide more structure around what legal practitioner and law firms are already doing, is key to gaining their buy-in. To consolidate on existing knowledge and competence, will involve participation in training, as well as, a willingness to implement some behavioural changes; talking about LPM is one thing; actually accomplishing it, is a whole different ballgame. Thus, effectively employing LPM should ensure that for all sizes of work, legal services are delivered on time, on budget, and are top quality, whilst keeping the client completely informed and in control of key decisions. At this juncture, it is asserted that LPM is here to stay and that legal practitioners and law firms that are successful at implementing it, will certainly gain competitive advantage in the very near future. Nevertheless, like every 'new' initiative, starting small has its benefits, and has been the key to LPM's success thus far, hence the writer encourages all legal practitioners and law firms, to begin the process of institutionalising LPM as the nucleus of their modus operandi.

"THUS, EFFECTIVELY EMPLOYING LPM SHOULD ENSURE THAT FOR ALL SIZES OF WORK, LEGAL SERVICES ARE DELIVERED ON TIME, ON BUDGET, AND ARE TOP QUALITY, WHILST KEEPING THE CLIENT COMPLETELY INFORMED AND IN CONTROL OF KEY DECISIONS. AT THIS JUNCTURE, IT IS ASSERTED THAT LPM IS HERE TO STAY AND THAT LEGAL PRACTITIONERS AND LAW FIRMS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL AT IMPLEMENTING IT, WILL CERTAINLY GAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE"

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Tribute to Abiola Olufunke Anyakwo Sadly, George Etomi, pays tribute to his friends, two superb female lawyers, late Mrs Abiola Anyakwo and late Ms OyintareYeri, both of whom he worked with at different times, at George Etomi & Partners Law (GEPLAW). They both went to be with the Lord last month. Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord. Amen

T

his is one of the most difficult tributes I have ever had to write in my life, because of the personal loss that I feel about Biola’s passing away. AOM (Abiola Olufunke Morgan, then later AOA, Abiola Olufunke Anyakwo, as we fondly referred to her in the office, because it is the tradition to address each other with our initials) was one of the most adorable persons I have had the privilege to interact with.

How we Met Our paths first crossed sometime in 1982 when she was posted to Chris Ogunbanjo & Co where I was working at the time, as part of the traditional Law School office attachment. Biola worked directly with me and notwithstanding the fact that she was still a “student”, I identified her huge potential because it came in the form of a remarkable dedication to the assignments I gave to her.

She shared with me at the time, her intention to proceed for her Master of Laws degree after her Call to the Nigerian Bar. This venture took her to the prestigious University

"ONE ENDEARING QUALITY OF BIOLA WAS HER GENUINENESS. NO AIRS, NO OVERBEARING DISPOSITION. SHE WAS PLAIN LIKEABLE. SHE MAINTAINED THIS CONSISTENCY OF CHARACTER, AND I WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN SHE MET HER HUSBAND, IMMANUEL, WHO GREATLY APPRECIATED HER, FOR THESE QUALITIES AND MANY

W

of Cambridge.

Some of her Achievements The following year, I left Chris Ogunbanjo & Co. to start the law firm known as George Etomi & Co. which later became George Etomi & Partners. Biola and I remained in touch; however, I was surprised when she mentioned that she would like to join me in the newly formed practice. I felt very honoured that she considered it worthy to work with someone who had essentially started a solo practice. I told her at the time that her enormous potentials might be better served if she worked in a more established law firm. After all, she had an intimidating CV. She won the Chris Ogunbanjo prize for the best results in the second year 1970/80 examinations of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos

she won the Federal Government National merit Award in the year 1980 shewontheVice-Chancellor'sPrizefort hebestfinalyearstudentintheFacultyofLaw 1981/1982 session shewontheNationalTrusteesEndowmentFundPrizeforthebestfinalyearstudentinthe Faculty of Law, 1981/82 session shewonthePrizeforthesecondbestoverallperformanceintheNigerianBarExamination held in May 1982 shewontheprizeforthesecondbestresultinCivilProcedureExaminationintheNigerian Bar examinations held in May, 1982 shealsowonthePrizeforthebestfemalestudentintheNigerianBarexaminationheldin May 1982 and finally, shewasabouttobeconferredwiththeMastero fLawsdegreebyarguably,oneofthebest universities in the world.

At George Etomi & Co Biola was adamant that she would like to work with me, and so, right after her Masters degree, she applied for and was offered an appointment to work with George Etomi & Co. in August 1984. This appointment was historic, because it made her the first lawyer apart from me, the founder of the firm, to work in there. The four years she spent in the firm were truly remarkable. She applied her full intellectual ability to all assignments that she was given. I recall that some of

Abiola Anyakwo

the most esoteric work we had to do, we could accomplish because, whilst I was doing the running around as they say, Biola very capably, manned the office and like a pre-programmed factory, churned out one excellent work after the other, as the firm started to announce itself to the outside world.

I recall very vividly that we handled such high caliber transactions, as representing the consortium of seventeen different international companies that won the contract to construct the Lagos Metroline Project. We also worked on several briefs that had to do with the construction of our then new capital city, Abuja. Notable among these are the negotiations of the construction of a five star hotel and the Jabi & Lower Usman dams, the two main dams that supply water to Abuja.

Biola's Family

Her time in the office was also when the banking revolution in Nigeria started, and our firm was engaged to do the foundational works that saw to the birth of some of the largest banks in Nigeria today. There is nothing that gives more confidence than to know that someone has your back, and Biola had my back. Through her, I met her lovely mother, all her siblings, Jinmi, Remi and Seye; and those she has also acquired along the way, Beatrice, Yinka and Sade. I also came to know some of her wonderful cousins, especially Mrs Ekua Abudu (Nee Sagoe) and Mrs Subu Giwa-Amu (Nee ßAdebola) who later worked with the firm. I also met some of her most loyal friends who have remained so till this day. There was no way anyone who knew Biola would not know the Morgans, and it is not a surprise that the Etomi and the Morgan families share a lot of warmth and closeness.

Her Endearing Qualities One endearing quality of Biola was her genuineness. No airs, no overbearing disposition. She was plain likeable. She maintained this consistency of character, and I was not surprised when she met her husband, Immanuel, who greatly appreciated her, for these qualities and many more. Biola was one gem of a woman. When sadly, she lost Immanuel over a decade ago, she dedicated her love and career towards bringing up their children, Evita, Nonso and Chifum. I was her confidant, and she spoke to me on just about any subject and even three weeks before she passed on, we spoke for over an hour on various issues, including some personal challenges she was facing. Nothing in all of this conversation prepared me for the news of her demise.

It will take some doing for all this to sink in, but all I can ask, is for Our God and Father to accept her beautiful soul. She served Him through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and I am confident that she will be accepted into His Kingdom.

Finally, my heart goes out to her children, her siblings, cousins, friends, and everybody else Biola touched in one way or the other. I can only say thank you to God for the gift of Abiola Olufunke Anyakwo (nee Morgan).

George Etomi (GUE)

Tribute to Tare Edith Yeri

hilst our law firm was still coming to terms with the sudden demise of the first Associate, Mrs. Abiola Anyakwo Nee Morgan in Canada, we were hit with the news of the death of another worthy alumnus of the GEPLAW family, Ms. Oyintare Edith Yeri; she was simply known as Tare. This has been so hard to understand, not to talk of accepting.

Tare was born about 40 years to BrigadierGeneral and Mrs Yeri, the first of three siblings in her nuclear line. She had her early schooling in Port-Harcourt and eventually studied law and was called to the Bar year 2000. Being a child of a soldier, her life was characterised by frequent movements to different parts of the country, in line with her father's military postings. It is therefore, not surprising that Tare developed friendships and bonds way beyond her immediate environment. One only has to look at the tributes in her honour pouring in from all parts of the country, as well as overseas, to appreciate this statement.

Tare was a talented organiser and that was how I first met her. She was Secretary to the Ijaw Congress that was agitating for greater representation in the political development

Tare Yeri

of this country. I was involved with another group with primarily the same goals. When both groups decided to merge and to ex-

pand to become more national in outlook, Tare became the Secretary of the new body known at the time as the Association of Professionals for Good Leadership (APGL).

Everyone agreed that she was ruthlessly efficient. When we felt our voices had been heard, most of us returned to our primary callings. That was when Tare applied to and joined the George Etoml & Partners family (GEPLAW). She was an instant hit because, at the time, I was steering the Section of Business Law of the NBA, to become the Section to beat in the NBA history. I found Tare's organisational skills very useful. The Section did not have the resources then to engage Events Planners, so it fell on the young men and women cutting across various commercial law practices, to get the job done. Tare excelled and even after my tenure, she served every SBL Council until she passed on. In fact she had told the current Chair, Mr. Olu Akpata,

"TARE WAS A RABID PHILANTHROPIST. DURING THE AMNESTY PROGRAM, SHE SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFIED AND TRAINED OR RETRAINED MANY 'MILITANTS', WHO ACQUIRED SKILLS WITH WHICH THEY ARE FENDING FOR THEMSELVES TODAY"

that she would be around to assist with the organisation of the 11th SBL Conference coming up in June this year.

Tare was a rabid philanthropist. During the Amnesty program, she successfully identified and trained or retrained many 'militants ' who acquired skills with which they are fending for themselves today. She invited me to one of the graduation ceremonies of her Centre and the scenes were very emotional. Through her work she changed the lives of so many young men and women for the better. She also ran an NGO that operated deep in the creeks of the Niger Delta, as she took her message of hope right to the source. To think she accomplished all this at barely 40 year of age!

As we come to terms with the reality that Tare has left us for good, I pray that God will comfort everyone whose life she touched. I pray especially for her father, who must be severely heart broken at loss of such a star. I pray for her siblings and other relatives, to whom she was a pillar of strength.

With Tare, the saying that not how long, but how well, comes to life. She did what many would spend a lifetime accomplishing, in her relatively short sojourn here on Earth. May the Angels welcome one of their own and may she find rest in the bosom of our Lord.

Rest In Peace.

George ETOMI, FNIALS NPOM

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9.05.2017

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HEALTHCARE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Olutoyin Saraki

Postnatal Education program, which as Nigeria's pioneer and premier health visitor program, whose skilled midwife provides expectant and newly delivered mothers with a continuum of education, care and counsel of their bodies, enabling them to be informed partners is seeking, and achieving, better health outcomes for their deliveries, their newborns, and their families. The Mamacare classes run across 27 locations currently in 3 states, Kwara, Lagos and FCT Abuja. Having reached over 230,000 mothers, newborns and their families, we now have evidence to show that this crucial education intervention, delivered respectfully, at a time when a woman is naturally inclined to nest and to nurture, saves lives. We have not lost a single mother to death in childbirth, a marked contrast to the still worrying national morbidity rate of 1 mother of every 12 dying in childbirth.

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa also collaborates with and supports other organisations working to reduce maternal and newborn health, such as Every Woman Every Child, the International Confederation of Midwives, Save The Children, the White Ribbon Alliance, the Women Advocates For Vaccine Access, the ONE Campaign, the Nigeria Primary Health Care Revitalisation Support Group, Girls Not Brides, the United Nations Population Fund, and many others. Also, through my position as Africa Champion of the White Ribbon Alliance, I am in contact with other African organisations which has the same target in their respective country. I really believe in working together, for a stronger and more effective Africa, every national organisation understands its country best, so it is better and more effective to work with other national organisations, rather than WBFA starting programs of its own from scratch in each country.

In fact, because we work in so many strategic partnerships nationally, regionally and globally, in concert with global policy makers, there are many benefits that Nigerian citizens enjoy, in several donor-funded government programs, that many would not immediately recognise as being a direct result of the Wellbeing Foundation's global interactions over the last decade., For instance, the Midwives Service Scheme, Community Health Insurance Model developed with partners, Conditional Cash Transfer mechanism to lift families out of poverty, adoption of misoprostol into the Essential Medicines list in treating

postpartum haemorrhages, acceptability and regulation of family planning and contraceptives dispensed by community health workers, and our development of the now ubiquitous clean delivery "Mamakit", which has been adopted, replicated and amplified so widely across the country, in ensuring that every pregnant woman has sanitary and sterile delivery materials with her, to encourage hospital deliveries, steps which contributed largely, through our courage and non-acceptance of dire indices, to a 35% drop in morbidity, between 2006 and 2015. Other efforts include our input into public service advocacy within the MAMA alliance led by the Praekelt Foundation and GSMA, which resulted in Airtel sharing maternity messaging nationwide.

Regionally, a Forbes Philanthropy roundtable I chaired at the behest of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2013, to channel much-needed donor assistance to Liberia led to the multimillion-dollar last Mile Health Initiative to take healthcare solutions to Liberia’s rural populations. Remarkably, it also formed the eventual frameworks used by donor agencies in responding to the Ebola crisis. Similarly, our work with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, in 2008, led to Ghana independently strengthening their health accountability mechanisms, through improved health record-keeping, and their roll-out of the Pregnancy Schools Initiative, similar in format and content to Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s Mamacare Antenatal and Postnatal Education Curriculum.

This year, we look forward to launching the Alive and Thrive nutrition initiative in 6 Nigerian States, in conjunction with our partners McCann Global Health. We also have plans for expansion of Wellbeing

Foundations’ core activities to Tanzania and Kenya with other partners of our “Speak Up Africa” Consortium.

The world infant mortality rate, that is, the number of deaths of infants under one-year old per 1,000 live births, is about 49.4% according to the United Nations, while it is over 60% in Nigeria. This is alarmingly high. What is the reason for this high infant mortality rate, particularly in Nigeria?

There are quite a few reasons why infant mortality is so high in Nigeria.

Firstly, there is a shortage of midwives that are well-qualified and trained across the country. There is a shocking statistic from UNICEF which notes that lack of “adequate or non-existent care during pregnancy and delivery was largely responsible for the annual deaths of an estimated 303,000 mothers and 2.7 million newborns in the first month of life in 2015". Statistics such as this, demonstrate how pertinent skilled birth attendants are. Nigerian expectant mothers need a midwife to give them a continuum of care and counsel during pregnancy and labor, without this many preventable problems will not be dealt with and may lead to death or injury.

It is also the midwife that will help mothers understand how to breastfeed, breastfeeding must be promoted in Nigeria. There must be exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6-months of a child's life, this will help with building the newborn’s immune system and its growth into a healthy child.

Midwives are also well-placed in recording and giving medical advice on vaccination and immunisations for

"THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE ANONYMOUS WOMEN'S REFUGES IN NIGERIA, WHERE WOMEN CAN GO WITH THEIR CHILDREN IF THEY ARE FACING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. IF WOMEN FINALLY FIND THE POWER TO LEAVE, MANY ARE LEFT WITH NOWHERE TO GO, SO SAFE HAVENS FOR VICTIMS NEED TO BE BUILT, TO ENSURE THEIR SECURITY AND LIVES, WITHOUT STIGMA"

newborns and their mothers, an immunised and vaccinated mother will pass her antibodies to her baby. Also, there are immunisations which you can only take before you are pregnant and if you do not have these, the baby once born must be immunised. All this advice and care can be given by a midwife, and that is why we need to deploy, train and promote midwifery in Nigeria, it is the key solution to improving infant mortality rates.

What advice can WBF proffer to the Nigerian Government on how to decrease the infant mortality rate?

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa would suggest to the Federal Government to increase its investment in health care and health professionals. I am currently the Chair of the Primary Healthcare Revitalisation Support Group, and the purpose of the group is to hold the Federal Government to account with regards to spending on the health budget, and to implement the National Health Act by setting aside not less than 1 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to the Basic Health Care Provisions Fund.

The Federal Government also needs to increase the salaries of midwives and healthcare workers. In the new report by the World Health Organisation, “ Midwives’ Voices Midwives Realities, they interviewed over 2000 midwives which all said how they were not receiving an adequate salary to live well or not receiving a salary at all. The Federal Government has to ensure that midwives, doctors, and other healthcare professionals are remunerated for their work in a timely and respectful manner.

We can reduce infant mortality if we invest and equip our hospitals and clinics and our healthcare workers.

It goes without saying that the financial considerations of delivering universal health care will not be achieved without sustainable health financing, which makes effective health insurance structures an absolute prerequisite. I would like to see a rapid escalation of coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme, on the lines of the highly successful community-based health insurance model pioneered by the Kwara State Government during my husband's tenure as Governor in 2007 to 2011. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa independently committed it's Alaafia Universal Health Access Fund to capacitat-

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HEALTHCARE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 ing 5000 new enrollees yearly into this Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme for many years, drawn from pregnant women and their newborns, adolescents, people living with HIV-AIDS, and the aged, in collaboration with the PharmAccess Foundation and the Dutch Health Insurance Fund. This Kwara CHIS has now been integrated into the Federal Government's global donors-assisted "Saving One Million Lives" Initiative, and is making progress, but with a population estimate of 200 million Nigerians by 2030, I fear that saving just 1 million lives is far too low a hanging fruit, for us as a nation to congratulate ourselves.

What kind of treatment does a Primary Health Care Centre provide? How well do you think that the Government is doing with Primary Health Care? Does Primary Health Care have any role to play in improving the delivery of medical care to Nigerians? Establishment of these centres in every nook and cranny of the country, especially rural areas, would it serve any useful purpose?

A well equipped, well staffed, well run and well regulated Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) is an essential element in providing effective basic care to simple health ailments within a well- structured health delivery hierarchy. The Federal Government has already announced it's pledged revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, and this commitment needs to happen. Even if you have money for private healthcare in Nigeria, if an emergency occurs, you are more than likely to be sent to the nearest PHC rather than a private hospital, thus, the PHC is the first point of contact for everyone in the country. There are also no absolute guarantees of quality delivered at private health facilities. We must invest and improve the conditions at PHCs. The existing PHCs need to be refurbished, adequately equipped and staffed. Being part of the Primary Healthcare Revitalisation Support Group, we are ensuring investment is made to primary healthcare centres across the country. We also need to build more PHCs to be able to treat our growing population in Nigeria. The battle to save and improve the lives of Nigerians will be fought, and hopefully won, at the primary health frontline, which is where challenges are first presented.

How does medical care in Nigeria rate in comparison to some of the other African countries that WBF is represented in, like Ghana for instance? It is our considered opinion that budget allocation for healthcare in Nigeria has always been consistently low, not just with this present administration but previous ones. Do you agree? Has WBF together with other stakeholders in the healthcare sector, tried to constitute themselves as a pressure group to lobby the National Assembly into securing an increase in the budget allocation for healthcare in Nigeria?

As I stated before, it is with the Primary Healthcare Revitalisation Support Group that I chair which the Wellbeing Foundation Africa is ensuring accurate and fair budget allocation in healthcare to Nigeria.

"IF WE EMPOWER AND TEACH COMMUNITY, TRADITIONAL AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS THAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS WRONG AND THEY HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT WOMEN, THEN THE LAW WILL BE BETTER IMPLEMENTED"

What is the purpose and significance of the International Day of the Midwife which took place on May 5, 2017?

The purpose of the International Day of the Midwife is to celebrate, empower and promote midwives and midwifery internationally and nationally. As the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives and the Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, I believe that midwives are the key to improving maternal and newborn health internationally. May 5th is a day that each year gives an opportunity for organisation's like my own and ICM to remind policymakers, citizens and international organisations of the importance of midwives.

As the wife of the Kwara State Governor, you got to see how the State Educational System works. What was your assessment of the educational system in Kwara State? What did you do to improve the quality and standard of education in Kwara State while your husband was Governor? What advice can you offer as to how Nigeria can improve its standard of education generally. Some have said that it may be best for us to return to the old system of education, that is, 7 years primary, 5 years for WASC and 2 years Advanced Level then University. Do you agree?

Would it make a difference?

As the wife of the Governor of Kwara State, from 2003 to 2011, my principal focus was to make myself available for any advocacy that would complement State and Federal Government initiatives, citizen engagement so to speak. The State Government had undertaken a comprehensive and frankly honest NEEDS assessment and had produced their SEEDS analysis, which guided their educational strategy, delivery and implementation, which ensured that teachers were trained and retrained to meet the requirements of their responsibilities. From my contribution as an advocate, I chose to focus once again on a rights based approach, which led me to advocate for Girl Child Education, and to lead the campaign for the domestication of the Child Rights Act in Kwara State, in 2010, as the first of the 19 Northern States of Nigeria to sign this landmark legislation into law. Going further, having hosted Nigeria's First Conference on the Rights of the Child, in 2010, Kwara State led the nation in establishing Nigeria's first Child Rights Implementation Committee and Child Protection Network. While philanthropically I provided literacy and numeracy back to school kits for indigent children annually, and provided textbooks and learning materials as well as classrom furniture as my assistance to 32 primary and secondary schools in the 16 local government areas of the State, I was happy to be able to support the Kwara State School for Special Needs throughout my husband's tenure, and also to donate a purpose built and still thriving faith-based school, the AL Muwahideen Nursery and Primary School, to Ori-Oke Community in Kwara State, all of whom I still support, to date. I am an adherent of the 7-5-2 continuum of years model because I believe it offers more and better opportunities to intervene in monitoring and evaluation of educational services delivery.

What, in your view, are those gender issues that should occupy the frontburner in our national discourse?

I think the point of importance for gender equality in Nigeria is equal access, equal access to education, health and finance. In other words, gender equity. If women and girls have more equitable and more equal chances to become educated without fear of child marriage or their family’s disapproval and rejection, gender equality will improve. Women and girls need equal access to health information and hospitals, to be allowed to gain free and confidential health advice from a doctor or midwife about their bodies and lifestyles. We need to teach girls about their rights, bodies and about respectful relationships in school; this would lead

Olutoyin Saraki

to a comprehensive Personal Social And Health Education, and in fact, my Wellbeing Foundation Africa has developed an Adolescent PSHE Skills and Drills Curriculum, which we launched to over 2500 girls in 2016, and which I would like to take nationwide.

Another part of society which women and girls are excluded from, is finance and understanding how to become financially independent. Many issues arise from women and girls not having the ability to leave a situation, home because of lack of access to their own money, the power is really in the purse. The more women and girls become financially independent, the more power they have over their lives and destiny. At the Wellbeing Foundation, we encourage every Mamacare expectant mother to open a savings account, and save towards being able to exercise her birth choices, and for her child, for at least 100 days.

For the first time in Nigeria’s history, women are now allowed to stand as sureties for bail, but implementation remains a huge challenge. As a lawyer what else needs to be done to ensure that women are accorded this legal right?

Bail sureties more often than not, involve the deposition of the deeds to a landed property, or share certificates. We need to make it easier for women to own property, and in fact to overcome our cultural bias or assumption against the concept of women owning or inheriting property The Violence Against Persons Bill was eventually passed by the National Assembly two years ago, after many years in the legislative chambers.

Given the level of domestic violence and rising incidents reported across the country, how in your view can that law be given more teeth to protect women, children and vulnerable persons?

The power in Nigeria and other similar countries, is in the community. If we empower and teach community, traditional and religious leaders that domestic

violence is wrong and they have a duty to protect women, then the law will be better implemented. When I recall the furore that greeted the Wellbeing Foundation's first documentary on intimate partner violence in 2012, I was discouraged by some professed attitudes on the one hand, but encouraged that through lifting the veil of silence, we had removed the stigma of secrecy, leading to a dramatic increase in the reporting of incidents and cases, and a corresponding understanding of domestic violence's unacceptability.

An early signal that as a nation, we do have the capacity for frank and honest conversations, in confronting sensitive issues, for the public good. As a woman you cannot escape an abusive marriage if you are forced to stay by your parents, family and religious leaders. If women could have the support of the community leaders, that will transform the plight of domestic violence victims. It will empower them to have a local implementer that has respect in the community that can protect them.

We must also never underestimate the burden of a lack of financial selfautonomy in the case of anybody who finds themselves trapped in an abusive situation, whether it be vulnerabilities exploited wrongfully in a domestic context, a workplace context, or even, as evidenced in many parts of the world, a misplaced or misguided faith-based context.

There also needs to be anonymous women's refuges in Nigeria, where women can go with their children, if they are facing domestic violence. If women finally find the power to leave, many are left with nowhere to go, so safe havens for the victims need to be built to ensure their security and lives, without stigma. There should be limits, set and enforced by governments, to the stoic endurance of our citizens without complaint, and respectful help, accessible when required.

That, in my humble opinion, would be an authentic social safety net, and in common with all my focal areas of intervention and action, my little contribution to improving the tensile strength and resilience of the the social fabric in our society.

12/

9.05.2017

Electoral Reforms: INEC's Power to Disqualify Candidates This article by Joe Edet discusses the Senator Ken Nnamani led Electoral Reform Panel's consideration of a proposal, to give INEC sweeping powers, to disqualify electoral candidates who are not qualified to contest elections. He opines that amending the Electoral Act to grant INEC such powers, would not only be unconstitutional, but against the principles of natural justice and good conscience

T

aking the Israelites back to Egypt The Electoral Reform Panel is said to be considering a proposal aimed at giving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sweeping powers to disqualify candidates found wanting in electoral processes. According to the Reform Panel, the move is to help overcome a myriad of challenges militating against the process of credible elections in the country. The Chairman of the Panel, Senator Ken Nnamani was quoted in Jos, Plateau State, as saying that pre-electoral issues were as important as electoral issues, and thus, INEC should be empowered to qualify and disqualify candidates. This proposal simply translates to taking us back to the draconian days of the military, when Nigerians have finally heaved a sigh of relief. It's akin to taking the Israelites back to Egypt when they were already in the promised land.

AC v INEC The call is coming just when we thought the Supreme Court had finally settled the issue in AC v INEC in an unanimous decision; it is unfortunate that, this issue is rearing it's ugly head once again. In AC v INEC, the issue for determination inter alia, was whether INEC acted within its purview to disqualify a candidate for an election put forward by a political party, from contesting an election in the 2007 general elections, having regard to constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act. The facts of the case are not in issue, but it is pertinent to refresh our minds.

The Action Congress (AC) conducted it's national convention in which the then Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged as the presidential candidate of the party. Though his name was forwarded to INEC, Atiku claimed that INEC had planned to disqualify him and some other candidates,through a screening process, and contended that the electoral body lacked such powers to disqualify any candidate the pretence of screening or verification exercise.

The Supreme Court stated clearly that Section 137(1) and paragraph 15(a) of the third schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (the Constitution) does not confer on INEC the power to disqualify any candidate from contesting election, either expressly or by necessary implication.

In his judgement, Ogbuagu JSC stated that if such a provision had existed, a frankenstein monster would have been created, where candidates were even disqualified on the very day some of the elections were in progress. He submitted that such scenarios will witness a very dangerous phenomenon when INEC, could have on its own whims and caprices and where it's officials may not like the face of a particular candidate and/or any reason, perhaps personal to any of them, in order to humiliate and / or embarrass such a candidate, disqualify him/her.

The Court stated that the power to nominate and sponsor a candidate for an election, is specifically preserved by the statutes to political parties, and that it is in recognition and anticipation of the powers of political parties to examine, test, screen and verify candidates before presenting then for election, that the Act makes it mandatory for political parties to submit a sworn affidavit by each candidate indicating that he has fulfilled all the constitutional requirements for election into that office. That, where a person subscribes to an oath or swears to an affidavit, which of course must be done before a person having authority to administer such oath or affidavit, he is taken to be telling the truth and nothing but the truth. That relying on section 32(4) and (5) of the Electoral Act 2006, any person who believes that an information given by a candidate in the affidavit is false may challenge it in a court of competent jurisdiction. The Court shall thereafter issue an order disqualifying the candidate if found guilty. That it wasn't the intention of the legislatures, to put any candidate in double jeopardy by being 'screened' and 'verified' twice,that is, by his political party and by INEC. Military Dispensation, Bans and Electoral Commission Disqualification The case of AC v INEC, is clearly a locus classicus which was aimed at freeing the candidates from the shackles of oppression and subjugation by the electoral body; a radical departure from what existed, especially during the military interregnum, where decrees were churned out to exclude or disqualify candidates from standing in for elections. In the ignominious military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, some set of politicians were even banned and outrightly barred from contesting elections for life, in one fell swoop.

Indeed that administration even banned all political parties and decreed the creation of two political parties viz: the National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) into existence, in his own idea of democracy, which was termed indigenous. The Federal, State and Local governments, were directed to mandatorily build Political Party offices. These

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani

were government-sponsored parties. The Electoral Act, 2002 as directed by the military, vested the Electoral Commission with the power to disqualify candidates standing for elections. Indeed, this power was really abused, as the Commission simply invoked their whims and caprices at any time, to exclude individuals from participating in elections under spurious and unreasonable claims.

Nigerians are so desirous of putting the dark days of the military behind. Thus,It was a great relief when the Supreme Court weighed in rather heavily in favour of the Electoral Act, 2006, which had stripped INEC of the powers to disqualify candidates from standing in for elections. The Electoral Act, 2002 in section 21(8), had seemingly bestowed on INEC judicial power which originally and constitutionally is granted to the Judiciary by section 6 (1) of the Constitution. Thus, the Supreme Court unanimously held that to disqualify a person from contesting election, only a court of law, of competent jurisdiction, has the constitutional power. The apex court declared that nothing in section 137(1) of the Constitution gives INEC the impetus to qualify or disqualify any candidate.

On June 13th 2013, INEC had urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to enable it disqualify candidates.

In a letter, signed by its erstwhile Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, INEC was asking for the power to screen and subsequently, disqualify any candidate if there is a prima facie proof of the fact that the candidate is unqualified. In addition, it sought power to disqualify for 10 years, anyone convicted for electoral offences by a court or tribunal. Also, ahead of the 2015 general elections, INEC had equally proposed amendments aimed at granting it the power to disqualify candidates.

The then Chairman of the electoral body presented the proposed amendments to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review in 2013, during a retreat organised to review the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended). Making the presentation, the Chairman proposed that INEC be empowered to disqualify candidates, subject to judicial review. He claimed that, the INEC is not just an electoral body, but a regulatory one as well. He suggested that any political party that presents a candidate who fails to meet the provisions of the Constitution, should be disqualified from contesting that election. The Commission suggested that section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2010 be amended to read thus: “Subject to the provisions of section 87 of this Act, every political party shall, not later than 60 days before the date appointed for an election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the commission, in prescribed forms, the list of candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the election”.

This request by INEC was very ridiculous. To start with, the presumption of innocence is a fundamental and constitutional requirement of law. Section 36(5) of the Constitution, succinctly states as follows: “Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty”.

In fact, section 36 (1) of the Constitution, corroborates this section by providing that in determining civil rights and obligations, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing by a court or tribunal constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality. The proper forum or venue to discharge this constitutional responsibility or obligation, is the law court as prescribed by the Constitution.

This request or demand of INEC goes completely against the provision of the Constitution, and in fact, against the principle of natural justice, equity and good conscience. Why should anyone be made to suffer for a crime or offence, when his/her guilt has not been so proven? The position of the Supreme Court in AC v INEC was therefore, not only appropriate, but also very apposite. INEC should concentrate more on fashioning ways of conducting free and fair elections, rather than qualification and disqualification of aspirants, a responsibility clearly bestowed on the courts.

Uzodinma v Izunaso Since I'm in no position to better the language of the law lords, I adopt their position as mine hook line and sinker. In Uzodinma v Izunaso, the court stated that mere insinuation or allegation of crime or dishonest conduct, without evidence or conviction, does not constitute sufficient ground to disqualify a person from contesting elections. Thus, section 32(4) of the Electoral Act, 2010, was given credence and given its real and true meaning. It however seems that, INEC has not given up entirely on its quest to assume the role not bestowed on it by the Constitution. They might have sold this idea to the reform panel.

INEC's Continuous Requests

"THE POSITION OF THE SUPREME COURT IN AC V INEC WAS THEREFORE, NOT ONLY APPROPRIATE, BUT ALSO VERY APPOSITE. INEC SHOULD CONCENTRATE MORE ON FASHIONING WAYS OF CONDUCTING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS, RATHER THAN QUALIFICATION AND DISQUALIFICATION OF ASPIRANTS, A RESPONSIBILITY CLEARLY BESTOWED ON THE COURTS"

Dr Joe Edet, Constitutional Lawyer, Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State

9.05.2017

/13

The 2017 Annual Punuka Law Lecture themed "The Role of Public Private Partnership in Infrastructure Development" took place at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos on April 27.

Here are some of the personalities that attended the event

L-R: Guest Lecturer\ Partner at WeirFoulds LLP, Frank Walwyn; Guest Lecturer\Founder E. Anthony Ross Professional Corporation, Anthony Ross QC.

L-R: Managing Director, UACN Property Development Company PLC, Mr. Hakeem Omidiran and MD, Allied Air Limited, Mr. Valentine Tongo

L-R: Managing Director, UACN Property Development Company PLC, Mr. Hakeem Omidiran; MD, Allied Air Limited, Mr. Valentine Tongo and CEO, DonniaAnderson Consulting, Chief Don Ezeh

L-R Mr Kelechi Ozuzu and Mrs Oby Anubi

L-R: Senior Parter, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN; Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule; Mrs Elizabeth Idigbe and Chairman, Nestle\ Special Guest of Honour, Engr.

L-R: Guest Lecturer\Founder E. Anthony Ross Professional Corporation, Anthony Ross QC; Senior Partner, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN

R-L: Senior Partner, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN and Group Managing Director, Tower Azuminioiu, Dr. Jinesn C. Dugad

L-R: Headof Investment and Management, Security and Exchange Commissionion, Abuja, Mr. Efiok E. Efiok and MD,

L-R: Group Managing Director, Tower Azuminioiu, Dr. Jinesn C. Dugad and former Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Leke Pitan

L-R Managing Director, UACN Property Development Company PLC, Mr Hakeem Omidiran and Mr Frank Walwyn

L-R: Chairman Nestle\Special Guest of Honour, Engr. David C. Ifezulike; Senior Partner, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN; Guest Lecturer\Founder E. Anthony Ross Professional Corporation, Anthony Ross QC; MD, Planeg Progress Ltd, Mr. Biodun Otunola and Guest Lecturer\ Partner at WeirFoulds LLP, Frank Walwyn

L-R: Hussaina Gobir and CEO, Kronikla & Associates, Mr Akin Fatunke

L-R; Former MD, Hallmark Bank, Chief Mark Wabara and Barr.

Emmanuel Iloba.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HEALTHCARE

09.05.2017

Olutoyin Saraki

16/

9.05.2017

Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and the Inter-Reformers Band

Chief Performer Dino Melaye and the Inter-Senatorial Crooners, singing their 2017 hit which went viral and became No.1 on the Charts, "Ajekun Iya"

2/DASHBOARD

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

9.05.2017

Defence of Provocation in Culpable Homicide Punishable with Death

09.05.2017

PAGE 4

NBA Lagos Forum Tackles Practice Challenges PAGE 5

'You Must Carve a Niche for Yourself' PAGE 6

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HEALTHCARE

How to Sustain Nigeria's Democracy

By Alegeh, Ex-NBA President PAGE 6

QUOTABLES 'We will ensure that we look into it (events that took place in Queen's College). The idea RI D SXEOLF KHDULQJ WR ÀQG RXW ZKDW UHDOO\ happened. Who were those that were reVSRQVLEOH IRU LW" $QG LI WKHUH LV DQ\ HYLGHQFH RI DQ\ FULPLQDO QHJOLJHQFH ZKRHYHU ZDV LQvolved should be prosecuted.' - Senator Dr. Bukola Saraki, CON, Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Unconstitutionality of the Osinbajo Committee PAGE 7

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- Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Lawyer, Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria

'The state of Queen's College is pitiable. It LV GLVJUDFHIXO DQG VKDPHIXO 7KH &ROOHJH LV PRUH RI D V\PEROLF RI D &RQFHQWUDWLRQ &DPS WKDQ LW LV D SXEOLF LQVWLWXWLRQ

- Senator Shehu Sani, Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (APC, Kaduna Central)

COLUMNIST GREG NWAKOGO Greg Nwakogo is the Managing Partner of Rosberg Legal Practitioners & Arbitrators. His expertise includes transactions advisory, commercial litigation, arbitration and alternative Dispute Resolution, with experience spanning over a decade. He is an Executive Committee member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) Nigeria Branch and a Member of Regional Coordinating Committee for Africa, Middle East and Turkey Chapter of the International Chamber of Commerce, Young Arbitrators Forum (ICCYAF). In his column, 'The Transaction', the award winning lawyer offers tidbit transaction advisory and sometimes delves into general contemporary legal issues.

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

/3

Of Unpaid Workers and Corruption

M May Day

ay 1st, May Day, also known as Labour Day or International Workers’ Day or Loyalty Day, occurs all over the world every year. Aside from being a day that some foreign countries set aside to enjoy the season of bright sunny warm Spring, after months of cold miserable wet Autumn and Winter weathers, it is also a day when workers all over the world, show solidarity.

They march, protest and make their demands for more favourable working conditions, to their various Governments.

The connotation of this day dates back as far as the 19th Century, May 1886, when some American workmen organised a nationwide demonstration and strike, in support of an 8- hour work day, as the norm for workers then, was between a 10 and 16-hour work day in harsh and unsafe conditions, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Several people lost their lives in that protest, while many more were injured. But thanks to them, today the 8- hour work day is the norm in most parts of the world.

Minimum Wage v Living Wage While members of the National Assembly enjoy the benefits of mysterious, exorbitant and unjustifiable salaries with perquisites, and Governors enjoy their “security votes” which they do not have to account for, May 1, 2017, was indeed a day of shame for Nigeria, where workers took to the streets to protest that Government increase the minimum wage to N56,000.

A Minimum Wage is the lowest wage permitted by law. However, it may not necessarily be sufficient. What we should be discussing is not a Minimum Wage that is far from adequate, but a Living Wage, that is, a wage that is adequate enough to maintain at least, a subsistence standard of living. I wonder how the present minimum wage of N18,000 per month can pay rent, feed a family of husband and wife and 2 children, send their children to school, buy them uniforms, buy them clothes, etc?

Nigerian Workers In Nigeria, May Day, 2017, was a day of workers’ protests alright, protesting to be paid salaries which in some cases, have not been paid for over a year. Kogi State ‘took the cake’ and won the award for non-payment of salaries, as it had 15 months unpaid salaries!

Osun, 12 months, Kwara, 11 months, Bayelsa, 7 months, Ondo, 7 months, Ekiti, 6 months, Oyo, 6 months and the list goes on. Thankfully, Anambra, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Cross River, Rivers, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Sokoto

and Zamfara States, are excluded from the debtors list. Last week, I saw a headline in one of the dailies saying doctors, who should be held in the highest esteem, are protesting non-payment of 22 months salaries Labour Act and Sick Leave What is good for the goose, they say, is good for the gander. Section 16 of the Labour Act provides that every worker is entitled to 12 days paid sick leave per annum, for temporary illness certified by a registered medical practitioner. However, it seems that conveniently, the Labour Act is only applicable to those that are involved in manual labour and clerical duties, both in the private and public sectors, and not the professional and elite workers, who seem to be able to take more than 70 days or unlimited paid sick leave per annum, either in Nigeria or abroad, (with all medical expenses covered by the employer, without fulfilling the conditions required to qualify for the non-professional worker’s 12 day paid sick leave).

If my memory serves me right, Section 42(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (the Constitution) provides inter alia (amongst other things), that no Nigerian citizen shall enjoy privileges or advantages that are not accorded to other citizens.

If it was a low income worker that was ill and had to take 70 days off work, chances are that not only would the employer not bear the cost of the medical expenses, he or she would probably be sacked from that job.

With what Nigeria experienced with the late President Yar'Adua and now, President Buhari's health challenges, it may be sensible for those that want to aspire to be President, to undertake medical tests and be certified fit, not necessarily fit with perfect health, but fit enough to do the job, just like the tests most people have to undertake, to be able to qualify to work in many establishments. While Vice President Osinbajo did show Nigerians that he was indeed, up to the task to lead the country when President Buhari was away on medical leave in the UK earlier this year, there is however, a reason why the Constitution provides for the two offices of President and Vice President, not just that the Vice Present should act in the position of the President in the President's absence, but for them to function together as a team.

I however, concede that President Buhari is certainly not a young man. He was over the age of 70 when he was elected as President of Nigeria, and this fact, was well known to all Nigerians when they voted him in. It is also common place for the health to start failing at that age. My point is that, just as the President is being shown understanding and compassion, so also Nigerian Pensioners especially, who only have their Pensions for

support in their old age, should also be treated with respect and compassion. They should not have to beg to be paid their pensions timeously.

Fight Against Corruption And the Government says that it is fighting corruption? If these workers are only just corrupt, Government should be thankful.

It is a wonder that they have not all hit the streets and taken to different types of criminal activities, in order to eke out a living.

When, in the first place, you pay someone a pittance of N18,000 per month, and then, you withhold it for almost one and a half years, how do you expect such a person to survive? To go to their landlords, the market, children’s schools etc and request that these services should be provided for them on credit, because their salaries have not been paid? Meanwhile, we have never heard that Government owes the members of the National Assembly their salaries.

And even if the members of National Assembly are owed salaries, they are paid excessively and have enough to keep them going until they are eventually paid.

Recently, Nigerian Pensioners also had cause to visit the National Assembly, because of this same issue of non-payment of pensions.

Helpless old people, who have served this country in their youth, and Government treats them so shabbily and denies them of their rights?

This is simply despicable. SHAME! Nigerian Government’s (both past and present) secret of its penchant for owing workers remuneration blew open internationally, when workers at the Nigerian Embassy, Washington DC, USA, were reported to have gone on strike and shut down, to protest the non-payment of their 5 months salaries. The report stated that they even threatened to report the Nigerian Government to the American Labour Department. SHAME! However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since come out to refute this claim, stating that only some junior workers of the Embassy were being owed salaries, and urgent moves were being made to rectify the situation.

My point exactly. Government seems to be in the habit of generally discriminating against junior workers and treating them badly, even those serving abroad. Why pay those who can afford to be owed salaries, exorbitant salaries and timeously too, and then owe those who cannot make ends meet, the pittance that is due to them, that they so desperately need?

Government should desist from the hypocrisy.

You cannot say that you do not want corruption on the one hand, while you create a beautiful environment for corruption to thrive, on the other hand. Some months ago,

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE

THE ADVOCATE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com

"LKY DID NOT ACHIEVE THE LAUDABLE GOAL OF STAMPING OUT CORRUPTION IN HIS COUNTRY,

BY PAYING A PRIVILEGED SECTION OF THE SOCIETY AN EXAGGERATED SALARY, WHILE PAYING THE MAJORITY OF WORKERS A PITTANCE, AND STILL OWING THEM THAT PITTANCE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. POOR SALARIES + NON-PAYMENT OF SALARIES = PERFECT COMBINATION FOR CORRUPTION" I cited the example of Lee Kwan Yew (LKY), the former Prime Minister of Singapore, and how he was able to stamp out corruption in his country. LKY increased the salaries of Civil Servants. He said that if they were underpaid, they may be tempted to engage in corruption (talk less of being unpaid, as in the case of Nigerian workers). As the economy improved, their salaries were increased, so that it was not only the private sector that enjoyed the boom. LKY did not achieve the laudable goal of stamping out corruption in his country, by paying a privileged section of the society an exaggerated salary, while paying the majority of workers a pittance, and still owing them that pittance for extended periods of time.

Poor Salaries + Non-Payment of Salaries = Perfect Combination for Corruption.

Judges Ditto for Judges. In 2016, during the festive Christmas season, Judges were being owed their salaries, and they were instructed not to accept any Christmas gifts from lawyers or anyone else. With their less than adequate salaries and mounting expenses due to rising prices, how much savings would they have to tide them over a rainy day? Don’t Judges have families to support too? Should they not live and survive like everyone else? This is not to say that I support judicial corruption. But like LKY, I believe that putting them in this type of desperate situation, will invariably do more harm than good. Some of the Judges have not had an increase in salary for over 15 years, yet prices of goods and services have not remained static, but have increased astronomically.

In Lagos State for example, each Judge may have up to 400 cases in his or her docket, while in some other State Judiciaries, the same number of 400 cases constitutes the total number of cases that they have in the whole of their State Judiciary. Yet in the two scenarios, their remuneration is similar.

Doctrine of Inequality and Unfairness Until this doctrine of inequality and unfairness, partiality towards the higher placed people within the Nigerian work force is addressed, corruption and dissatisfaction will definitely continue to prevail in our country.

May Day Workers' Demonstration

4/LAW REPORT

T

9.05.2017

Defence of Provocation in Culpable Homicide Punishable with Death

Facts

he Appellant and his two brothers (co-accused), caused the death of their cousin, Safiya Nomau, by attacking and beating her with sticks and a hoe, which resulted in her instant death. The Appellant and the co-accused persons were consequently arraigned at the High Court of Jigawa State and tried for culpable homicide punishable with death contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code read with Section 79 of the Penal Code.

At trial, the hoe used by the Appellant was tendered and marked Exhibit 2. Also tendered were two Writs of possession of land (Exhibits 1, 1(A)), issued in favour of the Appellant’s father. The said land, was the remote cause of the dispute between the deceased and her cousins.

The Appellant and the two other accused persons, were convicted and sentenced to death. Dissatisfied, the Appellant unsuccessfully appealed to the Court of Appeal and subsequently, appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination The Respondent filed a Preliminary Objection challenging the competence of the appeal on the grounds that: (i) The three issues relied on by the Appellant in challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, were not canvassed and argued before the two lower courts; and (ii) The Appellant did not seek or obtain the leave of Court before arguing the said issues in his brief.

The main issues were: (i) Whether from the facts and circumstances of this case, the lower Courts thoroughly and properly considered the defence of provocation or all the defences available to the Appellant before convicting and sentencing him to death instead of terms of imprisonment; (ii) Whether the lower Courts were right in confining themselves to part of the evidence of the prosecution and defence witnesses, totally ignoring Exhibits 1 and 1(A) in convicting and sentencing the Appellant to death; and (iii) Whether there were lapses in the investigation of the episode that led to the death of the deceased, as well as in the evidence presented to prove the Charge under Section 221 of the Penal Code against the Appellant.

Arguments In arguing the appeal, learned Counsel for the Appellant, submitted that there was no proper investigation on what led to the death of the deceased, as the evidence of the prosecution witness in relation to the ownership of the land which they said belonged to the deceased, had contradicted the evidence of the three Appellants, which was supported by Exhibits 1 and 1(A). He submitted further that the deceased was the aggressor and trespasser, who was encouraged by the prosecution witnesses to erect a hut. Had the two lower Courts given consideration to the pieces of evidence, they would have come to the conclusion that the defence of provocation was properly raised, as there was no evidence that the Police investigated the allegation of the Appellant that the deceased trespassed on their land.

The Counsel for the Respondent submitted that for the defence of provocation to avail an accused person under Section 221(1) of the Penal Code, it must be grave and sudden as to deprive the accused person of the power of control, and that the Appellant was in the best position to say whether there was any act done by the deceased to justify her killing. He then submitted that, the defence of provocation could not avail a person who was a third party. He also argued that the failure of the Court to refer to Exhibits 1 and 1(A) did not occasion any miscarriage of justice.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale While considering the Preliminary Objection, the Supreme Court observed that the three issues formulated by the Appellant, challenged the decision of the Courts below and stated, that the anomaly the Respondent observed in the decision of the trial Court ought to have been raised at the Court of Appeal. In view of the foregoing, no prior leave was required by the Appellant to raise any of the grounds and issues formulated thereon. As such, the objection was overruled for want of merit.

Deciding the main issues, Their Lordships considered the submissions on the three issues together. Relying on the decision in OGBA v THE STATE (1992) 2 NWLR (Pt. 222) 164, the Court identified that for the prosecution to secure the conviction of culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Penal Code, it has the burden of proving the necessary ingredients beyond reasonable doubt that: (a) the death of human being was

Amiru Sanusi, JSC

In The Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 10th March, 2017 Before Their Lordships Olabode Rhodes-Vivour Musa Dattijo Muhammad Clara Bata Ogunbiyi Chima Centus Nweze Amiru Sanusi Justices, Supreme Court SC.71/2013 Between Shabe Alh. Galadima....................................................Appellant And The State ... ... ... ..Respondent Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Amiru Sanusi, JSC

caused; (b) the accused was the cause of the person’s death; and (c) the act of the accused leading to the death of the deceased was done intentionally or with knowledge that death or grievous harm, was the probable and not only likely consequence of the act. In culpable

"THE DEFENCE OF PROVOCATION AVAILS AN ACCUSED PERSON WHO KILLED HIS VICTIM IN THE HEAT OF PASSION, BEFORE THE TIME TO COOL DOWN. THE FIRST STEP TO BE APPLIED IN DETERMINING WHETHER THE DEFENCE OF PROVOCATION COULD AVAIL AN ACCUSED, IS THE EFFECT THE ALLEGED PROVOCATION WOULD HAVE HAD ON A REASONABLE MAN"

homicide cases, the onus is always on the prosecution to prove the guilt of an accused person beyond reasonable doubt, and failure to do so, will automatically lead to the discharge of the accused person.

Relying on the case of ALMU v THE STATE (2009) 4 SCNJ 159/160, the Apex Court also held that where there were material contradictions in the evidence led or adduced by the Prosecution, doubt would be created in the mind of the trial Court, and such doubt would be beneficial to the accused person. In this case however, PW2 and PW4 were eye witnesses to the commission of the offence, and from their testimony as well as the pieces of evidence before the Court, there was no doubt that the Appellant had a pre-determined plan to kill the deceased woman. The pieces of evidence were not contradicted as DW3 in his testimony for the defence, also corroborated the evidence of PW2 and PW4.

A court could always dispense with medical report or may not be bound by, it in a situation where death could easily be inferred or where there had been direct account of the act that led to the death of the victim.

In the instant case, there were eye witnesses’ account on the attack by the Appellant and his co-accused; on the use of sticks and hoe on the lethargic woman, and also on various parts of her body, as well as the fact that, the attack on her was not done to retaliate any serious attack on them by the deceased woman. The Court considered the total evidence led, and held that the Respondents had established all the ingredients of the offence as founded by the trial Judge and affirmed by the Court of Appeal.

On the issue of contradiction, the Court stated that even if there had been contradictions in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, such contradictions were immaterial. More so, such contradictions are usual and naturally noticed in the testimony of witnesses, due to human error or a long period between the date of the event and that of the witnesses’ testimony. It was noted that the alleged contradictions were not on the material points, which could be fatal to the case of the Respondent, as they were not crucial points.

With regard to the defence of provocation, the Court stated that the defence of provocation avails an accused person who killed his victim in the heat of passion before the time to cool down. The first step to be applied in determining whether the defence of provocation could avail an accused, is the effect the alleged provocation would have had on a reasonable man. Also, by the case of ADEBIYE v STATE (2013) 7 NWLR (1354) 597, the act of provocation must be one which could incite a reasonable man of the appellant’s/ accused standing in life and education, to loose self- control.

The Court further relied on NWEDE v STATE (1985) 3 NWLR (Pt.13) 444 to hold that for the defence of provocation to benefit an accused person, the accused must show or establish the required conditions. Thus, in the instant case and by the testimonies of PW2 and PW4, there had been a pre-meditated plan by the Appellant to kill the deceased woman if she dared go to the land to erect the hut, after which they followed her to the farm to attack and kill her.

There was no evidence that the deceased attacked the Appellant or the co- accused persons and even if so, the Appellant and others would not be justified to have pounced on a defenceless woman. The Court, agreeing with the finding of the Courts below that the defence of provocation did not avail the Appellant, also noted that there was no apprehension of death on any of them and that the attack by the Appellant was not proportionate.

More importantly, the Supreme Court found that the defence of provocation could not be beneficial to the Appellant, as the Prosecution had proved all the ingredients of the offence of culpable homicide punishable with death against the Appellant.

Consequently, having resolved the issues against the Appellant, the Court adjudged the appeal devoid of merit; dismissed same and affirmed the judgement of the courts below.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation: N.A. Dangiri and A.L. Likko for the Appellant Sani Hussani Garun Gabbas (Hon. Attorney-General, Jigawa State) with Adamu Mukhtar DDCL, Hussani Abdullahi (DDLD), Mustapha B. Adamu (ACSC), Yahaya Abdullahi (ACSC), Zakiyyu Muhammad (PSC) and Muhammad El-Usman (SSC) for the Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Law Publishers Ltd. (Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (N.M.L.R))

9.05.2017

NEWS/5

(L-R) Emmanuel Orhoro, Omohafe Opara, Nkem Agboti (Secretary) Ahmed Akanbi (Chairman), Abiye Tam-George (Co-chair) and Emeka Nwadioke - all of NBA Lagos Branch 2017 Law Week Committee

L-R: Chairman Conference Planning Committee for the 2nd International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Africa Regional Conference, Mrs. Boma Ozobia, OON; Chairman Sub Committee on Finance, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN and Chairman Sub Committee on Media and Publicity, Mrs. Josephine Akinwunmi, during the press conference on the forth coming 2nd ICC Africa Regional Conference in Lagos

NBA Lagos Forum Tackles Practice Challenges Jude Igbanoi NigerianLawyers are poised to find solutions to the multiplicity of issues confronting Legal Practitioners, at this year’s Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch Law Week, holding from May 24 to May 27, 2017.

Billed to hold at City Hall, Lagos, the forum has its theme as “Building and Sustaining a Vibrant Law Practice: Prospects and Challenges” Renowned Boardroom guru and Corporate Lawyer, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, MFR will deliver the keynote address at the high-profile opening ceremony, while the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Walter Onnoghen, will be the Special Guest of Honour.

Speaking last week at a press conference to herald the law week, Chairman of the NBA, Lagos Branch 2017 Law Week Committee, Mr. Ahmed Akanbi, said the theme was carefully chosen, to address and resolve the myriad of challenges facing

lawyers in practice.

His words: “How can we cope with the issue of recession?

One has come to discover that a lot of our colleagues are really complaining about so many things. Some of us tend to concentrate only on the technical side of things. As a result of paucity of income, we found that some of our colleagues engage in sharp practices, which should not be. It is only when a lawyer has become financially independent, that he can be of any benefit or use to the society.

As always, we need to be able to guide ourselves on the existing opportunities in the profession.

“The recessionary climate, has raised issues on how lawyers can survive and thrive in these difficult times. The law week programme, has been carefully designed to be a one-stop response to such burning issues and challenges that continue to beset the minds of lawyers and the general public.”

According to Akanbi, some of the topics lined up for the

technical sessions include “The Nigerian OilIndustry Law Reform: Opportunities and Challenges”,“Improving Efficiency in the Practice of Law and Judicial Process through the Use of Technology”, “Challenges and Prospects of Entertainment Law and Practice in Nigeria”, and “Expediting the Court Process through Appropriate Use of Case Law”. Aside from a mock mediation session to be anchored by the Lagos Multidoor Courthouse (LMDC), other topics for discussion are “The Indispensable Young Lawyer”, “A Review of the Capital Market Master Plan: Salient Opportunities for Lawyers”, “Strategic Roles of In-House Counsel in the Corporate Environment", and “Evolving Opportunities in Intellectual Property Law and Practice”.

Among the experts who will lead discussions at the forum are Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Mr. Layi Babatunde, SAN,

Mr. Dolapo Akinrele, SAN, Mr. Uche Val Obi, SAN, Mr. Akeem Mustapha, SAN, and Mr. Ade Adedeji, SAN. Others are renowned capital market solicitor, Mr. Zik Obi; ace Nollywood actor, Mr. Desmond Elliot; Emem Ema Esq of KUSH fame; Mr. Sadiq Adamu (General Counsel/ED, Mobil Oil Producing Unlimited); Mr. Afam Nwokedi of Stillwaters LP; Mrs. Shade Morgan, Company Secretary & Head of Legal, Nigerian Bottling Company, and Mr. Rotimi Odusola, Head of Legal Department, Guinness Nigeria Plc. Consistent with tradition, the law week will kick-off with visits to Ikoyi and Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons, novelty football match, variety night and young lawyers’ night. The programme will be rounded off with the eagerly awaited black tie dinner in honour of the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, who will be retiring later this year.

ICC Nigeria Launches Expedited Rules at 2nd Africa Regional Arbitration Conference Aknwale Akintunde The official launch of the new Expedited Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), will hold in Nigeria as part of the scheduled programmes for the 2nd ICC Africa Regional Arbitration Conference on Sunday May 14, 2017 at Eko Hotel & Suites.

The launching would be hosted by ICC Nigeria in collaboration with the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

A statement signed by ICC

Nigeria, Secretary General, Mrs. Olubunmi Osuntuyi, stated that this year's conference with the theme "Arbitration: Catalyst for Economic Growth", would have in attendance the President, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, Mr. Alexis Mourre, and Nigeria's Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN. The launch, under the auspices of the ICC Nigeria Commission on Arbitration, is aimed at furthering increased efficiency and transparency of the ICC Arbitration Rules.

According to the statement, already launched in other countries, the new ICC Rules became effective from March 1, 2017, incorporating provision for the Expedited Rules for cases of lower value including substantive and procedural aspects.

"Consequently, the main feature of the ICC Expedited Arbitration is that it automatically applies to disputes of less than USD 2Million.

For disputes exceeding that amount, parties can also opt-in to the Expedited procedures.

"Thus, the Revised Rules, take account of current requirements and developments in Arbitration Practice and Procedure.

"The ICC, as the voice of world business, promotes trade and investment through its advocacy role and the activities of its various specialist commissions, including the Arbitration Commission whose responsibility in rule-making and unique think tank in the field of international dispute resolution, have been widely acknowledged.

Ladipo Market Crisis: Lagos AG to AkInwale Akintunde Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissoner for Justce, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, has indicated interest to personally handle the prosecution of one Monday Lawrence, the suspected killer of Anene Utazi, a trader at the popular Ladipo Auto Parts Market in Lagos.

Monday Lawrence and other persons still at large,

are standing trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos High Court, over the murder of Utazi during a crisis at the market in 2016.

In a eight-count charge brought against the suspect, the State alleged that Monday Lawrence and others still at large, on February 18, 2016 at Odo-Aladura, Ladipo Mushin murdered Utazi.

The suspect who has since

been granted bail, was also alleged to have inflicted grievous matchet cuts on about five other traders at the market.

Last week, Ladipo Market Union leaders through their lawyer, Mr. Monday Ubani, petitioned the Lagos AttorneyGeneral raising concerns that the matter was not being handled properly.

Ubani claimed that the

defendant was granted bail in suspicious circumstances, while several witnesses due to testify before the court are being harassed and threatened by the defendant.

At the last proceedings of the matter, the prosecution team led by Mrs R. O Aroyewun, told the court that AG Adeniji Kazeem, had indicated interest to personally handle the prosecution of the defendant.

Marine Partners Rebrands, Changes Name Akinwale Akintunde A law firm, Marine Partners, has rebranded by changing its name to Kevin Martin Ogwemoh Legal.

A statement by the firm’s Senior Associate, Oladunni Ladeinde, said the firm has also diversified its areas of practice following the name change.

“The Firm of Marine Partners, has in its 29 years of existence, offered premium legal services to a wide range of clients. Our clients have come to identify the Firm with prompt, diligent and professional service delivery tailored to meet specialised legal needs of clients.

“Over the years, the Firm has grown in size and capacity, and this has necessitated the transition to a new brand identity to reflect the firm’s contemporaryglobal outlook. “The Firm has also created new synergies, and expanded practice areas to meet the needs of its increasingly diversified clientele.

“We assure our clients that with the rejuvenation of our corporate identity comes an increased zeal and passion to surpass our past records. We are grateful for your patronage and look forward to serving you in the future", the statement reads.

LEGAL UPDATE

2ND ICC Africa Regional Arbitration The 2ND ICC Africa Regional Arbitration Conference is scheduled to hold from May 14th to May 16th, 2017 at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. The theme of the Confer- ence is 'Arbitration: Catalyst for Economic Growth'. It has a line-up of distinguished Speakers from different parts of the world. The President, ICC International Court

of Arbitration, Paris, Mr. Alexis Mourre, and Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, amongst others, are expected to grace this occasion. The Conference will have participants from various sectors of the economy, providing an excellent opportunity to network and skills.

CLARIFICATION

Of Whistle Blowers and Judas Iscariot On Tuesday May 2, 2017 we published in The Lawyer pullout, what was intended to be a light hearted commentary on the failure of the Senate to clear Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Chairman, and how the whistleblower policy has given the anti-corruption war renewed vigor.

The commentary went viral on the social media, with those who have no sense of humour, imputing motives anchored on falsehood. They claimed the commentary was an unsigned advert by anti-Magu elements, one more evidence of how corruption is fighting back. For the record, the publication in question was not an advert. It was something that was already in the public space, which we thought was humorous and was to have carried the headline: "A Belated Easter Message".

However, a regrettable mix-up in the production process cut off the headline.

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9.05.2017

How to Sustain Nigeria's Democracy By Alegeh, Ex-NBA President Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Augustine Allegeh, SAN says strict adherence to the rule of law remains the sure way to sustain the nation's democracy insisting that the absence of the rule of law would inevitably result in anarchy.

The legal luminary who spoke as a guest lecturer at an event organised by the Law Students' Association of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus un Enugu said no matter tje circumstance, for a nation to mature in the democratisation process, all interests whether political, personal, economic, religious, tribal and howsoever must yield to rule of law.

Speaking in the topic: "Politics, Interest and Rule od Law: the Equilibrium for Sustainable Democracy", the Fellow,Chattered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom however hailed the ongoing fight against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Allegeh whose paper dwelt so much on the interplay between politics, interest and the rule of law in sustaining the natoon's democracy took time to highlight the different ways that iur democratic experience had been impacted by politics and personal interest.

Among cases he highlighted included the the conflict that existed between the federal government and the Lagos state government as a result of the creation of

Alegeh, SAN

new local government areas by the later resulting in the former withholding allocations to the state, the impeachment of Dr Rasheed Ladoja as governor of Oyo state following his misunderstanding with his then political godfather, late Chief Adedibu and the controversy that trailed the emergence of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship of Imo state in 2007.

Other cases included the court-ordered inauguration of Rotimi Amaechi as governor of Rivers state following the issues that arose in the PDP governorship primary election in the state, the tension that arose following the demise of former president Umaru Yar'Adua, the defeat of President Good luck Jonathan in the 2015 election among others.

He said there were obvious interplay of politics, interest and rule of law in virtually all the cases, noting however that in most of the cases, rule if kaw triumphed over personal interests.

He also noted that the recent suspension of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and the Director General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Oke pending investigation of matters involving them showed that the political and personal interest have yielded to rule of law.

According to him, the development not only portends good omen for the country but shows there is hope for the nation's future.

"Democracy has been hailed as the preferred system of governance as it vests ultimate power in the people. However the role of the judiciary is critical in ensuring that rule of law always prevails over all other interests whether political or economic.

"The judicial authorities referred to in this paper show clearly that our judiciary has performed its functions creditably in several of the cases that came before our courts.

However, the judiciary still have sufficient

room for improvement and can still up its game and become more efficient, time conscious and make its Court rules more friendly to ensure that there's access to justice and speedy resolution of disputes.

"The exercise of state power must be be donw fairly and in conformity with laid down constitutional and lawful procedures.

Procedural guidelines for prosecution of crime must be complied with to avoid allegations of human rights abuse and lack of fair hearing. Orders of court must be obeyed and complied with to the latter," he said.

Speaking further he said the various agencies of government must act in conformity with laid down procedures and within the dictates of the law to give legal protection and cover to actions taken in the exercise of political powers and the enforcement of laws.

"Our representatives in government should focus in the discharge of their official duties in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Political parties should leave governance for elected officials and not overwhelm them with unreasonable demands and requests.

This will ensure the timeous implementation of governmental policies and programmes for the betterment of the general public.

"We must all as Nigerians play our roles in ensuring that rule of law always prevails and is never compromised for political and personal interest; for it is only then that we can guarantee our collective enjoyment of true democratic dividends," he said.

Legal Personality of the Week Lillian Okenwa

'You Must Carve a Niche for Yourself' Please give a brief introduction of yourself My name Lillian Okenwa. I am a lawyer, journalist, documentary film maker. I have a B.Ed in English from University of Ibadan (1995). NYSC at Ajaokuta Steel Company where I taught English as well as Literature in English at the Staff School.

This was between November 1995 and November 1996. Thereafter I went for a Post graduate diploma in Journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba Lagos (1998).

I started off as a reporter with The Diet Newspaper now defunct at Lagos. I began with the Women Desk and later Features was added to my beat. I spent one year at The Diet before it folded up and in October 1999 became one of the Millennium reporters (as we were then called) to be employed by ThisDay Newspapers. I was on the Features Desk and very briefly with ThisDay on Sunday before my transfer to Abuja in 2001 to cover Judiciary and Health.

Eventually, I was detailed to cover only the courts and along the line I went to study law at Nassarawa State University.

I graduated late 2009. Went to Nigerian law School Abuja, and was called to the bar in September 2011. My set at the law school was a very unique one because we spent about 16 months. It was also special because that programme was designed to carter for students from various Nigerian law faculties that had been unable to secure admission into law school. About everyone that had been missing law school got in and we were over 3,000. In August 2006 I resigned from ThisDay Newspapers to work for myself.

Then I began hosting TV and radio shows on Alternative Dispute Resolution as well as making video documentaries. So far I have produced two for the Supreme Court of Nigeria – The Supreme Court

Lillian Okenwa

of Nigeria, First Fifty Years (2006)and The Supreme Court of Nigeria, 55 Years of Nation Building (2009). For the Court of Appeal, I Produced a 3 hours video documentary titled – Court of Appeal, 30 & 3 Years (2009).

In 2010 I decided to get more training in film and television so I headed for London Academy of Film, Radio and Television. I also have other professional trainings and qualifications.

Have you had any challenges in your career as a lawyer and if so what were the main challenges?

I have most certainly had challenges as a lawyer but challenges bring out the best in you at the end of the day. I cannot enumerate the challenges I have had as there have been several but the truth is – as daunting they appear at outset, the challenges eventually mould and make a stronger and better person out of you. It all depends on how you approach them.

What was your worst day as a lawyer?

My worst day in court was the day I appeared for The Nigeria Police and the judge took me to the cleaners. I was so embarrassed standing there and calmly taking the bashing in the presence of litigants and fellow lawyers but there was nothing I could do. At the end of it all, I still had to thank his lordship for his decision. What happened was that I was representing the FCT Police Command as an external solicitor in that matter. Judgment had been given in that particular matter but before judgment was given, the Police never appeared for once in court. I think it was a police prosecutor that was initially detailed to handle the matter but I don’t know why he never went to court. Anyway, judgment was given against the police who never showed up in court and when they realised what happened, I was instructed to explore the possibility of arresting the judgment.

I filed my motion but it was obvious that our argument was not water tight.

We could not proffer sufficient reasons as to why in spite of several adjournments we failed to show up only to surface after judgment to attempt having the judgment arrested. Justice Ashi did not spare me. I quietly slinked out of the court thereafter.

What was your most memorableexperience? My most memorable experience was the day I got my first judgment. This was a few months after my call and though the matter was on the undefended list, I was so elated at actually having got judgment in my favour!

Who has been most influential in your life?

My father. He had this irrepressible ‘can do’ spirit. My father believed you can be anything you want to be if you hard work

towards it. He hated mediocrity at any level and exuded so much self -confidence even in the face of obvious challenges. I guess he rubbed off on me in many ways.

Why did you become a lawyer?

I grew up being told by my parents that I would study law and without really knowing much about what lawyers really do I went along with the idea until JAMB struck and the idea was jettisoned. When I started covering the courts as a reporter, the desire was awakened again. This time I had come to really appreciate the profession and I am glad I finally became a lawyer.

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

Be sure of exactly what you want. What do you want to do as a lawyer? What kind of lawyer do you want to be? This is something you must settle within you before even going to law school. Don’t take it for granted as many young people are wont to do that once you qualify as a lawyer money and jobs will be chasing you. The profession has become extremely competitive and so for you to succeed means you must carve a niche for yourself.

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

If I had not become a lawyer, I would have continued with the media.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Ten years from now is long way off and seriously I have a lot in my mind but let’s have this conversation again in the next few years and perhaps I will be more confortable making my blue print public at that time. Many thanks for this honour considering that I once contributed actively to this law page.

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The Unconstitutionality of the Osinbajo Committee In this article, Dr Sam Amadi discusses what in his view, is the unconstitutionality of President Buhari's decision to set up a 3 Person Investigation Committee, to investigate the allegations of violations of law and corrupt practices against the suspended Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Babachir Lawal and Director-General, Nigerian Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayodele Oke, concluding that the Committee should be disbanded, and rather, the allegations should be referred to the EFCC and ICPC, in accordance to the Constitution

O

n Wednesday, April 19, 2017 the Special Adviser on Media to the President issued a press statement announcing the suspension from office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. David Babachir Lawal (SGF) and the Director-General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke on allegations of corrupt practices. The press statement reports that, “President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the SGF, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East, PINE”. the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

The investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority, the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds”. According to the statement the President has set up a “ 3-Person Investigation Committee: Violation of the Constitution The setting up of a special committee chaired by the VP, to investigate these allegations, is an impermissible usurpation of the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of properly designated agencies, and therefore, a violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (the Constitution). By setting up the Committee, the President has taken away statutory responsibilities of the Nigerian Police Force, the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC), and illegally conferred it on his VP, the NSA and the AGF. These officers of Mr. President, do not have constitutional or statutory responsibility to investigate allegations of corrupt practices and violation of due process of law.

The statement further states that “ A three-person committee comprising the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the National Security Adviser(NSA), and headed by the Vice President (VP), is to conduct both investigations”.

The Nature and Extent of Power of the President: The President ostensibly set up the Osinbajo Committee, pursuant to his executive power. By Section 5 of the constitution, the executive power of the Federation is vested on the President who may exercise such powers directly or indirectly through his VP, Ministers or other public officers. This power is for “execution and maintenance of this Constitution, all laws made by the National Assembly, and to all matters with respect to which the National Assembly has, for the time being, powers to make laws”.

Under the design of the constitution the various branches of government share power in a manner that guarantees the freedom and liberty of the citizens, and the continuation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Although the power of the President, as the embodiment of the executive branch, is enormous and plenary, it is limited to the extent that it is ‘subject to the provisions of the Constitution” and “the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly”. Therefore, the exercise of presidential power under the constitution, is only valid, if it is based on the express provisions of the constitution or any law made by the National Assembly. Any exercise of the executive power of the President that violates the constitution or a provision of any law made by the National Assembly, is invalid and unconstitutional by virtue of Section 1 (1) of the Constitution.

(A.G. Abia State v A.G. of the Federation (2006) 16 NWLR (Pt. 1005) 265. P.D.P. v C.P.C (2011) 17 NWLR (Pt. 1277) 485) With respect to the President’s exercise of executive power, the view of the United States Supreme Court in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v Sawyer 343 U.S. 579 (1952) that, “The President power to issue the order, if any, must stem either from an Act of

NSA, Babagana Monguno, VP, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, AGF, Abubakar Malami, SAN

Congress or from the Constitution”, applies with force of logic to the Nigerian President. The Nigerian President cannot act outside the provisions of the constitution or the Act of the National Assembly and clearly, not in violation of the Constitution or Act of the National Assembly. Although the Constitution commands the President to execute and maintain the Constitution and all laws made by the National Assembly, it does not authorise the President to exercise the power to investigate a crime or offence or grant any of his officers or any other person the power to investigate such offences or crimes, apart from those agencies that the Constitution or the Act of the National Assembly has granted such powers, and in the manner the constitution or the Act of the National Assembly has granted it.

Establishing Statutes Section 214 of the Constitution establishes the Nigerian Police Force. Pursuant to the Constitution, the National Assembly provides for the functions of the Nigerian Police Force in Section 7 of the Nigerian Police Act, which includes responsibility for enforcement of law. Furthermore, Section 6(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act grants the EFCC the statutory responsibility to investigate all financial crimes in the country. In the same vein, Section 6 of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission Act empowers the ICPC to investigate allegations of corrupt practices, and prosecute offenders.

By these laws, the National Assembly has provided for how the power of the executive branch, to investigate and enforce violation of law and commission of crime, will be exercised. It is the EFCC that should investigate financial offences against any person or authority in Nigeria. If it is allegation of corrupt practices, the ICPC has the responsibility to investigate and prosecute.

The legislative intent of vesting the responsibility to investigate and prosecute offences and corrupt practices on agencies rather than leave it for the President, is to protect the liberty and freedom of citizens and promote independence and objectivity required for the enforcement of law. By these Acts, the National Assembly has transferred the executive power to investigate offences and corrupt practices on these agencies, and the President cannot take this power back, except through an Act of the National Assembly. These laws therefore, have subjected the executive power of the President to constitutional limitation, and

"BY SETTING UP THE COMMITTEE, THE PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN AWAY STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE, THE EFCC AND THE INDEPENDENT CORRUPT PRACTICE COMMISSION (ICPC), AND ILLEGALLY CONFERRED IT ON HIS VP, THE NSA AND THE AGF. THESE OFFICERS OF MR. PRESIDENT, DO NOT HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL OR STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY, TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPT PRACTICES AND VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS OF LAW"

it cannot be exercised in any other manner howsoever.

Series of Events It is important to understand the contexts of these events in order to understand the unconstitutionality of the investigation committee. For months there has been allegations of breach of due process in award of contracts against the SGF. The Senate, in pursuance of its oversight function under Section 88 of the Constitution, reviewed documents and concluded that the SGF acted corruptly and abused his powers in the respect of contracts awarded for the Presidential Initiative on North East. The Senate recommended to the President, through a formal resolution to sack the SGF. The Senate has also refused to confirm presidential nominees until the President acts on the resolution. In response to this situation, the President asked the AGF to investigate the allegations. The AGF, after investigation, reportedly submitted a report to the President, whereupon the President wrote to the Senate clearing the SGF of any wrongdoing on the issue. The Senate rejected the letter and insisted that the SGF should be removed for corruption.

The issue for which the Director of NIA is being investigated by the Presidential Committee, is in respect of an ongoing operation by the EFCC. In that operation, the EFCC discovered millions of dollars presumed to have been unlawfully taken from public treasury. The Director of NIA claimed that the money, kept in a safe vault in a private residence, is for NIA’s covert operation. The Presidential Committee is now investigating him for possible “breach of law or security procedure”.

Investigation of Crimes: Responsibility of Law Enforcement Agencies Investigation of crimes is part of the law enforcement responsibility of the Police, the EFCC and the ICPC. Law enforcement proceedings begin with investigation of the allegations. The issues involved, are not mere administrative infractions that require internal administrative inquiry to establish. These are allegations of crimes in the public domain, where another branch of government (the legislature) and a statutory agency (the EFCC) have commenced actions and are now being either frustrated or stalled by this Presidential intervention.

It is important to note that where the National Assembly has acted to assign a task to an agency- even an executive agency, the President cannot dictate how the task is to be performed (Bowsher v Synar 478 U.S. 714 (1986). That will be an invalid aggrandisement of presidential power, and a breach of the principle of separation of powers implicit in the constitutional design. As a matter of fact, it is not just that the President cannot take over the task conferred by law on the Police and the EFCC, but he cannot validly even dictate the substance of the exercise of such task, in the guise of exercising of his executive power.

The President may argue that the Osinbajo Committee is an internal matter of the Presidency. The president surely can exercise his executive power howsoever he wishes, provided he does not violate the Constitution or breach the law. By the wordings of Section 5 of the Constitution, the President can exercise

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8/COVER

9.05.2017

9.05.2017

COVER/9

Federal Government Must Increase its Investment in Healthcare Her Excellency, Mrs. Olutoyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and former Governor of Kwara State; a Lawyer turned Healthcare Improvement Advocate, has created an indelible impression in the minds of many with her charity project, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, which has touched and changed many lives in immeasurable ways. Mrs Saraki, in a chat with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude IgbanoÔi discussed the issue of Healthcare, which concerns us all; why she is unrelenting in her advocacy and desire to see a meaningful transformation in the health and wellbeing of Nigerians and Africans, especially women and children. In recognition of her relevance to humanitarian causes, she was accorded the rare privilege of being appointed as Centenary Ambassador of her alma mater, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS), which recently celebrated its Centenary in Lagos. Mrs Saraki spoke about important issues like Infant Mortality, the need for a good Primary Health Care System, Education in Nigeria and fighting Domestic Abuse in the Country

Y

ou are a lawyer by profession. Did you ever engage in the practice of law?

Does being a lawyer come in handy in any way with the running of your Well Being Foundation?

You are an alumni of School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London (SOAS) and one of its Centenary Ambassadors. What is the significance and function of a SOAS Centenary Ambassador?

Everything that I learned during my law degree at SOAS, my master's degree at King’s College and at the Nigerian Law School, has been hugely informative to me personally, and is always applicable to the goals that I set, and I am constantly evolving, for the Wellbeing Foundation Africa which I founded.

During my studies, I was particularly drawn to comparative issues of law, to conflicts of law, and to the co-relativities between culture, tradition and the Law. The organisation is built on empowering women and girls to know their rights, specifically their sexual and reproductive health rights. In Law School, you are taught the fundamentals of human worth and protecting that, and you understand the power of policy and legislation for not only changing countries, but also individual lives. As a Lawyer, I understand and mobilise people around causes that matter to human development indices like Gender Equity, Universal Health Care, Access and Retention In Education, Inclusive Financial Models, Civil Data and Birth Registrations, as the building blocks, or the very foundation of a rights-based approach to improving lives, because I essentially learnt that it is raising the quality of services rendered at a basic level, that determines democratic functionality to give an equitable start to every life.

So for instance, I believe that unless we guarantee quality Primary Health Care, we can never achieve efficient referrals to the higher more specialised tiers of health when required to. My studies, and later experience equipped me to understand the intricacies of law and human rights better, and to translate these, beyond theoretical concepts into everyday actions, which I hope to change lives. All this, because of my legal background.

When my good friend and current director of SOAS, Baroness Valerie Amos CH PH, asked me to be the SOAS Centenary Ambassador, I was quite excited and happily accepted because of my time and experience at SOAS. My role as the SOAS

a place of hope, of light, of spirit, and of strength. Africa holds many wonders of the world and civilisation. The city of Lagos has enormous wealth, in terms of cultural heritage and art. As an institution focused on the arts and humanities, it seemed apt that they come have the celebration here.

Centenary Ambassador, is to advocate and promote the university through my global and national platforms. As the world's leading institution for the study of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, SOAS is at the centre of thought leadership in Africa, a place of vibrant researched debate, where diverse views are heard and new ideas are generated.

At SOAS, I learned how to ask questions, questions that elicit more questions, but perhaps, more importantly, generate the right answers from the right people, applicable to the right contexts. I saw also that SOAS had a hub of students and academics from across the world. In Nigeria, there is a large community of SOAS Alumni cutting across the generational divide. Did you know that 5 of our Chief Justices are alumni of SOAS? We also have a lot of lawyers practicing today who are graduates of SOAS as well. I think this is a testament to the quality of education and unique cultural experience one gets from SOAS. SOAS Centenary celebrations came with a catchy segment, ‘Questions Worth Asking.’ What questions in your view, are those relevant questions worth asking about our country Nigeria at this point in our national life?

As I said earlier, at SOAS I learned the ‘How’ and ‘Why’ of asking questions. Not just any questions but questions worth asking. Looking at Nigeria and much of the World today, one sees a myriad of issues – poverty, conflict, intolerance, recession, and inequality. The assumption is that government or a higher power can solve these problems – and in many ways that are a logical way to think. However, in exploring “Questions Worth Asking” everyone is part of the solution. This is because we all come from diverse backgrounds – be it cultural, educational or religious, and have different perspectives of looking at issues.

In our Country, some questions worth asking are ‘How can we empower and educate girls?”, “How can we ensure that women and men are treated fairly and equitably?”, “What better ways can our citizens receive accurate health information?” and “How are we treating our healthcare professionals, namely the midwives and community health workers?”. “How can we eradicate dangerous and harmful diseases like Meningitis and polio?” And, because one of my Wellbeing Foundation Africa's flagship tools is a patient custody health record, "What is the Value of a Statistical Life?" All these questions, I think are pertinent in moving

Olutoyin Saraki

our society and economy towards a more sustainable one.

Why did SOAS decide to celebrate its Centenary in Lagos, Nigeria?

SOAS is celebrating their Centenary across the globe with their 100 cities campaign. Lagos - Nigeria was chosen for several reasons. Africa is so often inaccurately depicted, solely as a place of hopelessness and despair. I see us as

"AFRICA IS SO OFTEN INACCURATELY DEPICTED, SOLELY AS A PLACE OF HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR. I SEE US AS A PLACE OF HOPE, OF LIGHT, OF SPIRIT, AND OF STRENGTH"

Kindly, tell us the history of the Well Being Foundation (WBF). What inspired you into the WBF? How did it become so big and international? Some believe that WBF is just a pet project which you thought of when your husband was the Governor of Kwara State, similar to other pet projects of the wives of Governors and Presidents, like Better Life for Rural Women, WOTCLEF, Beyond Zero by the wife of the Kenyan President and so on.

But we recall that you already had an NGO before your husband became the Governor of Kwara State, which was involved in providing medical care and much-needed operations for very sick children. Has that been co-opted into WBF? The Wellbeing Foundation Africa began 13 years ago as Nigeria's first homegrown purpose- centred private sector philanthropy, and yes, I drew on some courage and experience from running an earlier charity with 5 of my friends, called The Lifestream Charity, which sought to mobilise resources to help children with heart deformities, established in 1995.

My decision to start WBFA, long after my own tragedy of losing a newborn, and decades of trying to help pregnant women informally as my own little promise to God for sparing my life and that of my first child and survivor of my first set of twins, after years of silent donations, crystallised when I realised, as the wife if the Kwara State Governor, in collating and analysing raw data that I had been gathering on childbirth outcomes, from the women I was helping in various health facilities in the State and across the country, that Nigeria had an abnormally high number of deaths in childbirths. I knew as a matter of fact, that this was not an issue that simple financial donations could resolve or solve, yet I also knew that some innovative solutions could combat this scourge and deliver beneficial impact. That crystallisation of intention with innovation, became my "Moment of Obligation", in making me raise my voice, and my actions, formally, to tackle, and raise national and global actions, in combating Nigeria's maternal and child deaths emergency. That was in 2004.

I believed then, and still, believe that maternal and newborn health care, need

to dramatically improve in Nigeria.

The recognition and acknowledgement of the Wellbeing Foundation internationally, I believe was largely due to the commonality and resonance of its longestablished core focus, with that of the former- Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who also recognised the importance of maternal and newborn health within the Global Strategy for Women and Children's Health, having and created the “Every Woman Every Child Movement” which WBFA joined. Yes, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa enjoys a significant global platform across policy, advocacy, and action fora, which I continue to drive as a committed advocate, along with the dedication of my teams, but I must note that entering a global arena necessitates the right movement, the right moment, the right evidence for action and the right policy foundation, along with an adherence to diligence and accountability to a more stringent standard than normally obtains locally. Within the then Millennium Development Goals, and the now Sustainable Development Goals, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa's mission targets happened to identify a challenge and solution locally, which are a significant measures globally, and we discovered that global leaders were ready to embrace a non-governmental pathway to exploring and deploying innovative solutions, as evidenced by our admission to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, ECOSOC. If it had been another Secretary-General who perhaps, had interests in other issues, perhaps we would not have engaged to such heights with a global cause. I was seeking for solutions, and I sought the best solutions, from the top, but with a clear commitment, to apply and implement those solutions at the grassroots where they are most needed. When all's said and done, myself and His Excellency Ban Ki Moon, shared a common respect for the value of human life, and particularly a desire and unwavering conviction, that we could, alongside so many others, preserve, promote and protect, the value of newborn lives, whether in my home nation Nigeria, or around the world.

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has forged many key locals, national and pan-African partnerships, and I greatly recognise the efforts of Mrs Margaret Kenyatta in the Beyond Zero campaign and other African first ladies in reducing for instance, the prevalence of HIV-AIDS across our continent, as I equally am encouraged by my dear friend Graca Machel's chairing of the WHO Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health PMNCH, of which my Wellbeing

Olutoyin Saraki

Foundation Africa was Nigeria's first non-governmental organisation country member.

What are the functions and goals of WBF? What is the contribution of the Foundation to the everyday life of Nigerian women and children? How far has WBF gone in achieving its aims and objectives? Does WBF cooperate with other NGOs like Beyond Zero of Kenya for example, which has to do with child maternal mortality rates?

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s objective is to dramatically reduce the percentage of maternal and newborn mortality in Nigeria, and also support other organisations which have the same objective in other countries across the world.

Currently, we run carefully targeted programs to meet certain unmet needs, for our citizens, which have dramatically improved survival rates in the prenatal, delivery and postnatal periods, of a woman, and her newborn's life.

Our Emergency Management of Obstetric and Newborn Care EmONC programme trains midwives and medical workers, with the latest innovations in anatomical models, to avoid, detect, and treat obstetric and newborn complications, in Kwara State primarily, with medical observers periodically from other States of the Federation. This program has radically up-skilled the preparedness, capacity, and competence of medical personnel, to cope confidently and promptly in situations where targeted care is indicated, and has literally eradicated preventable loss of lives in childbirth in the medical facilities across 9 local government areas in Kwara State. So far, where the medical workers in all the covered medical learning

"THERE ARE QUITE A FEW REASONS WHY INFANT MORTALITY IS SO HIGH IN NIGERIA. FIRSTLY, THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF MIDWIVES THAT ARE WELLQUALIFIED AND TRAINED ACROSS THE COUNTRY" institutions and facilities have received this training, supported by Johnson and Johnson, in collaboration with our implementing partners, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. An added value-set of this EmONC Program are the skills laboratories we empower the institutions with, to constantly refresh their acquired skills.

Another program, a favourite of mine, is our 'Mamacare' Antenatal and

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

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40

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSEXTRA

Security Agents Avert Violence in Kaduna John Shiklam in Kaduna Security agents in Kaduna yesterday averted what would have led to a bloody clash in the Kabala West area of the city following the alleged killing of a suspected house burglar last Sunday.

Angry mob was said to have lynched to death the suspected

burglar and his corpse was found by his friends and relatives yesterday morning.

The incident which was said to have happened along Kaje Street, Kabala West, according to eyewitness account, led to fracas yesterday morning between two groups suspected to be for and against the alleged thief that was

Anthony Enahoro’s Son Dies at 63 Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Mr. Kenneth Enahoro, first son of the late elder statesman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, is dead.

He died on Sunday at the age of 63.

Briefing journalists in Benin City, at the family residence at 10 Aideyan Street, the immediate younger brother of the deceased, Mr. Eugene Enahoro, said his elder brother led a fulfilled life and that no foul play was suspected over his death.

“When a man passes on, you do not suspect any foul play. You do not begin to talk about whether he was sick or not but as long he is aged, God has called him. He survived long enough to bury his own father and he survived by two children.

“The matter on ground now is his children. He has basically retired having buried his father but he was engaged in politics

behind the scene. I personally I am not a politician so I am not too much into that. His political friends will do that.

“But it is unfortunate for the family because since the beginning of this year, this has been the third lost we had in the family.

“It is only God that knows how long we are going to live on this earth but I will say that he was my very good friend and he lived a very good and fruitful life. Because the important thing in life are those whom you leave behind.

“For those of you who are younger, it shows the importance of getting your life together very quickly because in our culture, what we pray for is that it is not strangers that bury us. So he has a family and he has children. I am younger than him. So, obviously it rest upon me now to take charge of his affairs,” he said.

lynched to death by angry mob.

The development caused panic among residents as the news of the clash spread around the city with many whose shops are located in Kabala West area closing the shops for their safety.

Motorists plying the busy Nnamdi Azikiwe bypass had to follow alternative routes as the two warring groups were seen throwing sharp objects at each other and passersby.

Another version of the report was that fighting broke out as a result of an argument between two friends over football match betting.

The argument was said to have led to exchange of blows at a local viewing centre in the area, causing fear and tension among the residents of the area.

Unconfirmed sources said several people were said to have sustained injuries during the fracas, forcing some residents to abandoned their homes for other locations for safety.

Residents of Kaduna had witnessed several bloody ethnoreligious clashes in the past and any slight skirmishes always cause fear and apprehension among residents.

The state government however responded swiftly to the clashes by deploying the police and soldiers to the area to avoid any break down of law and order.

Governor Nasir el-Fufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, said the situation in the area had been brought under control as security operatives had been deployed to there.

The state police command has however declared a manhunt for the perpetrators.

Spokesman of the command, Aliyu Usman, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) said the situation was under control and “we are working towards arresting the offenders.”

Meanwhile, some residents of the area said they cannot go back to their homes as the police and soldiers have blocked the way leading to the community.

One of the residents who pleaded anonymity said: “Some of us cannot go back home since we managed to escape from the area in the morning because soldiers and police have blocked the roads leading to our houses.

“Those residents that left for

work in the morning have to call back home to their families to remain indoors while those that have left the house are asked to look for a safer place within the city centre and stay.

“It is unfortunate that people are linking the fracas to religion, but I want to tell you that it has nothing to do with religion at all, a thief was lychned to death and his so called friends decided to take law into their hands.

“We are however happy that security people intervened immediately, and the situation is returning to normalcy as I speak to you.”

Meanwhile, 18 persons have been arrested by security agents in connection with the clash.

Samuel Aruwan, Spokesman to El-Rufai, disclosed this in a statement. He said the clash was between some youths in Kabala West and Ungwan Muazu area of the city.

Aruwan said security agents arrested the hoodlums from both communities, adding that security patrols in the areas were being intensified.

The statement said the suspects

would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

The statement further regretted the false news being circulated on the social media that the crisis had escalated to other parts of Kaduna town leading to the killing of a few persons and others injured.

Aruwan urged members of the public to disregard such falsehood on the social media, saying it is the handwork of mischief makers and people who do not mean well for the state. The statement warned those peddling such false stories to desist from it.

Aruwan explained further that in order to ensure peace among members of the two communities, a high power delegation led by the acting Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Sani, was dispatched by the state government to mediate.

He said the delegation met with the leaderships of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), youth leaders, security agencies and traditional rulers of the two communities at the end of which they all agreed to fish out the perpetrators to face justice.

Soldiers Threaten to Kill Borno Deputy Governor Some aggrieved soldiers allegedly held the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Usman Durkwa, to ransom at a military checkpoint in Yobe State last Sunday.

A source who witnessed the incident which occurred at Buni Gari town in Gujiba Local Government Area of Yobe State, told TheCable that the security personnel threatened to kill Durkwa.

Durkwa was returning from where he had attended the turbaning ceremony of Martins Babale, his Adamawa State counterpart.

The ceremony took place in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

However, Durkwa’s convoy reportedly ran into the military checkpoint, where no soldier was in sight.

A policeman attached to the deputy governor’s office had attempted to remove the barricade on the road when the military personnel started springing out from different corners.

They allegedly asked him who gave him the order to dismantle the barricade on the road, and in the process started manhandling him.

One of the soldiers was said to have used the butt of his gun to hit the policeman on the head.

Some security personnel in the team of the deputy governor moved in to explain to the officers that they were accompanying a deputy governor, but the soldiers were said to have been irritated by the explanation.

After about 15 minutes of the ensuing drama, the number two man in Borno State alighted from the vehicle to join his security team,

but the soldiers were said to have refused to accord him the respect that he deserves.

“The soldiers took positions from different directions, aiming at the convoy, with the threat to open fire.”

“The soldiers pointed Ak47 riffle, anti-aircraft guns and one of them was pointing a rocket propeller.

“The deputy governor, having seen what was going not after they had denied him access for about 15 minute, came down from his vehicle to interfere, but instead of showing him respect, the soldiers became more lawlessness.

“They said they don’t care about his office. They insulted and called him all sort of names. One of the soldiers, who pointed gun at him, called him a bloody civilian and political thief. They said they won’t lose anything killing the deputy,” the source said.

The source said it took the intervention of a senior military official before the situation was brought under control.

The convoy of the deputy governor was eventually given access, while the soldiers watched in anger.

When contacted, Kayode Ogunsanya, spokesman for the army in Yobe State, said he could not confirm the development because he was not in the state.

“I don’t have that information.

I am currently in Jos for a programme,” he said.

Last month, a public disagreement between the police and the army in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State, led to the deaths of four mobile police officers and one soldier.

CEMENTING DIPLOMATIC TIES

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (right), in a handshake with the President, Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, Laura Boldrini, when Boldrini visited the Senate President in Abuja .....yesterday. With them is the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Fulvio Rustico (left) and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Oil Prices Rise after Hint of Longer Extension to OPEC Cut Ejiofor Alike with agency report Crude oil prices rose yesterday, reversing earlier losses, after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members said they were considering extending their existing supply deal possibly into 2018, which helped offset the bearish impact of more increases in United States crude out output.

Global benchmark, Brent crude was up 34 cents at $49.44 a barrel, having recovered from a session low of $48.65.

US light crude was up 35 cents at $46.57 a barrel, up from an intraday low of $45.83.

Reuters reported that OPEC

and its non-OPEC partners were considering an extension to the current deal, which comprises an output cut of 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), for nine months or more.

However, efforts of OPEC to reduce global oil inventories have been undermined by a surge in US drilling, which has knocked more than 10 per cent off the price of oil in the last month.

OPEC will meet on May 25, when it is expected to discuss prolonging the cuts to the end of 2017, although analysts say a further extension may not be enough.

Data from the InterContinental Exchange yesterday showed investors had cut their bullish

bets on Brent to the lowest level since late November, according to Reuters.

Russia said yesterday it was discussing prolonging cuts with other producers beyond 2017, without giving a clear timeline.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister, Khalid al-Falih, also talked of extending curbs beyond 2017.

But countering those efforts, US drillers added oil rigs for a 16th week in a row last week, extending a drilling recovery into a 12th month, energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc said last Friday.

Since a low point in May 2016, US producers have added 387 oil rigs, or about 123 per cent, Goldman Sachs said.

US crude oil output averaged 9.3 million bpd in the week ended

April 28, its highest since August 2015, according to federal data.

Oil prices had recently collapsed to their lowest since late November as investor worried about the world’s stubbornly persistent glut of crude erased most of the gains that followed last year’s OPEC’s output cut.

The slide had worsened after OPEC delegates downplayed the chance that their group and other producing countries would deepen their output cuts when they meet on May 25.

The delegates had initially hinted that the current output cuts were likely to be extended, forcing both crude oil contracts to slide to their lowest since November 30, the day OPEC agreed to cut supply.

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N’Assembly Leadership, Ministers, NLC Meet over Unpaid Workers’ Benefits, Pensions Damilola Oyedele The leadership of the National Assembly yesterday met with the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige and organised labour led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ayuba Wabba, on the benefits and outstanding salaries owed public sector workers.

This is as the government team disclosed that the government does not currently have the funds to clear the backlog of salaries and other benefits owed workers, running into billions of naira.

At the meeting, issues such as salaries arrears, pensions, promotion benefits, transfer allowances and other allowances, were discussed in the tripartite meeting chaired

by Senate President Bukola Saraki with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara in attendance.

Adeosun declined to speak to journalists after the meeting, but her labour ministry counterpart, Ngige, disclosed that the federal government does not have enough funds to meet the demands of workers.

He however stated that the

involvement of the leadership of the National Assembly in the ongoing negotiation was a plus.

“We are here to discuss issues relating to things that are meant for industrial disharmony in the public sector. As you are aware, the labour unions have said the governors have not been treating them well.

“It’s a tripartite negotiation because we have involved the National Assembly and when you do any such negotiations, it is a plus.

“We looked at the issues of salaries arrears, pensions promotion arrears, death benefits, location expenses and transfer allowances, which have ran into billions of naira,” he disclosed.

The minister added that the government was committed to restoring confidence between employers and employees in the public sector in order to improve industrial harmony.

“So we made progress today and we have adjourned to reconvene tomorrow at 4 p.m., all sides are to go back and come back tomorrow with possible solutions, because government doesn’t have enough fund for now to tackle the issues.

So tomorrow, we will converge

Prof Adeyemi: FG Must Intervene to Prevent Stigmatisation of Chibok Girls Eromosele Abiodun The President of Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Lagos, Prof. Joseph Adeyemi, has stated that the federal government must take into consideration the need to provide intervention in the community the freed Chibok girls would return to.

This, Adeyemi stated, would help prevent reprisal attacks on the girls’ from family members and people in the society who lost their loved ones to Boko Haram.

Adeyemi who stated this yesterday in an interview with ARISE Televission, a THISDAY Newspaper sister broadcast company, disclosed that APN has set up a committee headed

by Prof. Obingbodun, a professor of psychiatry at the University College Ibadan, to lead a group of local experts who would assist in helping the young ladies whenever they get released from their captors.

According to him, “We have informed the Ministries of Health and Women Affairs that we have these people who will be ready to assist them. We are now having to deal with not just the girls, but their family members, society and we have to be sure that these children will not find themselves in such a situation whereby they get home and neighbors who may have lost love ones through the activity of Boko Haram refuse to associate with them, calling them names and seeking vengeance against them.

Society has to be prepared also.”

When asked if the girls might have suffered post-traumatic stress, he said: “That is a definite possibility; it is possible that quite a number of them will be going through this kind of experience.

These were people who were expecting many things in life, at stage they thought they were going to complete their secondary

education, all of a sudden they are taken out without prior preparation and taken to an environment where life must have been quite different.

Anybody in that kind of situation must have had a difficult situation.

It is very likely that they will have post-traumatic stress.

“From what we have seen, the clips we have seen since the Boko Haram issue has been on, it is not impossible that many of them might have been exposed to severe and fearful situations. It is not impossible that they may have witnessed or become aware about the death of some of their colleagues, it is not unlikely. They are between 16 and 18 and they have witnessed all kinds of abuses.”

On how to reintegrate them back into the society given what they have experienced, he said it will be a huge challenge.

“I am aware we have a number of people who have been coming into the country from different background, who apparently in their mind have the intension of assisting. But we know that those who are familiar with the culture, the upbringing of these young girls, their expectations and the way they may likely react to situations won’t be in a position to assist in their reintegration into the society. Reasons being that all of them have to have assessment as soon as they are discharged from their captures,” he said.

On forceful conversion to Islam, he said most of the girls might have cooperated to preserve their lives.

“Who knows how many of them may have lost their lives for refusing to convert. And when you have people dangling guns behind you or you have been informed what could happen to you expect you do certain things, of course you would comply that does not mean that you would have done so if you were given a better choice,” he added.

here and sort it out,” he said.

Wabba, in his remarks, disclosed that the pension contributions by workers had not been remitted for a while.

“Also, alongside the issue of unpaid pensions, is the fact that some of the pension contributions

by workers have not been remitted for some time.

“Those are some of the issues we came to discuss and we think that the National Assembly has led the process by bringing all stakeholders on board to see how these issues can be resolved in a

win-win situation without allowing industrial relations to degenerate,” he said.

Wabba said the negotiations were being held in cognisance of the fact that some of the processes for a resolution would require legislative backing, while some

would be taken care of through budgetary provisions.

Commenting on the proposed minimum wage, Wabba said labour has spoke with one voice and has made a formal demand of N56,000 monthly as the least amount to be earned by Nigerian workers.

CELEBRATING BABA AT 80

L-R: Mrs. Bola Obasanjo; former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Spot Hotel, Hajia Ramatu Lawal, during a special birthday dinner for Obasanjo in Lagos.... recently

Danbatta: NCC Worried But Helpless over Job Cuts in Telecoms Sector Mulls tougher sanctions for poor service quality, ranking operators James Emejo inAbuja The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof.

Umar Garba Danbatta, yesterday expressed displeasure with the massive job cuts in the telecommunications sector but submitted that it was hamstrung by the Act setting up the commission to mediate in labour issues.

He said even though the commission desires to see the vibrancy in the industry translated to additional job creation in the economy, the NCC does not currently have the mandate to intervene in labour issues.

Danbatta however, admitted that though there had been slight improvement in the quality of service by telecoms operators compared to now, the overall level of improvement still remained low and of great concern.

He said operators have continued

to violate the mandatory one per cent drop call limit set for them by the commission.

Consequently, he disclosed that the commission would soon unleash tougher sanctions on specific operators that have shown little or no commitment to enhancing their service quality.

Speaking when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the telecoms industry, Danbatta added that the commission would soon publish a ranking index for all telecoms operators indicating their service quality strength, with a view to stimulating competition among them.

Meanwhile, the investigation could not however, commence full steam yesterday as the NCC was yet to write to operators as requested by the committee to cooperate in its investigations.

Also, some crucial information and documents needed as

background to the probe were yet to be supplied to the committee by the commission while the committee also resolved to write the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN )regarding an item in its probe- the repatriation of funds.

However, the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Hon Ahmed Abu (APC, Niger) told THISDAY that the committee will not pre-empt the outcome of its investigations instituted as a result of complaints by both consumers and investors in the industry.

He said the purpose of the probe was not to witch-hunt anybody but correct practices which are not right.

Among other things, the committee’s searchlight will be beamed on sales transactions pertaining to spectrum allocations.

THISDAY further gathered that operators are currently making overtures to the CBN to be provided a special window

to access foreign exchange for importation of critical telecoms equipment to boost service delivery.

The industry is further lobbying the National Assembly to pass a crucial bill aimed at criminalising the vandalisation of telecoms equipment which is another identified cause of service flop.

Notwithstanding the excuses proffered by operators for their abysmal performances, the NCC said the commission would use its mandate to ensure that quality of service was improved.

He said the current quality standards in the country fell below both NCC and industry average adding that the commission currently had the capacity to monitor the performances of all operators- and will henceforth enforce compliance across the board.

NCC was issued a new date of May 23 to reappear before the committee with relevant documents for further hearing.

Fayose Extols Wike on Pro-people Projects Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has lauded his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for executing pro-people projects relevant to the living condition of the people.

Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday after he accompanied Wike on project inspection, Fayose said: “Everywhere in Rivers State is a construction site.

“And these are legacy projects that you can’t forget too soon.

The difference is very clear.

The average man can feel the projects.”

He noted that the governor has proved his love for Rivers people by his commitment to service.

“These are projects touching the average man. What I saw today is heartwarming. I feel the governor has done well

and he deserves commendation.

“The body language of the people shows a lot of appreciation for this dynamic leadership.”

The Ekiti State governor said Wike’s excellent performance flows from the constitution of his person, which means that projects delivery will be sustained.

He particularly lauded

the Rivers State governor for the State Ecumenical Centre, saying that God will bless him for his commitment to the development of the state.

He said the Pleasure Park will serve women, children and lovers of tourism.

The Ekiti State governor accompanied Wike on project inspection to sites in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas.

TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Court Refuses to Unfreeze Patience Jonathan’s $15m Account A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday refused the request by former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, seeking to unfreeze her accounts with about $15.5 million.

Justice Mohammed Idris ordered parties to file pleadings since issues had been joined as to the ownership of the money.

The judge held that all the defendants formulated different issues from those formulated by the plaintiff (EFCC) in the originating summons, saying it was unacceptable.

“The issues formulated by all the defendants are baseless. They amount to no issue and will be ignored by the court.

FG Inaugurates C’ttee to Review Pension Liabilities Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government has inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee to review all pension liabilities and evolve strategies on how to offset such liabilities.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who chairs the body gave its terms of reference to include reviewing and reconciling all pension liabilities of the federal government; make recommendations as to what portion of the liabilities can be funded through budgetary appropriations: and suggest creative ways of funding the balance.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, Adeosun tasked members of the committee to equally identify any pension assets that could be in suspense and ensure that such monies are used in offsetting the liabilities.

The inter-ministerial committee is also mandated to set up a mechanism that will facilitate regular payment of pensions through budgetary allocations

and other creative ways.

The minister lamented the plight of pensioners who were not paid their entitlements and vowed that the committee would ensure that it creates a mechanism through which pensioners would be paid as and when due.

Other members of the committee include the Accountant-General of the Federation; the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD), Acting DirectorGeneral of the National Pension Commission and the DirectorGeneral of the Budget Office of the Federation.

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation are also represented on the committee.

President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the constitution of the inter-ministerial committee to reconcile outstanding pension liabilities due to civil servants and offer solutions to the lingering problems in the pension system.

“I hold that this court lacks the competence to determine the issues raised by the defendants in their written addresses, having abandoned the specific issues formulated by the plaintiff in the originating summons.

“It is unfortunate. I say this because the issues raised by the defendants appear on the face of it, are good and deserving to be considered on their merit.

“But as I understand it to be the law, sentiment has no basis in the adjudicatory system.”

Justice Idris said where processes were not properly prepared, any defect would render the proceeding fatal as the court cannot “re-formulate” the issues for determination.

He held that there was a contention as to issues and facts in relation to the ownership of the money.

“In respect of this issue, the contention appears divided and

there is clearly an air of friction in the proceedings.”

According to him, all the counter-affidavits filed by the defendants contain disputed facts that cannot be decided without oral evidence.

“In the light of the above affidavit evidence, it cannot in my view be rightly contended that there are no disputed facts or substance as to the ownership of the said funds and the law.

“The issues of fact raised by the defendants herein are not spurious or irrelevant. The affidavit of the plaintiff is also not conjectural.

“In my view, the facts are contentious and oral evidence needs to be led by the parties herein. “In the light of the above facts, this case is generally not suitable for an originating summons procedure.

“In the circumstances, the court hereby orders that the

parties herein file pleadings in accordance with the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009.

“Trial shall then proceed accordingly. This is the order of the court,” Justice Idris held.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mrs. Jonathan had prayed the court to order the EFCC to unfreeze her Skye Bank accounts to enable her access the money.

She joined as respondents: EFCC, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Jonathan’s former aide, WaripamoOwei Dudafa, Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd., and Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd. Also joined are Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd. and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd. as respondents.

On September 15, 2016, when they were arraigned, the

companies, had through their representatives, pleaded guilty before Justice Babs Kuweumi, to laundering the money.

They were charged along with Dudafa, Amajuoyi Briggs and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku, for laundering the money.

Unlike the companies, Messrs.

Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge.

In a supporting affidavit to Mrs. Jonathan’s suit, deposed to by one Sammie Somiari, he said that Dudafa helped the former first lady to open the accounts.

He said Dudafa on March 22, 2010, brought two Skye Bank officers, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Mrs. Jonathan.

The deponent had claimed that Mrs. Jonathan was the sole signatory to the accounts and that she had no relationship with the companies.

Nnamdi Kanu in Enugu,Vows Never to Give up on Biafra Agitation Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOP), Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday in Enugu restated his resolve never to give up his agitation for the Republic of Biafra.

He also vowed to challenge his bail conditions which he described as obnoxious and unconstitutional very soon in court.

Kanu spoke when paid a thankyou visit to the Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) in Enugu.

He was received by top members of the ECA, including Mrs. Maria Okwor, Elliot Ugochukwu-Ukoh, among others.

While expressing his gratitude for the support showed to him by the group, Kanu said he chose the option of fighting to liberate the people of Biafra and that there was no going back.

“I have chosen the option that we must be free as a people; that we must be liberated as a race and that we must have every freedom, due to us, God-given and I would not want to go to heaven to experience it; I want to experience it here.

“I thank all of you that worked very hard, especially the Igbo Youth Movement; I must be specific, and

the Eastern Consultative Assembly and all the market men, market women, those that closed their shops to see us and all those who made efforts to ensure that I was not consumed.

“I thank all of you; those who contributed to my being here today, because without your pressure, I don’ think I will be here. “However, the work is not done yet, we need to finish it.

“I desire Biafra, I want Biafra, I want nothing else other than Biafra, I will not settle for anything else other than Biafra. That was what I was born to do and that is what I will do till the day Biafra will come that we may live as free men on this very earth as the Most High God, Chukwu Okike Abiama ordained it,” he said.

“On those we left behind, we are making effort to see that they come out because they committed no crime. All we are seeking for is freedom; a return to the values we had before the advent of white men.

A situation where people move their cows into our farms and slaughter our people will no longer be acceptable.”

He, however, refused to grant any press interview in apparent compliance with the bail conditions.

Osinbajo Congratulates French President-elect, Macron Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday congratulated French president-elect, Emmanuel Macron, on his victory at the weekend’s presidential election.

Osinbajo, according to a statement by his media aide, Mr. Laolu Akande, said he received the news of the election of 39-year-old Macron with satisfaction, recalling that Nigerian-French relations over

the years have been rewarding as he expressed optimism that the situation would not be an exception under Macron.

Describing Macron’s election as inspiring, Osinbajo said the government of Buhari had collaborated with French government in the war against terror, pledging that the government yet looked forward to fruitful security, economic and trade relations with France.

“Under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,

there has been a very close collaboration between Nigeria and France in the war against terror and he commended the role played by France in the successes so far recorded in the implementation of the regional initiative against terrorism.

“Osinbajo observed that Macron’s election is a source of inspiration especially for the French people and portends a greater future in which the French Republic

will continue to play its active role boosting relations with Europe, Africa and the rest of the world.

“The acting president then noted that the Buhari administration is looking forward to working closely with President-elect Macron to promote international cooperation, advance peace and security, consolidate mutual trade relations and strengthen economic partnership for the benefit of citizens of both countries,” the statement added.

NIS Announces Availability of Passport Booklets The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) yesterday informed members of the public that it has provided passport booklets to all its Passport Issuing Centres across the country.

The NIS, in a statement that was signed by its Public Relations Officer, James Sunday, said the attention of its Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede, was drawn to some media reports of

persisting scarcity of Passports Booklets across its Passport Issuing Centre.

But the statement stressed that “there is no scarcity of passport booklets across all our Issuing Centres in Nigeria and abroad.”

The NIS had in March informed members of the public about a shortfall in the supply of Passport Booklets in its system.

“The situation has since been resolved following government’s intervention and normalcy has been restored in all the Issuing Centres as contained in our notices to the public. The Comptroller General is by the notice encouraging all deserving passport applicants to approach the nearest passport offices to them directly to process their Passports and avoid patronising

touts who may make the process difficult for them.

“They may also wish to forward all complaints/challenges on the process to immigrationspro@gmail. com for attention. The public is hereby advised to disregard the misinformation about scarcity of passport booklets and always contact the service for all our services,” it added.

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TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

CHIBOK GIRLS' RESCUE…

CHIBOK GIRLS' RESCUE…

Adewole: FG Committed to Health, Wellbeing of Freed Chibok Girls Visits 82 girls in National Hospital Our Correspondents The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has promised that the federal government is committed to the health and overall wellbeing of the newly released girls of the Government Secondary schools (GSS) Chibok, Borno State.

Adewole gave this assurance yesterday during a visit to the 82 girls in Abuja health care centre where they are receiving attention.

The minister was accompanied by Permanent Secretary, Binta Bello, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja and other top officials of the ministry.

He said: “We are happy for you. We thank God for your release. President Buhari has shown his commitment to your plight and has directed that we offer the best of medical services.

“We are going to take care of you so that you can go out and live productive lives again. We are at your service, it is our job to help you. Please, do not hide anything from us.”

Speaking further, the minister advised the girls to be open to the health attendants about any perceived ailment as “the government is determined that you have a stable health to resume your normal lives”.

He further assured thst everything for the heslthcare of the girls would be provided as soon as the laboratory results are determined.

The minister also held a technical session with the hospital team on the management of the girls.

To this end, he presented drugs and other essential commodities to the management of the facility.

Speaking further, Adewole called on the medical team to set up individual chart to track the progress of each of the girls.

He called on the care providers to give special attention to psycho-social services because the fact that the girls had been held captive for more than three years.

Girls’ Release is a Master Stroke by Buhari, Says Niger Gov Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello yesterday described as a master stroke the release of 82 girls of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, from the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.

A statement by the governor signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace, the governor commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his “dogged effort and commitment to ensure the release of more of the girls.”

The statement described the release of the girls “as good tidings and development that will give strength and hope to the parents of those still in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists. “The president has made it clear that he will do everything within his powers to ensure the freedom and safe return of these girls and all other Boko Haram captives, andwe have started seeing the results, surely.

“The president has the political will to make this country great. I pray for his sound health, physical strength as well as increase in wisdom, understanding and knowledge to achieve even greater things for the nation.” The governor also commended the efforts of all security agencies, especially the military and others who were instrumental to the release of the girls.

Bello remained hopeful that the government would soon facilitate the return of all others still in captivity.

A cross-section of the released Chibok girls at DSS Hospital for medical check up in Abuja... Sunday.

Boko Haram detainees in exchange for the girls.

Faparusi maintained that the comment, which he described as caustic and inflammatory, lent credence to the widespread belief that the PDP was incorrigibly insensitive and callous to lead Nigeria.

He advised Makarfi to look inward and contrive ways to resolve the hydra-headed intra-party squabbles tearing the party apart rather than making comments that would expose his naivety on issues of governance.

The APC chieftain stated this in a statement he made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti.

Faparusi, a member of the seventh House of Representatives, said assurances of security for all, particularly the release of the 237 girls formed the APC’s cardinal electoral campaign during the 2015 poll, added that translating the promises into actions has indicated that the party has not failed the country.

Ecuador Congratulates FG

Promises to Nigerians, Says

The government of Ecuador has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on last weekend’s release of 82 Chibok schoolgirls from the custody of the Boko Haram insurgents.

The Ecuadorian government equally acknowledged and commended security personnel as well as international agencies and governments for their various contributions in the safe return of the girls last Saturday. The congratulatory message which was contained in a statement issued by Khoze Clement, Media Assistant to the Ecuadorian Ambassador to Nigeria, Leopoldo Rovayo Verdesoto, also assured Nigeria of Ecuador’s support in the fight against terrorism.

Part of the statement read: “After the release of 82 Chibok girls on Saturday who were kidnapped from their hostel on April 14, 2014, the Ecuadorian government congratulates President Buhari in his effort to ensure the safety release of the Girls back to their families. “Ecuador commends the effort of Mr. President and the various security personnel’s, and other international agencies and governments who played vital role to bring back the Chibok girls.”

While disclosing that the Ecuadorian people feel the pain of the families who have been anticipating the release of their girls, the envoy however, said his government would continue to support the fight against terrorism at the international arena.

Faparusi

PFN Lauds President

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, yesterday said the release of 82 Chibok schoolgirls has further confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari has not reneged on his electoral promises to Nigerians.

He also condemned the statement credited to the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Ahmed Makarfi, lambasting the federal government for releasing some

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the release of 82 Chibok school girls.

The Christian body also cautioned Nigerians to desist from politicising the health status of President Buhari. President of PFN, Dr. Felix Omobude, in a statement yesterday in Benin City, Edo State capital, expressed displeasure over the manner many Nigerians are making mockery of the health status of the nation’s number one citizen.

Buhari Redeeming Electoral

He described the release of the Chibok school girls as heartwarming, and called on the federal government to further intensify efforts to free the remaining girls still in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.

The PFN leader, therefore, urged Nigerians, particularly the Christians, not to relent in their prayers aimed at releasing the remaining girls in captivity, even as he called for support for the Nigeria armed forces to win the war against insurgency in the country. He stated that such unpatriotic act is “ridiculous, embarrassing and ungodly for Nigerians to be making uncomplimentary remarks about the health of their president.

“Nigerians should recognise the fact that President Buhari is human and needs the sincere prayers of all well-meaning Nigeria to steer the ship of the nation afloat.” “Instead of playing God and making uncomplimentary remarks about the health of the president, we should all take the issue up in prayers for God’s intervention.”

Red Cross Clarifies Its Role in Release of Chibok Girls The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said yesterday that it was not involved in the negotiation that led to the release of 82 Chibok school girls from armed opposition.

Ms Aleksandra Mosimann, Communication Coordinator, ICRC, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Mosimann said ICRC acted as a neutral intermediary based on the agreement of the two parties involved as specified in its mandate. “We were not involved in the negotiation for their release, as negotiations often imply a political process which is contrary to the political and neutral nature of ICRC work. “I can confirm that in the early hours of Sunday, May 7, the ICRC only transferred 82 Chibok girls from the armed opposition to the government of Nigeria.

“We transferred the girls with the agreement of both parties involved.

“This however means the girls were handed over to us by the armed opposition group that had held them and we handed them over to the military,’’ she explained. Mosimann also recalled that in October 2016, ICRC transferred 21Chibok girls and a baby released from armed opposition to Nigerian authorities, but was not part of the negotiation that led to their release.

She said that the ICRC role of a neutral intermediary was widely recognised worldwide, adding that the organisation had performed such roles in other countries such as Colombia and Sudan, among others.

“The neutral intermediary by ICRC is an indication of the trust that parties to the conflict place on

us,’’ Mosimann said.

Omokri Lauds Buhari, Expresses Reservations about Boko Haram’s Gesture A former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Reno Omokri, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the leadership that enabled the release of 82 Chibok girls.

Omokri has, however, expressed reservations that Boko Haram, which has recently lost their top commanders and many of their foot soldiers to military bombardment still went ahead to release 82 Chibok girls to the same federal government that their leader had sworn revenge on exactly a week earlier.

The former aide to Jonathan said in a statement yesterday that anybody that was not happy that 82 Chibok girls were released must be a monster whose humanity should be called into question.

“I thank God that these girls have been released and I commend the federal government for the feat of ensuring that these girls are reunited with their families. May God bless President Buhari for providing the leadership that enabled this to happen,” he said.

He recalled that early this month, fighter jets from the Nigerian Air Force had pounded Boko Haram positions in Balla village, which is 25 miles from Damboa, just outside Sambisa Forest and killed several fighers, including the group’s deputy leader, Abba Mustapha, alias Malam Abba and another leader, Abubakar Gashua, alias Abu Aisha, described as a key person in the group’s hierarchy.

Omokri noted that the Nigerian Air force acknowledged in emailed a statement to the AFP that the “Battle damage assessment conducted after the strike showed that several leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation and their followers were killed during the attacks”. Also earlier this month, Omokri said Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, released a video denouncing and taunting the Nigerian government over the attack and promising reprisals.

“Yet, after this incident on April 29, 2017 that led to the death of their top commanders and many of their foot soldiers, Boko Haram still went on to release 82 Chibok girls to the same Nigerian government that their leader had sworn revenge on exactly a week earlier? Does this add up? Does this gel with reality? Does this even make sense? Is Boko Haram that magnanimous?,” Omokri queried.

He also noted that when the girls were ferried over to the Nigerian Presidential Villa at Aso Rock, Abuja to meet with President Buhari, the photographs released showed them looking very well fed and robust.

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Investment in Lekki Free Trade Zone Rises to $15bn Gboyega Akinsanmi The Lagos State Government yesterday disclosed that Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), Africa’s fastest growing economic zone, had attracted $15 billion from domestic and foreign investors in the last eleven years of its existence.

In 2016 alone, the state government disclosed that the largest manufacturing conglomerate in West Africa, Dangote Group and other companies invested over $6 billion in LFTZ. Of the $6 billion, it said Dangote alone invested $4 billion.

The Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, gave the update at a news conference he addressed alongside his information counterpart, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Lekan Akodu, among others.

Currently, the zone is under the management of Lekki Free Zone Development Company (LFZDC), a joint venture partnership established in May 2006 pursuant to the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act (NEPZA) The LFZDC comprises a consortium of Chinese Companies

by the name China-Africa Lekki Investment Ltd (CALIL) with 60 per cent stake and Lekki Worldwide Investments Limited (LWIL) owned by the Lagos state government holding 40 per cent stakes., At the conference yesterday, Ogunleye said the zone, which was established by the administration of Senator Bola Tinubu, had already attracted 116 domestic and foreign investors, 16 of which had started operating.

The commissioner said LFTZ has attracted the highest investment in Nigeria, noting that the zone alone has attracted $15 billion, attributing it to the creative approach the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode adopted to attract domestic and foreign investments.

Aside, the commissioner said 116 investors “have registered to operate within the zone. Of the 116 investors registered to operate in the zone, 16 have already commenced operation excluding Dangote Group with a plan to invest $11 billion in the zone.

“This is the where the economic transformation of the West Africa including Nigeria is done daily. I can assure you that the zone has become

the preferred destination for investors. While some factories are currently under construction, 100 investors have also signified their intention to register and situate their business within the zone.”

Before the end of the 2017 fiscal year, Ogunleye disclosed that the state government and investors would inject $64 million counterpart funding into LFTZ to fast-track development within the zone.

Apart from $15 billion investment the zone had attracted, the commissioner said N740 million had been paid to host communities and families as compensation, citing

The Senate has rescinded its decision to restrict the number of television cameramen covering proceedings at its plenary sessions from 14 to six, a development which caused the entire cameramen of the Senate press corps to boycott coverage of plenary last Thursday.

The spokesman of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi made the announcement at a briefing yesterday, where he added that the restriction was not an attempt to bar the media from doing its job effectively.

Abdullahi disclosed that the issue was resolved amicably at a meeting with the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Nelson Ayewo, the Director of Information, Mr. Ishaku Gimba and the Chairman of the Senate

Press Corps, Mr. Cosmas Ekpunobi.

“Let me say that, summarily, this issue has been resolved amicably and tomorrow the chamber is going to have full complements of the Senate Press Corps as is usual. We have also agreed that the issue within chamber of where they operate has been resolved. The Clerk has relocated them to the right side, and all the necessary things needed for them to be on that side and do their job, will be provided by the Clerk,” Abdullahi said.

He added that the cameramen have also assured that they would adhere to all ethical standards while in the chamber.

“We want to assure you of our total commitment to deepening democracy, rule of law and participatory governance. And,

YinKa Kolawole in Osogbo The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday expressed its support for the family of the first Governor of the state, Alhaji Isiaka Adekeke, on the rejection of a coroner’s inquest ordered by the state government into the cause of his death.

In a statement issued by the Chairman, Soji Adagunodo, in Osogbo and made available to THISDAY, the party expressed

of course, we respect the fact that the media has that enviable responsibility of reporting whatever transpires here to Nigerians. We can only give you more support to do your job better,” he added.

The Senate spokesman however called on the Senate press corps to check impersonation by fake journalists, adding that an agreement has been reached to ensure a task force fishes such impersonators out.

“We also have the assurance from the Chairman of Senate Press Corps that anybody who is found wanting among the corps, there is an internal mechanism as professionals to resolve the issue through the appropriate disciplinary committee. We are convinced that this is how it should be,” he said.

Media Group Decries Attempt to Smear Former PENCOM DG’s Reputation Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned what it described as “calculated clandestine motives by fifth columnists, mischief makers and agent provocateurs to smear the hard earned reputation of the former Director General of PENCOM, Mrs. Chinelo AnohuAmazu.”

MRA in a statement signed and made available to journalists yesterday by its National Coordinator, Ishola Ishaka, alleged that according to its investigations and information at its disposal, there are calculated clandestine motives by fifth columnists, “who have been holding secret meetings at different locations in Abuja and Lagos respectively to pour affront on the reputation

of Anohu-Amazu.”

The statement said: “The attention of MRA has been drawn to this orchestrated gang up by fifth columnists and disgruntled persons who have an axe to grind with the former DG of PENCOM by digging up an act passed by the former president and the National Assembly to appoint and confirm the former DG and make it look as if there is more to it than meet the eyes.

“They are hell-bent on tarnishing the hard earned reputation of Anohu-Amazu who has served the country meritoriously all these years and have shattered the glass ceiling by raising the bar and building investors’ confidence including paying pensioners as at when

“to criminal hideouts where hoodlums perpetrate their nefarious activities. Some of the abandoned buildings harboured as many as 100 hoodlums. Some of them were located at Tinubu Square and Marina.”

Dabiri, however, said the state government would do something about the abandoned buildings in order to dislodged criminals occupying them as their abode.

One of the biggest challenges on Lagos Island is over-population.”

He ascribed the challenge to the state’s thriving economy, noting that Lagos State “is the only thriving state in Nigeria where people sell goods their goods around 5a.m. and by

8:30a.m., they are gone. The crowd there is too much. We are talking about human traffic.

“Managing human traffic is not easy. When you have large number of people coming to the CBD, it comes with waste challenges. On the Island CBD, about N3 billion exchange hands on daily basis in terms of transaction,” the special adviser said.

He, however, said all illegal structures and shanties in and around Idumota pedestrian bridge had been completely demolished, thus providing opportunity for the people to make use of it for the first time since over 15 years of abandonment.

Osun PDP Supports Adeleke Family on Rejection of Coroner’s Inquest

Senate Rescinds Decision to Restrict Cameramen from Plenary Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

the communities that benefited to include Yegunda and Abomiti.

He explained that the communities within the arm of the zone where Lekki-Epe International Airport zone would be sited, saying the government compensated the communities in fulfillment of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the host communities.

At a different session yesterday, the Special Adviser on Central Business District (CBD), Mr. Agboola Dabiri, said there were 60 abandoned buildings belonging to the federal government in the Lagos CBD. He said most abandoned buildings had been converted

due with the cooperation of the present administration.”

The media group alleged that some elements who are envious of her achievements as PENCOM DG and are hell bent to settle personal scores with an axe to grind by dragging her name into public ridicule and odium.

In Anohu-Amazu defence, according to Ishaka in the statement, “The appointment of the former DG was done in regards to all known laws and principles including equity and justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The former President and seventh Senate worked harmoniously in reducing the age limit of an occupant of the office of the DG for merit and competence to assume the office.

sadness with the fact that the Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, chose to treat a man of Adeleke’s calibre with such disdain and dishonour even in death.

Aregbesola had claimed at various times since Adeleke’s death that he died of heart attack and overdose of pain killers without any medical evidence.

The party wondered why the governor now expects any right-thinking person to expect an impartial inquest from a team set up by the state government.

Adagunodo wondered how a

governor who refused to pay a condolence visit to the Adeleke family for a whole week after the sad incident, refused to say a word of condolence at the 8th day Fidau prayers and chose to organise an all night dance charade called Ogbeni till day break while the family of the first governor of the state was still in mourning, expects anyone to take his so-called coroner’s inquest serious.

The PDP in the state added that the governor had by his

conducts since the demise of Adeleke shown himself as uncaring leader whose only obsession is politics and political gains from every occurrence no matter how tragic.

The party urged the governor to immediately disband the coroner’s inquest and also refrain from any further act of disrespect to the soul of the late senator who was not just political icon but also a family man and bread winner to thousands of widows, orphans and other less privileged in different parts of the state.

TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT DPO Shoots Fashion Designer, Injures Two Chiemelie Ezeobi A 25-year-old man fashion designer, Jamiu Ayoade, was at the weekend shot dead by a trigger-happy Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ijeshatedo Police Division, who also injured two others.

The incident which happened at No, 49 Wosilat Daudu Street, Ijeshatedo, where the deceased went to celebrate a friend’s birthday party, has thrown the whole community into mourning.

According to eyewitness report, the DPO and his men had stormed the venue of the birthday party in two patrol vans and left afterwards.

They however came back a few minutes later agitated and eyewitnesses alleged that one of the policemen accompanying the DPO shot into the air.

They also alleged that the DPO who was sitting in front of one of the patrol vans, alighted and brought out his service pistol and went straight to where Ayoade was sitting close to his girlfriend and shot him on the head at close range.

While Ayoade bled and died on the spot, the gunshot from the other policeman left two tours with injuries.

The DPO’s action and that of his man was said to have provoked the residents of the street, who started raining curses on them over the gruesome murder of the deceased.

The deceased’s elder brother Mr. Jelili Bakare, speaking for the family, expressed surprise with the manner Ayoade was killed.

He said: “My younger brother, Abubakar Animashaun, was celebrating his birthday party with some of his friends in a low key manner at our late father ’s house, when the DPO and his men came around.

“The DPO called a woman on the street called Mama Aliyat and they left.

Surprisingly the policemen came back to street again.

“From where I was sitting, I saw one of the policemen that followed the DPO shooting into the air believing that some of the youths at the birthday party would run, but they stayed back.

“It was then the DPO out of annoyance came down from his vehicle and went to where Ayoade was sitting in the passage of the house and shot him on the head at close range.

“After the shooting, The DPO called for reinforcement from other police division in the area and lied to them that the youths were armed with cutlasses and broken bottles.

“Fortunately, when the other DPO and his men he called arrived the scene, they left angrily when they could not see any violent

traces.

“The most annoying part of it was that when we went to Itire-Ikate Local council to lodge our complaint to council secretary, the DPO also came and said the deceased had been on their wanted list.”

Another sibling to the deceased,

Taofeek, while describing his brother as an easy going person, said he had not visited any police station in his life.

He said: “What annoyed us the most was the allegation of the DPO that my brother had been on their wanted listed.

“We are yet to hear what he

was wanted for. We are calling on Lagos State government and the state Commissioner of Police to come to our aid.

“Since the news was broken to our mother, she has been in serious condition. As Muslims however, we have already buried him at Atan Cemetery, Yaba.”

Sokoto AG Not Authorised to Take over EFCC’s Case, Says DPP ENCOURAGING THE YOUTHS Barely a week after a controversial ruling by Justice Idrissa Kolo of the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto which authorised the Sokoto State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to take over the prosecution of the case of Mohammed Bello, a serving Commissioner in the state and former Permanent Secretary of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the administration of ex-governor Aliyu Wamakko, the Director Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation, has contradicted the fiat that was used by the AG, to take over the prosecution of the case from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The defendants: Mohammed Bello, Abubakar Abdullahi Ahmed,

Rose Gallery Nigeria Limited, Silver Spring Global Concept Limited and Sitex Multiservice Limited were charged with 43 counts of money laundering, and forgery.

The charge followed an investigation which uncovered money running into hundreds of millions diverted by the first and second defendants during the first defendant’s tenure as the Permanent Secretary for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs of Sokoto State.

The alleged diversion was perpetrated through the 3rd to 5th defendants in the charge which are said to be companies owned by the first and second defendants who used their relatives as directors of the companies.

ICPC Secures Six-year Jail Term for Visa Racketeer Bennett Oghifo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a six-year jail term for a visa racketeer, Mr. Victor Charles Ndubueze.

According to a statement by spokesperson for the commission, Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa yesterday, Ndubueze was charged to court by ICPC on a three-count charge bordering on impersonation and forgery under Sections 132 and 363 of the Penal Code and punishable under Sections 132 and 364 of the 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The defendant was convicted on all the three counts by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja and was subsequently sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment on each of the counts which would run concurrently.

ICPC counsel, Ekoi Akponimisingha, had told the court that Ndubueze had posed as a Director in the Consular and

Immigration Service Department (CISD) of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja to commit the offences.

The convict was said to have sent false documents via email while posing as Mr. Akinkumi Rockson, who is CISD Director II, Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the intention to hoodwink the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer him entry visas for five applicants via the Trade Mission of Taiwan in Abuja.

The convict had also forged a letter of introduction from the Federal Ministry of Foreign affairs in the name of Rockson, to introduce the 5 applicants as journalists going to Taipei for a computer expo, whereas they were all automobile spare parts dealers’ resident in Aba, Abia State.

On receiving a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the criminal activities of the convict, ICPC swung into action and investigations were carried out which established to the commission that the suspect had indeed committed the offences.

L-R: Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu; Chairman, Lagos at 50, Prof. Wole Soyinka; Head, Youth Banking, Diamond Bank Plc, Adaeze Umeh; and Project Director, Vision Of The Child (VOTC), Foluke Michael, at the 2017 edition of VOTC project in Lagos...recently Sunday Adigun

Police Arrest Two for Fake Production ofVoters’ Card Chiemelie Ezeobi Operatives attached to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone II, Onikan, have arrested two persons for the mass production of fake Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC).

The 33-year-old duo of Arrey Aberdeen, and Giwa Monsuru, were arrested by the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) after the police got a tip-off about their activities.

According to the zonal spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a decoy policewoman was used to lure the suspects and the groundwork that led to their arrest began.

She said the woman approached Monsuru, claiming that she

desperately needed a PVC in order to assist an Internet fraudster to collect money from the bank.

She said: “Giwa Monsuru having collected N5,000, had a rendevouz with the woman to handover the fake PVC when he was picked up by the operatives who were lurking around.

“The suspects and another at large specialises in producing fake PVCs. Given that local council elections are around in Lagos, the AIG, Adamu Ibrahim, charged operatives to conduct discreet investigation on the tip-off.

“It was that investigation that led to arresting these ones. Efforts are on to arrest the other suspects.”

Admitting to the offence, Aberdeen, a printer, said he usually charges N1,000 for each

card, adding that it was his original copy from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) he used to design others.

He said: “I have only printed out two copies. One for Sadiq and the second one was to that woman, which led to my arrest. I scanned my PVC that INEC gave me and saved it on the safety.

“From it, I designed another one. It was Sadiq that introduced Monsuru to me. He (Monsuru) came and said his sister badly needed a voter card. That she wanted to assist Yahoo Boys to withdraw money. I only charged N1,000 for it. It was Monsuru that brought police to me.”

Monsuru, who claimed he worked as a civil engineer at a construction company in Lagos

Island, said poverty drove him into the business, adding that the man he worked for usually paid him N6,000 per month.

He said: “Whereas, I made N3,000 for just one PVC. I knew it’s illegal but the woman begged me that she needed it badly. I met Sadiq and he took me to the printer because he usually does PVC for people. I charged the woman N5,000 and I paid the printer N1,000. I also gave Sadiq N1,000. So, I was left with N3,000 but the money got lost when the police arrested me.

“I am an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) holder. I studied Engineering and I didn’t have money to continue with my HND. I work with a company and they pay me N6,000 per month.”

Judge: Dudafa’s Statements to EFCCVoluntarily Made A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris yesterday made a declaration that the statements made by the former Senior Special Assistant to the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Dr WaripamoOwei Dudafa, while in detention were made voluntarily.

In his ruling on the trial within trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the statement made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the course of investigation, Justice Idris held that the extra-judicial statements of the defendant can only be admissible if same are confessional in nature.

According to Justice Idris, “The question then is, are the statements confessional?

“A confession before the court can best be described as a judicial

confession. “A confession is that which is made before the police and any other security agent while investigation is on.

“There is no evidence before the court that the statements made by the defendant is not a confessional statement.

“I cannot therefore hold that the statements was not voluntarily made.” Justice Idris further insisted that the statements in contention were made under caution.

Further hearing on the matter has been adjourned until June 21, 2017.

Justice Idris had set aside May 8, 2017 for ruling after parties in the suit adopted their written addresses in a trial-within-trial earlier ordered by the court.

In his contention before the court, Dudafa had posited that he was “tormented” by the anti-graft

agency apparently in a move to get him to implicate the former President Jonathan.

Specifically, Dudafa contended that all the statements written were dictated to him, with an addition that he was induced to sign in exchange for his freedom.

The former presidential aide equally maintained that he was denied access to his relatives, and that for a period of time, he was not given food.

He posited that the EFCC doctored the video recording of his statements by blotting out the part where he protested the fact that he was being induced to make a statement.

In adopting his written address, counsel to Dudafa, Gbenga Oyewole said: “We urge your lordship to reject the statement of the first defendant as it was

not made voluntarily.

“On the video, the relevant part where the witness protested the voluntariness of the statement was expunged.

“From the preponderance of evidence, we urge the court to reject the statement as having been made involuntarily.”

On his part, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked Justice Idris to admit the statements in evidence, insisting that there were records that people visited Dudafa, that he was duly cautioned and made his statements voluntarily.

The anti-graft agency had docked Dudafa and Iwejuo Joseph Nna (alias Taiwo A. Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah) before the court on a 23-counts charge of conspiracy and concealment of crime proceeds.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MAY 9, 2017

47

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Rohr Leaves out Victor Moses from Corsica Camp List Ndidi, Iheanacho, 23 others for friendly Duro Ikhazuagbe Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, yesterday made public his list of 25 players for the planned camping programme in France with the exclusion of Victor Moses, Nigeria’s unarguably hottest forward in Europe at the moment.

Moses rediscovered his scoring formula after he was converted to a wingback

by Chelsea’s Italian gaffer, Antonio Conte. The exclusion of the Chelsea player from the planned friendly with the Corsica senior national team later this month may not be unconnected with the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Arsenal on May 27 at the Wembley Stadium.

Also missing from the list is the duo of Brown Ideye and Odion Ighalo who recently switched to the Chinese Super League. The absence of John Mikel Obi is understandable haven recently went under the knife to get rid of a nagging injury preventing him to be at his best since arriving in the Far East.

Injury has effectively ruled out first-choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Championship, leaving home –based Ikechukwu Ezenwa to fight it out with fellow former junior international Dele Alampasu for the slot between the sticks for the friendly game.

England-based duo Ola

Aina (Chelsea FC) and Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC) have been granted permission to feature for their respective clubs in the English FA Cup final on 27th May before joining the squad in Paris.

The three-time African champions will open camp in Corsica on May 24 and then play against the Corsica senior team two days later, before moving camp to Paris, capital of France for the second phase of the training programme ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in June.

Nigeria, unbeaten in a competitive game at senior level by South Africa since the Rainbow nation returned to international football 25 years ago, go up against the familiar foes at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, June 10. The Bafana Bafana 2-2 draw against Eagles effectively ended Nigeria’s dream of qualifying for the AFCON 2015 jointly hosted

by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon THE FULL LIST Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah); Dele Alampasu (Cesarense FC, Portugal) Defenders: Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); William Ekong (KAA Gent, Belgium); Uche Agbo (CF Granada, Spain); Abdullahi Shehu (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus); Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag, The

Netherlands); Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Gijon, Spain); Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto, Portugal) Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense, Portugal); John

Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel); Mikel Agu (Vitoria Setubal, Portugal); Alhassan Ibrahim (Akwa United FC) Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England);

Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Stephen Odey (MFM FC); Olanrewaju Kayode (FC Austria Wien, Austria); Isaac Success (Watford FC, England); Noah Serenren-Bazee (Hannover 96, Germany); Victor Osimhen

(Wolfsburg FC, Germany); Sikiru Olatubosun (MFM FC) TO JOIN TEAM IN PARIS AFTER ENGLISH FA CUP FINAL Ola Aina (Chelsea FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England)

L-R: FIFA President, Gianni Infantino; NFF President/CAF Executive Committee Member, Amaju Melvin Pinnick; and CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad at the 67th FIFA Congress starting today in Manama, Bahrain

Arita, Juma, Lead Okpekpe Race Elite Athletes Cast CAF: Pinnick Named President of AFCON, Media Committee A record 15 gold levelrunning elite athletes have been confirmed to race for the men and women’s titles and the $15,000 top prize at the fifth Okpekpe international 10km road race this Saturday in Okpekpe near Auchi in Edo state.

Spokesman for the race, Dare Esan, disclosed that six women and nine men who are gold level elite runners made the final list of athletes confirmed by the

race’s Director of Organisation, Zack Amodu.

Kenya’s Stephen Omiso Arita,Tanzania’s Ismail Juma and Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta will lead the cast of gold-level running elite athletes who are expected to jet into Lagos on Wednesday for the race.

Arita is the 10th fastest 10 kilometres runner so far this year courtesy of the 27:59 seconds he ran to win the XV 10km Villa de Laredo 2017

in Laredo, Spain and will be coming to Okpekpe not only to become the fourth Kenyan to win the men’s title but also erase from history books the 28.35 seconds course record set by Teshome Mekonnen in 2014.

The Kenyan will however be up against such quality competitors as Tanzania’s Juma who ran 28:58 seconds to place eight at the IAAF Gold Label World’s Best 10k in San Juan, Puerto Rico last February.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Higuain Warns Juve against Monaco Slip Two-goal hero Gonzalo Higuain has urged his Juventus teammates to keep their feet on the ground after a brilliant 2-0 win last week in Monaco that left them on the brink of the Champions League final. Both teams are meeting in the second leg

to decide who plays in the final this evening.

Argentine striker Higuain was set up by Dani Alves to open the scoring in the 29th minute and then converted an Alves cross just before the hour as Juve claimed a seemingly decisive victory

in the semifinal first leg at the Stade Louis II. The Italian champions have the final in Cardiff on June 3 in their sights, with a showdown against holders Real Madrid, Higuain’s former side, looking probable.

Premiership: Chelsea One Win away from Title Chelsea is one win away from claiming the Premier League title as the Blues relegated Middlesbrough with a dominant 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge last night.

Antonio Conte’s side overwhelmed Boro with

goals from Diego Costa, Marcos Alonso and Nemanja Matic, and will be crowned champions if they win at West Brom on Friday.

Boro is seven points adrift of safety with only two games remaining and will join north-

east neighbours Sunderland in the Championship next season.

Steve Agnew’s team went down with a whimper and could have lost by more had the hosts been more ruthless in front of goal.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has been appointed the President of the Organisng Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations - the most important committee in the workings of ithe Confederation of African Football (CAF) aside the Executive Committee.

At the inaugural meeting of the CAF Executive Committee which took place on Monday in Manama, Bahrain, on the margin of the 67th FIFA Congress starting today, Pinnick was also named the President of the CAF Media Committee.

The NFF supremo will have President of the Zimbabwe Football Federation, Dr. Philip Chiyangwa as his deputy in the AFCON panel.

It is the first time in CAF’s 60-year history that a Nigerian would head the very influential Organizing Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations - CAF’s flagship competition which is of the same age.

Former CAF President Issa Hayatou chaired the AFCON panel during his tenure.

In the Media Committee, Pinnick replaces Anjorin Moucharafou, the Benin Republic FA boss whom he pummeled at the CAF Elections in Ethiopia in

March to become an Executive Committee member.

Also yesterday, the CAF Executive Committee named the President of Ghana FA, Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi as 1st Vice President, with his DR Congo opposite number, Omani Constant Selemani, named the 2nd Vice President.

SAFA President, Dr. Danny Jordaan, a former university

lecturer and parliamentarian who was chief organizer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, was named chairman of the Marketing and TV Committee, while 1988 African Player of the Year, Kalusha Bwalya heads the Technical and Development Committee.

Sierra Leone FA boss, Isha Johansen heads the Women’s Football Committee.

TR

Tuesday May 9, 2017

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Price: N250

MISSILE Tinubu to Fifth Columnist

“By fomenting animosity among groups that have heretofore been allied, those who hold to the bankrupt politics of yesterday seek to thwart the president’s mission while claiming to support him” – Former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu chastising those believed to be behind the vicious rumours aimed at pitching Asiwaju against President Muhammadu Buhari.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI The 82 Chibok Girls and Other Stories abati1990@gmail.com

“E

ku amojuba awon 82 Chibok girls, o” “What is that supposed to mean in plain English? You better watch your tongue. It will be politically incorrect and suicidal to start making a joke out of something that serious.”

“Where is the joke?”

“In your tone. I know you when you want to start your mischief.”

“I am a born-again Christian” “I know. Like Stephanie Otobo telling Apostle Suleiman that she is born-again after maligning the man’s reputation.

Don’t just say anything until you have confessed your sins. Confess. Confess, now.”

“I am not a politician. I am neutral. And I won’t reach conclusions based on circumstantial evidence.”

“It’s me you are talking to. Try another mischief.”

“But I say, e ku amojuba” “Thank you. Politics 101: anybody that says anything other than to commend the Federal Government for rescuing the 82 Chibok girls should be condemned. Don’t forget that the Red Cross is part of this, and UNICEF is also offering help. Everything should not be partisan.”

“I am not saying anything anti-government. As a father myself, whatever the game is, if there is any, whatever political marketing is involved, I actually believe that those young ladies need support, and this may well be their opportunity in life. They have been showcased. I may have my reservations.”

“You see? What reservations?”

“I am just surprised that the whole drama appears to be professionally stage-managed. The girls even looked as if some of them were wearing costumes, I mean aso ebi.”

“Only the enemies of progress will look for things like that.”

“The girls looked as if they were actresses in a script they did not understand.”

“But they are back. So? What are you actually complaining about? The rescue, or the management of the optics?”

“Some people are saying that by 2019, just before the elections, the last batch of the Chibok girls will emerge from wherever they are.”

“Obviously, some people are weaving a conspiracy theory. I think the next time government wants to swap the girls for terrorists they should just swap supporters of the Jonathan government for the Chibok girls. That will settle this matter once and for all.”

“Why Jonathan’s people? I think they should swap Nigerian Senators who have refused to pass the 2017 budget.”

“What? Saraki’s Senators? Whoever tries that, ajekun iya ni o je, ajekun iya ni o je….”

“You dey craze. People, and these are Nigerians, are saying they have a feeling the girls have become pawns in a grand political strategy and game.”

“Can you prove that?”

“I don’t need to prove anything. In politics and political science, there is something called game theory and it is real.”

“Billy Dudley. I remember what Professor Dudley said, but you can’t reduce everything to textbook thinking.

Get real. We should join government to thank God.” “Whatever it is, whatever the truth is, and whatever the post-truth is, I want the best for those girls. And it is not a job for government alone. Take the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for example. When the girls were first abducted, CAN and the Western world did not allow us to rest. They packaged the Chibok girls’ abduction as an assault on Christianity. They maligned Moslems.”

“I remember that” “We Christians often theatricalize our religion, posturing that we epitomize what Christ lived and died for. For me there is a metaphorical correlation between the situation

President Muhammadu Buhari of these girls, “dead” as it were for three years, resurrecting now, shortly after Easter. We love to take swipes at the other religion. Now that we have some of the girls back, what plans do the money-spinning, faith-based universities have for them?”

“How? This is not about religion.”

“These churches run educational institutions from crèche to the university. Go and look at the full list of the rescued Chibok girls. They are mostly Christians.

Instead of blaming Moslems, can Covenant, Babcock, Redeemed, Salem, Benson Idahosa, Joseph Ayo Babalola, Caritas and similar institutions adopt these ladies, support government, and begin the process of healing the wounds of the past three years?”

“I am confused. I don’t really know where you stand.

You talk this way. You talk that way. Can we talk about something else?”

“My stand is clear. What else, if I may ask?”

“Like #BAAD 2017. Banky W getting engaged to Adesua Etomi, and how the best way to get a wife in this digital age is to slide into DMs. Very soon, churches will start organizing seminars on the value of the DM on twitter as a tool for defeating the demon of being single. I am sure there are Bible passages that will illuminate that.”

“Congratulations to Banky W and Adesua, then. They may just have started a revolution in the marriage theatre.”

“Or we can talk about Davido and the baby shower with his Baby Mama in Atlanta.”

“How is that an important subject when we are talking about game theory and Nigerian politics?”

“It is a very hot subject among the Nigerian youth” “Really? Okay, then, let us discuss it when Davido beats Tu Baba’s record, or when he finally decides to move from friend zone to husband zone.”

“Agba ya ni wo egbon yin ke. Wetin? Je ki awon boys je aye ori won. Okay let’s talk about the Demuren baby bump.”

“No. Can we go back and talk about Nigeria? How for example, Nigeria can produce its own Emmanuel Macron in 2019? And in case you don’t know, Macron is the 39-year old young man who has just won the Presidential election in France, the youngest since Napoleon.”

“We can do the same thing here. How old was Gowon when he became Head of State? It is nothing new. All those people who laid the foundation for modern Nigeria were all young men in their 20s and 30s. In recent times, we have also had young men becoming Speakers of Nigerian legislatures at different levels or even Governors.”

“And what happened? Did the young men perform?

What happened to the foundation and the building?”

“The law does not allow anyone below 40 to aspire to become President of Nigeria, but some people have started a Not-Too-Young-To-Run-Movement. We should be optimistic.”

“When you look at the on-going game in the country, do you see the possibility of any age-based revolution in Nigerian politics?”

“Yes. Macron started a movement of his own and the entire country bought into it.”

“So, what are you waiting for? You too can start a movement here as an independent candidate and tell Nigerians to queue up behind you.”

“I am thinking about it, why not?”

“My friend, wake up! Macron is 39. He is married to a woman who is 64 years old, his mother’s age mate. You think Nigerians will accept that? He didn’t have to share money to be accepted. He has no known Godfather. Even his opponent, Marine Le Pen does not have a Godfather.

Her own father actually gave a pass mark to Macron after their last debate when he said Macron sounded more serious and more assertive.”

“Those are Oyinbo things” “Say that to those who are saying Macron has won in France. Tell them, they can also have a French Revolution in Nigeria. But tell them to note the cultural differences, and how politics is a game in one country and how it is about the people and their future in another country.

When will politics ever be about the people in Nigeria?”

“We can do it.”

“Don’t just mouth slogans. This is how you people always get Nigeria into trouble. Tell me what you intend to do about the dinosaurs who are the game makers in Nigerian politics. Nobody made an issue out of Macron’s ethnicity, religion, or age. It was all about issues. In those countries that we like to use as reference points, democracy has become a science, a social science, but in Africa - democracy is witchcraft. The more you see,

the less you understand.”

“What I know is that Nigeria has a Macron out there” “And a sick Donald Trump out there too, who will get to power because of all the games we play in this country” “Haba!”

“Don’t get worked up. You know for me, the most beautiful thing about the French Presidential election is that after the battle was won and lost, Marine Le Pen conceded to Macron and she went to a club to dance.

A few hours after losing, she was in a club singing Hip and Hop Karaoke: “I Love Rock N Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and she spinned around to YMCA by the Village People. She just lost an election. For her, France is more important. Her life does not depend on political office. When we get to that level, we can start comparing our democracy with others.”

“Hmm” “When people lose election in Nigeria, it is a kind of bereavement. Now that suicide is a popular response in Nigeria, don’t also be surprised if our politicians start committing suicide after elections.”

“I am an optimist. We will get there.”

“I am a pragmatist. In Nigeria, when something goes up, it never goes down. Take Uber taxi charges. Uber has tried to reduce its charges all over the world due to competition with its key rival, Taxify. It is only in Nigeria that Uber drivers have organized protests. They say they don’t want the 40% reduction in tariffs. They want Uber to reduce its own returns. That is Nigeria for you. The Buhari government promised to fight corruption, but Professor Tam David-West, a die-hard Buharist is now suddenly a whistle-blower. He is now lamenting that President Buhari is surrounded by corrupt persons.

Aso Villa demons at work, certainly, I think.”

“God will intervene” “Yes. God. We end up leaving everything to God and prayers…”

AIG Taiwo Lakanu: Friend, Officer and Gentleman

I

am not a fan of police officers. Over the past 32 years, I have done enough character sketches, caricatures and acerbic commentaries about the Nigeria Police to fill a whole book. But in the process, I have also come in contact with and made friends with many police officers who have proven to be true professionals. Taiwo Lakanu, who has just been promoted from his post as Commissioner of Police in Imo State to Assistant Inspector General of Police in Abuja is one of such.

Lakanu is essentially an operations man. From DPO to anti-armed robbery squad, to IGP aide, to commissioner of police, and now AIG, he has managed over the years, to build a network of contacts at all levels of the Nigerian society. He is the archetypal police as your friend, he reaches out to the community, he has a forever listening ear and he is fiercely loyal to his bosses. When it comes to his job, he is extremely stubborn and unyielding. A lawyer and a trained officer, he does not joke with his job.

He once told me the story of how a certain notorious herbalist-armed robber taken into custody became a chief informant to the station, and who helped the Special Anti-Armed Robbery Squad in Lagos to nail many armed robbers. When the fellow suddenly died as he had himself predicted,

Lakanu said he wept. The man had become an asset to the Nigerian state. When Lakanu told me other stories of face-to-face encounters with hoodlums during operations, I often wondered how he has managed to survive. Police work is tough work.

Lakanu’s elevation is certainly a reward for hardwork, diligence and professionalism. I congratulate him on his achievement. He has not served as Police PRO but he is probably the most influential police officer of his grade among Nigerian journalists.

I am not surprised that he recently excelled as CP, Imo State where he proved to be an asset to all and sundry by ridding the communities of established crime. Upon his departure, dances were organized to celebrate him.

The Governor named a street in his honour.

He was also offered a plot of land which he was told he could choose as his retirement base in the future, in addition to a sum of N5 million as “fuel money.” He may have rejected the land and the fuel money, but in truth, it is not always that Nigerian police officers are so honoured. Oftentimes, they are chased away by the same people they are asked to protect. Lakanu’s example is instructive.

The Akogun of Lagos, thank you for living true to your traditional title. Hearty congratulations.

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