Tuesday 12th September 2017

Soyinka: It is Sickening to Canvass for Buhari’s Second Term Now Says country is overdue for 'reconfiguration'

Tobi Soniyi and Shola Oyeyipo Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has described as sickening for anyone to

canvass for a second term for President Muhammadu Buhari midway into his first term, saying he did not want to be part of such a discussion.

Soyinka, who spoke

yesterday to newsmen at the Freedom Park in Lagos, equally said those who claim that what Nigeria needed was just a restructuring of the minds, were not stating

the obvious.

He had earlier addressed a press conference to unveil the participants of an exchange programme organised by the Wole Soyinka Foundation

in partnership with Cedars Institute, Notre Dame University in Lebanon.

When asked to comment on those clamouring for Buhari to run for a second term, he said:

“Why are we talking about a second term for heavens sake, I don’t understand this. We have hardly gone half-way Continued on page 8

President Decries Misuse of Paris Club Refund by Governors… Page 37 Tuesday 12 September, 2017 Vol 22. No 8181. Price: N250

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FG Approves Concession of Lagos, Abuja Airports

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

SOLIDARITY VISIT...

Seated L-R: Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers (standing) representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, during a courtesy visit by National Council of Traditional Rulers to the president, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja... yesterday godwin omoigui

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the concession of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo disclosed yesterday.

The vice-president made this disclosure at the quarterly parley of the government and private sector stakeholders organised by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Committee (PEBEC), held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Continued on page 8

Atiku: If Given Chance to Rule Nigeria, I’ll Fight Corruption Like Never Before Challenges traducers to prove he’s corrupt or shut up

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja With another electioneering season just a few months away, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that he would fight corruption like never before if he’s given the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the country.

Atiku, who has never hidden his desire to rule Nigeria

and would most contest for the presidency in 2019, also challenged those he described as his “self-righteous political enemies” who have been accusing him of corruption to either prove the corruption allegations against him, or mind the skeletons in their own closets by keeping quiet.

Atiku made the remarks yesterday at a facility tour of

the new ultra-modern Yaliam Press Limited in the Jabi area of Abuja.

Atiku’s political adversaries have often accused him of being tainted by corruption, especially after he was associated with an ex-United States congressman, William Jefferson who was tried in that country in 2009 for corruption.

His erstwhile boss, former

President Olusegun Obasanjo had also accused him of corruption, particularly during the war of attrition that drove a deep wedge between both men during their second term in office.

Despite the allegations, Atiku has never been charged for corruption by any law enforcement agency in the country and has maintained

his innocence.

However, Atiku, in a statement issued by his media office yesterday, challenged anyone with evidence of corruption against him to come forward or keep quiet.

If anything, the former vice-president said he was adequately equipped to fight corruption because of his vast experience in the private and

public sectors and would shock everyone because he would fight graft like never before.

Atiku was quoted as saying: “It is sickening to continue to regurgitate allegations of corruption against me by people who have failed to come forward with a single shred of evidence of my Continued on page 10

Oando Shareholders Pass Vote of Confidence on Wale Tinubu... Page 8

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Oando Shareholders Pass Vote of Confidence on Wale Tinubu Advise feuding investors to reconcile

Goddy Egene

Despite the brief protest carried out yesterday by a group of shareholders under the aegis of Oando Shareholders Solidarity Group at the venue of the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Oando Plc, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the company went ahead with its AGM, where other shareholders of Oando passed a vote of confidence on Tinubu and his management team.

All of the company’s resolutions were also passed as contained in the meeting’s agenda.

The shareholders who were not part of the protest, however, advised the feuding investors in Oando’s holding company to reconcile in order to forestall further erosion of the company’s value.

The leader of the protesters, Mr. Francis Michael said: “We are here to protest and press for the need to change the management of the company over gross mismanagement and abuse of corporate governance.”

According to him, they had read several reports on the gross mismanagement of Oando Plc by the present management of the company.

“For the past three months, there have been reports of huge financial mismanagement, very high debts and cooked books

by Oando Plc. “As it stands, Oando is in a very bad shape although the company’s report points to the contrary. We and our relatives have lost so much as a result of the mismanagement.

“The value of our shares today stands at less than 10 per cent of what it used to be.

It has plunged from a high of N95, less than seven years ago, to as low as a little above N6 per share.

“In the face of this, the management and board are feeding fat on the company, earning huge salaries and rewarding themselves handsomely,” Michael said.

He added that there was strong uncertainty regarding Oando as a going concern, a situation, which he said was clear from the 2015 and 2016 reports as pointed out by its auditors.

“We therefore call on the present CEO of Oando Mr. Wale Tinubu to step down and allow a competent hand to manage the affairs of the company to save millions of Nigerians from further loss of their hard earned money.

“We are also calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to commence the immediate investigation of the company to determine the true state of the financial position and corporate practice.

“We also demand the rejection of the proposal concerning the remuneration of the CEO and directors of Oando Plc and the rejection of the 2016 annual report and accounts and the need to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting within the shortest possible time to address the issue of mismanagement and abuse of corporate governance in the company,” he said.

The shareholders of Oando have been at one another’s throats, following accusations and denials of indebtedness and mismanagement of the company.

Leading the charge are the Chairman of MaxAir, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, on the one hand, and Mr. Gabriele Volpi, who through his company, Ansbury Investment Inc., invested over $700 million in Ocean and Oil Development

Partners Limited (OODP BVI), a special purpose vehicle registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Through its investment, Ansbury acquired a 61.9 per cent stake in OODP BVI, while a company owned by Tinubu, Withmore Limited, holds 38.10 per cent of the stake in OODP BVI. Volpi further alleged that he also lent $80 million to Withmore to enable Tinubu, whom he said he trusted at the time, to acquire the 38.10 per cent stake in OODP BVI. Tinubu had approached Volpi to invest in the British Virgin Islands-registered firm when Oando was seeking to acquire ConocoPhillips’ upstream oil and gas assets in Nigeria for $1.5 billion, a deal eventually consummated in 2014.

OODP BVI, in turn owns 99.99 per cent of the shares of Ocean and Oil Development Partners Nigeria Limited (OODP Nigeria), which holds 55.96 per cent of the shares in Oando, the oil and gas company listed on the Nigerian and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.

Ansbury is now claiming to own 100 per cent of the shares of OODP BVI and 99.99 per cent of OODP Nigeria over Withmore’s inability to repay the $80 million loan, effectively whittling down Tinubu and the Deputy Managing Director of Oando, Mr. Omamofe Boyo’s interests in Oando Plc to 1.2 per cent.

The shareholders of Ansbury had also accused Tinubu and his deputy of financial mismanagement and cooking the books of the quoted company, a position that was buttressed in two petitions written to SEC seeking to stop Oando’s AGM and the removal of Tinubu and Boyo, among other directors of the company.

However, SEC ruled that the AGM could go ahead as planned, but added that nothing stops it from reversing the resolutions passed at the AGM should its ongoing investigation show that Oando has indeed been mismanaged or its books falsified.

Tinubu, however, had maintained that contrary to Ansbury’s claim, the equity holding in OODP BVI has Withmore holding 60 per cent of the equity and Ansbury with 40 per cent, a fact which he says was reflected in Oando Plc’s annual accounts.

He also stated that under the terms of the loan agreement, the $80 million, with a five year-tenure, was not due for repayment, prompting the shareholders to proceed to arbitration for a resolution of the dispute.

Tinubu had further dismissed allegations of financial impropriety, stating that a representative of Ansbury was a director of Oando for three years and approved its accounts, at least up till 2015.

But in their independent report, Oando’s external auditors, Ernst &Young, had raised a material uncertainty related to the viability of the company.

“We draw the attention to Note 45 in the financial statements, which indicates that the company reported a comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2016 of N33.9 billion (2015: loss of N56.6 billion), and as at that date, its current liabilities exceeded current assets by N263.8 billion (2015: N260.4 billion).

“As stated in the note, these conditions, along with other matters, indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the company (and Group’s)

ability to continue as a going concern,” the auditors said.

Yet, some of the minority shareholders, who spoke yesterday during the AGM called for a reconciliation of the feuding investors who hold the controlling interest in Oando to forestall further erosion of the company’s value.

They also called for more disclosure and strict adherence to corporate governance tenets.

Mr. Nonah Awoh, a shareholder, particularly noted that disclosure of information regarding third party-related activities and the shareholding structure, among others, would allay suspicion and the present lack of trust and confidence in the board and management by some shareholders.

“Going forward, there should be disclosure on what you are doing. That way, those who want to sympathise with you will sympathise with you.

“It is important that you also disclose those who are on the main board and those that sit on board of the other subsidiaries. It is also pertinent to know how long a director sits on the board. Is it for eternity or not?” Awoh asked.

Another shareholder, Dr. Faruk Umar, President of the Association for the Advancement of the Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS), said: “We must have unity of purpose. If you have invested in Oando, you won’t want this company to go down.

“We are appealing to all parities, after this AGM, they should reconcile. This company must survive. We have put in our money. And this company should not be allowed to lose more value,” he pleaded.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), Mr. Boniface

Okezie, said: “Today is a sad day because if you look at the agenda, there is no dividend payout.

“But I want to appeal at the same time that we should be patient and pray that the company’s fortunes improve so that we can start receiving dividends.

“The management should be focused and take advantage of the recovery in oil prices and perform better,” he stated.

Okezie also appealed to the Chairman of Oando and Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Gbadebo, who is a traditional ruler to use his good offices to reconcile the shareholders.

In his report to the shareholders, Gbadebo said the company had aligned its operations with a long-term strategic view by divesting from their energy services business and partially from its downstream business, as well as optimising its balance sheet through the restructured N108 billion-syndicated medium-term loan.

“We will focus on further reduction of our debts to create a platform for long term profitability while driving growth via our dollar-denominated upstream and downstream trading businesses,” the chairman assured the shareholders of the company.

Also speaking, Tinubu stated that the protest was uncalled for, stressing that SEC had approved that the AGM should hold after examining the petition written by Ansbury.

He assured the shareholders that the company’s story had been that of resilience, innovation and growth “and I am assuring you that we are fully committed to repositioning your company towards sustained growth moving forward”.

companies.

He said the distribution companies had also expressed their unwillingness to take the 2,000MW because of the unwillingness of some consumers to pay, even as he pledged the government’s commitment to improve the infrastructure related to power distribution.

He also said part of the business overhaul initiatives of the government were aimed at ensuring the provision of power in some notable business clusters such as the Ariaria market in Aba, Abia State, the printing industry in Somolu, Lagos, and a Kano market without the necessary connection to the national grid.

He described it as “all sorts of off-grid initiatives to get power to industries”.

Furthermore, Osinbajo said the government was promoting solar power initiatives as well as the construction of integrated power plants in nine Nigerian universities to boost power supply.

He also said the underlying factor behind partnering with the private sector was dictated by the knowledge that whereas everyone could not be persuaded to do things right, it was critical to get a sizable number who can make things work.

He said such sizable numbers could be harnessed from not only the private sector,

but also from critical organs of government such as the judiciary and the National Assembly.

FG APPROVES CONCESSION OF LAGOS, ABUJA AIRPORTS He said the federal government’s main commitment on the ease of doing business in Nigeria was to ensure the general overhaul of the business environment which he said would involve the concession of all airports in the country.

Specifically, the vice-president said already, FEC had granted approval for the concession of the Abuja and Lagos airports.

“First, we want to do a general overhaul. Second, we want to concession all the airports. I am pleased to say that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the concession of the Lagos and Abuja airports,” he stated.

Osinbajo who said partnering with private sector operators

was a sensible decision to take at the moment, added that the move was important because it serves as the forum for the government to receive both criticisms and suggestions from the private sector.

He pointed out that the government’s commitment to the ease of doing businesses in Nigeria was predicated on both evolution plans and capacity building.

On capacity building, Osinbajo said it had become imperative to improve the capacity of government agencies, which regulate business activities.

According to him, even though the pursuit of the enabling business environment

might be slow, the government would remain focused, a situation he said was responsible for the signing of the executive orders with a view to ensuring that things are properly done.

The vice-president who further said that government’s approach to the ease of doing business in Nigeria was dynamic, delved into the current challenges confronting the power sector.

He said while the country currently generates 6,700 megawatts (MW) of electricity, 2,000MW of it gets wasted daily because of problems associated with connection difficulties as well as problems between the transmission and distribution

SOYINKA: IT IS SICKENING TO CANVASS FOR BUHARI’S SECOND TERM NOW or barely gone half-way and people are already talking about positions. I refuse to be part of that discussion.”

He said that while the restructuring of the mind could be done on a daily basis, what the nation needs right now was real restructuring, which he termed “reconfiguring”.

He said: “People should not allow themselves to be put off by those who have tried to cheapen the expression. As I said when I visited the Women Arise (event) the other day, it doesn’t matter what name you call it, we all know that Nigeria was deconstructed and that what we live in right now as

a nation is not along a structure that expresses the true will that we love in Nigeria.

“So, when people use words like restructuring, reconfiguring, you can call it reconfiguration.

You can call it return to the status quo. You can call it reformulating the protocol of association. You can use those

long words, but you can use a single word like restructuring, it doesn’t matter, everybody knows what we are talking about.

“Number two, there are those who try to divert direct attention away from the main issues by mounting platitudes, clichés like it is the mind that

needs restructuring, you know who I am talking to.

“This is a constant process – the restructuring of the mind is both an individual exercise as well as a theological exercise.

People go to church and mosque to have their minds restructured, they go to school, Continued on page 10

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN % NEWRESTASL 0.29 6.25 4.8 TRANSCORP 0.06 1.32 4.7 UNITEDCAPITAL 0.14 3.09 4.7 OANDO 0.24 6.75 3.6 HONEYWELL 0.06 2.11 2.9 TOP LOSERS NGN NGN % OKOMUOIL 3.10 59.90 4.9 MCNICHOLS 0.06 1.26 4.5 LIVESTOCK 0.04 0.85 4.4 JAIZBANK 0.03 0.68 4.2 BERGPAINTS 0.30 7.00 4.1 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,210.00 Volume: 114.768 million shares Value: N2.173 billion Deals: 3,232 As at yesterday 11/9/17 See details on Page 33

T H I S D AY TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

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STARTERS

Customs Seizes Another Container Load of Arms from Turkey NEWS

Two-Minute Briefing

Eromose e Ab odun For the th rd t me th s year the N ger a Customs Serv ce (NCS) has announced that t ntercepted a conta ner oad of arms and ammun t on mported from Turkey The Federa Operat ons Un t (FOU) enforcement team had n January ntercepted a conta ner oad of arms a ong the ApapaOshod expressway In the same ve n the T n-Can Is and Command of the NCS ntercepted another conta ner oad of arms on May 23 On the atest se zure the Customs Serv ce sa d the Tn-Can Is and Command ntercepted 1 100 pump act on r fles mported from Turkey on September 6 Speak ng at a press br efing yesterday the Comptro er-Genera of the NCS Co HameedA (rtd) frowned at the mportaton of arms nto the country through Turkey He d sc osed that a three conta ners oaded w th arms that had been ntercepted by the serv ce th s year were mported nto the country through Turkey G v ng a owdown on how the more recent conta ner was ntercepted by the

serv ce A sa d the 20ft conta ner was or g na y dec ared as conta n ng wash hand bas ns and water c osets Accord ng to h m “On the 6th of September 2017 operat ves of the N ger a Customs Serv ce nte gence un t on a rout ne mon tor ng of act v t es across the term na s d scovered a 1x20ft conta ner w th No GESU2555208 whch was not prevousy sted for exam nat on pos t oned w th other conta ners for the day s exam nat on “They a so observed that the sea of th s un sted conta ner had a ready been broken and pad ocked The conta ner became suspect and had to be mmed ate y transferred to the enforcement un t ” A further d sc osed that a customs officer and a term na c erk had been arrested n connect on w th the broken sea “Upon thorough exam nat on the conta ner conta ned 600 p eces of Jo ef Magnum B ack pump act on r ffles 300 p eces of Joef Magnum S ver pump act on r fles and 209 p eces of Joef Magnum P ast c s ng e barre s hunt ng pump act on r fles “Importat on of 1 100 r fles at a t me when the nat on s undergo ng secur ty

S’East Governors, Fayose, Others Decry Invasion of Nnamdi Kanu’s Home The South-east states governors, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and others yesterday expressed concern over the alleged invasion of the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, by Nigerian soldiers.The Director of Media and Public Affairs of the South-east Governors’ Forum Secretariat...

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for secess on by pretend ng to answer the demands for reconfigurat on “Secess on shou d be a d fferent th ng To try and suggest that the moment you say restructure you are ca ng for d s ntegrat on s for me nte ectua y d shonest that s not the ssue at a “The ssue of outr ght secess on s tota y d fferent even f t s on y one state that s eft that state has a r ght to say sten you peop e et us restructure th s state the protoco s wh ch have gone nto the mak ng of th s state are no onger va d or have been d storted a ong the way or have been abandoned and we want to go back to the or g na set of protoco s that created what we ca th s nat ona ent ty “In other words there are cho ces a over the p ace you can say you want to re- nvent the whee comp ete y or you can say you want to go back to the or g na protoco of assoc at on wh chever way” he noted When asked whether he was sat sfied w th the performance of the Buhar adm n strat on he sa d “It s a arge quest ons there are areas yawn ng gaps ust take secur ty for nstance the average c t zen fee s ess secure now than t d d a few years ago that s ev dent “When peop e ta k about state po ce there are reasons for that when they ta k about br ng ng po c ng r ght down to the commun ty eve they know what they are ta k ng about Th s s part and parce of reconfigur ng or reconstruct on “The economy there s a b g quest on on t r ght now fortunate y everybody adm ts that we went through a very bad patch R ght now t s a quest on of have we come out of t or not f n fact there s no quest on about t the past few years have been years of nterna econom c d sasters for the average c t zen but t s a quest on of who a d the seed?

“When and where and how were the

EDITORIAL Dealing With DomesticViolence Comptro er-Genera of Customs Co Hameed A cha enges s a c ear nd cat on that there are ndeed some e ements who do not be eve n the un ty peace and we be ng of N ger a ” he added seeds a d for the agony th s nat on has gone through n the ast few years?” He asked Soy nka a so condemned nd v dua s who created soc a med a accounts under h s name ca ng them “ dent ty th eves” and “forgers” He a so d ssoc ated h mse f and the Wo e Soy nka Foundat on from every Facebook and Tw tter account pos ng as h m or h s foundat on “They created a Wo e Soy nka b ogspot or whatever There s a so a Wo e Soy nka Tw tter hand e P ease press I am begg ng you to note that I don t do Facebook I don t do Tw tter and I don t do b ogs ” he sa d He urged the med a to denounce a accounts mpersonat ng h m and the foundat on “I mp ore you n the name of whatever t s you be eve n to he p squash them ke bed bugs They are very be evab e n that they get the r ght p ctures “They went as far as gett ng the authent c pub cat ons and act v t es and they str ng them a over the p ace “P ease note that they are fake There s on y one Wo e Soy nka Foundat on ” he sa d He a so sought support for the exchange programme w th the Lebanese un vers ty and urged corporate organ sat ons government bod es and nd v dua s to support the foundat on by sponsor ng young N ger ans for the exchange programme he d annua y n Lebanon The first ed t on of the study trave programme sponsored five students se ected across N ger an un vers t es to broaden the r wor dv ew and further the r educat on Soy nka sa d ten young N ger an wr ters had been se ected for the second ed t on of the exchange programme add ng that they wou d depart for Lebanon today

ATIKU IF GIVEN CHANCE TO RULE NIGERIA I LL FIGHT CORRUPTION LIKE NEVER BEFORE m sconduct wh e n office ” At ku a so sa d that t was peop e who have no n t at ve persona resourcefu ness and deas about wea th creat on that a ways assume that a man cannot bu d h mse f w thout stea ng Accord ng to h m “Peop e who are bereft of deas about entrepreneur a sp r t a ways th nk that everyone e se s a th ef ust ke them ” He added that t was mora y offens ve for peop e who desp se honest abour to become udges n the court of pub c op n on The Waz r Adamawa exp a ned that though he had not been conv cted of corrupt on by any court n the and or e sewhere h s po t ca enem es have been parad ng a “fake mora ty” to foo gu b e N ger ans “Desp te prev ous desperate efforts to nk me w th corrupt on the W am Jefferson tr a n the Un ted States ended

n 2009 w thout nd ct ng me or nk ng me to corrupt act v t es ” he sa d At ku who reca ed that he had pasted a rem nder at h s bed rest dur ng h s tra n ng as a Customs officer that he (At ku) wou d ret re from any agency f he had not atta ned the headsh p of the p ace at the age of 40 added that he was on y ab e to atta n the pos t on of deputy d rector of the N ger an Customs Serv ce (NCS) before h s ex t n 1989 to chart a career n bus ness Wh e recount ng h s st nt n the c v serv ce At ku sa d he ret red from the Customs Serv ce w th an unta nted record and f anyone had ev dence that he sto e a kobo at the Customs Serv ce or dur ng h s tenure as v ce-pres dent the accusers shou d come forward or fi e a pet t on aga nst h m Accord ng to h m he d d not become N ger a s v ce-pres dent n 1999 as a pauper

TUESDAY SEPTEMB

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because he had been a successfu nvestor throughout h s ret rement fe “If At ku s a th ef mere y because of h s resourcefu ness and successfu nvestments my po t ca enem es shou d te N ger ans the sources of the r own stupendous wea th ” he added He charged the management and staff of Ya am Press to man fest the va ues of honesty hard work and d gence attr butes he sa d had stood h m n good stead dur ng h s years as a pub c servant and entrepreneur The former v ce-pres dent stressed that he was we equ pped to fight corrupt on because of h s vast exper ence both n the pub c and pr vate sectors and h s ab ty to bu d a team capab e of accomp sh ng the task “I w shock everyone because I be eve that I w fight corrupt on ke never before ” he sa d

F rom physical and verbal abuse, to rape and even murder, domestic violence manifests itself in many forms in Nigeria today.The problem, however, is that because of the nature of our society, there are hardly any reliable data.That is why we must commend the Lagos State authorities for showing the way in how to deal with this national challenge by keeping records.

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News Editor

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Davidson Iriekpe

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Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu, Emmanue l Ugwu in Umuahia and in Ado Ekiti Victor Ogunje

proving not to be a The government peaceful one. sirens, double standards. is also operating display shoot into the air and armoured tanks, this infantile court to revoke They went to deliberate act of deliberate is clearly a provocation his bail and they and fully The South-east to the so-called .” to provoke mayhem,”rehearsed plot states governors, can’t be patient enough “show of force” On his part, Eliot Governor Ayodele for the by Similarly Ugochukwu- the military said that such Fayose of Ekiti to decide on the matter. court He added that Odey stated. Uko of State and others action Association the Igbo Traders was capable the ILT and “the army, the “We need dialogue. yesterday expressed governmen of prodding the IYM provoking and the Igbo Students concern over People presidency t and friends of the maintained that “the the alleged invasion have to ask the federal people to violenceand Union did not spare story by the army that continuously of the home government the federal in governmen what the some kids threw order to give the federal making stones of t and the army authorities Indigenous Peoplethe leader of the to deserveIgbo people have done it difficult for the people to pushing the for respect hollow at the military convoy is the reason it has been seeking Nnamdi Kanu, of Biafra (IPOB), have done all this. Even if they the government.” unleash violence and uninspiring to dangerous country along “a

by Nigerian soldiers. . in anything Similarly, the path” that could “Why would The Director Traditional rulersthe South-east. to unpleasant Igbo Women should be forgiven. wrong, they Assembly lead in Kanu’s residence the army choose North consequences.

(IWA), Public Affairs of Media and local governmen Umuahia “Their attempt to perform Also, an aspirant of the South-east of Thought, ILT, the Igbo Leaders’ ‘show t yesterday at Governors’ of force’ on Sunday their warned the the Igbo Youth State gubernatori for the 2019 Imo Forum Secretariat, the opposition will muzzling Movement federal governmen evening.

Why al election, Chief . fail.

IYM, would Mr. Mike Udah, against the use For me, the South-east the army choose I will continue of force to quellt Robert Opara, has condemned Kanu’s the residence of all to be the voice Christian Network and THISDAY on who spoke with of the rising agitation places to show invasion. the the Igbo only the opposition,” Students’ Union force, self- determinat for Biafra to claim that unknown the developme phone, described The governor Fayose said.

Opara described nt as worrisome condemnation have also risen in pelted ion. children also expressing the them the action as of the , Nigerians Chairman of Traditional with stones, “an act of provocation determination to rise up to the urged Mrs. Maria Okwor said attack. to justify of the of defending South-east States Rulers’ their use of live in order Council, Umuahia occasion and of the IWA bullets on Ajomiwe, North, Eze Philip of obnoxious impunity” show a residential compound the sustainabilit governors towards the federal democracy and put said: “The idea of invading while condemning it said the federal Kanu’s y of peace, political residence on . government to and authorities “The stability and economic Sunday calling instead the task Nigerian army of evening to is only brutish of displaying naked and immediate withdrawal of the for the prosperity andallowing democracy to thrive ‘Show force’ is appalling confirming the in the region. soldiers. suspicious, force should He frowned and very be sustained provocative. The Udah stated that army cannot show sectional army determinedthat it is a agitators in dialogue.engage Biafra contending at the military exercise In the same vein, in the country. force in the governors to wage that it of the zone had He said the political groups four Igbo socio (where Sambisa, in Plateau State war against the people of tensions between “will escalate the held meetings invasion eastern hundreds of villagers Nigeria, all in a have reacted IPOB members, the IPOB leader with the ‘unfortunat bid to sustain Nigeria’s palace of the traditional of the the deployed were e’ developme to slaughtered by Fulani soldiers and the ruler of stakeholders among other Igbo Umuahia Afaraukwu Ibeku, nt in Ikorodu, herdsmen) in unjust unitary structure, and to last Sunday evening.

Eze Israel Kanu, government at a critical time federal to resist the restructuring Lagos, (where agitation for Biafra ensure that the when The groups, October 1 is looming of Nigeria. Injustice who is the father of the have forced residents badoo cult will not does IPOB leader including Ajomiwe was “We are worried not escalate. Leaders prevail over large in the to relocate). psyche of of Thought (ILT), Igbo an affront on “The display that there “They are only justice. appears to be a the the quit Southeast people with making Kanu entire traditional institution strained relationship Consultative Assembly Eastern five meters from of show of force more in Abia Arewa notice handed out by the between the loved and as well as an Kanu’s bedroom Igbo Youth Movement (ECA), is a pointer federal governmen attack Youths purportedly Ugochukwu-Uko more deified,” that federal governmen and IPOB. It “Arresting Kanu on Ndigbo. aided and supported said. was to forestall t Igbo Women Assembly(IYM) and wants to provoke t by leaders and on Also, several problem that this separate Nigeria problem. won’t solve the governors (IWA), in warfare in the civil Even if you kill of the northern some South-east States governors of the towards statements said driving South-east. This governmen the organisations and traditionalsociety Kanu today, region.”

The governorship IPOB is still t is have rulers greater their meeting invited Kanu to sirens, the gate of Kanu, to blare clearly an enemy governmen hopeful argued condemned Kanus will come there and that if President shoot recently the We call on the Buhari up. If federal government. provocative militarisation ongoing kill the whole “The governors in Enugu. armoured into the air and display Abia, Ndigbo they negotiate with Boko could sit and of South- outside tirelessly to maintain are working deliberate tanks, was clearly a to apologise without delay t east zone.

Nigeria. We shouldare still is no reason such Haram there for and fully rehearsed The groups who gesture should in the Southeast peace not just plot to were reacting before acting and not act think not be extended to provoke but also across IPOB and other the country. before interest thinking,” Eze just Umuahia mayhem in not He pointed out Ajomiwe said. groups in but the South-east efforts were and the Niger the Southwest being made that zone in general.

Delta. by the South-east states In its reaction, governors to meet over the developme worrisome that ECA said it was nt and find ways to nip it the country was only a section of in the bud. being allowed Also, Fayose go on “with to alleged attack condemned the enslaving the historic culture of on Kanu and by military men the militaryothers, to totally control his supporters. , defence, He said the security architecture intelligence and All Progressive of a multi-ethic, Congress (APC)-led s heterogene ous country.” federal government Rev. Fr. John Odey becoming Secretary , the Publicity authoritarian is and dissenting voices. intolerable of lamentedof the ECA, in a statement that “isolating a region A statement as five per of the Chief Press from the office excluding cent losers, deliberately same region governor, quoted Secretary to the entire security from the him as saying organs the federal governmen and now provokingof the country, t ought to military them wait until its demand in court invasion is the with a that Kanu’s height of insensitivity bail determined by be revoked is a people. and brazen insult of taken any action.the court before “Driving towards the gate of the “The invasion most popular leader in the and the present is condemnable (A man zone who controls governmen becoming authoritarian. t is adoration of over 99 electrifying It is the masses per cent of of the zone) to blare

Obasanjo: Jonath an Thought Haram was Boko Instig Stop His Presid ated by North to ency

SOYINKA IT IS SICKENING TO CANVASS FOR BUHARI S SECOND TERM NOW they go to extra-mura c asses to have the r m nds restructured “So restructur ng of the m nd s not the ssue nobody s say ng the exerc se of restructur ng them shou d not be undertaken anybody who ndu ges n se f-exam nat on s a ready engag ng n m nd restructur ng “I find t very d shonest and cheap t me wast ng tr v a s ng the ssues when I hear the express on that t s the m nd wh ch needs to be restructured who s argu ng t who s deny ng that t s not a subst tute why are they br ng ng t up?

“We are ta k ng about the protoco of assoc at on of the const tut ng parts of a nat on we are ta k ng about decentra sat on that s another word “Th s country s over-centra sed and that has been the bane of deve opment even on ssues ke secur ty for decades So nd v dua s shou d not now try and s detrack the ssue and say concentrate on that rather than th s “Are you say ng that you cannot reconstruct the m nd and reconstruct the nat on at the same t me? My take on t and my adv ce to the c t zenry s that they shou d not a ow themse ves to be s detracked “Ca t whatever name what we are say ng s that th s nat on s ong overdue for reconfigurat on That s the express on I choose to use now” A so speak ng on Buhar s c a m that the country s un ty was not negot ab e he sa d “I have heard th s express on so often Aga n that s another p oy to s detrack the ssue “Nobody s ta k ng about d sun t ng N ger a we know there are movements for secess on but et Buhar and others go and address th s separate y “Th s shou d not be m xed w th the demand of a nat on for reconfigurat on peop e shou d stop answer ng demands

12

NEWS

S’East Gove rnors, Fayose, Invasion of Nnamdi Ka Others Decry nu’s Home

ATTENTION, GENTLEMEN OF THE PRES S

L-R: Facilitator, Cedars Institute, and Nobel Laureate, Notre Dame University, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Cedars institute, Lebanon, Dr. Habib at a press conference Notre Dame University Jafaar; Director, Wole for

Former President the second year in Lagos.....yesterday Soyinka Foundation partnership between , Mrs. Olusegun Obasanjo has was really happening Wole Soyinka Folake Soyinka; spoken about Foundation and inaction of . the Boko Haram former terrorists, do Goodluck Jonathan President they have grievances, Alex Enumah Haram sect becauseon the Boko have in Abuja grievances, what if they he thought stated this at a the insurgency are their grievances workshop organised was

by NJI North to weaken a device by the to Jonathan.and I brought all that The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), includingfor court’s support staff, technologies to court’s operations.

Justice Walter his presidency.

Onnoghen, and He said Jonathan’s secretaries, registrars, “It is important “Jonathan didn’t the clerks, protocol to mention that CJN added. court this category slowness Boko believe that Administrator of the National in nipping it officers, bailiffs In her welcome Haram in process servers and judiciary of support staff in the address, Bozimo its escalation. the bud, led to He thought was a serious issue. Judicial Institute (NIJ), said the in is Justice indispensable Rosaline Bozimo, that it was a Onnoghen, in Abuja. in the enhanceworkshop was intended to “We did not do administration yesterday charged device by the North of justice. the capacity of participants to his remarks, urged have done when what we should continuing to prevent him from court workers in the country this category “Therefore, I would be more committed of court staff as avoid corrupt to to duty as president of part of efforts to like to point done it. We left we should have which and other unethical and out Nigeria that refrain improved your from was rather unfortunate it to become a practices in the attitude and conduct justice delivery. ensure very intractable problem,” discharge of their their personal interests allowing towards court .

“Even Bozimo, whose users must be to interfere in the performanc while responding Obasanjo said abducted,when Chibok girls were lawful duties. speech was that read by e of the official of responsibility and accountabili it took a while to questions in Onnoghen, while NJI’s an interview in order to boost ty Maidama, Secretary, Abubakar for stressing that duties. government to with BBC. believe it. Now the he would not hesitate The CJN, who The former president in the judiciary. public confidence against also warned participants if that is the to wield by was unethical who was why situation, you can understand the big stick over anyone Bozimo, observedrepresented speaking on why “As officers their importance conduct in view of the found in charge of that the to court’s for insurgency it seems difficult to the right attention was not paid culpable of corrupt and unethical role of court staff the and the issue now exceeds day-to-day running of the in integrity of the operations court, pointed out that Nigeria to end, it should of Boko Haram when conducts, said such negative the management court system.

She said: “You of court and is imperative that you display it conduct impedes have been its records; must, at nipped in the the issue was not high ethical standard on the it “Boko Haram paid. bud to prevent in your behaviour protect the interest of the all times, will not be over. running of the courts and effective accountability, now includes and be from escalating. it It started court shun impartiality and guided impacts on effective justice all forms from a position by the code uprightness, Speaking further, of gross of for the interest of corrupt practices delivery. a developme and conduct for court employees In the Obasanjo said: underdevelopment, unemploym nt that requires them of integrity of “I went out in .

“It is youth frustration ent, administratosame vein, the NJI to the 2011 discharge of theirbe diligent in the all to imperative also for you judiciary. in the r said corrupt I took great risk to Maiduguri. So we shun all form practices “Your role is not must be treating Northeast. endanger the to find out what of corruption He urged them duties. only supportive, effectiveness not the symptom.” the disease court but also to continue to and its tendencies. Corruption of the improve system. no place in the has of the complementary to that on their skills, Both Onnoghen judiciary. The including judicial officers big and Bozimo being proficient in the application stick shall spare (judges no one, thus and justices).” The theme of information commitment and communica of the one-week workshop to duty and tion should is ‘Enhancing be your watch honesty the operational word,” the judiciary staff’. capacity of the T H I S D AY

Onnoghen Urge s Judiciary Work ers

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EDITORIAL

15

DEALING W

F

ITH DOMEST IC VIOLENC war against E domestic violenc

Lagos rekindl es hope on the

rom physical and verbal and even murder, abuse, to rape manifests itself domestic violence Nigeria today. in many forms in that because The problem, however, of is there are hardlythe nature of our society, why we must any reliable data. That commend the is authorities Lagos to deal with this national for showing the way in State challenge how Between January and Septemb by keeping records.

852 cases of er this year, domestic violence a total of recorded in Lagos, according and related cases were and Sexual Violence Responseto the State’s Domestic by the Attorney Team (DSVRT) General , headed Mr Adeniji Kazeem. Out and Commissioner for Justice, were 564 cases of the total number, there cases, 30 cases of domestic violence, 60 defilemen of rape and neglect and abuse cases, 11 attempted ones, 123t and 84 other child While we borrow from hope other states of the cases. federation will the stress that even Lagos example, it is importan when spousal t to women and girls are predominabuse cuts across antly the victims gender, WE MUST UNDERS our country. in TAND THAT IGNORIN Yet abused persons such G THE SUBTLE SIGNAL rarely report the violence, S OF DOMESTIC for fear of being VIOLENCE stigmaCAN ONLY tised by the LEAD TO society.

DISRUPTION Where incidents IN OUR are FAMILIES AND reported or noticed IN OUR SOCIETY by third parties, advice is usually the the society reconciliation, most often trivialising with ‘domestic’. such This Violence Againstis despite the stringent occurrences as Persons Prohibitio provisions in the The law prohibits n of spouse, children , among others, (VAPP) Act 2015. abandonment and other dependen sustenance, battery ts without provides a legislativeand harmful traditiona l practices; and prevention of all forms legal framework for the of violence persons, especially against vulnerab economic abuse, women and girls le and also prohibits forced isolation and separatio n from

Letters to the Editor

T

e

family and friends, substanc of their liberty, e attack, depriving incest, persons However, perhaps indecent exposure . because of interpretations the patriarch within our al endurance various faiths as leaders most a sure pathway to heaven, which preach often our religious bizarre of instancesadvise forgivene ss, even in . Inevitably the most abuser (where , the victim and the home and find summoned) are usually advised to a way to settle than make public the injury their differences, go rather Again, most abused women or the violence within. most challengi ng of marriagewho opt to remain in children as the s claim stability the excuse for their for their ‘fortitude ’. he fear of being and financial ostracised, the lack of of sympath resources and the generalmaterial y and support lack contributed immensely from the public have tic violence to the in tragic incidentsmany Nigerian homes. growth of domesis also the duty is therefore a collectiveCurbing these responsibility. of governm the most vulnerab ents, at all levels, It to protect of the necessary le by supporting the establish ment including safe infrastructure and wherewithal, houses, wherein securely accommo abused persons dated, counselle can be regain some d and confidence and self-respe enabled to While it is ct. against the possible to institute criminal abuser in our action and prosecuto country, the agencies are rial capacities of our lawinvestigative a enforcement Civil suits for huge disincentive for taking such action. is obtained damages can be filed , but where sufficient time again, the system takes a conviction for intervent too long, relations as well as religiousions by ‘well-meaning’giving dissuade the abused from and community leaders courts. seeking solace to from the law The authoritie s in Lagos are other states showing to ing the subtle follow. We must understa the way for nd that ignorto disruptio signals of domestic violence n can only lead also lead to in our families and in our violence and fail to act or untimely death.society. It can report, we are If we therefore all complicit .

T

TH

I S DAY EDITOR DEPUTY EDITORS

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

THE ASSAULT

ON LAW AND

he blatant disregard and phone numbers than (950for the due exhibited by of the writer. process of all the law being cause for seriousclasses of people in top political concern. Often, our country is a figures is nothing circumvent the law ed This is a slap but an endorseme selfish goals. by unscrupulous elements is twisted and on the face nt psyche as a of the law to suit their and an affront of corruption. people.

This is a dangerous our legal machinery chaos and on our collective Equally, the trend that will anarchy. spate of lawlessness becomes expedient crises. some. A situation naturally heading Any nation that birth nothing in the country in the face renders its where gun for chaos. A of these imminent laws impotent but attack on a The role of is quite nothing but men had the situation legitimate governmen the mere written is effrontery to worriit shapes politics, law in any society the EFCC and firms, court words to line where the law becomes launch an t law enforcemen cannot be over rooms, libraries economics, up and serves emphasised Catholic churchthe recent gruesome attack t agency such great danger history and and academic the book shelves of law as a mediator as society in various as for all. Of in Anambra on hapless institutions plication of of relations lawlessness what essence cannot be enforced worshipper State attest ways the between people. to s to the level are finely craftedportends or effectively reason for the law helps in combating lawful society. which the country has of depravity in a The effective In Nigeria laws that applied? sunk. This crimes and But then, does aptoday, it is is unacceptabl and in developed increased rate of compliance lawlessness not uncommon from police It is also unimaginab ours really . The nations e in custody or represent and obedience compared to le efficacy of the will go on a lawful clime? a innocent citizens to hear of suspects It is also not of the law developing the social mediaand shocking that a group escaping unusual for being arrested nations no matter howlaw. The system is such hard-core criminal engage the the rich and of to clamour unlawfully. that you can’t like ours is the instrument for the release Nigerians powerful to kingpin and catch up with long it takes, the long poverty of of the evade the law, influence the unlawfully of an alleged kidnapper arm of the our a criminal. course of justice.law to oppress the poor like Evans. law will eventually Ibori’s case A of our mentality.values, the paucity of This depicts The challenges or negatively in the United good example of this our thinking the associated is the famous Kingdom. and the depravity The law has frustrating In so many James and debilitating with seeking justice and enforced been defined as a system for disobeying ways Nigeria and Nigerians in Nigerian adjournmen as many cases through social t after adjournmen of rules that the law, ranging have exhibited carry on endlessly is behaviour. rules and regulation ments that from inability t; needless a penchant In other words or government institutionsare created only serve with and frivolous to adherence to practices, or to derail the it is the whole sanitation laws. to regulate The flagrant adjournto safety and obey simple traffic rules that preserve course of justice. body disregard routine environmen Consequent governmen The consequenc law and order of such customs, ly, when laws t agencies is for court injunctions and tal in societies. within the ing with multiplieres of a lawless society unpreceden the rule of are obeyed society and law by top ted while the rulings by there is peace are enormous effects on the a drop justice officials at encourages ing. shameful and in and far also promotes crime rate. tranquility entire society. different levels increase in abuse The quick dispensation compliance It does nothing reachcrime and corruption. is a crucial for value, culture is quite unbecom-of How do we ; nonetheless element in but of explain a situation and ethics is maximising The apparent a law being measureme in the country. figures who an offshoot obedience successful. disregard nt of whether where top defraud the of the state Thus, a public and the extent to a after returning nation According of lawlessness which there law is achieving its goals straightforward to the National some percentage of huge sum of money private is compliance officials took or its impact However, the clamour for walk free of their with it.

N400b bribes Bureau of Statistics (NBS), is amnesty for law on its own necessary for increase in in one year. looters by someloot? In my opinion, cannot crime rules to be The NBS also government recent members of obeyed; it mustfunction, enforcement bodies and against property, rate in areas such as the public is apparatus of offence against reported an be implemente offence against and governmen political will local acts. The persons, offence d by state t. Governmen to need to revitalise lawful authority and t must possess aware of the fight crime and corruption offence against the judiciary various laws the while the people and all component Temilade Aruya, guiding their must be engagemen s of Ministry of Lagos ts or activities.

Informatio n & Strategy, Alausa,

POLITICS Lessons from Alhassan’s Rejection

ORDER

The last certainly has not been heard over the comment made by POLITICS the Minister forWomen Affairs, Lessons from Aisha Alhassan wherein she Alhassan’s Re jection expressed her readiness to dump her boss, President Muhammadu Buhari for her political god father, Atiku Abubakar. Many, especially women have commended her for making her preference public and T for having the gut to speak out just like the wife of the president, Aisha once did.

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T H I S D AY

EXECUT

IVE BRI

˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEM

BER 12, 2017

Group Politic s Editor Tobi Soniyi Email tobi.so niyi@thisday live.com 0803314613 9 SMS ONLY

EFING

Nowthatthe MinisterforWom en Buhari, isn’t it time the presid Affairs,AishaAlhassanhas openlyrejecte ent disbanded dherboss,Presid his cabinet and entMuhamma constituted a new one, asks du Tobi Soniyi

Atiku

FEATURES The Benue Floods

he last certainly Alhassan has not been over the comment heard made by the for failure? El-Rufai Minister for gave an answer to the Women Buhari Alhassan wherein Affairs, Aisha part puzzle when unconvincing president he said: of Buhari governme she expressed about six months her readiness nt is a different“Being appoint ministers. because governme before he could to dump her President Muhamm thing boss, If after six nt sets interest in for her political months, the running. adu Buhari are a minister you executepolicies and if you president ended up appointin god father, did not believe She said: “Atiku can execute Many, especially Atiku g people who those policies the policies. You in his vision women have Abubakar. different I joined politics. is my godfather even her for making brand of politics. while pursuing a cabinet, it should be very as members of his before And again, her preference commended is no not tell us how we found easy to understan having the And it is Baba Buhari problem with public and that gut did ourselves d for that.” Many okay there today. If “Let me tell he is going to run in of the presidentto speak out just like Obviously truly Alhassan’ at where we are disagreed.

2019. you today that , Buhari the wife reality , Aisha once is going to if Baba said It is her constituti did. that Alhassan must have come to the the Buhari’s governme s reasons for joining contest in 2019, he is one minister nt onal right to I will go before not matter not share his I swear to Allah, candidate of under who is service, it should choose who does him and kneel her choice for visions. The that ‘Baba I she serves should crucify president must Buhari or Atiku.

2019 and no the therefore be biting and tell am whether her for that. one her into his you gave me grateful for the opportunhim Today, there But in politics his cabinet. finger for appointing to serve your ity leaders expect Other than a minister this governme are many Alhassans work for them government the fact those who she ran for the office as to be loyal. in will supportbut Baba just like of the Taraba that the president nt. They are there because governor on be deemed The you know, minister the to felt it was I godfather.’ If only Atiku because he chose to speak be aware of this whenmust Buhari perhaps, platform of APC and state to compensate more important Atiku said he is my them than lost, promises has no basis she her into is going to contest.”

She also said to deliver on However, the out. for appointin his cabinet. she was not his losing g based his to Nigerians. If the president drama is that real lesson in the unfolding concerned about Other questions her job decision as minister had “If because it brings to begging for to appoint over finding the the a president answers are: ministers on of what I said, her comments. best hands should appointthe fore whether valueminister for women’s as many of will not to run someone who I am affairs does not shareinto his cabinet if she did she add to the Buhari’s how much would those holding ministeria the country, that my bother me because I believesacked, it While reacting not be there. was in this much l posts today time has elapsed. his governme in visions.

Allah to the Alhassan’s nt perhaps, And hurry to bring “Baba is not the Kaduna the country if they are not there, comments, president? What is her would not for my sack. a mad man like those performance Atiku as hardship because lesson, for Mr made it clear State governor, Nasir be calling like? The They have el-Rufai of President is that even the this administr with more competent in this that if Baba been spreading at the beginning that people into president sees hands, be ation could cabinet should appointments it that the minister knew on sentiment sacked” she this (my comments), If nothing support him have done not be based I will better. s. did not nor urgent case else, Alhassan has made In a separate added.

No one should The governor share his visions. for the president an said Buhari interview with Reuters, said: “In forget that never been to change his it took the team and bring on board Alhassan had told some in the Buhari the APC she was that his visions of his supporter support our he would not to change the people who share candidates camp, she did not s Should the “In 2014/2015 seek a second term.

Convention, during the president delaycountry for good.

National she he said run for only minister will the primaries didn’t vote for Buhari further, another one time to he was going to sooner that the clean up the In making new than later embarrass president’s . But out of largeness during mess heart and to him. Nigeria. (previous) PDP governme of the appointme should widen in politics, encourage And I took nt did he felt that the scope, he nts, the president is ethnic prejudices even though women not contesting him for his word that in never a supporter should she was he in 2019,” she and political not allow as saying. influence his of his ideologies of his politics nor a was quoted sentiments believer , and because critical period,choice. Go for the best.

When she was had tried to of what she At this at do the country mediocrity. the Presidenti approached by journalist being nominate in Taraba, he felt she has no room al Villa earned for said she s d as a minister.

The Alhassan’ “Many in Buhari had said all in Abuja, the minister that needed in her interview this governme s issue has further but he overruled camp did not support to be said exposed everybody due diligence nt as one that does ‘‘No, I have with BBC Hausa. how he is, he because that it not do now, no comment. before making tries to be inclusive, is Recently, every Nigerian What I have appointm this governme will I say said all in BBC he considers nt embarrass ents. who speaks Hausa. Get someone when it appointed he nominate his own son or daughter Hausa ed itself for d her to be persons being and for alleged you,’’ she said. very well to translate minister.”

El-Rufai said investigate corruption it by the Independ d Corrupt Practices On her relationsh as a surprise. her comments did not ent fears But he also come and other Related Commission individual she may lose ip with the president and added that Offences into she as an her job, she ‘‘How will For those who that same commissi her views and had every right to said: on. express support whoever did not follow have not seen I know (on the relationsh Alhassan reportedly In appointin the drama g her a minister, she wanted. told the president the president but I don’t ip). I Service that must have the president is a naive person. should the the BBC Hausa think set to seek re-election God gives president wantedhimself up a failure. president decide If a , she would to implemen I have said and God takes. That is “godfather” ended up appointing support her t change but it all in Hausa. all and – there is an those Abubakar – former Vice President change into end to everythinYou know that against Mr. Atiku of his cabinet, who did not want Buhari.

God be.”

According is that not g. Let the to her, Abubakar a recipe will godfather Having made was her and she would it clear that she no confidence in him in the rather support longer has 2019 minister to her boss, the proper step She also added presidential elections. take is to resign for that Buhari had She should her appointm the not indicated not wait for ent. the president her. That is the way it to sack is done elsewhere .

Having it clear that shemade no longer has confid ence in her boss, the prope r step for the minis ter to take is to resign her appointme should not nt. She president towait for the sack her

On Saturday, September 2, FEATURES 2017, a day after Lagos Muslims Th B nu slaughtered rams in celebration of O Eid al-Adha, this reporter arrived Makurdi, the Benue State capital, some minutes past midnight.The capital city was asleep, but a few taxis crawled the deserted roads.

From Duku Park, wh which the FromDukuPark ch lies esaalong ongthe Makurdi-Gboko Road, th thissreporter reporter Makurd GbokoRoad joined aToyota pick-up to Achusa...

Page 18

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BUSINESS Ex-Depot Price of Petrol Stable

Despite Drop in Pump Price Despite the slight reduction in the pump price of petrol by some oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in many retail outlets across the country, the ex-depot price of the product has remained stable,THISDAY’s investigation has revealed. It was also gathered that even though some marketers and the NNPC have reduced the pump price to N143... Page 21

T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSW

NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

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3-MONTH 6-MONTH

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Quick Takes

‘Enugu is

Not Owing The Enugu State Governme Workers’ reports that it is owes its nt has debunked newspape The state Commissio workers, ner for Informatiosalaries and arrears. r said the claim n, (NAN) survey was based on a NewsMr. Ogbuagu Anikwe Agency of which listed Nigeria yet Nigeria Enugu as one to of the the Paris/Lon utilise their share of the second states in tranche of He said that don Clubs refunds. the since the state newspapers appear to have concluded is yet to utilise the federal its second tranche that government refund be used had and to offset salaryasked that a lion share since State must of the and pension therefore be arrears, Enugu owing salary We regret this been avoided unfortunate conclusionand pension arrears. that no civil with a little fact-checking, which could have servant salaries or arrears in Enugu State is Anikwe said, adding being owed of salaries since of Governor a kobo as the Ifeanyi Ugwuany assumption of office i.

9MOBILE CUSTO MER

Enugu Disco

FORUM

L-R: Director, Regional Sales, Brands & Experience 9mobile, Victor Nwaobia; , 9mobile, Forum held in Enugu…recently Elvis Ogiemwanye and Mgbarogwu-Oji 1 of Amoji Head, Regional Nenwe, Enugu, Sales, 9mobile, HRH Igwe John Okechukwu Nwaeze, Ifeanetu; at the 9mobile Director, Customer

Ex-Depot Pric in Pump Pric e of Petrol Stable Despite e Drop

Ejiofor Alike

Modifi

As part of its es Electri continuous effort to introduce city Bill towards ensuring enjoyable customer initiatives geared Electricity Distributio experience, n Company electricity bill (EEDC) has the Enugu modified its The refreshed to wear a new look. from Septembertwo-sided A5 sized electricity bill takes a summary , 2017, with some new of features which effect the customer, previous balance and last payment include of feeder and a barcode which is a security made by feature, marketer in transformer; name and charge, as phone number details well as pictorial customer’s of meter reading. representation the the EEDC Call At the back of Center number, side of the Regulatory Commissio bill is address n (NERC) Forum of Nigeria Electricity coverage area, Offices within including their addresses; details EEDC phone numbers and email relevant informatioof respective reconnecti on fees and n for the customer. of communic other that part of ations, Mr. Emeka Ezeh The company’s head the said in a statement would be the initiative, which would delivery of email prior electricity bills be in place soon, to their receiving to customers “Customers the hard via now acknowledging receive notification copy. alert payment of comes at no electricity bills on their phones cost to the made; customer. We our customers and this therefore encourage who are not ahead and yet enjoying update their this service our customer data service points,” via our website or at to go any of he added.

ENERG Y Despite the slight on May 11, 2016 the pump price reduction in when the N145 The market survey pump price of petrol by to THISDAY some oil marketers conducted took

by THISDAY at the weekend, The agency effect. at the weekend argued that Nigerian National and the showed N145 was not mended a retail had recom- only that all Petroleum Corporation the official price band that had petrol the 12 depots N135 (NNPC) in of maximum pump price but the - N145 in many retail outlets limit, across the country, selling at between Lagos were stations and per litre for filling the ex-depot indicative ex-depot unless the price adding that price of the product N132. 50, which N130.50 and price of goes down below between N123.28 was has remained stable, THISDAY’s price range before the same N133.28 and per litre,the lower limit of N135 per litre for investigation the NNPC the country and some marketers product has revealed. that It was also gathered reduced No. is in the depots, via circular celebrate drop in would not the pump price pump price.

A.4/9/017/C.2/IV/6 that even from N145 though some “When the PPPRA N143 to marketers and per litre.

90.

However, for fixed the price range at NNPC have the petrol China to Ban Investigation reduced the further showed still in the mother vesselthat is thinking was N135 –N145, the pump that price to N143, China has begun Sale of Fuel both the ex-depot that for market at the competitiv high sea, the Cars is still within the new price range studying when ex-depot price sale of cars eness, the and price should or coastal price official price to ban the products using range of N135 be selling at was still within N143 pump are N116.63 agency reported, traditional fuels, the the production and different the official –N126.63 per fixed at pump prices by the federal –N145 approved of prices who predicted citing comments by the official Xinhua news litre as the within recommended range marketer will May 11, 2016. government on Petroleum incur additional range depending this official by the expenses adapt. Banning “turbulent times” for vice industry minister, on the locaProducts Pricing automakers tion of the to hire daughter the sale of Regulatory would have forced to retail outlets vessels Agency (PPPRA) to lift the product a significant petrol- and diesel-pow to the depots. the part of the country. and the world’s ered cars Some marketers, second-largestimpact on oil demand But Xin Guobin who spoke in China, did not give oil consumer.

Continued largest auto details on when on page 22 market, would Kingdom and implement suchChina, the world’s diesel cars fromFrance have said they will a ban. The United ban 2040. new petrol and “Some countries for when to stop the production have made cars,” Xin, a timeline and sales vice minister Chineme Okafor Information of the Ministry of traditional fuel in Abuja Technology, of Industry industry event was quoted and Following a ENERG Y “The ministry in the city of Tianjin as saying at an auto meeting with (GenCos) and on Saturday.

Communauté the Bulk transmitted such a timelinehas also started relevant Electricity to the new research and Bénin (CEB), Électrique du (NBET) Trading Plc CEB and NIGELEC by with relevant metering will will the TCN. certainly make departmen However, between electricityarrangement electricity firm an international monthly disclosed during the development,”bring profound changes ts. Those measures stated: “The the minutes companies meeting of distribution governments co-owned by the in the representative a competitiv he said. To combat for our car industry’s (Discos) and of Bénin and power sector, operators of NBET informed air pollution e gap between their customers.

Togo, internation Nigeria has that some and their global requested the its newer domestic and close that a reconciliat operators al customers to pay up its CEB Nigeria Fashola, however automake ion meeting owe between plug-in hybrid rivals, China has set outstanding about $115.91 stated that goals for electric rs the governme CEB and NBET for electricity debt for electricity million held auto sales by cars to make up at supplied to and was the progress nt will monitor in supplied to least a fifth 2025. it.

The federal them was Lome, Togo, where CEB a period of of Chinese of time. reminded to through the the arrangement also stated thatgovernment has always make According Nigerian payments it needed CEB Regulatory CommissioElectricity to settle its outstandin CEB of Benin to the NBET, the marketas at when due since n (NERC) g bills to NIGELEC Republic and to avoid possible enable it maintain was contract-ba sed.” instances “The its of supplies Niger Nigerian delegation exploitation. obligation to of Republic were indebted both the meeting Quoting him, also requested to This developmcountries.

“No matter how $101.46 millionto the tune of to pay the CEB the ent was the reconciled much contained meeting said: minutes of broad-minded million, respectiveand $14.45 to enable in amount “He noted that after the detailing the a document Nigeria meet and no matter you are Nigeria provides ly. decision taken its proceedings the last meeting power sup- ligation of supplying powerob- to wind down of to serve your the desire CAPMI, some them,” the communiq of operators ply to the two countries to Discos in the power through had explained the NBET ue added. sector, which services are nation, if Meanwhile, that their customers still obtained by was Company and Transmission THISDAY. wanted to pay Power, Works the Minister of for momentumnot paid for, the of Nigeria their meters In August, based on certain the Nigerian with power purchased (TCN), Mr. Babatunde and Housing, agreemen serve will notto continue to Fashola, has from the Generation by NBET disclosed ts. be sustained” “He stated Companies that the federal that the federal government Chief Executive will not interfere Officer of Egbin in Power Plc,

Unpaid Elec trici Settlement Ord ty Supply: Nigeria Issu es Bills er to Bénin, Tog o

SPORTS WAFU Cup: Nigeria Defeats S’Leone to Zoom into Group Stage Two late goals by wingback Osas Okoro and substitute Peter Eneji ensured that the home-based Eagles began their 2017WAFU Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Sierra Leone last night in Ghana.

Okoro’s 83rd minute free-kick sailed over the Leone Stars’ wall into the back of the net to register Nigeria’s opening goal of the campaign.

Page 39

21 Group Busines s Email: chika.am Editor ChikaAmanze-Nw achuku anzenwachukwu@ thisdaylive.com 08033294157, 08057161321

S E P T E M B E R

NITTY 1-MONTH 2-MONTH 3-MONTH

Continued

T H I S D AY

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on page 22

Mr. Dallas Peavey

BER 12, 2017

TUESDAYSPO WAFU Cup:RTS S’Leone to Zo Nigeria Defeats om into Gro up Stage

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Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ik hazuagbe@th isdaylive.com

Duro Ikhazuagb e playing in Takoradi, Two late goals the twin city of Sekondi that also Osas Okoro by wingback matches during the 2008hosted Peter Eneji and substitute Cup Africa home-based ensured that the are of Nations while Group competing in B 2017 WAFUEagles began their Cape Coast.

Group A teams Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory include, Nigeria, Ghana, Leone last night over Sierra Mauritania The Gambia, , Guinea Bissau Okoro’s 83rd in Ghana.

Guinea. and sailed over minute free-kick 2015 African the wall into the Leone Stars’ Cote champions d’Ivoire headline back of the to register Nigeria’s net that the pool goal of the campaignopening Faso also has Senegal, Burkina and Benin .

Eneji who Liberia, Niger Republic, with Republic, Togo national teammade his senior and Cape Verde ongoing WAFU debut at the Meanwhile, also involved.

Cup doubled the lead in The the 87th minute Football Federation Gambia for Eagles. He had similarly threatening to pull (GFF) is powered Plateau out of the West African Football Union first NPFL title United to their (WAFU). at the Rwang last Saturday The comments Jos. Plateau Pam Stadium in refereeing come defeated Enugu controversies after Rangers to seal last two regional at the Nigerian leaguethe 2016/2017 tournaments.

The GFF title.

The victory complaints has submitted to the regional means Nigeriaover Sierra-Leone body and the Confedera group stage is through to the of African of the competitio Football (CAF) tion alongside host over a Ghana, Senegaln penalty awarded at and Mali. Nigeria’s the ongoing WAFU Cup of Nations. is against Ghana. next game “We’re considerin Eight teams g our are to emerge position in WAFU because from this knock all with into the group out phase it - the resources invested to in go stage of the out in such competition taking place is not fair,” the GFF manner between Septembe President r 9th and Lamin Kabba Bajo told 24th.

Sport yesterday.

BBC Ghana and “We seven African Nigeria have issue will probably discuss the Nigeria’s in a month’s titles between them, with our next executivetime during WAFU Osas Okoro (left) and Afeez Cup knock out and the Blackthe Super Eagles meeting,” Aremu (right) committee phase clash close marking the last two Stars featuring in hinted. The Gambia FA boss in Cape Coast, a Leone Stars FIFA World Boukari Ouedraog Ghana…yesterday finals in South of Sierra Leone Cup The Gambia o Africa (2010) forward during and Brazil (2014). was knocked a Gambian player hadadjudged The Gambia out of the tourname their handled been feel they have the ball.

All the teams nt when treated unfairly. goalless draw. in Group A are hosts Ghana scored This is Two years ago the the spot after from Their officials Senegal was rules that stipulated Burkina Faso’s consecutive WAFU second crowned regional pointed to the fact Nations tournamen Cup of when that the match should be played extra-time The Gambiachampions officials t in which first.

The GFF’s play extra-time refused to would had said the match protest also go straight following a pointed before ultimately to penalties it feels two other matches that were poorly reviewing the U E FA C H officiated recently.

Coaches, Tech nical Officials Reje AMPIONS L E AG U E ct Adeleye as AFN’s Tech nical Director Bolstered by

Neymar, Mbapp Finally Ready to Make a Mark e, PSG in Europe

Nigerian track and field coaches and be our representat technical officials have vehement on the board,” ive and leader the communiq the purported ly rejected further ue appointm read. of Sunday The Adeleye as ent technical director/c the their officials also restated confidence hairman to of the technical in Ebewele Paris Saint-Germ guide ain kicks off of the Athleticssub-committee elected them through as their their latest million-euro bid for the UEFA leader.

Nigeria (AFN). Federation of Champions of Neymar ($267m) signing troubles Meanwhi League glory from Celtic this evening The athletics at to bed.

Nigerian le, President While Qatar’sBarca. bolstered yesterday rose technical officials Gabriel Coaches Associatioof by the big-money billions for“We are more than ready loan, with an option from a meeting Okon, stressed n, Neymar signings of produced four consecuti the in Ilorin, the Kwara the and Kylian Mbappe.

French titles that ve said Champions League,” for a fee that could to buy position of State capital from 2013-2016 on the sideline reach a defender The French a technical staggering 180 committee , Meunier Thomas giants will that form has yet to 2017 National of the on-going director chairman/technical be hoping after a 5-1 thrashing “It’s too million euros. translate of to European is for an individua Metz on Friday. to express angerYouth Games who competition. close-seasonthat their lavish (how far weearly to say PSG’s l help has a rich backgroun spending at the leadershipand disbelief in finally achieve can Champion last, and only, we“We are a very good group, haven’t even can go), we coaching and d of the AFN played s League semifinal can see that for appointing their officiating Qatari owners’ matters. on the bench said Mbappe, who yet,” today with dream of appearance was in 1995, person as the an unqualified lifting the European scored all the options on his debut against four straight “Adeleye with we have. is neither engine room leader of the coach Cup. PSG Metz. responded followed by last-eight exits of the federation a nor a technical “Every footballer to last 6-1 the “It is embarrass . official. season’s disappoin second-le harrowing for TODAY (7.45pm plays ing and Coaches are certified by alarming that the both of losing the Ligue tments Camp Nou g loss at the andthe Champions League, ) earlier this year, can deviate our federation SportsNational Institute with the team 1 title having to Monaco and Celtic v PSG for we have in Nigeria and beaten this year, norms and from modern Internatio Champions their stunning the Benfica v CSKA by first game. Barca 4-0 in world we must show the Moscow appointment practices in the Athletics nal Association the defeat at League last-16 that we want Man Utd v But with of of somebody Barcelona Federations further to go Basel lead and guide to while officiating (IAAF) smashing the world , by Neymar andthe additions of years.” than in previous Olympiak all qualified Nigerian coaches record Mbappe, os v Sporting transfer fee officials CP with the 222 are high that Unai hopes and technical go through their training also Bayern v Anderlech Teenage sensation officials to announce Emery’s before men can put t Mbappe joined someone they can be certified by Roma v Atletico who does their continenta federation the not merit l deadline from Monaco on in conjunctio position, someone Chelsea the with day on a season-lon v Qarabag n the IAAF. So who lacks the technical know-how g you want Barcelona v to bring somebody Juventus and the requisite academic who qualification not know what coaching does Kunle Adewale to lead us,” and entails the officials wrote has never attempted in the communiq Lagos. officiating course any the meeting. ue issued after lead to come and As part of efforts at Speaking us? Tell Mabutho said ensuring conferenc at a that Nigeria “Adeleye boxers will boxing gets be telling us? me, what will he enviable e to herald press earn a total to an event and N500,000 It is like telling an athletes was appointed as primary of N20millio height, the in prize in Lagos yesterday, respectively. n monies, take charge ofrepresentative to group school pupil to lead a splashing a sum ofGOtv will be General A total of seven Manager (Marketing Mojisola Ogunsanywhile the weight N20 million of students comprisin a towards the bouts athletes on thethe interest of the secondary MultiChoice, categories haveacross organisation of the Mr. Martin), the best boxer of thea prize for scheduled been freely elected board while we undergradschool and universityg 12th edition of the . event has Brown Ebewele GOtv Boxing Mabutho, said the company been expanded Night slated uates,” queried internatio Four of these are decided to to former for October the the Indoor make the event runners-up. to reward two biggest nal bouts, with the Olympian.

1, at more Sports being the The cash prize National Stadium,Hall of the a wayrewarding for boxers African for the best Boxing Union lightweigh Surulere, greaterof motivating them as boxer has been raised to the first to N2.5m, title defence duel featuringt achievements. and defending will go homesecond runner-up Stanley champion, with N1million Eribo Ramadhani and Tanzania’s Shauri.

Sponsor Boo sts

GOtv Boxing Night with N20 m

T H I S D AY TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

S’East Governors, Fayose, Others Decry Invasion of Nnamdi Kanu’s Home Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu, Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The South-east states governors, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and others yesterday expressed concern over the alleged invasion of the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, by Nigerian soldiers.

The Director of Media and Public Affairs of the South-east Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Mr. Mike Udah, who spoke with THISDAY on the phone, described the development as worrisome, expressing the determination of the South-east States governors towards the sustainability of peace, political stability and economic prosperity in the region.

Udah stated that the governors of the zone had held meetings with the IPOB leader among other Igbo stakeholders to ensure that the agitation for Biafra does not escalate.

“We are worried that there appears to be a strained relationship between the federal government and IPOB. It was to forestall this problem that the governors of the South-east States invited Kanu to their meeting recently in Enugu.

“The governors are working tirelessly to maintain peace not just in the Southeast but also across the country. He pointed out that efforts were being made by the South-east states governors to meet over the development and find ways to nip it in the bud.

Also, Fayose condemned the alleged attack by military men on Kanu and his supporters.

He said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government is becoming authoritarian and intolerable of dissenting voices.

A statement from the office of the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, quoted him as saying the federal government ought to wait until its demand in court that Kanu’s bail be revoked is determined by the court before taken any action.

“The invasion is condemnable and the present government is becoming authoritarian. It is

proving not to be a peaceful one.

The government is also operating double standards. They went to court to revoke his bail and they can’t be patient enough for the court to decide on the matter.

“We need dialogue. People have to ask the federal government what the Igbo people have done to deserve all this. Even if they have done anything wrong, they should be forgiven.

“Their attempt at muzzling the opposition will fail. For me, I will continue to be the voice of the opposition,” Fayose said.

The governor also urged Nigerians to rise up to the occasion of defending democracy and put the federal government to the task of allowing democracy to thrive and be sustained in the country.

In the same vein, four Igbo socio political groups have reacted to the ‘unfortunate’ development in Umuahia last Sunday evening.

The groups, including Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA), Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), in separate statements said driving towards the gate of Kanu, to blare sirens, shoot into the air and display armoured tanks, was clearly a deliberate and fully rehearsed plot to provoke mayhem in not just Umuahia but the South-east zone in general.

In its reaction, ECA said it was worrisome that only a section of the country was being allowed to go on “with the historic culture of enslaving others, to totally control the military, defence, intelligence and security architecture of a multi-ethic, heterogeneous country.”

Rev. Fr. John Odey, the Publicity Secretary of the ECA, in a statement lamented that “isolating a region as five per cent losers, deliberately excluding same region from the entire security organs of the country, and now provoking them with a military invasion is the height of insensitivity and brazen insult of a people.

“Driving towards the gate of the most popular leader in the zone (A man who controls electrifying adoration of over 99 per cent of the masses of the zone) to blare

Obasanjo: Jonathan Thought Boko Haram was Instigated by North to Stop His Presidency Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has spoken about the inaction of former President Goodluck Jonathan on the Boko Haram sect because he thought the insurgency was a device by the North to weaken his presidency.

He said Jonathan’s slowness in nipping it in the bud, led to its escalation.

“We did not do what we should have done when we should have done it. We left it to become a very intractable problem,” Obasanjo said while responding to questions in an interview with BBC. The former president who was speaking on why it seems difficult for insurgency in Nigeria to end, pointed out that the issue was not nipped in the bud to prevent it from escalating.

Speaking further, Obasanjo said: “I went out in 2011 to Maiduguri.

I took great risk to find out what

was really happening.

Boko Haram terrorists, do they have grievances, if they have grievances, what are their grievances and I brought all that to Jonathan.

“Jonathan didn’t believe that Boko Haram was a serious issue.

He thought that it was a device by the North to prevent him from continuing as president of Nigeria which was rather unfortunate.

“Even when Chibok girls were abducted, it took a while for the government to believe it. Now if that is the situation, you can understand why the right attention was not paid to the issue of Boko Haram when it should have been paid.

“Boko Haram will not be over.

It started from a position of gross underdevelopment, unemployment, youth frustration in the Northeast.

So we must be treating the disease not the symptom.”

sirens, shoot into the air and display armoured tanks, is clearly a deliberate and fully rehearsed plot to provoke mayhem,” Odey stated.

He added that “the army, the government and friends of the presidency continuously making it difficult for the people to respect the government.”

Similarly, the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), the Igbo Leaders’ of Thought, ILT, the Igbo Youth Movement. IYM, the South-east Christian Network and the Igbo Students’ Union have also risen in condemnation of the said attack.

Mrs. Maria Okwor of the IWA said: “The idea of invading Kanu’s residence on Sunday evening to ‘Show force’ is appalling and very provocative. The army cannot show force in Sambisa, in Plateau State (where hundreds of villagers were slaughtered by Fulani herdsmen) in Ikorodu, Lagos, (where badoo cult have forced residents to relocate).

“The display of show of force five meters from Kanu’s bedroom is a pointer that federal government wants to provoke warfare in the South-east. This government is clearly an enemy government.

We call on the federal government to apologise without delay for

this infantile act of deliberate provocation.”

On his part, Eliot UgochukwuUko of the ILT and the IYM maintained that “the story by the army that some kids threw stones at the military convoy is hollow and uninspiring.

“Why would the army choose Kanu’s residence to perform their ‘show of force’ on Sunday evening.

Why would the army choose Kanu’s residence of all places to show force, only to claim that unknown children pelted them with stones, in order to justify their use of live bullets on a residential compound.

“The Nigerian army is only confirming the suspicious, that it is a sectional army determined to wage war against the people of eastern Nigeria, all in a bid to sustain Nigeria’s unjust unitary structure, and to resist the restructuring of Nigeria. Injustice will not prevail over justice.

“They are only making Kanu more loved and more deified,” Ugochukwu-Uko said.

Also, several civil society organisations and traditional rulers have condemned the ongoing provocative militarisation of Southeast zone.

The groups who were reacting

to the so-called “show of force” by the military said that such action was capable of prodding and provoking people to violence in order to give the federal authorities the reason it has been seeking to unleash violence in the South-east.

Traditional rulers in Umuahia North local government yesterday warned the federal government against the use of force to quell the rising agitation for Biafra self- determination.

Chairman of Traditional Rulers’ Council, Umuahia North, Eze Philip Ajomiwe, said the federal authorities instead of displaying naked and brutish force should engage Biafra agitators in dialogue.

He said the invasion of the palace of the traditional ruler of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Eze Israel Kanu, who is the father of the IPOB leader Ajomiwe was an affront on the entire traditional institution in Abia as well as an attack on Ndigbo.

“Arresting Kanu won’t solve the Nigeria problem. Even if you kill Kanu today, IPOB is still there and greater Kanus will come up. If they kill the whole Abia, Ndigbo are still outside Nigeria. We should think before acting and not act before thinking,” Eze Ajomiwe said.

Similarly the Igbo Traders Association and the Igbo Students Union did not spare the federal government and the army for pushing the country along “a dangerous path” that could lead to unpleasant consequences.

Also, an aspirant for the 2019 Imo State gubernatorial election, Chief Robert Opara, has condemned the invasion.

Opara described the action as “an act of provocation and show of obnoxious impunity” while condemning it and calling for the immediate withdrawal of the soldiers.

He frowned at the military exercise contending that it “will escalate the tensions between IPOB members, the deployed soldiers and the federal government at a critical time when October 1 is looming large in the psyche of Southeast people with the quit notice handed out by the Arewa Youths purportedly aided on and supported by leaders and some governors of the northern region.”

The governorship hopeful argued that if President Buhari could sit and negotiate with Boko Haram there is no reason such gesture should not be extended to IPOB and other interest groups in the Southwest and the Niger Delta.

ATTENTION, GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS

L-R: Facilitator, Cedars Institute, Notre Dame University, Lebanon, Dr. Habib Jafaar; Director, Wole Soyinka Foundation, Mrs. Folake Soyinka; and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, at a press conference for the second year partnership between Wole Soyinka Foundation and Cedars institute, Notre Dame University in Lagos.....yesterday

Onnoghen Urges Judiciary Workers to Shun Corruption Alex Enumah in Abuja The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NIJ), Justice Rosaline Bozimo, yesterday charged court workers in the country to avoid corrupt and other unethical practices in the discharge of their lawful duties.

Onnoghen, while stressing that he would not hesitate to wield the big stick over anyone found culpable of corrupt and unethical conducts, said such negative conduct impedes on the effective running of the courts and impacts on effective justice delivery.

In the same vein, the NJI administrator said corrupt practices endanger the effectiveness of the court system.

Both Onnoghen and Bozimo

stated this at a workshop organised

by NJI for court’s support staff, including secretaries, registrars, court clerks, protocol officers, bailiffs and process servers in Abuja.

Onnoghen, in his remarks, urged participants to be more committed to duty and refrain from allowing their personal interests to interfere in the performance of the official duties.

The CJN, who was represented

by Bozimo, observed that the role of court staff now exceeds the management of court and its records; it now includes accountability, impartiality and uprightness, a development that requires them to be diligent in the discharge of their duties.

He urged them to continue to improve on their skills, including being proficient in the application of information and communication

technologies to court’s operations.

“It is important to mention that this category of support staff in the judiciary is indispensable in the administration of justice.

“Therefore, I would like to point out that your attitude and conduct towards court users must be that of responsibility and accountability in order to boost public confidence in the judiciary.

“As officers in charge of the day-to-day running of the court, it is imperative that you display high ethical standard in your behaviour and be guided by the code of conduct for court employees.

“It is imperative also for you all to shun all form of corruption and its tendencies. Corruption has no place in the judiciary. The big stick shall spare no one, thus commitment to duty and honesty should be your watch word,” the

CJN added.

In her welcome address, Bozimo said the workshop was intended to enhance the capacity of this category of court staff as part of efforts to ensure improved justice delivery.

Bozimo, whose speech was read by NJI’s Secretary, Abubakar Maidama, also warned participants against unethical conduct in view of their importance to court’s operations and the integrity of the court system.

She said: “You must, at all times, protect the interest of the court and shun all forms of corrupt practices for the interest of integrity of the judiciary.

“Your role is not only supportive, but also complementary to that of the judicial officers (judges and justices).” The theme of the one-week workshop is ‘Enhancing the operational capacity of the judiciary staff’.

T H I S D AY TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

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COMMENT

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

THE AFTERMATH OF A NEW BIAFRA

A

Biafra separatists must seek to federate Nigeria, not to actualise Biafra, argues Nnamdi Ebo

ftermath is the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event. The event refers to the agitations for the actualisation of Biafra.

Biafra separatists seek to have their Biafra through a cacophony of deafening alarm bells: a referendum, plebiscite or secession. BIAFRA is a state proclaimed in 1967, when it was part of eastern Nigeria, inhabited chiefly by the Igbo people, and sought independence from Nigeria. In the ensuing civil war the new state’s troops were overwhelmed by militarily superior forces, and by 1970 it had ceased to exist.

This treatise seeks to reveal “the day after” in the Biafra separatists’ new Biafra. Suffice it to say that every aftermath comes with its own grim or problematic reality, especially when faced with the realities of real life situations. “New Biafra” will be inhabited by Igbo who have never been united or agreed on anything in Nigeria – whether it is their leadership (Ohanaeze Ndigbo), affinity, politics, the economy, socio-cultural/customary or tribal identity.

Who is or what is Igbo or who is an Igbo? It is a given that no Igbo was an autochthon or autochthonous inhabitant of present-day Igboland pre-antiquity. There are conflicting historical accounts of Igbo origin. One, Nri kingdom from 900 AD was administered by a priest-king called Eze Nri; contrary to the cliché: “Igbo has no king”. Two, waves of immigrant communities from the north and west planted themselves on the border of a core area in the ninth century. This core area – Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe – formed a belt, and the people have no tradition of coming from anywhere else. Three, inferiority-mentality preceded Igbo claims of Jewish lineage but migrations from the core area occurred in all directions and in this way Igbo culture gradually homogenised. After this homogenisation, the Onicha Ado N’Idu entered Igbo territory in the 16th century AD from the kingdoms of Benin and Igala.

Many of these people still exhibit different characteristics from that of the traditional Igbos – for example geographical marginality, the institution of kingship and a hierarchical title system. For some time, some Igbo-speaking peoples claimed that they were not Igbo. The word was used as a term of abuse for “less cultured” neighbours. The word is now used in three senses, to describe Igbo territory, domestic speakers of the language and the language spoken by them. I narrated these concise histories to open the door into new Biafra under assumed actualisation.

The sunset on Nigeria’s first republic saw Igbo camaraderie manifested as they felt rejected and despised after a failed coup d’état, a pogrom and exodus (1966-1967). In these circumstances and after a lost power tussle, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared Biafra on May 30, 1967.

There is always tension between illusion and reality. The realities of old Biafra did not manifest because Ojukwu seceded in the throes of militarisation of eastern region with his isolated military government. Old Biafra existed to the extent it had a semblance of statehood (1967-1970). However, weeks into

IF ANYBODY THINKS THAT THE IGBO HAVE TROUBLE IN NIGERIA NOW, WAIT AND SEE TROUBLE IN THE NEW BIAFRA. NO ANAMBRA MAN WILL LET AN ENUGU MAN BE PRESIDENT, NO IMO MAN WILL LET AN ABIA MAN OR EBONYI MAN BE PRESIDENT, NO SOUTHWEST IGBO ‘IJEKEEBÉ’ WILL ALLOW A NORTHEAST IGBO ‘WAWA’ TO BECOME PRESIDENT

the unprepared and embattled republic, the illusion of Igbo camaraderie vamoosed.

Old Biafra, in all ramifications, was a military dictatorship forced to defend its “territorial integrity” in a fratricidal war.

How this militarised structure would have fared in the event that old Biafra had won the war and become an independent country is left to conjecture. By any stretch of imagination, if new Biafra comes into being, this time under non-militarised circumstances, the situation will still be predictable considering antecedents of the Igbo.

Biafra separatists “revealed” the future aftermath of new Biafra in two predictably frightening ways. IPOB militarised the new “Biafra Security Service” (BSS), even before Biafra’s actualisation, and I ruminated on the fate of new Biafra’s already militarised milieu. MASSOB formulated an “ideology” stating that wherever Igbo resides and does business in Nigeria is Biafra, and I wondered which milieu of statehood covers that territorial jurisdiction.

I now transport myself back to the future of new Biafra, and as I cogitated: “who will be the first appointed, chosen, godfathered, or “elected” president, prime minister, premier or dictator of landlocked Biafra?” Biafra leadership struggle for power will mimic South Sudan. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan after two bitter civil wars in 2011. Two years later, into the new republic, another civil war caused by power struggle from within began in 2013, between forces of the new government and opposition forces. I am convinced that established fault lines between different Igbo sub-ethnic groups will arise.

Political reality will dawn on every “Biafran”. Biafra is an antecedent-illusion, a brand, a deceptive appearance or impression of reality. On the other hand, reality is mindsetBiafra personified, or the state of Biafra as it actually existed, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of Biafra: a country that needs to be experienced or lived. The aftermath of new Biafra will be the harsh realities of life in a new country, and these harsh realities will manifest in the first week, if not days, of the new “republic”.

If anybody thinks that the Igbo have trouble in Nigeria now, wait and see trouble in the new Biafra. No Anambra man will let an Enugu man be president, no Imo man will let an Abia man or Ebonyi man be president, no southwest Igbo “Ijekeebé” (stereotype for Anambra/Onitsha axis Igbo) will allow a northeast Igbo “wawa” (stereotype for Enugu/ Nsukka axis Igbo) to become president. The aftermath of “Biafran independence” with Igbo inside Biafra vis-à-vis Igbo inside Nigeria is akin to a chasm between rich and poor. The concept of Biafra is unarguably a major sojourn of the Igbo in Nigeria. It should be confined to the realms of revolutions in a chronicle, to be left where it belongs: in the annals of historical, sentimental interest, and reverence, for posterity. Biafra separatists must seek to federate Nigeria, not to actualise Biafra. www.nnamdiebo.com

ASUU AND SELF-MADE PROBLEMS

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nyone who has read Dele Sobowale recent articles on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike would think something was amiss. Indeed, I resorted to my old friend, Google, to see if I could come up with some logical explanation to the inner workings of Sobowale’s clearly wool-infested mind. Alas, I came up with nothing.

This naturally leads me to conclude that Sobowale’s problem is either the first fruits of the green-eyed demon most of us deny having ever met, or it is just plain spiritual.

After all, we have all, at one point in time or another, attributed the unexplainable to that thing the Niger Deltans like to call, “home trouble”. Be that as it may, whatever we may decide to call Sobowale’s affliction, it is high time he sought help for it.

Last week, Dele Sobowale wrote an article titled, “ASUU and its Self-Made Problems”, to which he added a part two, and as I read, I wondered how someone who claimed to be an economist, a columnist, a media and management research consultant would write such a piece for publishing and expect to be taken seriously. I shuddered as I read comments from Nigerians, some of whom Sobowale can father, teach this acclaimed consultant the way government works.

Many kept repeating the phrase “govern-

Ebun Asagbe argues that Dele Sobowale’s conclusions are baffling

ment is a continuum”, something Sobowale himself should know and I smiled…the teacher has become the schooled.

We see that happen again and again with Sobowale. Ever so often, he crosses the line of logical reasoning and enters the realm of the ludicrous.

From my observation, there are two people for whom Sobowale often abandons all reason and spews sounds closer to gibberish than actual words that any reasoning being can make sense of. Wale Babalakin and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are two names that evoke such intense feelings in the heart of Dele Sobowale; the one he loves to protect, the other, he has clearly vowed to pull down. Imagine, then, Sobowale’s good fortune when he found an opportunity to achieve both in one fell swoop. This time, he takes out his frustrations on Okonjo-Iweala by blaming her for the lecturers’ strike because ASUU refused to enter negotiations with his beloved Babalakin.

I particularly found this excerpt from his article enlightening: “When the Honourable Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, drafted Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN, to hold discussions with ASUU, two Mondays ago, he was turning to someone whose firm — Bi-Courtney — had claims of over N160 billion against the Federal Government which he was pursuing in Abuja that Monday. Yet, Adamu was also calling on the patriotism of

Babalakin who had left an indelible mark at the University of Maiduguri as Chancellor and is embarking on more achievements at the University of Lagos. From information reaching me he has delivered all his services to the universities free of charge. There are only two business magnates known to me in Nigeria who can be so selfless as to abandon their own self-interest and attend to national interest so promptly – Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr Tony Elumelu. For Wale’s sake alone, ASUU should have temporarily shelved the strike”.

The way Sobowale deified Babalakin here is nothing if not pitiful, and his angst that Babalakin was not so honoured by others is evident in the rest of his article as he unleashes the full measure of his wrath on ASUU itself, on Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, and then on Goodluck Jonathan saying the strike was entirely their fault. I wonder if it is another Wale Babalakin Dele Sobowale is trying so hard to sell to us or the same one we all know? Anyway, that is another matter.

It is pathetic that a man of Sobowale’s claims seems not to be aware that the ASUU problem has existed in every administration, in one form or another, from time immemorial and the Jonathan administration inherited an agreement signed before its tenure.

Why didn’t the GEJ government wash its hands off and cry foul that Yar’Adua

or Obasanjo should be blamed for ASUU imbroglio it contended with during its reign?

It’s high time we stopped these emotional finger-pointing and get to work. The Buhari administration is getting on with its own version of the ASUU problem and they don’t need an apologist like Sobowale to speak for them or start to pinpoint guilty persons for that matter. As a matter of fact, Sobowale may not have formed this opinion if his dear Wale had not been shot down by ASUU. Dele Sobowale has proved time and again that he is reduced to nothing more than a discredited commentator ready to blame Madam Okonjo-Iweala for everything and anything under the sun. Wale Babalakin failed in the assignment given to him by the education minister and suddenly, it is Okonjo-Iweala’s fault. Is it because she was one of the few people who would challenge his bogus and wrong economic opinions?

When a man like Dele Sobowale begins to act in a way that is irrational or we perceive to be contrary to the person we expect him to be, we wonder what ails him. Like I said earlier, I am no medical doctor, but I sure would like to know how he can be helped before he plunges himself so far down this pit that he becomes nothing more than the silliest of all jesters in the king’s court.

Asagbe, a brand consultant, wrote from Ado-Ekiti

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͰ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

EDITORIAL DEALING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

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Lagos rekindles hope on the war against domestic violence

rom physical and verbal abuse, to rape and even murder, domestic violence manifests itself in many forms in Nigeria today. The problem, however, is that because of the nature of our society, there are hardly any reliable data. That is why we must commend the Lagos State authorities for showing the way in how to deal with this national challenge by keeping records.

Between January and September this year, a total of 852 cases of domestic violence and related cases were recorded in Lagos, according to the State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), headed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem. Out of the total number, there were 564 cases of domestic violence, 60 defilement cases, 30 cases of rape and 11 attempted ones, 123 child neglect and abuse cases, and 84 other cases.

While we hope other states of the federation will borrow from the Lagos example, it is important to stress that even when spousal abuse cuts across gender, women and girls are predominantly the victims in our country. Yet such WE MUST UNDERSTAND abused persons rarely THAT IGNORING THE report the violence, for SUBTLE SIGNALS OF fear of being stigmaDOMESTIC VIOLENCE tised by the society.

Where incidents are CAN ONLY LEAD TO reported or noticed DISRUPTION IN OUR by third parties, the FAMILIES AND IN OUR advice is usually SOCIETY reconciliation, with the society most often trivialising such occurrences as ‘domestic’. This is despite the stringent provisions in the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015.

The law prohibits, among others, abandonment of spouse, children and other dependents without sustenance, battery and harmful traditional practices; provides a legislative and legal framework for the prevention of all forms of violence against vulnerable persons, especially women and girls and also prohibits economic abuse, forced isolation and separation from

Letters to the Editor

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family and friends, substance attack, depriving persons of their liberty, incest, indecent exposure.

However, perhaps because of the patriarchal interpretations within our various faiths which preach endurance as a sure pathway to heaven, our religious leaders most often advise forgiveness, even in the most bizarre of instances. Inevitably, the victim and the abuser (where summoned) are usually advised to go home and find a way to settle their differences, rather than make public the injury or the violence within.

Again, most abused women who opt to remain in the most challenging of marriages claim stability for their children as the excuse for their ‘fortitude’.

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he fear of being ostracised, the lack of material and financial resources and the general lack of sympathy and support from the public have contributed immensely to the growth of domestic violence in many Nigerian homes. Curbing these tragic incidents is therefore a collective responsibility. It is also the duty of governments, at all levels, to protect the most vulnerable by supporting the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and wherewithal, including safe houses, wherein abused persons can be securely accommodated, counselled and enabled to regain some confidence and self-respect.

While it is possible to institute criminal action against the abuser in our country, the investigative and prosecutorial capacities of our law enforcement agencies are a huge disincentive for taking such action.

Civil suits for damages can be filed where a conviction is obtained, but again, the system takes too long, giving sufficient time for interventions by ‘well-meaning’ relations as well as religious and community leaders to dissuade the abused from seeking solace from the law courts.

The authorities in Lagos are showing the way for other states to follow. We must understand that ignoring the subtle signals of domestic violence can only lead to disruption in our families and in our society. It can also lead to violence and untimely death. If we therefore fail to act or report, we are all complicit.

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

THE ASSAULT ON LAW AND ORDER

he blatant disregard for the due process of the law being exhibited by all classes of people in our country is a cause for serious concern. Often, the law is twisted and circumvented by unscrupulous elements to suit their selfish goals.

This is a dangerous trend that will birth nothing but chaos and anarchy. Any nation that renders its laws impotent is naturally heading for chaos. A situation where the law becomes nothing but mere written words to line up the book shelves of law firms, court rooms, libraries and academic institutions portends great danger for all. Of what essence are finely crafted laws that cannot be enforced or effectively applied?

In Nigeria today, it is not uncommon to hear of suspects escaping from police custody or innocent citizens being arrested unlawfully.

It is also not unusual for the rich and powerful to unlawfully engage the instrument of the law to oppress the poor or negatively influence the course of justice.

The challenges associated with seeking justice in Nigerian is frustrating and debilitating as many cases carry on endlessly with adjournment after adjournment; needless and frivolous adjournments that only serve to derail the course of justice.

The flagrant disregard for court injunctions and rulings by government agencies is unprecedented while the shameful abuse of the rule of law by top officials at different levels is quite unbecoming.

How do we explain a situation where top public and private figures who defraud the nation of huge sum of money walk free after returning some percentage of their loot? In my opinion, recent clamour for amnesty for looters by some members of the public and

top political figures is nothing but an endorsement of corruption.

This is a slap on the face of the law and an affront on our collective psyche as a people.

Equally, the spate of lawlessness in the country is quite worrisome. A situation where gun men had the effrontery to launch an attack on a legitimate government law enforcement agency such as the EFCC and the recent gruesome attack on hapless worshippers in a Catholic church in Anambra State attest to the level of depravity and lawlessness to which the country has sunk. This is unacceptable in a lawful society. But then, does ours really represent a lawful clime?

It is also unimaginable and shocking that a group of Nigerians will go on the social media to clamour for the release of an alleged hard-core criminal kingpin and kidnapper like Evans. This depicts the poverty of our values, the paucity of our thinking and the depravity of our mentality.

In so many ways Nigeria and Nigerians have exhibited a penchant for disobeying the law, ranging from inability to obey simple traffic rules and regulation to adherence to safety and routine environmental sanitation laws.

The consequences of a lawless society are enormous and far reaching with multiplier effects on the entire society. It does nothing but encourages increase in crime and corruption. The apparent disregard for value, culture and ethics is an offshoot of the state of lawlessness in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), government officials took N400b bribes in one year. The NBS also reported an increase in crime rate in areas such as offence against persons, offence against property, offence against lawful authority and offence against local acts. The need to revitalise the judiciary and all components of

our legal machinery becomes expedient in the face of these imminent crises.

The role of the law in any society cannot be over emphasised as it shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people. The effective application of the law helps in combating crimes and lawlessness. The reason for the increased rate of compliance and obedience of the law in developed nations compared to developing nations like ours is the efficacy of the law. The system is such that you can’t evade the law, no matter how long it takes, the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with a criminal. A good example of this is the famous James Ibori’s case in the United Kingdom.

The law has been defined as a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or government institutions to regulate behaviour. In other words it is the whole body of such customs, practices, or rules that preserve law and order in societies.

Consequently, when laws are obeyed there is peace and tranquility within the society and a drop in crime rate. The quick dispensation of justice also promotes compliance; nonetheless maximising obedience is a crucial element in a law being successful. Thus, a straightforward measurement of whether a law is achieving its goals or its impact is the extent to which there is compliance with it.

However, the law on its own cannot function, enforcement is necessary for rules to be obeyed; it must be implemented by state bodies and apparatus of government. Government must possess the political will to fight crime and corruption while the people must be aware of the various laws guiding their engagements or activities.

Temilade Aruya, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

POLITICS

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

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING

Lessons from Alhassan’s Rejection NowthattheMinisterforWomenAffairs,AishaAlhassanhasopenlyrejectedherboss,PresidentMuhammadu Buhari, isn’t it time the president disbanded his cabinet and constituted a new one, asks Tobi Soniyi

Atiku

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he last certainly has not been heard over the comment made by the Minister for Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan wherein she expressed her readiness to dump her boss, President Muhammadu Buhari for her political god father, Atiku Abubakar.

Many, especially women have commended her for making her preference public and for having the gut to speak out just like the wife of the president, Aisha once did.

It is her constitutional right to choose the candidate of her choice for 2019 and no one should crucify her for that.

But in politics leaders expect those who work for them to be loyal. The minister must be deemed to be aware of this when she chose to speak out.

However, the real lesson in the unfolding drama is that it brings to the fore whether a president should appoint into his cabinet someone who does not share his visions.

While reacting to the Alhassan’s comments, the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai made it clear that even the president knew at the beginning that the minister did not support him nor share his visions.

The governor said: “In the APC she was never been in the Buhari camp, she did not support our candidates during the National Convention, she didn’t vote for Buhari during the primaries. But out of largeness of the president’s heart and to encourage women in politics, he felt that even though she was never a supporter of his politics nor a believer of his ideologies, and because of what she had tried to do in Taraba, he felt she earned being nominated as a minister.

“Many in Buhari camp did not support it but he overruled everybody because that is how he is, he tries to be inclusive, he considers every Nigerian his own son or daughter and he nominated her to be minister.”

El-Rufai said her comments did not come as a surprise. But he also added that as an individual she had every right to express her views and support whoever she wanted.

In appointing her a minister, the president must have set himself up a failure. If a president wanted to implement change but ended up appointing those who did not want change into his cabinet, is that not a recipe

Alhassan

for failure? El-Rufai gave an unconvincing answer to the puzzle when he said: “Being part of Buhari government is a different thing because government sets policies and if you are a minister you execute the policies. You can execute those policies while pursuing a different brand of politics. And it is okay there is no problem with that.” Many disagreed.

Obviously, Buhari must have come to the reality that Alhassan is one minister who does not share his visions. The president must therefore be biting his finger for appointing her into his cabinet. Other than the fact that she ran for the office of the Taraba state governor on the platform of APC and lost, Buhari perhaps, has no basis for appointing her into his cabinet.

Other questions begging for answers are: as the minister for women’s affairs how much value did she add to the Buhari’s government if she was in this much hurry to bring Atiku as president? What is her performance like? The lesson, for Mr President is that appointments of people into cabinet should not be based on sentiments.

No one should forget that it took the

Having made it clear that she no longer has confidence in her boss, the proper step for the minister to take is to resign her appointment. She should not wait for the president to sack her

Buhari

president about six months before he could appoint ministers. If after six months, the president ended up appointing people who did not believe in his vision as members of his cabinet, it should be very easy to understand how we found ourselves at where we are today. If truly Alhassan’s reasons for joining the Buhari’s government is service, it should not matter under who she serves whether Buhari or Atiku.

Today, there are many Alhassans in this government. They are there because the president felt it was more important to compensate them than to deliver on his promises to Nigerians. If the president had based his decision to appoint ministers on finding the best hands to run the country, many of those holding ministerial posts today would not be there. And if they are not there, perhaps, the country would not be in this hardship because with more competent hands, this administration could have done better.

If nothing else, Alhassan has made an urgent case for the president to change his team and bring on board people who share his visions to change the country for good.

Should the president delay further, another minister will sooner than later embarrass him.

In making new appointments, the president should widen the scope, he should not allow ethnic prejudices and political sentiments influence his choice. Go for the best. At this critical period, the country has no room for mediocrity.

The Alhassan’s issue has further exposed this government as one that does not do due diligence before making appointments.

Recently, this government embarrassed itself when it appointed persons being investigated for alleged corruption by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission into that same commission.

For those who did not follow the drama Alhassan reportedly told the BBC Hausa Service that should the president decide to seek re-election, she would support her “godfather” – former Vice President Atiku Abubakar – against Mr. Buhari.

According to her, Abubakar was her godfather and she would rather support him in the 2019 presidential elections.

She also added that Buhari had not indicated

interest in running.

She said: “Atiku is my godfather even before I joined politics. And again, Baba Buhari did not tell us that he is going to run in 2019.

“Let me tell you today that if Baba said he is going to contest in 2019, I swear to Allah, I will go before him and kneel and tell him that ‘Baba I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve your government as a minister but Baba just like you know, I will support only Atiku because he is my godfather.’ If Atiku said he is going to contest.”

She also said she was not concerned about losing her job as minister over her comments.

“If because of what I said, I am sacked, it will not bother me because I believe in Allah that my time has elapsed.

“Baba is not a mad man like those calling for my sack. They have been spreading it that if Baba sees this (my comments), I will be sacked” she added.

In a separate interview with Reuters, Alhassan said Buhari had told some of his supporters that he would not seek a second term.

“In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for only one time to clean up the mess that the (previous) PDP government did in Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019,” she was quoted as saying.

When she was approached by journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the minister said she had said all that needed to be said in her interview with BBC Hausa. ‘‘No, I have no comment. What will I say now, I have said all in BBC Hausa. Get someone who speaks Hausa very well to translate it for you,’’ she said.

On her relationship with the president and fears she may lose her job, she said: ‘‘How will I know (on the relationship). I have not seen the president but I don’t think the president is a naive person.

God gives and God takes. That is all and I have said it all in Hausa. You know that there is an end to everything. Let the will of God be.”

Having made it clear that she no longer has confidence in her boss, the proper step for the minister to take is to resign her appointment.

She should not wait for the president to sack her. That is the way it is done elsewhere.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

POLITICS

A Professor and His Love for Controversy Since his appointment as the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof.

Itse Sagay (SAN) has displayed an inexplicable obsession with controversy, sometimes drawing the ire of the public which once revered him, Davidson Iriekpen writes

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ndeed, there is hardly any week that the former law teacher has not issued a fiery statement aimed at some hapless foes or to rationalise an action of the government. In doing so, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof.

Itse Sagay has made himself more visible than any government official in the President Muhammadu Buhari-administration.

To many analysts, such magisterial pronouncements are incompatible with the office he occupies which is largely advisory - not one vested with executive powers.

From the day he was tapped to chair the PACAC, he has been unsparing in his criticisms of the judges, lawyers and members of the National Assembly. This intense passion has made him often reflexive, inevitably putting him on a collision course with former colleagues alike who are outraged at his seeming assumption that the legal system could be transformed overnight.

There is no doubt that corruption is a hugely emotive subject in Nigeria, but it’s not in doubt too that Sagay has frequently gone beyond his core mandate to that point where emotion trumps logic.

First was when the Supreme Court delivered judgment in the Rivers and Akwa Ibom states governorship poll. While everybody, including the victors and the vanquished had apparently moved on, not so for Sagay. In several analyses and interviews, he kept denouncing the justices even when they had given the reasons that informed their decisions. To him, the reasons were not tenable. Based on the reactions of some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, it did not take long for Nigerians to know why Sagay was angry.

Then came the Peter Odili’s case. Even when it was obvious that the EFCC did not diligently handle the case against the former governor of Rivers State, Sagay has kept on making it look as if the order of perpetual injunction by Justice Ibrahim Buba was stupid.

At every interval, he would refer to the case as a bad omen for the war against corruption.

Of course, as a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria he knows it’s trite that he who asserts must prove, and that once a sufficient and relevant evidence have not been adduced, then it is he who is unable to produce the evidence that fails in his case.

Sagay also showed a seeming indiscretion when he lambasted two Supreme Court judges, Justices John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta, for levelling allegations of bribery against the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi. The two justices in separate letters to the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mahmoud Mohammed, alleged that Amaechi sought to influence their judgments in election petitions before them in favour of the APC. Rather than confirm from the former CJN the veracity of claims that the two justices had petitioned him in that regard, Sagay evidently took sides and swiftly concluded that the outburst by the two justices was surprising given that it was totally unrelated to the raids of their premises, their arrest and subsequent charges.

He further noted that men of such standing should not indulge in diversionary activities in the face of grave charges against them. To Sagay, justice is only one way.

To him, the fight against corruption should not go hand in hand with the rule of law.

Anybody who is accused of corruption should not defend himself/herself but must be instantly pronounced guilty and jailed. On many occasions, he has taken his fight to his colleagues in the legal profession, accusing them of frustrating the war against corruption forgetting that they are merely doing their jobs. The professor of law once publicly advocated stiff punishment for counsel, particularly senior advocates, who have, in his opinion, routinely obstructed and frustrated proceedings in high-profile corruption cases

Sagay...can’t seem to stop the attacks

in the country. This recommendation came even when he knows that a defendant is entitled to a counsel.

It’s instructive that while the professor of law railed against the opposition, the political party on whose platform he was appointed openly applauded him, but once he apparently failed to discern the red line, he was promptly cautioned.

When the Senate in a unanimous decision, on March 28, stood down the confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the continued retention of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC acting chairman by the president, Sagay labelled the Senate’s action as “childish” and “irresponsible”, describing the upper legislative house as a place filled with people of questionable characters. He even went as far as saying that the Senate does not have the powers to confirm Magu. Understandably, this did not go down well with the legislature, necessitating the call that he be summoned before the red chambers. The verdict from most lawmakers was straightforward: Sagay’s comment on the Senate’s power to confirm nominees of the

It’s instructive that while the professor of law railed against the opposition, the political party on whose platform he was appointed openly applauded him, but once he apparently failed to discern the red line, he was promptly cautioned

president was disrespectful, uncouth more so, coming from a professor of law who ought to know better.

The protest would later compel the APC to publicly denounce and caution him to stop making statements that could further worsen the relationship between the executive and the legislature. A statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said that such utterances could derail the party’s effort to make peace between both arms of government. The party specifically urged Sagay to exercise restraint in his comments and also charged him to desist from making utterances that might be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the National Assembly.

“We believe the comments attributed to Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government. The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed government officials to desist from utterances that may ruin efforts to build a harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition. Our expectation would be that as a law professor of repute, Sagay would appreciate the need not to denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the executive, legislature or judiciary,’’ he said.

But if the lawmakers thought that would help moderate Sagay’s attacks, they were mistaken as the professor of law fired another salvo at them. This time, he said the enemies of the administration’s anti-corruption drive were in the National Assembly. He described the legislature as constituting itself into an opposition to the anti-corruption struggle efforts of the Buhari administration. “In fact, the National Assembly has constituted itself into opposition to the anti-corruption struggle. It has mounted a war against the anti-corruption struggle. It has decided to obstruct it at every stage,” he had said.

In unison, members of the National Assembly condemned him. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Matters, Senator Chukwuka Utazi in his reaction, said: “The National Assembly can never be an opposition to the anti-corruption war of the government. Rather, those who are the enemies of government and opposition to the anti-corruption war are the likes of Sagay

and aides of the president who compromise their views, who see their views as only correct, who say one thing today and tomorrow they reverse themselves. We plead with PACAC to stop Sagay from speaking for it; instead let Professor Femi Odekunle who is in a better position to do that be speaking for the body for very obvious reasons.”

Senator Dino Melaye on his part said: “Sagay is speaking his age, he should not be taken seriously by anyone.”

However, the reverential tone still reflected in the lawmakers’ denunciation of Sagay was totally absent last week after he disparaged them in a public lecture organised by the Society of International Law, in Lagos. First, they called on Buhari to call the professor to order. They described him as a senile, loose cannon and one of the divisive elements in the president’s administration who believe their relevance is enhanced only when they create constant tension between the legislature and the executive, or pit members of the executives against one another.

Senate spokesman, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, in a strongly worded statement accused the former law teacher of using every opportunity to disparage the National Assembly, using uncouth and unprintable words to describe legislators and the institution.

“Ordinarily, we would ignore Sagay whose statements and attitude present him as a rascal and sadist instead of a former university teacher. However, his last speech in Lagos during which he was reeling out false and exaggerated figures about the salaries and allowances of legislators and also lied about the passage of anti-corruption bills showed that he just deliberately sets out to undermine the legislative institution and lower its reputation in the estimation of right thinking members of the society and we therefore believe we should put him in his rightful place….”

For sure, the brickbats between the legislators and Sagay look likely to continue. Yet, it’s unclear what sort of legacy a professor of law who built his public profile on account of years of advocacy for rule of law will leave behind after what seems like months of relentlessly canvassing a circumvention of that noble ideal. Could this be just another reminder that the idealistic and emotion-laden world of activism and the pragmatic world of politics do not mix? The answer will certainly be as fractious as the country’s politics.

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FEATURES

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

The Benue Floods

After floods sacked over 100,000 people in Benue State, Solomon Elusoji travelled to Makurdi, the state capital, and writes that the disaster’s real tragedy is that it will happen again

O

n Saturday, September 2, 2017, a day after Lagos Muslims slaughtered rams in celebration of Eid al-Adha, this reporter arrived Makurdi, the Benue State capital, some minutes past midnight. The capital city was asleep, but a few taxis crawled the deserted roads. From Duku Park, which lies along the Makurdi-Gboko Road, this reporter joined a Toyota pick-up to Achusa, a new settlement where houses spring up like weeds. As soon as the pick-up veered off the main road, it became a boat, mowing through stagnant water as it plied the grassy streets. “There are no drainages here,” the driver of the pick-up and Achusa resident, Caleb Omonoji, said. “When it is morning proper, you will see everything better.” True, when the sun rose hours later, this reporter saw everything proper.

On August 26, some minutes before 23:59, a regular rain had started in Makurdi. Unknown to residents, though, there was nothing regular about it. Gado Abimelech, a civil servant with the Benue State Government, had thought it was going to be a cool, refreshing night. But, around 2:30a.m. on August 27, he received a call from his neighbour. The voice on the other end sounded distressed and was blabbering about “water inside the house”. Curious, he swung his foot off the bed. But instead of feet hitting solid ground, he slipped into a pool of water that stopped at his waist. “The only thing I could save were my certificates,” Abimelech, who studied Economics at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, told this reporter seven days later, at the Ultra Modern International Market in Makurdi. A swarthy, sad man, he wore a simple shirt and pair of trousers over a gleaming black shoe. “I have moved my eight children and wife to a friend’s place, but I am here (the International Market) to register for the government’s relief materials.” Abimelech story is not unique. This reporter spoke to tens of Makurdi residents at the International Market, which has become a melting ground for flood victims after the Benue Government transformed it into an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, and they had similar stories of ‘waking up to find a flooded room with all valuables soaked’.

“What saved me was that there was no electricity,” a Barnadata Quarters resident, Terfa Abwelem, said, “I don’t know what might have happened.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), more than 100,000 people in and around Makurdi have been displaced by the flood. The casualties also included bridges, culverts, roads and farmlands. With 21 local governments out of the 23 local governments in the state affected, the state governor, Samuel Ortom, said his administration was “handicapped”.

floor. The room itself was filled with supplies: some stoves, bag of charcoals, a pile of old clothes, bags of satchel water.

The dreadlocks woman was Irene AwunahIkyegh, the convener of the Vanguard Against Tiv Massacres (VATIM), a non-profit organisation consisting of young Benue professionals.

Below her dreadlocks, she was sporting a white, heavily-inscribed shirt, blue jeans and grey sneakers. Sitting on the rice-bags, she looked heavy, powerful, but her eyes were tired. “I left here around 22:00 yesterday,” she said, wryly.

Awunah-Ikyegh, who is based in Abuja, travelled to Makurdi on Wednesday, August 30, to assist the Makurdi flood victims. She is working under a coalition of non-profits, Benue Non-Governmental Organisation Network (BENGONET).

When the flood started on Sunday, August 27, Awunah-Ikyegh told this reporter, some BENGONET members were mobilised to help evacuate trapped residents. There was no government response until Tuesday, August 29, when the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), announced the International Market as an IDP camp.

Sunday blues Later that Sunday, at around 8:15a.m., this reporter walked through the gates of the International Market, where there were makeshift vigilantes checking bags and scrutinising faces.

The International Market is a series of shops sitting in perfect rows and columns and built with red bricks. The compound is commodious, with far-flung fences, and the grounds are cemented. From the entrance, the landscape slopes downwards.

There were no National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials or their state counterparts on the ground at the time. But children, most with little or no clothing, scuttled around the compound, playing games; their mothers sat, some in groups, in front of the shops which had become their temporary abode.

There were few men in view; a handful were seated in front of a single building to the east, facing the main complex. Beside a huge water tank was another building removed from the main complex. Inside was a woman, wearing dreadlocks, sitting on a stack of rice-bags and a fair, almost Fulani-ish man sweeping the

Now, it is happening all over again and the government is asking for billions to dredge the River Benue and construct drainages. On Sunday, as the afternoon lengthened, the skies threatened. People looked up and shook their heads, knowing that when it pours, no one is safe

A flooded community in Benue State

Even then, there was no provision of any sort for those who filtered into the camp.

“When I arrived here on Wednesday, I was very devastated,” Awunah-Ikyegh said. “There was simply no presence of government.”

Government presence only started to be felt on Friday, September 1, when the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja, visited the camp and some affected communities.

He announced the delivery of seven trucks of supplies from Abuja to Makurdi; three of those trucks arrived on Saturday, September 2. “It was only on Saturday that the people started to feel the presence of a government relief agency.”

On Saturday evening, each household inside the camp were given a quarter bag of uncooked rice and water was transported into the camp’s huge tank. But, as at 9:00 on Friday, there was no water for sanitation in the camp. The borehole was bad and there was no power supply.

Also, the camp had no mattresses – most of the children sleep on the floor; there were no mosquito nets, no condiments and energy for cooking the bags of rice shared on Saturday.

This reporter was at a scene where a group of families pooled resources to prepare their Saturday rice with one of the few charcoal stoves available. The result was a white, pasty cereal. It was ladled on plates and red powdered pepper was sprinkled on top. “It actually tastes very good,” one of the men said.

But, as noon gingerly approached, the International Market began to bubble: some BSEMA and NEMA officials, Red Cross personnel and representatives from United Nations agencies, UNICEF and UNHCR, had arrived. A UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Dr. Ibrahim Conteh, described the camp situation as “appalling”, but said he was happy to see the government “taking strong steps” and non-governmental organisations showing a lot of “goodwill support.”

“We have not seen any case of malnourishment and the people seem happy,” he said. But he re-echoed the need for better medical facilities, electricity, mosquito nets and mattresses. “UNICEF has already provided 10,000 aquatabs to treat water in the camp and UNHCR is already in the process of providing sleeping mats.”

While Conteh spoke, a unit of the Nigerian

Air Force drove into the camp and set up a Medical Outpost Programme on the ground.

At exactly 11:18a.m., some kids had queued at the lower end of the market, under what looked like a mini garage. They were being served a cup of pap and a wrap of moi-moi for breakfast. The food was provided by Gidan Bege Orphanage, which is run in Benue by David and Deborah Audu, a couple. “Last night, I had sleepless nights knowing the conditions of these kids,” Deborah Audu said. Through their orphanage, they have committed to providing breakfast to as many camp kids as possible. “We are only doing the little we can; if everyone can do just a little, there will be a lot of relief for the victims, especially for the women and children.” The couple make it a priority to serve kids first, then pregnant and nursing women.

A trip to town This reporter spent Sunday afternoon patrolling downtown Makurdi, at Idye Village, one of the hardest hit communities.

Idye is a community of low-roof houses that smelt, awfully, of soaked things. The streets were not deserted; music streamed out of room windows, a woman was grinding pepper at the front of her house, a man busied himself with displaying his charcoal wares, and restaurants, made of decrepit shacks, served watery egusi and leathery fufu.

The marks of the water level can still be seen on the buildings, some wet above the window level. There were collapsed huts and buildings that had become parallelograms.

But the impact of the tragedy can hardly be spotted on the faces of the people. It was like nothing had happened. “We had never seen water like that before,” a man told this reporter at a fufu joint, but refused to say no more, simply shrugging away further probing as he waited for his meal. Although some houses, those close to the canal-like body of water that borders a part of the community, were still surrounded by water as at 14:00p.m., this reporter spotted people in them.

This resolve to stay put in water-ridden areas, despite the apparent health and security implications, is driven less by a nostalgia for home than for a distrust of government.

When some BENGONET officials went to some of the affected communities to record their data, they refused to cooperate. “That’s

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FEATURES how you people do,” they said, “we do not expect anything to come out of it.” The motorcycle driver who ferried this reporter to the International Market Sunday morning was also sceptical. “Most people won’t bother to go to the IDP camps,” he said, “because they know the supplies will be diverted; that’s how we behave here.” This driver, who gave his name as Sani, is Hausa, but he was born and bred in Makurdi and calls it home.

Awunah-Ikyegh told this reporter that the civil societies will never let such a thing – diverting supplies – happen this time. “We will be monitoring the situation,” she said.

But, probably more urgent than the problem of diversification, is the problem of supplies reaching those actually affected. Although Benue is referred to as the food basket of the nation (the state is a major producer of several edible and cash crops), most of its agriculture is subsistent, curtailing its high potentials and cultivating a poor population.

There have been reports of people whose houses were not flooded registering at the IDP camps, just to have a chance to put food on the table.

To address this issue of systemic theft, the camp officials at International Market announced, Saturday, that registration at the campsite had been halted; residents were now expected to return to their flooded homes and wait for officials to visit and collect their data.

The idea is preposterous. “I can’t even access my house,” Abwelem, the Barnadata Quarters resident told this reporter. Gwa Obadiah, who lived in a community called Ghana before the flood, said there was no way he could return with his wife and four children.

And, considering the slow-paced nature of this government (it took an emergency agency six days to respond with food), how many days (and people) will it take to complete this planned data collection? True, the NGOs have signalled their readiness to join forces, but success, from the look of things, still lies in the realm of miracles. By Tuesday, there was no money to fuel the vehicles that would transport volunteers around the communities to collect data which the government is planning to rely on.

Government palaver One way to understand the Benue Government’s narrative for the cause of flooding is that it is an act of God. “As a government, we feel that this shouldn’t have happened but it has happened,” the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Terver Akase, told Channels Television last week. “It is a natural disaster . . . water is beyond human control; it must come whether we like it or not. It is natural disaster in the sense that, it is rain. We can’t prevent rain from coming.” The Special Adviser to the Governor on State Emergencies, Hon. Vincent Tsea, also told this reporter that the flooding was an unexpected disaster. “We were preparing for September,” he said, “we didn’t know it would come in August.”

But the arguments are unfortunate. Flooding in Benue, especially Makurdi, is not novel.

Between September and October 2012, flooding displaced over 700,000 persons in the state, with thousands of farmlands, houses and huts either submerged or washed away.

In response to the flooding, the government created camps for the displaced in Makurdi metropolis where those who were rendered homeless by the devastation went to seek shelter. Primary schools within Makurdi were closed and turned into camps where the displaced persons lived and survived on goodwill donations from charity organisations, religious bodies, non-governmental organisations, donor agencies, governmental agencies and public-spirited individuals.

In 2013, BENGONET released a report titled ‘The 2012 Flood Impact Assessment’, where it advised the government to “relocate houses built close to the river bank” and construct “new drainage channels, canals and aggressive expansion of existing ones within the areas affected to enhance the free flow of water.”

But everyone went to sleep.

Now, it is happening all over again and the government is asking for billions to dredge the River Benue and construct drainages. On Sunday, as the afternoon lengthened, the skies threatened. People looked up and shook their heads, knowing that when it pours, no one is safe.

The flood victims at the IDPs camp in Makurdi, the Benue State capital

The people saving the day On Monday morning, the mood at the IDP camp inside Makurdi’s International Market was quite cheerful. The previous day, NEMA had delivered more supplies – mattresses, mosquito nets, stoves – to the camp. Somehow, electricity – advertised brashly with super-bright yellow bulbs attached to the walls of the shop buildings – had also found its way into the Market. As this reporter made his way into the camp, water trucks were drifting through the gates, filling the camp’s tanks.

However, none of these developments masked the herculean challenge of running a proper, humane camp. While the water trucks were doing their job, news reached camp administrators that some of the women had littered their surroundings with pads and toilet rolls. During the distribution of breakfast items – bread, packs of Indomie Noodles – scuffles, which required the intervention of armed policemen, frequently broke out. And more people continued to filter into the camp, complaining they have not been registered.

And the person in the middle of all the hubbub was Helen TeghTegh.

TeghTegh is a honey-skinned woman with a perpetual smile on her face. She is the one most of the IDPs go to when they have complains, so she is always on the move, from one situation to another. This reporter spent about four hours following her around the camp, as she answered questions intermittently, barely finishing a sentence before someone called her attention to something else.

“I’m the Chairperson for BENGONET’s Emergency Response Committee (ERC),” she said, which technically means she is responsible for the over 4,000 IDPs already registered in the camp. BENGONET members are the foot soldiers practically running the government camp, collecting data and doling out hope to the miserable. “The government is ‘very fast’”, TeghTegh said, with an ironic smile, “but one simply hopes that they can cut through the bureaucracy and be faster.”

A vast majority of the supplies currently at the International Market camp have come, not from government, but from individuals and private institutions. On Monday, one woman brought two bags of water and a small sack of clothes. It was received with great joy by the BENGONET officials, who are primary collectors of data in the camp. There are also a plethora of organisations in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country, soliciting for funds and essentials for the flood victims.

“We are surprised by the response from Nigerians,” TeghTegh told this reporter. “I look forward to a situation where our people contribute so much that when the government is finally ready, they would find nothing to do.”

But, unfortunately, as at Monday evening, as TeghTegh strolled through the camp, talking to IDPs, there was still a lot to be done. “Look at me now,” she said, a crease of worry on her face, “I am looking for what to feed them this evening; they have to eat.”

NEMA had donated 100 bags of rice, but

there were no condiments and gas to power the cooking. Some charcoal stoves have been donated, but more is needed. TeghTegh was genuinely worried. Earlier, the Minister of State for Environment, Mr. Ibrahim Jubril, and Benue’s deputy governor, Mr. Benson Abounu, had visited the camp. They both thanked God that no lives had been lost in the flood disaster. TeghTegh told this reporter they had recorded two deaths, but refused to criticise the government for not doing or knowing enough, because she believes they remain major stakeholders in the relief programme and will come through for the IDPs sooner or later. “Who can live without hope,” she said.

The volunteers at the camp are the lifeblood of the relief movement. They are mostly young, vibrant persons with university education who have chosen to work in civil society organisations. Elizabeth Apoyi studied English at the Benue State University but works in a gender advocacy NGO. “More than the money, helping people makes me fulfilled,” she said.

Most of the volunteers were drafted from some of the NGOs that make up BENGONET, but some members of the coalition have refused to send any staff, ensuring that there is a shortage of manpower. Volunteers are the ones tasked with the responsibility to go into the communities and record the data of those affected by the flood disaster, but there are not enough of them.

“It is very demanding and stressful,” Apoyi said, “but it makes you happy when you realise that you are making a difference in someone’s life.” On Sunday, she had crisscrossed a muddy community, forms and pen in hand.

Joshua Emmanuel, a Medical Microbiology graduate from the University of Maiduguri and development worker, serves as an observer for BENGONET at the warehouse receiving NEMA supplies. “So far, we’ve received four trucks of supplies,” he said, “and we are expecting two more on Tuesday.” Contrary to reports from some quarters, he noted, the delivery of supplies from the emergency agency were all in order. “No one is diverting anything; we are making sure none of that happens.”

Not every volunteer went to university or works at an NGO. One of those helping to keep the camp secure is a Nigerian soldier, who asked to not have his name revealed.

After years of being at the forefront of the Boko Haram battle in Yobe, he has returned to Makurdi on indefinite leave after developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“I can’t sleep at night,” he said, “so I have come here to volunteer my services, to keep moving.” Rifle in hand, he glides, literally, through the camp, his back a bit stooped from whatever burden he carries from his memories of bloody conflict.

On Tuesday, as early as 8a.m., the volunteers, again, were already in full swing. TeghTegh was giving orders, running around, acknowledging random greetings. “We don’t know how long we will be here,” the BENGONET ERC’s secretary, Martins Orga, told this reporter,

“but as long as it takes to get these people resettled.” Orga is a bearded, not-too-short man with bouncing enthusiasm. “My wife has started to complain about the hours I work, but I am passionate about what I do.”

Late into Tuesday afternoon, the IDPs led a mild revolt against camp officials. Around noon, legendary African artiste and Benue indigene, Innocent ‘Tuface’ Idibia, had visited the camp and dropped some supplies. But the IDPs believed, wrongly though, that the ‘African Queen’ crooner had left 1 million for them and the camp officials were withholding it. The revolt was quelled and by evening, distribution of the ‘Tuface Supplies’ had commenced. “Every single one of it will get to those it is meant for,” TeghTegh said.

The return of the floods Makurdi, a city with a population exceeding 500,000, sits along the River Benue. The river, previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the River Niger and is approximately 1,400 kilometres long. When Makurdi and other parts of Benue and Nigeria were ravaged with floods in 2012, the main culprit was an overflowing River Benue. This recent flood, however, was caused by a lack of proper drainage systems, like the haphazard town planning this reporter witnessed at Achusa.

“On June 13, we alerted these communities on what to expect in terms of floods this year,” the Director-General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Mr. Moses Beckley, told this reporter. “But they did not heed our warnings. And for those who are in low lying areas, if adequate drainage systems have not been provided or are blocked, then this kind of thing will happen when it rains in torrents.”

Meanwhile, there are feelers that Cameroon is about to release water from its Lagdo Reservoir, the same event that precipitated the 2012 overflow of the River Benue. But NEMA and Benue State Government officials told this reporter they were yet to receive any such statement from Cameroonian authorities.

“To do something like that, they will have to inform us first,” the SA on the Benue Governor on Emergencies, Tsea, said.

On Wednesday, the day this reporter left Makurdi, Vice-President, Yomi Osinbanjo, led a government delegation that included the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Audu Ogbeh, Minister Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Ibrahim Jubril, and the NEMA DG, Mr. Mustapha Maihaja, to Makurdi.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned about the flood situation, not only in Benue but in other places as well,” the Vice-President said. “Dredging of River Benue is important and as being requested by youths around, the construction of drainage will also be done.”

But talk, as they say, is cheap; more torrential rains are still to come and the real tragedy of the Benue floods is that they will happen again.

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

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Quick Takes ‘Enugu is Not Owing Workers’

The Enugu State Government has debunked newspaper reports that it is owes its workers, salaries and arrears.

The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe said the claim was based on a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey which listed Enugu as one of the states in Nigeria yet to utilise their share of the second tranche of the Paris/London Clubs refunds.

He said that the newspapers appear to have concluded that since the state is yet to utilise its second tranche and since the federal government had asked that a lion share of the refund be used to offset salary and pension arrears, Enugu State must therefore be owing salary and pension arrears.

We regret this unfortunate conclusion which could have been avoided with a little fact-checking, Anikwe said, adding that no civil servant in Enugu State is being owed a kobo as salaries or arrears of salaries since the assumption of office of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Enugu Disco Modifies Electricity Bill

9MOBILE CUSTOMER FORUM

L-R: Director, Regional Sales, 9mobile, Victor Nwaobia; Mgbarogwu-Oji 1 of Amoji Nenwe, Enugu, HRH Igwe John Ifeanetu; Director, Brands & Experience, 9mobile, Elvis Ogiemwanye and Head, Regional Sales, 9mobile, Okechukwu Nwaeze, at the 9mobile Customer Forum held in Enugu…recently

Ex-Depot Price of Petrol Stable Despite Drop in Pump Price Ejiofor Alike Despite the slight reduction in the pump price of petrol by some oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in many retail outlets across the country, the ex-depot price of the product has remained stable, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

It was also gathered that even though some marketers and the NNPC have reduced the pump price to N143, the new price is still within the official price range of N135 –N145 approved by the federal government on May 11, 2016.

ENERGY The market survey conducted

by THISDAY at the weekend showed that all the 12 depots that had petrol in Lagos were selling at between N130.50 and N132. 50, which was the same price range before the NNPC and some marketers reduced the pump price from N145 to N143 per litre.

Investigation further showed that both the ex-depot price range and the N143 pump are still within the official range of prices recommended by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA)

on May 11, 2016 when the N145 pump price took effect.

The agency had recommended a retail price band of N135 - N145 per litre for filling stations and indicative ex-depot price of between N123.28 and N133.28 per litre for product that is in the depots, via circular No. A.4/9/017/C.2/IV/690.

However, for petrol that is still in the mother vessel at the high sea, the ex-depot price or coastal price was fixed at N116.63 –N126.63 per litre as the marketer will incur additional expenses to hire daughter vessels to lift the product to the depots.

Some marketers, who spoke

to THISDAY at the weekend, argued that N145 was not the only official pump price but the maximum limit, adding that unless the price goes down below the lower limit of N135 per litre, the country would not celebrate drop in pump price.

“When the PPPRA fixed the price range at N135 –N145, the thinking was that for market competitiveness, products should be selling at different pump prices within this official range depending on the location of the retail outlets and the part of the country. But Continued on page 22

Unpaid Electricity Supply: Nigeria Issues Bills Settlement Order to Bénin, Togo Chineme Okafor in Abuja Following a meeting with the Communauté Électrique du Bénin (CEB), an international electricity firm co-owned by the governments of Bénin and Togo, Nigeria has requested the CEB to pay up its outstanding debt for electricity supplied to it.

The federal government has also stated that it needed CEB to settle its outstanding bills to enable it maintain its supplies obligation to both countries.

This development was contained in a document detailing the proceedings of the last meeting of operators in the power sector, which was obtained by THISDAY. In August, the Nigerian

ENERGY Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) disclosed during the monthly meeting of operators in the power sector, that some international customers owe Nigeria about $115.91 million for electricity supplied to them a period of time.

According to the NBET, CEB of Benin Republic and NIGELEC of Niger Republic were indebted to the tune of $101.46 million and $14.45 million, respectively.

Nigeria provides power supply to the two countries through the NBET and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), with power purchased by NBET from the Generation Companies

(GenCos) and transmitted to CEB and NIGELEC by the TCN. However, the minutes stated: “The representative of NBET informed operators that a reconciliation meeting between CEB and NBET was held in Lome, Togo, where CEB was reminded to always make payments as at when due since the market was contract-based.”

“The Nigerian delegation to the meeting also requested CEB to pay the reconciled amount to enable Nigeria meet its obligation of supplying power to them,” the communique added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has disclosed that the federal government will not interfere in

the new metering arrangement between electricity distribution companies (Discos) and their customers.

Fashola, however stated that the government will monitor the progress of the arrangement through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to avoid possible instances of exploitation.

Quoting him, the minutes of the meeting said: “He noted that after the decision taken to wind down CAPMI, some Discos had explained that their customers still wanted to pay for their meters based on certain agreements.

“He stated that the federal Continued on page 22

As part of its continuous effort to introduce initiatives geared towards ensuring enjoyable customer experience, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has modified its electricity bill to wear a new look.

The refreshed two-sided A5 sized electricity bill takes effect from September, 2017, with some new features which include a summary of previous balance and last payment made by the customer, a barcode which is a security feature, details of feeder and transformer; name and phone number of the marketer in charge, as well as pictorial representation of customer’s meter reading. At the back side of the bill is the EEDC Call Center number, address of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Forum Offices within EEDC coverage area, including their phone numbers and email addresses; details of respective reconnection fees and other relevant information for the customer. The company’s head of communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh said in a statement that part of the initiative, which would be in place soon, would be the delivery of electricity bills to customers via email prior to their receiving the hard copy.

“Customers now receive notification alert on their phones acknowledging payment of electricity bills made; and this comes at no cost to the customer. We therefore encourage our customers who are not yet enjoying this service to go ahead and update their data via our website or at any of our customer service points,” he added.

China to Ban Sale of Fuel Cars

China has begun studying when to ban the production and sale of cars using traditional fuels, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing comments by the vice industry minister, who predicted “turbulent times” for automakers forced to adapt. Banning the sale of petrol- and diesel-powered cars would have a significant impact on oil demand in China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer.

Xin Guobin did not give details on when China, the world’s largest auto market, would implement such a ban. The United Kingdom and France have said they will ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040. “Some countries have made a timeline for when to stop the production and sales of traditional fuel cars,” Xin, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was quoted as saying at an auto industry event in the city of Tianjin on Saturday.

“The ministry has also started relevant research and will make such a timeline with relevant departments. Those measures will certainly bring profound changes for our car industry’s development,” he said. To combat air pollution and close a competitive gap between its newer domestic automakers and their global rivals, China has set goals for electric and plug-in hybrid cars to make up at least a fifth of Chinese auto sales by 2025.

“No matter how much broad-minded you are and no matter the desire to serve your nation, if services are not paid for, the momentum to continue to serve will not be sustained” Chief Executive Officer of Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Dallas Peavey

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BUSINESSWORLD EX-DEPOT PRICE OF PETROL STABLE DESPITE DROP IN PUMP PRICE

because of the pressure on foreign exchange, everybody got stuck to the maximum limit of N145 as if that was the only official price. Now, that the pressure has reduced and some people are selling at N143, they are making a big deal out of it. We are supposed to be seeing different prices at, let’s say, N135, 138, 140, 142, 144, 145 in different filling stations across the country. And not everybody sticking to one price,” one of the marketers explained. NNPC recently claimed that its sustained strategic intervention in the efficient supply and distribution petroleum products had led to ‘significant’ fall in the prices of petrol and cooking gas.

However, before the corporation went to town with the news that its mega and affiliate stations across the country were selling the product for N143 per litre, many major and independent marketers were already selling at that price in some parts of the country.

UNPAID ELECTRICITY SUPPLY: NIGERIA ISSUES BILLS SETTLEMENT ORDER TO BÉNIN, TOGO

government would not stand in the way of such agreement between the Discos and their customers so long as NERC endorses the agreements which would not violate the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (ESPR Act) of 2005.”

It added that: “He stated that the federal government would monitor and regulate metering agreements between the Discos and their customers through NERC to ensure that they did not use the agreements as excuse to relinquish their responsibilities to their customers.

“He noted that the federal government decided to promote meter deployment, compromised judgment agreement that would make N39 billion available for supply and installation of meters. He stated that while it was the Discos’ responsibility to meter their customers, the EPSR Act did not vest monopoly of meter supplies or retail sales in them.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

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) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Reporters

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

NEWS

ExxonMobil to Raise 2018 JV Budget for Nigerian Fields Chineme Okafor in Abuja United States oil firm, ExxonMobil has unveiled plans to raise its budget for funding joint venture (JV) operations in Nigeria’s oil and gas fields with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2018.

ExxonMobil’s Senior VicePresident, Mr. Jack Williams stated this recently in Abuja when he visited the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru.

Williams did not disclose the total financial commitment the firm would commit to Nigeria in 2018, but affirmed in a statement by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, that ExxonMobil is also committed to ending gas flare in Nigeria.

According to the statement, the NNPC and ExxonMobil - its partner in upstream joint venture oil operation, indicated they will commit hugely to ending gas flaring at the Qua Iboe oil terminal, to be able to provide sufficient gas for the independent power plant that is expected to be built there.

Similarly, both firms are seeking new measures to expand their existing operational portfolio with a view to increasing crude oil production and availability of gas for power generation in Nigeria.

According to the statement, Baru welcomed Williams and

a high-powered delegation from ExxonMobil to his office.

Baru, according to the statement, said the joint venture with ExxonMobil was before now the highest producer of crude oil in the country, and would now make a rebound.

He said the NNPC and ExxonMobil, held discussions on major operational issues like improved drilling to increase production and

refurbishment of crude oil pipelines as well as supply of gas to the planned Qua Iboe Independent Power Plant among others.

“More importantly, we also discussed their recommitment to supply gas to the domestic market and this is something that is very positive and they are willing; we would quickly roll-out the programme to ensure that sufficient gas

comes in for the IPP. We also secured a commitment from them to end gas flare at QIT and other production areas,” said Baru, in the statement.

The statement also quoted Williams to have described the meeting to have been very fruitful, and that ExxonMobil was committed to growing its production in Nigeria safely and with lots of integrity.

He noted that ExxonMobil

would increase its 2018 joint venture budget for its operations in Nigeria, to underscore its commitment to Nigeria.

Meanwhile, a June 2017, monthly operations report of the NNPC has disclosed that the country flared up to 663.31 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscf/d) within the period, to give out a daily gas flare rate of 8.78 per cent for the month.

DIASPORA FESTIVAL

R-L: Senior Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; Team Member Heritage Bank’s Brand Management & Compliance Unit, Mrs. Ozena Utulu; State Sole Administrator Yamkri Game Reserves, Habu Mamman; representative of Bauchi State Governor, Barr. Mohammed Abubakar and Executive Director, PANAFEST and Member Diaspora Festival Badagry, Mr. Rabbi Halevi; during the 2017 edition of Diaspora Festival Badagry, titled, ‘Door of Return Ceremony Badagry,’ which was co-sponsored by Heritage Bank Plc...recently

‘Nigeria Requires Competitive, EgbinPowerPlantRecords827-dayIncidentFree Consistent Fiscal Regime in Oil Operations and Gas Sector’ Stories by Ejiofor Alike The Chief Executive Officer, Subsaharan Africa, Bakers Hughes, a GE Company (BHGE), Mr. Ado Oseragbaje has stated that only a clear, consistent and competitive fiscal regime could incentivise investments in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Oseragbaje also argued that the federal government was able to dictate the terms for investors in the past because Nigeria was the only resource-rich country in the sub-region, adding that the investment landscape has since changed with many other neighbouring countries discovering oil and gas.

Speaking to journalists on the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) that was recently passed by the Senate, Oseragbaje said lack of clarity of policies, as well as the inconsistency and the lack of competitiveness had long term implications on the industry, adding that no matter how strict a policy is, it has to be clear, and consistent.

“But for everybody that is going to make long term investments, you have to have clarity as to the long term policy.

If not, it is very difficult for you to invest and you say ‘okay, I am investing now: royalty today is five per cent but then in 2020, royalty is going to be 17 per cent or what? I don’t know.’ It is then very difficult for me to make a 10-year or

15-year investment, if I don’t have clarity of policy,” he said.

He said Nigeria should take into consideration the fact that investors now have choice to take their money to places like Mozambique, Ghana, Senegal and Central Africa, which were not Nigeria’s competitors 15 years ago. “Whatever the policy is, however strict it is, it needs to be clear such that my economic model takes it into account and then I can decide whether I invest or not.

So the clarity of the policy is important,” he added. He said the consistency of the country’s model in the oil and gas sector should be for the long term.

According to him, once the country lays out a policy that is clear, there has to be a time horizon that investors use to plan and be notified of any impending changes in the investment landscape to guarantee business planning.

“The third piece that I think is important for the country to recognise is that the competitive landscape is actually changing.

What do I mean by that? If you drew the hydrocarbon map of Africa 15 years ago, it would be very different from what you have today. Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t OCTP; there wasn’t Jubilee; Mozambique wasn’t there; Senegal hadn’t been discovered, and even some of these discoveries or extensions in Central Africa didn’t exist.

The Chairman of Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Kola Adesina has stated that the safety standards and procedures at the company have helped the nation’s largest power plant record incident free operations over the last 827 days.

Speaking to journalists on Egbin’s “Safety Report”, Adesina said the power plant operates in line with globally acclaimed standards for Health, Safety, Security and the Environment and requires staff and stakeholders to abide by its zero tolerance policy on safety infractions.

“Since we took over the plant in 2013 we have continued to enhance the plant’s HSSE profile through investments in safety equipment and training.

For us at Egbin, ensuring safety at all cost is a non-negotiable policy and we are delighted with the progress we have made in this regard and it gives us the impetus to sustain ongoing transformation and preparation for future expansion of the plant,” he said.

He said Egbin’s safety records had been severally commended by various postprivatization monitoring team and other regulatory agencies following inspection visits.

“At Egbin, every staff is a Safety Ambassador. We demand the same level of commitment from all our

partners and stakeholders and remain confident that HSSE issues will always be paramount in our operations,” he added. Speaking on the need for collaboration across the sector’s value chain, Adesina said this would help operators and regulators effectively address the challenges of the power sector.

“What we need right now is generation, transmission and distribution working together to achieve the ultimate goal of improved power supply.

We have witnessed continuing improvement across the value chain and we need to keep up the momentum and close our ranks where we have gaps to drive better power supply.

Issues bordering on unutilised energy, load shedding and optimised load picking can be better managed by the operators to ensure the system maintains a balance that enhances productivity and sustainability,” he explained.

“We should all work as partners in the power sector as the nation is counting on us to make the system work. At Egbin, we remain committed to spearheading intra and inter sectoral collaborative efforts to move the power sector ahead.

This will require the support of the government, regulators, operators, local/foreign investors, electricity consumers and civil societies,” he added.

Adesina explained that

an analysis of operations across the value chain clearly reveals the need for the sector to address and correct the price differential between the actual cost of electricity and current price regimes.

“Another important factor that is responsible for the high price of electricity is the lack of conservation. It is imperative for the sector to embark on sustained advocacy and awareness campaigns that will encourage people to embrace conservation and shun energy theft as well as illegal connections “ He commended the Ministry of Power, regulators and operators for on-going deliberations aimed at moving the sector forward while acknowledging government’s on-going massive investments to shore up transmission and ensure that power generated gets to the end-users.

He equally acknowledged ongoing strengthening of the distribution network to allow for seamless delivery of power to all electricity consumers..

“All hands are on deck to ensure regular power supply to Nigerians and I have no doubt that the power sector will record fast paced improvement in our quest for sustainable power with more investments which can only be driven by the right policies, pricing and personnel.” Adesina said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ENERGY

Mini-LNG Model GainsFootholdinNigeria Nigeria recently signed a Gas Sale Aggregation Agreement to support the establishment of a $500 million mini-liquefied natural gas plant in Rivers State, paving the path for new avenues to harness the country’s gas resources, writes Chineme Okafor Nigeria’s efforts to deepen the commercial values of her huge gas resources could be gaining some level of tractions with a fresh attempt to set up a mini LNG liquefaction plant in Rivers State.

At the moment, mini and small scale liquefaction plants are becoming increasingly attractive complements to large scale LNG plants, following advances in technology made to monetise small and stranded gas reserves to open new opportunities in natural gas extraction and commercialisation.

Expected to be built with $500 million worth of private funds garnered by Greenville Oil and Gas Company Limited, the mini LNG facility in Rumuji, would when completed supply gas as fuel to industrial clusters, embedded electricity generation plants, and perhaps other stranded customers who could substitute Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) for gas in their operations.

To bring this to reality, a GSSA for the delivery of 74 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas to the plant was executed between parties – Greenville, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG); and Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN).

In prospect, this could become a significant milestone in the development of Nigeria’s gas market considering that the GSAA will demand and strengthen gas supply to the mini LNG project from NNPC/TEPNG joint venture Obite oil field.

This would also buttress the commitment of the parties to further develop and harness the oil field to meet the terms of the GSAA. Expectedly, 74mmscf of gas from the Obite field would be supplied to the LNG plant in Mini LNG plant Rumuji, from where it would be processed into LNG and transported to various points the first phase, and we will go up to about of need around the country with specialised $850 million, and completely on equity without LNG trucks. any bank financing up till now. We hope that in the second phase, as the minister has said Operational model today, more assistance will be given once the While the new gas investment drive is expected people see the investment and once the product to further the federal government’s intentions come to the market, automatically there will be for the country’s gas resources, that is, enhance confidence and we have to build the confidence.” local utilisation of gas for national development The execution of the GSAA brought to as pictured in the national gas policy, encourage conclusion, the negotiations on supply of gas private sector participation in the sector, and to the plant which is expected to commence create jobs within the gas value chain, it also operations before the end of 2017. has the potential to be expanded into a $850 million facility in phases.

The plant according to the model shared with journalists at the GSAA signing in Abuja by Greenville’s Chairman, Mr. Eddy Van Den Broeke, will have an installed production capacity of 2,250 metric tonnes per day (mt/d) of LNG, in addition to being powered by a 50 megawatts (MW) gas-fired captive electricity plant among other ancillary infrastructure.

In addition to the infrastructure on site, Den Broeke, noted that Greenville has purchased LNG transportation trucks and tankers, and was constructing retail stations and secondary storage facilities across the country to facilitate delivery of LNG and other logistics supports.

Broeke said the mini plant would be developed in phases, with the first phase costing $500 million of equity investment, while the second phase will take another $350 million.

He also explained that the plant will produce gas for domestic use in Nigeria, adding that electricity and transportation sectors, as well as other industrial users would be served by the mini LNG plant.

“We have just decided to invest in the first three mini LNG plants in Africa, but the big challenge today is that no bank is available to finance this investment because of the temporary problems that Nigeria is going through. We have taken the bold step in saying: ‘this country will come back in the next two or three years with the revolution that is going in the country and development of more agriculture’,” Broeke said.

He further stated: “Our project is done with Total Gas, local gas coming from Obite. That means no need for foreign exchange. Today, we have passed the dark tunnels and we are getting back.

“The investment is around $500 million in

LNG is a viable provisional solution and an industry game-changer for the development of gas markets ahead of the actualisation of a farreaching nationwide gas pipeline network as stipulated by the Nigerian Gas Master Plan,” Osunsanya added, noting that the modular nature of mini LNG projects require minimal infrastructure development, thus substantially reducing design complexity, and the time and cost attributable to traditional gas pipeline development

Further plans to expand the production capacity to 5,250mt/day would be followed up subsequently.

Expected economic impacts Today, natural gas has become one of the world’s most needed feedstocks as well as an important energy source with global consumption steadily on the rise.

Environmentally, replacing liquid fossil fuels such as heavy fuel oil and diesel with gas could contribute to emission reduction, in addition to other economic benefits.

From the various segments of the mini LNG plant - feed gas/source, gas pretreatment, liquefaction, LNG storage, and LNG transportation, various economic activities are expected to directly benefit Nigerians who would be engaged by promoters of the project.

As disclosed by parties during the agreement, the project will be able to create up to 2,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs as it provides an avenue for seamless movement of gas to stranded locations across the country, facilitate the use of gas for embedded electricity generation, revive gas based industries that have become docile in the country, and supply Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for transportation.

It will significantly contribute to the displacement of more harmful and expensive fuel sources used in the country, conserve foreign exchange used by the country to import petrol, and improve Nigeria’s revenue base from oil and gas.

Sharing his thoughts on the project, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated the agreement will unlock gas-based business opportunities in the country, adding that: “President Muhammadu Buhari provided this leadership under the seven big wins. Conversations have been on over the last two-three years.”

Kachikwu further explained: “Our first step was to set up the Nigerian Gas Management Company and Nigerian Gas Pipeline Transportation Company. I am happy that a few months after we launched the gas policy we are seeing this happen. We want to ensure that the payment issues are dealt with and made on time so there is a good financing for the project.”

Project not likely a pioneer Although parties to the Greenville mini LNG plant publicised it as the first in Nigeria and perhaps Africa, checks by THISDAY, however, showed that an indigenous company - Oando Gas and Power Limited (OGP) which is a fully-owned entity of Oando Plc, had in March 2016 announced its intention to build a mini LNG plant through its Transit Gas Nigeria Limited (TGNL) subsidiary in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.

At that time, Oando said the liquefaction plant would be completed within the second quarter of 2017, and primarily supply gas as fuel to captive power plants and industrial clusters in northern Nigeria, as well as stranded customers in the South.

It listed its off-takers to include power plants and industrial customers who utilise liquid fuels such as diesel and LPFO, and noted that they could lower their expenses on energy by up to 40 per cent in addition to significantly decreasing their carbon emissions.

Also at that time, the Chief Executive Officer of OGP, Mr. Bolaji Osunsanya said in a statement that: “The establishment of the Ajaokuta mini LNG project is in firm alignment with our mid-to-long term gas conversion strategy.

This venture further emphasises our push to broaden our asset portfolio and strengthen our market play within the gas sector; and by providing the gas advantage, we will help spur the development of self-sustaining industrial clusters to bolster the country’s socio-economic growth.”

“LNG is a viable provisional solution and an industry game-changer for the development of gas markets ahead of the actualisation of a far-reaching nationwide gas pipeline network as stipulated by the Nigerian Gas Master Plan,” Osunsanya added, noting that the modular nature of mini LNG projects require minimal infrastructure development, thus substantially reducing design complexity, and the time and cost attributable to traditional gas pipeline development.

While Oando’s Ajaokuta mini LNG project has yet to commence operation, Greenville’s proposed plant in Rumuji could become the first mini LNG to become operational in Nigeria, but certainly not the pioneer in terms of initiation and investment.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ENERGY

Izomor: Oil Majors No Longer Have Excuse to Export Jobs An indigenous company, MG Vowgas Limited recently set a new record in Nigerian content development with the completion of its state-of-the-art Mount Zion Fabrication Yard in Woji area of Port Harcourt in Rivers State. Group Managing Director/CEO of the company, Mr. Godwin Izomor spoke to Ejiofor Alike on local capacity development in the industry. Excerpts: With the signing into law, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act on April 22, 2010, indigenous manpower and facilities are increasingly deepening their participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by building local capacity and capability.

The insistence by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) that the execution of large components of any project should be domiciled in-country, indigenous players have demonstrated capacity to deliver more challenging jobs, thus ensuring that the funds that could have left the shores of Nigeria for financing projects are retained in the Nigerian economy.

The increasingly heavy investment in the development of local fabrication yards and manpower building has led to the acquisition of new skills sets by Nigerians and the growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

For instance, MG Vowgas is an EPCI - engineering, procurement, construction, installation and maritime company operates in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector with a safety certification from BSI, a UK-based safety regulation and certification agency.

As a confirmation of its adherence to global safety and quality standards, the company has also obtained British standard on safety and is currently awaiting ISO: 9001 certification.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Godwin Izomor has also disclosed that the company is also currently pursuing ASME-U certification to enable it have the capacity to build pressure vessels and even nuclear power tanks.

Current fabrication capacity The company’s recently completed stateof-the-art Mount Zion Fabrication Yard in Woji area of Port Harcourt in Rivers State is equipped with automatic welding machines that can weld stainless steel and one is equipped with camera.

Izomor stated that no fabrication yard in Nigeria could fabricate steel of more than 25 millimetre thickness but Vowgas has the capacity to fabricate 200 mm thickness.

“No fabrication yard has more than 25mm thickness. But this place has 200 mm thickness.

This is the only place that can fabricate 200 mm in Nigeria,” Izomor added.

“We have plasma cutting machine that can cut up to 200-millimetre thickness of plates.

We have rolling machine that can roll up to 200 mm thickness plates. We have three automated welding machines that can weld aluminium and stainless steel,” Izomor said.

According to him, his company offers a lot of services ranging from the fabrication of pressure vessels, modules, offshore structures and FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offloading) structures and topsides “We built this place to reduce of taking our money abroad. Can you imagine that all these foreign companies have been in this country for the past 20 years but none of them has a yard in Nigeria that can even fabricate a container? Why? The reason is that they know that if they build a yard here, their people will not be employed. So, it is our foolishness that kept Nigeria where we are today. Now, we have to believe in ourselves to start doing things in this country,” he said.

Izomor said that even without jobs, his company has over 120 workers in its payroll and has the capacity to employ over 500 workers when there is a job to be executed.

He argued that the country should insist that jobs must be done in-country to create employment opportunities for Nigerians.

Izomor from local companies because they don’t have capacity, Izomor insisted that local firms now have the capacity to execute complex fabrication jobs.

“That is why we built this yard so that the IOCs cannot give excuse that Nigeria does not have the capacity. Basically, we have expatriates residing here that will give assistance to our local capacity,” he said.

“Before now, barges and tug boats are imported from Europe and America under the flimsy excuse that Nigeria did not have the capacity. But today, we have fabricated a lot of equipment without any assistance from anybody. The barges and tugboats we use now in the industry are fabricated here in Nigeria. It is left for the government to support the local companies to insist that all the jobs must be domiciled in Nigeria. They should insist deliberately,” he explained.

“The difference between this yard and other yards is the kind of equipment that we have. Nobody in Nigeria has the kind of equipment that we have. Anybody can go round to confirm that no other yard has what we have. We are importing two major equipment. One is the oven. Our furnace has the capacity of 1,600 degree centigrade and is about 200 tonnes furnace. Then, till today, we still import the flanges from India and some other countries. Even the other yards in Nigeria still import those flanges from abroad.

But we are the only company that is going to have it here in Nigeria,” he added.

He also stated that jobs executed locally meet international standard, stressing that quality is key consideration by the oil majors in awarding jobs.

“Without quality process, you can’t win a job. So, it is for us to insist that jobs should be done locally,” he said.

Indigenous yards now have capacity Speaking on the excuse by the international oil companies (IOCs), that jobs are taken away Tackling security challenges

Izomor stated that with the world-class facilities and personnel on ground, there is no longer any excuse by the IOCs to take their fabrications jobs to foreign lands and promote capital flight.

He urged the federal government to assist local firms by significantly improving electricity supply in the country as well as ensuring a perfect security service.

According to him, it is costing the companies a huge amount to provide electricity and security, which ultimately increases the cost of doing business.

“But you cannot cut costs in the industry when you don’t have security. Security increases cost in the industry. For instance, I spend over N27 million every month on security here. In Bayelsa where I am working, I have gun boats and military personnel. I spend over N30 million on fueling and everything monthly. When you calculate at the end of the day, you will find out that you spend over N500 million yearly on security. How much do you produce here? The government should re-negotiate with the different groups agitating for different reasons. I am a businessman and I don’t want to go into the demand of each ethnic group. It is not my business. My business is to do business while the government gives us security,” he explained.

NCDMB endorsement Speaking at the end of the facility tour of the fabrication yard, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, declared that the modern fabrication yard complex deserves to be greatly patronised by the oil industry operators since it has everything that is required for fabrication and ship engineering services.

Wabote said he was pleasantly surprised

and impressed at the quality and number of machines, workshops and equipment available at the complex.

“I am blown away by what I have seen here.

I am excellently impressed by the facilities tucked away in this part of Port Harcourt.

Most of the global fabrication yards started like this and we have to assist this great initiative to grow”, Wabote added.

In commending the industrial outlay of the fabrication yard, Wabote pointed out that the magnificent office complex, trained workforce and the high caliber equipment and facilities are sufficient to “take any FPSO, as far as I am concerned, and you also have a water depth of seven metres, which is a very good advantage”.

He promised to ensure that “work scope that this yard can handle in the oil and gas industry is given to this yard, and to ensure that this yard participates in competitive and transparent bidding process, so it can become the lead contractor instead of becoming a sub contractor”, stressing that “this is an amazing facility and with a little encouragement, they will do much more than what we have here” Major challenges For the Nigerian content to get to the next level of implementation, Izomor said there were challenges that needed to be surmounted.

“We have problem of security; we have problem of electricity; we have problem of accessing funds. Then, we have problem of the industry not being supervised properly to ensure that the IOCs do not take the little jobs available outside the country,” Izomor said.

These are major tasks facing both the federal government and the NCDMB to ensure that Nigeria is at par with Norway, Indonesia, Brazil, United States and other countries that have built sufficient local capacity in the oil and gas sector.

T H I S D AY TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

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Fostering Innovation-driven Economy with Vibrant MSMEs Jonathan Eze attended the exclusive fair organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives and writes that small businesses are very crucial to job creation, economic diversification, creativity and income redistribution The nation needs the micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) because they contribute meaningfully to economic development. They are in the forefront of output expansion, employment generation, income redistribution, promotion of indigenous entrepreneurship and production of primary goods to strengthen industrial linkages.

These were the views and submissions of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, at the opening ceremony of the second Lagos State Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Exclusive Fair during the week at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

The fair according to the stakeholders, was a marketing intervention aimed at propelling the global visibility, productivity, and profitability of MSME’s.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, Ambode noted that the conscious development of the MSME sub-sector is the best route to the revival of the nation’s economy and the catalyst of industrialisation drive contributing significantly to employment, wealth creation and poverty alleviation.

According to him, “My government decided to give a great deal of attention to this sector and I am happy to see that this year’s edition of the MSME’s fair is bigger than last year’s with more participants. “The theme: ‘Unleashing the potential of MSME’s for Economic Diversification’, throws a challenge to all players, both public and private. We must all look inwards and develop the internal and external capacities of our local non-oil MSME’s for steady growth and global competitiveness.”

He added that the four-day fair would match up local small-scale industrial giants with business development support providers, financiers and investors from the private sector, public regulatory support agencies at the state and federal levels, as well as foreign economic development institutions.

Ambode, however, lamented that the sector’s competitiveness was weakened by limited access to credible, customised business support on the one hand and inability to penetrate local and expanded markets, on the other.

He underscored the need to build strong public-private support systems that would enhance the capacity of the MSME sector for economic diversification.

To achieve this, Ambode promised to implement enterprise-friendly policies and develop the critical infrastructure that would enhance the productivity and competitiveness of all businesses in Lagos State, adding that, its employment trust fund had approved N4.5 billion for 5,527 MSME’s.

He charged the exhibitors to take full advantage of the platform of the exclusive fair and e-commerce to launch their products to a globally competitive level in other to penetrate expanded markets.

On his part, the host commissioner, Ogunleye submitted that Lagos State is the largest hub of MSMEs and the economic nerve-centre of Nigeria accounting for 3,224,324micro and over 11,663 small and medium enterprises that are significantly boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating employment and creating sustainable enterprises, and accelerating value-added industrialisation.

He noted that in spite of their importance, the small but giant economic catalysts have not been able to expand their market frontiers owing to limited access to credible customisedbusiness support, on the one hand, and inability to penetrate local and external markets, on the other hand.

Therefore, he urged the need to strengthen existing public-private business support ecosystems, hence, the creation of the MSMEs Exclusive Fair, which had its maiden outing in May 2016, as a marketing intervention and business development support programme for enhancing the global visibility, competitiveness, profitability and sustainable growth of MSMEs

L- R: Representative of the Lagos State Governor and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Tunji Bello (2nd Left); Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye,(1st Left); Special Adviser on Commerce and Industry, Hon Adeyemi Olabinjo (2nd Right) and Special Adviser on Housing, Mrs. Aramide Giwanson, unveiling the logo of the 2nd MSMEs fair at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Lagos State micro small and medium Enterprises fair, at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in Lagos State.

According to the commissioner, the Fair was conceived to foster an innovation-driven private-sector economy actively dominated by the vibrant MSME operators. “The first edition, which attracted over one hundred and fifty indigenous small-scale entrepreneurs, recorded a landmark success which we are leveraging on today.

“Our partnership with Konga Online Shopping

The commissioner charged all stakeholders in the MSMEs sub sector to continue to come up with ingenious inventions and innovations while also urging them to avail themselves of opportunities that would be provided by the MDAs that will manage the business clinic which have been made an intrinsic part of the fair

Limited, which resulted in the enlistment of the exhibitors on the company’s e-commerce platform, yielded quantum increase in sales, not only during the Fair period, but also afterwards in terms of improved turnover and profit margins.

Also, several MSMEs were able to gain linkages with other strategic partners, majorly comprised of State and Federal regulatory and support agencies, a strategy that has significantly helped to reduce their costs and time of doing business.”

On the exhibitors, Ogunleye revealed that the entrepreneurs displaying their products and services at the fair have been carefully selected based on the innovativeness, quality and marketing appeal of their brands.

“Over the next six days, the MSME Exclusive Fair will open its doors to consumers, investors and visitors to appreciate and patronise the array of exclusively Made in Lagos brands ranging from Finished Leather Goods; Food & Beverages; Textile, Fashion & Accessories, Household & domestic Products, Health, Fitness & Lifestyle Products, to Arts & Crafts and many more.

In the same vein, the fair brought together future budding multinational MSME operators with financers and business development support providers from the private sector and relevant State and Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) as well as foreign economic development institutions. Notably, were agencies such as Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Research and Development (R&D) departments in our higher institutions in the State to serve as catalyst to the growth of MSME’s in the state.

The commissioner charged all stakeholders in the MSMEs sub sector to continue to come up with ingenious inventions and innovations while also urging them to avail themselves of opportunities that would be provided by the MDAs that will manage the business clinic which have been made an intrinsic part of the fair.

He enjoined all to demonstrate the renewed confidence in the State and by extension the Nation’s economy by showing their commitment and support to the sustenance of economic activities in the State.

His words: “The State needs your support to

achieve the goal of economic recovery in the face of the global economic realities. By believing in these local entrepreneurs and patronising them, we are building and strengthening their capacity and in effect improving their contributions to the GDP. I urge all of you to look inward and purchase Made in Lagos; Made in Nigeria brands, he concluded.

Earlier, the Chairman House Committee on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Honourable Oladele Adekanye, noted that in the past, MSMEs in Nigeria had been characterised as essentially back non-assignment in the development of the National economy with little or no attention paid to them in spite of their potential as bedrock of socio-economic development.

He argued that Lagos State is one of Nigeria’s most endowed economies and has lots of business opportunities with an abundance of highly-skilled set of human resources. “But the bane of most MSMEs is the inability to finance their operations and growth needs. Now, more than ever before, we as a State and Nation must step up our actions towards supporting the profitable growth of our small enterprises.

He thanked the governor for introducing the numerous decisive innovative interventions aimed at enhancing the capacity of the small-business sector so that its members could actively contribute to national development and economic recovery.

He also commended the drive and passion of the leadership of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, over which his team play oversight functions.

“This Fair, which has become an annual series, is a testament to the Ministry’s steadfastness in growing the MSME sector, in particular and the business environment in general.

In her goodwill message, the President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nike Akande, urged the gathering to purchase ‘Made in Lagos products. According to her, “There is no better time to scale up this campaign than now. The bitter lessons of the collapse of oil output and the skyrocketing naira exchange rate dictate that we should look inwards. Therefore, the purchase ‘made in Lagos ‘campaign is clearly in consonance with the spirit of building a self-reliant economy.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͰ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

AMCON Boss Harps on Increased Awareness on Financial Inclusion Obinna Chima The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Kuru has called on banks’ communication managers and financial journalists to continue to collaborate to deepen financial inclusion in the country.

Kuru said this in a paper he presented at a forum organised for financial journalists and banks’ communication managers, organised by the Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ) in Lagos recently. He was represented by a senior management staff of AMCON, Prisca Ndu. The event was moderated by the Chief Executive Officer, Proshare Nigeria, Mr. Olufemi Awoyemi.

The topic of the event was: ‘Deepening Financial Inclusion: Role of Financial Journalists and Banks’ Communications Managers. The AMCON boss said ensuring financial inclusion was one of the many ways needed to build a vibrant economy.

Kuru said that financial access facilitates day-to-day living, and helps families and businesses plan for everything from long-term goals to unexpected emergencies.

“To deepen financial inclusion therefore, it is my submission that it is in the place of the communications managers and their creative agencies to continually come up with market penetration initiatives and programmes that would create the desired public awareness and interests regarding financial inclusion, while the financial journalist leverages the information emanating from the financial houses to engage the public on the benefits and why they need to key into the scheme,” he added.

He acknowledged that the leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Bankers Committee as well other stakeholders had been working very hard to drive home the message of financial inclusion.

“I am aware that banks in Nigeria have all sorts of programmes that enable them

reach the unbanked across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“There is need for all stakeholders to double their efforts because millions of people in Nigeria are still financially excluded and across the world the figure is in billions.

“While we can actually say that there has been progress toward financial inclusion, Nigeria and the world still grapple with significant challenge,” he said.

Among others, he noted that the forcibly displaced populations present one of the most pressing financial inclusion challenges, saying almost 80 per cent in adults in fragile and conflict-affected states were outside the formal financial system.

“A good local example is our Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as a result of insurgence among other forms of disasters.

“Financial journalists and banks’ communications managers must lead the pack in creating the awareness for financial inclusion and sustaining same,” he added.

CBN Injects Additional $250m into Forex Market In its relentless effort to maintained foreign exchange liquidity, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday intervened with another sum of $250 million.

A breakdown of the intervention indicated that the wholesale sector was offered the sum of $100 million, just as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) window received a boost of $80 million. Those requiring foreign exchange to address needs such as Business/Personal Travel Allowances, school tuition, medicals, etc. were allotted the total sum of $70 million.

The bank’s acting Director

in charge of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, who disclosed this, reiterated that the interventions had ensured stability in the market, even as he stressed that the CBN remained committed to maintaining transparency in the market.

According to him, CBN had taken measures to check the activities of speculators and shield the currency from attacks, while also maintaining the international value of the naira.

While assuring that authorised dealers had enough funds to meet the foreign exchange needs of customers, Okorafor

urged all to adhere to the extant guidelines on the sale of forex in the Nigerian forex market.

He therefore advised those in genuine need of forex to continue to approach their respective banks for purchase.

He said the bank remained optimistic that the Nigerian currency will fare strongly against other notable currencies around the world.

On the convergence target of the bank between the forex rates at the inter-bank and the Bureau de Change (BDC), he said the goal would be attained if all stakeholders played by the rules.

Sterling Bank Wins Award Sterling Bank Plc said it won the ‘Housing Friendly Commercial Bank of the Year’ award for its remarkable impact on housing delivery in Nigeria’s housing sector. Receiving the award at the 12th edition of the Abuja Housing Awards in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja recently, Sterling Bank’s NonInterest Banking (NIB) Group Head, Mr. Basheer Oshodi said, the bank was delighted at the recognition of the innovative efforts of the NIB group in the housing sector.

Oshodi said the model of engagement created by the NIB group enhanced the ability of many Nigerians to own houses under a flexible mode of payment, adding that the NIB group has done so much in making affordable housing available to Nigerians.

According to him, customers who expressed interest in the home ownership model were made to contribute between 20 and 30 per cent equity over the construction period of 18 months after which the facility is booked for future ownership. He added that rentals in the scheme were less than what would have been paid in a conventional banking arrangement.

“We have developed an innovative method of home ownership for Sterling Bank customers. The model gives an opportunity to the buyer to own a house without the stress of bulk payment.

“Where the house is already built, a prospective home owner simply makes equity contribution and is booked for future ownership.

“Even if there is no house on

the ground and the customer signifies an intention to access a mortgage, the next step will be to start contributing equity,” Oshodi said.

He explained that once off-takers were identified and profiled, current accounts are opened for them so that they would start saving towards meeting their equity quotient while the deposits serve as a liability to the bank.

He said since the rules does not allow NIB to invest in treasury bills or interest bearing securities, the deposits are normally used to buy off-plans from developers through a lease structure. The lease can be either off-plan, which means the bank books the facilities even before construction starts, or a home finance which leads to ownership.

RenCap Forecasts Stronger Naira byYear-end Renaissance Capital Limited anticipates that the naira exchange would appreciate to N332 to a dollar by the end of the year, stronger than its previous estimate of N447/$1.

The firm in a report yesterday, held the view that at the current interbank foreign exchange (FX) rate of N360/$1, the nation’s currency is undervalued

It however anticipates that the naira would trade around N373 to a dollar before the end of next year. “We think a stronger external sector and tighter monetary policy imply naira appreciation risk in the near term.

“However, in 2018 – when we assume accommodative policy, and that oil output and price move sideways – we expect the

naira to trend weaker,” it stated.

On August 2, banks began to publish indicative prices based on trades at the NAFEX window, at the behest of the authorities.

This led to the adjustment of the interbank FX rate to N366/$1, from N315/$1 previously, and its convergence with the only market determined rate (outside the parallel market), the NAFEX rate.

Ahmed Kuru

MARKET INDICATORS DECEMBER 2016 -- 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 ˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

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

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͲϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT FRIDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2017

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $52.53 a barrel on Friday, compared with $52.48 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), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), 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)

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MARKET NEWS

Okomu Oil Palm Leads Price Losers as Market Opens Negatively Goddy Egene Okomu Oil Palm Plc led the price losers at the stock market yesterday as trading resumed for the week on a bearish note. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) AllShare Index fell by 0.81 per cent to close at 35,664.94 as 23 stocks depreciated, while 20 appreciated.

Okomu Oil Palm led, shed-

ding 4.92 per cent, trailed by McNichols Consolidated with 4.5 per cent, while Livestock Feeds Plc went down by 4.4 per cent. Jaiz Bank Plc and Berger Paints Nigeria Plc depreciated by 4.4per cent and 4.2 per cent in that order. Learn Africa Plc closed 3.9 per cent lower.

Although the above stocks recorded higher decline, analysts at Meristem Securities Limited said the depreciation in the

index stemmed from sell-offs in bellwether stocks such as Dangote Cement Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. “We opine that the market performance was largely driven by sell-offs on market heavyweights such as Dangote, Nestle and GTBank. Given the gains recorded by the cement leader last week, profit-taking activities were quite expected.

We posit that the rest of the week will be characterized by mixed sentiments however we envisage that buy pressures will be more dominant,” they said.

However, on the positive side, Newrest ASL Nigeria Plc led the price gainers with 4.8 per cent, trailed by Transcorp Plc with 4.7 per cent. United Capital Plc added 4.7 per cent, while Oando Plc appreciated by 3.6 per cent.

Analysts at Cordros Capital Limited attributed the gain in Oando Plc share price “to positive sentiments which originated from the press release vindicating the company from allegations raised by the company’s shareholders.”

Oando Plc yesterday held its 40th annual general meeting (AGM) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State where the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wale

Tinubu said: “As a reputable company, our approach is not to respond to every allegation in the media, allegations need to be delivered to the company in a particular format before we can respond. The petitioners requested a postponement of our AGM, but we provided the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with all the information required and we were cleared to hold the

'$,/< 672&. 0$5.(7 5(3257 T H E

N I G E R I A N

STO C K

E XC H A N G E

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˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Stakeholders Point Ways Regulator Can Sustain Stock Market Rally Goddy Egene

Market stakeholders have suggested ways to sustain the recent market rally that has seen the market record a year-to-date growth of about 32.7 per cent as at yesterday. The stock market’s performance so far in 2017 has compensated for 2016’s disappointing performance.

Although the growth is good for investors, there have been concerns on how to sustain it going forward.

However, some stakeholders believe that regulators are in the best position to give the market needed direction.

According to them, enforcing rules that reassure investors of the safety of their investments and by implementing some initiatives that were introduced but abandoned, would help to sustain the rally.

An investor, Mr. Moses Igbrude of Independent Shareholders Association

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 Nigeria (ISAN), said apart from retail investors, many institutional investors and pension funds have remained wary of the market, and for good reason.

“The experience of a severe market decline in 2008/09 is still fresh in many portfolios. As the largest base of institutional funds to deploy, they are a significant resource for the sustenance of the market.

However, they would have to have the confidence from

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 089-2017, unless otherwise stated.

regulators and operators that safety checks are in place and rules will be enforced to ensure that pensioners assets are not taking undue risk,” Igbrude said.

Also, a stockbroker noted that revisiting the introduction of short selling and security lending will help. According to the broker, the market has always considered introduction of shorting and securities lending.

“These two products

are a key hedge that pension funds can turn to in building income streams for their portfolios and limiting downside risk for the equity portion of their exposure. Also, as part of efforts to address the effects of unsupervised margin activity in 2008, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued margin guidelines in 2010 with the SEC actually issuing a margin list on June 14, 2013. Sadly not much

has been heard of these two notable initiatives,” he said.

The broker added that the issue of market makers that was introduced by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) some years back.

The NSE had introduced its market classifications and also its basket of securities for market makers. But there was no follow through and these two initiatives have complimenting ties to the steps taken by CBN/SEC to ring fence the universe for participation in the market.

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 170.90 171.50 34.54% Nigeria International Debt Fund 230.58 231.26 9.02% 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 0.81 0.82 16.36% 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 18.73% 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 17.02 17.53 37.83% ARM Discovery Fund 359.44 370.27 25.16% ARM Ethical Fund 25.41 26.18 13.74% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.27% 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 141.94 142.94 34.95% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.75% 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 19.60% Paramount Equity Fund 11.50 11.80 22.89% Women's Investment Fund 93.23 95.62 10.21% 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 19.70% 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 1,124.55 1,125.64 10.91% FBN Heritage Fund 141.26 141.87 26.44% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.42% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $110.91 $111.59 7.69% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $109.92 $110.59 7.47% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 150.15 152.33 33.36% 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 1.32 1.35 42.02% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.86 2.86 11.18% 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 2,849.90 2,893.48 29.23% Coral Income Fund 2,349.15 2,349.15 11.64% 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 15.86% 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 18.31% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.05 2.07 21.97% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 18.06%

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 1.12 1.14 13.51% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,040.67 1,040.67 8.24% 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 12.68 12.78 31.16% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 18.96% 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 1.16 1.18 16.97% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.76 10.82 3.54% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 17.20% 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 118.44 120.59 16.91% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.36 1.36 9.06% 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 2,141.50 2,152.96 16.93% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 163.06 163.06 5.91% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.95 0.96 24.03% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 208.73 208.73 11.69% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 167.51 169.64 29.01% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.67% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,286.82 9,387.53 22.42% 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 1.30 1.31 15.94% United Capital Bond Fund 1.39 1.39 14.02% United Capital Equity Fund 0.84 0.86 25.25% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.34 12.52 27.03% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.04 13.18 19.05% Zenith Income Fund 18.41 18.41 11.34%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 129.68

1.01% 4.61%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.61 103.84

10.71 105.78

22.99% 37.02%

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

4.31 9.29 16.97 20.20 133.11

4.35 9.37 17.07 20.40 135.11

55.71% 31.97% 41.97% 26.48% 3.23%

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 SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 ͻ ŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƉĂŐĞ ϳ

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Osinbajo: Prolonged Recession Would Have Been Disastrous for Nigeria Says high networth Nigerians, firms voluntarily paying income, assets taxes

Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday stated that Nigeria’s emergence from the economic recession was timely, and that it could have been disastrous if she didn’t get out of it now.

Osinbajo also stated that rich Nigerians and top companies who hitherto were not paying to the government commensurate tax returns on their assets and incomes were now strongly responding to its Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS).

Speaking when he declared open a two-day national workshop on alternative sources of revenue for sustainable development, organised by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) in Abuja, the vice president explained that the government had within the period of the country’s economic recession, built fiscal foundations that would ensure an accelerated economic growth for the country going forward.

Osinbajo was represented by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, at the meeting where he also called on states and local governments in the

country to imbibe accountable revenue collection and management processes to engender improved tax revenue collection from within their territories.

“This economy has shown resilience to ensure that the recession we entered into wasn’t a prolonged one, and we thank the Nigerian people for ensuring it wasn’t a prolonged recession which would have been very disastrous for us,” he said.

The vice president further explained: “Now, we have built the foundation for growth and we expect now there will be rapid development, accelerating the pace of reforms at all levels.”

“We are determined to build an economy that works for all Nigerians and not just for the rich, not just for when oil prices are high, but for everybody for the long term. This commitment is critical and the engine for this commitment is the state and local governments.

“For this economy to grow in the way that it is intended, every states, every local governments must be fiscally sustainable, must be able to meet its obligations and I am afraid at this point that the obligations of states and local governments is not

INEC Gets Court’s Clearance to Commence Melaye’s Recall Gang up against me will fail, says senator Alex Enumah in Abuja and Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permission to go ahead with its planned recall of Senator Dino Melaye.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba gave the go ahead after dismissing Melaye’s suit that sought to stop his recall

by INEC, following a petition received from the people of Kogi West Federal Constituency, whom Melaye represents in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Justice Dimgba dismissed the suit on the grounds that it lacked merit, adding that it was hasty and premature since Melaye failed to exhaust all internal mechanisms provided by the 1999 Constitution before rushing to court.

The judge however, ordered INEC to forward a copy of the said petition it received from Melaye’s constituency, signatories, including the full list of petitioners to Melaye.

This according to Dimgba, is to address issues relating to fair hearing cited by the plaintiff.

In dismissing all the complaints raised by Melaye for lacking merit and substance, the court held that contrary to Melaye’s claim, there was no provision in section 69 of the Constitution that required his constituents to accord him fair hearing before sending such petition to INEC. Dimgba, although noted that the constitution did not expressly provide that INEC must serve the affected legislator with the petition and the accompanying documents, it was required in the spirit of fair hearing so that the legislator could be equipped to fight the recall.

“He must first go into the verification exercise and only when

he does not get justice that he can come to court,” the judge held.

It also held that from the document before it, INEC met the required number of signatories needed to commence the recall process of Melaye.

“From the statistical analysis accompanying the suit, the number of signatures to kick-start the recall process in the Kogi West senatorial district was 188,588 out of the 360,100 registered voters in the district, had been met,” he said.

While reacting to the judgment, Melaye said the combined efforts of the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, INEC, top federal government officials and top security agents to stampede him out of the Senate against the will of his constituents would fail woefully.

The senator added: “He who is with me from above is greater than all of them put together. I will not stop speaking the truth to the authorities. Kogi State government must pay workers’ salaries and pay pensioners.

“My great people of Kogi West senatorial district, in the face of obvious persecution and appealable judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, let not your heart be troubled. “Lies will never overtake or conquer truth. The presence of the Kogi State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in court today over a matter that Kogi State is not joined as a party shows the clear collaborative efforts of INEC and the state government. We cannot all sleep facing one side of the bed.

We shall overcome this temporary shenanigans in the long run.

“We will neither sleep nor slumber on this. I use this opportunity to thank my dear constituents for their abiding love for and confidence shown towards me. “God bless you all,” he said.

just the payment of salaries, they have critical roles in development,” the vice president added.

He said the federal government has in partnership with the states, laid key foundations that would support future economic growth across the states, and listed these to include, budget implementation facilities; refund of the Paris Club over deductions; as well as a 22-point fiscal sustainability plans which according to him, all the states governments signed on to.

According to him: “Those who embraced the change (22-point fiscal reform) have done better than others

who didn’t and I want to encourage those who have not, to quickly do that before it becomes too late.”

Speaking on the government’s efforts with the VAIDS so far, Osinbajo stated: “People were not paying taxes because they feel they don’t have to, and because there are no consequences for not paying, but now we are correcting that.

“We now have the data, information and capacity to access people correctly and to get them to pay taxes. The Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration is going on very well and we are

getting a very strong response from high networth individuals and companies, as well as lower income earner who simply want to do the right things and who support what this government is doing.”

He also spoke on the poor tax revenue base of the states, saying: “One of the biggest ingredients for revenue generation is accountability. People will support government when they can see what is happening to the monies. Being open, accountable, holding town hall meetings, these are the biggest ingredients.”

In his opening remarks, the Acting Chairman of RMFAC, Shettima Abba-Gana, stated that the workshop was aimed at helping states identify alternative sources of revenue from solid minerals, taxations, agriculture, public private partnerships (PPPs), tourism, and cost-efficient governance.

Abba-Gana, noted that the drastic reduction in revenues of states and its subsequent impact on their developmental plans necessitated the workshop, in order to point the states to the untapped revenue sources within them.

Anambra Guber Poll: APCYet to Decide on Governorship Ticket Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary appeal panel yesterday said it was yet to take a final decision on the primary election to select its candidate for the Anambra State November 18 governorship election.

The party’s position came just as the Appeal panel drilled its governorship candidate-elect for the Anambra State election, Hon. Tony Nwoye, over petition brought against him by one of the defeated aspirants.

Speaking in an interview with THISDAY on the party’s position, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party has not made any definite pronouncement on the Anambra State governorship primary.

“As I speak with you, we have not made any definite pronouncement on the Anambra State governorship primary because it is also important for us to recognise that there are procedures for everything.

“The procedure for primary within our party as you know provides for certain windows for people who are dissatisfied to lay their grievances or complaints before the appeal panel.

But we have not received the report of the appeal panel and so we await.

The panel report and we don’t know what they will recommend,” he said.

Abdullahi said the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party would meet when it receives the report of the appeal panel to take a final decision on the status of its governorship candidate for the Anambra election.

“However, whatever is the report of the panel, we will consider it and then take a decision, we are confident that we will be able to resolve whatever the issues are and then go into the election. We are also confident that we are going to win the governorship election on November 18,” he said.

Nwoye won the primary election of August 26, 2017, with 2,146 to defeat his closest rival, Senator Andy Ubah who polled 931 votes.

But the Appeal Panel summoned Nwoye, for questioning yesterday in Abuja in connection with the petition that came from Senator Andy Uba. THISDAY gathered that some forces within the party are already pressurising the NWC to cancel the result of the primary which

was won by Nwoye with more than 1,000 votes.

While speaking with journalists after his appearance before the appeal panel, Nwoye said the panel asked him about some people they described as student union leaders who came to distrup the primary and beat up the delegates.

“I said it was not true that no single members of NANS, former or students was part of the primary election; that all the delegates that voted were statutorily the delegates expected to vote. And

this is a primary election that was adjudged the best in the history of Nigeria and the partisan politics in the country.

“So, I made it very clear that there was no room for manipulation, nobody was bastardised or intimidated to vote and no evidence of inducing voters with money.”

When asked whether he has any fear that the appeal committee might nullify his victory, Nwoye said: “I’m not God but I know these are part men and women. I

told them that at this point in time the Anambra people have spoken as far as party ticket of APC is concern. That mandate I think by the special grace of God should be left alone. It is not about Tony Nwoye but about these people who suffered all the night, I felt for them, I pity them.

On whether he has reached out to other aspirants who contested the ticket with him, Nwoye revealed that all other aspirants except Senator Andy Uba are on the same page with him.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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President Decries Misuse of Paris Club Refund by Governors Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja with agency report President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met with members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers and decried the way the Paris Club Refund was spent by some state governors.

The Minister of Finance had on May 4 released the second tranche of Paris Club refund to states totalling N243.8 billion.

The refund was in respect of over-deductions on Paris/London Clubs and multilateral debts between 1995-2002.

The president, who expressed his concern over the utilisation of the refund by the states when he met with the traditional rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III at the new banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, frowned at the inability of the affected state governments to pay the retirement benefits and outstanding salaries of workers following the release of the refund, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“We have to digress this much because I would like to convince you that I’m living with the problems of this country dayby-day, and mostly those of the ordinary people.

“There are Nigerians that haven’t been paid for six months; there are Nigerians that have not been paid their retirement benefits for years.

“I’m appealing to the governors (that was why we voted money, we borrowed money), please make sure anybody under you, pay them because most of them depend on that salary to pay rent and school fees,” he said.

Buhari also blamed the current economic travails on the mismanagement of national resources in previous years, pledging that he would continue to pursue projects aimed at improving

the living standards of Nigerians.

He said Nigeria, as the largest country in Africa, ought to deploy the opportunity of its population to its advantage, assuring that his government was committed to the task of securing Nigeria.

The president, however, noted with delight that the country would be witnessing bumper harvest across the country this year, adding jocularly that had the harvest been poor he would have gone on exile.

He said the bumper harvest was as a result of the prayers of Nigerians, which was graciously answered by God. “We are lucky, last year and this year, the rainy season was good. If it were not good, I’m confiding in you, which country shall I run to?

“But God answered the prayers of most Nigerians. The rainy season last year was good; this year, from the reports I’m getting, it is good.

“We thank God for that, only God can do that for us otherwise there would have been a lot of problems in this country,” he said.

Buhari thanked the traditional rulers for their continued prayers and support for the government and urged them not to relent in efforts towards ensuring peace and stability in their respective domains.

He enjoined them to continue to educate their people on the need to ensure the continued survival of Nigeria as a geopolitical entity.

In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto thanked God for the president’s recovery and safe return, saying the pledge of each monarch for his geopolitical region’s support for Buhari was an incentive for him to work hard for the nation’s development.

“We will continue to preach peace and stability, justice, transparency and accountability and anti-corruption,” he added.

On behalf of the South-west traditional rulers, the Oni of Ife,

Abe Lifts 350 Final Year Students with Financial Support The senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly is to give final assistance to a total of 350 final year students from the senatorial district in tertiary institutions in Rivers State.

Already,thefirstbatchofthebeneficiaries madeupof140studentswhoarestudying various programmes in various tertiary institutionsinthestate,havesofarreceived the senator’s education support fund.

Making the cash presentation to the beneficiaries in Port Harcourt, the Rivers Statecapital,Abesaidtheeducationalsupport fundwasdesignedtochangethenarrative on youth capacity building in the state.

Thesenator,whowasrepresentedby formerCaretakerCommitteeChairman of Gokana Local Government Area of the State, Kadilo Kabari, stated that his financial support for the students had no political colouration.

He said: “I have been sponsoring this programme for some years.

This is not politics: my gesture is essentially my own humble way of thanking my constituents who have stood by me since 2011 when I was

PUBLIC NOTICE I, OGHENE FRANK IREBHOR is the same person as FRANK IREBHOR . All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

elected to the National Assembly.”

Abe, who also is the Chairman, Senate Committee on FERMA, explained that the educational support covers final year students in the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Kenule Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori and the Port Harcourt Polytechnic.

The former Secretary to State Government stated that the first batch of 140 awardees are from the Rivers State University and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education while the next set would include students from the University of Port Harcourt, Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic and the Port Harcourt Polytechnic.

He said: “Our aim is to encourage academic excellence among students in tertiary institutions from the Rivers South East senatorial district. We are determined to change the narrative of our youths from violence to educational pursuit.

“The process is straightforward.

We involve the authorities of the institutions whose students are eligible for the programme. The school presents verifiable documentary evidence to support the ability and capability of each student. This year, we had three students within the first class category and will want them to have value re-orientation.”

Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, also pledged the support of his region for the president.

“From the South-west, we thank God for your life and we pledge to support you from our communities because we are closer to our people. We will continue to preach to our people that we should continue to foster peace in our country.

“We will continue to caution our youths against hate speeches. We cannot leave the development of the country to the government, as we have to work hand-in-hand.

We assure you that we support all your initiatives,” Ogunwusi said.

Also speaking, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi ll, said the traditional rulers in the North-west identified with Buhari’s commitment to national security.

On his part, King Jaja of Opobo, while speaking on behalf of traditional rulers from the Niger Delta, expressed the region’s commitment to the government’s programmes.

“We know there is tension here and there, but as traditional rulers, we don’t eat politics. The economy has to be fixed. Coming from the region that produces the main stay of the economy, even though the country will soon diversify the economy, before we diversify, let’s protect the one that we still have.

“We are pleased to work for the peace and stability of the region so that we can all see the benefits of the commodity,” he said.

In the same vein, Gbom Gwom Jos, Jacob Buba Gyang, while speaking on behalf of Northcentral monarchs, thanked God

for bringing the president back, saying politics cannot be played with health issues, even as he drew the attention of the president to the recent tragedy in Plateau State where 20 persons were killed by suspected herdsmen.

“The issues of health and security are not issues to play politics with but issues we should put our heads together so that the country can progress. We commend your efforts on security and agriculture.

“A few days ago, just when we thought peace had returned to the Plateau, it was truncated with the attack on Ancha village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, leading to 20 deaths,” he said.

He commended Buhari for ordering the security agencies to fish out perpetrators of the attack.

Also speaking on behalf of

South-east traditional rulers, Eberechi Dike, said: “Our heart is full of joy that you are back. You shook our hands when you came in and that shows you believe in one Nigeria.

“We prayed for you and you are back. We prayed for you because your agenda for Nigeria is good.

As your children, when we cry, it is for you to ask us to stop crying and that you will fix whatever is making us cry like bad roads.”

On behalf of North-east monarchs, the Lamido Adamawa, said Nigerians were happy to have the president back to the country.

“God brought you back to Nigeria and we are all very happy.

We will continue to pray for God to strengthen you more and give you the courage to continue to do more for the country,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE IN FOCUS

L-R; Guest Speaker, Infect Impart on Climate Change, Dr. Desmond Majekodunmi; representative of keynote speaker, Mr. Guy Murray Bruce; Senator Florence Ita-Giwa; and Cross River State Deputy Governor, Prof. Evara Esu, at a Conference on Climate Change with the theme, A ‘ Time for Action’ powered by the Canival Calabar Seagull Band led by Ita-Giwa, held in Lagos....yesterday Sunday Adigun

DHQ: Military Not Prolonging War against Boko Haram Defends air force operations as NAF bombs insurgents’ location Paul Obi in Abuja The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said the military was not derailing and prolonging the war against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east.

The DHQ position came amid allegations in a report that the military, particularly, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) was deliberately prolonging the war against Boko Haram sect for ulterior motive.

Going by the conflicting reports by the military to completely flush out Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa forest, several groups have continued to question its sincerity, having informed the public of their complete capture of Sambisa forest.

The current upsurge in Boko Haram attacks has also raised concerns over possibility of sabotage within the military, given previous assurance that Boko Haram had decimated and could no longer stage attacks like they did before.

But according to the Director of Defence Information, Major General John Enenche, the allegation was ill-motivated, geared towards denigrating the recent success of

the military.

He said: “The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to an ill motivated online publication on September 7, 2017 against the NAF. “It was sensationally captioned: ‘How Nigerian Air Force’s failings allegedly prolonged war against Boko Haram’, which is not true, and a deliberate misinformation of the public about the NAF in particular and the armed forces in general.

“The armed forces trained and have always operated jointly to achieve set objectives under a coordinated command and control centre which is the Defence Headquarters.”

Enenche stated that “against this backdrop, it is not possible for a single service or component to frustrate or derail the aim of the armed forces.

“Therefore, the ill motivated publication against the Chief of Air Staff and the NAF should be disregarded.”

The DHQ also defended the operations of NAF, stating that, “it is worthy to point out clearly

that, the NAF has lived up to its expectation in the North-east, alongside the Nigerian Army and Navy for the successes recorded against Boko Haram.”

He added that “the air force like the Army and Navy were not left out of the commendation given to the Chief of Defence Staff on the fight against Boko Haram by the United States of America secretary of state, on March 22, 2017 in New York.

“Consequently, Defence Headquarters hereby confirm to the general public that the NAF, has never failed in its tasks against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east.

“Collectively, the armed forces will continue to work relentlessly to make Boko Haram activities in the North-east history in record time,” Enenche assured.

Meanwhile, in furtherance of the recently commenced Operation Ruwan Wuta, NAF conducted air interdiction on structures with two hoisted Boko Haram terrorists flags in Zanari, a known location with significant presence at the northern fringes of Borno State bordering

Lake Chad.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatoknbo Adesanya, explained that “quite a number of Boko Haram terrorists had earlier been spotted, from a NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform, entering the buildings apparently for meetings.

“The F-7Ni and the Alpha Jet aircraft were detailed to attack the target. Overhead the location, the target was acquired and engaged by the 2 aircraft, in rapid succession.

“Subsequent Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the targeted structures went up in flames, killing its occupants.”

Adesanya stated that “the objective of Operation Ruwan Wuta is to further degrade the capability of the Boko Haram terrorists thereby preventing them from regrouping to cause havoc for our surface forces “The operation also aims at softening the ground for our surface forces to subsequently move in and conduct mopping up operations,” he stressed.

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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FG, States’ Public Debt Stock Hits N19.6tn Nigeria’s public debt stock for both the federal government and the states as at June 30 stood at N19.63 trillion, a report by the Debt Management Office (DMO) has reveal.

The report was obtained from the DMO website by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.

Giving a breakdown of what each tier owed, it said the external debt stock of both tiers was N4.6 trillion while the domestic debt stock of the federal government was N12 trillion.

It said the domestic debt of states stood at N3 trillion. It also said the federal government spent N253.3 billion on domestic debt servicing in the second quarter of 2017 (April to June).

The breakdown of each month’s

allocation showed that N87 billion was spent on debt servicing in April, N73 billion in May and N75.2 billion in June.

Domestic debt is the amount of money raised by any government denominated in local currency and from its own residents. It consists of two categories: bank and nonbank borrowing. Domestic loans are issued through government debt instruments such as Nigerian treasury bills, Nigerian treasury certificates, federal government development stocks, treasury bonds, ways and means advances.

In another development, the federal government offered for subscription two-year savings bond at 13.81 per cent and three-year savings bond at 14.81 per cent.

According to the offer circular derived from the DMO, the two-

year bond will be due in September 2019 while the three-year bond will be due in September 2020.

It, however, did not state how much was offered, but added that the maximum subscription was

N50 million at N1,000 per unit, subject to minimum subscription of N5,000 and in multiples of N1,000.

The website said that the bond was fully backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government,

with quarterly coupon payments to bondholders.

The savings bond issuance is expected to help finance the nation’s budget deficit. It is to also part of the federal government’s programme

targeted at the lower income earners to encourage savings and also earn more income (interest), compared to their savings accounts with banks.

The circular also said that the offer would close on Friday.

Adebanjo: Buhari Wrong to Refer Agitators to National Assembly Eromosele Abiodun Elder statesman and chieftain of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo, has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari was wrong to have directed agitators for the restructuring of the country to the National Assembly and the Council of State.

Adebanjo, who stated this when he appeared on ARISE Television, a THISDAY Newspaper sister broadcast network, described the National Assembly as an illegal body created by a military constitution.

According to him, “We are saying that the National Assembly is not the proper place to refer those agitating for restructuring to. The National Assembly is an illegal body, it is not representative.”

When told that members of the National Assembly are representatives of the Nigerian people, he said it was wrong to describe them as such because the National Assembly was created by the constitution given to Nigeria by the military.

According to him, “We are saying that that body does not represent the people and is only

promoted by the people whose idea it was in the first place. Without restructuring, there is no Nigeria. If we do not restructure now, Nigeria will break. Restructuring is not a long story; it is just that people are pretending. Restructuring means that the constitution we had at independence, which the leaders agreed to should be used, no more, no less. All other things are just looking for excuses.”

Eminent Yoruba leaders, supported by the leadership of the South-east and Southsouth, had recently demanded an immediate restructuring of Nigeria through regional lines, for the country to experience real peace and development.

The leaders met at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, and recalled with nostalgia the great strides made by the Yoruba nation in the years of self-government up till the abrogation of the federal constitution in 1966.

The leaders noted that the giant strides recorded in the era of selfgovernment were evident in mass literacy, novel infrastructure and progress in all spheres of human development.

ASSESSEMENT TOUR

L-R: Benue State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cecilia Ojabo; Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Boniface Ortese; and Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, during a visit to the ravaged places by flood in Makurdi....yesterday

Okowa, Wike, Udom in Asaba, Brainstorm on National Issues Vow to revive the BRACED Commission Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Three governors in the South-south geopolitical region yesterday met in Asaba to deliberate on burning national issues with a vow to resuscitate the BRACED Commission which appeared dormant for some time now.

Host, Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike and Mr. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom State at the end of a closed door meeting at the Government House, Asaba, expressed desire to work earnestly for the interest of the nation especially at this time of economic challenges.

The acronym, BRACED,

stands for then special economic commission comprising the States of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta.

The three PDP governors, who attended the Asaba meeting, told newsmen that the modalities for the revival of the BRACED Commission as well as how to fortify the security machinery in the oil-rich region towards sustained oil production ranked top in the issues discussed.

Udom, who spoke on behalf of the three governors, stressed that the governors of the South-south region were passionate about reviving the hitherto docile BRACED Commission with a view to bringing to bear the lofty aim of its establishment few years ago.

The issue of insecurity also

occupied front burner during the meeting, Udom noted, adding that the state executives in the region were looking at ways to fortify security to sustain oil production.

He noted that the governors did not meet to discuss issues relating to politics but rather dwelt on issues pertaining to security and economic development in the region and added that the PDP governors were excited about the progress of the party in the country.

Udom said: “On behalf of all our colleagues from the South-South region, we just came together to discuss few economic issues and how we can revive the BRACED commission. It is actually a very good economic platform for the entire region to look at those areas

of common economic interest so that we can also foster economic growth in the region.

“And also, we looked at how we can try and fortify security network especially now that the oil prices are a little bit epileptic; we need to make sure that we maintain production. There is definitely the need for us to ensure that the area is safe, with the increase in the quantum of oil production, there is need to boost security in the region, in the interest of our region and the country.

Okowa had earlier received his Rivers and Akwa Ibom counterparts at the Asaba Airport, from where they drove in a motorcade to the Government House on Anwai Road, Asaba.

Military Task Force Kills Five Assailants, Loses Soldier in Plateau Fashola Attacks Egbin Power Plant’s CEO over Claims on Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The military taskforce deployed to beef up security in the community recently attacked by suspected herdsmen in Plateau State yesterday said it had killed five assailants while repelling another attack on a village near Ancha in Bassa Local Government Area of the state, where over 20 persons were killed on Friday.

A soldier with the taskforce was also killed in the exchange fire, while another was shot on the leg and is presently responding to treatment at the taskforce clinic.

The taskforce Media and Information Officer, Captain Adam Umar, said: “Apart from the five that were killed by our men, some others were injured. But the thing with these assailants is that they don’t leave their dead, they run away with them.”

Umar added: “We also lost one of our men and another was injured and he’s now responding to treatment. The Miango area is fully dominated by men, who have

since commenced day and night patrol and are combing the area in search of the assailants.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has decried linking their members to the recent killings in Ancha village, describing it as “a cheap blackmail.”

A statement by the Chairman and Legal adviser of MACBAN, Nuru Abdullahi and Salihu Muhammad, respectively, added that such “unfounded allegation” was aimed at creating hatred between the natives and herders, adding that the state Police Commissioner, Peter Ogunyanwo, was biased in his statement that alleged that the attack was a reprisal by suspected Fulani herders.

MACBAN said: “It wasn’t our people that carried out the attack and we don’t know the hoodlums that did it. We don’t know why the outgoing Plateau State Police Commissioner, Peter Ogunyanwo, developed hatred against us by apportioning the blame on us.

Transmission Infrastructure

Insists TCN has 6,500MW wheeling capacity Ejiofor Alike The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has berated the Chief Executive Officer of Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Dallas Peavey for telling the eightmember Congressional delegation from the United States that weak transmission infrastructure had stalled the evacuation of 700 megawatts of electricity from the power station.

THISDAY had also reported that Peavey also told the Congressional delegation led by Senator Christopher Coons, who is a member of the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Ethics Committees, that the plant was being owed N125 billion for power supplied to the national grid, a revelation, which also irked the power minister.

But in his remarks at 19th

Monthly Meeting of the Power Sector Operators hosted by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) at the Akangba 330/132/33KV Transmission Station in Lagos yesterday, Fashola insisted that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) currently has the capacity to transmit 6,500 megawatts, adding that gone were the days when only Americans would know if there was a problem in Nigeria.

The minister, who was visibly angry with the Egbin CEO, added that before the US Congressmen visited Egbin Power Station, Peavey had raised the alarm that the huge debts owed the generation companies would plunge the country into darkness.

“In my response, at the time, I believe I mentioned what government was doing about verifying MDA (ministry, departments and agencies) debts

and how to deal with legacy debts, which we inherited. I also admonished all operators in the sector, to act in a manner consistent with their leadership role and the public expectation of all of us, to find solutions to problems, project hope, and not fear,” Fashola said.

The minister noted that despite his admonition, the Egbin CEO told the visiting Congressmen the power plant was owed N125 billion and could not evacuate 700MW as a result of transmission constraints.

Fashola argued that Peavey did not tell his visitors how that N125 billion was made up.

The minister, who did not clarify further on the Egbin debt, however, argued that the MDA debts owed to Discos had been verified and instead of claims in excess of N90 billion submitted as owed by the federal government, only about N27 billion has been established by verification.

He accused Peavey of not telling his visitors that government had approved a payment assurance guarantee for all power produced to the grid and that some payments have been made and others are being processed as reported at the Kano monthly meeting and the Abuja meeting in July 2017.

Fashola reminded the Egbin CEO that his company either knew of these debts when his employers bought the plant or failed to do the due diligence that would have disclosed the debts to them.

“It is true that there was a time in our recent past that only Americans would know if there was a problem in Nigeria. That time has passed,” Fashola added.

Fashola stated that Peavey lied when he told his visitors that the power station could not evacuate 700MW, stressing that TCN’s wheeling capacity has exceeded over 6,500MW.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

TUESDAYSPORTS WAFU Cup: Nigeria Defeats S’Leone to Zoom into Group Stage Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Duro Ikhazuagbe Two late goals by wingback Osas Okoro and substitute Peter Eneji ensured that the home-based Eagles began their 2017 WAFU Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Sierra Leone last night in Ghana.

Okoro’s 83rd minute free-kick sailed over the Leone Stars’ wall into the back of the net to register Nigeria’s opening goal of the campaign.

Eneji who made his senior national team debut at the ongoing WAFU Cup doubled the lead in the 87th minute for Eagles. He had similarly powered Plateau United to their first NPFL title last Saturday at the Rwang Pam Stadium in Jos. Plateau defeated Enugu Rangers to seal the 2016/2017 Nigerian league title.

The victory over Sierra-Leone means Nigeria is through to the group stage of the competition alongside host Ghana, Senegal and Mali. Nigeria’s next game is against Ghana.

Eight teams are to emerge from this knock out phase into the group stage of the competition taking place between September 9th and 24th.

Ghana and Nigeria have seven African titles between them, with the Super Eagles and the Black Stars featuring in the last two FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014).

All the teams in Group A are

playing in Takoradi, the twin city of Sekondi that also hosted matches during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations while Group B are competing in Cape Coast.

Group A teams include, Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Guinea.

2015 African champions Cote d’Ivoire headline the pool that also has Senegal, Burkina Faso and Benin Republic, with Liberia, Niger Republic, Togo and Cape Verde also involved.

Meanwhile, The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) is threatening to pull out of the West African Football Union (WAFU).

The comments come after refereeing controversies at the last two regional tournaments.

The GFF has submitted complaints to the regional body and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over a penalty awarded at the ongoing WAFU Cup of Nations.

“We’re considering our position in WAFU because with all the resources invested in it - to go out in such manner is not fair,” the GFF President Lamin Kabba Bajo told BBC Sport yesterday.

“We will probably discuss the issue in a month’s time during our next executive committee meeting,” The Gambia FA boss hinted.

The Gambia was knocked out of the tournament when hosts Ghana scored from the spot after Burkina Faso’s

Nigeria’s Osas Okoro (left) and Afeez Aremu (right) close marking a Leone Stars of Sierra Leone forward during their WAFU Cup knock out phase clash in Cape Coast, Ghana…yesterday Boukari Ouedraogo adjudged a Gambian player had handled the ball.

This is the second consecutive WAFU Cup of Nations tournament in which

The Gambia feel they have been treated unfairly.

Two years ago Senegal was crowned regional champions when The Gambia refused to play extra-time following a

goalless draw.

Their officials pointed to the fact that the match officials had said the match would go straight to penalties before ultimately reviewing the

rules that stipulated extra-time should be played first.

The GFF’s protest also pointed two other matches that it feels were poorly officiated recently.

U E FA C H A M P I O N S L E AG U E Coaches, Technical Officials Reject Adeleye Bolstered by Neymar, as AFN’s Technical Director Nigerian track and field coaches and technical officials have vehemently rejected the purported appointment of Sunday Adeleye as the technical director/chairman of the technical sub-committee of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

The athletics technical officials yesterday rose from a meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on the sideline of the on-going 2017 National Youth Games to express anger and disbelief at the leadership of the AFN for appointing an unqualified person as the leader of the engine room of the federation.

“It is embarrassing and alarming that our federation can deviate from modern norms and practices in the appointment of somebody to lead and guide all qualified Nigerian coaches and technical officials to announce someone who does not merit the position, someone who lacks the technical know-how and the requisite academic qualification to lead us,” the officials wrote in the communique issued after the meeting.

“Adeleye was appointed as an athletes representative to take charge of the interest of the athletes on the board while we freely elected Brown Ebewele to

be our representative and leader on the board,” the communique further read.

The officials also restated their confidence in Ebewele to guide them through as their elected leader.

Meanwhile, President of Nigerian Coaches Association, Gabriel Okon, stressed that the position of a technical committee chairman/technical director is for an individual who has a rich background in coaching and officiating matters.

“Adeleye is neither a coach nor a technical official.

Coaches are certified by both the National Institute for Sports in Nigeria and by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) while officiating officials also go through their training before they can be certified by the federation in conjunction with the IAAF. So you want to bring somebody who does not know what coaching entails and has never attempted any officiating course to come and lead us? Tell me, what will he be telling us? It is like telling a primary school pupil to lead a group of students comprising secondary school and university undergraduates,” queried the former Olympian.

Mbappe, PSG Finally Ready to Make a Mark in Europe Paris Saint-Germain kicks off their latest bid for the UEFA Champions League glory at Celtic this evening bolstered by the big-money signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The French giants will be hoping that their lavish close-season spending can help finally achieve their Qatari owners’ dream of lifting the European Cup. PSG responded to last season’s disappointments of losing the Ligue 1 title to Monaco and their stunning Champions League last-16 defeat at Barcelona, by smashing the world record transfer fee with the 222

million-euro ($267m) signing of Neymar from Barca.

While Qatar’s billions produced four consecutive French titles from 2013-2016, that form has yet to translate to European competition.

PSG’s last, and only, Champions League semifinal appearance was in 1995, with four straight last-eight exits followed by the harrowing 6-1 second-leg loss at the Camp Nou earlier this year, having beaten Barca 4-0 in the first game.

But with the additions of Neymar and Mbappe, hopes are high that Unai Emery’s men can put their continental

troubles to bed.

“We are more than ready for the Champions League,” said defender Thomas Meunier after a 5-1 thrashing of Metz on Friday.

“We are a very good group, we can see that on the bench today with all the options we have.

“Every footballer plays for the Champions League, and with the team we have this year, we must show the world that we want to go further than in previous years.”

Teenage sensation Mbappe joined from Monaco on deadline day on a season-long

loan, with an option to buy for a fee that could reach a staggering 180 million euros.

“It’s too early to say (how far we can go), we haven’t even played yet,” said Mbappe, who scored on his debut against Metz.

TODAY (7.45pm) Celtic v PSG Benfica v CSKA Moscow Man Utd v Basel Olympiakos v Sporting CP Bayern v Anderlecht Roma v Atletico Chelsea v Qarabag Barcelona v Juventus

Sponsor Boosts GOtv Boxing Night with N20m Kunle Adewale As part of efforts at ensuring that Nigeria boxing gets to an enviable height, GOtv will be splashing a sum of N20 million towards the organisation of the 12th edition of the GOtv Boxing Night slated for October 1, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere,

Lagos.

Speaking at a press conference to herald the event in Lagos yesterday, General Manager (Marketing), MultiChoice, Mr. Martin Mabutho, said the company decided to make the event more rewarding for boxers as a way of motivating them to greater achievements.

Mabutho said boxers will earn a total of N20million in prize monies, while the Mojisola Ogunsanya prize for the best boxer of the event has been expanded to reward two runners-up.

The cash prize for the best boxer has been raised to N2.5m, the first and second runner-up will go home with N1million

and N500,000 respectively.

A total of seven bouts across weight categories have been scheduled. Four of these are international bouts, with the biggest being the African Boxing Union lightweight title defence duel featuring defending champion, Stanley Eribo and Tanzania’s Ramadhani Shauri.

Tuesday September 12, 2017

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MISSILE Kanu to Military Authorities “They want to use force and beat us into submission because they have lost the argument but they will fail. They want to trigger war but we won’t oblige them because we are committed to our non-violent philosophy” – Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu accusing soldiers of attempting to forcibly abduct him from his father’s house last Sunday without recourse to the rule of law.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI Mama Taraba and the APC Crisis abati1990@gmail.com

M

ama Taraba is Senator Aisha Alhassan, the current Minister of Women Affairs in the Muhammadu Buhari cabinet, and arguably the most influential female politician in Taraba state today. She did something shocking and unusual in Nigerian politics during the last Eid-el-Kabir holidays. While paying homage to former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, she addressed him as follows: “Your Excellency, our father and our President by the grace of God, come 2019…” Members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have been on a war-path with her since then.

They have labeled Mama Taraba a traitor, and an ingrate and have even called for her immediate sack, disgrace, humiliation and outright dismissal for “anti-party activities”.

What is not clear is how a serving Minister expressing an opinion amounts to “an antiparty activity.” Alhaji Atiku Abubakar whom she visited is a member and one of the leaders of the APC, and she has since made it clear, not only in private, but through the BBC, that she regards Atiku as her political godfather and mentor, and should he decide to run for President in 2019, she will support him, not Buhari.

She does not deserve the hate speeches she is getting from the Buhari apologists.

If Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai is to be believed, Mama Taraba has never regarded President Buhari as her political mentor.

He was not even her choice as presidential candidate in the 2015 APC primaries. She voted for her mentor, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who contested against the incumbent President at the time.

She deserves high marks for her consistency, honesty and courage. Any close watcher of Nigerian politics can easily appreciate the gravity of the risk that she has taken.

It is that kind of risk that could attract a punishment worse than dismissal from the Cabinet. In the estimation of those who are asking for her to be punished by both the ruling party and the President, Mama Taraba has crossed certain “red lines”.

In the first place, she did not go to Daura to pay homage to the President, instead she went to Adamawa to visit former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a man who has declared interest in sending President Buhari out of Aso Villa. In Nigeria’s unwritten manual of politics and governance, political appointees are not to be seen with those who are considered enemies or rivals of the ruler. Mama Taraba not only crossed that line, she went many steps further.

It is also the rule in Nigerian politics that political appointees are expected to sing the praise of their bosses in public all the time, and should they have any misgivings they can only express those misgivings privately. The problem this has created is that most political appointees are as subservient as civil servants.

They don’t express independent opinions as they should, not to talk of misgivings.

They just act as directed. The President or the Governor is considered the wisest man exercising a divine mandate that no man

Alhassan should question. The corridor of power in Nigeria is littered with sycophants. In one state for example, the new Speaker of the State House of Assembly was asked if the legislature under his watch would avoid the temptation of becoming the Governor’s rubber stamp. The fellow reportedly responded: “I tell you, this House of Assembly will not only be the Governor’s rubber stamp, we will be his Seal!”

Mama Taraba has chosen to be different.

Those who are criticising her are not stupid either, but it is just so convenient for them to play the role of sycophants and court jesters. They know when Mama Taraba says President Buhari should not run in 2019, what she is really saying is that she does not consider him fit enough for that office.

She is more or less passing a vote of no confidence in the President. She is by the same token advertising Atiku Abubakar as a better person. The crabs in the corridor of power have amplified these suggestions to the level of blasphemy. But the truth is that there are many of them who probably hold the same opinion, who are secretly working against the Buhari Presidency, but they would never admit doing so publicly.

These green snakes under the green grass, are the hidden saboteurs, the Judases President Buhari must beware of.

They are like the members of the Akintola group in the First Republic in the then Western Region. In the fight for political supremacy between Samuel Ladoke Akintola, who would later cross to the NNDP (or Der-mor as the people called it) and Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Action Group, many supporters of the former openly supported Awolowo, but they were loyal to Akintola and the NNDP. There was even a famous song on this: “Bi o ri owo mi, o o ri inu mi, Demo ni mo wa.” The elevation of perfidy into a strategy started long ago in Nigerian politics. In this instance, Mama Taraba has boldly called the bluff of her adversaries: she says she is ready to quit the Cabinet if she is asked to leave. How many of her colleagues feel the same way

but too scared to say so?

With Aisha Alhassan, President Buhari knows where he stands. It is better for him that this is so. Ordinarily, Mama Taraba should support him. In 2015, she contested for the Gubernatorial position in Taraba state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, and lost. She petitioned the State Election Tribunal and won, but this victory at the Tribunal which would have made her the first elected female Governor in Nigeria was later upturned by the Appeal and Supreme Courts.

By bringing her into his Cabinet, President Buhari rehabilitated her. He was advised against offering her the position then because she was a known Atiku person. President Buhari needs not regret the choice he has made. His appointment of non-Buhari persons into his Cabinet, including persons who refused to leave the PDP and join the APC, and are still in the PDP or other parties, is an indication of his own largeness of heart and statesmanship.

He should be glad that this particular Minister has spoken honestly. At least, he now knows that he cannot rely on her political structures in Taraba state and wherever else she wields influence. In case he plans to run in 2019, Mama Taraba has already served him an early notice - he would have to build his political machinery in that state around someone else. Her critics insist that she should on her own resign and go back to her Atiku.

This raises the question of the nature of loyalty in politics. What determines loyalty?

There is a lot of obsession with loyalty or disloyalty in Nigerian politics. Did Aisha Alhassan take an oath of office to serve Buhari or the Federal Republic of Nigeria? What we know is that political leaders in Africa place loyalty to themselves above loyalty to the state. Which is why our security and law enforcement agencies are so mercurial; they are ever so busy protecting the political interests of the incumbent, and will change should the incumbent change, rather than focusing on their core mandates. If Mama Taraba is efficient in the discharge of her duties as Minister, President Buhari should ignore those who are asking him to sack her.

What cannot be ignored though, is that the ruling APC is truly and terribly in crisis..

The subsequent attacks on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar by the pro-Buhari wing of the APC, following his declaration that he was used and dumped by the President further confirms the depth of this internal turmoil.

But was Atiku really used and dumped, or to use his word, “sidelined?” He says: “I was sidelined, I have no relationship with the government. I’ve not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance. They used our money and influence to get to where they are but three years down the lane, this is where we are.” These are strong words.

The bitterness in Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s tone touches the heart. But can he really claim that he has been sidelined when Mama Taraba, his loyalist and at least one or two

others from his political camp are playing key roles in the Buhari government? Could they have gone to work for Buhari without his “permission” or knowledge? The side-talk that they got the job on their own merit is opaque given the clientelist character of political proximity in African democracies.

With Mama Taraba’s statement, Atiku’s protest, and the epigrammatic statement

by Senator Shehu Sani about Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that was thrown in, the support base for President Buhari’s likely shot at a second term in office appears shaky.

Senator Sani confirms this when he says: “The Lion Monarch should reach out to the aggrieved but silent Lagoon Lion so that he doesn’t explode like the Hippo. The Lagoon Lion controls waters that can drown… The disloyal Cobra who spat venom before you and the friendly Viper who sprayed venom behind you are all snakes. In comparison the former is of lesser evil than the latter.”

In straightforward English, Shehu Sani is saying President Buhari is likely to drown politically if he does not pay homage to “the silent Lagoon Lion.”

The tragedy of the APC is that a party that came to power as a party of change-agents has in all of two years and four months become a party of lions, hyenas, jackals, snakes and rats. Those who have been using these animal kingdom references so freely are party insiders who obviously know the circumstances of their own party. What is seen is an increasingly atomistic political party, looking hubristically, like the dominant party it displaced. It is worse that the party leaders are now speaking in tongues.

In a statement issued on September 25, 2016, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu sounded a note of warning asking for an urgent reform of the party. He was ignored. As at this moment, the APC is yet to hold a national convention; it has no Board of Trustees. Internal party processes have broken down. It should also be recalled that when Senator Bukola Saraki made the moves that saw him emerge as Senate President of the 8th National Assembly in 2015, the first and the only prominent party leader he visited was Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

It was a very sensitive move in the APC chess game - the anti-Saraki and anti-Atiku groups within the party are still fuming two years later! In the 2015 election, President Buhari got close to 2 million votes from Kano state. Today, Kano is divided against his Presidency. During the last Sallah, supporters of the incumbent Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and loyalists of the former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso turned the prayer ground into a battle-field, using machetes freely on a Holy day! Ganduje is pro-Buhari. Kwankwaso nurses a Presidential ambition.

The big threat to the Buhari Presidency is not the likes of Aisha Alhassan, who speak their minds, but the possible union of the lions, snakes, the hyenas and the rats, hiding in dark corners, waiting to take their pounds of flesh from the party and the Buhari Presidency.

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