Thursday 7th December 2017

PDP Permutations and the South-west Gamble

Bolaji Adebiyi

After more than two years of bickering, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will on Saturday make another move to reunite and rebuild its broken structures by holding its

N E W S A N A LY S I S National Convention in Abuja.

A total of 2,800 delegates from its 36 states branches and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will elect fresh officials into the PDP National Working

Committee (NWC) that will lead the party to the impending 2019 general elections.

However, not a few party chieftains have expressed fears that the processes leading to the Convention regretfully show that its leadership, like

the Leopard, may have refused to shed its skin. The pre-crisis allegations of impunity, arising from whimsical breaches of the party’s constitution, rules and guidelines, according to many aspirants, marred the ward and state congresses that produced the convention’s

delegates nation-wide.

Discontented aspirants have fingered the scheming for 2019 general election as the source of the alleged manipulations, accusing the interim chairman and some of the party’s governors of plotting to impose a new

chairman that would serve their personal political interests at the impending presidential contest.

The discontent, which started as a whimper had become so deafening by last Continued on page 6

PDP Woos Saraki, Kwankwaso, Others, Assures Transparent Convention‌ Page 6 Thursday 7 December, 2017 Vol 22. No 8267. Price: N250

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Buhari Visits Kano, Grants Amnesty to 500 Prison Inmates Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Kano granted amnesty to 500 prison inmates of the Kano Central Prison situated at Kurmawa.

Buhari said the amnesty

was part of the federal government’s effort to decongest prisons in the country, and urged the beneficiaries of the gesture to be of good behaviour and shun anything that would bring them back to the prisons.

The president who was in Kano for a two-day official visit, charged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity by engaging themselves in any useful venture to enable them become useful members of the society.

Buhari pledged that prisons reforms and decongestion would continue to receive prompt attention from his administration. “I am pleased with this visit and I have learnt a bit more about the conditions of the

prisons and inmates,� Garba Shehu, senior special assitant on media and publicity, said in a statement. “This building in front of us was built since 1910.

Rehabilitation of prisoners and training of inmates is

very important to us and we would continue to invest more on this. “I asked one of the inmates (released) how old he was Continued on page 8

FG Orders Kachikwu to End Fuel Scarcity NNPC moves to bridge supply gap DPR orders depot owners to give priority to Lagos Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Ejiofor Alike in Lagos The federal government yesterday in Abuja, denied insinuations that the current fuel scarcity plaguing the country is a ploy to increase the pump price of petrol.

The government also ordered the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to ensure that the scarcity does not exceed this weekend.

Making this disclosure while answering questions from journalists at the end of yesterday's weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, blamed the scarcity on higher demand

for petroleum products in cold regions as a result of winter.

According to him, Kachikwu assured the council that there was enough petrol that could serve the country till the end of January, 2018, adding that the council gave the minister a matching order to ensure that the scarcity disappears this weekend.

Mohammed also said Kachikwu promised that his team would work assiduously to put paid to the lingering fuel crisis with the assurance to the council that there is nothing to worry about.

He said: "No, the government has no intention at all to increase the pump price of petrol.

Continued on page 8

200 Families Sacked by Fulani Herdsmen in Cross River... Page 9

BACK TO HIS STRONG HOLD...

R-L: President Muhammadu Buhari; Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje; Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru; and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II; during the president’s 2-day visit to Kano‌ yesterday

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PDP Woos Saraki, Kwankwaso, others, Assures Transparent Convention Screens aspirants as Atiku is barred from voting Says APC wants to disrupt meeting Again, Makarfi denies presidential ambition Tobi Soniyi, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continues to bask in the euphoria of the recent defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the party from the All Progressives Congress, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin has called on Senate President Bukola Saraki, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso along with their supporters to return to the PDP. "As we joyfully welcome Atiku back to his home, PDP, we are equally waiting to receive more members of the APC, including President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Kwankwaso, APC governors, other senators and House of Representatives members, who had earlier left the PDP. Thereafter all of us would unite to take power from APC come 2019," he told newsmen at a press conference in Abuja yesterday.

He spoke just as the Chairman, National Convention Committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, rest assured that the convention would be transparently conducted, warning that any attempt to manipulate its process would be catastrophic for the party.

Okowa’s assurances came on the heels of the denial of the party’s Chairman, National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, that he was nursing a presidential ambition.

Makarfi said what was uppermost on his mind now was how to conduct a successful convention that would position the party for wresting power from the ruling APC in 2019.

The BOT Chairman, Jibrin, also spoke on the controversy over micro zoning of the party’s top positions, and said it was too

late to micro-zone the position of national chairman because more than eight aspirants had purchased application forms and were about to be screened by the special screening committee.

Jibrin said that all the aspirants should be allowed to test their fame and popularity at the Convention on Saturday.

"I want to assure our party members that whoever emerges the National Chairman, the BOT is ready to cooperate and work with him for the progress of the party. I would like to reiterate our position that BOT has not anointed any candidates for now," he said.

Jibrin also said that the party would remain grateful to the judiciary for saving Nigeria and democracy, pointing out that the Supreme Court judgement that annulled Senator Modu Sheriff’s claim to the party’s leadership provided the PDP with the opportunity to rebound and play its role as an opposition party.

Taunting the APC over recent defections, Jibrin said the ruling party should be grateful to Atiku for peacefully resigning with respect without tearing their party membership card as former President Olusegun Obasanjo did when he left the PDP. He advised all former members in APC to come back to the PDP as the party remained their original home.

Also speaking yesterday, Okowa warned members of the party against doing anything that could undermine the national convention, saying that the party would die if it fails to conduct a free and fair elective convention.

Speaking on an African Independent Television (AIT) Programme, Focus Nigeria, he said the convention would either make or mar the party, warning those seeking to be elected as members of the party's executive

committee to put the interest of the party above their personal interest and refrain from doing anything that would discredit the election.

"If we allow any manipulation, PDP will die," he warned.

He said about 50 members of the electoral committee who were also delegates with voting rights had been asked to step down as members of the committee.

This, he said, was done to ensure that the results of the votes reflect the decision of the delegates who would have the freedom to choose those they want to run the affairs of the party.

Okowa said that 21 national offices were up for grabs but that only 19 were being contested for.

He also dismissed claims that a governor was funding the convention so that his candidate for the chairmanship office would be supported for the post.

Okowa said: "It will not be easy for anyone to influence the process. We know that if we do not get this right, the party will be the loser. We have talked to ourselves. This is the convention that will make or mar the PDP. “We will deliver an election that is credible. The convention will strengthen the PDP. It will be free and fair. It is going to be a serious business. No fun fare. No dancing."

Meanwhile, Makarfi has denied reports that he had confirmed an interest in seeking to fly the flag of PDP in 2019.

A statement by his spokesman, Mr Mukhtar Sirajo, said the report was not a true reflection of what Makarfi gave out in a chat with some newsmen couple of days ago.

He said: "The Senator was asked what threat the return of Atiku Abubakar to the party portends to the aspirations of others who had either made their intentions known or those, who,

like him were rumoured to be nursing such ambition.

His answer was that Atiku's return would not, in any way adversely affect the rights of any member of the party to aspire to any position, adding that there was no preconditions to his return as Atiku Abubakar did not ask for, neither did the party offer any concessions to him beforehand."

Makarfi assured members and supporters of the PDP and indeed the entire country that his own major preoccupation at the moment was to discharge the responsibility given to him to lead the process of repositioning the party, which he hoped would culminate in the conduct of a very credible and transparent convention on Saturday.

"This is what matters the most to him at this moment", his spokesman said.

In the meantime, the PDP has alleged that some overzealous elements in the APC-led federal government were making spirited efforts to scuttle the convention even as aspirants to the various national offices yesterday took their turns before the screening panel for the vetting of their credentials.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the party’s spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said that the party had information that some agents of the ruling party were working on plans to cause disaffection and to stop the convention from holding successfully.

Adeyeye said: "I want to particularly draw your attention to an issue that borders us. We have very credible information that some overzealous elements in the federal government are trying by all means to disrupt the convention and to make sure that this convention does not hold successfully because they know that if the convention

holds successfully, their days are numbered," he said.

He said the leadership of the opposition was making a special appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to put his men in check, adding that information showed that he might not be part of such dubious plots.

Adeyeye said that Atiku would address the convention but would not vote as Articles 8 and 9 of the party’s constitution forbade new entrants from voting at meetings for one year.

Speaking on the plans for the convention, Adeyeye said that adequate security arrangement had been made to ensure that everything was smooth.

He said that no one without any business at the convention would be allowed beyond one Kilometre to the venue.

He also commented on the security alert issued by the embassies of the United States and Britain on bomb threats in Abuja, saying that the party had gotten assurances that the city was safe.

Adeyeye said there would be no tampering of the delegates' list, adding that the original copy of the delegates' list would be made available to all contestants 48 hours before the convention.

While giving insight into what to expect at the convention, Adeyeye said 2800 delegates would be voting but that Osun State would not be fielding delegates at the convention.

He said that there were no more threats of parallel convention as was being feared.

Adeyeye said all the aggrieved party members had been reach out to and that they had agreed to sheathe their sword.

On the complaints by some of the aspirants over possible bias by members of the electoral committee, Adeyeye dismissed such fears insisting that the party had put together fool

proof process that would be transparent for all to witness.

In a related development, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday, ordered the National Headquarters of the PDP to recognize only the state executive of the party led by Alhaji Gana Lawan for the purpose of its national convention holding on Saturday and other key activities of the party.

Ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Lawan and 26 other members of the party against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP and seven others, Justice Binta Murtala Nyako granted the seven prayers sought by the plaintiffs and restrained INEC, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, interim National Chairman of the PDP from "recognizing any other person or group of persons as the authentic leadership or Executive Committee of the PDP in Yobe State except the party leadership structure duly elected and headed by the plaintiffs as the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice".

The court also restrained Alhaji Sani Inuwa Nguru from continuing to parade himself as the chairman of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Nyako also restrained the PDP and its National Caretaker Committee from taking any steps to dissolve or otherwise replace the Lawan faction as the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP except by elections due to be conducted in May 2020 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

FG Summons Representative in Libya over Slave Trade Approves six new private universities The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, yesterday said the federal government had summoned Nigeria’s Charge D' Affairs in Tripoli, Libya to come and brief it on details of the plight of Nigerians in Libya, particularly on the sale of some of them into slavery and imprisonment.

According to the minister who spoke in Abuja at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, when the officer arrives, he will brief the government on the number of Nigerians imprisoned in Libya and how many of them are willing to return home, pointing out that once the figures are established, a meeting would

be held with National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on their evacuation in collaboration with International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

He said: "On the issue of Libya, of course, it has been in the news in the last two weeks on trading in slaves; also, the imprisonment in various detention centres of Libya. “What we have done is that first of all, we have got our Charge D' Affairs in Tripoli to come to Abuja to give us the full details of what is actually going on there.

"How many Nigerians are in detention and are trying to come

home? “So, once we establish that and we are given all those facts, we are now meeting with various agencies like NEMA and NAPTIP to now arrange the evacuation process and this will be done in co-ordination with International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and see if we can very quickly repatriate all our Nigerian nationals who are there who want to return home.

"The charge d' affairs said a number of Nigerians (and not all of them) do not want to come home. Certainly, it has to be those who want to come back home."

Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the council

approved the establishment of six new private universities in various parts of the country.

However, the minister said the approval was not automatic as the National University Commission (NUC) would not spare any approved institution whose operations falls below laid down standard.

He said there were yet more applications undergoing consideration for approval as he expressed hope that his ministry would yet present another memorandum for the approval of more private universities.

Adamu said: "Today, the Ministry of Education presented a memo for the approval of six

new private universities and they were approved. There are some more applications and I believe we will still bring more for Council approvals.

"The NUC is going to take the issue of accreditation very seriously and if any university fails to meet their standard, we are going to deregister their courses and when enough courses are deregistered, it will lead to the closure of the University," he stated.

The newly approved universities include: Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State; Spiritan University, Nneochi, Abia State; Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Oyo State; Pamo University of Medical

equity, justice and fairness‌�

The provision is in aid of an objective in Article 7 (2) (b), which states that the party shall: “Promote federalism and an equitable revenue sharing formula‌â€?

In fulfilment of these dictates of the constitution the founding

fathers of the party established a convention by which party and public offices are zoned and rotated among the six geo-political zones of the country in such a way that there is a

PDP PERMUTATIONS AND THE SOUTH-WEST GAMBLE weekend that a founding leader of the party, former president Ibrahim Babangida, had to caution that the PDP risked receding into crisis if its current helmsmen failed to play by the rules. His warning is significant, not only because

it showed how deep-seated the dissatisfaction in the party is, but also served as a reminder of how disregard for age-long principles enshrined in the PDP constitution led to its fall in 2015.

One of such principles is

zoning and rotation as established in Article 7 (3) (c ) of its Constitution as amended (2012), which provides that: “The Party shall pursue these objectives by‌ adhering to the policy of the rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of

Continued on page 8

Sciences, Port Harcourt; Atiba University, Oyo, Oyo State and Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences, Lagos.

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Another 257 Nigerians Deported from Libya Chinedu Eze and Chiemelie Ezeobi More Nigerians have been saved from slavery and trafficking in war-torn Libya, as another 275 citizens were airlifted to the country a few hours after a batch of 144 Nigerians were returned Tuesday night.

The first batch of returnees was returned at 9 p.m. on Tuesday while the latest returnees touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos at about 1.30 a.m. yesterday.

The returnees comprising 65 adult females, 179 adult males, seven children and six infants were happy that they escaped the tortuous and precarious life in Libya, where many of them wanted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

The spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-west Zone, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the returnees arrived aboard a Libyan Airlines aircraft at the cargo wing of the airport.

He said they were assisted back to Nigeria by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

He also confirmed that four of the returnees had medical cases and were promptly taken away on an ambulance for treatment.

He said the returnees were received by officials of NEMA, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Last week Thursday, a batch

of 150 Nigerians was airlifted back to the country and also on Tuesday night another batch of 144 was brought back to the country in continuation of the massive repatriation plan to bring all Nigerians stranded in the North African country back to Nigeria.

No fewer than 1,295 Nigerians in Libya were rescued in November alone, with more of them expected to be repatriated before the end of the year, following reports that more Nigerian migrants were languishing in either Libyan cells or deportation camps, and several of them were being sold into slavery.

The repatriation of the stranded Nigerians, which started in 2016, is in collaboration with the IOM, which has been providing the chartered aircraft to convey the returnees.

Nigerian migrants being deported from Libya

FG ORDERS KACHIKWU TO END FUEL SCARCITY "Two, the minister assured the council that we have enough products till the next one month even till the end of January.

"Thirdly, this is winter period.

There is always more demand for refined petroleum products during winter period in the colder countries. This is what we are experiencing now.

"Also, it has been the NNPC that has been importing, but he has assured [of adequate supply].

The council gave him a matching order that this fuel scarcity should not last beyond this weekend and they are going to work very hard to ensure that it is curtailed.

He assured council that there is actually no cause for alarm.

But in spite of the assurances by the federal government, there were indications that the fuel queues might linger following the decision of some oil trading companies to import diesel instead of petrol as stipulated in the Direct Sale- Direct Purchase (DSDP) contracts between the NNPC and some of the oil marketers, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAY, however, gathered that the corporation has ordered massive importation of petrol to bridge the supply gap as two imported vessels are being

expected to berth in Apapa, Lagos within the next 24 hours.

Also to address the shortfalls in supply in Lagos, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday ordered depot owners to give priority to tankers that supply product to filling stations within Lagos.

NNPC had in April this year signed about $6 billion worth of deals with local and international traders to exchange about 330,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil for imported petrol.

The deals, which were previously referred to as offshore crude oil processing agreements (OPAs) and crude-for-products exchange arrangements, are now known as DSDP agreements.

Under the latest DSDP scheme, the NNPC excluded the big players with strong footprints in the downstream sector such as Italy’s ENI, India’s Essar, Shell-BP, Forte Oil, Mobil (11Plc), Oando, Conoil, and NIPCO in an apparent move to empower smaller companies.

Even international oil trading giants such as Total, Vitol and Trafigura that made the list were allocated the same small volumes of crude – 33,000 barrels per day, with smaller Nigerian

downstream players in the list.

THISDAY gathered that these oil traders engaged by the NNPC were supposed to bring back petrol into the country after taking crude oil to the international refiners.

It was, however, learnt that in the months of November /December, some of these companies converted their DSDP contracts into diesel as they could not bring back petrol as a result of the high cost of the product in the international market.

The implication, it was learnt, is that the market is flooded with diesel, which is also imported by the other private marketers as a deregulated product, while petrol, which other marketers lack capacity to import and have been relying on NNPC for supply, becomes a scarce product, leading to the current crisis.

A source at NNPC, who confirmed this development, told THISDAY that when petrol became expensive in the international market, some of the oil traders approached NNPC to convert their contracts to diesel and the corporation obliged their request.

The source explained: “Ordinarily, diesel is not supposed

to be under the DSDP contracts because all the marketers import diesel since it is deregulated.

The problem is petrol, which is not fully deregulated and not imported by the private marketers. Some of the companies engaged in DSDP agreements lack capacity and only execute the contracts when it is convenient for them. When petrol was expensive, they requested the NNPC to change their contract to diesel and the market was flooded with diesel because all other marketers also import diesel. Now, there is shortage of petrol in the market because the NNPC, which should import petrol, mismanaged the DSDP by allowing the trading companies to import diesel instead of petrol.�

He explained that unless the NNPC reviews the DSDP and involves the big players, the supply gap may widen and linger till Christmas.

But in a swift response, the NNPC’s spokesman, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, exonerated the DSDP scheme and told THISDAY that the crisis was as a result of the threat by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to shut down filling stations on December 11.

“IPMAN has issues with the depot operators over ex-depot price. They issued a threat and people engaged in panic-buying.

That is the cause of the crisis,� he said.

Speaking on the DSDP contracts, Ughamadu said the scheme had its own challenges like every other new concept but added that these challenges were not responsible for the current queues in some filling stations. “The direct sale-direct purchase is a new concept to boost supply of petroleum products and ensure huge savings for the federal government. However, like every other new concept, it has its own challenges but these challenges are not responsible for the present crisis. There is enough petrol in the system. The crisis is caused by panic-buying.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, has ordered for more cargoes.

Right now, all NNPC stations in Abuja are dispensing product. So, in the next 48 hours, it will be over if people stop panic-buying,�

Ughamadu explained.

THISDAY gathered that two imported vessels were being expected in Apapa in the next 24 hours.

In a related development, the DPR has intensified its surveillance of depots to avert hoarding and profiteering by unscrupulous marketers, who might want to take advantage of the situation.

Speaking yesterday when she led top officials of the agency to monitor depots in Lagos, DPR’s assistant director in charge of retail outlets’ monitoring the downstream division, Mrs. Ijeoma Otti-Onyeri, urged the public to stop panic buying. “We are here because of the emergency situation in the country. The public is panicbuying because of speculations that there would be increase in price. The government has come out to say that there is no plan to increase price. So, the public should stop panic-buying,� she said.

She also urged the depot owners to give priority to Lagos since it was the state that experienced the queues.

Also speaking, the DPR’s Deputy Manager in charge of Retail Outlets and Marketing, at the Corporate Headquarters, Mr. Isa Ibrahim, charged the depot owners to sell at government’s approved price.

the PDP’s dominance in the Southeast as the preference (for the VP ticket) of the leading politicians from that zone may be upset. Adding the Southeast to the growing enclave of the discontented will no doubt further deem the chances of any possible rebound for the PDP in 2019.

In all the cold calculations, what is ignored is that the cost of ignoring the South-west goes beyond the votes the PDP may lose. It is a strategic zone that made all the difference between victory and defeat for the party at the 2015 general election and may yet do so again in 2019.

It must be recalled that the PDP slipped into crisis moments after it lost the 2015 presidential election. A web of political intrigues and legal battles polarised the party into two with a former APC chieftain, Senator Ali Sheriff, leading one faction, and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, heading another.

Yet, without an organised political platform to mobilise the people to apply pressure for the implementation of viable alternative policy options, democracy risks a slide into authoritarianism.

The Supreme Court redressed the situation when, in July, it firmly separated the fight among the warring PDP factions and declared the Makarfi-led

group as the valid leadership of the party. The apex court’s ruling provided the opportunity for the PDP to rebuild its broken structure and emerge stronger from the debilitating crisis, which almost killed and buried it.

However, should the party make a wrong move at its National Convention on Saturday just to satisfy the ego of some governors, then the PDP can forget making any serious impact at the 2019 general elections.

PDP PERMUTATIONS AND THE SOUTH-WEST GAMBLE balance of power that gives every section of the country a sense of belonging. And usually, once the Presidency is zoned to the North, the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the South. The two main regions are thereafter left to micro zone the positions among the sub-regions. And in subsequent election circle, the positions are rotated. This was the situation until 2010 when the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua disrupted the arrangement.

Upon Yar’Adua’s death, his deputy, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, become president to serve out his boss’ tenure, resulting in a situation in which both the president and the national chairman came from the South. With Jonathan opting to serve a fresh term in 2011, the principle of rotation was violated as by the party’s policy, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a southerner having served eight years as president, the North, but for the death of Yar’Adua, was to also serve eight years.

The least that was expected was that Jonathan would serve out his boss’ tenure and yield the post to another northerner.

Although northern party faithful were prevailed upon to allow Jonathan run in 2011 in the hope that the position would revert to the North in 2015 even as the zoning policy

as related to the chairman restored in 2012 with Alhaji Bamanga Tukur becoming national chairman, Jonathan’s decision to run for a second term caused bad blood in the party.

Meanwhile, more trouble was to come for the party when in the House of Representatives, a northerner, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, in violation of the zoning policy, became the Speaker, a position allotted to the Southwest. That disruption left the Southwest out of the power loop as it had no significant position either in the party or government for four years.

Virtually all the party leaders, including the current interim chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, have traced the loss of the PDP in the 2015 presidential election to the violation of the zoning and rotation principle as both the North and the Southwest felt politically marginalised in the power equation. Not only did the North vote solidly for the APC that fielded a northerner, Buhari, it also got a massive helping hand from the Southwest where five of its six states switched allegiance.

Incidentally, the winning strategy of the APC in 2015 was a complete reversal of the PDP’s in 2011. Whereas the

PDP locked down the entire South and scrambled for votes in the North in 2011 to clinch the presidency with a majority vote of over 10 million, the APC locked down the North and raked in votes in five of the six Southwest states that were previously PDP stronghold leaving it with a vote advantage of just over two million.

Given the foregoing, many PDP leaders are concerned that the party’s opportunity to restore the zoning and rotation policy is now being frittered away with the refusal of the current power holders to allow micro-zoning that would cede the position of national chairman to the Southwest as had earlier been agreed before the 2015 presidential election.

The fear is that the current permutation, which is scheming to give the national chairman to the South-south, at the expense of the Southwest, would leave the party vulnerable in the region and make it susceptible to the continued influence of the ruling APC, with a likely outcome similar to 2015 in which not only did the APC close its 2.5 million votes gap of 2011 but also got 581, 777 advantage.

Besides, the emerging new arrangement, which is scheming the vice presidency for the Southwest, may threaten

BUHARI VISITS KANO, GRANTS AMNESTY TO 500 PRISON INMATES and he told me he is only 19 years old. “If we have people of 18 and 19 years in the prison, and there is no continuous training, then their lives will be completely destroyed. We will invest more in education and vocational training.�

Buhari also gave the inmates an undisclosed amount of money to be shared as transport fare to their respective towns and villages.

Some of the beneficiaries of the amnesty were males and females.

The president was accompanied to the prison by the Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen Abdurrahman Danbazzau rtd, among others.

Also speaking, Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, charged the inmates to be of good conduct when they reunite with members of

their families and the society at large.

Buhari, who had earlier in the day, visited the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, was in Kano to inaugurate some projects initiated by Ganduje.

Among the projects are the ultra-modern specialist hospital, Giginyu, named after him and a peadiatric hospital located on Zoo road, Kano, and the underpass bridge at Madobi/Panshekara Junction.

Today, the president will inspect a rice mill, Fullmark Rice Mill Company at Kwanar Gunduwawa, and Gezawa Oil Mill, the largest oil mill in Africa at Tokarawa Industrial Estate both on Hadeja Road.

Buhari is also expected to meet with Ulamas and hold an interactive session with community leaders and politicians before returning to Abuja.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

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

South-west Govs Meet, Take Unanimous Position on Constitution Amendment Ademola Babalola inIbadan Governors of the South-west geopolitical zone in the country met in Ibadan yesterday where they reached a consensus on their stance regarding amendments to the constitution.

The meeting attended by Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Ayo Fayose (Ekiti); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Rauf Aregbesola

(Osun); Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) and Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, is coming on the heels of the recent dissemination of the amendments by the National Assembly to states Houses of Assembly.

About 21 issues considered by the governors were local government autonomy and joint allocation, immunity for legislature, inclusion of legislators

in the council of states, power to override presidential assent on bills, power to de-register political parties, independent candidacy, electoral system, reduction of age for candidates to contest election and internal security.

Akeredolu who spoke after the meeting on said the governors had

resolved to present a common position to state Houses of Assembly and other stakeholders to partake in the ratification of the amendments.

“There is move for amendment of constitution. We know as leaders of this zone what should be our interest. We want to present a

common position and have our Houses of Assembly and other stakeholders who believe in us to come along with us on issues we have agreed that we believe are fundamental and common to our interest. The meeting went very well and we reached consensus on the issues

discussed.

“We discussed very important issues that we are concerned about and we reached consensus on the issues discussed. We are one from Oduduwa, being brothers. We are finding solutions to matters we believe is of common interest to all of us,” Akeredolu said.

Buhari Signs Three Bills into Law Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday signed three into law.

According to a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, the bills are: Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy (Establishment) Bill, 2017, Air Force Institute of Technology of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2017 and National Intelligence Agency Pensions (Establishment) Bill, 2017.

Explaining the nature of the bills, Adesina said: “The Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy (Establishment) Bill, 2017 seeks to establish a dental technology and therapy college to be sited in Enugu.

He said the college would offer courses of instruction leading to the

award of degrees, diplomas and certificates in dental technology, dental therapy and related courses.

He also said the Air Force Institute of Technology of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2017 seeks to establish an institute to be situated in Kaduna to give technical training to the personnel of the Nigerian Air Force and other services of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerians and citizens of other African countries.

Furthermore, he said the National Intelligence Agency Pensions (Establishment) Bill, 2017 on the other hand, would administer the pensions scheme for personnel of the agency, sequel to the exit of the agency from the application of the Contributory Pension Scheme under the Pensions Reform Act, 2004.

Petrolex to Invest $5bn in 250,000bpd Refinery Forte Oil unveils 1.5KVA solar solution Ejiofor Alike An indigenous midstream and downstream player in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, Petrolex, has inaugurated Wood Mackenzie and Fooster Wheeler to conduct studies for the construction of 250,000 barrels per day refinery at the Petrolex Mega Energy City in Ibafon area of Ogun State.

Speaking to journalists ahead of next week’s inauguration of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest tank farm built in Ibafon by Petrolex, the Chairman of the company, Mr. Segun Adebutu said the proposed refinery would cost $3.5 billion, while the supporting structures would gulp $1.5 billion, including the $8.5 million lube plants.

He disclosed that the refinery would be the 74th largest among the 5,000 listed refineries in the world.

Adebutu said over the next 10-15 years, his company would invest between $5 billion and $6 billion in the downstream and midstream sectors.

He said with the completion of the mega tank farm in Ibafon, his company would contribute to about 70 per cent decongestion of Apapa area of Lagos by removing about 2,000 tankers, which should have gone to the depots in Apapa daily to load petroleum products.

Adebutu said his facilities were located in 13,000 hectares of land, while negotiations were ongoing for additional 12,000 hectares to make the energy city 101 square kilometres or 10 per cent of the size of Lagos.

He said $330 million had been

REGIONAL MEETING

L-R: Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, during the South’-west governors’ meeting at the Government House, Ibadan....yesterday

200 Families Sacked by Fulani Herdsmen in Cross River Bassey Inyang in Calabar

spent to date as audited by PwC, adding that the tank farm has initial storage capacity of 300 million litres of petroleum products.

According to him, the company plans to add 250 million litres capacity yearly to attain a target of 1.2 billion litres of capacity.

Adebutu added that his company will build 50 filling stations yearly and also acquire 150 vessels, barges and tugboats to provide services in West African waters, stressing that 16 barges and two tugboats have already been acquired. “’A new world of possibilities’ aptly captures the ever-evolving spirit of Petrolex, as we will not relent until we see Nigeria transformed into an energy selfreliant nation in the immediate future,” Adebutu said.

In a related development, Forte Oil Plc has also unveiled 1.5KVA solar power solution, christened “FO Solar,” designed to be an alternative source for the generation of reliable energy for household needs.

Speaking at the launch of the solar solution in Lagos, the Group Managing Director of Forte Oil plc, Mr. Akin Akinfemiwa, said the solution would provide enough sustainable and clean energy to power key appliances in homes at no maintenance cost.

“We believe it is solution that meets the need of medium income group, who rely on generators.

We are aware of the power sector reform programme of the federal government and the Light Up Lagos launched by the state government. All these efforts are geared towards providing regular power supply,” he said.

An estimated 200 families have been displaced at Mbiabong Ito, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State as a result of the alleged invasion of the community

by Fulani herdsmen.

Information gathered from the area which is about 100 kilometres from Calabar indicated that Fulani herders in their scores invaded farmlands in the community, Tuesday night from Arochukwu axis of Abia State, leading to a violent confrontation between them and the local population.

A source who refused to be quoted stated that the invading

Fulani who entered the community with their cattle, opened gun fire on the locals who made to prevent the grazing animals from destroying their farms.

Sources from the community said following the ensuing clash, many casualties have been recorded, but could not provide the exact number of the dead or the injured.

However, they stated that many families, numbering about 200 have been displaced due to the fighting which was said to be ongoing as of yesterday afternoon.

“The problem commenced last night at about 9p.m. when the community people noticed that Fulani men had invaded their

farmlands with cows, and were destroying their crops. When they went to chase the Fulani away from their farms the owners of the cows shot at them.

As I am talking to you, there is still fighting going on with the youths, young men of the community. Women and children have all left to the neighbouring communities. There are some casualties, and our community has been invaded by the Fulani herdsmen and their cows,” a source from the community said.

Another source claimed that after the fighting ensued, some men in military uniform have been sighted in the community,

allegedly lending some support to the Fulani herdsmen. However, the information could not be verified

by THISDAY. The police authorities in the state have confirmed the clash, but said no death was recorded on both sides.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Irene Ugbo, said a strong police contingent hadbeen deployed to restore normalcy to the area.

Ugbo said, so far, no casualty has been reported to the police, and that the latest information from their men on ground indicates that the situation has been brought to normal.

Supreme Court to Rule on Dasuki’s Bail March 2018 The Supreme Court yesterday fixed March 2 for judgment on an appeal by former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, challenging his alleged indefinite detention.

The panel of five Justices, led

by Dattijo Mohammed, gave the date after counsel to the parties in the case adopted their addresses.

The ex-NSA had on June 15, 2016 at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, lost his bid to enforce his freedom after securing bails on all the charges against him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that Dasuki is standing trial for allegedly mismanaging $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms to fight the Boko Haram insurgents.

Dasuki’s counsel, Joe Daudu, argued that the decision of the Court of Appeal was erroneous, adding that it was incumbent on the Supreme Court to restore the

integrity of Daudu submitted that it was out of place for the court of appeal to scuttle the fundamental rights of a citizen after well-considered decisions of four courts that admitted the applicant to bail.

He said that his client needed the bail to prepare his defence, adding that he could not have access to security documents while in detention.

“My Lords, Dasuki is already being treated as a convict, even when none of the charges brought against him has been concluded.

“We sincerely pray this esteemed court to do the needful by setting aside the decision of the lower court.

“We also pray the court to momentarily halt the applicant’s trial until the federal government obeys the bail order of court,’’ Daudu said.

Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to EFCC, opposed the appeal, saying that

it lacked merit and should be dismissed.

He said the bail condition granted Mr. Dasuki was perfected on December 29, 2015, adding that a warrant of release to that effect was served on the Comptroller of Prisons in Kuje, upon which he was released.

Mr. Jacobs said the federal government had not violated his rights, adding that the applicant was only re-arrested by the operatives of the SSS over other fraud allegations.

He said that it was unfair for the applicant to consider his re-arrest as a disobedience to court’s order on his bail.

He said that no court bail was targeted at the SSS when granted.

“The EFCC which put Dasuki on trial on criminal charges at the FCT High Court cannot be held responsible for the action of the DSS on the ground that the two agencies are different entities.

“Besides, My Lords, the appeal court has said there was no existing order against the re-arrest of Dasuki.

“Suffice to say that there cannot be a disobedience to a non-existing court order.

“We pray the apex court to affirm the decision of the lower court which ordered the continuation of the applicant’s trial even while he remains in detention,’’ he said.

Dasuki had approached Supreme Court praying it to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which exonerated EFCC from his re-arrest shortly after he perfected his bail conditions.

He further asked the court to void the ruling of the Federal High Court.

The trial court had held that DSS and EFCC were distinct agents of the federal government, which is the complainant in the charges against the applicant.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

DAME 2017: THISDAY Bags Two Awards for Media Excellence Nigerian media facing tough times, says Olorunyomi Gboyega Akinsanmi and Solomon Elusoji THISDAY Newspapers yesterday won two different categories of the 2017 Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), thereby reaffirming its long-time tradition of robust journalism in the country.

Under the Best Designed Newspaper of the Year category, THISDAY was ranked foremost while its traditional rivals, The Guardian and The Punch Newspapers, came behind. The President of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mrs. Funke Egbemode presented the award.

THISDAY equally clinched UNICEF Prize for Most Child Friendly Medium for objectively championing the course of children in education, health, security and nutrition among others. The award was presented

by Mr. Niyi Opeodu.

The DAME organisers under the leadership of Mr. Lanre Idowu adjudged THISDAY

best in the second award for “its consistent focus on the Nigerian child across sectors such as health, education, security and nutrition,” a citation from DAME read, while acknowledging the rationale for the latter award.

The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In his remarks, the veteran journalist said: “There is a crisis in the country’s journalism,” calling for critical reforms.

He succinctly reflected on how the intervention of the media had secured Nigeria freedom from the military in between 1970s and 1990s, thereby heralding democratic order.

Unlike in the last three decades, Olorunyomi said the Nigeria media industry “is undergoing systemic crisis.

We are going through the most critical time. However, it is not peculiar to Nigeria. While the media in the developed

countries are responding to their challenges, we are not doing the same in Nigeria.

“We have more than 45,000 media Professionals in Nigeria.

There is no incentive for them to remain in the industry. However, there is no problem that cannot be solved. The leaders in the industry must work together to bring about critical reforms.”

In his address, the DAME chief executive buttressed Olorunyomi’s position, noting that he never knew the award ceremony could be held this year due to what he attributed to tough time, which he said the country had been going through.

However, according to him, what is most important is to keep the culture of excellence alive in Nigeria’s media industry.

This is an ideal that should be kept alive irrespective of what the country is going through.

He spoke about the process of selecting the winners of the awards, noting that the process “is fair, and transparent. We are all here because this is our collective interest.”

Other newspapers that won awards at the ceremonywere The Punch Newspaper, The Nation, The Guardian and New Telegraph.

No radio and television, broadcast station received an award due to what Idowu ascribed to dissatisfactory entries.

The Punch received ‘the Best Newspaper of the Year’, while Martins Oloja of the Guardian Newspaper won the Alade Odunewu Prize for Informed Journalism with his diatribe, ‘Why we need better universities, not more’. Likewise, the Editor of the Year Award went to Mr. Martin Ayankola of The Punch Newspaper.

Overall, the DAME chief executive said the entries showed

a lot of enthusiasm, patriotism and concern for the nation’s well being, but a lot of re-training still needs to be done to maximise the impact of journalism in the country.

Other category winners were Gbenro Adeoye of The Punch Newspaper who won the News Agency of Nigeria Prize for Agriculture Reporting with his story ‘Working like elephants, eating like ants: Sad tales of Nigeria’s poor female oil processors’.

Likewise, Mr. Taiwo Alimi of The Punch Newspaper won the S.O Idowu Prize for Sports Reporting with his story ‘The Making of Olympic Champions.’

Mr. Olatunji Ololade of The Nation Newspaper scooped home the UNICEF Prize for Child Friendly Reporting with his story ‘This Child has no blame’.

Mr. Suleiman Husaini of the

New Telegraph newspaper won the Hakeem Shitta Memorial Prize for News Photography with his work ‘Collapsed Building’.

Ms. Nike Popoola of The Punch Newspaper clinched the Sovereign Trust Insurance Prize for Insurance Reporting.

Mr. Olatunji Ololade of The Nation Newspaper won the Justice Morenikeji Onalaja Memorial Prize for Judicial Reporting for his story ‘Life on Death Row: Tragic lives of Nigerian prisoners.’

The Punch Newspaper clinched the Tunji Oseni Memorial Prize for Editorial Writing with ‘Nigeria’s economy and the future of oil’.

Toluwani Eniola and Umar Mohammed of The Punch Newspaper won the Sam Amuka Prize for Investigative Reporting with ‘Gikin-de-gikin: Nassarawa’s condomless sex fuels HIV epidemic.’

BudgIT Decries Assault on its Staff, Democratic Accountability Obinna Chima BudgIT, a civic organisation has decried the assault on its Project Tracking Officers (PTOs) by the Nigeria Police which culminated in the arrest of its Niger State PTO, Moses Motoni.

Although Motoni was released yesterday, BudgIT alleged that his arrest was on the order of Senator Mohammed Sani of Niger State.

The organisation said it intends to press charges for “this unlawful arrest and detention of our project tracking officer.”

According to a statement from the organisation yesterday, on December 2, 2017, Motoni had visited Bida, Niger South senatorial district to sensitise the community members on the zonal intervention projects awarded to their constituency in the 2017 Budget.

The exact project was the “installation of transformers and electrification of the following communities: Nowanya-Tawadzuru tiffinEmitswachi-Tawadzuru Tako in Gbako Local Government Area Niger South Senatorial District, Niger State-N25m)” as stated in the 2017 Appropriation Act. BudgIT further stated that Motoni had encouraged the community members to engage their representatives at the National Assembly and ensure the budgeted projects were implemented.

“Shortly after the town hall meeting in Bida, Senator Sani Mohammed put a phone call through to our PTO inviting him to a meeting in his house which he declined as there were instructions that BudgIT tracking personnel are not allowed to meet with public officials privately.

“However, on the 5, December 2017, Moses received a text

message instructing him to pick up a DHL parcel at Markafi market in Kaduna.

“Unknown to our PTO, it was a decoy by the Nigerian Police Force to apprehend him.

Upon arrival, he was forcefully taken into a car, handcuffed, maltreated and driven off by SARS Officials who disguised as DHL personnel,” the statement revealed.

BudgIT said it was distraught at the development considering that Motoni was merely exercising his rights as a citizen in a democratic nation like Nigeria.

The organisation stressed that public information is the right of every Nigerian citizen vis a vis public funds meant for developmental projects.

“The information received pointed Senator Mohammed Sani of Niger State as the alleged architect of the arrest involving the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and our officer, Motoni.

“Moses was taken to the Metro Police Station, Enugu Road in Kaduna and subsequently transferred to Abuja in hand and legs cuffs, while his aged mother wailed on as he was led away by the police.

“Motoni spent the night at the SARS office at Old Abattoir, Abuja despite all efforts to get him out. BudgIT took its social media platforms and raised the hashtag #FreeMosesMotoni to call for the wrongful detention of its officer.

“We acknowledge the support rendered by the Nigerian citizens, civil society organisations and media houses that took this undemocratic act up and contributed to the release of Moses Motoni.

“We will also like to reiterate that citizens must always hold their elected representatives accountable and ask questions at all time,” the statement added.

CHILD-FRIENDLY AWARD

Senior Correspondent, THISDAY, Mr. Gboyega Akinsanmi (left), receiving the UNICEF Prize for the Child Friendly Medium Award from the Managing Director, Tyndale Securities, Mr. Niyi Opeodu, at 26th DAME Award in Lagos....yesterday . Sunday Adigun

Customs Impounds 64 Vehicles, Smuggled Rice Worth N1.6bn Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday announced that it intercepted 22 truckloads of foreign parboiled rice with 64 units of vehicles smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring countries.

Customs Area Comptroller (CAC) of the Federal Operations Unit , Zone A, Muhammed Uba Garba, disclosed this while parading journalists around the sized items in its warehouses.

The rice, according to the CAC, has a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N164million while the vehicles have a value of N1.3billion.

According to him, “After

intensifying our operational modalities to meet up with the current smuggling tactics most especially as the yuletide draws closer, we have intercepted contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1.6billion.

“The seized items include 64 assorted vehicles (mostly brand new); 13,333 bags of foreign parboiled rice (almost 22 trailers); 1,390 cartons of frozen poultry products; 835 jerry cans of vegetable oil; 15 parcels of Indian hemp; 1,101 pieces of used tyres; 205 bales of used clothing among others.”

Garba stated that the service would enforce the federal government policy on importation of vehicles and rice through the land borders to encourage local production.

“We need to support the federal government policy on rice, encourage local rice farmers, the millers and patronise our nutritional rice, “he said.

Speaking on the vehicles intercepted, Garba said about 57 vehicles allegedly smuggled into the country are evacuated from an estate in Lagos.

“Among the detained vehicles are three Lexus SUV (bullet proof); one Toyota Land Cruiser (bullet proof); Nine Toyota Hilux, eight Toyota Hiace Bus; 26 Toyota Corolla; Nine Land Crusher SUV; Five Toyota Camry; one Land Rover; One Nissan Sentara; one Paper SUV all 2017 model and one Sienna 2015 model and One Lexus RX 350. These 64 assorted

vehicles alone have a DPV of N1.3billion.

“While 57 vehicles were evacuated based on intelligence along Omole estate, Ojodu and Olayiwole close Lekki Phase 1, the remaining seven were intercepted while on information patrol along Ijebu-Ode expressway and Olorunda,”he stated.

The Customs boss however challenged anyone with useful proof of payment of Customs duty to come forward to claim the seized vehicles.

Garba added: “As I speak with you, nobody has come forward to claim ownership yet because we doubt if they have any Customs papers on the vehicles, let alone the End-user Certificate for the bullet proof.”

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Tension as Fulanis Reject Open-grazing Prohibition Bill in Plateau Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Unlike their counterparts in Benue State, Fulani community in Plateau State, under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has rejected the open-grazing prohibition bill, warning the state House of Assembly not to yield to pressure mounted on it from various quarters to pass it into law.

It added that the bill would brew trouble in the hitherto restive state.

A statement signed by the state Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Muhammadu Nura, said: “The Fulani view the agitation by a group known as G-17 for a ban on open grazing as political, trying to incite trouble in the state that is trying to consolidate on the attained relative peace currently being enjoyed.”

A youth group called Plateau

Court Adjourns Metuh’s Trial to Jan 22 Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday adjoured trial of former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh till January, 22, 2018.

The judge adjourned the trial after the ninth defense witness gave his evidence in court yesterday.

Metuh is standing trial on alleged diversion of N400m from the office of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retired).

At the resumed trial yesterday, counsel to the 1st defendant, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), presented another defense witness - Director of News, Africa Independent Television (AIT), Mr. Adebayo Bodurin.

The wireness informed the court

that the sum of N7,492,250.00 was paid to the station AIT for the purpose of advertisement for PDP. He added that the money formed part of several other sums paid for public sensitisation on the activities of PDP. According to Bodurin, the money was collected for AIT through Metuh’s media aide, Mr. Richard Ihediwa.

Metuh, through his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), had asked the court to adjourn until former President Goodluck Jonathan is served with a court order to appear as a defence witness in the trial.

Justice Abang however refused to grant the application on the ground that Metuh was at liberty to begin the process for the service of a subpoena on Mr. Jonathan through substituted means.

Youths G-17 for Peace and Progress led by Mr. Dachung Musa Bagos, had on Tuesday morning protested in black attires at the state House of Assembly where it presented a bill for prohibition of open-grazing in the state, citing persistent attacks by herdsmen as its reason.

But MACBAN, in its reaction, said it was convinced that “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is the supreme law of the land guarantees freedom of movement and the right of citizens to live in any part of the country and embark on any legal business of their choice without any let, hindrance, restriction or

molestation.

“Also, the bill has negated all international, regional and sub-regional laws, conventions, charters and treaties which also guarantee the above rights including trans-human to all and sundry.”

Nura observed that some of the provisions of the bill are barbaric anti-human and born out of ethnic and religious sentiments.

“The bill also poses serious threat, intimidation and harassment to the herders.”

He said: “As Nigerians and people of Plateau State, we will not stay back to look at trouble makers trample on our fundamental

rights. So, we vehemently reject any attempts by any group or the state lawmakers to formulate a bill that is harmful to us and our existence.

“Let me categorically make it clear that we will not succumb to any politically sponsored bill seeking for passage into law to ban open-grazing in our state.

We understand that the G-17 are agitating for the seizure of cattle route, grazing reserves and grazing corridors in the state and giving them out to farmers. That is unacceptable.

“We are against any plan for cattle ranching, and we would also not buy any land for the

purpose of rearing our cattle as being proposed by the G-17.

“We are therefore urging the lawmakers to desists from doing what will eventually plunge the state into avoidable confusion. As peaceful and law-abiding citizens, we would continue to not only live peacefully with others, but will also support and promote peaceful coexistence. We also urge our people not topanic because of the ill-conceived bill.”

Though the Fulani have rejected the bill, the youths in the state have vowed to continue to pressure the lawmakers to pass it into law.

Onnoghen: Ongoing Judicial Reforms Will Enhance Justice Delivery in Nigeria Alex Enumah in Abuja The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, yesterday said the ongoing reforms in the judiciary which would soon be visible will enhance justice delivery in the country.

He said once this is done, Nigerians will begin to appreciate the role of the judiciary in a democratic environment.

Onnoghen stated this at a retirement valedictory session organised for the former Secretary of the NJC, Danladi Halilu, and other retired staff of the council

in Abuja.

The CJN who commended the retirees on their positive contributions to the nation’s justice sector said the event was designed to honour retired staff of the NJC and give the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“In no distant time, Nigeria will come to appreciate the role of the NJC. The nation’s judiciary will soon be better with all the ongoing reforms that have been put in place.

“The judiciary and all the agencies under it should adhere strictly to the code of conduct, as the judiciary under my watch will not condole

any act of defiance,” he stated.

Speaking attheoccasion,theformer NJC Secretary, Danladi Halilu, while commending the current leadership of the NJC on the initiative, called for the inclusion of lower courts in the federation so as to achieve meaningful success in the entire justice delivery sector.

According to him, there is need for lower courts to turn in their returns of cases to their various state Judicial Service Commissions and the Judicial Service Committee of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“The report on the returns of cases in respect of superior courts

of record at the level of NJC has been very helpful to administration of justice. “It is necessary for the various laws on administration of the pension of retired judicial officers in the federation to be harmonised and the payment of pension of the state retired judicial officers be also made by the NJC,” he said.

The former NJC scribe added that such move would guarantee the security of officers, particularly those of the state judiciary whom he noted are hardly paid their gratuities or pension after retirement from office.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

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COMMENT

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

AFRICAN DESCENTDANT TRAPS BRITISH ROYALTY Africa must do more than the addition of their descendant into Britain’s monarchy, writes Okello Oculi

T

he history of England re-visited its past with the revelation on November 27, 2017 of the engagement of Ms Meghan Mackel (a famous actress with an African-American mother and Irish father), and Prince Harry, Princess Diana’s second son. It is a sparkling peak during ‘’The International Decade for the Rights of Peoples of African Descent’’ (January 1, 2015 to December 30, 2024). In 2007, archaeologists found the skeleton of ‘’a female of Black African descent’’ with roots in African troops and administrators in the Roman conquest and colonisation of England.

Subsequently, a black African was a royal trumpeter for Tudor kings: Henry V11 and Henry V111.

England’s revenge against past African conquest would, from 1550 to 1880, yield enormous wealth for thousands of individuals and institutions from sugar cane, coffee, tobacco and minerals grown and extracted by millions of Africa’s most productive youths exported to the Caribbean and the Americas. England later imported over 1,200 Africans who fought with British colonial troops against America’s anti-colonial revolutionaries.

Racial discrimination in jobs and denial of government funds to support their making a living trap ensured their poverty. In 1787, 4000 of these ‘’loyalists’ ‘and their white wives were deported to Sierra Leone.

Lacking official funding support, experience in managing commercial agriculture, commerce, industrial production, these colonists failed to match the economic productivity by poor white Britons shipped from prisons to Australia. Sierra Leone’s immigrants suffered from the rejection of productive work shown by African former slaves in Brazil, Guyana and elsewhere freed from cruelties and humiliations of labour under slavery.

Their deportation severely crippled increase in the population of Africans in Britain. In 1772, there were 15,000 Africans in London, representing a mere one per cent of London’s total population. In 2011 the total number of Afro-Caribbeans and Africans in Britain was a mere two million (3 per cent). This limited increase was boosted by the importation, in 1948, of Caribbean workers to help rebuild Britain after the devastation of her population by the Second World War. Nigerians and Ghanaians also increased in numbers: arousing a rush of legislation to limit immigration. For a country that had exported and supported immigrants to increase their population in Kenya, Southern and Northern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), South Africa, the Americas and Oceania, Britain has continued to remain bad-hearted over welcoming immigrants from Africa. Commonwealth Africa has remained amazingly silent and indulgent over this British virus.

The culture of racial discrimination remains resilient. Prime Minister Theresa May’s irritation - on November 30, 2017 - with President Trump’s re-tweeting anti-Muslim pictures posted to him by a racist British group, ‘’Britain First’’, is evidence of determination by political leaders to erode and control this problem. That, however, offers no agenda targeting African immigrants, including eradicating lack of access to high quality education and ceilings that deny top position in state and private sector institutions.

While showing me around London in June 1977, George Gelber (now

AFRICA MUST INSIST ON CAPTURING AND DOMESTICATING THE INTENSIVE BRILLIANCE AND HARD WORK WHICH MS MEGHAN MACKEL WAVES AT SKIES ABOVE HER ENTRY INTO THE BRITISH ROYAL ORBIT

Lord Gelber) expressed concern that Afro-Caribbean youths were showing attraction by low-self esteem models prevalent among poor African-Americans locked in slums in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Held down by poverty, teenage pregnancies and violence, their role models are star athletes, footballers, basketball players, pimps or fashion models. London’s Telegraph newspaper reported the case of a Jamaican woman who saved her son from falling out of school by taking him back to Jamaica where seeing black political leaders, engineers, architects and other professionals revived the boy’s self-esteem and ambition to become a top student.

British schools have been accused of despising countries of immigrant parents, thereby, undermining the pride and self-confidence of their children in schools. Some Nigerian and Ghanaian parents have succeeded in countering negative effects of racism and enabled their children to match or top scores in nation-wide A Level exams.

Investment in positive image-engineering and irrigation of talents in female youths in engineering, mathematics and inventions is vital.

There is much potential for use of television and film documentaries for ‘’telling the story of women from the point of view of women’’ – to quote an Indian film-maker – as a vital mission for promoting freedoms and welfare of women on the continent and among African Diaspora communities. African governments should support the production of positive information about Africa for Diaspora youths; as well as ‘ALTERNATIVE HISTORIES’’ of Europe, Asia, the Americas with the benefit of Diaspora scholars and film-producers exploiting rich library resources and new communication tools.

Nigeria has been focused on structural roots for ‘’good governance’’.

A BBC documentary on the Queen’s visits to local communities and chatting with ‘’invisible officials’’ running affairs, offers a worthy model. Similar documentaries on cultures of healthcare delivery; officials relating with citizens, and academics and politicians relating with constituencies deserve such investments.

A 1936 World Trade Fare showed the domination by British aristocrats of new industrial inventions and patents. The tradition of intensive high quality education for the country’s ruling political, commercial, industrial, and banking leaders must be noted. The historian J.P. Taylor recalls reading 1,500 books (including all classics in English literature and history) to prepare for an interview for admission into Oxford University. Britain’s ‘’best and brightest’’ confront Africa’s officials whose ignorance and ‘’intellectual laziness’’ become crimes against humanity and national sovereignty. The African Diaspora must aid Africa to do what Japan’s leaders did for themselves, namely: copying models used by Germany, France, Britain and the United States in breeding their own ‘’best and brightest’’.

Africa must not stop at revelling about the symbolism of adding their descendant into Britain’s monarchy. They must insist on capturing and domesticating the intensive brilliance and hard work which Ms Meghan Mackel waves at skies above her entry into the British royal orbit.

TRAVAILS OF A LEXICOGRAPHER Willie Eleje-Abili highlights some of the difficulties of putting together a dictionary

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ometime between 2012 and 2014, I wrote a dictionary titled ‘Ozibihe’ (Heathen Master), ‘Ozibihe Comprehensive Dictionary of English Translation to Ehugbo Dialect and Encyclopeadia’.

The lexicography was a fall-out of my ‘Scriptural Paraphrases and Illustrations in Ehugbo Dialect’ (SPIED), a voice recording in three volumes, which began in 2005. SPIED demonstrated that Ehugbo dialect is profoundly ecclesiastic in timeless wisdom, traditions and evolving science. It also revealed that Donald, the first trump got elected on November 9, ie 11|9, and 9|11, ie September 11, the twin towers came down. SPIED was applied to trace my kindred through Chad, from the tribe of Issachar in Israel to Nde-Egu barns of yaw. In the articles published in THISDAY of April 14, 2017, titled “Awakening the Giant: My Dream for Ebonyi State�, advanced SPIED was applied to explain the head and tail of statecraft. On the third heavens as SPIED, is a cobweb of scriptural precepts based on the King James Version of Holy Bible and on the assumptions that: what is referred to is different from what is meant, that all the world were of one language and of one speech and that every language is onomatopoeia of the other. As a by-product of SPIED, Ozibihe Dictionary was audacious and was therefore faced with appalling odds. To begin with, the dictionary invariably turned out an exposition in onomatopoeia and figurative language; the acknowledgements were lacking in discretion in its nepotism and the glossary was anything but comprehensive because, for reasons that can never be justified, it was hastily put together. It then took on a stereotype of disrepute.

Having grown up in the then countryside township of Enugu, typical of elitist Igbo middle class of the 1970s and 80s, with neither experience in native

socialisation nor schooling in the learning and tongue of nde-Ehugbo, Ozibihe was an unlikely lexicographer of a pioneer dictionary of Ehugbo dialect. It therefore suffered from prejudicial probity.

Moreover, with 28 eight alphabets, two more than the Anglo-Saxon, Ehugbo dialect is intractable in its versatility, capability of approximating rime, flexible syllabic emphasis and colloquial sentence. I was writing Ozibihe with my left, SPIED with my right, and means of livelihood which stayed in-between would be indifferent. The dictionary was as Dr Samuel Johnson, the first English Lexicographer put it, â€œâ€Śwritten with no assistance from the learned and with little patronage from the greats, not in the soft obscurities of retirement or under the shelter of academic bowers but amidst inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow‌.â€? For an abiding urgency to vindicate my dexterity, I delved into literary translations of Igbo meta-language titled ‘Mkpanaka Okowa Okwu-Igbo, A Handy EnglishIgbo Leaner’s Dictionary’. First published in 2014 by the University of Lagos Press and Bookshops Ltd, the book has since recorded testimonials of institutional regard from the UNESCO-Institute for African Culture and International Understanding and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. While I remain passionate about lexicography, but cannot claim that my motive is altruistic or pecuniary, it has exposed me to topical issues around the language. I discovered that, Igbo is among 10 other African languages recently declared dead by the UNESCO. What this means is that the language is no longer current, currency of which should imply a loss of general acceptability or objectionable or that the language has been over-taken by events. It were therefore in the nature of things, that some of my extra curricula activities began to fall around re-inventing public

consciousness on the lingual predicaments, with my NGO, Igbo Language Renaissance Initiative (ILRI), as the platform of traction at exorbitant personal cost exposure. Since then a number of press radio and television interviews have been granted but whether those are generating curiosity or interest remains to be seen, for after countless linger, in the waiting room of governors, rendezvous with the illustrious and modest achievements and age, the dictionary is yet an orphan. But why devote so much personal energy and sacrifice to an apparently novel and trivial past time like lexicography? I believe that the English Dictionary provided a basis to standardise the language and professional lexicon, which would otherwise leave jurisprudence largely open to interpretation and compromise rule of law. In the case of itinerant Igbo in diaspora, an Igbo dictionary should cause a sense of nostalgia and help the kids to know themselves. It is usually the last wish of every talented author to see his work widely read and then shall he know that his work is done for bestowal of posthumous appreciation on a demised man is one of the vanities of life. My travails are aptly captured by Dr. Johnson in his letter to Lord Chesterfield of February 1755, snubbing the belated efforts of help from his would be patron, “My Lord, I have been lately informed, by the proprietor of The World, that two papers, in which my Dictionary is recommended to the public, were written by your lordship. To be so distinguished is an honour which, being very little accustomed to favours from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge. “When, upon some slight encouragement, I first visited your lordship, I was overpowered, like the rest of mankind, by the enchantment of your address, and could not forbear to wish that I might boast myself Le vainqueur du vainqueur

de la terre;—that I might obtain that regard for which I saw the world contending; but I found my attendance so little encouraged, that neither pride nor modesty would suffer me to continue it. When I had once addressed your Lordship in public, I had exhausted all the art of pleasing which a retired and uncourtly scholar can possess. I had done all that I could; and no man is well pleased to have his all neglected, be it ever so little. Seven years, my lord, have now passed, since I waited in your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door; during which time I have been pushing on my work through difficulties, of which it is useless to complain, and have brought it, at last, to the verge of publication, without one act of assistance, one word of encouragement, or one smile of favour.

Such treatment I did not expect, for I never had a patron before. The shepherd in Virgil grew at last acquainted with Love, and found him a native of the rocks. Is not a patron my lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help? The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind; but it has been delayed till I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy it: till I am solitary, and cannot impart it, till I am known, and do not want it. I hope it is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received, or to be unwilling that the public should consider me as owing that to a patron, which providence has enabled me to do for myself.

Having carried on my work thus far with so little obligation to any favourer of learning, I shall not be disappointed though I should conclude it, if less be possible, with less; for I have been long wakened from that dream of hope, in which I once boasted myself with so much exultation.�

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

EDITORIAL THE REFINERIES AS BASKET CASE It is time to privatise the refineries

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arlier this year, we highlighted the wrong choices being made in the oil and gas sector by this administration. First, we queried the wisdom in the oil exploration in both the Lake Chad and Sokoto Basins a few months after Boko Haram ambushed and killed some lecturers from the University of Maiduguri. We also could not understand why the federal government would insist on holding on to the three reďŹ neries operated by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt at huge cost to the nation.

That was against the background of the revelation by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu that the reďŹ neries were working at 30 per cent capacity but President Muhammadu Buhari would not permit that they be sold or privatised. “Personally, I would have chosen to sell the reďŹ neries but President Buhari has instructed that they should be ďŹ xed,â€? said Kachikwu who added, “after they are ďŹ xed, if they still operate below 60 per cent, then we will know what to do.â€?

WHAT WILL THE FEDERAL Given the foregoGOVERNMENT LOSE BY ing, we agree with the LETTING GO OF THE LOSS- House of RepresentaMAKING REFINERIES tives that the reported plan by the NNPC AND ALLOW PRIVATE INVESTORS REVAMP AND management to expend a whopping sum RUN THEM ON AGREED BUSINESS FRAMEWORK? of $1.8 billion for yet another Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) on the three moribund reďŹ neries is no more than a scam. While we understand where President Buhari is coming from and his ideological position on state run enterprises, this is not a time for nostalgia. In a season that demands taking practical decisions that will help the nation at a time of lean resources, spending such a colossal amount of money on dead reďŹ neries is, to put it mildly, rather foolish.

Indeed, that the three companies have an average consolidated monthly overhead of about N7 billion while producing little at a time the country continues

Letters to the Editor

to spend vital foreign exchange to import petroleum products, speaks volume about the economic priorities of the Buhari government. Incidentally, this same government claims it wants to cut waste in its businesses, and shore up production and distributable revenue.

If we may ask, what will the federal government lose by letting go of the loss-making reďŹ neries and allow private investors revamp and run them on agreed business framework?

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

AMBODE AND DEPLORABLE AJAO ESTATE ROADS

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o the extent that the decision on another round of expensive TAM makes no sense, we believe that it is time to privatise the reďŹ neries and allow fresh resources – ďŹ nancial, material and human, to be injected into them. Besides, the government should realise from the 650,000 barrels per day reďŹ nery project which the Dangote Group is building, and should be ready by 2019, that reďŹ nery businesses are no longer fanciful in the hands of government, especially in a country whose government has shown deep incompetence in managing economic ventures.

When completed, Dangote’s reďŹ nery in Lekki, Lagos would have toppled South Africa’s Sapref ReďŹ nery, which has a production capacity of 180,000bpd and currently the largest in Africa, as well as Egypt’s Cairo Mostorod ReďŹ nery with a capacity of 142,000bpd. Both Sapref and Mostorod are however operated in a joint venture arrangement.

From all available reports, the operations of the three reďŹ neries have shown that they are just lossmaking cost centres the nation cannot afford to keep.

According to the NNPC monthly operations and ďŹ nancial reports, the reďŹ neries have for a long period been operating below commercial thresholds and may continue on this trend for a long time. Indeed, due majorly to the recurrent issue of pipeline vandalism and resultant losses from its operations, the reďŹ neries have been a drain on the ďŹ nancial operations of the NNPC. The question many therefore ask is: In whose interest is the latest proposal to waste another $1.8 billion in the name of TAM for the reďŹ neries?

Certainly not that of Nigerians!

join my voice to those who had earlier, though unsuccessfully, called the attention of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to the deplorable state of roads across the length and breadth of Ajao Estate, a sprawling settlement off the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road.

While the efforts of the Ambode-led administration to expand the airport road and Oshodi-Apapa Expressway to give the place a facelift are laudable, the governor should be urged not to neglect Ajao Estate as previous administrations had done.

While the Light-up Lagos project has helped in giving night life in major parts of Lagos a boost through illumination of the streets, it is sad to note that the streets of Ajao Estate are in pitch darkness at night as the project was not extended to the area.

But the area where the state government’s neglect of the estate is most noticeable is in the deplorable condition of the roads. The roads are at best craters that damage vehicles and cause residents and motorists anguish and discomfort. A visit to streets like Olutosin Ajayi, Cobham, Akinola Sholanke, Akinsanya, Joy Avenue and others is enough to leave a first time visitor or investor to the famed Mega City with the worst type of impression about the state government.

I therefore use this medium to once again call on Governor Ambode to direct the Lagos State Public Works Corporation or any other agency of the state responsible for fixing and repairing roads to mobilise to the estate without further delay to salvage the situation. It is a shame that a reputable estate like Ajao hosting many financial institutions, organisations and home to many notable Lagosians is in such a state of infrastructural decay.

Azeez Saliu, Ajao Estate, Lagos

SHEHU MALAMI AT 80

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ver since I drove with him from Sokoto (where I had gone for an editorial assignment) to Abuja in 2004, the Sarkin Sudan of Wurno, Ambassador Shehu Malami has not only kept in touch with me, he would call from time to time to ask after my family. It is a gesture I really appreciate. And when, in December 2011, I requested him to chair the public presentation of my book, ‘Power, Politics and Death’, he did not even hesitate before accepting.

Incidentally, I became aware of his 80th birthday and the presentation of his book, ‘Shehu Malami: A Prince of the Caliphate’ only from newspaper reports yesterday but the mercurial Governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha spoke for many of us at the occasion when he said: “Malami’s lifestyle has shown how easy it is to downplay our differences and live as one people�.

It is not every day that one agrees with Okorocha but on Tuesday in Abuja, he was spot on regarding the new Octogenarian. As Ambassador Malami therefore clocks 80, I wish him many more years of good health in the service of our country.

Olusegun Adeniyi, THISDAY, Abuja

END SARS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

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en of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, intimidate, harass and brutalise innocent citizens without cause.

Therefore, the IG may want to scrap or modify it in the interest of Nigerians and of their rights.

In the interest of society, the IG and indeed the police must understand that its primary responsibility is to protect human lives and uphold their dignity, rather than claim any. Security agencies should focus more on internal discipline of its men and emphasise diligence in dispensing their duty.

While we appreciate the effort of the police to reduce crime to the minimum in our society, it must identify with the global call for the respect and protection of human dignity.

Charles Iyare, Human Rights, ANEEJ

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Oye: APGA Has No Plans to Align with APC The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Oye has dismissed claims that his party has a secret pact with the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying APGA’s ideology is different from that of APC. He spoke with Onyebuchi Ezigbo who presents the excerpts:

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ow did your party take the victory at the just concluded governorship election in Anambra State?

The victory of Governor Obiano was a collective victory for all Igbos because Igbos from all works of life gave their support to him directly or indirectly. Then all APGAs all over the world threw their support behind Obiano and this was what led to the victory. Then another thing that contributed to Obiano’s victory was his outstanding performance as governor and that is the way APGA operates. APGA produces governors that perform. Peter Obi performed for 8 years, Obiano is performing, he is going to end his four years first tenure on the 17th of March 2018 and he will start another tenure and by the time he finishes APGA would have done 16 years in Anambra State. You know what that amounts to in terms of development and total change. Now if you look at the wall here, you will see that every community in Anambra state has projects, 108 of them N20 million each and by next year it will increase to N40 million to each community which means that by the time Obiano leaves office in 2022 every community in Anambra would have done projects worth. N200 million which has never happened anywhere in Nigeria. This is what we call crystallization of development. What he is doing here is what we call grassroot development because he has now taken development to the people. Imagine where all the communities around us, each of them carry out N200 million worth of project; Anambra would be a different place all together in another five years and don’t forget in the next three years Obiano will give us an airport.

Does APGA have a succession plan in place to make Obiano’s second term less rancorous?

We are not thinking of a successor for now because he has just been re-elected. I think that should be a matter for another time. May be, by the time he would have done two years of his second term then we would begin to see the picture which would be much clearer but what I can tell you is that we are ready for anything, we plan for the future. When Obiano came, he had a clear cut vision of what he wanted to do and he is following his vision diligently that is why you see things happening around here. He is a man that is contented with what he has and very intelligent governor with charisma; he has a language for everybody. So I am very happy that things turned out this way for the people of Anambra state because they are in for good times. The next four years will be full of action. At least we are sure of an international airport in Anambra in the next three years. So if you want to fly to America just fifteen minutes drive to the airport instead of going to Enugu thinking of how to get to Lagos and America. That journey alone will be enough for you to travel half way to America.

What about winning elections in neighbouring states, why is APGA not expanding?

How could you say that we are not spreading out? We have done that. This is a new era in this party. We are building a new structure that will take this party to the top and that is why we don’t make noise. The dog that makes noise doesn’t bite. So what we are doing here is to remain focused. We have built our development on a plan on four pillars; oil and gas, industrialization, trade and commerce, and agriculture. Those are the pillars and you know what pillars mean in a structure? The pillars hold the entire structure. Then in the same structure you now have what they call the cross beams, the plans, all of them make the structure homogenous. So what we are trying to achieve in Anambra is homogeneity in our

succeeding. Secondly, envy because he thought he would be the only governor that would achieve second term in Anambra because he was telling people after him no other governor will be able to achieve second term and when he saw it was going to happen in Obiano’s tenure he started attacking him and he brought somebody, the former secretary to the governor thinking the man will turn the table he didn’t know that he was living in the past, that we have gone higher and higher. So by the time the chips were down Peter Obi was no were to be found. Up till today he hasn’t spoken because he was beaten hands down. How many votes did PDP score in Anambra state? This is an APGA state. Peter Obi achieved all he achieved, made all the noise he made because he was with us. Immediately he left us he lost his heritage and he lost his manhood. So if you lose your manhood how can you impregnate a woman? So he left APGA and went into PDP as a castrated man politically. There is no way he would have impregnated PDP and by the time he got into PDP, PDP had already reached menopause so it became double wahala for dead body. So Peter Obi tried to play god and God said ‘No I remain the God, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End’ and He told the man there can’t be two Gods and God has silenced him, buried him politically.

People are saying that APGA is likely to align with the ruling APC. We don’t share the same ideology with APC and no one gave us that condition to do anything.

We are independent and going according to the dictates of God. God is the one leading us.

Before the election, there were legal issues about the leadership of the party. Some group tried to upstage the leadership of the party under you. Do you think the matter has been laid to rest or are we expecting more legal fireworks?

What is firework? Has there been any firework?

All these things that happened in the past, I never felt they existed. That is the truth and the reason is, none of them had any foundation in law so there was no way they would have stood. They started with Ozoh Nwanbueze, he did not succeed . The next one came, he kissed the dust and he has nine perpetual injunctions hanging on his neck. Even as we speak it will be difficult for anybody in the party to raise any frivolous thing; it can’t work because there is an existing court judgement.

Before the election, there were heated arguments between former governor Peter Obi and Obiano. Now that election has been won and lost, do you see that bad blood continuing?

Obiano is a bit hesitant. He doesn’t talk easily, he takes his time. Now Peter Obi has been the aggressor, it is very important to note that. Since the day Obiano was sworn in as governor Peter Obi started antagonising him for no justification rather than greed and lust for power. Now as a rational human being can you point out one thing that Obiano did against Peter Obi? Nothing! The matter has been brought to the public domain and there was nothing Peter Obi didn’t say against Obiano yet Obiano remained calm. I can vouch for Obiano, he is not giving in to abusive words. You can insult Obiano from now till tomorrow Obiano will not abuse you. I have never seen that kind of discipline in my life. So Peter Obi took advantage of that because since the governor doesn’t respond to his activities against him so he turned it against him, he took over the airwaves, everyone was insulting the governor yet he kept calm and what was the cause of the problem? Money! He said that it was alleged that there was N7.5 billion, whose money was that? And by the way was account opened for that money to show that you gave the money to the governor? Nothing to prove; he was just making wild allegations.

As far as I am concerned as an insider in this system Obiano did not do anything to Peter Obi but Peter Obi all of a sudden just became so aggressive because he saw that Obiano is

Which judgement?

Court of Appeal in Ibadan gave a judgement in favour of APGA. Some NWC members took the party to court and they lost at the lower court so they went to the Court of Appeal and the appeal court said they were rascals, why should they try what they tried? In fragrant disregard of the constitution of the party of 2014 as amended and that has silenced it. Let me tell you the other man called Martins Agbaso is not a member of our party. Besides, he didn’t contest election in the party, so what right did he have to go to court in the first place? He didn’t even go to court himself he used somebody called Mike Alioto; I hope you are aware of that case. So his name isn’t even in the case so that is why he is an interloper. The man that should have been seeking the chairmanship should be Alioto and not Agbaso because Agbaso never took anybody to court. So why should you benefit from something you didn’t add to? Is the court now a Father Christmas? So Agbaso shouldn’t even be in the picture but because of the way our system is structured.

If it were abroad that man should be resting in prison by now but here in Nigeria anything goes and I still call on the Nigerian police to arrest that man because he is an impersonator and we have written a petition to the NJC over the absurd judgement of the lower court in Enugu, a strong petition acknowledged by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and I have a copy. So we are going to take this matter to its logical end and until we get justice.

Oye

structure of development. This administration came with a vision and is doing exactly that. I have worked with four governors I have never seen one as visionary as this. He knows where he is going to and he knows how to get there.

One beautiful thing about this administration is, if he tells you he is doing a project the man is already there. The government doesn’t owe contractors. Contractors are paid their dues. We don’t owe civil servants pension, gratuity or salaries. As we speak every civil servant has got his leave allowance for 2017 which has never happened anywhere. Other states are talking of paying salaries; they are not talking of leave allowance. Some got their leave allowance as far back as 2007.

How would you replicate this fit in Anambra in other states in the South-east It is on our template. That is why we want Nigerians to give us the opportunity. I know power isn’t given but taken but I can tell you Nigerians can key to our vision. When I was interviewed after the results were announced, I said that APGA government naturally could change the face of this country. We can turn things around. We have the capacity to do it.

Everything about development is planning.

Are you planning to present a candidate in 2019?

APGA produces governors that perform. Peter Obi performed for 8 years, Obiano is performing

When we get to the bridge we will cross it.

You know what we do in APGA is that we always allow God to show us the way. When God tell us what to do in 2019 we will follow God’s guidance.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017

POLITICS

Let the People Choose Their Governor, Adeola Tells Amosun The senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District and a front runner in the race to replace Ibikunle Amosun as governor of Ogun State, Olamilekan Adeola, wants the governor to stop the witch-hunt against him and allow the people to elect who will govern them. He spoke with Tobi Soniyi and Femi Ogbonnikan. Excerpts:

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gun State governor, Sen Ibikunle Amosun, has publicly declared opposition to your governorship ambition though both of you are in the same APC. Governor Amosun and I have no issue. He is my governor. As the governor he remains the leader of the state.

And like you have rightly said, we belong to the same party. His opposition to my aspiration does not mean I have offended him or done anything wrong to him but because what is different is our political ideology. To him, they claim I am coming from Lagos. And he asked, “how can I come from Lagos and become the governor of Ogun State”? It is a bit of challenge for him to comprehend and that has caused a lot of hoola-baloo and it has generated a lot of controversies. But come to think of it.

Interestingly, nobody has governed Ogun State that was not from Lagos. Chief Bisi Onabanjo who was from Kakawa, Lagos Island. Chief Olusegun Osoba, ex-MD, Daily Times Plc, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, MD, Kresta Laurel, Sen Ibikunle Amosun of the Amosun Chartered Accountant & Co., that his office is here in Lagos. So, if you look at this, it is so straight that Chief Bisi Onabanjo was from Ijebu. He came from Kakawa and he became the governor. Otunba Gbenga Daniel is from Remo and he is the MD, Kresta Laurel, Lagos and he became the governor. Chief Olusegun Osoba is from Egba and he was MD, Daily Times and he became the governor. Sen Ibikunle Amosun is from Egba, he came from Lagos and he became the governor. As we speak, he still resides in Lagos.

So, why is it that it is the time or turn of Yewa and now he is saying the Yewa man who is also coming from Lagos can’t be the governor of Ogun State? I believe that should not be the prerogative of the governor but the prerogative of the people. The people have spoken that he (Sen Adeola) is our son and as such they are in support. We have got endorsement from here and there. He is our son and we are supporting him for Ogun State 2019. I believe strongly the governor sees reason in this line and not that we are expecting that the governor should support us because sometimes you will just notice that you might be thinking differently and others might be thinking this way. We are forging ahead and we are hoping and praying, that with the support of God Almighty and the good people of Ogun State, by the grace of God, come 2019 we shall be the governor of the state.

What should the people expect from you if you become the governor of Ogun State?

Let me start by thanking everybody who has supported me in this journey. It is my prayer that by the grace of Almighty we will come out victorious. I would want to look at our dear state from three perspectives; Ogun in the past, Ogun in the present and Ogun in the future. Ogun, in the past, is looking at what our past leaders from the democratic dispensation had done towards the development of the state. And when I refer to the leaders, I am referring to Late Chief Bisi Onabanjo, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel. In the present, we are talking about Sen Ibikunle Amosun. By and large, all these men, at least, have contributed their own quota towards the development of the state through various developmental programmes which they were able to put in place, to assist in driving development across the state. When we refer to Chief Bisi Onabanjo, who God had used largely to build and create a lot of institutions across the state and who in the area of infrastructure did well to better the lots of the state. Chief Olusegun Osoba, whose administration focused on rural development, also built roads. He embarked on rural electrification and all other amenities with the intention that by the time he returned for the second term he would focus on urban development. Chief Gbenga Daniel administration which was a mixture of both the urban and the

Adeola

rural also contributed his own quota towards the development of our dear state. And the present governor, Sen Ibikunle Amosun who is on a mission to build, has also contributed his own quota and it is so evident majorly in the area of road construction across the state.

He has equally done well and has tried his best to develop the state. We will build on the legacies of our past leaders. That is why we are going to offer a participatory government for sustainable development. An inclusive government. In the past, there has been an issue of successive administrations destroying each other’s legacies, all because they would like to create a platform to showcase themselves to those that elected them, that this is their own contribution towards the development of the state. We will complement whatever any government has done for the generality of the people of Ogun State. Our approach will be different from what you have seen.

A clear-cut system of governance is what we are bringing to the table. A government where every average citizen of Ogun State would have his or her own say. A government in which all communities will be given a sense of belonging. A more focused and pragmatic kind of government. A government that will not abandon one sector for another. We will address youth and sport development, environment, transportation, works and infrastructure, agriculture, urban renewal and regeneration, poverty alleviation and women empowerment, physical infrastructure, financial re-engineering

The governor should allow the Ogun West people to choose who among them they want to be governor

and positioning the finances of the state. A lot needs to be done to turn around the fortunes of our state in every sector. For example, we will critically look at the environmental sector.

Another area that we will be looking at is security. We will create a security trust fund.

We will engage all companies, all industries operating in Ogun State, captains of industries, banks everywhere to be part of this fund. We are going to be major stakeholders too.

Ogun State uses to be known as one of the best in education but presently the state is doing poorly in WAEC and other examinations.

How will you address this?

As you have rightly said, Ogun State, in terms of education, had done extremely well and I can tell you that, as far as this country is concerned, we are one of the best. When you talk about Tai Solarin, Wole Soyinka, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola and many other renowned citizens of the state who had done so much to put us on the world map, as far as educational excellence is concerned. I will declare an emergency in the education sector. We would be looking at the educational structure that exists in all our educational institutions; and we will be looking at the curriculum of the students, how often it is being reviewed by the government. Secondly, in the area of teachers, there is the need for us to train and retrain our teachers. Our teachers have been abandoned. Their morale is low. Their allowances are being held by the government, salaries are not coming as at when due. We are going to motivate them to deliver. Their salaries will be promptly paid. Allowances will not be withheld. We will give them opportunities to develop themselves. We will promote and celebrate our teachers.

Where exactly is your root in Ogun West?

I want to thank you very much and I think for those of us that have been following the political scenario being played out in Ogun State, for a while. Just last Sunday, the good people of my town came out enmass to give me their endorsement. They also declared their support for me. This issue of ancestral lineage is not much of a problem for me because I believe that whoever that is saying anything is just saying it to entertain himself or herself. I have chosen not to go into any kind of discussion with

anybody because a lot has been written about it. We have chosen to remain focus, to remain calm, I don’t think I should be bothered about it. There is no time that I have ever denied my ancestral background. I have made it loud and clear and may be, the governor, yes he is the governor of our state, doesn’t understand the cultural heritage of our people. This has made him to continue to say that same thing which I believe by now he should have found out the true position. I am from Ago-Isaga Pahayi, in Ilaro. The Isaga people, as a result of the Dahomey war, scattered around. And 85 percent of the Isaga communities are in Ogun West.

They are scattered everywhere. We even have Isaga in Lagos, in Lawanson (Surulere). So, Isaga is everywhere. But my own family lineage during the Dahomey war settled in Ago-Isaga Pahayi, in Ilaro since 1862 and they have been there. We are more or less from there. But you would find out that every Isaga person has his source and the source is Isaga Orile and that was where the war came and everybody scattered and everybody went around. That was why you could see last Sunday when Isaga people came out enmass and gave me their endorsement. Prof Akinosi, Chief Osayemi, a former Pro-Chancellor of FUNAAB, and other notable sons and daughters of Isaga in its entirety were all there. By now, every citizen of Ogun State should look beyond the issue of ancestral lineage because it has been resolved. When my father, Adeola Ayinde Ogunleye who was from Ago-Isaga Pahayi and my mother, Akinola Sunmbo at birth she was from Kenta-Oguntolu, in Abeokuta. So, as it is, if you are talking of my ancestral background, from my father and mother sides, I am a complete Ogun State indigene. I am a bonafide citizen of Ogun State, both from the father and mother sides.

Since the creation of Ogun State in 1976, Ogun West is the only Senatorial District yet to produce a governor for the state. Why is this so?

The problem that has been responsible for this, is what is playing out now. The good people of Ogun West should sit back and be sure of what they want. If we are waiting on somebody to give us the governorship ticket then, we are not ready to become the governor.

Because nobody, nobody I repeat, gave the Egbas.

Nobody handed over Chief Gbenga Daniel to the Remo people that, this is their governor.

Nobody handed over Chief Bisi Onabanjo to the Ijebus that he was their governor. Nobody handed over Sen Ibikunle Amosun to the Egbas that he is their governor. Nobody handed over Chief Olusegun Osoba to the Egbas that he was their governor. So, why do they want to hand over somebody to the Yewa people or to the Ogun West people that this is your governor?

Yes, the good people of Ogun West want to produce the governor come 2019 but we will need to get our acts together. We need to be more focussed and dedicated more than ever before because this is our time. And for it not to slip from our hands all hands must be on deck. We must thank those supporting us including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and others, But the fact still remains that the governor should not force any aspirant on us in Ogun West. He should allow the Ogun West people to decide who becomes their own governor. We don’t want a governor that will be remote-controlled. We don’t want a governor that will be looked after like a baby and be spoon-fed like a baby. We don’t want a governor that will not be independent - minded to carry out programmes, policies and objectives that will be state-driven. We don’t want a governor that will stay in office and will not ensure fair equitable distribution of the state’s resources across all the local governments. If we crave to be governor we must put our best hands forward, because at the end of the day, you are not going to be governor of Ogun West but the governor of Ogun State.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017 Ëž T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

Immortalising a Fallen Hero Chiemelie Ezeobi writes on the recent effort of the Nigerian Air Force to immortalise one of its fallen heroes who died in the cockpit while providing logistics support to troops fighting the Boko Haram terrorist group

The oďŹƒcer's widow, Dr. Justina Gbenekannu (1st right) inaugurating the quarters built in her husband's honour

T

he 10th stanza of the National Anthem reads thus; 'the labours of our heroes past, shall never be in vain' and borrowing a leaf from that, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) recently immortalised one of its fallen heroes, Squadron Leader Promise Lenton Gbenekannu, a pilot who died in the cockpit while providing logistics support to troops fighting terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Born on February 24, 1981, Gbenekannu enlisted into the military on September 24, 2000 as he studied at the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna, and was commissioned on September 24, 2005. On May 18, 2016, Gbenekannu, aged 35, suffered a cardiac arrest and died while piloting one of the C-130 aircrafts in Borno State.

Despite the sudden seizure, the young officer was said to have successfully landed the logistics aircraft before he passed on.

It was in recognition of his sacrifice and diligence that the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, recently named a newly constructed six by three block of flats built by Omron Construction owned by Jameel Olatunji, inside the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, after him.

Although the Nigerian Armed Forces honours its fallen heroes, who died in the line of duty while fighting to ensure the territorial integrity of the nation, whether on land, air or water is not breached or

tampered with, on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day annually on January 15, it did not stop the Air Force from deciding to honour one of their own.

Present at the inauguration ceremony were the family of the late C-130H aircraft pilot as well as senior officers, both serving and retired.

A widow's pride For the widow, although she would have wished him to still be alive, she said she was happy that he died fulfilled in his quest to serve his nation. The couple were blessed with two kids; a boy and a girl.

The officer's widow, Dr. Justina Gbenekannu, who was at the event, said

Life has not been the same after the passing of my husband. It has not been easy coping with two kids alone. Sometimes, it gets me down emotionally

she was happy her husband gave his all to the service of the nation, adding that although his life was cut short, it was a fulfilled one as he enjoyed serving his nation.

While thanking the NAF for honouring him she said: "Life has not been the same after the passing of my husband. It has not been easy coping with two kids alone.

Sometimes, it gets me down emotionally.

"But I am happy because he led a fulfilled life and as short as it was, his name has been written in the annals of the NAF. If the dead could see, I know that he would be happy wherever he is because of the honour.

"The NAF is proud of him and we, his family members are also proud of him. He died in active service. We were married for two years and four months. Those were the most favourable moments of my life.

"He was a humble man. He was a husband and a father. There are times I wished he was here to continue playing his role as a father to our kids. Our kids will miss him because they won't be able to say exactly how he was because they are still very young."

The Air Chief's eulogy The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented at the inauguration by the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ibrahim Yahaya, said the project formed part of infrastructural

renewal programme of the NAF, which was initiated in all bases for the good of personnel and their families.

He said, "These projects form part of the infrastructural renewal programme of this administration. They were initiated in all NAF bases to ensure the provision of a conducive atmosphere for personnel at their various work places and homes in line with the change agenda of the President and Commander-in-Chief.

"Accordingly, providing decent housing for officers, airmen and airwomen remain one of the first priorities of our policy thrust towards ensuring that NAF personnel and their families live in befitting accommodations and are better positioned to respond to various exigencies of the service.

"The project has been named after one of our fallen heroes who died onboard the C-130 aircraft while on a logistics support mission for troops fighting insurgency and terrorism in the North-east.

"The fallen hero was a C-130 pilot Squadron Leader Promise Leton Gbenekannu.

The Sam Ethnan Air Force Base being one of the foremost bases in the NAF and the home of logistics command, is critical to the successful conduct of NAF operations.

"It is therefore, only appropriate that such a base received a commensurate attention in terms of the provision of facilities for the general well-being of the personnel and their families.

"We have embarked on the construction

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FEATURES of new quarters, as well as renovation of dilapidated buildings to address the infrastructural decay of the past.

"Arrangements are in top gear to address many other areas of infrastructural deficit including the renovation of more accommodation facility, as well as rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems in the base.

"It is hoped that this would create enabling environment and motivation for personnel to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently."

Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the military, Abubakar recalled the recent addition of new platforms to its fleet, adding that more were being expected to its fleet and the rehabilitation of old ones.

He said, "This has enhanced our ability to conduct counter insurgency operations and also contend with other emerging security challenges across the country "The effort of government at adequately equipping the services will enhance professionalism and facilitate effective performance of our constitutional roles "Be assured that we will continue to do our utmost to meet our statutory responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of the nation whether acting singularly or in concert with other security agencies."

To his personnel he said, "We must sustain our efforts to reposition the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria's national security imperatives.

"We acknowledge that the human being is the most important in every organisation and equipping them appropriately is central to the achievement of success in securing Nigeria's air space.

"We therefore remain committed to continuous upgrading, reforming and building of new facilities as part of capacity development drive in all NAF units."

The newly inaugurated building

Earlier, the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) Logistics Command, AVM Ibukun Ojeyemi, who delivered the welcome address on behalf of the AOC of the logistics command, noted that the project was part of the value additions that were continuously being made by the current NAF administration in line with the mantra of the CAS. He said, "There is no finishing line in the race to add value to the society. Three other projects are ongoing to further meet the growing accommodation need occasioned by the expansion of the service in response to national security imperatives.

"In recent times, the morale of NAF personnel has been increasingly getting higher as the perennial accommodation challenge within the NAF gets gradually resolved, all thanks to the timely provision of funds by the federal government and the focused leadership of the CAS." NAF standard for fallen heroes While one of the challenges families of fallen heroes face is often abandonment by the government and being asked to leave the barracks, given that their loved ones are dead, this present administration has however moved away from the norm by extending a hand of fellowship to the families, even after the federal government has fulfilled its statutory duties for families of fallen heroes.

For the NAF under Abubakar, one of its core derivatives has always been welfaredriven and as such, they have provided L-R: Senior Air Sta OďŹƒcer, Logistics Command, AVM Ibukun Ojeyemi widow of late oďŹƒcer, Dr. Justina Gbenekannu with her two kids and the Air OďŹƒcer Commanding, Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Yahaya

The project has been named after one of our fallen heroes who died onboard the C-130 aircraft while on a logistics support mission for troops ďŹ ghting insurgency and terrorism in the North-east

personal accommodations for widows of their fallen heroes. In making provision for this, the NAF dedicated one of the sections of the estates to their widows and their respective families.

As gathered by THISDAY, the force does not let its fallen heroes down as welfare measures for the families they left behind are not toyed with.

It was gathered that aside the memorial, there are statutory provisions by the federal government for families of fallen heroes and all that has been done for them. As at now, the welfare programme of the NAF has improved for people we have lost their lives in the North-east or any form

of internal security operations in Nigeria.

The NAF now, apart from what government gives as various welfare programmes, provide personnel houses for these people to retire in. However, the statutory provision is that when a personnel dies and served up to 10 years in the Armed Forces, the person is entitled to one.

However, what that person gets as pension is a function of the rank and the last salary collected and this depends on how long one has served. It is safe to say that it's on percentage basis.

It was also gathered that once a personnel has served up to 10 years and died in the service, the person gets bulk pension. The

bulk pension is collected because they are dead as pension is supposed to be when one retires and is collected till death.

But for any personnel who dies on duty, whether officers of airmen, the family collects five years bulk pension and that is where it stops.

But if they retire and spends two or three years before they die, the family only gets the balance of the five years.

Given that fallen soldiers have by their commitment and sacrifice enrolled themselves on our list of national heroes, it is imperative that measures be put in place so that their loved ones take solace that they died serving their country.

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

L-R; Chairman, Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Ltd, Chief Olu Falomo; Ogun State Governor, lbikunle Amosun;HRH, Akagbara of Agbara, Oba Lukman Agunbiade and Ogun State commissioner for Commerce & lndustry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru at the commissioning of Reckitt Benckiser Warehouse in Agbara, Ogun State... recently ABIODUN AJALA

L-R; Executive Director, Real Estate, Alpha Mead Group, Mr. Demola Akindolire; Chairman Board of Directors, Alpha Mead Group, Mr. Obi Nwasike; System CertiďŹ cation Manager, Bureau Veritas, Mrs. Adenike Akinbote; and the Group Managing Director, Alpha Mead Group, Mr. Femi Akintunde, at the presentation of ISO 9001;2015 certiďŹ cate to Alpha Mead Facilities and Alpha Mead Development Company in Lagos,.. recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Member Executive Committee NBCC; Mr. Ray Atelly; Deputy President, Mr. Kayode Falowo; President, Mr. Akin Olawore; Past President/Patron, Prince Dapo Adelegan; Vice President, Mrs. Bisi Adeyemi; .Treasurer, Prince Bimbo Olashore, and Chairman, membership committee Mr. Tunde Ogunde at the Presidential Dinner and Inauguration of Mr. Akin Olawore in Lagos...recently

President Associated Chambers of Commerce inIndian Mr Biju Koshy exchanging the document with President Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mine and Agriculture ( NACCIMA) MrKayode Adetokunbo SAN During the signing MOU on Nigeria-Indian Cooperation in Agriculture and Allied Sector in Abuja...recently

L-R: Chairman, Governing Council, Federal Polytechnic, Oa, (FEDPOFFA) Chief Oseluka Zikora, Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, Rector, FEDPOFFA, Dr. Lateef Ademola, Olofa of Oa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi and Registrar, FEDPOFFA, Alhaji Abdulhamid Raji during the Conferment of Honorary Fellowship Award on the Governor by Governing Council of FEDPOFFA at Government House, Ilorin....recently

L-R: Director- General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Segun Ajayi Kadiri; DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Employers Association of Nigeria (NECA), Mr. Segun Oshinnowo; and Director, Research and Statistics, Nigerian Association Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mrs. Rebecca Ajibade-Kadiri, representing the D-G, NACCIMA, during a press brieďŹ ng of Organised Private Sector (OPS) on Petroleum Industry Governance Bill in LagosĂ–recently

L-R, Head of Operations, Sun Trust Bank, Damian Esekheigbe; Director, Investment Fund for Health in Africa, Fola Laoye; Author, Pressure Cooker, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo and Executive Assistant, Petrolex Oil and Gas Limited, Joyce Okungbowa at the launch of the book Pressure Cooker in Lagos...recently

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FIRSTGEM IS ONE YEAR

L-R: Independent Non-Executive Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Ijeoma Jidenma; Manager Partner, Brandzone Consulting LLC, Chizor Malize; Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Ibukun Awosika; Deputy Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Gbenga Shobo and Independent Non-Executive Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Sola Oworu, at the ďŹ rst year anniversary of FirstGem, FirstBank’s Lifestyle oering for women‌ held in Lagos recently

Lawmakers, NCC Harp on Technology Convergence for Job Creation Emma Okonji Members of the House of Representatives, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, have stressed the need for technology convergence in boosting innovation and job creation.

They both spoke at the 9th West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC), which held at the Lagos Sheraton Hotels recently. they said government must begin to join hands to improve the value for skill and new career trainings, expand the portfolio of opportunities for

IT employment and businesses, encourage innovation and drive more flexible forms of employment and work, by enacting policies that will spur technology convergence in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

Chairman, House Committee on ICT, Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, who led members of his committee to the convergence forum, acknowledged the importance of convergence for Job creation, but expressed worries about how the country could leverage the opportunities from technology to create jobs and encourage small

medium businesses (SMBs); how to enhance graduate employability in Nigeria; and how to review the computer science curriculum to reflect the dynamics of technology, convergence, industry and research/learning institutions.

Citing a recent World Bank study on technology convergence, Onawo said technology is re-ordering the labor market, making it more innovative, inclusive and global. Individuals, companies, and governments must re-strategies to be able to reap the benefits of these changes. Convergence is here.

Technology is transforming the world of work, creating

new job opportunities and making labour markets to innovate, Onawo said. “As a country we must begin to seek new partners, local and global, to help us advance the new technology agenda influencing employment and businesses. As legislators, we recognise the role of the legislative chamber in setting the tone to encourage the growth of new opportunities for our citizens who must leverage on technology to be productive and globally competitive,�

Onawo said.

He added: “Indeed, I am Continued on page 24

Gencos: Eligible Customers’Bye-law Will Break Discos’ Monopoly Chineme Okafor in Abuja Power generation companies (Gencos) in Nigeria have said the eligible customers’ regulation recently passed into operation by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has the potential to break the monopolistic tendencies of the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos).

The Gencos said in a recent statement from their umbrella body – Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) that the regulation would infuse in the country’s power market, the kind of competition it needs to develop into a full-fledged

ENERGY contract-based market.

Signed by the Executive Secretary of APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, in Abuja, the Gencos said in the statement that the new regulation offered the market an opportunity to break away from the monopolistic entities it inferred the Discos had become. “With stranded generation capacity in the electricity market and poor market liquidity, declaration of eligible customer is the brilliant way to liberate the electricity sector from current monopoly,� said the Gencos.

They listed the ways the market and consumers would

benefit from the regulation, saying it would: “Confer on consumers, power to choose energy supplier and creates a more efficient electricity market, stimulate investment in the electricity sector since generators can sign long term contracts, deliver lower prices, enhanced service performance, and new service offerings for small consumers through competition, and send a powerful signal that the electricity sector is evolving towards full retail competition.�

They further stated that the regulation would: “Allow a greater variety of suppliers to find innovative ways of

discovering and providing what different groups of customers want in economical ways, promote national economic development through supply of electricity to the productive sector of the economy, support economies of scale through bulk purchase of electricity, reduce technical and non-technical losses for bulk high voltage supply, and reduce financial risk by supplying credit worthy eligible consumers�

According to the Gencos, the new regulation would also introduce competition on the demand side of the Continued on page 24

Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă˜ĂŽĚ‹ĂžĂ™Ě‹Ă?Ă˜ĂŽ ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă’Ă˜Ă™Ă–Ă™Ă‘ĂŁ Ă?ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?ĂœËœ Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂžĂ˜Ă?Ăœ ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ăœ ĂŒĂŁ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™ Ă‹Ăž ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™ Ă‹ĂœĂžĂ˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă&#x;Ă—Ă—Ă“ĂžËœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă‹Ă?Ëœ Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞËÞĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁË› Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă‹Ăž Ă‹ Ă—Ă?ĂŽĂ“Ă‹ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁËœ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœËœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ ĂŁĂ™ ĂŽĂ?Ă‘ĂŒĂ™ĂŁĂ?Ëœ Ă–Ă‹Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™ Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ëœ Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ùà Ă?Ăœ Í°ÍŽÍŽ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?ÞÓÑÓÙĂ&#x;Ă? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽËœ Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ù××ÓÞ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă›Ă&#x;ËÖÓÞã Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ?Ë› ËŤ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™ ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ ĂœĂ?ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? Ă‘Ă–Ă™ĂŒĂ‹Ă– Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ Ă›Ă&#x;ËÖÓÞã Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁË› Ă? Ă‘Ă™ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă˘ĂžĂœĂ‹ Ă—Ă“Ă–Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă—Ă?ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ăž Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒÓĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒËÞ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ?ĂŽ åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ËœËŹ ĂŽĂ?Ă‘ĂŒĂ™ĂŁĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽË› ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ó×ÚËĂ?Ăž Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂœËœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ Ă—Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?Ă– Ă•Ă’Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ă™ĂœËœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂžĂ’Ă?Ăœ Ă‘Ă“Ă Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂœĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă‹Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ ÞÒËÞ Ă“Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ?Ă— åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă›Ă&#x;ËÖÓÞã Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ù˛ ĂŽĂŽĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă?Ă– Ă?Ă‹ĂŽËœ Ă˜Ă‘Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ Ă‹Ăž Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă™Ëœ Ă?ÓÙ×Ë ĂŽĂ?Ă™Ă¤Ă™Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁËŞĂ? ĂŽĂ?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ—Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÙ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂžĂ’Ă?Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ ĂŒĂ‹Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ? ĂœĂ™ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ• ÞÒËÞ ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÒËÞ ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂĄĂ‹Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă™Ă˜ ĂŒĂ™Ă‹ĂœĂŽ ÞÙ Ă?âÚĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁË›

MultiChoice Extends Service Hours Ă&#x;ÖÞÓ ÒÙÓĂ?Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ ĂœĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ù××ÓÞ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? ĂŒĂ?ÞÞĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ ÞÙ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÒÓĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ëœ ĂŒĂŁ Ă?âÞĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă&#x;ÖÞÓ ÒÙÓĂ?Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ͜Ë× ÞÙ ÍŻÍ°Ă˜Ă™Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁ ÞÙ Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÞÒĂ? ͲÞÒ ÞÓÖÖ ÞÒĂ? ͹ͯĂ?Ăž Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœËœ Ͱ͎ͯ;˛ Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹Ă– ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? ͜Ë× ÞÙ ͡Ú× ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÍŻĂ?Ăž Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁËœ Ͱ͎ͯ͜˛ Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœËœ Ă&#x;ÖÞÓ ÒÙÓĂ?Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ Ă™Ă’Ă˜ Ă‘ĂŒĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?âÞĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă“Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÙ ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă?Ă’ Ă&#x;Ă? ĂŽĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ë› ËŤ ĂŁ Ă?âÞĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ëœ ĂĄĂ? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă˜Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă?Ă Ă?Ă– Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ ÞÒÓĂ? ĂŁĂ&#x;Ă–Ă?ÞÓÎĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ăž ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁËŹËœ Ă‘ĂŒĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽË› Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă’Ă“Ă—Ëœ ËŤ Ă? Ă‹ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ? ÞËÕĂ? Ă‹ ËŠĂ?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Þ˪ Ă‹ĂšĂšĂœĂ™Ă‹Ă?Ă’Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă˜Ă Ă™Ă–Ă Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă“ĂšĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ ĂŽĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜ ĂĄĂ’Ă?Ă˜ ĂĄĂ? Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă“Ăž ÞÙÑĂ?ÞÒĂ?Ăœ Ă‹Ăž ÒÙ×Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă˜Ă”Ă™ĂŁ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜ĂžË› Ă’Ă?ĂŁ Ă—Ă‹ĂŁ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă›Ă&#x;Ă“ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă“Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ù××ÓÞÞĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ó×ÚÖĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ÙÖĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? ÞÒËÞ ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ? åÓÞÒ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă“Ă—ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă?ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă?˛ˏ

StarTimes Opens in Maiduguri

Ă˜ Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă“ĂžĂ? ĂŒĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? ÞÙ ÞËÕĂ? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ ÒÙ×Ă?Ëœ ĂžĂ‹Ăœ Ă“Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ëœ Ă‹ ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă‹ĂŁ Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁËœ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă?âÞĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă“ĂžĂ? ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? ÞÙ Ă‹Ă“ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“ Ă“Ă˜ Ă™ĂœĂ˜Ă™ ÞËÞĂ?Ë› Ă’Ă“Ă?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽËœ ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ ÞÙ Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă“ĂžĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă—Ă‹ĂŽĂ? Ă‹Ă Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂŒĂ?Ă?ĂœĂ“ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁ

Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ă“ĂžĂ? ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœËœ Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă— Ă–Ă?Ă‘ĂŒĂ?ĂŽĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂŽĂœĂ“Ă Ă? Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ăž Ă—Ă“Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹ĂŽĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒËÞ Ă‹Ă“ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“ ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă˜Ăž Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?Ăž ÞÙ Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžËœ ËŤ Ăž ĂžĂ‹Ăœ Ă“Ă—Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ? ĂšĂœĂ“ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă˜ Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă– Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă‘ĂœĂ‹Ă—Ă—Ă? Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ě‹Ă&#x;Ăš ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă‘Ă‹Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă Ă“Ă?ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă•Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ëœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă–ĂžĂ?Ëœ Ă—Ă?Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ åÙ×Ă?Ă˜Ëœ Ă‹Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă?Ë› ĂžĂ‹Ăœ Ă“Ă—Ă?Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‘ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? åÒÙÖĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă–ĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă›Ă&#x;ËÖÓÞã Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ ÒÙ×Ă?˛ˏ

Data is a major constraint for the the next billion users. Introducing Datally into the Nigerian smartphone market will help users control their mobile data better.�

Country Director, Google Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor

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LAWMAKERS, NCC HARP ON TECHNOLOGY CONVERGENCE FOR JOB CREATION here to assert the position of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the Speaker of the House, as a champion of technology and a partner of Nigeria’s progressive march to technology advancement. “We recognise that as convergence takes greater foothold, there will be more digitisation of work, and outsourcing will become a common feature,� Onawo further said.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, stressed the need for broadband growth, which he said, would facilitate technology convergence at a much faster rate.

Danbatta who was represented at the WACC forum by the Director of Spectrum Administration at NCC, Austin Nwaulune, said new multimedia applications for technology convergence, evolve high bandwidth requirements for expansion of networks, which he said, must ride on ubiquitous broadband availability.

To meet this requirements, there must be special focus on policies and regulation that will drive broadband penetration and boost technology convergence, Danbatta said.

GENCOS: ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS’ BYE-LAW WILL BREAK DISCOS’ MONOPOLY market, while completing the liberalisation of the country’s electric systems and put greater pressure for efficiency on the suppliers.

It noted that utilities holding a monopoly in the sector have traditionally paid little attention to customer service, and that the regulation could change this and force them to become focused on their consumers. “The presence of retailers, or the mere possibility of future competition will force existing distributors to establish appropriate customer services and commercial divisions,� added the Gencos in the statement.

Group Business Editor

Ă’Ă“Ă•Ă‹ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă¤Ă?Ě‹ ĂĄĂ‹Ă?Ă’Ă&#x;Ă•Ă&#x; AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ äĂ?

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ Capital Market Editor

ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?

Senior Correspondent

Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ ĂœĂ™Ă•Ă? (Labour) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) ÔÓÙĂ?Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă? (Energy) Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă?ÔÙ (Nation’s Capital) ĂŒĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă‹ Ă’Ă“Ă—Ă‹ (Money Mkt) Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ăœ (Energy) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (Cap Mkt)

Telcos’ N16.4bn Ad Spend, Highest in Nigerian Advertising Space Raheem Akingbolu With N16.4 billion advertising spend, which is the 18 per cent of the total above the line (ATL), advertising expenditure in 2016, the telecommunications service providers have continued to maintain dominance among top advertising categories in ad spend in the Nigerian advertising space.

This is contained in the 2017 edition of mediafacts, an annual report of the mediareach OMD, which details media and advertising spending trends for the year under review.

According to the report, telco firms are followed by personal paid ads with N7.2 billion, eight per cent, while the banking and financial services sector occupied the third spot with 6.3 billion naira, six per cent, for the period in review.

Corporate advertising occupy the 4th position with N5.8 billion spent during the period while the Lager Beer categories spent N5.3 billion.

Soft drinks, cocoa beverages, milk and dairy spent 3.5, 2.9 and 2.4 billion respectively.

Among the top 20 advertising companies that advertise their goods and services in Nigeria), sundry services leads the chart with 10.8 billion naira in ad spent. Others are MTN with 5.6 billion, accounting for six per cent, followed by Nigerian Breweries with 4.3 billion, Airtel, 9Mobile and Globacom with 3.8, 3.7 and 3.3 respectively. In all the top 20 categories account

for 62 per cent of advertising spent for 2016. Though there was reduction in the total advertising spend for 2016 in contrast with 2015 by seven per cent, a situation attributed to the economic recession which started in 2015, and also certain government economic policies, television has continued to dominate advertising spent in Nigeria for the past five years.

Television accounted for 35.5

billion, about 35 per cent of media ad spent for the year in review. This was followed by outdoor with 28.8, about 32 per cent while press accounted for 18.1 and radio with 12.5 billion. The report however does not tract digital media during the period.

While other subsectors in the industry have been experiencing decline in expenditure in the last five years, the outdoor

sub sector however has not experienced decline in the last ten years. The report noted that with a minimal 7.1 billion in 2007, outdoor advertising expenditure grew to 28.6 billion in 2010, though dropped marginally in the years between, it picked up in 2016 to record 28.8 billion in ad spent.

This latest edition of mediafacts for marketing professionals in West and Central Africa,

covers Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and The Gambia.

Other countries covered include Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Chad Republic, Mauritania, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic and Cape Verde.

FACILITY TOUR

L-R: Assistant Director at the National Assembly, Mr. Ayoh Ogon; Director of Operations, Rack Centre, Ezekiel Egboye; Senate Committee Vice Chairman on ICT and Cybercrime, Senator Foster Ogola and Business Development Director, Rack Centre, Frederick Udoaka, during the visit of the Senate Committee to Rack Centre data centre facility in Lagos...recently

Huge Financial LossesAvoidable through Innovative Email Protection,Says Report Emma Okonji A recent research report carried out by Signal Alliance, a technology solution company, has revealed how organisations could save huge financial losses through the latest and innovative email protection. According to the security report, many business organisations and public institutions are currently faced with the challenges of their corporation email being compromised. This, according to the report, to a large extent, has brought loss of businesses and embarrassment to organisations.

The report described Business e-mail compromise (BEC), as a situation when an attacker hacks into a corporate e-mail account and impersonates the real owner to defraud the company, its customers, partners, and/or employees. Once the attack is successfully launched, it compromises the entire email address system and issues new command that compels the system to send money or sensitive data to the attacker’s account.

BEC is also known as a ‘man-in-the-email’ attack. This is derived from the ‘man-inthe-middle’ attack where two parties think that they are talking to each other directly, but in reality, an attacker is listening in and possibly altering the communication, the report further said. According to the report, in 2016, there were at least 40,000 incidents of business e-mail compromise or other incidents that involved e-mails,

which is an increase of about 23.7 per cent since January 2015.

In the second half of 2016 alone, the FBI reported more than 3,044 victims in the United States, with a combined loss of about $346 million.

Most of the victims were told to send money to an Asian bank, usually in Hong Kong or China, or a bank in the United Kingdom. Describing how the virus attack works, the Technical Security Consultant at Signal Alliance, Victor Ugwu, said BEC scam starts with research. An attacker will sift through publicly available information about a company from its website, press releases, and even social media posts. He/she might look for the names and official titles of the company executives, the corporate hierarchy, and even travel plans from email auto-replies.

The attacker will then try to gain access to an executive’s e-mail account. To remain undetected, he/she might use inbox rules or change the reply-to address so that when the scam is executed, the email owner will not be alerted.

Another trick, according to Ugwu, is to create an e-mail with a spoofed domain. For example, the attacker might use mohammed.adeyemi@samp1e. com instead of mohammed. adeyemi@sample.com.

If close attention is not paid, it is easy to get deceived by the slight difference. One of the most famous spoofed domain tricks ever was the “PayPa1.com�, a scam site imitating money

transfer website of Paypal.com.

Some of the most prevalent examples of BEC scams according to the report, are the fraudulent invoice scam, the fake boss scam, and the fake attorney scam, which occurs when a lawyer’s e-mail address is used

to contact clients, asking that they pay money immediately to keep things confidential. The report said BEC happens for three main reasons, namely Insufficient security protocols; Social engineering; and Lack of employee awareness. The

report however gave some insights on how to prevent financial losses through email scam, to include Multi-factor authentication, which should be implemented as an Information Technology (IT) security policy; and Employee education.

Delta State, Global Agencies Partner to Boost Start-up Businesses Emma Okonji Country representatives of the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other global development agencies, are in partnership the Delta State government to drive entrepreneurial development among existing small and start-up businesses in the state.

The global agencies will be in Asaba, the Delta State capital, from December 13 and 14 to collaborate with the state government in seeking new markets for the products and services of young entrepreneurs that have established their own businesses in the state.

Other agencies involved in the project include the Bank of Industry (BoI), Nigerian Export promotion Council (NEPC), Bank of Agriculture as well as the local branches of the Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture.

The platform is the exhibition and business fair of the

2,424 young men and women who have successfully set up their own commercial enterprises after benefiting from the state’s youth empowerment programmes.

Over 1,687 of them went through the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) and 618 graduated through the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) since they were introduced at the inception of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration in the state.

Most of them had set up successful ventures in various areas, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT), aqua-culture, electrical fabrication, building materials manufacturing among others.

The fair, according to the Chief Job Creation Officer of the state, Prof. Eric Eboh, is projected to exhibit and market their products and business enterprises, create business relationships with investors, communicate their business vision to banks and business

support institutions from within and outside the state, and make vital business contacts.

Eboh said the event was built around the young entrepreneurs to promote and uplift them to greater heights through exceptional exposure to new markets, new ideas and new contacts. The coming of officials from various international and local development agencies will enable the STEP and YAGEP beneficiaries expand the market for their products through improvement on product quality and adoption of modern marketing techniques, Eboh said.

He said market unions, cooperative societies, trade groups, artisan associations, banks and microfinance banks would be part of the collaborative effort to open new frontiers and markets for the products of the young entrepreneurs.

Eboh said the fair would demonstrate the outcomes of the STEP and YAGEP programmes of the state governor, since his election in 2015.

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BUSINESSWORLD

E-BUSINESS

ITF to Train 300 Youths in Each State George Okoh In.Makurdi Director General of Industrial Training Fund(ITF, Mr. Joseph Ari has disclosed that the agency would soon commence the training of 300 youths in each state of the federation, even as he commended the Benue State Government for providing starter packs for 500 trainees who passed out of ITF programme.

He enjoined the trainee to remain committed and dedicated to making a success out of the kits provided to enhance their businesses Ari disclosed at the weekend during the presentation of 500 start-up kits procured by the state government to youths who graduated in five trade areas under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), of the Industrial Training Fund, ITF. The trainees who received skills for three months in Plaster of Paris, Fisheries,

Confectionery, Welding and Fabrication as well as Tailoring and Garment making were presented with Start up packs at their graduation ceremony held at the Ultra modern international Market, Makurdi.

Also, the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Tersoo Kpelai, expressed appreciation to the Industrial Training Fund for the partnership and for its commitment on delivering on their mandate.

He stated that the graduands have been grouped into cooperatives for effective utilisation of the kits. Meanwhile in his comment at the occasion, Governor Samuel Ortom, stressed that industrial skill acquisition remains the prerequisite to any society that wants to build a vibrant Small and Medium Enterprises sub-sector He urged the trainees to be foresighted, hardworking, diligent and committed in what they have chosen to do. “I urge you to make

good use of the opportunity provided by setting up your businesses in order to generate wealth and also boost the economy of the state�, he advised.

Ortom also, noted that having identified skills acquisition as a steps towards reducing unemployment in the state, the executive council has approved the establishment of three(3) technical colleges across the three geopolitical zones of the state to equip youths with requisite skills to add value to their lives and the society.

The governor assured that his administration would continue to partner with agencies and institutions to ensure that Benue people access skills and working capital to support their business enterprises.

He said the state was prepared to sponsor more youths in addition to those slated for training in the next phase of training by the ITF.

SAP Trains 1.3m African Youths on Coding Skills Emma Okonji With an ambitious target to train half a million African youths between 18 and 25, Africa Code Week, this year exceeded all expectations by empowering 1.3 million youths across 35 countries with basic coding skills. This is a 203 per cent increase over the 2016 training, which saw nearly 427,000 youth trained across 30 African countries.

Launched in 2015 by SAP CSR EMEA in partnership with the Cape Town Science Centre and the Galway Education Centre, Africa Code Week is an award-winning initiative that is now actively supported by UNESCO YouthMobile, Google, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), 15 African governments, over 100 partners and 100 ambassadors across the continent.

Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP and Global Project Lead for Africa Code Week, Claire

Gillissen-Duval, noted that “Nearly 300,000 young people across West Africa participated in this year’s Africa Code Week, with female participation standing at 42.7 per cent. We also noticed renewed interest and investment from governments in the region, which shows a growing stakeholder commitment towards improving digital skills for young Africans.�

In 2017, Africa Code Week and key partner UNESCO joined the #eSkills4girls initiative launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to overcome the gender digital divide. The latter awarded 20 grants to 20 organisations, improving digital skills and employment perspectives for 8,259 girls and women in emerging and developing countries. “With an average ratio of 43 per cent female participation in coding workshops, Africa Code Week 2017 unveils a

huge appetite for digital skills development among Africa’s girls. Female representation in African companies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields currently stands at only 30 per cent, requiring powerful public-private partnerships to start turning the tide and creating more equitable opportunities for African youth to contribute to the continent’s economic development and success,� Gillissen-Duval said.

With the highest engagement ratio of 1,622 youth per 100,000 population and a total of more than 390 000 introduced to coding during this year’s edition, Cameroon wins the Africa Code Week 2017 championship. While Morocco’s total engagement of 378,000 placed it second for overall participation, Mauritius sported the second-best engagement ratio of 1,545 youth engaged per 100,000 population. Botswana took third place with an engagement ratio of 1,168 per 100,000.

Grand Oak’s Regal Dry Gin Excites Consumers at Advertisers Awards Regal Dry Gin, a premium gin brand from the stable of Grand Oak Limited was the toast of participants at the 2017 Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards for Marketing Excellence (West Africa) which held at MUSON centre recently. Regal Dry Gin Cocktails were served at the event and branded gift items were given to attendees. The company has also concluded plans to roll out consumer engagement programme across the length and breadth of the country, soon Grand Oak Ltd was one of the key sponsors of the event and the partnership offered consumers the opportunity to enjoy Regal Dry Gin at the event.

Speaking on the partnership with ADVAN, the Brand Manager, Regal Dry Gin, Mr. Adeniyi Babatunde said:

“Over the years, Grand Oak has always been partnering with ADVAN, so we see the occasion as two great brands, Grand Oak represented by Regal Dry Gin and ADVAN coming together and this year is no exception�

He added: “Since the re-launch of Regal Dry Gin, the brand has been very aggressive with its thematic campaign -Turn up and shine�.

Its COMUDA shows which headline Comedy, Music and Dance acts has been a veritable platform for reward of its teeming consumers.

Babatunde revealed further that in few weeks’ time, the company will embark on a consumer engagement programme, which will excite consumers across the length and breadth of the country. “In a few weeks, we are also rolling out our consumer

engagement throughout the length and breadth of this country; and it is going to be very massive. Again, we are going to be showing our consumers how to enjoy this brand in the right and meaningful manner and there is an expected reward because after the turn up there is a shine.

It would be recalled that the brand was re-launched into the Nigerian market to meet the changing taste of consumers.

Commenting on their experience about the Regal Dry Gin brand, consumers at the ADVAN event applauded Grand Oak for the relaunched Regal Dry Gin with its distinct bottle shape, label and Ankara themed ROPP caps. The unique taste and natural ingredients of Juniper, Lime and Caraway in Regal dry Gin were also commended.

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT OLODU KEONYEDI

Your Talent and You alent is a natural endowment of a person. It is an ability or natural Ă?ËÚËĂ?ÓÞã ÞÒËÞ ĂĄĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă—Ă‹ĂŁ range from our creativity to our ËÞÒÖĂ?ÞÓĂ? Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? ÞÒĂ?Ă—Ëœ but we are not always so good at identifying what they are.

Discovering your talents and strengths means becoming more aware of who you really are. It is only when you know what makes you so unique that you can fully embrace and make use of it. Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÞËÖĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ? Ă?×ÚÖÙã×Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ëœ ĂšĂ&#x;Ăž Ă?ÙÙÎ Ă™Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă‹ Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ makes our famous and successful.

Some of us are secretly dreaming of creatĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă&#x;Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–Ëœ but our biggest problem is that we don’t have a clue what our talent are or how to convert it to wealth. Ă™Ă?Ăž ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă“Ă?ÞËÕĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă–Ă™Ă™Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;ĂžĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™ĂšĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ë› ÙåĂ?Ă Ă?ĂœËœ the easiest and most rewarding path to success is looking within. Discovering what you have to oer to the world that nobody else can.

Finding your own unique talents and sharing them in a meaningful way. Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ’Ă?Ăœ Ă—Ă“Ă?ÞËÕĂ? Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă&#x;Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă“Ă? ĂĄĂ‹Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ for your talent to show up and hope that one day God will decide it’s ďŹ nally your turn and Ă’Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ăž Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÞÙ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ë› Ă™Ă&#x; Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă‹ Ă—Ă‹Ă”Ă™Ăœ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂž ÞÙ play in discovering your talents.

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR TALENTS What you love doing is a clue to the gifts and talents you possess: We all possess certain unique gifts and talĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ë› Ă’Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĘĽĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă&#x;Ă? ÞÙ Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ what particular gifting and talents that we Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă?Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă”Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? Ă“Ă? ÞÙ ÚËã Ă‹ĘľĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÙ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? ÞÒËÞ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ÖÙà Ă? ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ë› Ă’Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ă&#x;ĂŒĂ”Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă‘Ă?Ăž you excited the most? What activities do you Ă?Ă˜Ă”Ă™ĂŁ ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ËŁ What would you love to do if money was no Ă–Ă™Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ăœ Ă‹ Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă“Ă˜ ÓÞˣ Ă?Þ˪Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŁ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă?âË×ÚÖĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă eryone on earth was to be paid an hundred thouĂ?Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă‹Ă“ĂœĂ‹ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă”Ă™ĂŒ ĂŽĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă‘Ă‹ĂœĂŽĂ–Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÞãÚĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă”Ă™ĂŒËœ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ÎÙˣ Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?ÒÙÙĂ?Ă? ÞÙ ĂŒĂ? Ă‹ Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ăœ Ă™Ăœ Ă‹ Ă—Ă?ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă– ĂŽĂ™Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœËœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? ÚËÓÎ Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă? Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžË› Ă’Ă? Ă”Ă™ĂŒ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?ÒÙÙĂ?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž of the amount that you will be paid will show you the talents you have. Ă™ Ę¨Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂžĂœĂ&#x;Ă–ĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă™Ă&#x;Ă?Ă–ĂŁ ÖÙà Ă?Ëœ then build your daily routine around it.

What you hate is a clue to something you are assigned to correct: What are you compassionate about? What grieves you? What is it that you hate to see hapĂšĂ?Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ?ËŁ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă‹ Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă˜ment you are created to correct; in it lays your talent. Ă‹Ă Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ăž ĂŽĂ“Ă?ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂŒ Ă’Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ĂšĂ?Ă™ple experiencing ďŹ nancial bankruptcy and debt?

Do you show concern when you see homeless

Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă–ĂŽĂœĂ?Ă˜ËŁ Ă’Ă?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ÞÙ ĂĄĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÙÎ Ă‘Ă“Ă en talents were supposed to be used the most. Ă‹ĂŁ Ă‹ĘľĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÙ ÓÞ˛ Ă’Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁË› But they will never be changed until someone is angry enough about it to step forward and take charge.

Pay attention to what you spend money on: Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–ĂŁ Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă•Ă?ĂŽ åÓÞÒ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÓ×Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ? Ă™Ă? what you spend your money on and look closer at what this can tell you about yourself. Ă™Ăœ Ă?âË×ÚÖĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă™Ă˜ ĂŒĂ™Ă™Ă•Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă?Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă’Ă? ÞãÚĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂŒĂ™Ă™Ă•Ă? you buy show me what you are passionate about. Ă?Ă• ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? ÞÙ ĂžĂ?Ă–Ă– ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž Ă‘Ă“Ę°Ă? ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă• ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; have: Ù×Ă?ÞÓ×Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;ĂžĂ?Ă“ĂŽĂ? ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ?Ă?ÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ăœ ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄË› Ă‹Ă–Ă• ÞÙ ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă–Ë? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă–ĂŁ Ă—Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœËœ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ™ĂœË› Ă?Ă• ÞÒĂ?Ă— Ă›Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă?Ë? Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž ĂŽĂ™ ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă• ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹ĂœĂ? ÑÙÙÎ ËÞˣ Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹Ăž ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂšĂœĂ?Ă Ă“ously? Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ ÖÙà Ă? Ă—Ă™Ă?Ăž Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ă“ĂžĂŁËŁ Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă?ÞÓĂ?Ă? ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŽĂ?scribe you best?

People around you usually know what talents ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜ ĂĄĂ’Ă?Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂŽĂ™Ă˜ËŞĂžË› Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă• Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă“ĂžËœ ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă?Ă–ĂŁ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă˜ ĂžĂ?Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ÞÒËÞ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹ĂœĂ? ÑÙÙÎ Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ù×Ă?ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹ Ă–Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÓ×Ă?Ë› Ă™Ă&#x; Ă”Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž weren’t listening.

Determine what is easy: ĂœĂ? ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? ÞÒËÞ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ę¨Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂŁ Ă™Ăœ Ă™ĂŒĂ Ă“Ă™Ă&#x;Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂ™Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă–Ă? ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă—Ă‹ĂŁ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă‘Ă–Ă? ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁ through? Note down any activities or hobbies ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă”Ă™ĂŁĂ?ĂŽ ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÚËĂ?Þ˛ Ă’Ă‹Ăž did you like doing? Ă™ Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÞËĂ?Ă• ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ù×Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂŁ ÞÙ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ëœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă‹Ă?Ă• ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă–Ă–Ă™ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ questions: Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž ÞãÚĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă?ÞÓà ÓÞÓĂ?Ă? ĂŽĂ™ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; åÓÞÒ Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂŁËŁ Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž ÞËĂ?Ă•Ă? ĂŽĂ™ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?Ă˜Ă”Ă™ĂŁ ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ËŁ Ëž Ă’Ă‹Ăž Ă•Ă“Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă? Ă”Ă™ĂŒĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă?Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ù×Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă? else doing it you wish you were the one doing it?

Get a mentor: Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă”Ă™Ăœ ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁĂ? ÞÙ Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă?ĂŁ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÞËÖĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ëœ ĂŁ Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă—Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă‘Ă?Ăž Ă‹ Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ™ĂœËž Ę¨Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ù×Ă?one with more experience than you in the ʨĂ?Ă–ĂŽË› Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă“Ă? Ă?Ù×Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ?ËšĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘Ë› Ă’Ă?ĂŁ Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă?ĂĄ practices that you should know to stay at the top of your career. Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁËž Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ and want from a mentor is crucial. Do you need support? Do you need someone to challenge you?

ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă?ĂŁĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÞËÖĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă—Ă‹ĂŁ ĂŒĂ? ÞÙĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ëœ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ăž Ă“Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂžĂ’ ÓÞ˛ Ă™Ă&#x; ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ę¨Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ ĂŒĂ? Ă‹ ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă?Ăœ ĂĄĂ’Ă?Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ talent becomes proďŹ table.

- Olodu keonyedi is a trained engineer and by passion and personal development a public/motivational speaker, a business coach and human capacity developer, he has a B.Eng degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, he is a member of Nigeria Society of Engineer and a COREN registered Engineer.

Email: olodukeonyedi@gmail.com Tel: 08037489704, www.instagram.com/sir_keon. www.facebook.com/olodu keonyedi_mentorship

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T H I S D AY Ëž ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

Bastos-de-Morais: Tech Innovation is the Future of Africa An entrepreneur, innovation specialist and founder, African Innovation Foundation, Jean-Claude Bastos-de-Morais, spoke with Emma Okonji on the importance of African technology innovation and his plans to expand the ecosystem. Excerpts: startups that are looking for global exposure?

With the world gradually evolving into a global village, geographical boundaries are no longer constraint for businesses. This makes it all the more important for technology startup founders to keep their eyes and ears open to the ‘business buzz’ around the globe and to seize the right opportunities.

Platforms such as IPA and other innovationrelated competitions can also act as launch pads for global exposure, not just for technology startups but for any startup. These platforms connect innovators and entrepreneurs with other key innovation stakeholders as well as potential investors.

AIF recently announced the seventh edition of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) awards initiative. What are the expectations for the awards?

For the seventh edition, we want to expand our ever-growing network of innovators, enablers and partners to build stronger, more sustainable innovation ecosystems that will propel the continent forward. The theme for the next awards, ‘Investing in Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems’, is a wake-up call for African governments and innovation stakeholders to invest in building bridges for more inclusive ecosystems that will accelerate and scale African innovation at all levels of society. The aim is to increase access to innovative financing and know-how and to enhance collaboration between African nations to enable local innovators to access higher value markets for their solutions at a faster rate.

We also want to encourage more support for African women innovators as they are greatly under-represented within the innovation ecosystem. Diaspora entrepreneurs and investors too are a focus as they are uniquely positioned to recognise opportunities in their countries of cultural origin as ‘first influencers’ in fostering economic growth and we hope to see increased support and investment from this group. And of course, let’s not forget the African youth, the largest demographic on the continent who stand to benefit the most from inclusive innovation ecosystems.

Technologies are fast evolving and African countries are only playing the catchup. How will the IPA awards initiative help Africans in the area of technology development?

Numerous trends continue to show how much progress has been made on the African continent. More importantly, there has been a lot of technological advancement that the majority of the world, are unaware of. Africa’s youthful demographic has come of age in the digital era, making them early adopters of technology and the vanguard of innovation on the continent.

The continent has witnessed a cultural shift from consumers of technology to innovators, capable of disrupting traditional sectors such as agriculture while pioneering relevant Africanfocused solutions in healthcare, financing and clean energy.

IPA 2018 is a call to action for African leaders to create inclusive ecosystems that leapfrog education and promote faster ways of learning on the ground. It is a call for African leaders to recognise the demographic dividend to be gained by investing in the next generation of young African innovators who are poised to transform their economies and improve the standards of living for their people.

One major challenge of technology startups in Africa is funding. How will the IPA awards initiative help to address the issue of funding?

For the countless African startups benefiting from new technological developments, growth isn’t simply hinged on a burgeoning smartphone-carrying middle class. Many of the small startups and businesses which are driving Africa’s technological revolution are heavily reliant on investment.

IPA offers African innovators and startups exposure through our network of 8000 strong innovators and over 400 innovation enablers from across 52 African countries. During the 2018 edition, AIF and its partners will increase the exposure and opportunities for African innovators through a series of investor-related events.

This is an opportunity for private equity companies, venture capitalists and seed investors to have first-mover access to the latest African innovations.

Most times local investors turn away from local technology solutions developed by Africans

Bastos-de-Morais

because of the perceived low quality of the solutions to meet their needs. What is AIF doing to address this?

Each year we observe a great number of innovations coming from Africa that do not benefit from the outputs of science and research.

The result is that many of the solutions being proposed are old and redundant; they do not reflect the current state of the art in the specific field and therefore lack commercial viability.

Additionally, a number of solutions are not technically feasible because they are not based on sound science.

This is where Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) applications in Africa are falling short. At present a lot of scientific ideas are driven by abstract research that may not necessarily be responding to African needs.

There is a need to disseminate the outputs of primary research to the wider public and allow these outputs to form the basis creating solutions by African innovators. This will make them more viable.

With this in mind, AIF has recently signed MoU with the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) this November. The partnership is a vital step towards enabling research-driven innovation in Africa and underscores the importance and value of innovation by providing capacity building and skills development programmes for innovators across Africa.

What are your plans to expand the African innovation ecosystem?

Africa has the fastest growing youth population in the world. About 60 per cent of its population is under the age of 24. This youth bulge represents an important opportunity

for sustainable development in Africa. These youth segments will have specific needs different from developed or first world nations.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to invest in local innovation ecosystems which respond to these real needs. My ideology for developing African innovation ecosystem is based on an inclusive model that will drive needs-based innovation and bring opportunities to these segments of African society. I believe in an innovation hub model that allows grassroots innovation to evolve in an environment where collaborative knowledge, intellectual know how, mentorship and creative exchange are accessible in a linear manner.

In Angola, I have built such a hub. Fåbrica de Sabão is located in the heart of Luanda’s largest slum. It is a hybrid incubator, accelerator, makerspace, co-working space and cultural connector. The hub is accessible to all Angolans, and already the hub has a number of niche youth-led enterprises that are in various stages of incubation. To name a few, there is a small production of plastic tiles made of recycled PET bottles, which is very successful. There is a prototype electronic door access system and mobile phone solar charger that will soon go into series production. One group is also working on a charging station made of recycled oil barrels that will charge up to 16 mobile devices, like those you find in airports.

The hub is proof that our youths can create innovative solutions if the ecosystems are set up to nurture their abilities. I’d like to see this model replicated across other African nations.

What is your advice for young technology

What is your projection about technology growth in Africa in the next five years?

In terms of economic potential and growth, Africa has never been more important on the world stage. Africa is also at the start of a technological renaissance. That said, much of that opportunity lies in the future. As of today, internet penetration is just 29 per cent throughout Africa, meaning that the majority of growth and network effects are still to come. In particular, the continent has a unique wrinkle that also presents a huge opportunity. According to the African Development Bank, about 55 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s economic activity is informal.

Although agriculture and natural resources will continue to be important drivers of Africa’s economic growth, it is the application of modern technologies that will have the most significant impact on the growth trajectories of most African economies. Specifically, the greatest opportunity for growth will come from technological innovation and the adoption of new technologies in services sectors, such as banking, insurance, health, education and agriculture. New opportunities have arisen that make it possible for low-income economies to leapfrog other countries by adopting technologies that are suitable to their specific circumstances.

To sum it up, technology will play an increasing role in Africa and Africans will play an increasing role in technology. Having embraced the digital revolution, local innovators are using technology to open up new opportunities and access new possibilities to manufacture on a much larger scale.

You have been involved in the formation of several successful companies, with focus in Africa, what is your inspiration?

My inspiration has been to empower the large population of African youths through technology innovation, and this has led me into the formation of several successful companies, driving several initiatives, with the recent being the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) initiative, which was launched in 2011, in partnership with the UnitedNations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and driven by African Innovation Foundation (AIF), which is an organisation I founded in 2009 to drive African-led development through fostering innovation.

In 2007, I founded Quantum Global Group, an international group of companies focused on African development, particularly in the fields of corporate finance advisory, asset and private wealth management, real estate and investment consulting.

In 2014, I established Quantum Global Research Lab, which aims to provide bottom-up econometric models for inclusive development in Africa.

In 2008, I founded Banco Kwanza Invest, Angola’s first investment bank. In October 2011, I founded the Kitangana Tennis Project for orphans in Angola, and I am the co-editor of the book Innovation Ethics. African and Global Perspectives, co-published by Globethics. net and the AIF.

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TechnologyasDisruptiveToolforUsedCarMarket Just as the advancement in new technologies is disrupting many businesses across various sectors of the economy, technology is also fast becoming a major influencer of the already thriving used car market in Nigeria, writes Emma Okonji

Fleet of Tokunbo cars Global technology evolution is gradually defining how businesses are run and at the same time setting the pace for business growth and development. The recent global technology disruption is helping businesses to automate office functions such as record keeping, accounting and payroll. Business owners are now using technology to create secure environments for maintaining sensitive business or consumer information. With technology, business owners can create positive disruptions that will rake in more money into the business and at the same time meet customers’ demands. Such is the case with Nigeria’s auto business, where Nigeria spends an estimated N1.2 trillion on importation of vehicles, according to recent statistics.

Another statistics released recently by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Nigeria’s professional services firm, which highlighted the huge spend on vehicles importation into the country, mentioned that more than 70 per cent of imported vehicles are used ones, also known as ‘Tokunbo Cars’. This trend has created a thriving used-car market, spurred more by Nigeria’s new automotive policy, a development that saw car import tariff hiked by 35 per cent.

Over the past five years, technology has proven handy in playing a vital role in the success of the used-car market. Specifically, technology is being used to create online marketplaces, curating inventories of used-cars and connecting buyers with sellers.

Impact of technology Technology has impacted so much on businesses, including the auto business in Nigeria, where the sales of Tokunbo cars thrives. “In today’s auto business, whether you are selling brand new cars or Tokunbo, you cannot succeed without technology. Technology for

dealers has become a very vital tool, more important than even a car dealer shop,� said Lukmon Oloidi who is a used-car dealer in Lagos.

According to him, technology has made it easy for dealers to show their inventories to people outside the main cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kaduna and even to some cities in neighboring countries.

Also, a marketing executive with one of Nigeria’s top online vehicle dealerships, Chinenye Ohala, said: “Technology has created a win-win situation for all parties and now both buyers and sellers can emerge satisfied winners. Thanks to technology, buyers can now access inventories from several competing online vehicle dealerships, compare prices and make smarter purchase decisions.�

However, despite these successes, some challenges have persisted in the Nigerian auto business. While creating solutions to existing problems, it is not without its own inherent challenges, the major one being fraud

General challenges However, despite these successes, some challenges have persisted in the Nigerian auto business.

While creating solutions to existing problems, it is not without its own inherent challenges, the major one being fraud which is a headache for most dealers today.

First, while the foreign used tokunbo cars have some form of structure around their distribution, the Nigerian-used tokunbo car market has remained highly fragmented. This has not only created greater problems for sellers but has also inspired a great deal of mistrust in the mind of buyers. “Nigerian-used car market thrives in so much opacity. In most of the cases, there is no way of ascertaining the true condition of a car or how to make the right valuations,� noted a Lagos-based car dealer.

This remained the situation until another online vehicle marketplace with a unique model- Cars45 was launched in Nigeria in 2015.

Narrating his experiences and challenges in the Nigerian auto business, Head of Marketing at Cars45, an online platform for the sales of Tokunbo cars, Mr. Abiodun Onifade, said: “Unlike other car markets that focus on used cars sales only, Cars45 focuses on buying locally used cars from their owners in a fast and transparent process that is unparalleled in the history of tokunboh car business in Nigeria.�

Addressing the challenges with technology The Managing Director of Cars45, Etop Ikpe, in his views on how to address the issue of pricing with Tokunbo cars, stated that, “We are easing the friction associated with selling used cars by focusing on three key areas. One of those areas is pricing. Ask any buyer or seller of Nigerian-used cars, and they will tell you that pricing is the thorniest issue in the process�.

According to him, Cars45 has been able to standardise the prices associated with used cars through a proprietary pricing algorithm. “There is also the challenge of transparency.

Most buyers already believe every used car dealers in Nigeria have something to hide. Cars45 addresses this challenge through a reliable car inspection service that helps to put the minds of both buyer and seller at rest,� he said.

According to Ikpe, “We run online live auctions which gives customers 100 per cent visibility into the price offers they receive for any car we inspect at our inspection locations.�

He said: “More so, Cars45 addresses the need for speed. In a market where it would traditionally take up to a month or two to find a serious buyer for a used-car, one can now sell a car in less than an hour without running the risk of underselling. On the average it takes about 30-45 days for users to sell their cars. At Cars45 however, we guarantee a price offer and cash in the bank process within an hour once a customer visits anyone of our inspection locations.�

Customers’ adoption Nigerians have responded positively to this innovation, showing the great and effective impact technology can have in transforming the Nigerian auto market. “Just like any great service solving a genuine problem, we have seen massive customer adoption of our model and this justifies our rapid expansion to 27 Centers across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt in just 12 months while thousands of inspections have gone through our platform,� said Ikpe.

With the evolution of modern technologies, it is expected that Nigerians will experience more positive disruptions in their businesses beyond the auto business.

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Smile to Delight Customers ICAF Forum Devises Strategies to Address Unsolicited SMS, with Exciting Offers at Yuletide Call Masking As part of efforts to prepare customers for a fun filled holiday season celebration, Smile, one of the leading 4GLTE telecommunications service providers, has announced an offer of 10GB plus SMiFi with 1GB FREE data and a 100 per cent bonus on recharge for three months. The offer is available to new and existing customers across all segments. It promises to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy super-fast reliable mobile broadband and super-clear voice calls.

The Head, Brands and Communications of Smile Nigeria, Mr. Lotanna Anajemba explained that the offer is designed to lower the entry barrier and provide opportunity for more customers to join the preferred network of choice. “This holiday season gives us the opportunity to share with our customers while enabling them to create memorable holiday moments,�

Anajemba said. “We are giving our customers the opportunity to shop for gifts online, download and watch movies, call loved ones, have fun and most importantly share precious and memorable holiday moments with their friends and loved ones around the world, he reiterated further.

The bundle offer appeals

to all range of customers and social economic class. At N12, 900 price point, customers get 10GB plus SMiFi with 1GB free data and 100 per cent bonus on recharge for three months.

Customers are required to recharge with a minimum 1GB to enjoy the bonuses.

The Chief Marketing Officer of Smile Nigeria, Mr. Abdul Hafeez, said: “The SMiFi is a classy life style device for people who love to enjoy every moment and we know that the lucky customers who get the device will have a memorable experience surfing the internet and making calls.� “Our mission is to provide our customers greater value in line with the company’s drive to empower our customers to gain that competitive advantage in their business and also for leisure�, he commented further on the offer,� he added.

Smile launched the first 4G LTE network in West Africa in Nigeria in 2014 revolutionising the way people access the internet. Customers in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin City, Kaduna, Onitsha and Asaba can experience the country’s most reliable, SuperFast 4G LTE mobile broadband service and enjoy SuperClear voice calls, video calls and SMSs from their one SmileData bundle.

Stories by Emma Okonji Participants at the fourth quarter open meeting of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), which held recently in Lagos, have devised new strategies to address the challenges of unsolicited text messages and call masking, which they said were becoming embarrassing to the telecoms consumers.

Among other consumerrelated issues raised, unsolicited text messages and call masking were extensively discussed and new measures were taken to put an end to the menace.

In technical parlance, unsolicited short message service (SMS), are text messages sent through mobile devices to telecoms consumers by Value Added Service (VAS) providers for the purpose of advertising their products and services directly to the consumer who may not need such advertisement.

Such messages come without the consent of the consumer and most times they constitute nuisance to the consumer.

Call masking, on the other hand, is a technique that allows telecoms operators and subscribers to send text messages or make calls from one location to another, without revealing the identity of the person that initiated the call. This method has been used to evade payment of telecoms tariff.

The ICAF forum, which was established by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) since 2006, seeks to provide advisory services on matters that affect the welfare of telecoms consumers in Nigeria.

Part of the resolution reached at the ICAF forum were the need for NCC to strengthen collaboration with law enforcement agents to address the situation, while it continues to monitor and implement

the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) code, which they said, had been effective in curbing the influx of unsolicited text messages, since NCC introduced it in 2016. They were also of the view that the current complaint channels available to consumers are inadequate and called for increased channels.

The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau at NCC, Mr. Abdullahi Maikano, in his opening remarks at the fourth quarter ICAF forum, reiterated the commitment of NCC to protect the rights of telecoms consumers and commended the speakers, Mr. Ayo Oke, a telecoms lawyer, who presented a paper on ‘Telecoms Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress Mechanism’ and Mrs. Leke Ogundipe, who is the director, surveillance and enforcement with the Consumer Protection Council(CPC), who presented a paper on ‘Addressing Telecoms

Consumer Complaints.’ Maikano commended the speakers for highlighting the rights of telecoms consumers and how such rights could be protected by the CPC and by the consumers themselves.

In her paper Ogundipe explained that CPC has the overall mandate to protect and promote the interests of consumers of all services and products. She said while the mandate covers various methods of protecting consumers, there is a special emphasis on redress of consumer complaints.

She however stressed the need for the consumers to know their rights. “An informed consumer will know his/her rights, demand them and probably receive redress without recourse to regulatory agencies. Continuous sensitisation of consumers is thus a necessity in the complaint redress process,� Ogundipe said.

Tech Firm Set to Transform Customers’ExperienceinAfrica Emma Okonji Insisting on customer satisfaction as a priority for successful business, iSON Technologies has stressed the need for organisations to come up with solutions that will add value to customer experience.

In his presentation at the recently concluded ‘Africacom’, titled; ‘’Transforming Customer Experience - Shifting Gears at Big Data Stream’’, the Chief Growth Officer at iSON Technologies, Akshay Grover, stressed on the fact that new age digital services/ operations have raised the competitive bar in every sector. According to him, in addition, to capture the opportunity in its entirety, company executives should with immediate effect, embrace a new operating model that exponentially improves the digital customer experience.

He explained that most conversations today revolve around enhancing customer experience through digitisation.

Research has revealed that over 72 per cent of global businesses are highly eager to prioritise their customer experience journey through tangible improvements. Yet and not surprisingly, according to the annual CX report by Forrester in 2016, globally, companies lose over $340 billion due to poor customer service/customer experience management every year, and this is a startling number, Grover said.

According to him, through iSON’s digital consumer ex-

pertise and service-operations work with leading practitioners, the company has distilled elements that it believes are critical in shifting away from the present uncoordinated efforts within organisational silos to launching an integrated operating model that is organised around the entire customer experience lifecycle, right from the point of purchase.

He went on to explain how iSON Technologies has successfully transformed customer experience through creating a holistic self-care application, developed for a major telecommunications giant in Africa. Reduction of inbound customer-care calls by 15 per cent, elimination of long ‘call-waiting lines’ and additional two million subscribers shifting to use the app within three months of launch, clearly reflect sustained positive results.

Grover further stated that iSON Technologies expedites an experience based approach to transforming their customer profile. Rather than digitizing lot of elements, they focus on selective transformation, singling out a handful of customer journeys that really matter within key segments; mapping how those journeys flow across functions, channels and device along with identifying where the key pain points lie. Re-imagination and innovation lead to processes intersecting cleanly with social, mobile, cloud technology and artificial intelligence to deliver a superior customer experience.

GLOBAL AWARD

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Standard Alliance Insurance, Plc., Mr. Bode Akinboye; a guest, Mr. Ajmal Khan; Legal Advisor, Standard Insurance Consultants Limited, Mrs. Zainab Bakare; awardee and President/CEO, Standard Insurance Consultants Limited, Dr. Ahmed Salawudeen and Manager at Standard Insurance Consultants Limited, Mr. Oladele Zaccaeus, during the presentation of the “The Bizz Inspirational Awardâ€? to Salawudeen at the World Confederation of Businesses (WORLDCOM) Gala Dinner and Ceremony at Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai‌recently

ntel to Commence National 9mobile Launches Code Lagos Roaming Test with 9mobile Centre Determined to provide fuller coverage to its growing number of subscribers and to position itself as a network offering 4G/LTE as well as 3G and 2G services, ntel has announced a national roaming field trial with 9mobile.

The operators have received regulatory approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence a national roaming trial over a two-month period.

According to ntel, the agreement would enable its customers to make calls on 9mobile’s network using any 2G or 3G handset within the specified trial zone.

Commenting on the commencement of the national roaming trial, ntel’s CEO, Ernest Akinlola, said: “This agreement is a significant step in the right direction for us as a company and the telecommunications

ecosystem. A full national roaming agreement with 9mobile would provide our growing customer base with a seamless service over4G/LTE superfast data and voice clarity as well as ubiquitous 3G and 2G coverage nationwide.

Both operators are pioneers in innovation and we are pleased to be charting a new path for the industry.�

The national roaming test commenced on both networks since December 1, 2017.

According to Akinlola, ntel’s network is built on the 900/1800 Mhz frequency bands, which are the best propagation frequencies for the deployment of 4G/LTE technology. ntel’s range of services include: National Bandwidth; International Voice Termination, International Bandwidth; Mobile and Fixed Communications services.

Telecommunications operator, 9mobile, has launched a coding centre at one of its adopted schools, Rabiatu Thompson Primary School, Surulere, Lagos, as part of the Code Lagos initiative of the Lagos State government. Code Lagos, which seeks to teach at least one million Lagos residents to code by 2019, has 9mobile as one of its key partners, with the telecommunications firm setting up coding centres at its adopted schools. Speaking at the launch, Ag. Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the telco’s partnership with the Lagos State government on Code Lagos was borne out of its commitment to education and the empowerment of young Nigerians to succeed in the digital age.

Osunsedo said: “As a company committed to promoting academic excellence, 9mobilehas

introduced a number of initiatives that contribute to sustainable development in Nigeria.

One of such initiatives is our Adopt-A-School programme, through which we have adopted four schools for life, and are driving the delivery of qualitative primary and secondary education, in partnership with respective state governments. “In sustaining our commitment, we have collaborated with the Lagos State Government, on the laudable Code Lagos initiative, and today we are launching a fully equipped coding centre at Rabiatu Thompson Primary School.�

While encouraging the students to maximally utilise the coding centre, Osunsedo expressed the hope that in another 10-15 years, the school would have produced some of the ICT gurus that will create phenomenal programs that add value to life.

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Building Entrepreneurial Competencies With the conclusion of the 2017 edition of the Ideatrophy competition, a development initiative of Unilever designed to create an ‘out-of-the-classroom’ learning experience for undergraduates, Raheem Akingbolu writes on its impact on participants in the area of strategy and innovation Few years ago, Unilever Africa flagged off ‘Unilever Africa Idea Trophy Competition’, and declared that it was in furtherance of its commitment to develop human capacity and talent potential. Six years after, the company has not only deepened entrepreneurial competencies among students, it has helped talented young Africans to realise their potentials. Unilever Nigeria is part of the multi-national Unilever group, which produces products like Close Up, Lux, Lipton, among others.

This was affirmed recently during grand finale of the 2017 edition, where, after a keenly contested competition, Team Triarchy from Nigeria emerged the overall winner of the edition. The initiative, which is in line with the company’s quest to groom young talents in Nigeria and Ghana, had undergraduates from both countries at the 6th edition held in Lagos.

While the competition lasted, participants from various teams appeared as business strategists, who have come to proffer solution to how to deepen penetration of different brands. Aside exposing members of various teams to core marketing challenges, the platform also offered participants networking opportunity with many experts, who were already masters of the game.

The winning team -Triarchy had the trio of Temitope Smith, an undergraduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Uzomba Ikechukwu, from the University of Ibadan and Egbo Chidera, from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Other teams that won at the competition were, Ghana’s Team Kool T that was the first runners up, Team Classic (Nigeria) that was second runners up and Team Supernova (Ghana) as third runners up. Team Midas (Nigeria) also won the “Most Compelling Idea Award’’.

The competition has been designed to develop young talents, mostly undergraduates across universities in Nigeria and Ghana along the lines of personal, leadership and entrepreneurial competences. The boot camp for the 2017 edition was opened in Lagos on October 2nd, where contestants were exposed to Unilever activities in sales, marketing, finance and Supply Chain.

The participants were assigned to mentors who are seasoned business professionals, to guide them in the development of their business plans in preparation for their presentations whilst also engaging in other recreational activities.

The grand finale was attended by over 400 undergraduates from different Universities across the country. In addition to the competition, the visiting undergraduates were taken through series of employability workshops on how to prepare for interviews, writing of CVs and networking for career development.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria-Ghana, Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh, reiterated Unilever’s commitment to touching lives every day through its products and social missions. He appreciated the efforts of all the participants and advised them to be persistent in the drive to achieve their goals. He also encouraged them to develop their knowledge and skills to meet up with global standards. “Being awake to what really matters, which is the theme for this year’s edition, is about understanding the power in you to make choices that will determine your future. There are constraints in life that compelus to make choices but every choice we make will always come with consequences. What is most important however is that whatever we do, we do to the best of our ability,� Nsarkoh said.

Beyond CSR Though it has been described as Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives by some analysts, Idea Trophy Competition is a unique intervention programme that government and other corporate entity should encourage to develop talents and prepare Nigerian youths for the future. One of its benefits is the free mentorships from top-notch achievers within the business cycle, which the competition offers to participants annually.

One of the judges, Mrs. Biola Alabi, founder

L-R: Managing Director, Unilever Ghana-Nigeria, Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh; Winners of the Unilever IdeaTrophy 6th Edition, Team Triarchy, Uzomba Ikechukwu; Temitope Smith and Egbo Charles with the HR Director, Unilever Ghana-Nigeria, Ms. Eniola Onimole Uzomba, at the grand ďŹ nale of the competition in Lagos‌recently

and Managing Partner at Biola Alabi Media, captured the essence of the exercise, when she described it as an eye opener and intervention programme that would help the students realised their potentials. ‘’With the initiative, Unilever has touched positively on a sensitive area –innovation and strategy development. Without doubt, this intervention programme has given the students opportunity to put into practical, some of the things they have learnt in their various schools.

So far, it has been a rare opportunity for the undergraduates to make real impact. Human capacity building and talent development are key to national development, hence the need for stakeholders to buy into such initiative,’’ Alabi, an expert with a career spanning over 20 years in the area of marketing and development of concept and strategies, however called on participants in the competition to build on the experience garnered while the challenge

While the competition lasted, participants from various teams appeared as business strategists, who have come to proffer solution to how to deepen penetration of different brands.

Aside exposing members of various teams to core marketing challenges, the platform also offered participants networking opportunity with many experts, who were already masters of the game

lasted, as they look into bright career years in marketing.

Alabi’s position resonates with the declaration of the company when journey started six years ago. Speaking at the kick-off of the competition in Lagos, the then Managing Director of the company, Mr. Thabo Mabe had noted that the company’s investment in Idea Trophy went beyond just doing good, but actually doing good business within Nigeria’s social and economic environment. “Driving and sustaining our business is hinged on the quality of our people, and that is why Unilever Nigeria has remained committed to discovering, uncovering and developing talent at different levels, not just for now, but also for the future,� Mabe had stated as he explained the company’s rationale for Idea Trophy.

Since then, the company has been going into the Universities to stimulate thinking amongst undergraduates and challenge them with real life business cases. This is with the intent that these students will develop intellectually and begin to have a view of what lies ahead after University life.

Until this year when Ghanaian students were involved alongside their counterparts in Nigeria, the Idea Trophy competition used to be a national competition in the country that called on University undergraduates to respond to a business case presented by Unilever Nigeria.

These undergraduates are to form teams of three people, and come up with an idea that will address the business case presented, which they will get the opportunity to develop. However, the team of three people model is still retained.

As a challenging and creative experience, where students need to figure out how business works in real life while developing their own skills and competencies, the company has been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the initiative is actually a business challenge and not a game because it appears too real to be a game.

Among other criteria, judges in the challenge look out for; particiapants’ excitement and passion, creative ideas built on an innovative strategy, great fit with the project brief, and applicability to real business life and appeal to the adopted case study.

Few weeks ago, as the grand finale for 2017 ended, the company was again able to showcase the event as an educative platform to meet

people with progressive mind-sets.

Feedbacks Commenting on their success, a member of Team Triarchy, Uzomba Ikechukwu said the experience from participating in the competition will serve as a leap to their greatness. “The Ideatrophy competition has been a life changing experience. We have learnt so much about working as a team to developing viable strategies for brand positioning and growth.

Winning the competition is a dream come true for us and we will put in more efforts to win at the Africa region and global leg of the competition,� he said.

The Human Resources Director, Unilever Nigeria-Ghana, Ms. Eniola Onimole, on her part noted that the initiative serves as a major stepping stone for youths who desire first-hand experience in dealing with real life business challenges.

She said: “The Ideatrophy competition gives us the opportunity to develop young Nigerians and Ghanaians right from the University. By connecting with Undergraduates through this programme, we attract and invest in young talents that would be among some of the world’s best leaders in future,� she said.

Meanwhile, participants in the previous editions of the initiative are said to be doing well in various areas of human endeavours. In 2012 for instance, Team ‘Life buoy Musketeers’, from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, beat six other teams in a keenly contested battle of business ideas to emerge winners at the grand finale of the competition held in Lagos.

Two other teams ‘Aspire’ from Federal University of Technology, Minna and ‘Deluxe Brains’ from Abia state University emerged first and second runners up respectively.

Team Blueprint emerged the winner of the 4th edition of the competition in 2015 at an event also held in Lagos. With over a thousand entries from universities across Nigeria, Six teams from various universities made it to the grand finale that year. The teams who made it to the grand finale were taken through series of mentorship sessions where they learnt business skills, development and networking, working with people from diverse backgrounds, ethics, co-existence and integrity as it relates to the workplace.

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Critical Factors in Nigeria’s Economic Recovery To reposition Nigeria and deepen her economy, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria has tasked its members to leverage on the institute’s research apparatus to support government and business leaders with the relevant data required for decision making. Raheem Akingbolu reports

Udoma

The leadership of the Chattered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) recently took the bull by the horns as they suggested likely solutions toward revamping the nation’s economy. Going by the positions taken by experts drawn from public and private sector during the institute’s 49th Annual National Conference, held in Abuja, if Nigeria wants to achieve meaningful sustainable economic growth in the country it must begin to aggressively develop is human capital. The team of the conference, which was attended by over 2,000 delegates, was ‘Innovate Empower Engage’. They all agreed that an impressive performance of the economy of most developed and newly industrialised countries is an impressive commitment to human capital development hence the need for programmes to be introduced in all courses in Nigeria Universities that will help graduates in the country to be ready for workplace expectations.

The President and Chairman of Council of the institute, Mr. Udom Inoyo, in his address highlighted some of the institute’s roles in ensuring a reduction in the number of unemployable graduates in the country as well as its investment in the continuous development of the Human Capital through partnership with the government.

He stated that CIPM is committed to promoting student internship through collaboration between academic institutions and the industrial sector in the bid to improving the quality and standard of education curricula. He also pointed out that the institute has consistently supported policies that would develop and sustain entrepreneurial skills in Nigeria. The president urged the new set of the institute’s inductees to adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession and make practical contributions to the growth of the nation.

Capacity development The Minister of Budget & National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who delivered a keynote address, challenged the institute to develop templates and modules of capacity

Inoyo

development that can improve the productivity of the Nigerian workforce.

The Minister noted that enhanced capacity of the workforce and the resultant improvement in productivity can contribute significantly to improvement in national output. “As the foremost personnel management institution in the country, managing people is what your members do. I challenge you, individually and collectively, to develop templates and modules of capacity develop-

While noting that as personnel managers their job is to develop management schemes that improve the productivity of their workforce, the Minister challenged members of the Institute to bring their expert personnel management skills to bear on the nation’s low productivity levels, as he pointed out that the greatest wealth of a nation is not in its natural resources, but its human resources

ment that can improve the productivity of our people�, he said.

Udoma, who spoke on the topic: “The Nigerian Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), 2017-2020: People as a Critical Success Factor�, said the whole essence of the ERGP is to achieve a massive and sustained increase in national output.

While noting that as personnel managers their job is to develop management schemes that improve the productivity of their workforce, the Minister challenged members of the Institute to bring their expert personnel management skills to bear on the nation’s low productivity levels, as he pointed out that the greatest wealth of a nation is not in its natural resources, but its human resources.

Drawing their attention to the ERGP, the Minister said that it is a Plan that will drive Nigeria on to a path of sustained, diversified and inclusive growth; a Plan that will change the country in a fundamental way.

CIPM’s Position In a communiquÊ issued after the conference, members of the institute were charged on the need to collaborate with National Industrial Court to create more awareness on decided cases and trends in labour and employment matters. They also promised to, henceforth, effectively partner with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address unacceptable labour practices in the country.

The institute reiterated the need for members to leverage CIPM’s research apparatus to support government, organisations and business leaders with relevant data required for decision making. They were also urged to take the lead in driving the discussion on “big data� and artificial intelligence and the potential impact on the future of work, workforce and education.

To remove obstacles that demotivate the workforce while promoting a lasting culture of high engagement and performance, the institute tasked members to engage and collaborate with leaders across key sectors.

On dispute resolution, government and

organisations were advised to promote the option of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedures while CIPM should continue to create awareness on ADR and mediation as an alternative to formal legal process.

As part of its efforts to ensure the country has leaders with the right skills, competencies and motivation to drive the public sector into the knowledge and technological age, Human Resource managers in the sector were advised to be accredited by CIPM, which is empowered by law to qualify Human Resource practitioners.

However, considering the concern about the state of the Civil Service as a critical instrument of economic recovery and growth, the institute reasoned that there is need for all stakeholders to collaborate with the office of The Head of Civil Service of the Federation to actualise the recently launched Civil Service Strategic Plan 2017 – 2020.

It further stated that to build the next generation public service required for the execution of government developmental initiatives, Government should deepen and consolidate Public Private Partnerships to resolve service delivery complexities, solve complex problems, gain economies of scale and scope to leverage innovative ideas and best practices from the private sector and other non-state sectors.

Like in the private sector, organisations were tasked to make innovation a part of the talent management approach by delivering relevant training and creating an enabling culture that supports innovation to drive business performance.

To this end, Government and organisations were encouraged to set up idea management platforms and establish a catalyst fund to promote innovation.

Aside a panel discussion on “Employment Law & Legislation in Nigeria- Where are we?� there were also nine Master Classes and five HR Clinics that focused on Talent Management, Engagement, Organisational Design and the entire Human Resources value chain

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

Vol. 1 Issue 22 Dec 06, 2017

Nextier Power is a consulting firm that provides policy advisory, investment advisory, and support services to the electricity supply industry. The firm aims to use this weekly publication to educate Nigerians on the intricacies of the Nigeria electricity supply industry on the assumption that a more informed public would advocate for the right policies and programmes which, in turn, would lead to a robust market that delivers the electricity needs of Nigerians. This column will cover everything from the basics of the industry to the more intricate, sometimes, complex policies and programmes.

FUTURE OF TCN: Hiving-Off the Independent System Operator (ISO) & the Options for the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) Privatisation This option allows the government to sell the TSP to a private owner to carry out the functions as encapsulated in the EPSRA. Privatising the TSP could take the format of the recent privatisation of the distribution company. This would allow the government to own minority shares in the company while the new owner retains majority share.

Introduction The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is the organisation responsible for transmitting high voltage power through the national grid from the generation companies to the distribution companies across the country. In 2005, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) launched the reform of the power sector in Nigeria and unbundled it into the core segments of the value chain: generation, transmission and distribution.

As part of the reform, generation and distribution companies were privatised while TCN remained under the control of the government albeit concessioned under a management contract. One of the many reasons for this arrangement was that over the years, there was limited investment in the network and poor maintenance of the existing network.

Consequently, privatising transmission would have huge financial and tariff implications that could potentially meet public resistance. Please visit https://goo.gl/KmHbqG to read more on transmission.

TCN Licence TCN is an operator in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI); and like all other operations in the industry, obtains its license from Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). TCN’s license permits it to undertake functions of a System Operator (SO), Market Operator (MO) and Transmission Service Provider (TSP).

Under the license terms and conditions, the functions of the MO are embedded into that of the SO as is evident from the list above.

TCN Functions (SO and TSP) As authorised by the section 66 of the EPSRA, the SO is responsible for the following functions: x generation scheduling, commitment and dispatch x transmission scheduling and generation outage co-ordination x congestion management x international transmission coordination x Conduct system studies, fault analysis, load flow analysis and planning of the power system (real time and future) x administration of wholesale market, including settlement payments under Market Rules x other activities required for reliable and efficient SO TSP on the other hand, is responsible for: x network development via grid construction x operations and maintenance of Nigeria’s transmission system x international connections x load forecasting and system expansion planning

TCN Structure Four years post privatisation, TCN still holds the license to execute SO and TSP functions and has performed these functions since the unbundling. In 2015, the activities of the TCN were split into Independent System Operator (ISO) and TSP. Again, both SO and MO functions were put under the ISO. The ISO and the TSP have different administrative heads who report to the CEO of TCN. Although some may be of the opinion that the current structure may be sufficient to perform the functions of TCN, even the law mandates the operational evolution of TCN to become more sophisticated in carrying out the increasing duties in the electricity market. This stresses the need for TCN to adopt smarter solution processes in order to ramp up the pace of its development nationwide.

Options for the ISO As with the development of the electricity market, institutions (operators) are expected to evolve to take on the advanced functions that come with every stage of the market development as envisaged. For instance, both the ISO and TSP could be hived off as separate entities.

Criteria and functions The hiving off of the ISO is to achieve the set of functional objectives. The ISO is expected to conform to the minimum criteria of independence, market management, short-term reliability and operational authority.

The ISO will be responsible for its own tariff administration and design activities.

These activities include managing congestion on the transmission network, procurement of ancillary services and providing full information on the available transmission capacity to ensure open

access to the transmission system for all users. Furthermore, the ISO design should be such that it would monitor the market activities to the extent that it influences operations. It will be responsible for planning, grid expansion and interregional coordination of the grid.

ISO Ownership The ISO could be a public entity, private company or a mutual organisation. Each of these options present both opportunities and challenges. For Nigeria, the ISO executive team could comprise of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), finance as well as Directors for SO and MO. This will ensure that there is representation of both the MO and SO functions that could be ring-fenced within the ISO. Options for the TSP There are a range of options for the TSP. One of such options is to leave the entity within government control. However, as already established, electricity is an expensive business. It requires huge and continuous capital investment as well as improving technical capacity. The government’s ability to meet this commitment is debatable.

However, history has shown that privatising some segments of the power sector while leaving some in the hands of the government can undermine the expected speed of development in the sector. Therefore, the government is encouraged to consider relinquishing its control in order to scale up the activities of the power sector.

The EPSRA provides more flexibility for the future of the TSP. Internationally, the main options for a service provider are privatisation, concession or management contract.

Concession This option becomes more attractive and plausible to the government in order to leave the entity within the improved capacity of TSP. Subsequently, the improved company will be returned to government at the end of the concession period. Concession options for TSP could be: I) Build-Operate-Transfer or BuildOwn-Operate-Transfer II) Build-OwnOperate or Private Public Partnership models. These options present both opportunities and challenges for the government. However, they are worth considering to help ramp up the capacity of the TSP in executing its functions.

Management contract This option allows the transfer of operational control of TSP to a preferred contractor. Expected outcomes and evaluation criteria will be agreed and contracted with the selected operator. Also, the contractor’s payment would be tied to specified and agreed results. Management contracts (3-5 years or more) are typically shorter than concessions (15-30 years).

Conclusion With TCN placed in the middle of the power sector value chain, the risk of doing nothing to rapidly improve its infrastructure and management is underplayed. Unfortunately, the future of TCN as envisaged by the EPSRA has not received the level of attention it deserves.

In order to ramp up development of this crucial sub-sector, it is recommended that the government extends its effort into hiving off the ISO as a separate entity and considering plausible ownership and management model options for the TSP. Author Emeka Okpukpara is a Partner at Nextier Power and is extremely interested in solving the Nigerian power problem.

Editor Chinazo Ifeanyi-Nwaoha is a power sector analyst focused on the interplay of policy-practice and regulation Next Topics Nov. 29

Off-grid Generation

Dec. 06

The Future of TCN

Dec. 13

The Future of TCN II

www.nextierpower.com empower@nextierpower.com

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Ugolor: FG Must Divest EFCC, ICPC, Others of the Responsibility of Managing Recovered Assets As the Global Forum on Asset Recovery holds in Washington DC, United States this week, the Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor spoke with Abimbola Akosile on Nigeria’s efforts to recover looted funds, climate change, illicit financial flows, international protocols and agreements, among other development issues. Excerpts: Can you please do a very brief recap of the development-related activities of ANEEJ in the past year?

Thank you very much. We have had the Civil Society Advocacy to Support Anti-corruption in Nigeria (CASAN) project. We have also strengthened transparency and accountability of Niger Delta institutions on resource management and through promoting citizen engagement.

The goal of the project is to improve the transparency and accountability of targeted Niger Delta institutions through civic engagement and effective reporting of the agencies’ activities.

These agencies are the Oil Commissions in Edo, Delta, Abia, Imo, Ondo, NDDC and MNDA. There is also the Stop Dirty Fuel campaign.

A research on dirty diesel was launched on September 15, 2016 in Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Switzerland. The goal of the campaign was to stop high level of sulphur in petroleum products. Commitments were made by governments to end the “African Quality� fuel.

ANEEJ also organised a Climate change seminar with Catholic youth and students.

We also did a project on resource governance in the Niger Delta, This project is meant to reduce poverty and enhance access to justice in the Niger Delta region.

We also engaged in strategies of tackling corruption through property ownership. We undertook advocacy against Impunity in the oil subsidy in Nigeria/ Asset recovery - The project is to raise public awareness about general and specific cases of corruption and malpractice in the oil and gas sector and put pressure on government to do more and hold perpetrators and government to account.

The organisation is also canvassing for ending oil swap in Nigeria, and the project advocates for a reform in the oil and gas sector in particularly an end to oil swap contract. There were also the consultations ahead of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) taking place in Washington DC this week.

Among your focal areas is the environment.... what is your take on the issue of the clean-up of Ogoniland, which is yet to commence over a year after the federal government approved the process?

We believe that the Federal government appeared to be sincere with the issues concerning the Ogoni clean up from the onset. Recent developments however indicate that there are issues bordering on the political will on the part of the Federal government to ensure that the cleanup begins at full throttle. Therefore to this extent, we urge the Federal government to do all it can to ensure that the process involves input from CSOs and relevant stakeholders.

Despite revelations in the Thabo Mbeki report on illicit flows which stated that Africa loses over $50 billion annually to illicit financial flows, the outflow has not reduced significantly..... to you, what can be done to remedy this alarming situation which is draining away Africa’s resources?

First, the National Assembly must do all it can now to pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill currently being debated. This is because if that bill becomes law, it helps the fight against corruption and prevents politically-exposed persons from laundering money in tax havens.

Secondly, the Federal government must build the capacity of the judiciary, the media, civil society and anti-corruption agencies on asset recovery.

Further, the Nigerian government must institutionalise a framework for working with Nigerian Civil Society to ensure that there is effective implementation of the National Anticorruption Strategy and Mutual Legal negotiations on stolen assets and their management thereof when recovered.

of impunity.

The issue of mutual legal assistance between cooperating countries concerning recovery of stolen funds has been identified as a positive option for repatriation of loot from destination nation.....how can Nigeria take this further based on her bilateral agreements and some conventions she signed onto?

The issues concerning mutual legal assistance with and between countries are a bit sensitive and some border on issues of patriotism. If one country already has begun investigations in a matter of asset recovery; that matter is usually seen to be under the laws of the country that is already investigating that matter. That is why it would be very important for Nigeria to activate the treaties we recently signed by working closely with states wherein we signed those commitments and treaties.

Recently, the Federal government partnered the Metropolitan Police in the UK in the case involving the former minister of petroleum resources.

Such collaborations are usually profitable in the long run only if both countries exhibit great levels of honesty, sincerity of purpose and a determination to bring treasury looters to book.

Ugolor Many analysts believe Nigeria has signed on to too many Agreements, Conventions, Protocols and Resolutions, some of which are of no particular benefit to the country.... can you identify any of such agreements that should be exited or set aside for the nation’s good and positive development?

Nigeria has not really signed on to too many agreements in the real sense. The world is becoming a global village, and these signatures are the wires which connect us to the heartbeat of the world. Many of these conventions are useful, especially as most Nigeria is seeking the help of the rest of the world with the recovery, return and management of assets stolen and stashed abroad by corrupt Nigerians. Therefore many of these conventions are useful. Like the UNCAC is useful in the fight against corruption. What remains to be seen is if Nigeria can comply with some of the commitments made in the implementation of these treaties.

There was a recent allegation from the National Assembly leadership that the huge funds recovered from corruption proceeds both locally and internationally are being diverted and stolen by the anti-corruption agencies.... what checks and balances can be put in place to avoid this potentially damaging situation?

Like we have always maintained, an asset management body must be established to take care of recovered assets. Leaving these assets in the hands of the anti-corruption agencies is not professional and may be an incentive to the issues you have raised. Let recovered assets be put in the hands of seasoned experts who can turn the recovered assets into valueadded commodities. If properly managed, these recovered assets can yield trillions of naira that will help with financing critical areas of the Nigerian economy. It promotes transparency and accountability and truncates the culture

Although the present administration is still embroiled in an ongoing war against official corruption and graft, there are several allegations that the same administration is shielding some top members from prosecution on alleged corruption charges....to you, is this administration still committed to transparency and accountability and its war against corruption?

We believe so even though there are some grey areas which we believe the government should address.

The Buhari administration has consistently put forward a name of a public official which it believes has what it takes to fight corruption to a standstill. It has introduced a whistleblowers policy through which a lot of monies have been recovered.

There is already a National Anti-corruption strategy, and there is evidence that the government is interested in the quick passage of the Proceeds of Crime Bill into Law. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

RANDOM THOTS Pull Factor The scenario is as scary as it is obvious.

Despite the peril of a tortuous journey ĂžĂ’ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’ ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂžĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă™ĂœĂžĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ˜ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ and the icy waters of the MediterraĂ˜Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă‹Ëœ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜Ëœ Ă˜Ă‹ĂŁ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‘Ă“ĂœĂ–Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŒĂ™ĂŁĂ? Ă–Ă?Ă‹Ă Ă? ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ËŠĂ?Ù×Ă?Ă™ĂœĂž Ă¤Ă™Ă˜Ă?ËŞ Ă‹Ăž ÒÙ×Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă?Ă‹ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ăœ ÚËĂ?ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? in Europe in search of the elusive golden eece.

The irony is that this is not a new ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ youths have over the years lost their Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă–Ă“Ă—ĂŒĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă›Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ a better life abroad. Despite inherent ĂŽĂ‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă•Ă?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă’Ă&#x;Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ ĂžĂœĂ‹ĘŠĂ?Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?ÞÓÞĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă“Ă‘Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ě‹ĂžĂœĂ‹ĘŠĂ?Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? still keen to leave their countries of origin for destinations uncertain.

ĂŒĂ Ă“Ă™Ă&#x;Ă?Ă–ĂŁËœ ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă? Ă‹ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‘ ĂšĂ&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă—Ă“Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ ÞÙ Ă&#x;ĂœĂ™ĂšĂ? Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă?Ă™Ăœresponding push factor that is ‘shovĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ËŞ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž ÞÒĂ?Ă?Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ăœ Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ™ ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă? ĂœĂ&#x;ÞÒÖĂ?Ă?Ă? ÚÓ×ÚĂ?Ëœ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?ÞÓÞĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜ Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă‹ Ă‘Ă–Ă™ĂŒĂ‹Ă– Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?Ăž ĂŒĂ&#x;ÙãĂ?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŽĂ?Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă’ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹Ă– Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÞÒÓĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“nent. Ù×Ă? ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂŽĂ“Ă–ĂŁ Ă‹ĂŽĂ—Ă“Ăž ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ‹Ă– ÑÙà Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă?ĂŽ ÑÙà Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ Ă‹ĂœĂ? ĂžĂœĂŁĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ their best provide enabling environĂ—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;ÞÒĂ? Ă?ÞËã ĂŒĂ‹Ă?Ă• ÞÙ ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ÒÙ×Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă›Ă&#x;Ă“Ă?Ă•Ă?Ăœ ÚËã Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ÞËã Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă&#x;ĂœĂ™ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ă˜

societies with the attendant beneďŹ ts is still too strong to resist. Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă?ĂŽËœ ÞÒÙĂ?Ă? Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ‹ĘŠĂ?Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă– Ă˜Ă™ Ă?Ù×ÚĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ Ă?Ă?ÖÖÙå Ă?ÓÞÓäĂ?Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ™ Ă?Ă–Ă‹Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?ÞÓÞĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă– these gangs are routed and until there Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’ ĂšĂ&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ăž ÒÙ×Ă? ÞÙ ËŠĂ‹ĂœĂœĂ?Ă?Þ˪ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă? Ă‹ ĂŒĂ?ĘľĂ?Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă—Ă“Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă&#x;ËÖÞÓĂ?Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă?ÚÓÞĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ăœnational focus on the issue. Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă?ĂŽ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă?ÞÙÚ celebrating corruption and start appreciating honest hard work and there will be a startling eect on dangerous Ă—Ă“Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë›Ë›Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ă—Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ë› -Abimbola Akosile

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Ëš

Bad road; a negative indicator of development in Nigeria

Has Devt in Nigeria Been Positive in 2017?

Although the present ruling administration promised to make life easier for Nigerians, the current scenario is far from the desired. Also, though fuel scarcity seems to be history now, food prices have refused to come down and the standard of living is harsh on millions of citizens. And even though government has pumped billions into capital projects, the ripple effects are yet to be felt by majority of hungry, poor citizens. In your own view, has development been positive or negative in Nigeria in the past 11 months of 2017?

THE FEEDBACK

Abimbola Akosile * On paper, yes, since the economy grew by 1.4%. Recently no pipelines busts in the Niger Delta, fresh agitations have been curtailed and there is a desire by the Federal Government to look into an increase of the minimum wage.

However, the fight against corruption needs to be overhauled and our criminal justice system empowered. Strict adherence to the federal character principle should be respected and enforced by all. More jobs need to be created as well as a more productive private sector.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * Negative.

- Mrs. Bukky Olajide, Lagos State * Not at all; there is the suffering of the citizens, where most State Governors cannot pay workers’ salary, poor delivery on the political promises, and various security challenges that have hindered the peace and infrastructural development. Yes, the present government is fighting hard to retrieve some stolen wealth, but they should also work very hard in developing the economy, strengthening the local currency, and introducing social welfare to lessen the pains of the citizens. Now we need economic experts and development policies that will be able to drive us to the desired promise land.

- Mr. Michael Adedotun Oke, Founder, Michael Adedotun Oke Foundation, Abuja * Did you witness any positive development?

- Mr. Tunde Okoli, USA * No; not only in 2017, but since its inception.

The present ruling government can bark, but cannot bite. How many well-investigated rich cases and those found guilty are slammed in prison with their assets confiscated? Which development are we talking about when “corruption is fighting back with full might�?

- Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna * Our economic growth ought to be a source of serious concern. Nigerians are actually suffering.

- Ms Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos State * Humanly, development in Nigeria has been positive in 2017. Like it or not, both the rich and the poor have learned something about what life is all about. Despite the poverty being decried, majority have learnt to be contented with what they have. The wastage of resources Nigerians are known for is no more there. In

Positive devt:

3

Negative devt:

9

Others:

6

Radical tip:

Overhaul anticorruption fight

Total no of respondents:

18

Male:

13

Female:

5

Highest location:

Lagos (7)

fact, we have all embraced the change agenda!

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna * While lot of statistics are been bandied about and citizens are regaled with tales of socioeconomic “improvements�, any development that has not aligned with people’s aspiration for a better living condition remains at best rhetorical concoctions.

- Mr. Akin Fadeyi, Lagos State * We hear things have improved but I see a disconnect between what is being said and reality. Poverty has increased, many more people can’t feed, pay hospital bills or children’s school fees. There is an urgent need to improve the existing environment for businesses to thrive and assist the citizens to access basic quality social services.

- Mrs. Augusta Akparanta-Emenogu, Abuja * There are efforts to stabilise the economy, after the biting period of recession. So, growth is on the positive side, though not noticeable.

Development in terms of infrastructure is still heavily on the negative side because the 2017 budget has under-performed. Development is on the negative side.

- Mr. Anonymous, Lagos * For me, it has been positive going by some of the challenges inherited by the present government in 2015. In terms of economic development, some policy measures were taken by government to mitigate the challenges. The recent drop in inflation rate is an indication of positive development in the economy.

- Mr. Boniface Kassam, Development Expert,

Bauchi State * It has been grossly negative. Our electricity has been at best epileptic; no thanks to electric generator sellers. It’s been stress, anger, demonstrations, violence etc. Suicide bombings, kidnappings, high cost of living and price of food, smuggling, illegal migration, Fulani herdsmen atrocities, police brutality, religious bigotry, arms proliferation and recently fuel scarcity marred 2017. We must go back to honesty, patriotism, truth, love, unity e.t.c. to get the best.

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * The books point to relative improvement but quality of life of many of our citizens continues to worsen. In the last 11 months the price of commodities and essentials are affordable only in Chief Audu Ogbeh market.

The roads plied by Fashola are not as bad, and our universities now rank among the best in the world.

- Mr. Ezenwa Nwangwu, Convener, Say No Campaign, Abuja * Because of the delay in passing of the 20l7 budget, there was no meaningful development that took place in outgoing year. Delay in budget passage always hinders our developmental projects. Let us believe that 20l8 will be a better year in terms of infrastructural development, as the 20l8 budget has already been sent to the National Assembly by PMB for early passage.

- Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State * There are positive developments in terms of the social investment programmes of the federal government, but compared with the need of the country, much more need to be don - Dr. Kole Shettima, MacArthur Foundation, Abuja * Positive development evaded Nigeria illusively in 2017 and our high hopes were shattered.

Corruption by few elites unleashed stress, anger, hunger, pains, violence, sorrow, and even deaths on hapless Nigerians. Unemployment and hunger have also assumed horrible dimensions today. But government tackled security and corruption appreciably well.

Greedy oil marketers are at it again with no permanent solution in sight. It’s time to repent and let sleeping dogs lie at least for once.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State

* The last 11 months has seen us in a complete standstill; no development at all. No electricity and stupendously bad roads to the eastern side of Nigeria. These are the basic indices for measuring development. If we don’t have improved electricity can small businesses grow and compete globally with those countries where electricity is taken for granted? Cost of transportation continues to escalate as vehicles are maintained at prohibitive costs to be on the road. Potable water is just like a dream to Nigerians. Governments at all levels should wake up to their responsibilities.

- Prof. Kate Nwufo, mni, Abuja * Despite media reports and progress updates by the current administration’s spin doctors, development in Nigeria this year is nothing to write home about. The number of youths empowered by the ruling administration is too negligible to stop those migrating to Europe in search of greener pasture, and the economic initiatives are yet to create any major ripple effect. Worse still, corruption still persists.

There is still a long way to go.

- Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: Your Gap(s) in Nigeria’s Devt Process? Ă? ͓͑͒͘ ĂĄĂ“Ă˜ĂŽĂ? ĂŽĂ™ĂĄĂ˜ ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? ×ÓâĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ë› Ă’Ă“Ă–Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĂšĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ăž Ă?Ù×Ă? ÚÙĂ?ÓÞÓà Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ?Ëœ ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă•Ă?ÚÞÓĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ó×ÚËĂ?Ăž Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ÓÞÓäĂ?Ă˜ĂœĂŁË› Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ?Ă˜Ă?ʨÞ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÚÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ÑËÚ̙Ă?Ěš ĂŽĂ“ĂŽ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁËŞĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă?ÖÙÚ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? ÞÒÓĂ? ĂŁĂ?Ă‹ĂœËŁ Ă–Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžËœ Ă?Ă’Ă™ĂœĂž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ó×ÚÖĂ?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ÞËÞĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă˜Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ëœ ÞÓÞÖĂ?Ëœ Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂŒĂ?ÞåĂ?Ă?Ă˜ ÞÙÎËã Ě™ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ ͘ Ęś Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁËœ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ Í’Í’Ěš ÞÙ abimbolayi@yahoo.comËœ greatbimbo@gmail. comËœ abimbola.akosile@thisdayliveË›Ă?Ùײ Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă?Ă’Ă™ĂœĂž ĂžĂ?âÞ Ă—Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ÞÙ 08023117639 Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽËš Ă™Ăœ 08188361766 Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽËšĂ™Ăœ 08114495306. ÙÖÖËÞĂ?ĂŽ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? ĂšĂ&#x;ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă?Ă’Ă?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă’Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁËœ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ Í’Í•

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Mini plywood depot in Lagos; integral part of the small-scale industrial sector

ABIMBOLA AKOSILE

MSMEs: Osinbajo, Aregbesola Reiterate Govt’s Focus on Human, Capital Devt As FG empowers 20,000 people in Osun Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to eradicating poverty, hunger, unemployment and other related under-development indicators in the country.

The Vice President stated this while launching the nationwide Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Clinic and the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.

Osinbajo noted that 20,000 people who had applied for the programme would benefit from the initiative in Osun, while 30,000 others would have the same opportunity once they apply too.

The MSME is a federal government’s Empowerment Initiative under the office of the Vice President designed

to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the country.

Osinbajo stated that the scheme was initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari in a bid to support small businesses and enterprises by providing the people soft loans to run their businesses.

He said the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, having seen the SME as the powerful economic backbone of any nation, decided to take the bull by the horn to empower the sector as part of efforts to stimulate and re-energise the Nigerian economy.

Osinbajo expressed confidence in the administration of President Buhari, saying, “I have confidence in the fact that our President will take Nigeria and Nigerians to greater heights.�

According to him, “we

are here in Osun to launch another milestone achievement of the present administration in the country in fulfilment of our electoral promises to the people of Nigeria. “The nationwide Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) and Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) are intervention programmes of Mr. President to empower the small businesses in the country.

This scheme was initiated to provide interest free loans to those who are into small businesses so as to empower them and as well stimulate our economy. “To us, this scheme remains the engine of the economy and as a serious government, we have keyed into it to ensure that our people are empowered and taken out of abject poverty and hunger. “We have made arrangement

to empower 50,000 people in Osun under this scheme so as to further strengthen the people’s commitment to businesses and as well encourage those who are into SME�, he added.

While commending the people of Osun for being enterprising and productive, the Vice President said, “I have seen in the people of this state the zeal for economic productivity and prosperity. “My visit to this state has made me to see how resourceful the people are. I have seen that Osun is one of the engines of agro-allied economy in Nigeria as this could be easily identified in the zeal of our people to economic growth and development.�

He lauded Governor Rauf Aregbesola for bringing to his people the much needed dividends of democracy through his numerous human and capital infrastructural developments.

“My visit has made me to see some of the good works of this administration, particularly on roads, schools and security, among others�, Osinbajo emphasised. Speaking earlier, Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola charged whoever is ready to work and earn a living to key into the laudable programme. He said the programme would empower about 20,000 beneficiaries in all, starting with 10,000 beneficiaries who will get interest-free loans of at least N500,000 each.

According to Aregbesola, “For those of us who are ready to work and earn money, this is an opportunity for you. I advise you to key into this programme and do something good for yourself. We are happy about this because it will go a long way in alleviating the sufferings of people and assist in our efforts to banish hunger and poverty.�

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Hon. Ismail Jayeoba Alagbada said the MSME and GEEP would complement Aregbesola’s efforts at enhancing small and medium enterprises in the state.

According to him, “Osun can be best described as a cradle of socio-economic protection initiative in Nigeria as many programmes under this scheme had been executed so far. “Osun is the only state where much had been done to empower her citizens on different areas of the economy such as Agba Osun, the OYES, O’MEAL, O’REAP etc, just as the present government made available to the people interest-free loans. All these interventions have helped to transit the people from poverty to more enduring prosperity�, he added.

Unilever Reaffirms Commitment to Sustainable Living in Communities In fulfillment of its purpose of making sustainable living commonplace, the President, Unilever Africa, Bruno Witvoet has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to actualising this through its social mission initiatives with focus on the health and wellbeing of people in its community of operations.

Bruno stated this when the

company took its Perfect City Community outreach initiative to Ken-Ade Private School in Makoko, community of Lagos. He was joined by other volunteers from Unilever to educate the pupils and teachers of the school about oral hygiene using the Pepsodent Brush + Day night campaign.

The community visit forms part of the critical pillars of

Unilever’s Perfect City Outreach. Perfect City is one of Unilever’s initiatives to drive Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP). “Through this initiative, we leverage on community insights to drive inclusive market growth and development while improving livelihood and wellbeing through our brands. In demonstration of

this, we have spent quality time at the school educating the children on oral hygiene using our Pepsodent Brush + Night campaign. These children are at the stage of habit formation. If they imbibe the right culture of brushing twice daily, it will significantly reduce oral health issues like cavity.� Bruno said.

Earlier in his welcome

remarks, the proprietor of the school, Bawo Ayeseminikan commended Unilever for its efforts on sustainable development focused on reaching communities such as Makoko. “With over 450 students in the school, we are pleased to receive your oral hygiene message, especially the practical demonstrations of how to care for our teeth by

brushing twice daily. We will continue these teachings and demonstrations as part of our regular health care classes to enable the children cultivate this habit and have healthy teeth and gum,� he said.

Through its brands socio mission initiatives, Unilever is constantly working to achieve its purpose of making sustainable living commonplace.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Wehavealotoftrucksthataresidingatalmosteveryfillingstation.Wealreadyhavesufficient productsthatwilllasttilltheendoftheyear,leadingtonextyear.Wehaveanaverageconsumption of35millionlitresperdayandatthemoment,Ihaveonebillionlitresofpetroleumproductinmy tanksfortheyear.Wewillnothaveanyproblem;itwillnotrecede.SobeassuredthatGodwilling, thisChristmasandalsoNewYearwillbedonewithoutanyqueues-therearesufficientproductsall overNigeria�

- GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NNPC, DR. MAIKANTI BARU, SPEAKING DURING THE INAUGURATION OF NNPC’S ULTRA-MEGA FILLING STATION IN SAGAMU, OGUN STATE...RECENTLY

Low Cocoa Yield Likely as Farmers Lament Procurement of Substandard Inputs Agric college trains over 2,000 in vocational programmes James Sowole in Akure

Benchmark Implementation of NERGP with Goals, Targets of SDGs, Presidential Aide Urges Abimbola Akosile The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAPSDGs) Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has advocated the use of goals and targets set out in the SDGs as indicators of the progress being made by the country’s implementation of the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP).

The Presidential aide spoke at a one-day sensitisation and capacity building workshop for Directors of PRS, State SDGs focal persons and SDGs desk officers in Abuja recently.

The sensitisation and capacity building workshop with the title ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Performance Indicators, Tracking and Reporting of SDGs Implementation in Nigeria’ was organised by the OSSAP-SDGs with the collaboration and technical support of PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC), a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) on the SDGs. According to the SSAP-SDGs, benchmarking achievements being recorded in the implementation of the NERGP against targets and goals set out in the development framework would focus unprecedented attention on the SDGs as the basic building blocks for national growth.

The SSAP-SDGs noted that “the Ministry of Budget and National Planning is developing the Implementation Plan for the recently launched National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP). Core areas of SDGs have been mainstreamed into the NERGP. “The robust integration of the SDGs into the NERGP provides that common plan with which different stakeholders in Nigeria can address many of the challenges being faced today, including poverty eradication,� she added, in a release issued by the Media Assistant, SSAP-SDGs, Mr. Desmond Utomwen.

She noted that in its role as the coordinator of the implementation of the development framework in Nigeria, her office has already undertaken a number of activities to provide

Orelope-Adefulire strategic direction and impetus to the national commitment on the SDGs. Such activities, she noted include development of Action Plan to guide SDGs implementation; rollout of SDGs Needs Assessment and Costing Exercise in partnership with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, the MDAs as well as the UNDP; data Mapping and Determination of 126 Baseline SDGs Indicators to benchmark progress through partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics and partnership agreement with the United Nations Development Programme to mainstream the SDGs at both the federal and sub-national levels; This, she noted, was in addition to establishment of institutional mechanisms such as the Presidential Council on SDGs, SDGs Committees in both chambers of the National Assembly, Inter-Ministerial Committee for MDAs coordination and a sub-national partnership framework through the Conditional Grants Scheme; and multi-stakeholder engagement mechanisms

such as the Private Sector Advisory Group, Donors’ Partnership Forum on SDGs, Civil Society Strategy Group on SDGs, among others, as well as mobilisation of influencers such as SDGs Ambassadors and SDGs Champions for SDGs advocacy.

She therefore urged all stakeholders to make concerted efforts to ensure that the SDGs take centre-stage in development planning and execution while embracing smart partnerships to accelerate progress on its implementation.

While also harping on the need for partnership in the implementation for the development agenda, senior manager, PWC, Mrs. Marie Atoki, in her lecture titled, ‘Policy gaps for the SDGs’ noted that 64.2 per cent of the people in Nigeria live under extreme poverty, hence the need to scale up, collaborate and support the SDGs. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Nigeria’s earning from the non-oil sector of the economy, particularly cocoa, may suffer a serious setback due to alleged unpatriotic action of some officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

The alarm was raised by farmers under the aegis of Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) in a ‘Save Our Soul’ (SOS) message addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The message made available to journalists in Akure, Ondo State was signed by the National President, Chief Raimi Adeniji, the National Secretary, Mr. Adeola Adegoke and the National Vice President, South West, Mr. Ayodele Joseph.

According to the farmers, cocoa yields have been drastically affected due to the economic sabotage allegedly being perpetuated within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture whereby fake and unwanted inputs were procured for the cocoa farmers. “The procured inputs particularly fungicides and insecticides had destroyed our cocoa trees and farms. Farmers in Nigeria had not been using the type of chemicals and other inputs being procured and distributed by the ministry to farmers. “When a particular fungicide procured for farmers was applied, it did not prevent the black pod disease that it was meant to control and many farmers are now counting their losses.

This is an act of economic sabotage that Mr. President must look into because cocoa export is one of the major sources of non-oil foreign exchange earning�, they stated.

The CFAN officers lamented that despite the rejection of most inputs like jute bags, solo sprayer pumps, fungicides and insecticides procured for farmers, due to their low standard, the ministry did not stop its procurement.“We therefore appeal to Mr. President to stop the ongoing procurement exercise at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture with immediate effect until consultation are made with us as representatives of peasant farmers in Nigeria to avoid open demonstration of cocoa farmers at various producing states, in order to save our occupation, heritage, future and economy�, they stated.

The officers appealed to Buhari to direct the ministry to immediately consult with stakeholders in the cocoa sector. They said the directive become necessary to save farmers from untimely deaths due to havoc caused by the federal ministry of agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, Dr. Samson Odedina has revealed that the college trained over 2,000 unemployed graduates in vocational training programmes. Odedina stated this in his welcome address at the Diamond Jubilee lecture of the institution, held on the campus of the college in Akure, recently.

According to him, the college trained both graduates and non-graduates, pensioners and other categories of persons in various agricultural value chains. He said the college would have had more than it did if there had been more funding for the institution.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

36

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Ending Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2017 International Day of Persons Living with Disabilities, stakeholders have called on Nigerians and the government to fight discrimination against such people. Martins Ifijeh writes

O

n Saturday March 21st 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari, the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) pledged during a Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, to end discrimination and stigmatisation against physically challenged Nigerians if elected into office.

He said at the time, that with over 20 million Nigerians living with disability, there was no way he would abandon their welfare and interest if elected as President, adding that every obligation expected of a legitimate social contract in the Bill on Persons with Disabilities will be squarely tackled so that they will have a sense of belonging in his government and the society in general.

But fast forward to December 2017. President Buhari has served for two years plus, yet he has not fulfilled that cardinal campaign promise of signing the Bill of Persons with Disabilities passed for the third time by the Nigerian Senate in June 2016.

In fact, Nigerians living with disabilities have continued to lose their sense of belonging in the society, as growing stigmatisation and discrimination persist, living them at the mercy of what the society and government think of them.

Lending its voice to Nigerian Government’s inability to provide an all inclusive government with persons living with disabilities fully integrated in the country, the Centre for Communication Programmes Nigeria (CCPN),called on President Buhari to as a matter of priority, sign the Disability Bill into law, an action he already promised he will do even before elected as President.

While marking the International Day of Disabled Persons in Abuja December 3, the Executive Director, CCPN, Mrs. Babafunke Fagbemi, said the PLWD in Nigeria have continued to face discrimination and are being excluded from enjoying social amenities.

Fagbemi noted that the bill which has now been passed three times but was not signed by the previous Presidents would have gone a long way in ameliorating the suffering of over 20 million people living with disabilities in Nigeria.

“This is a bill that would make life easy for millions of Nigerians; they also have inalienable rights with economic, social, educational and psychological needs to be met. One of the major challenges of the PLWD in Nigeria today is discrimination, many establishments do not want to employ them and they are treated as second class in the society.

“If the bill, as passed by the Senate is signed into law, it will offer social protection for PLWD against any form of discrimination. It will also establish a Commission that will ensure compliance with the provisions of the law for the benefits of the PLWD. Already, Section 15 (Political Objective) Section 16 (Economic Objective), Section 17 and 33 (Social and Right to Life) under the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) has mandated these rights for every Nigerian.

“People can have physical disability in many different ways and it can affect anyone irrespective of social class or wealth. There are many people who have become physically challenged due to road accidents, polio or some other incidents beyond their control.

And of course there were those who were born with the condition. We must have human value and ensure we do our best to make life worth living for them,” Fagbemi said.

She insisted that the bill through its various provisions including Prohibition of Discrimination and Harmful Treatment of PLWD, mandatory

Discrimination of PLWD is still common in Nigeria

accessibility to physical structures in public buildings, roads, walk-ways will increase Nigerian’s relevance in the international community when signed into law.

The International Day of Disabled Persons has been observed annually since 1992; it aims to promote the rights and well-being of the PLWD in all spheres of the society and seeks to increase awareness of the situation of the PLWD.

President Buhari has served for two years plus, yet he has not fulfilled that cardinal campaign promise of signing the Bill of Persons with Disabilities passed for the third time by the Nigerian Senate in June 2016. ...In fact, Nigerians living with disabilities have continued to lose their sense of belonging in the society, as growing discrimination persist, living them at the mercy of what the society and government think of them

The theme for 2017: ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all’ is built on the pillar of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda which pledges to “leave no one behind.”

Fagbemi said: “We call on the government to fulfill Nigeria’s obligation both to the citizens with disabilities and the international community by signing this bill into law. By doing this, everybody wins and over 20 million Nigerians are the better for it.”

Disabilities, according to experts refer to the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, emotional, developmental, or a combination of these.

Experts say a certain disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person’s lifetime.

Disability is an umbrella term covering impairments, participation restriction, and activity limitations.

This implies that disability is a complex problem, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives or belongs.

It is in lending its voice to the growing neglect that a non-governmental organisation, Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC), called on religious leaders and other stakeholders to help end discrimination against persons affected by preaching and practicing disability inclusion.

The Executive Director of the organisation, Irene Patrick-Ogbogu, made the call at a sensitisation programme for religious leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis.

According to her, most stigma and misconception about disabilities have some religious roots, and therefore urged religious leaders to disabuse the notion that disability is a punishment from God. Irene said persons with disabilities were denied active participation in religious activities and showcasing of spiritual gifting because of their disabilities. “We decided that we target the religious leaders because most stigma and misconception about disabilities have some religious roots.

“This sensitisation programme is to interact and draw the attention of our religious leaders to the issues of stigma and violence against

women and girls with disabilities and to forge partnership with them on how to address these issues from religious perspectives,” she said.

The State Coordinator, Deeper Life Campus Fellowship, FCT, Timothy Olusola Aiyedun, said the programme was an eye opener which will reflect in the sermon of the preachers and change the perception of the church members towards people with disabilities.

Ahmed Abdulsalami, the representative of the Islamic Youth League, condemned discrimination against people with disabilities and called for their inclusion in religious activities. The programme is part of activities by Disability Rights Advocacy Centre to stop violence against women and girls with disabilities.

The President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Miroslav Lajcak, while giving a speech to mark the 2017 International Day of Persons Living with Disabilities, said no nation should leave its citizens behind (including PLWD) as they strive to meet global targets. Adding that excluding them means violation of their rights.

He said the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations call for a people-centred approach to sustainable development. “In this spirit, I have put a focus on people at the core of my Presidency.

If I look around this room it may appear that persons with disabilities are included and well represented.But outside these halls, the reality is quite different. Persons with disabilities are often disproportionately affected by poverty.

They face discrimination and exclusion. Every day they face challenges that affect their lives; that hamper their ability to contribute equally to the life of our societies. This is not only a violation of their rights, it’s a loss for our society and its diversity.

“This is why specific references in the targets of the 2030 Agenda and other development frameworks are so important. We need to make the empowerment of persons with disabilities a priority at both the global and national levels “Persons with disabilities must be included and participate in the crafting of development plans and policies. We must reflect their concerns and situations from start to finish, ensuring that they are both accessible and enabling,” he added.

37

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

NEWS

FG to Spend N28b on Health Intervention Projects Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The federal government is committing another N28 billion to several intervention projects across the country to further strengthen healthcare delivery at the tertiary, specialist hospitals and the national AIDS control programmes.

Flagging-off the projects in Abuja recently, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said these special intervention

projects which are the product of consultations with stakeholders in the health sector was meant to kick-start distinct activities to strengthen the health system and service delivery.

Adewole listed the Tertiary Health Institution Project to include; revitalisation of 774 Primary Healthcare Centres in each local governments area (1 PHC per LGA); purchase of anti-retroviral drugs for 20,000 eligible Nigerians; nationwide

screening of common cancers (Cervix, breast and prostate); 10,000 free cataract surgeries (that is 250 cataract surgeries per state) and free treatment of 800 patients with confirmed diagnosis of hepatitis C infection.

He said that it was due to an urgent need to intervene and smoothen up the operation of these federal health institutions that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) designed

this tertiary health institution intervention as a means to address some of these critical challenges as enshrined in the act establishing it. Core objectives of the Tertiary Health Institutions Intervention Project, according to the minister, is : “to strengthen and reposition the Tertiary Health Institutions for better performance, to make the facilities self sustainable and attractive to a large number of patients they cater for;

to strengthen their research capabilities; to reduce medical tourism arising from obsolete equipment and infrastructures; and ultimately to facilitate the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.”

Adewole said that 21 Federal Teaching Hospitals, 31 Federal Medical Centres, four Specialist Hospitals and 14 Fistula and Cleft lip/palate Centres across the six geopolitical zones will benefit from the intervention.

“Under the project, each of the Federal Teaching Hospitals will receive Three Hundred Million Naira (N300,000,000.00), while the Specialist Hospitals will receive Two Hundred Million Naira (N200,000,000.00) each.

The Federal Medical Centres and the Fistula Centres will each receive One Hundred and Twenty Million Naira (N120, 000,000.00) and Fifty Million Naira (N50, 000,000.00) respectively.

NIMR: Hypertension Leading Cause of Sudden Death in Nigeria Rebecca Ejifoma The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has revealed that high blood pressure remains number one killer disease in Nigeria, accounting for about 52 per cent cause of sudden deaths in the country.

The Director-General of NIMR, Prof. Babatunde Salako, made this known at a symposium on ‘Sudden Death in Nigeria: Public Dissemination of National Survey’ held at the research centre in Yaba, Lagos. Citing Wikipedia, the DG defined hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (HBP), as a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated.

According to Salako, hypertension is a silent killer which 70 per cent of people were not aware of. “It is a silent killer because it usually comes with no early symptoms.

To stem the rate of sudden death, Salako urged Nigerians to keep a healthy lifestyle, do regular exercises and blood pressure checks, eat healthy and avoid sedentary lifestyle.

The Head, Non-Communicable Disease, NIMR, Dr. Nkiru Odunukwe, said sudden death had become a leading global

health problem. “Over seven million people are estimated to die suddenly annually, representing 40 per cent of the annual global deaths.”

Continuing, she said without appropriate interventions, the rate was expected to double by 2020 with 83 per cent of sudden death cases occurring in developing countries. “The declining incidence of sudden death in developed countries has been attributed to availability of detailed research data for adequate intervention programmes.”

In his remarks, the Head of Immunology and Vaccinology Research Group in NIMR, Dr. Bamidele Iwalokun, urged health workers to improve on national surveillance guidelines on sudden death identification and reporting.

He shared details of the report, which shows a total of 642 cases of sudden death were autopsied during the review period. The South-west accounted for 70.

9 per cent of the total data brought in for the study. There were a total of 410 (63.8 per cent) males and 232 (36.2 per cent) females in the study, giving a ratio of 1.8.1.The age group most affected was 41-50 years (21.2 per cent) with the least affected in the age range of 18-20 years (1.25 per cent).

FRC Wants Increased Funding, Expansion of Calabar Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Bassey Inyang in Calabar The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) wants increased funding and expansion of the 104 years old Federal NeuroPsychiatric Hospital in Calabar, Cross River State.

The Director, Internal Audit of the Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Dauda, made the call recently when he led a team from the commission on an inspection tour of projects undertaken by the hospital for the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

Dauda stated that the hospital was in serious need of facilities to run as a fully fledged Psychiatric hospital.

“Having gone round some projects, I can say that we are satisfied with what is on ground but there are still more to be done.

“This hospital was established in 1903 by the then colonial administration. It needs urgent

expansion and I believe that the only way this hospital can fulfill its mandate is for them to have increased funding.

“This hospital needs expansions to meet the needs of the people of Cross River and the neighbouring states including those from the Cameroun, ‘’ Dauda said. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Joseph Okegbe said they were doing everything possible to upgrade the facility to the required standard.

Okegbe said that the neglect of the hospital had led to its present state, adding that if given the required funding, the management was ready to take the hospital to a new level.

“Our challenges are funding. We are working towards completing our multi-million naira hostel accommodation which has just gone about 30 per cent.

FOR BETTER HEALTHCARE

L-R: Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; and Chief Medical Director, National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Jeff Momoh, during the commissioning of state-of-the-art health facilities in Abuja recently

Coalition Takes HIV/AIDS Campaign to Communities, Screens 30,000 People

PCN: Proliferation of Illegal Medicine Stores Weakens Distribution Chain

Ayodeji Ake

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

To mark the 2017 World AIDS Day, the Red Ribbon Coalition has taken an enlightenment campaign to 20 communities, where over 30,000 Nigerians were screened and educated on prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Addressing journalists during a media parley organised by the coalition in Lagos recently, the HIV Cascade of Care Specialist, Society for Family Health (SFH), Mr. Emmanuel Olaoti noted that the coalition was shouldering the need for accessing quality treatment and providing up-to-date information about HIV/AIDS to the people.

“We are working towards ensuring 90 per cent of Nigerians know their HIV status and for those who are positive, we are enjoining them to enroll for treatment programmes.

“HIV is not a death sentence.

Many Nigerians do not have accurate information about the virus, which is part of why awareness in all methods of communication, including social media must be utilised,” he said.

As a mother who is concern about unhealthy sexual intercourse among youths,

the Executive Secretary, Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), Mrs. Iwalola Akin-Jimoh stressed that young people must be given access to information concerning the disease.

“We need to feed them with information because what causes pregnancy which is sexual intercourse also can lead to HIV/AIDS. So it’s important to address these issues using all forms of activities like; football, drama, concerts, among others.

Speaking on stigmatisation and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS, the Sustainability Manager, CocaCola West Africa, Mr. Osita Abana enjoined Nigerians to embrace those affected.

“At Coca-Cola, we are working in partnership with strong stakeholders to ensure that we drive messages about HIV/ AIDS. We believe we can’t just be a company that only sells drinks because businesses can only strive in a healthy society.

We can’t do business where there is high mortality.”

Lending his voice, the Executive Director, Good Health Educators Initiative (GHEI), Mr. Ibrahim Umoru noted that there are numbers of Nigerians living with HIV/ AIDS who do not have access to quality treatment.

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has disclosed that one of the identified weaknesses in the distribution chain of drugs and medicines is the proliferation of illegal medicine stores as most of them do not have adequate storage facilities.

To forestall being victims of such unregistered stores and their drugs, the Council has advised the public to purchase all medicines from licensed pharmacies and simple household remedies from licensed patent and propriety medicine shops.

Registrar of the Council, Pharm. Elijah Mohammed who revealed this in Abuja, said the illegal outlets do not have trained personnel to handle the medicines in their premises and this has contributed to irrational dispensing of medicines resulting in the treatment failures and untoward effects on patients and other unsuspecting members of the public who patronise them.

He said: “Also, the activities of these illegal outlets tend to encourage the abuse and misuse of controlled medicines with the attendant

negative social and security implications.

“In order to address this challenge, the PCN has stepped up enforcement activities across the country and it’s enforcement team has visited 22 states of the federation and 22 communities within the federal capital territory.

“At the end of the enforcement exercise, a total of 496 premises comprising pharmacies, patent medicine shops and illegal medicine shops were visited.

A total of 339 premises made up of 20 pharmacies, 290 illegal medicine shops were sealed for various offences some of which include operating without registration with PCN, failure to renew premises license, dispensing ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist, poor storage and sanitary conditions among others.”

Meanwhile, the PCN is the federal government parastatal charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the education, training and practice of pharmacy in all aspects and ramifications as established

by Decree 91 of 1992.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

38

HEALTH HEALTH

Cardiovascular Disease on the Increase in Nigeria Adaku Efuribe It is worthy of note that a lot of fast food joints are springing up everywhere in Nigeria, with a continuous rural to urban drift.

Living in the village has become unattractive and people seem to be moving to bigger cities and living in high rise areas where there are no gardens and farm lands.

For some of us who grew up in university staff quarters, we were so privileged to have gardens on our back yard where we grew wholesome fruits and vegetables, all were organically farmed without any artificial enhancements or modifications.

Fast-forward to 2017, the average young man/woman in Nigeria loves to ‘eat out’ and sees this as a thing of class or affluence.

Street food is actually a poor way of cooking, all over the world, restaurants that serve quality homemade foods are expensive to afford.

The Ministry of Health has to do something about the CVD risk posed by eating unhealthy food.A lot of people do not go for their annual check up. Some sudden cardiovascular deaths in some parts of Nigeria are attributed to spiritual attack or law of karma where someone is presumed to have been struck dead by the gods.

Some deaths which have occurred after intensive /rigor-

ous sexual exercise have been attributed to law of karma or some sort of juju.Scientifically speaking, most cardiovascular deaths do not give warning signs, like stroke and heart attack.

We ought to be engaging in annual blood pressure checks especially for those over 40 years.

A comprehensive annual health check should include six monthly/yearly tests for patients with High blood pressure, full blood count(FBC), Urea and Electrolytes (U&E), Thyroid Function Test (TFT), Liver function test (LFT), serum lipid levels, serum glucose levels, glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

As we get older, our risk of developing cardiovascular increases. Generally, people with high CVD risk should modify their diet and engage in physical activity.

A lot of executives sit down in their offices for meetings for not less than eight hours a day. This is something that we have to be weary of, as too much sedentary lifestyle can lead to increased weigh gain, risk of developing heart attack and stroke in the future.

According to the WHO Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) Fact sheet (Updated May 2017), CVDs are the number one cause of death globally.

An estimated 17.7 million

people died from CVDs in 2015, representing 31 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to stroke.

Over three quarters of CVD deaths take place in low and middle income countries. Out of the 17 million premature deaths (under the age of 70) due to no communicable diseases in 2015, 82 per cent were in low and middle income countries, and 37 percent were caused

by CVDs. Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioural risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and

harmful use of alcohol using population-wide strategies.

People with cardiovascular disease or who are at high cardiovascular risk (due to the presence of one or more risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia or already established disease) need early detection and management using counselling and medicines, as appropriate.

The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and

overweight and obesity. These “intermediate risks factors” can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of developing a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, consuming fruits and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In addition, drug treatment of diabetes, hypertension and high blood lipids may be necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent heart attacks and strokes. Health policies that create conducive environments for making healthy choices

affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviour.

We can see from the fact sheet above that there are human determinants in the risk of cardiovascular disease and we all have.

The government needs to establish healthcare centres on a local level basis to tackle this risk. Citizens need to imbibe a healthy culture in all that they do, spanning from choice of food, physical activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, to mention but a few.

Efuribe is a pharmacist and an advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal

New NAFDAC DG Resumes, TalksTough on Fight against Fake CHANGE OF BATON IN NAFDAC L-R: Director, Special Duties, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Abubakar Jimoh; Director General, Drugs NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye; immediate past Ag. DG, NAFDAC, Mr. Ademola Mogbojuri; Director, Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr Monica Eimunjeze; and Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Prof. Samson Adebayo, during the hand-over ceremony in Abuja recently

Martins Ifijeh The new Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof.

Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, has officially resumed duties with a commitment to lead the agency toward eliminating substandard foods and drugs in the country.

Adeyeye who disclosed this in Abuja at the agency’s corporate headquarters recently while addressing staff on her resumption of duty, said although NAFDAC has over the years, made steady progress in protecting the health of the nation, the agency under her administration will continue to ensure the health of all Nigerians and foreigners residing in Nigeria are not jeopardised by the use of substandard or counterfeit regulated products.

She expressed concerns that while majority of Nigerians have reservations over safety of drugs, food, medical devices and water, little do they know that chemicals can also kill people easily, which is why she has come to ensure that NAFDAC lives up to her responsibility of eliminating falsified and unsafe drugs, medical devices, foods and water in Nigeria.

“The concerns of our people are mainly about safety of our drugs, food, medical devices and water. Most people, including those who manufacture fake drugs and sell bad foods

or water, do not plan to kill people, but may not fully understand that chemicals (be they in drugs or food, or through bio-contamination) can kill hundreds of people easily.”

The NAFDAC DG expressed appreciation to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP); United States Agency for International Development (USAID); World Health Organisation (WHO); Nigeria Academic Pharmacists as well as other partners for their efforts and support of NAFDAC in the assurance of quality food, medicines and medical devices for all Nigerians.

She equally thanked the National Assembly for their efforts so far towards passing the Fake and Counterfeit Drug Act, saying the attainment of the mission and vision of NAFDAC is a collective responsibility of all and her role as a Director General is to provide the needed leadership, direction and motivation to all staff for the realisation of the goals of the agency.

In his remark, immediate past Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mr. Ademola Mogbojuri, expressed delight that the agency has yet another professor per excellence to take over the baton of leadership in NAFDAC, saying it is a new dawn all hands must be on deck to take the agency to a lofty height where it can remain a reference point in the comity of regulatory agencies in the country.

IoD President Tasks Members Foundation Partners GE on Fitness Healthcare to Train Nigerian being healthy. You cannot over Nurses Ugo Aliogo The President, Council, Institute of Directors (IoD), Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed, has called on members of the institute to engage in regular exercises and fitness activities in order stay healthy, adding that physical and mental alertness can be gained through activities such as this.

He disclosed this weekend in Lagos at the Directors’ Health and Fitness Programme D-2017 tagged: ‘Walk 4 Life’.

Mohammed noted that maintaining good health through regular exercise such as the walk 4 life was very key for the smooth functioning and survival of an individual, adding that they encourage their members to make out time for the walk.

He said: “Walking is a very important form of exercise, not necessarily running. Just walking briskly from one distance to another helps a great deal.

This exercise is usually done twice yearly. But now we want to make four times yearly.

The idea is to make people keep fit and be healthy. It helps people burn out a lot of calories and sweat out excess sugar stored in the body. We also had sponsors that were part of the walk because they understand the usefulness of

provide health. The best way to get your health back is to exercise your body regularly.

If it is possible four times weekly, we will do and if it is possible four times yearly, we will also do it and members will support it.”

He added that the institute was setup for leadership training and capacity, noting that the institute has been very efficient in helping members understand how they can play a key role in corporate governance in their various organisations.

“We have been building the capacity of members annually through formal course, training programmes, conferences and symposiums. This provides opportunity for members to interact and meet with key sector players.”

In his remarks, the Chairman Health Committee of the IoD, Dr. Ebun Sonaiya, said the initiative was something that the institute has introduced for directors to live healthy lifestyle and keep fit, adding that there is need for directors to continue the exercise especially in their houses.

He also stated that the initiative is getting bigger and better and corporate organisations are supporting through sponsorship.

Martins Ifijeh General Electric (GE) in partnership with the Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation (GAMSU) has announced the completion of a training programme to improve the skills of Nigerian nurses and midwives.

The programme included both theoretical and practical training for 40 student nurses and five nurse tutors of the School of Nursing, Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The five-day programme was geared towards significantly reducing the Maternal Infant Mortality indices in Nigeria by applying the right skills and education to frontline staff who attend to women and children at birth.

According to the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age.

This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world. The deaths of newborn babies in Nigeria represent a quarter of the total number of deaths of children under-five. Majority

of these deaths occur within the first week of life, mainly due to complications during pregnancy and delivery reflecting the intimate link between newborn survival and the quality of maternal care.

Similarly, a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria is 1 in 13.

Speaking on the development, Eyong Ebai, General Manager, GE Healthcare, West and Central Africa expressed delight in this first of its kind partnership with an NGO in Nigeria. “GE is committed to skills development in the healthcare sector in Nigeria and GAMSU is a like-minded organisation so there is a natural alignment in our objectives to bridge the skills gap in Nigeria, in this case, empowering nurses and nurse tutors with valuable clinical and leadership skills,” he said.

Speaking on the partnership, the Secretary, Board of Trustees, GAMSU, Mr. Spencer Onosode, expressed delight in partnering with an industry leader like GE Healthcare in fulfillment of one of GAMSU’s objectives to support educational institutions in Nigeria which ultimately fosters the success of the Nigerian child.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

HEALTH

Complexities Fronting Millions of Pregnant Nigerian Girls In this report, Odimegwu Onwumere writes that Nigeria is experiencing high rate of pregnant girls between ages of 15 to 18 years Millions of teenage girls in Nigeria are pregnant and the numbers are on the increase, authorities lament. Although, sexual exploitation, lack of knowledge, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriage, cultural and religious beliefs are fingered as factors responsible for the woe.

In 2013, the National Population Commission (NPC) heralded that this happening might swell to over 60 million by 2015. And this is circumspect of prophesy as the sarcasm in 2017 is that majority of the girls are not only pregnant, but have also dropped out of school.

The ones that had not been enrolled in schools before they were impregnated outnumber the rate that has dropped out of school, specialists say; adding that this is though prevalent in the Northern part of the country and in the rural areas.

Investigations further reveal that three out of 10 teenage girls in the North or more, are pregnant than in the South, where experts say the ratio is 1 out of 10.

Buttressing this, a 2013 report says, “analysts blame early marriage for adolescent pregnancies, after surveys like the National HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health Survey which show 73 per cent of girls aged 13 to 19 are married in Northeastern Nigeria.”

While some are married, many others are mothers or pregnant out of wedlock and were not ready. They are exposed to medical risks, because they are

yet to have developed pelvis, which often lead to difficulties in child birth. To this extent, many of them end up in Caesarian Section (SC) or die.

Recently, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) clamoured that Nigeria rates 47 per cent in out of school girls on the UNFPA’s State of the World Population 2016, out of which are 18-year-old teenage-mothers or pregnant ones. In the records released by The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), “2.6 million Nigerians became unemployed within the first and second quarters of 2016, bringing the figure to a scary 22.45 million, higher than the 20.7 recorded in 2015.

This is having an effect on the education index.”

This is even as the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), adds, “No fewer than 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school and more will join the growing list of school leavers, mostly girls, due to the current hard times.”

While hyping on the data concerning Nigeria’s segment of the UNFPA’s account, a Deputy country representative of UNFPA, Mr. Eugene Kongnyuy, says: “If we look at data from Nigeria, we find that 43 per cent of girls get married before 18, and 17 per cent of them even before 15. We notice that for girls that are not in school, the percentage is even higher, it is 82 per cent. They will get married before 18.”

Pundits are of the view that

Teenage pregnancy is on the increase in Nigeria

Nigeria may not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), experts further express panic that the trend is not only affecting the pregnant teenagers, but also the country at large in the areas of morality, economy and wherewithal.

Being a religious country, the families of these teenagers are brought to disrepute by friends and family members with insinuation that they were weak to bring up their female children with moral and religious standards.

This leads to some of the pregnant teenagers who cannot withstand the heat from their loved and hating ones to go for unsafe abortion. But abortion is illegal in Nigeria,

except that which is preferred to save the lives of legitimate pregnant women. Observing that most of the pregnant teenagers go for unsafe abortion in the county, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the recent past, exclaimed that under 20 years teenagers in developing countries go for unsafe abortion culminating to approximately 14 per cent ratio.

WHO shows worry that unsafe abortion is among reasons for maternal mortality. (2000 women/100,000 births). Some even develop obstetric fistula, due to small birth canals.

Exploration by this writer shows that unsafe abortion has led to deaths of 15-19 years old girls and many have lost their

pregnancies; unsafe abortion is the second causes of maternal deaths.

“Studies have shown that in developing countries, like Nigeria, babies born to mothers under 20 years of age face 50 per cent higher risk of being “still births” or die in the first few weeks as against those born to mothers aged 20 and 29. They are also more likely to have low weight with risk of long-term health challenges.”

However, indications reveal that many of the girls have sex unprotected leading to them not only being impregnated, but also contract different diseases especially HIV. Albeit, opinion leaders say that most of the pregnant girls are even victims

of rape.

For example, “Rape studies from South Africa have found that 11-20 per cent of pregnancies in teenage girls are directly linked to rape, while about 60 per cent of teenage mothers had unwanted sexual experiences preceding their pregnancies,” experts at Wikipedia say.

Furthermore, “A U.S. research institute has also found that 60 per cent of girls who had sex before age 15 were coerced by males who, on average, are six years their senior.

One in five teenage fathers admitted to forcing girls to have sex with them. Up to 70 per cent of women who gave birth in their teens were molested as young girls.”

Olive Multi-Specialist Hospitals PPDC Advocates Construction, Experts Initiate IPC Curriculum Commence Operations, Pledge to Rehabilitation of PHCs in in Health Institutions Tackle MedicalTourism Rural Communities Obinna Chima Olive Multi-Specialist Hospitals, an emerging institution in Lekki, Lagos, has commenced operations with the aim of providing quality healthcare services and addressing medical tourism in the country.

The Consultant Physician, Olive Multi-Specialist Hospitals, Dr. Olu Lawani, while speaking in an interview with THISDAY, said the institution was set up on the basis of giving healthcare priority, making sure that most of illnesses are detected early and with the right equipment.

He said the institution has assembled some of the best healthcare personnel in the country.

“Olive Multi-Specialist Hospitals also looks at variety of specialities and things that would happen to us that would take us outside the country.

“In the long-run, the focus is to improve the health sector quality-wise and to be able to deliver services that hitherto, we were looking for abroad and bring training as a common factor to improve the quality of the healthcare system.

“It cares for people with stroke, heart failures, diabetes and metabolic diseases, weight reduction and looking at health

from all angles, including some of the rebuilding surgeries, changing of structures in the body such as the replacement of limbs and looking holistically at health with people who are involved in drug abuse.

“These are the various outlets that we are now looking at health from at Olive MultiSpecialist Hospitals,” Lawani explained.

He argued that the issue of medical tourism was not also worrisome, but embarrassing to the nation, saying that revenues that ought to have contributed to Nigeria’s economic growth are often spent outside.

“We need these funds to grow our economy. Many times, it is because people feel that what they are getting there is better than what they are getting here.

“But at Olive Multi-Specialist Hospitals, we would reverse the trend.Part of what we are set out to do is to see how we can stem out the tide of medical tourism.

“In five years, we are going to change the surface of health, by making sure that gadgets and manpower that can improve our healthcare are available He, however, bemoaned the poor budgetary allocation to the health sector.

Ayodeji Ake The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has shown concern for communities who have been denied access to healthcare services and education as they advocate for monitoring and evaluation of contracts by the government to build Primary Health Care facilities and schools in rural communities.

A private screening in Lagos on the recently released BudeshiWaka documentary which is based on the community engagement tour embarked on by PPDC to verify the performance of health and education projects in Delta, Anambra, Kano, Edo and Benue states, revealed that a number of the communities do not have health facilities and schools at a ratio of 10 communities to one PHC. In her opening remark, Communication Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, PPDC, Ugochi Ekwueme stated that mission of the BudeshiWaka is to investigate on the contracts to build healthcare facilities and schools and ensuring they are beneficial to the citizens in the rural areas.

“The idea behind BudeshiWaka came from the need to

Ayodeji Ake

determine the extent to which awarded contracts have been beneficial to the communities and also to sensitise the community members on their role as citizens in ensuring value for money is attained with every contract that has been awarded.

“The documentary shows how these projects have affected the lives of citizens living in rural area, due to dilapidated healthcare facilities and schools.

The information used to embark on the verification exercise was gotten from our open contracting platform. Due to its compliance with Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), Budeshi links budget and procurement data together, whilst covering all stages of the contracting cycle,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, Seember Nyager, said the initiative was to gather information and interventions of people in the rural settings who are been neglected. “If adequate information is received by the citizens, a level of feedback and monitoring will be achieved,” she said.

She also emphasised on the need for public institutions to adopt the OCDS to enable citizens monitor contracts from tender stage to implementation stage with a unique identifier.

As a strategy to reduce the alarming rate of infectious diseases in most health facilities, medical practitioners have initiated Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) curriculum which will be inculcated into the routine of both private and public hospitals across Lagos State to sanitise health workers, patients and visitors from infection.

At the roundtable session on dissemination of Infection Prevention and Control survey results and advocacy for IPC curriculum for diploma in IPC organised by health stakeholders in Lagos recently, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development Services, University of Lagos, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola noted that hospitals are home of diseases which health workers, patients and visitors to the hospital carelessly fall victim of.

Ogunsola stressed that the importance of IPC is to train health workers to ensure that health facilities are diseases free and healthy.

“The healthcare facility, by the way it’s structured, is a dangerous place. There are a lot of sick people in there so the possibility of catching something you didn’t take

to the hospitals is very high.

What IPC does is anticipate the scenario and ensure that the way we practice healthcare is safe for healthcare workers, patients and visitors. What we had done is develop a curriculum to train in IPC and they are the ones who will drive IPC programmes in healthcare facilities, employed at the national level to drive it in the country. IPC is so fundamental.

“We are on a journey to institutionalise IPC in all health facilities at the state and national level. We recognise that some people have an idea of IPC but as long as it’s not institutionalised and integrated into practice, we will always have healthcare associated infections. For instance, in the last Ebola outbreak, of the eight people who died, five were healthcare workers.

The Programme Manager, IPC Development Curriculum Project, Dr. Tochi Joy Okwor, said some facilities have IPC programme but lack standards.“Budgeting for IPC is key and for it to be effective, there is need to be a dedicated team. We have facilities that budget for health facilities but there should be a budget specifically for IPC which none of the health facilities has.

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T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ DECEMBER 7, 2017

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Bankers’ Committee Agri-Business Investment Scheme Takes Off Obinna Chima Disbursement of funds for the Agri-Business, Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), an initiative of the Bankers’ Committee has commenced.

The scheme was formally approved at the committee’s 331st meeting held in February this year.

The initiative is to support the federal government’s efforts and policy measures for the promotion of agricultural business and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as vehicle for sustainable economic development and employment generation.

The mode of operation of the initiative released by the CBN indicates that the scheme requires all banks in Nigeria to set aside five per cent of their profit after tax annually for equity investment in Agri-business and SMEs, which has so far garnered the sum of N26.87 billion from

21 banks to be invested in projects approved by the Board of Directors of the scheme.

According to a statement yesterday, the activities to benefit from the scheme include agricultural investments, such as production, storage, processing, logistics and marketing.

While SMEs in the real and services sectors which are backward integrated into manufacturing, agriculture, mining and modular refineries would benefit from the scheme.

Also included are technological endeavours such as local initiatives in information and communication technology (ICT) and any other activities as may be determined by the Bankers; Committee from time to time.

This new initiative targeted at start-ups and expansion of established companies or reviving of ailing companies is expected to further enhance job creation and agri-business

towards sustainable economy.

The scheme, which set maximum investment in a single project to the tune of N2 billion, shall be operated for a period of 10 years (not exceeding 2027) in the first instance subject to review after five years of its operations. “Also, there shall be an initial 3-year lock up period before exit in order to encourage value creation and boost managerial capacity of the SMEs unless there is a material adverse event. “However, a special purpose Vehicle (SPV) named Bankers’ Fund Managers Limited, shall manage the scheme, while the Board of Directors monitors the implementation of the scheme. “In the interim, a Project Review Committee (PRC) with membership comprising seven deposit money banks had been constituted to perform the function of the SPV. The PRC was inaugurated on August 17, 2017,� the statement added.

EmeďŹ ele

MARKET INDICATORS

Financial Rules Compliance Will Attract Foreign Investments, Institute Says Sunday Okobi The Compliance Institute of Nigeria (CIN) has stressed that with total compliance to the financial rules and regulations in the country, Nigeria willbe able to attract huge flow of foreign investments.

CIN therefore stated that with its comprehensive training for compliance officers and professionals, it was poised to support authorities in enforcing regulations in order for Nigeria to gain respect in the comity of nations.

The leadership of the Institute led by its President, Pattison Boleigha, said at a media parley yesterday in Lagos that CIN is wholly aimed at curbing illicit fund flow and international money laundering.

According to Boleigha, “The primary objective of the institute is to promote professionalism among compliance practitioners and the application of International compliance

best practice through the promotion of the professional, status, image and credibility of its members with its accreditation and professional programmes. “We have a lot of training programmes for our professionals who will ensure all forms of corruption and money laundering are curbed in the system. Our training programmes which are ICT and conferences-based will help bring financial organisations to speed in area of transparency and fairness.�

He added that the Institute enforces compliance to financial regulations by training its officer who would effectively ensure total compliance in banks and other financial institutions, saying this is done through encouragement and facilitation of the exchange of information among members via cooperation, collaboration and coordination of efforts.

CIN president said the Institute which was registered on January

22, 2015, and commenced operations in 2017, was established to encourage, promote and revive the consciousness for regulatory compliance within and outside the financial industry in the country.

Boleigha added: “The Compliance Institute Nigeria has so far conducted six sets of examinations for members from banking and other financial institutions for the award of the professional certificate of Designate, Compliance Professional (DCP) with over 400 members taking the examinations. We also offered an opportunity to grandfather compliance practitioners with the requisite qualifications and experience and will be awarding over 40 Associate, Compliance Institute, Nigeria (ACIN) and over 60 Fellow, Compliance Institute, Nigeria (FCIN) certifications. All the certificates will be officially awarded at our first inaugural investiture ceremony holding on December 9, 2017 in Lagos Business School, Lagos.

Reckitt Benckiser Restates Commitment to Economic Growth Peter Uzoho One of the world’s leading health and hygiene products manufacturing company in Nigeria, Reckitt Benckiser, has reaffirmed its resolve towards contributing to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

The General Manger, RB West Africa, Mr. Rahul Murgai, stated this during the inauguration of the company’s Warehouse in Agbara, Ogun State recently.

He stressed that the vision of the organisation was to provide their customers with innovative products and solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.

According to him, having been in Nigeria for over 50 years, the company was happy to invest in a scaled manufacturing facility in the state. “RB remains deeply committed to Nigeria and Ogun State�,

Murgai said. “We see Nigeria as the epicentre of Africa’s growth and especially Ogun State as the gateway to Nigeria and Africa.

Hence, we have invested N900 million in building a world class distribution centre and logistical infrastructure,� he added.

Murgai noted that the company whose brands cut across consumer goods such as Dettol, Mortein, Harpic, Airwick, Durex, Garviscon, among others, believed such infrastructural investment would boost its operations. “And all these efforts should create more jobs to help grow state and federal economy,� he added.

In his remark, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibukunle Amosun whocommissioned the project, commended the company for constructing the facility, saying it

demonstrated the organisation’s belief in his administration as a worthy partner and a further confirmation of the state as a preferred investment destination in Nigeria.

He stated that the decision of the company to leverage on the advantages in Ogun by scaling up its investment in the state was a step towards cementing its status as one of the leading manufacturer of consumables operating from the state. “It is especially commendable because it is in tandem with one vital plank of our five cardinal programmes which seeks to drive the industrialisation process in our state. We are more particularly delighted that the coming on board of the warehouse operations will further add as a boost to the efforts of our administration towards employment generation,� Amosun said.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

AUGUST 2017 Broad Money (M2)

21,851,454.31

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,890,813.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,523,239.91

---- Demand Deposits

8,367,573.19

-- Quasi Money

11,960,641.22

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

9,732,990.89

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,118,463.42

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,821,446.81

---- Credit to Government (Net)

4,824,226.22

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

7,834,536.74

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

--3,010,310.52

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,997,220.59

--Other Assets Net

--14,702,983.39

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,486,804.65

--Currency in Circulation

1,868,735.07

--Banks Reserves

3,268,266.17 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

August 2017

Inter-Bank Call Rate

22.63

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

13.35

Savings Deposit Rate

4.08

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.86

3 Months Deposit Rate

10.14

6 Months Deposit Rate

11.51

12 Months Deposit Rate

11.40

Prime Lending rate

17.69

Maximum Lending Rate

31.20 Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY DECEMBER 5, 2017

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $60.87 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $61.45 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), ZaďŹ ro (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) SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

MARKET NEWS

NSE Restates Commitment to Bridging Information Gap Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday restated its commitment to bridging the information gap between the exchange and market participants, knowing the high correlation between market information such as stock market prices, market data, corporate actions and news and decision making.

Head, Corporate Communications, NSE, Mr. Olumide Orojimi restated this commitment while commenting on the ranking of the exchange website as the best among the stock exchanges in Africa.

The latest Alexa rankings placed NSE website among the top 100,000 most popular websites in the world, ahead of 26 other African exchanges’ websites.

Alexa, an Amazon company,

is regarded as one of the most authoritative benchmarks of web traffic in the world. It tracks and reports the detailed website analytics of an unfixed number of domains amongst millions of Internet users. According to Alexa, NSE’s global traffic ranking stood at 78,552 as at December 6, 2017, which represents a 50 per cent increase from its 156,610 position as at December 31, 2016. Closely fol-

lowing NSE in the ranking are Egyptian Exchange, JSE, BRVM and Nairobi Securities Exchange with ranking of 130,301, 155,653, 242,657 and 260,293 respectively.

Commenting on the development, Orojimi said: “We are delighted to see this increase in traffic to our website as it means that we are making the Nigerian capital market easily accessible to investors who are increasingly residing online.�

According to him, “At the NSE, we are committed to bridging the information gap between the Exchange and market participants, knowing the high correlation between market information (stock market prices, market data, corporate actions and news) and decision making.

We are glad our website is also helping us to achieve this.�

He said the NSE recently upgraded its website to be mobile

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED AS OF 04/12/2017

friendly, with robust content and a cleaner layout and navigation. “The revamp was fuelled by feedback from users that wanted certain high demand pages easier to navigate and some key changes implemented. For example, using analytics from visits and usage of our website, we added filter functionality to the corporate disclosure page to enable users browse through results filed by listed companies easily.

˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

42

Nigeria Daily Stock Market Report: dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ /ŶĚĞdž ĚĚƐ Ϯ͘ϯй

Thursday, December 7, 2017

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ /ŶĚĞdž ĂĚĚĞĚ Ϯ͘ϯй LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϱϲϭ͘Ϭϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƉƌŽƉĞůůĞĚ ďLJ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϭйͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϭ͘ϳйͿ͕ E/d, ;нϰ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;нϬ͘ϰйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϱϮ͘Ϯй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘ dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ /ŶĚĞdž ŚĂƐ ƌĞƚƵƌŶĞĚ ϱϲ͘ϭй zd ͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

Ticker

Current Price

>ŽĐĂů ŽƵƌƐĞ ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶƐ ƵůůŝƐŚ DŽŵĞŶƚƵŵ͙ E^ ^/ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϱй dŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ Ă ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĐůŽƐĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϲƚŚ ĐŽŶƐĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞdž ĂĚĚĞĚ ϭϱϭ ďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϯϵ͕Ϭϳϱ͘ϯϬ ƉŽŝŶƚƐʹ ϯϳͲŵŽŶƚŚ ŚŝŐŚ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ ĞdžƉĂŶĚĞĚ ƚŽ ϰϱ͘ϰй ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ďLJ EϮϬϮ͘ϯďŶ ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϲƚŶ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƐƉƌĞĂĚ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ͕ ĂůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚŽƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ďĂŶŬŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐͲ E/d, ;нϰ͘ϭйͿ͕ h ;нϱ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϭйͿ Ͳ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ E' D ;нϬ͘ϰйͿ ĂŶĚ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϭ͘ϳйͿ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ũƵŵƉĞĚ ϯϰ͘ϳй ƚŽ ϳϬϯ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϯ͘Ϭй ƚŽ Eϳ͘ϯďŶ͘

Previous Current Price Weighting Change

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1,561.08

2.33% 0.1%

Price Change YTD

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

56.1%

56.1%

20.1%

6.3%

6.7x

0.8x

4.2%

11.7% 11.3%

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

1

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

43.05

23.0%

73.0%

73.0%

26.0%

4.3%

8.9x

2.2x

4.8%

2

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

138.00

1.7%

9.4%

-8.1%

-8.1%

18.9%

8.6%

32.9x

6.0x

2.7%

3.0%

3

Zenith Bank PLC

25.01

4.1%

13.0%

77.0%

77.0%

21.7%

3.2%

4.9x

1.0x

8.1%

20.4%

4

Dangote Cement PLC

250.00

0.4%

6.8%

-9.4%

-9.4%

30.4%

15.7%

17.0x

4.9x

3.5%

5.9%

5

Nestle Nigeria PLC

1,330.11

0.0%

7.1%

72.9%

72.9%

78.4%

19.0%

34.7x

22.9x

1.9%

2.9%

6

Access Bank PLC

10.13

4.9%

4.4%

-4.9%

-4.9%

15.1%

2.0%

4.0x

0.6x

6.5%

24.9%

7

United Bank for Africa PLC

10.20

5.8%

5.5%

78.7%

78.7%

17.2%

2.2%

4.3x

0.7x

7.6%

23.2%

7.71

10.1%

4.7%

0.3%

0.3%

2.6%

0.3%

11.9x

0.4x

2.7%

8.4%

77.8%

77.8%

-14.6%

-1.3%

0.6x

3.7%

-20.9%

7.5x

2.0%

8

FBN Holdings Plc

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

16.90

5.0%

2.8%

10

Lafarge Africa PLC

49.80

0.0%

1.9%

-9.8%

-9.8%

47.1%

9.8%

11

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

498.00

0.0%

1.8%

72.9%

72.9%

-12.4%

-6.7%

ĂŶŬŝŶŐ /ŶĚĞdž >ĞĂĚƐ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ 'ĂŝŶĞƌƐ

12

Unilever Nigeria PLC

42.95

3.4%

1.6%

-6.4%

-6.4%

50.3%

8.4%

25.7x

9.8x

0.2%

3.9%

^ĞĐƚŽƌ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂƐ Ăůů ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ďĂƌ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž͕ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ůĞĚ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ͕ ƌŝƐŝŶŐ ϯ͘Ϭй͕ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ E/d, ;нϰ͘ϭйͿ͕ h ;нϱ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϭйͿ͘ dŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ŐĂŝŶŝŶŐ ϭ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϭ͘ϳйͿ͕ &>KhZD/>> ;нϰ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ E D ;нϰ͘ϴйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĂĚĚĞĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ E' D ;нϬ͘ϰйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘

13

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

42.00

0.0%

3.0%

72.9%

72.9%

28.7%

3.4%

9.8x

2.6x

1.4%

10.2%

14

Guinness Nigeria PLC

92.70

0.0%

1.2%

-9.8%

-9.8%

4.5%

1.4%

65.2x

3.2x

0.7%

5.99

0.0%

1.3%

72.9%

72.9%

40.7%

4.2%

2.7x

0.6x

15

Oando PLC

16

Forte Oil PLC

(A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

3.7%

11.4x

5.0x

32.6%

12.0%

8.1x

2.2x

8.8%

240.00

0.0%

0.6%

-9.8%

-9.8%

37.3%

7.4%

8.9x

3.1x

2.5%

11.2%

67.22

4.1%

1.1%

77.0%

77.0%

37.4%

25.9%

9.0x

2.9x

2.2%

11.1%

20

UAC of Nigeria PLC

17.00

0.6%

0.6%

-9.2%

-9.2%

6.3%

2.2%

10.9x

0.7x

5.8%

9.2%

28.00

0.0%

0.4%

72.9%

72.9%

12.8%

3.5%

8.1x

1.1x

11.5%

12.3%

5.3%

12.4%

2.15

4.7%

1.1%

-5.1%

-5.1%

8.0%

1.1%

1.8x

0.3x

6.8%

55.6%

6.6%

1.3%

79.5%

79.5%

23.8%

10.3%

7.1x

3.1x

2.7%

14.1%

23

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

18.70

24

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

33.10

4.8%

0.8%

-5.0%

-5.0%

10.4%

2.6%

8.5x

0.8x

3.0%

11.8%

25

Custodian and Allied Insurance

3.75

0.0%

0.4%

72.9%

72.9%

18.9%

7.6%

3.9x

0.7x

7.5%

25.5%

26

7 UP Bottling Co PLC

97.12

0.0%

0.3%

-9.8%

-9.8%

-56.7%

-13.9%

4.7x

27

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

28.00

-3.6%

0.3%

69.3%

69.3%

-12.2%

-1.2%

1.5x

28

FCMB Group Plc

1.21

9.1%

0.4%

-0.7%

-0.7%

3.8%

0.6%

3.3x

0.1x

29

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

1.38

9.4%

0.5%

82.3%

82.3%

19.6%

4.1%

5.3x

0.9x

30

Diamond Bank PLC

1.40

9.3%

0.5%

-0.5%

-0.5%

2.5%

0.3%

5.5x

0.1x

31

Presco PLC

66.00

0.0%

0.5%

72.9%

72.9%

42.9%

25.9%

3.3x

1.1x

2.3%

30.7%

32

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

22.90

-3.9%

0.4%

-13.7%

-13.7%

11.5%

5.8%

18.7x

2.1x

2.3%

5.4%

33

International Brew eries PLC

59.76

0.0%

0.9%

72.9%

72.9%

24.6%

7.4%

62.8x

14.3x

34

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

15.30

0.7%

0.4%

-9.1%

-9.1%

4.5%

1.6%

40.6x

2.4x

2.5%

35

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

6.22

5.0%

0.3%

77.9%

77.9%

5.6%

1.2%

8.0x

0.4x

12.6%

36

Chemical and Allied Products

33.93

0.0%

0.2%

-9.8%

-9.8%

84.3%

38.5%

14.8x

10.4x

37

Sterling Bank PLC

1.02

4.9%

0.2%

77.8%

77.8%

6.1%

0.6%

5.3x

0.3x

38

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

22.80

-5.0%

0.3%

-14.8%

-14.8%

61.2%

23.6%

4.7x

1.7x

1.3%

0.0%

0.1%

72.9%

72.9%

11.9%

3.9%

10.8x

1.3x

2.3%

0.0%

0.1%

-9.8%

-9.8%

9.6%

4.4%

8.2x

0.8x

39

AXA Mansard Insurance PLC

2.15

40

Continental Reinsurance PLC

1.33

-17.3% -8.1% 8.8%

30.5% 19.0% 18.1%

1.6%

6.5%

6.7% 19.0% 21.2% 9.3% 12.2%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a i n e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

FB NH

8.49

10.1%

C UST OD YIN S

131.8

0.0%

T R A N SC OR P

1.51

9.4%

UB A

92.5

5.8%

D IA M ON D B N K

1.53

9.3%

FB NH

86.4

10.1%

FCM B

1.32

9.1%

Z EN IT H B A N K

71.2

4.1%

N A SC ON

17.12

8.8%

T R A N SC OR P

46.5

9.4%

T ic k er

D A N GF LOUR

12.07

8.0%

ET I

41.1

5.0%

D A N GSUGA R

19.93

6.6%

D IA M ON D B N K

32.8

9.3%

N EIM ET H

0.67

6.3%

FCM B

25.5

9.1%

UB A

10.79

5.8%

UC A P

21.3

-3.6%

F ID SON

3.79

5.0%

A C C ESS

16.3

4.9%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

21.66

-5.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1835.8

4.1%

ST UD P R ESS

1.99

-4.8%

UB A

986.7

5.8%

LEA R N A F R C A

1.00

-4.8%

D A N GC EM

849.2

0.4%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.62

-4.6%

FB NH

732.1

10.1%

C A VER T ON

1.45

-4.6%

ET I

680.4

5.0% 0.0%

T ic k er GLA XOSM IT H

P ric e C hg %

PZ

22.01

-3.9%

C UST OD YIN S

494.4

M OR ISON

0.53

-3.6%

GUA R A N T Y

321.5

0.1%

UC A P

3.47

-3.6%

A C C ESS

170.5

4.9%

27.00

-3.6%

NB

139.9

1.7%

4.91

-2.6%

D A N GF LOUR

136.0

8.0%

R ED ST A R EX

Afrinvest Securities Limited

44.3%

72.9%

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

J B ER GER

(RC 603 315)

-9.8%

72.9%

Total Nigeria PLC

Fidelity Bank PLC

-9.8%

0.4%

19

22

&Žƌ Yϯ͗ϮϬϭϳ ƐƚĂŶĚĂůŽŶĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ƌĞĐŽƌĚŝŶŐ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ŽĨ ϭϮ͘Ϯй YͲŽͲY ŝŶ 'ƌŽƐƐ WƌĞŵŝƵŵ ƚŽ Eϴ͘ϳďŶ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ 'ƌŽƐƐ WƌĞŵŝƵŵ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ĨĞůů ϲ͘ϭй YͲ ŽͲY ƚŽ Eϲ͘ϬďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϲ͘ϰďŶ ŝŶ YϮ͗ϮϬϭϳ ǁŚŝůĞ EĞƚ ƉƌĞŵŝƵŵ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ Ϭ͘ϯй YͲŽͲY ƚŽ Eϱ͘ϮďŶ͘ ZĞŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ϰϬ͘Ϯй ǁŚŝůĞ ŶĞƚ ĐůĂŝŵƐ ŝŶĐŚĞĚ ϭϮ͘Ϭй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ YͲŽͲY͘ W d ĂŶĚ W d ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ƐƉŝŬĞĚ Ϯϱϲ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ ϮϮϬ͘Ϭй YͲŽͲY ƚŽ Eϭ͘ϳďŶ ĂŶĚ Eϭ͘ϰďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ tĞ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůLJ ƌĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƐƚŽĐŬ Ă ͞ hz͕͟ ŐŝǀĞŶ ŽƵƌ ϭϮͲ ŵŽŶƚŚ ƚĂƌŐĞƚ ƉƌŝĐĞ ŽĨ EϬ͘ϳϭ ʹ Ă ϯϭ͘Ϭ й ƵƉƐŝĚĞ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ƚŽ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ƉƌŝĐĞ ŽĨ EϬ͘ϱϰ ;ϬϱͬϭϮͬϮϬϭϰͿ͘

0.5%

0.0%

18

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ ϯ͘Ϯdž ;ĨƌŽŵ Ϯ͘ϴdž Ăƚ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĐůŽƐĞͿ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ϯϮ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ϭϭ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶŝŶŐ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĚĂLJ ǁĞƌĞ & E, ;нϭϬ͘ϭйͿ͕ dZ E^ KZW ;нϵ͘ϰйͿ ĂŶĚ / DKE ;нϵ͘ϯйͿ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ Ͳ '> yK^D/d, ;Ͳϱ͘ϬйͿ͕ ^dh WZ ^^ ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ > ZE &Z ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐƉĂƚĞ ŽĨ ŐĂŝŶƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ƐŽŵĞ ƉƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ďLJ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ͕ ŝŶ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ĂŚĞĂĚ͘

/Ŷ ŝƚƐ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ 'ƌŽƐƐ WƌĞŵŝƵŵ ǁƌŝƩĞŶ ŝŶĐŚĞĚ ϭϭ͘ϵй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ zͲ ŽͲz ƚŽ EϮϯ͘ϱďŶ ǁŚŝůĞ 'ƌŽƐƐ WƌĞŵŝƵŵ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϭϬ͘Ϯй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ Eϭϳ͘ϯďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϭϵ͘ϮďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ͘ KŶ Ă ƐŝŵŝůĂƌ ŶŽƚĞ͕ W d ĨĞůů ϰϮ͘ϱй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϮ͘ϴďŶ ǁŚŝůĞ EĞƚ DĂƌŐŝŶ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ϭ͘ϴ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ƚŽ ϭϰ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ͛Ɛ ŽŵďŝŶĞĚ ƌĂƟŽ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ƐƵƌŐĞĚ ϯϵ͘Ϯ ƉƉƚƐ ƚŽ ϭϭϳ͘ϲй͘ ZĞŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ ŐƌĞǁ ϭϭ͘Ϭй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϮ͘ϳďŶ ǁŚŝůĞ ŶĞƚ ĐůĂŝŵƐ ŝŶĐƵƌƌĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ϯϴ͘ϱй zͲŽͲz ǁŝƚŚ ĐůĂŝŵƐ ƌĂƟŽ ĂůƐŽ ƌŝƐŝŶŐ ϯϴ͘ϴƉƉƚƐ ƚŽ ϭϬϯ͘Ϭй͘ ůƐŽ͕ hŶĚĞƌǁƌŝƟŶŐ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϵ͘ϰй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϮ͘ϭďŶ ĂůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ ƌĂƟŽ ĐůŝŵďĞĚ Ϭ͘ϳƉƉƚƐ ƚŽ ϭϰ͘ϳй͘

0.0%

1.5% 37.0%

11 PLC

Conoil PLC

// K /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ WůĐ ;͞ // K͟ Žƌ ͞ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ͟Ϳ ŝƐ ĂŶ ŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ͕ ƉĞŶƐŝŽŶƐ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐĞƚ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ 'ƌŽƵƉ ŝŶ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ŝŶ ϭϵϲϯ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶĐĞĚ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ LJĞĂƌ ĂƐ ĂŶ ŐĞŶĐLJ ŽĸĐĞ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ >ŝĨĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ;͞ >/ K͟Ϳ ʹ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƟŵĞ͕ Ă ƐƵďƐŝĚŝĂƌLJ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů 'ƌŽƵƉ ;͞ /'͟Ϳ͘ dŚĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ǁĂƐ ŝŶĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞĚ͕ ƌĞŐŝƐƚĞƌĞĚ ĂŶĚ ůŝĐĞŶƐĞĚ ŝŶ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ ĂƐ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ >ŝĨĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ ʹ ĂƐ Ă ǁŚŽůůLJ ŽǁŶĞĚ ƐƵďƐŝĚŝĂƌLJ ŽĨ >/ Kͬ /' ʹ ŝŶ ϭϵϳϬ ʹ ƚŽ ŽīĞƌ >ŝĨĞ ĂŶĚ WĞŶƐŝŽŶ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƚĞƌ ƌĞŶĂŵĞĚ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ ;͞ // K͟Ϳ ƵƉŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĂĐƋƵŝƐŝƟŽŶ ŽĨ Ă ϲϬй ƐƚĂŬĞ ďLJ ƚŚĞ &ĞĚĞƌĂů 'ŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ͕ ĂŶĚ ůĂƚĞƌ ůŝƐƚĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ^ƚŽĐŬ džĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŝŶ ϭϵϵϬ͕ ĂŌĞƌ ǁŚŝĐŚ ďŽƚŚ ƐŚĂƌĞŚŽůĚĞƌƐ ʹ ƚŚĞ &ĞĚĞƌĂů 'ŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ ĂŶĚ /' ĚŝǀĞƐƚĞĚ͘

43.23

22.5% -20.9%

17

21

ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ŝŶ &ŽĐƵƐ͗ // K /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ WůĐ ;͞ // K͟ Žƌ ͞ƚŚĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ͟Ϳ

0.6x

152.21

DĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĞĂĚƚŚ /ŵƉƌŽǀĞƐ

4.5x

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Omotola Abimbola | oabimbola@afrinvest.com

43

˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Experts Call for Collaboration on Financial Inclusion Goddy Egene Governments and relevant agencies in Nigeria have been challenged to work together and execute policies that will promote financial inclusion in the country.

Speakers and discussants at the Financial Inclusion Conference 2017 organised by the Lagos Business School (LBS), in collaboration with BusinessDay, Microsave

and International Finance Corporation (IFC) on Tuesday, agreed that Nigeria’s development agenda should incorporate digital financial inclusion.

According to a statement, at the conference, the Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services initiative of LBS launched the Digital Financial Services in Nigeria: State of the Market Report 2017. The report contains evidence-based insights

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

on the state of financial inclusion in the country. Using consumer demographic profiles, the report describes the characteristics of potential financial services customers and also presents an examination of the policy and legal statutes guiding financial inclusion, while proffering market-enabling strategies for attaining the Central Bank of Nigeria’s commitment of 20 percent financial inclusion by 2020.

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 05Dec-2017, unless otherwise stated.

The Dean of LBS, Dr. Enase Okonedo, who delivered the opening remarks, said that financial inclusion has become a global trend and LBS organised the conference so that Nigeria could achieve the desired objectives of the policy.

Board Chairman of EfinA, Modupe Ladipo, who was one of the panellists, said that consumer protection was essential in financial inclusion as different consumers have

different needs.

“As a matter of necessity, we need to embark on research to know what our diverse population of consumers want.

Let us move from office-led practice of operations to a consumer-led practice,” she said.

She said that Nigeria’s must meet global standards of operations, while urging regulators to be more flexible and drive policies that would satisfy customers.

On his part, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency, Jones Onyereri, assured that despite the challenges encountered, government would give apt attention to the players by creating a favourable avenue for financial inclusion to thrive in the country.

He highlighted the activities of the legislature to ensure that Nigeria is financially inclusive.

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 181.59 182.94 43.23% Nigeria International Debt Fund 234.90 236.38 11.21% 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 0.82 0.83 17.10% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 81.19% 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 18.10% 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 18.63 19.19 50.86% ARM Discovery Fund 387.34 399.02 34.88% ARM Ethical Fund 26.96 27.77 20.68% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.76% 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 151.00 152.06 43.56% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.06% 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 18.68% Paramount Equity Fund 12.07 12.38 28.96% Women's Investment Fund 98.08 100.60 15.94% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.64% CORONATION ASSET MANAGEMENT investment@coronation.com Web: www.coronation.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.91% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.08 1.10 8.97% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.04 2.95% 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 1,125.24 1,126.41 10.97% FBN Heritage Fund 150.41 151.72 34.93% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.70% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $111.87 $112.77 8.72% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $111.32 $112.22 8.93% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 165.53 167.95 47.02% 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 1.39 1.42 49.47% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.96 2.96 15.23% 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 2,965.99 3,003.82 34.81% Coral Income Fund 2,441.23 2,441.23 17.12% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.60% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.25% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.10 2.13 25.00% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 18.58% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 114.05 114.05 17.55%

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 1.19 1.21 19.90% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,048.14 1,048.14 11.19% 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 13.66 13.78 41.40% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 18.73% 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 1.23 1.25 23.12% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.95 11.01 5.32% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.19% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 132.20 134.34 30.36% 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 1.42 1.42 13.94% 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 2,233.24 2,246.72 21.98% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 175.17 175.17 13.78% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.00 1.01 30.52% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 217.86 217.86 16.57% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 176.96 179.27 36.31% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.79% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,625.94 9,739.56 26.95% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.05 1.05 5.00% 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 1.32 1.34 18.37% United Capital Bond Fund 1.49 1.49 22.41% United Capital Equity Fund 0.92 0.94 36.76% United Capital Money Market Fund ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Zenith Equity Fund Zenith Ethical Fund Zenith Income Fund

1.00

Bid Price 12.77 13.47 18.93

1.00 17.40% info@zenith-funds.com Offer Price 12.95 13.62 18.93

Yield / T-Rtn 30.78% 22.52% 14.42%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41

1.01%

131.99

6.47%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.66

11.76

34.88%

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

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40

141.21

144.27

42.74%

Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

109.73

111.81

44.82%

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

4.66 9.18 17.49 21.15 143.49

4.70 9.26 17.59 21.35 145.49

68.21% 30.41% 47.66% 32.40% 13.07%

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.

44

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

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ϯ ϰ ϱ

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ĂƚĞ 'ƌĂŶƚĞĚ

ƌĞĚŝƚ ĂƌĚ͕ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ͕ dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϭϬͲEŽǀͲϭϰ

ϯϬͲEŽǀͲϭϳ

ϱϴϴ͕ϯϵϰ͕ϱϲϳ͘ϳϱ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ͕ dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϯϬͲ ĞĐͲϭϭ

ϯϬͲ ĞĐͲϭϯ

ϰϭϱ͕ϲϱϲ͕Ϯϲϴ͘ϰϱ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϯϭͲDĂƌͲϬϰ ϮϱͲ:ƵůͲϭϭ

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ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ͕ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

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Ϯϱϰ͕ϵϭϵ͕ϰϵϱ͘ϵϴ

ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ͕ dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

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ϭͲ:ƵŶͲϭϵ

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ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ͕ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

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ϮϯͲDĂƌͲϭϱ

ϭϵϭ͕ϮϮϵ͕ϲϯϲ͘Ϯϱ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ ƌĞĚŝƚ ĂƌĚ͕ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ĞƌŶĂƌĚ ŐǁƵŶĞŵĞ ͕ ŶƚŚŽŶLJ ŐǁƵŶĞŵĞ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

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Ϯϵϱ͕ϴϭϰ͕ϱϲϴ͘ϵϴ

ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ

ϭϬ ^^K /Ed ZE d/KE > >d

ϭϮ &/Z^d ZK^^ E/' Z/ >/D/d

džƉŝƌLJ ĂƚĞ

ĂůĂŶĐĞ ϯϬͲϵͲϮϬϭϳ

WƌŽĚƵĐƚ

ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ͕ KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ͕ dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϯϭͲDĂƌͲϬϰ ϱͲ:ƵŶͲϭϰ

ϭϳϲ͕Ϯϴϰ͕ϭϰϵ͘ϴϳ ϱͲ:ƵŶͲϭϳ

ϳͲ ƉƌͲϬϬ ϮϵͲDĂƌͲϭϭ

ϭϲϵ͕ϴϳϱ͕ϮϱϮ͘Ϭϯ ϭϰϬ͕ϱϱϵ͕ϰϲϳ͘ϬϬ

ϯϭͲ:ĂŶͲϭϳ

ϭϯϵ͕Ϯϵϴ͕ϰϯϴ͘ϲϭ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϲͲ:ƵŶͲϬϯ

ϭϭϲ͕ϯϮϱ͕ϲϱϭ͘ϴϯ

dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϯϭͲ:ƵůͲϭϰ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϰͲEŽǀͲϵϲ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϭϲͲDĂLJͲϬϳ

ϭϮͲEŽǀͲϬϳ

ϵϴ͕ϬϳϬ͕ϱϮϲ͘ϰϲ

dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϯϭͲ:ƵůͲϭϱ

ϮϬͲKĐƚͲϭϲ

ϵϮ͕ϯϬϯ͕Ϯϰϲ͘ϳϲ

dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϮϮͲ:ƵŶͲϭϱ

ϭϱͲ:ĂŶͲϭϲ

ϴϵ͕ϬϬϰ͕ϱϲϲ͘ϱϵ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϲͲEŽǀͲϬϮ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϮϳͲEŽǀͲϭϰ

ϮϳͲEŽǀͲϭϱ

ϳϮ͕ϮϰϬ͕ϳϳϰ͘ϰϬ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ͕ dĞƌŵ >ŽĂŶ

ϮϮͲ ƵŐͲϭϯ

ϮϮͲDĂƌͲϭϰ

ϳϭ͕ϳϭϳ͕ϲϰϲ͘Ϯϰ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ

ϯϬͲ:ƵŶͲϬϰ

ϱͲ:ƵŶͲϭϳ

ϭϬϱ͕ϭϮϯ͕ϯϯϮ͘ϭϱ ϭϬϬ͕ϳϬϮ͕ϭϰϰ͘ϯϵ

ϴϮ͕ϭϴϴ͕ϯϭϵ͘ϱϮ

ϳϬ͕Ϯϴϲ͕ϲϵϭ͘ϭϵ

ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ

ϰͲ:ƵůͲϭϰ

ϮϬͲ:ƵŶͲϭϳ

ϲϵ͕ϴϬϬ͕Ϯϯϭ͘Ϭϳ

KǀĞƌĚƌĂŌ ƐƐĞƚ &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ

ϭϭͲ^ĞƉͲϵϴ ϮϮͲ:ĂŶͲϭϬ

ϮϴͲ:ĂŶͲϭϰ

ϲϮ͕Ϯϲϱ͕ϬϬϱ͘ϳϳ ϱϳ͕ϱϭϲ͕Ϭϲϲ͘ϭϬ

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45

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

No. 22 Katsina-Ala Crescent, Off Yedseram Street, Maitama, Abuja.

ANNOUNCEMENT

THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY ANNOUNCES THE COMMENCEMENT OF The Last Phase of the Verification Exercise for Civil Service Pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) in the North Central Zone The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), will commence its last phase of verification for Civil Service Pensioners in the North Central Geo-political Zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in FCT, Niger and Nasarawa States from 11th–16th December, 2017.

State Pensioners with Federal Share Computation Sheet duly stamped and signed by the State Auditor General Duly stamped and signed NUBAN Bank Statement of Account with the Bank Logo showing the last 12 months’ payments of state share of monthly pension

Civil Service Pensioners are to come along with both originals and photocopies of their employment records.

The following documents and information are mandatory for all pensioners: 1. Letter/Gazette of First Appointment 2. Letter/Gazette of Confirmation of Appointment.

3. Letter/Gazette of Last Promotion.

4. Letter/Notice of Acceptance of Retirement from by a Competent Authority 5. Evidence of Change of Name (Where Applicable).

6. Approval Letter for Condonation/Merger of Services from the Head of Service of the Federation (where Applicable) 7. Record of Service 8. Bank Verification Number (BVN) 9. Duly stamped and signed NUBAN Bank Statement of Account with the Bank Logo showing the last 12 months of activity.

10. Valid Means of Identification (Driver’s License, International Passport, National Identity Card or Voter Identification Card) 11. 1 Coloured Passport Photograph 12. All Pensioners with complaints of non-enrollment, non-payment or short payment must provide a duly stamped and signed NUBAN Bank Statement of account with the Bank Logo showing activity from date of retirement or 6 months before the complaint, till date.

The under-listed additional documents and information are required for the following categories of pensioners: Due Pensioners Birth Certificate/Sworn Affidavit of Age Disengaged Retirees

Evidence of Payment of Gratuity Severance Pay Slip

Steel Rolling Mills Pensioners

Computation Sheet

Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Service of the Federation Letter of Appointment as a Head of Service of the Federation or Federal Permanent Secretary either from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, or the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation For the Next of Kin (NOK) of Deceased Pensioners, the following documents are essential: 1. Death Certificate of the Deceased from a Government recognized hospital.

2. Letter of Administration from the probate unit of a High Court.

3. Joint Application Letter by the NOK(s); as listed on the Record of Service.

4. Marriage Certificate (for Spouses) 5. Duly signed and stamped NUBAN Joint Bank Account Statement of the NOK(s), with Bank Logo 6. 1 Coloured Passport Photograph for each NOK 7. NOKs to deceased State Pensioners with Federal Share must provide the deceased’s Record of Service.

8. Valid Means of Identification (Driver’s License, International Passport, National Identity Card or Voter Identification Card) ¾ Mobile Verification will be conducted for sick and infirm Pensioners. Please contact PTAD through the toll-free 0800-CALL-PTAD (0800-2255-7823) for special arrangement to be made. ¾ Security Agencies will be at the venues. FRAUDSTERS BEWARE.

Field verification will commence on the following dates at the following centres: STATE NIGER NASARAWA FCT

DATES 11th – 16th December, 2017 11th – 12th December, 2017 11th – 15th December, 2017

LOCATION Posh Garden Marquee, Plot 12 Eastern Bye Pass, (Beside Hauwa Block Industry), Minna Ta’al Conference Hall, Jos Road, Lafia Centre 1: M & M Events Limited, Peace Garden, Plot 900 Herbert Macaulay Way, International Conference Centre, Abuja Centre 2: Evelyn Eve Garden & Park Nigeria Ltd, Along 1st Avenue (By 3rd Avenue Junction), Gwarinpa II Estate, Abuja Centre 3: Trinity Event Centre, Behind Holy Trinity Catholic Church, IBB Way (Beside Forte Oil Filling Station), Maitama , Abuja

NOTICE: For the avoidance of doubt, Employees of Local Government Councils/Authorities and Teachers in Primary Schools are not eligible for the exercise and should therefore NOT come to the verification centres.

For further inquiries contact: Toll Free Lines: 0800-CALL-PTAD (0800-2255-7823)

Phone No: +234(0)9-462-1700, +234(0)8136048117 (Rates Apply) Email: info@ptad.gov.ng, complaints@ptad.gov.ng Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter:@PTADNigeria www.ptad.gov.ng

Signed: MANAGEMENT

46

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS IN PROJECT NIGERIA:

A CASE FOR RESTRUCTURING Extempore Remarks of the Bayelsa State Governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, at the Southern Senators Forum Retreat in Calabar, Cross River State on Friday, November 24, 2017.

PROTOCOL

and non-oil producing environment, yet they call for secession or break up of Eigeria. Ƌualify to be minoriƟes. Being Eigerians, they 1. On behalf of the government and the good are enƟtled to the freedom that our laws and 1ϯ. thile it is clear as stated above that restructuring may mean diīerent things to people of Bayelsa State, I thank the leadership onsƟtuƟon provide and guarantee for all. people because of their edžperiences diīerent ŽĨ ƚŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů ƐƐĞŵďůLJ ĂŶĚ ƉĂƌƟĐƵůĂƌůLJ ƚŚĞ leadership of the Senate, the Chairman and ϴ. dhe nedžt ƋuesƟon about minoriƟes would and edžpectaƟons, we should be clear from the Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ ^ĞŶĂƚŽƌƐ be: are we talking in the ethnic sense, or are onset about what the call for restructuring &ŽƌƵŵ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ƚŚŽƵŐŚƞƵůŶĞƐƐ͕ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ we referring to minoriƟes in terms of sedžual does not mean, connote or necessarily imply. ĚƵƚLJ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƚŽ ŽƵƌ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ďLJ ĐƌĞĂƟŶŐ Ă orientaƟon, poliƟcal views or religious beliefs͍ The call for restructuring does not necessarily imply secession, breakup or disintegraƟon. ƉůĂƞŽƌŵ ůŝŬĞ ƚŚŝƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ĐůĞĂƌůLJ 9.

I know also that, contrary to what a number of Its proponents are not less Eigerian or less ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚŽƉŝĐĂů ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ĨĂĐŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ people say, our country has actually done very patrioƟc than others. I think that portraying ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ƚŽĚĂLJ͘ well in the area of protecƟon and recogniƟon restructuring as being coterminous with Ϯ͘ KŶ ƚŚĂƚ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ͕ / ďƌŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ŐƌĞĞƟŶŐƐ͕ of the rights of the ͞so-called͟ minoriƟes in the secession or disintegraƟon is missing the point. ǁĂƌŵ ĨĞůŝĐŝƚĂƟŽŶƐ͕ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ƐŽůŝĚĂƌŝƚLJ ĨƌŽŵ area of poliƟcal or leadership parƟcipaƟon. The call for a restructured Eigeria, as I said ĂLJĞůƐĂ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌLJ ƐĞƌŝŽƵƐ ĂďŽƵƚ I say “so-called” because I believe that even earlier, is a call for consƟtuƟonal amendment ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐƐƵĞ ŽĨ ƌĞƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶĚĂďůLJ in this country, the “so-called” minoriƟes are and that is why we must thank the President LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ ŶĂƟŽŶĂů͕ ŶŽŶͲƉĂƌƟƐĂŶ actually the unstated majority of this country. of the Senate, the Senate leadership and So, if you are out there as a so-called minority, parƟcularly the hairman of the Southern ƉůĂƞŽƌŵ ƚŽ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐ ŝƚ͘ or you have subscribed to that propaganda that Senators Forum, and all the members for ϯ͘ >Ğƚ ŵĞ ĂůƐŽ ƚŚĂŶŬ LJŽƵ ĂƐ ŚĂŝƌŵĂŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ says you are a minority, or you have created creaƟng this plaƞorm. And why not the Senate͍ ^ŽƵƚŚͲ^ŽƵƚŚ 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌƐ &ŽƌƵŵ͘ / ĂůƐŽ ĐŽͲĐŚĂŝƌ room for people to refer to you as such, then thy not the EaƟonal Assembly͍ Because you ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌƐ &ŽƌƵŵ ŽĨ please listen aƩenƟvely. have the most legiƟmate plaƞorm to talk about ǁŚŝĐŚ 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌ ŬŝŶǁƵŶŵŝ ŵďŽĚĞ ŝƐ ŽƵƌ and to lead iniƟaƟves about consƟtuƟonal ŚĂŝƌŵĂŶ ĂŶĚ ŵLJ ĚĞĂƌ ďƌŽƚŚĞƌ͕ 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌ ϭϬ. In this country, the so-called minoriƟes amendments and reforms, and that is what ĂǀŝĚ hŵĂŚŝ ŽĨ ďŽŶLJŝ ŝƐ ĂůƐŽ Ă ĐŽͲĐŚĂŝƌ͘ ŐĂŝŶ͕ are the majority. But I say Eigeria has done you are doing today. ŽŶ ďĞŚĂůĨ ŽĨ ŵLJ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚͲ^ŽƵƚŚ very well because if you look at the staƟsƟcs 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌƐ &ŽƌƵŵ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ of those who have had an opportunity to 1ϰ. that other stakeholders need to do is to 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌƐ &ŽƌƵŵ͕ / ďƌŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ŐƌĞĞƟŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ lead and to serve this naƟon at the very top work with you and give you support so that we level, and I am not just talking of President or can have a meeƟng of minds to see the areas ĨĞůŝĐŝƚĂƟŽŶƐ͘ Head of State, I am also talking of those who that can be agreed upon. This is why I agree ϰ͘ tĞ ƚŚŝŶŬ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ŝŶŝƟĂƟǀĞ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ command our Armed Forces and other heads completely with all the lectures and opinions I believe, Mr. Chairman and members of this of criƟcal branches of the government of the already given by the Senate President and the ĨŽƌƵŵ͕ ƚŚĂƚ ŶŽ ƐŽŽŶĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ ǁĞ ůĞĂǀĞ ŚĞƌĞ͕ federaƟon. te need to pat ourselves on the keynote address delivered by his džcellency, ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ŚŽǁ back because a number of people that have the Deputy Senate President and the remarks ƚŚŽƐĞ ŽĨ ƵƐ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ been Presidents and Military Heads of State by the chairman of the forum, all poinƟng EŝŐĞƌŝĂ 'ŽǀĞƌŶŽƌƐ &ŽƌƵŵ ǁŝůů ĂůƐŽ ĐŽůůĂďŽƌĂƚĞ in this country, contrary to the language they to the need for us to engage with ourselves ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ŐƌĞĂƚ ĞŶĚĞĂǀŽƵƌ ƐŽ ƚŚĂƚ ǁĞ speak or the religion they profess, ethnically more and build more consensus around these ĐĂŶ ƚĂůŬ ƚŽ ŽƵƌƐĞůǀĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŵŽŶŐ ŽƵƌƐĞůǀĞƐ͕ ƚŽ belong to this group of so-called minoriƟes, perƟnent issues. ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ďƌĞĂŬ ĚŽǁŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ ŽĨ who as I have said over and over again are the ŵŝƐƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ŵŝƐƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ actual majority.

15. As the Senate President and the Deputy ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĚĞǀŝůůĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐƐƵĞ ŽĨ ƌĞƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ͘ Senate President rightly said, we should not 11. I also come from a state that just a few shy away from decision making, consensus ϱ͘ dŚĂŶŬ LJŽƵ Dƌ͘ ŚĂŝƌŵĂŶ ĨŽƌ ŝŶǀŝƟŶŐ ŵĞ years ago had a wonderful opportunity given building nor be afraid of negoƟaƟng. For me, ƚŽ ŐŝǀĞ ŵLJ ƉĞƌƐƉĞĐƟǀĞƐ ŽŶ ŚŽǁ ďĞƐƚ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ to a respected Bayelsan by all Eigerians to the more divided opinions are, the beƩer ƉƌŽƚĞĐƚ ŵŝŶŽƌŝƚLJ ƌŝŐŚƚƐ͘ ,Žǁ ďĞƐƚ ĐĂŶ ǁĞ ĚŽ ƐŽ oīer service at the topmost level as President because we are a diverse naƟon building a ƚŚĂŶ ďLJ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟŶŐ ƌĞƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌŝŶŐ͍ dŚĞ ƌŝŐŚƚƐ of the Federal Zepublic of Eigeria and I think virile democraƟc culture, and we should not ŽĨ Ăůů EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶƐ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉƌĞƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂŶĚ we should congratulate Eigerians. te have sƟŇe views and opinions. The only lesson we ƉƌŽƚĞĐƚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƚĞdžƚ ŽĨ Ă ƌĞƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞĚ͕ done beƩer than a number of countries. te need to learn is to agree and disagree but to do ƚƌƵůLJ ĨĞĚĞƌĂů͕ ƚƌƵůLJ ĞŐĂůŝƚĂƌŝĂŶ ĂŶĚ ĚĞŵŽĐƌĂƟĐ have done beƩer than most people edžpect, so in the naƟonal interest.

Nigeria. and I thought I should highlight that fact. There 16. The Senate President talked about what is however sƟll plenty of work to do.

6. I have not come here to deliver any lecture, is happening in the United States of America, not being a professor like our host. I have only 12. The other issue I would like to throw where there is a lively, healthy and robust come to raise some issues that will provoke our some light on has to do with the deĮniƟon of debate going on right now about what it thoughts and hopefully provide some clarity of restructuring. Restructuring simply means a means to be an American, especially in this thoughts on some of these issues as we move call for consƟtuƟonal reforms, an amendment era of Donald Trump. That is a legiƟmate forward. of the laws of this country to guarantee a discussion they are having. If you go to the more stable and inclusive country, and for a ϳ. zou have asked me to talk about protecƟon return to the original founding principles of United Kingdom, you saw how it went with the of minority rights and I was thinking of how our naƟon. In other words, it is the return to BREXIT vote and the debates that are going on to deĮne the word ͚minority.͛ sery oŌen and federalism as agreed to by the founding fathers there about the United Kingdom͛s role within parƟcularly in our contedžt, when you talk of our country. Restructuring does not mean the European Union, around the world and of minority rights, a lot of people may think secession. I agree that there may be so many within itself. of mineral rights. But minority rights are far interpretaƟons to restructuring and what some 17. Two years ago in the United Kingdom, they bigger and more encompassing than property people may want out of a restructured Eigeria, had a legiƟmate referendum on their future. rights and even environmental rights because yet the call for restructuring does not mean a That is with respect to the Scoƫsh ƋuesƟon. we have soͲcalled minoriƟes in nonͲmineral

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a state like mine is grossly under-represented in all federal establishments in Abuja. The consƟtuƟonal provisions are there. But these are the very reasons we need that debate to make them more eĸcient. That is the reason we need that reform. If, despite the strong military might of the former USSR, they could not prevent a collapse of that big empire, whoever says that Eigeria͛s unity is dependent on a strong military and security is not telling the truth. Yugoslavia is another edžample. Kf course, the military has its roles to play and it is our duty to encourage, support and build strong defence and security forces for the protecƟon of our territorial 18. Just as the United Kingdom subjected itself integrity but not for inƟmidaƟon, oppression nor to a vote on the issue of Scoƫsh independence, I repression of any Eigerian. believe that if we were to conduct a referendum, majority of Eigerians will vote for the unity of 21. In the end, Eigeria͛s unity and our greatness Eigeria because the unity of Eigeria is desirable. depends on us Eigerians. Every naƟon edžists out I dare say in the best interest of all, we are beƩer of the sense of solidarity, ideals, idenƟty shared oī in a large country and a large populaƟon. and allegiance freely given by the ciƟnjens of that So, do not listen to edžtreme elements in this country. Every naƟon is a product of historical country that are for disintegraƟon. te have accident, some less arbitrary and more natural enough people of goodwill in every area of than others. This country was not a mistake. this country who believe that our best interest, Even if the BriƟsh did not create it, some of collecƟvely and individually, are best secured, us who believe so much in Eigeria being the protected and preserved in a united Federal beacon of Africa, if we found good friends like Republic of Eigeria. But we must do the hard this in suĸcient number, could have recreated work of creaƟng that Eigeria͖ a Eigeria of eƋual even a bigger Eigeria. Hence, this country is ciƟnjenship, a Eigeria that is fair and just, a Eigeria not a mistake. If a mistake, as most claim, then where the rights of all are protected, a Eigeria Africa, the black race and the world needs a huge of inclusive growth and a stable Eigeria. Eot a mistake such as Eigeria to be able to advance Eigeria of endless agitaƟons and ineƋuity. Eot a the African and black agenda in the world, which Eigeria that is perpetually at war with itself and is the nedžt fronƟer. Kur duty as Eigerian leaders therefore unable to fulĮl its manifest desƟny. is to make that ͚mistake͛ more perfect. That is Eot a Eigeria that is Ɵed down by its internal what the call for restructuring connotes. contradicƟons. Eot a Eigeria, by its internal contradicƟons, is a threat to itself and the world. 22. Let us therefore challenge ourselves including The call for restructuring, therefore, is a call for our very common assumpƟons and then go self-edžaminaƟon by Eigerians for the beneĮt of to the EaƟonal Assembly, consult ourselves and see how we can truly create a Eigeria that Eigerians and the world. will last for the nedžt 100 or even 200 years like 19. I have told all my people and I say it here America. This country can be bigger than every openly, my state has over 30 per cent of the other naƟon on the face of the earth. oil and gas reserves in this country (a number of you do not know this). Yet I do not want to 23. My dear friends, in the nedžt 30 to 50 years, be a ciƟnjen of one Ɵny oil-rich country that one Eigeria will be the third most populous naƟon neighbouring country can overrun in Įve hours on the face of the earth. So, can we aīord as in the case of Kuwait. Mineral wealth alone, as this naƟon at that Ɵme with about 500 million in the case of the DemocraƟc Republic of ongo human beings to sƟll be dealing with agitaƟons (DR ) and South Sudan in contemporary Ɵmes, from within͍ That is not sustainable. That is not does not guarantee a stable and prosperous the Eigeria we should hand over to our children naƟon. I am a proud Eigerian ciƟnjen. I want to and our grandchildren. te have a duty and a be a member and I am proud to be a member responsibility, Mr. President of the Senate and of this great Eigerian family. This is one of the disƟnguished Senators, and my dear colleagues greatest naƟons on the face of the earth. But to create mechanisms for closer interacƟons and you and I, and all of us, have a duty to perform. consensus building so as to Ƌuickly idenƟfy areas That is to recreate the ideal Eigeria. Just as of common agreement that can form the basis of our founding fathers had paƟence, patrioƟsm, a consƟtuƟonal amendment before our naƟon is accommodaƟon and wisdom to listen to consumed by its contradicƟons and challenges. themselves by holding diīerent conferences and Every naƟon I agree has contradicƟons and consultaƟons at home and abroad, the present challenges but what makes the criƟcal diīerence leaders of this country must rise up to this is the response by its leadership. challenge of naƟon building.

24. Let us break down the barriers of Those who colonised us did not treat their own unity as something that is not negoƟable.

So, do not tell me that Eigeria͛s unity is nonnegoƟable. That is not the right way to put it.

I am a EaƟonalist, I am a Pan-Africanist and I believe that if I have an opportunity, Eigeria is not even large enough for me. I and most of us want this country to even be bigger than it is. So, there is no room for disintegraƟon of Eigeria or secession. That is not what we are talking about. that we are saying is how do we make Eigeria͛s edžistence and our greatness more apparent, reliable and sustainable͍

20. So, we call for leadership responsibility. And Mr. AƩorney 'eneral (of the FederaƟon), while I agree with you on the state of the legal posiƟon, as it is, on the views you edžpressed in your paper, the truth is that Eigeria͛s unity or the unity of any country for that maƩer cannot be sustained by strong military and security forces centrally controlled. Eo, we are geƫng it wrong again.

Eigeria͛s unity cannot be sustained merely by the consƟtuƟonal provisions that we know are ineīecƟve. You talked about Federal haracter ommission. For edžample, good idea, good provision of the law as cited by you. However,

onsƟtuƟon, leadership of the leading poliƟcal parƟes, tradiƟonal rulers, socio-cultural and religious groups, professional and civil society groups and so on. This commiƩee should not be a talk shop, so that we can lock ourselves in and develop common grounds and posiƟons. A starƟng point will be to look through previous reports.

25. There are things that we all here, irrespecƟve of party aĸliaƟons or where we come from, can easily agree on. As the Deputy Senate President and the DisƟnguished Senators here rightly proposed, let us start gradually. te do not need to amend everything at the same Ɵme.

American democracy has been there for many centuries yet how many amendments have they done so far͍ So, let us start with the most basic fundamental consƟtuƟonal reforms that will make our country more stable and generate the kind of loyalty and conĮdence that ciƟnjens need to have in their naƟon. That I think is at the core of the restructuring in Eigeria.

26. Finally, the best guarantees for protecƟon of minority rights, which you have asked me to speak about, are to be founded on proper consƟtuƟonal amendments and the amendments of other laws of this country because in the end we should aim at protecƟng the individuals irrespecƟve of where the person comes from, whether majority or minority. Knce we guarantee individual rights, property, poliƟcal, economic, religious and environmental rights, then you have created the basis for a sustainable and egalitarian Eigeria that can stand up as the beacon of Africa. This was edžactly what the Henry tillinks ommission set up by the colonial administraƟon to edžamine the fears of the minoriƟes prior to Eigeria͛s independence recommended and did. That is, separate development agency for the Eiger Delta as well as the entrenchment of a charter of human rights. But as we have since learnt from 1960 Ɵll date, the consƟtuƟonal safeguards for the protecƟon of minoriƟes as envisaged by the tillinks ommission, which was adopted in the 1960 onsƟtuƟon, have been eroded by various military decrees, including the decree establishing the present onsƟtuƟon. So a sustainable mechanism for the protecƟon of minority rights whether in the Eiger Delta, as intended in the tillinks ommission, or the protecƟon of minority poliƟcal, sedžual or religious views, be they personal or group, must be founded in a restructured truly federal Eigeria where these rights can be best secured as originally agreed and enshrined in the preindependence and independence consƟtuƟonal order. The military intervenƟons from 1966 Ɵll date and the various decrees and laws made by military Įat, including edžpropriatory legislaƟons taking away property rights as in the case of Eiger Delta, removal of policing and judicial powers in the federaƟng units and the conseƋuent sƟŇing and over-concentraƟon of powers at the centre communicaƟon and understanding and let me have created over the years a progressively in this forum propose the following – that Mr. unbalanced, unstable and potenƟally edžplosive President, who is the leader of this country, be naƟon. This has been the cause of all agitaƟons. treated with respect and should be accorded the opportunity to operate as our leader. Mr. 27. I thank you all for listening and I do hope President has to rise to the occasion on this issue to work with you and all other well-meaning of restructuring. How will he do this͍ My proposal, Eigerians to aƩempt to recreate a Eigeria that as I have said before, is that the President is eƋuitable, egalitarian, democraƟc, fair and should convene a meeƟng of representaƟves of inclusive. the Federal 'overnment, the leadership of the EaƟonal Assembly, the 'overnors Forum, the 28. 'od bless you all and may 'od bless the speakers of the various State Houses of Assembly Federal Republic of Eigeria. that have the role of making amendments to the

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INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Trump Proclaims Jerusalem Capital of Israel United States President Donald Trump has proclaimed that his country would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.

Trump, while making the announcement at a ceremony at the White House, said his decision marked “the beginning of a new approach to conflict between Israel and the Palestinians”.

He recalled that in 1995, Congress adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, urging “the federal government to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem and to recognise that city – and so importantly – is Israel’s capital”.

“This act passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months ago,” he said.

“Presidents issued these waivers under the belief that delaying the recognition of Jerusalem would advance the

cause of peace.

“Some say they lacked courage, but they made their best judgments based on facts as they understood them at the time. Nevertheless, the record is in.

“After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

“It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result.

“Therefore, I have determined that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” he said He regretted that for over 20 years, every previous American president had exercised the law’s waiver, refusing to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem or to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.

Trump berated previous presidents who had made

recognising Jerusalem as Israeli capital a major campaign promise but failed to deliver declaring: “Today, I am delivering”.

He directed the State Department to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“This will immediately begin the process of hiring architects, engineers, and planners, so that a new embassy, when completed, will be a magnificent tribute to peace,” he said.

According to him, however, the decision is not intended, in any way, to reflect a departure from “our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement”.

Trump pledged that the U.S. remained deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides adding, “I intend to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement.”

Global Alarm as Trump Mulls Fateful Jerusalem Move World leaders on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump he risked inflaming the Muslim world and jeopardising peace efforts if he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy there, AFP reported.

“Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech, echoing alarm expressed

by Palestinian and Arab leaders.

Trump had been due to take a decision on the Holy City on Monday but delayed it by several days following a string of public and private warnings

from leaders around the globe.

Jerusalem is one of the most thorny issues of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, with both sides claiming it as their capital.

In his address, Erdogan warned that any move to back Israel’s claim to the city would mobilise “the entire Islamic world” and even prompt Ankara to sever its recently-renewed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in

final status negotiations.

And the suggestion that Trump could be poised to reverse years of US policy has prompted a furious bout of Palestinian lobbying, with the armed Islamist Hamas movement threatening to launch a new “intifada” or uprising.

Central to the issue of recognition is the question of the US embassy.

All foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv with consular representation in Jerusalem. Trump had been expected on Monday to decide whether to sign a legal waiver that would delay by six months plans to move the US embassy.

Possible ‘Elements of Genocide’ in Myanmar – UN Rights Chief The UN rights chief called Tuesday for a fresh international investigation into Myanmar’s abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, warning of possible “elements of genocide”, according to AFP. Speaking before a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the abuses against the Rohingya, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein condemned “widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal” attacks against the Rohingya, as well

as decades of discrimination and persecution.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Myanmar’s military denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But Zeid decried policies

that had dehumanised and segregated the minority, and left it wallowing in statelessness for decades.

He described horrific violence and abuse, including allegations of “killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside”.

“Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?” Zeid asked the 47-member council.

Wildfire Threatens Several Thousands of Homes in Southern California, Kills 1 Thousands were forced to flee their homes on Monday as firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California that had charred at least 25,000 acres of land, GMA reported authorities as saying.

Intensified by strong winds and harsh weather conditions, the fire caused at least one death in Ventura County, emergency officials said. The person’s identity was not released, but authorities attributed the death to an automobile accident that occurred as the individual attempted to evacuate.

The fire was impacting structures in downtown Ventura

early Tuesday morning, with multiple residential homes on fire near City Hall.

About 650 residents were under mandatory evacuation in Ventura County as of early Tuesday morning as the wildfires moved southwest toward the coast. Officials said several thousand homes in nearby areas had been evacuated due to the fire, although they cautioned that the figure was a rough estimate.

“We urge you, you must abide by these evacuation notices,” Ventura County Sheriff Jeff Dean said at a press conference late Monday. “We saw the disasters

and the losses that happened up north in Sonoma and this is a fast, very dangerous moving fire.”

Officials said the blaze started as a 50-acre brush fire in a foothills area east of Santa Paula -- located about 40 minutes east of Santa Barbara -- at around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

It multiplied in size to 10,000 acres in just four hours, authorities said. Santa Paula has a population of about 30,000.

Separately, Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, which has about 350 students, was evacuated Monday evening.

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Osinbajo Finds Adamawa Town Deserted Lawmaker urges UN, AU, others to intervene in Adamawa crisis Shola Oyeyipo in Lagos with agency report Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday visited several villages and towns in Adamawa State affected by recent communal violence which led to the killing of several persons and destruction of property.

Among the places the VP visited were Numan and Dong, but Osinbajo and his team were surprised to find that Kikan, another affected community, had been deserted by its residents.

Since the visit was designed to condole the victims of the clashes and offer government’s assurances of safeguarding them against future violence, the delegation, therefore, asked for a follow-up meeting with the community’s leadership at the earliest opportunity.

Osinbajo, at every place visited, urged those in leadership positions in the country to lead the people out of the cycle of violence into prosperity and development.

The clashes claimed scores of lives and injured many others, as the attackers destroyed houses in the affected villages.

The vice president, who visited the affected communities in the state on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, emphasised that it was the responsibility of all categories of leadership to solve problems and offer prosperity to the people.

“Our country is at a point in its history where we all need to join hands to make sure that all we are concerned with is to provide food, shelter, good livelihood for our people; that is our primary aim now. This is the time to come together to make progress as a people.

“There is no reason why we should allow so much poverty, and what we are doing is fighting, killing each other. Our role should be to provide security, to provide resources for people so that everyone can enjoy their lives as citizens of this country.

“Nobody can benefit from killing or the loss of lives.

Army Replaces Commander in War against Boko Haram after Six Months Following to resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in the North-east, Major General Attahiru Ibrahim has been removed from his position as the Theatre Commander of the Lafiya Dole operation.

TheCable understands that Ibrahim has been replaced by Major General Rogers Nicholas who was formerly in charge of logistics at the army headquarters.

Ibrahim is expected to resume as Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans at the Army Headquarters.

His removal is said to be linked to the seeming inefficiency of his command in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

In May, he took over the theatre command from Lucky Irabor who is now coordinating the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

Since then, suicide bombings and attacks on military formations have been on the rise.

In June, barely a month after Ibrahim took over, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

The month after, a group of geologists and technologists from the University of Maiduguri were ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents at Magumeri area of Borno state. About 12 soldiers

who escorted the academics were reportedly killed.

Some members of staff of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the team were also killed in the brutal ambush.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, in August gave a 40-day ultimatum for Ibrahim and his troops to capture Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram sect, but this is yet to be achieved.

Months after the army chief had ordered the capture of Shekau, the sect, using four female suicide bombers, attacked Muna Gari, a suburb of Maiduguri, killing about 14 persons.

Series of attacks were also carried out in Adamawa State.

About 40 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a mosque in Yola.

A unit commander of the army and about 15 soldiers were killed in November when the insurgents attacked a military unit in Sassawa, Yobe State.

A recent attack was carried out in Biu, Borno State, where two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a market, killing about 18 people.

Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Memorial Holds in Abuja The Board of Trustees of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation will host a memorial programme in honour of Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.

The memorial according to a statement by Director General of the foundation,, Jacqueline W. Farris, is scheduled for December 8, 2017 at 9:30a.m. at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

Farris said prayers at the National Mosque would follow afterwards.

She noted that former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, will serve as Chairman of the occasion while the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, will deliver a goodwill

message.

Expected dignitaries who will offer tributes to the late Tadifa include Major General Paul Tarfa (rtd), Mallam Adamu Ciroma, former Minister of Finance, Mr. Kola Abiola, son of late M.K.O. Abiola and Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Farris said the 20th anniversary is an opportunity to remember one of Nigeria’s foremost contemporary leaders who died in Abakiliki Prison on December 8, 1997.

“Shehu Yar’Adua not only fought during the civil war to unite the country but paid the supreme price to ensure that democracy is enthroned in Nigeria,” she said.

Everyone who is a leader, if all that we are thinking about is, ‘something has gone wrong, let us just wait until another thing happens’, then we are not true leaders; that’s not leadership.

Anybody can fight, anybody can kill; only true leaders can bring people together and make progress. Anybody who says, ‘I am a leader’, but is just encouraging continuous fighting, and cannot find a solution, has lost the right to leadership.

“As leaders, our duty is to lead the people towards prosperity and development. That is the kind of leadership we must provide. If we don’t provide that, then we have lost our rights to be leaders.”

The vice president condoled with victims of the attacks and assured them of the federal government’s resolve to ensure that perpetrators of violence are dealt with according to the law.

He further said the federal government would find a lasting solution to the crisis, and called on all parties to embrace peace and dialogue.

“It is a very sad occasion, and I’m here at the behest of Mr. President first to commiserate with the people of Adamawa State and to express sincere

condolences to the families who have lost their lives, and to those who have lost their homes, their property and means of livelihood.

“We are here to seek definite and permanent solution to the problems that have arisen here,” Osinbajo said.

The Vice President was received on arrival at the Yola airport by Adamawa State Governor, Jubrilla Bindow.

While in Adamawa, Osinbajo also met with the Lamido Adamawa, Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, and other community chiefs, including the Hamma Bachama, Honest Irmiya Stephen; and Hamma Bata, Chief Alhamdu Teneke, in Numan LGA. The vice president was accompanied by the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, the Adamawa South Senator, Ahmad Abubakar, and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu.

Meanwhile, International organisations, including the United Nations, Amnesty International (AI), Greenpeace, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have been urged to wade into the humanitarian and

food crisis rocking communities recently attacked by herdsmen in Adamawa State.

Making the call yesterday during an interview with journalists in Lagos, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and member of the House of Representatives, Hon Kwamoti Laori, said international observers need first hand assessment of the situation in the affected areas.

Particularly disturbed by bomb attacks on the affected communities by the Nigerian Air Force, Laori said: “Following the killings and destruction of houses and farms, there is humanitarian and food crisis which without credible international bodies, we are not confident that the federal government will ensure that food is delivered to the people.

“The solution to what has happened is nothing less than justice, and you cannot rely only on the Nigerian government to bring the justice on the people. So, we implore Amnesty International, Greenpeace-because our environment is being destroyedUN, AU and ECOWAS to send observers to come and see the level of devastation. We want the place to be declared as an emergency areas.”

Narrating the ordeals of his people in the hands of the killer herdsmen, Laori said: “Unfortunately, I lost two of my uncles in this incident that happened. We have very arable land and the grazers used to come here. We have been co-existing peacefully, but the problem is with these people crisscrossing the area. They move with impunity and get away with it.

“There is no week that passes without them violating the women. In some cases, they go to people’s farm and tell the people to leave and when you report the matter, nothing will be done. There have been many reports without arrest.

“The people who were angered by the acts went after the killers and retaliated, an action we condemned, but there were so many unguided statements indicating that these people will come back and take revenge and the government still did nothing.

“The people eventually came last Monday, destroying houses and killing people. The people ran away and returned to counter their attackers numbering over 200, but before we knew it, Air Force aircraft came and dropped bomb on our people.”

RUBBING MINDS

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar (left), meeting with United Kingdom High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright, at the residence of the UK envoy in Abuja....yesterday

25 Countries to Participate in Carnival Calabar Bassey Inyang in Calabar The organisers of the annual “Carnival Calabar” have disclosed that 25 countries from Africa and other continents are billed to participate in the 2017 edition of the festivals.

Making the disclosure yesterday in Calabar during a press conference, the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Events Management, Mr. Ken Aklah, said the number of countries expected to partake in this year’s event was more than 14 that featured last year.

He indicated that some of the countries that featured last year were South Korea, Brazil, Morrocco, Tanazania, South Korea, South Africa, and Kenya, among others.

Aklah said the increased numbers of countries participating in this year’s event is an indication that the annual event was growing bigger and better.

Hesaidaliveaudienceof264million viewers watched the carnival last year via the social media, and 55 countries also watched the on DSTV in 2016.

“What we are selling is experience, which is the latest innovation in tourism marketing and tourism is the only product that you need to get to the source to enjoy and that is what we intend to achieve with Carnival Calabar.

“A lot of content has been added and more exciting event introduced and for a product to last for more than a decade there need to be innovation and this means

it will attract more audience, we want to increase the tempo of the product we have already created,” Aklah said.

He disclosed that some new innovations have been added to this year’s carnival and the 32 days festival, among which is the “Black African Festival.”

Aklah said the new additions would create veritable platforms for both local and international artiste to perform in a bid to give local content of breath of life.

He also commented on the introduction of the Wonders of Wheel, saying “On the streets alone we have about 800,000 people watching it and we have also introduced the wonders on wheels as part as an added value

to allow tourist see vintage cars.”

Also speaking, the organiser of the Africa Beauty Queen Pageant, Mr. Tom Ikpeme, said artistes expected to perform at the various shows and events are Mafikozolo from South Africa,Tuface, Davido, Timaya, and Teckno.

The chairman of the state carnival commission, Mr. Gabriel Onah, said this year’s Carnival Calabar is being packaged to meet the best of standards that would attract tourists from all over the world.

Onah said though some private investors and the state government have been sponsoring the event since it commenced, the organisers were working assiduously to ensure that the event becomes commercialised.

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Amaechi Cause of Rivers APC Crisis, Says Abe Vows not to defect to another party Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is deepening by the day with the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, accusing the Minister of Transportation and former Governor of the state, Chibuike Amaechi, of being responsible for the party’s woes.

Abe has also vowed that despite the “needless provocation and unwarranted bitterness” against him, he would not leave the APC for another political party.

Abe, in a statement issued yesterday in Port Harcourt by his spokesperson, Parry Benson, said every member of the party knew the actual cause of the crisis rocking the party in the state.

He traced the current crisis rocking the APC in the State to the March 4, 2017 meeting convened

by Amaechi in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The senator, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee

on FERMA, alleged that during the March 4, 2017 meeting, which attracted prominent leaders of the party in the state, Amaechi made certain pronouncements that led to the current crisis in the state.

He said: “We all can recall that the Rivers APC was in relative peace and harmony until March 4 this year, when the Hon. Minister of Transportation and our former governor called a meeting of all leaders of our great party at the Dome on Odili Road in Port Harcourt. In that meeting, the minister made several shocking pronouncements that herald the root of our present crisis.

“The Hon Minister of Transportation publicly declared that Senator Magnus Abe and Dr. Dakuku Peterside were both running for governor, and that he had ordered both of them to stop. He said Dr. Dakuku Peterside had stopped and Senator Abe had not, and that anyone supporting Senator Abe should leave the party immediately. He went on to name party leaders sympathetic to Abe and declared that they must leave the party.

“The Minister of Transportation declared at that meeting that anyone who failed to show absolute loyalty to him personally should receive no benefit or recognition from the party whatsoever, including contracts and patronage.

“He also declared that any party officer who associates with Abe or those relating with him should consider themselves out of office and out of the party. He concluded that if the party stakeholders refused to heed to his decree, he would destroy the party and rebuild it

in his own image”.

He emphasised: “It was after that meeting that the minister started to openly remove those he perceived as friends of Abe as leaders of LGA caucuses in an embarrassing fashion. Ever since then, every action within the party has been calculated to implode the party and cause untold bitterness amongst party members in the state in order to enforce those directives.”

“We cannot stop Wike from playing his own politics as an

opposition governor but what is important for us in the APC and for the federal government led by President Buhari is to continue to vigorously pursue our commitment not just to the clean-up of Ogoni land and the Niger Delta, but to keep faith with our country men that in our time there will be justice for all, no matter the cost.”

Insisting that he would not leave the APC, Abe said, “When it was time to battle Wike, who were those in the forefront? And who are those talking now? When

the time will come to confront the governor who are the members of the APC that will not just stand, but stand out? When we wrestled with the Jonathan government who were those in the forefront?

“I will not leave the APC even in the face of needless provocation and unwarranted bitterness. As I told the state Chairman of the party last Sunday, every member of the party knows the cause and the reason for the present crisis in the APC in Rivers State and I will also state it here.”

Cross River’s N1.3tn Budget Achievable, Says NEXIM Bank MD The N1.3 trillion budget estimate for 2018 presented by Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State the state House of Assembly is attainable, said the Managing Director of Nigeria Export and Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), Mr. Abba Bello.

Bello stated this yesterday in Calabar at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a financial service agreement between his bank and the state government.

While expressing delight at the ambition and aggression being shown by the state with regards to its industrialisation drive, he stated the commitment of his bank to help the state get the funds to actualise its 2018 budget.

According to him, “This is the first time a state government in Nigeria will present a budget of N1.3 trillion.

It therefore, becomes very important that the state will be able to achieve the revenue that will support the expenditure.

“I was taught earlier in my career that to achieve dreams you have to be audacious and I believe that you start with having a target and for you the target today is the budget. I must stand behind you sir to ensure that this budget is achieved.”

Bello disclosed that NEXIM Bank had gone ahead to start attracting investments into the state even before the signing of the financial service agreement with the state.

His words: “We have already contacted some investors in the garment industry and already three Spanish companies have indicated interest in the Cross River State Garment Factory and I believe that we should be able to close that deal immediately.

“As we were coming, we brought one of our customers that is innovative, in the sense that they are an outsourcing company. We supported them and encouraged them to move part of their call centres to Cross River State and on that basis, we have visited the Tinapa Knowledge City and they have expressed willingness to start

work that will create employment for 1000 youths.

“We have also seen what is happening at the industrial park with rice city as well as the pharmaceutical company. For us, industrialisation and diversification from the oil industry is very key to us. It is clear that Cross River State is already taking the lead and we are fully behind you.

“We are very pleased to partner Cross River State and we want to use it as an example to other states, believing very strongly that this partnership will generate huge revenue for the state and the federal government as an alternative to the oil.” He gave assurances that once the 2018 budget is achieved, his bank will get involved with the state in the making of the 2019 budget.

“I am sure that by this time next year after the budget has been achieved, we will meet again to set a more audacious budget,” he pledged.

In his response, Governor Ayade expressed delight at the partnership, saluting the courage of the bank for standing behind the state.

“I salute your courage for standing by us at this trying moment, a moment where there is global scepticism, fear and suspicion over our budget estimate.

The history of our government comes from a deep vision when we sat down and thought of decoupling the state from its continuous dependence on federal allocation.

“We come from a very strong ethical background of business. We needed to commoditise government and drive it as a business because in a third world, there is general argument that government has no business being in business.

Unfortunately, that is absolute falsehood.

“If you look at China’s model, government itself drives almost all the businesses with over 70 per cent of their companies doing businesses globally.”

FEC MEETING

R –L , Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ; Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Mr. Boss Mustapher ; Chief of Staff to the President , Abba Kyari and the Head of the Civil Service , Mrs. Winifred Oyo –Ita at the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja …yesterday Godwin Omoigui

ICPC Interrogates Ex-Appeal Court Judge,Tsamiya over Alleged N200m Bribe Recovers N18m from civil servants Paul Obi in Abuja The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arrested a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya, for allegedly demanding N200 million bribe from Mr. Nnamdi Orji, in exchange for a favourable judgement in a National Assembly election case that was pending before the Imo State Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal.

According to ICPC Head of Media and Information, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, “:The offence which violates Section 10 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 was alleged to have been committed in 2015, when the retired Justice asked Mr. Orji who was the candidate for All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency, to give him N200 million to enable him influence the court’s decision in his favour.

“Mr. Orji had approached the Court of Appeal, Imo State Division to seek redress in a case involving an alleged inflation of the result of election in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, which he had earlier lost to his opponent, Mr. Nkole Ndukwe, at the National Assembly Election Tribunal.”

Aso Savings ex-director to appear in court

She explained that “Mr. Tsamiya was alleged to have convinced the appellant of getting a favourable judgement from the court upon the payment of the money.

“Justice Tsamiya has since been granted bail by the Commission upon the fulfilment of his bail conditions, even as investigation continues.

Also, ICPC has recovered two high-rise buildings within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and N18 million from civil servants in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and undeserving beneficiaries over alleged breach of the monetisation policy.

Okoduwa stated that “in 2005, under the monetisation policy of ex-President Olusegun Obansanjo, sold some of its houses occupied by federal civil servants to them, in order to cut down the cost of governance.

In recent times, ICPC has been inundated with petitions from patriotic Nigerians, drawing the attention of the commission to allegations of widespread abuse of the policy by beneficiaries and some government workers.

The Commission, while acting on the petitions, discovered through preliminary investigation that a number of civil servants in OHCSF, who benefited from the policy had not paid for the houses since 2005. While some had completely

defaulted, others are owing sizeable balance of the money.

The investigation further revealed that 32,305 houses were captured by the committee on the sale of government properties while 24,345 were eventually sold to beneficiaries.

However, civil servants in some government agencies notably OHSCF and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) have allegedly turned the policy into a shoddy business with the aim of defrauding the federal government.

The investigation has so far yielded fruitful result with the recovery of N18, 031,000 from some civil servants and a host of companies including Montgomery & Campbell Ltd and SICCONS, which has been paid into the coffers of the government. ICPC assures Nigerians that anyone found guilty of contravening the law would be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.

Meanwhile, the defence counsel for Maimuna Aliyu, a former Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans Plc, Joe Gadzama, SAN, has undertaken to bring her to court on a new date set for her arraignment.

Maimuna, who was supposed to be arraigned by the (ICPC) before Hon. Justice M. A. Nasir of FCT High Court No 16 sitting in Jabi, Abuja for allegedly defrauding the bank of a huge sum of money, was absent from court even as her defence counsel latched on

to non-service of hearing notice by the prosecution.

The ICPC counsel, Ekoi Akponimisingha, argued that the date of the arraignment was known to the defence as her lawyer was present when it was fixed at an earlier arraignment which did not hold and at which Maimuna was also absent.

He further stated that the investigating officer had said he informed Maimuna of the date when he served the charges on her.

The commission in a 3-count, is charging Maimuna for allegedly using her position as the Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans Plc, to confer corrupt advantage upon herself when she received the sum of N57, 000,000 being the proceeds of the sale of three plots of land in Jabi District, Abuja and failed to remit the said amount to Aso Savings and for also making false statement to officers of the Commission thereby contravening the provisions of Section 19 and 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Maimuna is also being accused of criminal breach of trust when she allegedly diverted the N57,000,000 to personal use, an offence that is contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal code.

The trial Judge, Hon. Justice M. A. Nasir, in her ruling adjourned the arraignment to Thursday 14 December, 2017.

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Senate Insists €135.8m Kaduna Power Plant Not Ready for Inauguration Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Senate Committee on Gas has decried the level of work at the €135.8million Kaduna 215MW and insisted that the plant cannot be inaugurated in January 2018 as planned by the Federal Ministry of Power.

The committee, during an inspection of the site in Kaduna, heard that the Letter of Credit (LC) to the tune of €135.8 million for the purchase of the Power Control Module for the plant has not be properly funded.

Members of the committee also observed that there was no Liquified Natural Gas (Gas) on site or fire fighting equipment and

facilities on ground.

Led by its Chairman, Senator Bassey Akpan, members queried the haste by the ministry to inaugurate the plant in January, when it is obviously not ready for use.

They particularly queried the decision to power the plant with diesel and Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO), when it was designed for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), which they described as a cheaper and environmentally safer option.

Bassey expressed displeasure with the level of work at the site.

“GE (General Electric) already said their warranty does not cover the use of the turbines without fire equipment being in place.

It is stipulated in the contract, as required before start up. The manufacturer’s advice must be followed,” he said.

“Why is the ministry in a hurry to inaugurate, without recourse to the highest safety standards,” he said, adding that the ministry should not even be considering firing up a turbine without fire equipment.”

Bassey said the Senate is concerned at the decision to use diesel, as it is driving the usage of domestic gas which would create jobs, instead of

importing LPFO and diesel.

“These should be secondary sources, instead of primary sources as they are trying to make it,” Bassey warned.

Senator Adesoji Akanbi queried why only three transformers were at the plant, when the contract stipulated four units.

He also noted that the decision of the power ministry to begin the use of the turbines with diesel, instead of LNG, which they are designed for, could open the nation up to

litigation.

“Some persons somewhere are interested in commissioning this project hastily. We have waited this long, we must ensure all safety measures are on ground.

If something happens when the turbine is started, it could lead to loss of the entire investments,” Akanbi said.

Other members of the committee include Senator Foster Ogola and Danjuma Lar. The project engineer from the ministry, Mr. Ekanem Effiong, told the lawmakers that the sum of N386

million was spent to procure two extra storage tanks outside those included in the initial contract.

He disclosed that the LC (for Power Control Module) has been funded to the tune of €4.2 million, while the balance is being expected to be funded in the 2018 budget.

Meanwhile the committee has invited all vendors who have indicated interested to supply gas to the plant.

They include Greenville LNG, Sahara Energy, Oando Oil and Gas, Gaslink, NIPCO, One nation energy and others.

Ex-NJC Secretary Wants Harmonisation of Pension Laws Tobi Soniyi in Lagos The pioneer Secretary of the National Judicial Council, (NJC), Mr. Danladi Halilu, has called for the harmonisation of laws of administration of pension of judicial officers to make the payment of retired judges’ pensions easier.

Halilu, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at a valedictory session held for him by the NJC to mark his retirement from service, said the harmonisation of the laws would ensure that only the NJC pay pensions of retired judges whether they retired from states or the federal judiciary.

He noted that lack of harmonisation of pension laws meant that some judges who retired from states had been subjected to harrowing experience and untold hardship before they got their pensions.

He said: “This will guarantee the security of officers, in particular of state judicial officers who in some states are hardly paid their gratuities and pension after retirement from office.”

Halilu also used the occasion to applaud the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for increasing the funding of the Federal Judiciary in the 2017 appropriation.

He said: “This unprecedented allocation to the judiciary by the federal government, among others, made it possible for NJC to pay the reviewed and harmonised pensions of retired federal judicial officers, including the backlog of their areas.”

Halilu also commended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice

Walter Onnoghen for the on-going reforms in the judiciary.

He appealed to the CJN to include lower courts in his on-going reform agenda in order to achieve meaningful success in the entire justice delivery sector.

As NJC’s pioneering secretary, Halilu initiated the transfer of pension of all retired federal judicial officers from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the NJC vide the Federal Judicial Officers (Administration of Pension) Act 2007 which has increased the living standard of retired judicial officers.

While appreciating the contributions of Halilu to the development of the NJC, the CJN who is also the Chairman of the council, Justice Onnoghen described him as an astute administrator, conscientious lawyer, a man of vision and an arrow head of an independent judiciary.

Other members of council, described Halilu as a man who laid a strong and solid foundation for the judiciary with his administrative skills.

As the first NJC secretary, Halilu contributed immensely to the building of the gigantic edfice of the council situated at the Three Arms Zone in Abuja.

Halilu assumed duty as NJC secretary on July, 2002. Before his retirement, he served seven Chief Justices of Nigeria who also served as chairmen of the councils.

The session was attended by past CJNs including Justices Muhammadu Uwais, Salihu Belgore, Marian Mukhatr and Mahmud Mohammed.

Ife Club 1 Marks 40th Anniversary with Public Lecture Ife Klub 1 is to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a public lecture with the theme: ‘Yorubas Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,’ in Ile-Ife, Osun State on Saturday, December 9, 2017 President of the club, Chief Adebisi Ogundipe, in a statement said two eminent Yoruba personalities - Professor Banjo Akintoye and Chief Lekan Alabi - will speak on the theme of the lecture holding at Oba Okunade Sijuwade Memorial Hall in Enuwa, Ile-Ife by 12 noon The occasion will also witness launch of phase two of the Klub House Fund and investiture of new patrons and matrons which include

two traditional rulers namely Adagba of Iyanfoworogi Ile-Ife, Oba Adebisi Fatunmise and Olufewara of Ifewara,Oba Hezekiah Owolola Former Presidents of the club including Hon. Ahmed Ipoola Omisore, Chief Kayode Odunyemi and Moses Olaobaju will also be admitted into the club’s Hall of Fame and presented with certificates of excellence for their selfless service to the club The anniversary is expected to kick off earlier in the day with royal blessing of the club members by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi at Ile Oodua, Enuwa Square, Ile Ife by 9a.m.

NEW PRODUCTS IN TOWN

L-R: Business Manager, Nature Care, May & Baker Nig Plc., Uche Olekanma, the Company MD/CEO, Nnamdi Okafor, with CEO Siddhayu Ayurvedic Research Foundation Pvt. Ltd, India, Pranav Sharma; and Technical. Director, Shrikande B. during the launch of Nature Care at the Corporate Headquarters of May & Baker Nig. Plc., in Lagos.....yesterday.

IPOB Protests Continued Detention of Members David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has protested the continued detention of its members in various detention facilities across the country as a result of what it referred to as ‘long and indiscriminate adjournment’ of matters against its members.

The protest came after yesterday’s adjournment of a matter instituted against its leader, Nnamdi Kanu and two other members before the Justice Binta Nyako Federal High Court Abuja.

A statement signed by the Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful, and made available to THISDAY in Awka, stated that no cruel judicial system in the world would sanction the detention of people who are still regarded by the law as innocent until proven guilty for upwards of three years without trial.

Powerful said: “This is the second long adjournment in as many months by Binta Nyako’s

court without any regard for the welfare of those locked up as a result of this case. It does appear that the prosecution has run out of options and are only clutching at the straw of delay tactics as a way of inflicting punishment on innocent Biafrans whose only crime is asking for a referendum for Biafra.

Recall that while Kanu was released on bail in April this year, his co-accused, David Nwawuisi and Benjamin Madubugwu, were left behind in Kuje Prison.

IPOB said while Nwawuisi has spent almost three years in jail for no reason other than the fact that he identified with the cause of Biafra independence championed

by IPOB, Madubugwu has been locked up in DSS dungeon and Kuje prison for over two years without formal commencement of his trial.

The group also listed some other members who have been in various detention centres to include Bright Chimezie Ishinwa,

who is still being held by “DSS Director General, Lawal Daura, despite repeated pronouncements by a Federal High Court to release him unconditionally with compensatory payment of N5million for illegal detentionm” and Chidiebere Onwudiwe too.

It said: “In total disregard for the rule of law and judicial pronouncements, Ishinwa is still languishing in underground DSS detention facility in Abuja. Since the DSS will not obey court order to release him or attend court to hear the case involving Benjamin Madubugwu, Chidiebere Onwudiwe and David Nwawuisi, why are they still holding them in detention?

“All men and women of good conscience must ask serious questions regarding the operations of the legal system in Nigeria and how undemocratic it is for a government to throw people with different opinions in jail indefinitely without proper trial.

“How is it expected that Ishinwa,

Madubugwu, Onwudiwe and Nwawuisi will obtain justice when rulings are not obeyed and court sessions are adjourned recklessly without regard for the welfare of the victims of this lopsided judicial system?

“The onus is on the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and other well-meaning legal luminaries to prevail upon the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and DSS to obey court judgements and respect court processes.”

The group further stated that the incessant adjournment only meant that the federal government does not have enough evidence that will stand effective scrutiny to nail the accused persons, and therefore, prefers to use adjournments to delay their freedom.

It advised the federal government to rather withdraw the case as further delay would not deter the group and its members from legitimately demanding the

Inferno Wipes Out Family of Four in Lagos Chiemelie Ezeobi An inferno that occurred at the wee hours of yesterday at No 13 Buraimoh street, one of the suburbs in Bariga area of Lagos has burnt a family of four to death.

The casualties were identified as a pregnant mother and her husband, including their two children, aged

between five and seven years old.

According to eyewitness account, the ugly incident happened around 2a.m. when electricity supply was restored to the area.

Some residents, however, alleged that the fire was as a result of the candle light that their father always put on whenever there was power outage.

Asides their residence that got burnt down, one of the three shops in the building was also gutted by the fire.

Adistraught neighbour who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the family has been living there for some years now and even run a pharmaceutical store there.

Other eyewitnesses said the

impact of the fire pushed the woman into labour and she had delivered before she died in the flames.

Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Fire Service Director, Mr. Rasaq Fadip said the ravaging fire could have spread to nearby buildings if not for prompt response from the fire fighters.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Nigerians Yet to Feel Change Mantra Promised By APC, Says Doyin Okupe Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The national leader of the Accord Party, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in Osogbo yesterday said Nigerians were yet to witness the change promised by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration.

Okupe made the remarks while addressing party members at a

South-west stakeholders summit of held at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom park, Osogbo.

The former Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs bemoaned the way and manner with which the current administration was handling some sensitive issues in terms

Court to Fayemi: Ekiti Judicial Panel Lawful, Can Probe Your Govt Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti A High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, has affirmed that the judicial panel set up by the state government has the constitutional power to probe the administration of former governor who is the present Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

It restated that the legality of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the state government to look into financial transactions of the state between 2010 and 2014 was not in doubt, saying the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has power to run the affairs of his state.

It added that the governor has exclusive rights to set up commission of inquiry without the prompting of the House of Assembly and that he properly so acted.

Accordingly, all other reliefs seeking to set aside and perpetually restrain the commission were dismissed.

Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, who delivered the judgment in the suit filed by Fayemi against the commission of inquiry set up to investigate allegations of fraud against his administration, said Fayose acted pursuant to Section 2 (1) of the Commission of Inquiry Law Cap C10 Laws of Ekiti State.

He said the governor does not need to consult the House of Assembly or anyone before setting up the commission of inquiry.

The court however agreed that the state House of Assembly had no rights to direct the governor

to set up the inquiry.

Fayose had in May this year, constituted a judicial panel, led by a former acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Silas Oyewole, to probe Fayemi’s administration between October 2010 and October 2014 over alleged financial misappropriation.

Fayemi had filed a suit with No. HAD/57/2017, seeking an injunction to restrain the state government and the Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up by Fayose to probe his administration from going ahead with the exercise.

The Minister for Steel and Minerals Resources Development also alleged that all the members of the panel were the governor’s apologists, adding that there was no way the panel would be fair to him.

Reacting after the judgment, Fayemi’s counsel, Mr. Akingbade Ogunmoyela, said the court has agreed that the state House of Assembly has no right to direct the governor to set up the inquiry, saying it was of the opinion of the court based on the state Commission of Inquiry law that the governor has right to set up the commission.

He said he wouldn’t know whether or not his client would appeal the judgment.

In his reaction, counsel to the state government, Mr. Sunday Ashana, said he was happy with the judgment because the court established that the governor has the right to set up the commission. He stressed that the state government acted in accordance with the law that set up the commission.

Unknown assassins yesterday killed two children in Obiokpok village in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for yet to be ascertained reason.

This came to public knowlege when the father of the murdered children, Aniekan Billie, lodged complaint at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan-abia, Uyo. According to the father, he locked up the children in his room and left for Urua Kpokpo to buy food items for the house.

Billie said when he returned, the lifeless bodies of the two children, Godwin Sunday, nine (m) and Idara Sunday, five (f) were seen on his table top freezer.

Out of the three children in the house, he said the only person the assailants did not kill is his one year and seven months old Godspower

Sunday, ‘m’.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP. Bala Elkana, confirmed the report saying the matter was reported to the police around 14:35hrs.

“One Aniekan Sunday-Billie, ‘m’ of Obiokpok in Nsit Ibom LGA came to the station and reported that on December 5, 2017, about 14:35hrs, that he locked his three children, one Godwin Sunday, ‘m’, aged 9; one Idara Sunday, ‘f’, aged 5, and one Godspwer Sunday, aged a year and seven months, inside his room at Mbioporo 1 and went to Urua Kpokpo to buy food items.

“That on his return, he saw the lifeless bodies of two of his children, Godwin and Idara inside his table top freezer,” The Police, he said has begun intensive investigation to unravel those that were behind the murder of the two children.

“We started this South-west summit of Accord and it is a tradition we have newly introduced. We started in Oyo, where Dr Ajaja, who is here was made Oyo State leader. Here we are in Osogbo, from here, we go to Lagos and from Lagos to Ogun until we go round the entire South-west.

“It is a familiarisation kind of political movement and also to sensitise members of the public about the new political third force that is operating in the country presently, which is the Accord”, he remarked.

On the chances of Accord in Osun 2018 governorship election, Okupe said: “Our effort is not only to make a difference, but

to install an Accord governor in Osun.

“It is quite understandable everybody that is presentable or likely to be presented by either the APC or PDP, they are all expired. The parties themselves are of no very serious consequence and they have been dislocated and dislodged from the general constitution of the people and the followership.

“Everybody in Nigeria today is dissatisfied with the APC and they also dissatisfied with the PDP and they are yearning and looking seriously for a true change this time and they are looking for a new platform, which Accord is offering Nigeria.”

Speaking, the state Chairman of

Accord, Olusegun Ayodele Fanibe, said the essence of the summit was for the stakeholders and party members to brainstorm on how to rescue the country as a whole and the state in particular from this current mess.

Fanibe who expressed optimism that the party would wrestle power from the ruling APC, said there was need for good people of the to state to work towards ensuring the real change.

According to the Chairman, the people of Osun are tired of the current government and they are ready to change the change. with this turn out, I think our people are ready to vote out the government .

INDUSTRIALISING OGUN STATE

L-R: Chairman, Reckit Benkiser, Chief Olu Falomo; Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; Alagbara of Agbara, Oba Lukman Agunbiade; and the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Bimbo Ashiru, at the inauguration of Reckit Benkiser factory in Agbara, Ogun State.....Tuesday

Nigeria Discovers 38 New Gas Flare Sites, Flared 800mscuf/d in 2015 Chineme Okafor in Abuja

Two Children Killed in Akwa Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo

of policies making.

Okupe noted that majority of Nigerians are dissatisfied with the ruling APC, adding that the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is too disorganised to be effective as opposition.

He declared that Accord Party was gradually gaining recognition in the nation’s political space and urged Nigerian to give the party chance to lead.

He said: “The APC and PDP archaic policies cannot guarantee the future of Nigeria”, stressing that the platform provided by Accord is available for Nigerians, especially youth to have a shot at leadership of the country.

About 38 new gas flare sites have been discovered in the Niger Delta region to bring the existing number of gas flare sites in the country to 178, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has disclosed.

The ministry also stated yesterday in Abuja that the country flared about 800 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscuf/d) of gas in 2015, adding that this represented 13 per cent of the amount of gas it produced each day then.

Speaking at the ‘Gas Aggregation Buyers’ Forum’ organised by the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN), the Program Manager for the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), Mr. Justice Derefaka, explained that the NGFCP recently embarked on collation of new data on gas flare, and has been able to cover just 60 per cent of its scope.

The NGFCP was set up to provide a commercial approach to the elimination of routine gas

flares by 2020 and equally drive positive social, environmental and economic impacts in the Niger Delta by mobilising private sector capital towards gas flare capture projects.

Derefaka, stated that it was from the 60 per cent of its work scope so far that it established the existence of 178 gas flare, which is higher than the previous number of 140 sites the country bandied.

He said the balance of 40 per cent of its scope would be completed and that it was also going to rely on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for more details on the figures it has.

“Without accurate gas flare data, then this programme is dead on arrival. What we are doing beyond the data we have at the DPR is that we are going beyond what they have and have sent a special template with the World Bank and USAID, asking for unique data from producers and it would amaze you what we have found out,” said Derefaka.

He further stated: “What we

know in this country is that we have about 140 gas flare sites, but by our verification, we have found out recently that we have about 178, and that is not even complete because we are around 60 per cent, 40 per cent data is missing, some of the data are inaccurate, so, we are doing information request from the DPR office.

“So, in this country we are sitting in now, we have 178 gas flare sites of the 16,000 that we have globally in 90 countries.

Daily, we flare around 755 to 800 million standard cubic feet,” he added.

Derefaka, noted that the NGFCP was also working with the Canadian Government and World Bank to conclude its gas flare data gathering and measurement work.

Similarly, the Managing Director of GACN, Mr. Morgan Okwoche, explained at the meeting that Nigeria was yet to get it right with its gas market, and the meeting was called up to review the sector’s operations.

Okwoche stated: “The Nigerian

gas market is still evolving and it is the process of enhancing it that we called for this forum. There are parts of the business that are not very clear from the buyers and sellers side.

“The market is also segmented, particularly with the Domestic Supply Obligation when it came into operation. The power sector has a different price from the gas-based industries and bulk distribution of gas has a different price. We need to educate our people well on this.”

He noted that the volume of gas needed by industries and users in the country was not coming because of huge debt to gas producers, adding: “There is so much debt. The debt portfolio is so huge and if you juggle figures, you may be wrong.”

Also in his remarks, the Senior Commercial Adviser, Upstream Gas for Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Mr. Emmanuel Anyaeto, stated that investors have indicated their interests in Nigeria’s gas market but want some level of guarantee on their investments.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

PDP NATIONAL CONVENTION...

PDP NATIONAL CONVENTION...

Makarfi, Okowa , Others Meet Babangida, Niger Gov Ahead of PDP Convention Our Correspondents Ahead of next the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the caretaker committee Chairman, Senate Ahmed Makarfi; the convention planning committee Chairman Ifeanyi Okowa and other top members of the party yesterday stormed Minna, the Niger State capital, during which they met separately with former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and the state Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello.

Also on the PDP delegation were the Taraba State Governor, Dairus Ishyaku; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, and National Secretary of the caretaker committee, Senator Ben Obi. The visit to Babangida took place at his uphill residence for about one hour while that with the governor was at the government house and lasted just for 30 minutes.

Discussion with Babangida and Bello were held behind closed doors.

It was however believed that the parley with the former military president was to brief him on the preparations for next Saturday’s convention since Babangida had been playing positive role in the run up to the convention.

At the government house, journalists were denied entry into the governor’s office where the meeting was held.

“All of you should go back, this is not a meeting for pressmen,” one of the security aides to the governor barked at reporters as they attempted to enter the governor’s office. Senior Special Assistant to the governor, Jide Orintunsin, dismissed as “totally untrue” insinuations that the PDP bigwigs were in the state government house to woo the governor to PDP. “It was purely a private visit, they just came to visit that is what happened,” he stated The team left the state through the Minna International Airport at about 3.15p.m.

PDP Yet to Learn from Past Mistakes, Says Abba Moro

Few days to the elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, has said there were signs indicating that the party is still rolling in the same mistakes of the past that led to its downfall in 2015.

Moro, a top member of the PDP who made the observation in a statement he personally signed and obtained by THISDAY, noted that the failure of the party to adjust itself and move away from impunity, indiscipline and the practice of imposition of candidates, was clearly responsible for its woeful outing in the recent Anambra State governorship election.

His words: “One major factor in the resounding defeat of the PDP (in Anambra gubernatorial election) was the internal wrangling within the party following the disputed outcome of the party’s governorship primary. Those who felt that they lost the primary to intrigues and manipulations by powerful party members were not listened to. Rather, they were characterised as sore losers.

“The PDP bigwigs and kingmakers boasted that they would route the governance of the APGA and Obiano in Anambra State. Aspirants of the party felt aggrieved. They complained but the party claimed they were irrelevant. What followed was a gale of suspensions and threats of expulsions. They refused to work for the party’s candidate, Obaze. They played the spoilers’ roles during the election. PDP lost…

“Few days to the election, Anambra’s governorship failure and indications of the forthcoming national convention, have we learnt any lessons? I am afraid, the signs are not too good. Like a recurring decimal, party members are grumbling. They are crying hidden agenda. They are crying manipulation. They are crying impunity.

Yet the leadership of the party is discountenancing them as ranting of ants. From all indications, we have not learnt any lessons from PDP’s inglorious past. The sad tones of the past ‘money bags are hijacking the party, he who pays the piper dictates the tune, self interests rather than party interests appear to command the mindsets of party members’. Sadly, unfortunately, this is catching traction with many party members. Very, very sadly, the PDP is going to once more fail this litmus, final test to regenerate and survive. The Game Changer? Money!”

The ex-minister said it would be disastrous if the PDP cannot use the December 9, 2017 convention to consolidate, rebuild and strengthen the party, after it was rescued by the Supreme Court from a protracted crisis that would have brought about its total collapse.

He expressed sadness that the zoning principle inserted in the PDP Constitution to ensure fairness, equity and justice was fast becoming the albatross of the forthcoming convention, adding that “Narrow and private interests of party members appear to be guiding party actions. Those who are pushing for these narrow selfish interests to impose an unpopular not generally accepted leadership are guilty of the inglorious impunity syndrome of the past.”

The PDP chieftain further stated: “The current leadership of the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) must rise up to this leadership challenge. Members must take all necessary measures to protect the interest of the PDP and resist the temptation of trying to foist on the party a leadership that is perceived to be procured to serve their narrow and selfish political ambitions. They would be failing in their sacred duty to the party if they fail to correct the errors of the past.

“The leadership of the NCC must not be seen to conspire or collude with any person(s) to short change the national convention process especially as it concerns the election of party officials. Today,

R-L: Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku; and former Governor of Niger State, Aliyu Babangida, during the Inauguration of PDP National Convention Organising Committee in Abuja....Monday jibunor Samuel from all indications, the narrow and selfish interests of the so-called godfathers and stakeholders, constitute grave dangers or threat to the survival of the PDP as a formidable political party in opposition…

If this leadership of the party cannot get it right at the December 9-10 national convention but rather pander to the selfish interests of the so-called powerful stakeholders, then we must all forget about a brand new PDP capable to wrest power from the ruling APC. A failure to elect a credible party leadership through a transparent, just and fair convention will signpost the beginning of the end of the Peoples Democratic Party, the PDP. Nigeria is watching!”

Plot to Render South-west Irrelevant in PDP Must Be Stopped, Says Kashamu

The senator representing Ogun East district at the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has called on the majority members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to speak and move against the attempt by some people to wrench from the South-west the chairmanship position which had been zoned to it before the botched Port Harcourt convention.

Kashamu, in a statement issued yesterday ahead of the party’s national convention slated for Saturday, said the attempt to frustrate the zoning arrangement entrenched in the party’s constitution by foisting a minority will on the party might reduce PDP to a regional party.

According to him, “If those trying to scheme out South-west succeed in their effort, the zone would be rendered irrelevant in the PDP.” He added: “Without prejudice to anybody’s right to contest, irrespective of the established zoning arrangements, it’s an open secret that the PDP national chairmanship had been conceded to the South-west pre-Port Harcourt convention. As a consequence of this, other positions zoned to the South-west are innocuous deputies to substantive offices except the Treasurer. Even the Deputy National Secretary that is a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) isn’t included. All these are because of the vital national chairmanship already conceded to the South-west. In fact, if elections were to hold then, a particular promising young politician from Lagos, South-West could have won.”

Kashamu said even if there would be a change to the earlier agreement, there should have been a discussion involving all stakeholders.

He said: “If a consensual stand is to be changed, it is only reasonable and fair that a new all-inclusive stakeholders meeting be called, where necessary re-zoning of key party posts from the South would be discussed to enable the national chairmanship become open to all southern zones. Similarly, the previously held consensus of the vice-president coming from the South-east in 2019 would accordingly be revoked for all Southern zones including the South-west to contend as is happening now.”

While calling on the South-east to join the South-west in fighting the injustice being meted to the latter, he said, “The PDP South-east needs to be categorical now in support of the South-west on the ongoing national chairmanship tussle between the South-west and the South-south.”

He added, “The logical implication of this avoidable tussle is to make uncertain, the settled South-East vice-presidential quest in 2019. If the South-East expectedly takes a principled stance in rightful support of the South-West, naturally as a reliable race in adherence to agreements, the Yoruba PDP would reciprocate without any prompting. What is currently happening is glaringly an orchestrated assault on the South-West

to end up with nothing in 2019, with the disgusting connivance of the national party administrators. This is a dangerously illogical political permutation for 2019 national elections.”

Kashamu commended the PDP Northern Elders Forum for supporting the South-West, saying their refusal to be coaxed or intimidated into abandoning their support for the South-West portrayed them as honourable people.

He called on all delegates to the convention to emulate the forum so that fairness and justice could be entrenched in the party.

Kashamu said, “I reiterate my appeal to all delegates to support only the South-West aspirants for the chairmanship position. I also plead with the delegates to vote massively for the generally acclaimed South-West aspirant without corruption or any public service stain.”

Rivers PDP Endorses Secondus for National Chairman

Ahead of next Saturday’s national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Rivers State chapter of the party has endorsed Prince Uche Secondus for the position of national chairman of the party.

Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, the state Chairman of PDP, Felix Obuah, noted that the party urgently needed somebody to turn around its fortunes and return it to power at the centre in 2019.

According to him, “The need for this is self-explanatory. Our dear nation is currently in a state of social decadence, economic strangulation and political quagmire for the singular reason that those presently in charge of her affairs are a bunch of incompetent, visionless and self-seeking people who do not have what it takes to lead a great nation and a great people like Nigerians “Consequently, the PDP is poised and more prepared than it has ever been to take power back from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and redirect the country on the path of progress, development, economic recovery and social justice for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, party affiliations, religion or creed.

“To achieve this great feat, we of the Rivers State chapter of the PDP have resolved to ensure that only men and women who have the intellect, the acumen, the leadership qualities, tested technocrats and most importantly, honest and God-fearing people are elected as its new executive that will deliver and lead the party to victory come 2019 so that Nigerians will once again be happy in the midst of God-given abundant resources.”

He expressed delight that the party had zoned its national offices according to geo-political zones and that the position of national chairman was zoned to the South.

“Unlike other zones, ours is easy because we are lucky to have as one of our own, a tested and seasoned personality, with the requisite experience not only to occupy the office of the national chairman but also capable of carrying out the onerous tasks with relative ease and satisfaction,” he said, referring to Secondus.

On the qualifications of Secondus, Obuah said: “He is a pioneer member of the PDP, has served in different capacities including a onetime State chairman, National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Chairman, Acting National chairman and a member of BOT among others… He is a bulldozer whose contributions to the victories recorded by the PDP in the state and at the national level can hardly be quantified.”

He added: “We are solidly behind him and those in his camp because Nigerians need him, the PDP needs him and the nation’s democracy also needs him if it must endure and to redeem the dying Nigerian people.

“We are therefore calling on our supporters and members in the State and across the country to see beyond their nose and rise above primordial sentiments, political manoeuvring and vote for Secondus for PDP National Chairman come Saturday, December 9, 2017.”

THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSEXTRA

Bayelsa Uncovers Massive Irregular Employment in Civil Service State’s IGR hits N1.8 billion Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa The Bayelsa State Government committee on civil service reforms investigating alleged payroll fraud yesterday said it had uncovered massive irregular employments at the state-owned tertiary institutions and in Sagbama Local Government Area.

According to the committee, at least 500 administrative officers at the Sagbama Local Government Area of the State had been found to be redundant, while a total of 5,000 non-academic staff were uncovered at the state-owned tertiary institutions.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said in a statement that the discovery only showed the large number of redundant workers drawing salaries for “doing nothing” in the state.

He explained that the fraud in the local government area and the over-bloated wage bill had made it impossible for the councils to pay salaries of local governments

even when their allocations are not tampered with by the state government.

“When you have 500 administrative officers in a local government area, it means most of them are idle. It is not just imaginable; what would they be doing; what is their job?

“This figure is just for one local government area.

Comprehensive efforts are being intensified to probe the payroll in the other seven local government areas”, he noted.

Meanwhile, the state announced yesterday that its monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had hit N1.8 billion , having been able to convince oil giant , Chevron, to remit taxes owed the state.

Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), who spoke during the monthly transparency briefing to intimate the people of the state on the income and expenditure for October, disclosed that the state had yet to receive its November

allocation from the federal government.

Breaking down the figures, Jonah said the state got N2.3 billion as statutory allocation for the month under review, while its 13 per cent

derivation stood at N2.728 billion.

He added that Value Added Tax (VAT) it received for October was N1.1 billion , while exchange differential was N1.2 billion , with gross

inflow for the month being N11.7 billion .

For the same mon t h , t h e deputy governor stated that total deduction was N 1 . 7 2 billion , bank loan

repayments N3.3 billion , salaries for civil servants, N3.7 billion , political appointees N258 million, while total payments was N7.5 billion and money available for spending being N4.4 billion.

Niger Delta Youth Leader Mobilises Support to Restructure, Reposition MAN, Oron REHABILITATION Sunday Okobi The President Emeritus, Essu Nlap Oro of the Supreme Council of Oro Nation Youths, Lagos branch, Ulap Chris Ante, yesterday called on the youths of Oro nation and the entire Akwa Ibom State to give unflinching support to the new management of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron under the leadership of Cmdr. Duja Effedua (rtd) and the Interim Management Committee led by Chief Adebayo Sarumi in the ongoing restructuring and repositioning of the institution.

To reinforce this support, Ante who is also the leader of the youths of the Oro nation in Lagos and the south west told THISDAY that he recently met with the aggrieved Oro youths and elders who are not comfortable with the recent developments at the school to appeal to them to support the team.

The meeting which took place over the weekend at the Akwa Ibom Community House in Lagos had in attendance over 500 youths and elders.

Reacting to one of the issues raised at the meeting, a legal practitioner in Lagos, Chief Effiong Etta, cited the recent quest by the National Assembly to upgrade the academy into a university, and queried the decision to bring a retired military officer with no requisite experience to run the academy instead of a renowned professor to transit the academy to a full fledge university.

Also, Secretary General of Ibom Professionals Forum, Lagos, Victor Ekpe, in his reaction, pointed out the purported mass sack in the academy was targeted at the Oro people.

He maintained that there is no way peace would reign in the community if this perceived hidden agenda is allowed to sail

through.

Also speaking, President Oro Nation League of Professionals, Sunny Obon, harped on the necessity for the academy to partner the host communities and relevant institutions of Oro nations for the singular purpose of moving the institution forward.

Responding to all the positions canvassed at the meeting by the stakeholders, Ante gave reasons why the new rector of the academy should be supported.

According to him, contrary to the argument of non-qualification, the rector as a retired naval officer, has the required experience to run the academy going by his naval training.

He also said the new rector is an Oron man having come from the Niger Delta region and from Delta Dtate which shares common affinity and ancestral culture and tradition with the Oro people, and “by this understanding, he has promised not to succumb to any pressure or arrangement to hurt the Oro people in the course of his administration.

“On the issue of the university, Ante said the new rector is not in any way against the transition of the institution into a university as it is not within his powers to do so.”

Also, on the issue of mass sack, Ante said the rector has promised never to sack Oron people as being speculated, “rather, that he would work within his power to carry out massive promotion within the academy and to rebrand the institution to measure up with the best maritime institutions in the world.

“He is such a cultured gentleman from what I perceive,” Ante said, urging his people to immensely support and cooperate with the new administration by giving them the benefit of the doubt.”

Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (wearing a white face cap), with a cross-section of Libya returnees after completing their training in agribusiness, as part of the state government’s reintegration programme for 150 returnees, who were given N100million and 150 hectares of land to start their businesses, in Benin City...yesterday

Suspected Cultists Kill Final Year UNIUYO Student at Viewing Centre in A’ Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo Suspected cultists reportedly killed a final year student of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State while watching the last legs of the UEFA Champions League matches on Tuesday night.

THISDAY gathered that the heavily armed gunmen numbering about three, stormed a popular viewing centre, Kaneworld Resort located at 17, Idak Okpo lane, Uyo where their target was watching the match and shot him dead.

The incident was said to have occurred few minutes to the end of the Champions League matches between some big European clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea,

Bayern Munich.

An eyewitness, Effiong Akpan, said when the criminals entered the viewing centre, everybody was ordered to lie down, while the deceased struggled with his Infinix phone and was shot at close range.

Akpan, a Manchester United fan, said the deceased, Dominic Ubiat, a final year Microbiology student from Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, was shot on his groin at close range.

Another witness said: “He ran with patches of blood from the viewing centre and was chased by the hoodlums to his house located at about 500 metres and died before help could reach him.”

It was gathered that youths of the area arrived a little too late to take

him to the hospital where medics confirmed he died from excess loss of blood. His parents, Mr and Mrs Ubiat, who visited the scene of the incident yesterday, mourned that all the years of their son in the University was in vain and vowed to go the extra mile to avenge the death of their son.

“Look at the blood of my son,” Mr. Ubiat stated, declaring that “the blood of my son shall haunt those behind this dastardly act of cowardice.”

The deceased’s mother, accompanied by other family members, class and schoolmates, wondered why her son could be left to die after being shot.

“From every indication here,

help did not come early enough, otherwise my son would have survived if he had been rushed to the hospital at the right time,” the mother complained.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Elkana Bala, confirmed the report saying the incident was “a pure robbery attack.”

He urged parents to be in the vanguard of instilling the essential values in their children and wards, noting that “a situation whereby a student is seen at wrong places in the wee hours of the night left much to be desired.

“In this kind of situation, there is little the Police could do because anybody must work towards helping himself first”, he added.

Queens School Old Girls Hold 65th Anniversary Convention The old girls of Queens School, Ede, now at Ibadan, gathered recently at their current Apata Ganga Ibadan campus to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of their school.

The President of the Old Girl’s Association (QSOGA), Dr. Adetoun Agbe-Davies, commended the state for the establishment of the School Governing Board (SGB), abolition of automatic promotion, 80 per cent attendance by all pupils and the Oyo State Model Education System Interventions (OYOMESI).

She alluded to the fact that it was no surprise that the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO) adopted Ibadan as a Learning City in October 2016 and that QSOGA will continue to strengthen the partnership with Oyo State Government (OYSG) in restoring Queen’s School to her past glory and repositioning her as the school of choice for girls in Oyo State.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the occasion, DMrs Bisi Akin-Alabi, Special Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State, expressed her profound gratitude to the old girls’ association for their never failing support of the school, in the development of its infrastructure and other assistance given to the school over the years.

She hinted that since Ibadan has been designated a learning city, the government plans to create various learning hubs all over Ibadan, Queen’s School is being considered as a learning hub, she enjoined the current student, a number of who were seated at the hall with the old girls to study hard so they could be proud and worthy members of the society.

She felt very proud to be associated with the members at the gathering.

The guest speaker, Ms. Moronke Azeez, the Executive Director of Sage Consult Limited and an old

girl is the Chairman of the school’s Governing Board, as well as former SA to the Lagos State Government on Eko Project (a World Bank assisted programme on Education), gave a presentation about the poor state of education in Oyo State and the failing curriculum of the schools in Oyo State. She also identified the inadequate facilities available for the use of the almost 2,000 students. She reminded the gathering that save for extra classroom blocks that have been added over the years by the old girls, the basic infrastructure the girls use now was used by girls in the 60s and 70s when their population was no more than 500.

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Civil Servants’ Union Backs FG’s Suspension of Gwarzo from SEC Chineme Okafor in Abuja Senior workers in the federal civil service yesterday weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the suspension of Mr. Muonir Gwarzo, who was suspended by the federal government from his position as the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), saying allegations of his corrupt practices in office should be treated fairly and without any diversion.

The workers under their umbrella union, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), stated their support of the government’s suspension of Gwarzo.

They said it was necessary he stepped aside to allow for full and fair investigations on claims against him.

They also expressed their appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for the action, noting that the suspension of Gwarzo was timely and needed to save the country’s capital market from potential dangers that could have followed his continued stay in office.

The union claimed they do not believe Gwarzo was suspended on account of SEC’s forensic audit of Oando Plc, and that

such claims were deliberate tactics to divert public attention from the allegations of corrupt practices levelled against the suspended director general.

Mr. Isaac Ojemhenke, who signed a statement on behalf of the union in Abuja, explained that the union wanted the corruption allegation against Gwarzo to be treated on its merit without interrupting it allegations that the ministry of finance was interfering in the operations of the SEC. Ojemhenke, alleged that Gwarzo, had in the last two years made efforts to abolish the workers’ union in SEC to pave the way for his alleged corrupt acts in office.

According to him, the unions would not accept attempt by the House of Representatives to restore Gwarzo back to his office.

He said the issue of his suspension from office was very clear and that it bothered on “serious breach of the rules governing parastatals of government.

“The attempt being made change the narrative by bringing in the issue of forensic audit of Oando is neither here nor there. The right thing has been done by the government and we support the action taken,” said Ojemhenke.

Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality Endorses Wike for Second Term Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The leaders and people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality have called on Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to heed the calls on him to run for a second term.

The people, represented by various groups led by the President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, Professor Simeon Achinewhu, stated that the endorsement of Wike was premised on his outstanding achievements.

Achinewhu spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt yesterday during a solidarity/ congratulatory visit by the groups.

The groups include: Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, Supreme Council of Government Recognised Ikwerre Traditional Rulers, Ikwerre Chiefs and Elders, Ikwerre Gospel Ministers Forum, Iwhuroha Women Association, Ikwerre Daughters National Congress, Ikwerre in Academia, Ikwerre in the Media and Okpo Club (Ikwerre Lawyers).

Achinewhu congratulated the governor for his state-wide developmental projects, saying that Ikwerre people are proud of him.

He said: “The Ogbakor Ikwerre unanimously urge you to accept the call from other ethnic nationalities, various organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to run for a second term in office as a result of your numerous achievements.

“The good people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality have asked me to notify your excellency that they have resolved to organise a civic reception and to install

your excellency as Ikwerre custom demands as the “Dike-ogwu” of Ikwerre land.

Responding, Wike assured the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality that he would continue to work for the development of all communities of Rivers State.

He urged them to always work in defence of their democratic rights, despite the antics of agents of the federal government.

He stated that the administration has made tremendous progress in projects delivery because Rivers people have stood behind him during trying times orchestrated by the federal government.

Wike noted that the federal government has over the last 30 months worked in very negative ways to derail the administration.

He said: “If we can achieve this in two and half years, despite the legal challenges we faced, then we will do more for the people of Rivers State.

“We give God the glory that we moved ahead in the interest of our people. The federal government has done everything to derail this administration, but we are always succeeding.”

He reiterated his call for true federalism, saying that he supports South-south governors calling for the restructuring of the country.

The governor also berated the police high command over the use of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) for political advantage of their sponsor.

He advised Nigerians not to be deceived by the claims by the Inspector General of Police that he will review the operation of SARS, saying that the group is being re-positioned for rigging elections.

He further stated: “The capital market as we are all aware is very sensitive and strives on

integrity. As the DG of the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market, who currently has several

corruption allegations levelled against him, it is extremely important that he clears his

name from these allegations for the purpose of integrity in the capital market.”

PRODUCT LAUNCH

L-R: Regional Director Africa, Edrington, Mr. Derek Brown; Director, Premium Spirit Nigeria, Mr. Idowu Adedoyin; Creative Director Macallan, Edrington, Mr. Ken Grier; and Sales Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), Mr. Dan Fratila, during the media launch of Premium Spirit Nigeria in Lagos....yesterday Sunday Adigun

Ikpeazu Wants Abians to Set up Private Ranches to Avoid Herdsmen Menace Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia As Abia State ponders on the best way out of the menace of herdsmen, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has said that the establishment of ranches

by Abia citizens would discourage open grazing and end the destruction of crops by cattle.

He stated this yesterday on live radio interview, saying that he would pay N1 million grant as incentive to encourage anyone who heeded his call to set up a ranch or engage in commercial animal husbandry.

Ikpeazu also urged the people to revive the culture of engaging in animal husbandry by rearing local species of cow, goats, grass

cutters, and chicken to expand sources of meat protein instead of relying much on beef.

He noted that if ranches spring up in Abia, it would minimise the incidents of clashes between herdsmen and farmers as animals would no longer be roaming about in free range system.

Alluding to the anti-grazing bill now before the state House of Assembly, Ikpeazu pointed out that a law against open grazing would not on its own completely solve the problem of herdsmen/ farmer conflicts because of problem of implementation just like other laws in the country.

The governor, who was speaking on various issues, including his government’s policy thrust on agriculture, said he would like the people of

Abia to suppress their appetite for foreign rice and embrace locally produced rice.

He said he has already stopped eating foreign rice and would love to give locally produced rice to workers to celebrate Christmas, adding that there was no reason for Nigerians not to grow what the food they eat.

Explaining the governor’s position, later the Commissioner for Information, Mr. John Okiyi Kalu, told journalists that Ikpeazu was very passionate about enhancing food production in Abia and was indeed encouraging people to embrace farming irrespective of their profession.

He said the Abia chief executive was also interested in returning

Abia to the era of oil palm production and has put in place good incentives to revive the oil palm plantations which were the live wire of the economy of the defunct Eastern Region.

Okiyi, who described palm oil as “oil of peace,” noted that aside from being a huge source of foreign exchange, it has never been a source of conflict or environmental degradation like crude oil.

He urged Abians to heed the call by the chief executive of the state to embrace farming, adding that the present administration in Abia was supporting agriculture in many ways and has keyed into various programmes of the federal government to enhance food production.

Restructuring: Northern Senators, Governors to Meet in Katsina The Northern Senators’ Forum and the 19 northern governors would on Monday converge in Katsina for a three-day retreat to deliberate on the agitations for restructuring of the country.

Chairman of the forum, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said in Abuja that the retreat would also focus on how to improve the security situation in the country.

Adamu said that the forum had written letters of invitation to the 19 governors, leading traditional rulers, top politicians and ex-senators from the region to make presentations at the retreat.

He said that the gathering would enable the senators, as the peoples’ representatives, to take a common position on restructuring.

“Northern governors will be attending in solidarity and very eminent traditional rulers, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, will attend.

“Essentially, we will be discussing the impact of budget in the north, the issue of restructuring which is now the main issue in politics.

“The issue of restructuring that the Senate can develop a position on. It is part of preparing ourselves to face

that challenge.

“The issue of security will also be discussed,” Adamu said.

He pointed out that as representatives of the people, it would be expected that with the retreat, they would be better educated, better placed to consider issues related to the subject-matter.

“We will be better prepared to face the matter and legislate and make laws over them for the good governance of Nigeria.

“We believe we are there to educate ourselves to be better informed, to exchange ideas on the subject matter, because we make laws, we don’t make laws out of

ignorance.

“We have to be better informed on anything we are talking about,” Adamu said.

He explained that meeting in Katsina was not necessarily because of the economic impact it would have on the city and state or how it would energise Nigeria’s politics, “but for some sort of our presence will make.’’

“There hasn’t been this retreat over time. We are trying to bring back the culture.

“It makes us have touch with our bases; people who elected us and feel our pulse, we will relate with them in a better way,” he said.

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FG, Lawmakers on War Path over Threat to Shut Down Federal Poly Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Bayelsa lawmakers yesterday expressed disgust over moves to close down the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe in Southern Ijaw local council, warning that

such plan by any agency of the federal government or the House of Representatives would be stoutly resisted.

Specifically, the lawmakers urged the Executive Secretary of the National Board for

IjawYouths Visit Gani Adams, Seek Collaborative Security Effort Jonathan Eze The hope of boosting security in Lagos and its environs emerged yesterday as members of the Ijaw Youth Council in their numbers stormed the Lagos home of the Aare Ona Kakanfo designate, Mr. Gani Adams, to seek collaboration on security.

Henry Oyobolo who spoke on behalf of the Ijaw youths while congratulating Adams over his recent proclamation as the Aare, said they were not surprised he emerged the choice for the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo.

Thanking Adams for the role he played during the last security hitch in Arepo, Ogun State, the youths said: “We want to collaborate with you in the area of security be it on the water and on the land.”

Further pledging their support, the Ijaw youths who have among them the Assistant Secretary world wide for Ijaw Youth Council, Ambassador Tony Oki and their Eastern, Western zones leaders said they want to be carried along in the scheme of things, especially in the area of security of lives and properties.

They described Adams as a fighter and warrior, adding that they are not surprised he is made the commander of the Yoruba nation security force.

“You are a leader of vision, we want to partner with you and also key into your restructuring agenda,” they said.

Thanking them for the visit, Gani Adams said the people of

Ijaw had always been partners in progress.

He said the encouragement to form the Oodua Peoples Congress in August 25, 1994 came from an Ijaw man, the late Tony Ngurube.

Thanking them for the desire to collaborate with him in the security of the land, Adams said their partnership couldn’t have come at a better time even as he cautioned them not to encourage criminals in any way and flush such tendency out of their group.

“You should try as much as possible to discourage criminals to be part of struggles, so as to keep the integrity.

“The issue of restructuring you mentioned is very important and I’m happy you are talking along the same line because it is the only solution to keep our country united.

“We can’t afford to pursue any divisive agenda as it were because no African country is big enough to accommodate refugees from Nigeria should we have reason to seek shelter outside of here. That is why we will continue to pursue the agenda to keep Nigeria united.

“We must restructure along regional line so that all regions can develop at their own pace.

Must we all go to Abuja to work when the regions can make such provision?” he asked.

Adams said if the last confab report does not interest the powers-that be, “then the 1960, 1963 constitutions are there to be adopted and make us live in a country where everybody can live in unity.”

DPR Seals NNPC Station Over Safety Lapses In Ogun Femi Ogbonnikan In Abeokuta The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday descended on, and sealed a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) affiliate filling station at Apomu near Ifo, Ogun State for safety lapses.

The monitoring team led by Operations Controller, Abeokuta Field Office, Muinat Bello-Zagi, also sealed a fuel pump at DE Champion filling station, Papalanto, for under-dispensing.

It was gathered that the inspection was a continuous exercise which began on Tuesday as part of DPR routine check on dispensing measures, in terms of quality, quantity as well as safety standard.

Bello-Zagi explained that there was sale of alcohol at the NNPC station and cohabitation with a bar.

The DPR boss added that Fire extinguishers at the station had expired and unservicable, while the sand bucket has no sand.

Despite pleas by the station

manager to reopen the sealed station for full operations, the supervision team led by Bello-Zagi rebuffed and ordered the sealing of the NNPC, saying “we can unseal it in less than 24 hours if issues observed are properly addressed.”

“The NNPC affiliate station was sealed for safety lapses. Why did we seal it? There was no meant to be sale of alcohol in the station. The fire extinguishers have all expired.

The sand buckets were without sand. Then we saw some cars being fueled without those cars switching off their ignitions.

“They have to address all those lapses before we can unseal the station. We want everybody who comes to the filling stations goes back home safely,” Bello-Zagi who spoke with our reporter, said.

She disclosed that about 35 filling stations were visited during the two-day inspection across Ogun State.

Contrary to the reported fuel queues resurfacing in some cities in Nigeria, Bello-Zagi said filling stations were selling without queues at the stations inspected.

Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Mas’udu Kazaure, and the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Tertiary Education, Aminu Suleiman, to stop any surreptitious moves to that effect.

Suleiman, representing Fagge Federal Constituency (Kano State) had last week threatened to work closely with the concerned agencies of government to stop funding for the oil and gas institution, arguing that the school was being attended by lizards and rats.

But in a motion by Mr Baraladei Daniel Igali tagged ”the urgent need to reverse the threat to close down the federal polytechnic, Ekowe”, the lawmaker urged the authorities to draw a comparison between what is spent annually on funding of some polytechnics in the north as opposed to what

the school gets.

“Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that Kazaureis acting in tandem with Hon. Aminu Suleiman in his bid to close down the institution.

“The House is aware that Southern Ijaw Local Government Area where the institution is located is one of the highest oil producing areas in Nigeria. The House is further aware that the proceeds of oil and gas are the main sources of funding for all government owned institutions of learning and other agencies including the NBTE. “The major problem facing the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, is lack of proper funding and not the absence of students and staff. In 2017 for instance, while the total budget for the institution is

about N1billion, only that of the Federal Polytechnic Kaduna is over N7 billion.

“Federal Polytechnic, KauraNamoda gets about N3 billion, Federal Polytechnic Gwandu about N3 billion etc. The House further notes that the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko in Delta State had suffered the same fate in recent years,” the lawmaker argued.

The institution established to train manpower for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, Igali (Southern Ijaw Constituency 3) maintained, currently has a student population of about 2000 students, runs 15 functional departments and is expected to admit over 1500 students this session.

He added: “Hon. Aminu Suleiman vowed that no money

will be appropriated to the institution in the 2018 budget of the federal government.”

The House therefore resolved: “to totally condemn the statements credited to Hon. Aminu Suleiman and Dr. Mas,udu Kazaure about the institution and to call on the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Assembly to allocate more funds to the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe in the 2018 fiscal year and beyond” The lawmakers also urged members of the National Assembly from Bayelsa State to take up the matter at the National Assembly and set up a 12-man ad hoc committee to visit the institution.

Some others who contributed to the motion were: Emmanuel Tonye Isenah(Chief Whip), Mitema Obordor (Deputy Leader), and Koku Obiyai.

CLINICAL SUMMIT

L-R: Assistant Registrar Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Dr. Abdul Enejo; Guest Speaker/former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; and Director of Health Emergency Preparedness, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr John Oladejo, at the 2017 clinical risk and governance summit, with the theme: ‘Clinical Emergencies in Nigeria,’ in Lagos....yesterday.

Civil Societies Hail Agreement on Recovery of Abacha Loot Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Nigerian Civil Society Organisations have hailed the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Nigerian government and the Swiss authorities paving the way for the repatriation of the at $321million Abacha loot to Nigeria.

This was disclosed after the first Global Forum on Asset Recovery, (GFAR) inaugural meeting in the United States urging both sponsors (US and UK governments) of the GFAR Summit to emulate the determination of the Swiss authorities to track, freeze and return all looted Nigerian wealth and assets in their countries.

The Executive Director for African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev David Ugolor, said in a statement yesterday that the NGOs were

delighted that the looted wealth is coming back to Nigeria.

He said the GFAR momentum has provided an enabling environment for genuine collective action towards returning stolen assets and the participation of civil society in the monitoring framework to ensure transparency and accountability in the process.

“We hope this will encourage the US, UK, and others to walk the talk of GFAR political commitment to ensure a speedy return of all stolen assets from Nigeria still in the US and UK”, the Rev Ugolor said.

The GFAR Summit meeting is an offshoot of the 2016 Anti-Corruption conference convened by erstwhile British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in recognition of the negative role which corruption plays in reducing the human capital value of most developing countries.

Sponsored by the US and the

British governments, the focus of the Washington Summit was on the asset recovery initiative and efforts of four countries – Nigeria, Tunisia, Sri Lanka and the Ukraine. Prior to this Global Forum. A pre-GFAR conference was convened with the aim of bringing Nigerian CSOs together to build an enduring framework for asset recovery, pursuant to the establishment of an asset recovery unit in Nigeria.

Both the World Bank and the Swiss government have agreed to a terms of reference for the independent monitoring of the restituted account by Nigerian CSOs and for the fund to be used exclusively for social investment for the poor in Nigeria by way of cash transfers to enable them start small businesses and provide them with a source of livelihood.

“This is a welcome development and its utilisation for development purposes would go a long way

in mitigating our development crises. We commend the Swiss government for once again showing their profound commitment toward completion of the recovery process, and other actors who make the signing of the MoU possible today. This is a victory for Nigerians, a victory for all victims of corruption,” Yusuf Shamsudeen of the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, said.

In the same vein, Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of HEDA Resource Centre, Nigeria said that ‘the symbolic signing of this MoU is indicative of potentialities of the GFAR forum. It is a recognition of Civil Society Organisation’s active engagement in the process leading to this MoU, a distinctive departure from the past practice of government to government agreement resulting in a re-looting of recovered funds.

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Ortom: Buhari Didn’t Ask Governors to Clear Salary Arrears Before Christmas Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has President Muhammadu Buhari did not direct state governors to pay salary arrears before Christmas.

Buhari had on November

27 said state governors should ensure payment of salaries backlog from the balance of the outstanding Paris Club refund which would soon be paid to them — to enable workers

Afenifere: FG Cannot Negotiate Uniform Wages for States, LG Workers James Sowole in Akure The Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, yesterday said it was wrong for federal government to negotiate uniform minimum wages for workers in the three tiers of government.

Afenifere lamented that the practice came to be because the wage issues was put in the Exclusive List of the constitution.

The position of the Yoruba socio-political group was one of the highlights of the communique issues at the end of the meeting of the group held in the Ijapo, Akure residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.

In the communique read by its Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere said it was right for government to set up a committee to negotiate a minimum wage for workers because their take home had become inconsequential in the face of inflation and economic hardship However, Afenifere said there would be problems in the process because of the unitary stance that the country is maintaining on issues of wages.

“Putting wages in the exclusive list that only the federal government can negotiate on it will create its own problems because the federal government will negotiate for the federal workers as well as state and local government workers whereas it is different tiers that will pay their wages.

“There will be different problems.

We are saying that in order to avoid this, the federal government should

negotiate for its own workers and let the state and the local government do same with their own workers.

“Until this is done, some states will underpay their own workers.

In fact in the First Republic, the then Western Region was paying higher minimum wage than the federal government. It is not only the federal government that can protect the interest of workers, let every tier of government negotiate their wages with their workers in the true spirit of federalism,” Afenifere stated.

The group expressed concern about what it described as dehumanising condemning the treatment of Nigerians as less than human being.

“Also, we are disturbed that there has not been sufficient response from the federal government on the humiliation of our citizens abroad the way it should have been done, this is not acceptable.

“While we call on the federal government to step up and behave in a more responsive manner to the plight of our citizens abroad and explore all the diplomatic channels to protect their dignity.

“We must say that the reason why our people are being subjected to this dehumanisation abroad is because there is no home for them at home and our people are now running helter skelter dying in the desert and in the Mediterranean Sea in thousands because they are desperate to get out of here at all cost thinking that anywhere

Summit for Job Seekers Holds Mary Ekah Following the high rate of unemployment challenge in Nigeria, a recruitment firm in the country, Gidijobs, in conjunction with Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA), is putting up a job fair in Lagos on December 7 aimed to equip and get jobs for young people.

Speaking recently in Lagos, Co-founder of Gidijobs and Managing Director of Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA), Asher Adeniyi, said: “We have discovered that there are so many people out there still looking for jobs so we want to get jobs for them and also bring employers together to offer people jobs as well as let people know why they are not getting these jobs.”

Accordingly, the job summit aims to transform graduates and young professional into employable people, making it easier for employers to identify them, adding that people can register on the firm’s website Gidijobs.com/jobfair to be part of the summit.

He stated further that although the job fair scheduled to take place

today at 277 Babs Animashaun Street, off Bode Thomas Street, Surulere in Lagos is opened to the public, and would offer preferential treatments to the students of the Poise Graduate Finishing Academy.

“The summit brings together both academic corporates leaders as well as various speakers. We will have a summit where everybody will discuss and then bring about an interjection between what is happening in the education and business sectors as well as what the government is doing about the unemployment situation in Nigeria, and that is why we have tagged the programme, ‘Preparing for Future Work’.

“We also know that a lot of present and past jobs have been replaced by machines. So we also want to talk about what the future is for our youths. Are we preparing them for the future? What is the future for semi-skilled people? And what particular skills do people who are educated need for the future?

What are the things that people in the job market need to think about and how can they prepare themselves better for the future?”

He asked.

“smile to banks” during the festive period.

But Ortom in an interview with Vanguard, said Buhari only asked them to use 50 per cent of the refund to pay salaries, not necessarily to clear all arrears.

“The fact is that on that matter, the president is being misquoted. Mr. President didn’t say we should clear arrears of salaries,” Ortom said.

“He said the last tranche of the 50 per cent, please get it very well, the last tranche of the Paris Club refunds that was approved by him should be released to states so that civil servants too can enjoy their

Christmas like every other person.

“We already have a template of what we agreed with the president and that is that when this money comes that at least a minimum of 50 per cent of the amount should be used for the payment of salaries.

“That was the agreement we had. But here in Benue State each time we get it we use more than that.

“The last time we used more than 80 percent for the payment of salaries arrears, even the one that we are about to receive, we will use more than 70 per cent to pay arrears. That is what we intend to do.”

Ortom, according to The Cable, further said Buhari remains the best person to lead the country “at this our very trying time”, adding that he sees no alternative to him ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

“You may have an alternative, but for me, and as far as I am concerned I have not seen an alternative to President Buhari at this our very trying time,” he said.

“It is interesting to note that despite all the challenges he met on ground on assumption of office, a period when the country went into a deep recession, he took far reaching

decisions that got us out of the recession; that is no mean achievement.

“I believe that we will get there someday as a nation, challenges may abound but I believe that we will overcome them.

“So I still remain committed to my belief that President Buhari remains the leader that we need at this particular time of our history and development as a nation.

“He is a selfless leader who has instilled discipline in our people. That is the kind of person we need at this particular time of our development and history as a nation.”

IN CELEBRATION MOOD

Founder, The Christ Apostolic Good Women, Goshen Land, Mrs. Deborah Olalekan (fourth lleft), and her son, Paul, flanked by women of the church during the Good Women annual anniversary at Oke Itunu Ajegunle Road, Abule Togo, Atan Ota, Ogun State… recently

Transport Fares Soar as Fuel Scarcity Resurfaces in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Petrol stations operating in Ekiti State are now under lock and key as petrol marketers in most of the stations have withdrawn their services to the people.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station located at Iworoko road, Ado Ekiti, and few other stations were selling the product while others have abstained without cogent reason, which some people described as attempt to hoard and create artificial scarcity The situation is so horrible in the state capital and other towns across the state, with transport fare suddenly gone up because of the turn of event .

As a result of this, motorists now queued for several hours

in the petrol stations before getting the product.

In actual fact, there were few taxis and motorcycles on the roads to convey pedestrians to their destinations, which caused large number of people massing at different junctions and motor parks in the state capital.

The development has also resulted in sudden hike in the transport fare being charged by both commercial vehicle drivers and motorcyclists.

In Ado Ekiti, the Ijigbo to Ajilosun area that was hitherto N50 per drop has increased to N70 and other routes as well.

The inter-city transport fare has also increased as Ado–Iyin that was N100 has suddenly been hiked to between N150 and N180.

Similar situation was witnessed in May this year when the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had declared artificial scarcity due to alleged victimisation by the state government.

They accused the government of demolishing some petrol stations built in residential areas, even without prior notice.

One of the motorists, who queued at the Phenrose petrol station yesterday, said: “I have been here for four hours without getting fuel to buy, this is rather frustrating.

“The federal government must look into this matter and bring the situation to normal because this could be frustrating.

“Within 24 hours that we

started witnessing this situation, many businesses have collapsed and this is not going to be in the interest of our already fragile economy.”

A top member of IPMAN in Ekiti, who however craved anonymity, blamed the NNPC for the current unbearable situation.

“Before, the NNPC’s landing cost per litre at the depot was N133.5 and the controlled price as instructed by the federal government is N145.

“It was out of the N11.50 that we get our profit, pay for other overhead costs. But the NNPC suddenly increased the landing cost and our people refused to lift petrol for the depot, that I think brought about the current situation,” he said.

PDP Chairmanship: Group Roots for Secondus As the race for the chairmanship of the PDP enters its final homestretch, a South-south group, PopularView, has drummed support for Prince Uche Secondus, saying that he has all it takes to lead the party.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Godswill Eseigbe, said of all the aspirants contesting the position, only Secondus can deliver his state and region in 2019. It said while Chief Olabode George

and Jimmy Agbaje cannot deliver Lagos State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel cannot deliver Ogun State because of the influence of their governors. It warned that the current period is not a time to elect a chairman

for the sake of it but one who can truly deliver. The group said while Secondus can deliver South-south and South-east, he also use his leadership skills to mobilise other chairmen in other zones to achieve success in other states.

61

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

Shehu Musa

Yar’Adua

20Years ƢƧ ƦƞƦƨƫƢƚƦ

March 5, 1942 - December 8, 1997

Memorial Programme December 8, 2017 | 9:30am - 12:30pm Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre One Memorial Drive, Abuja

Opening Prayer

Professor Shehu Galadanci Chief Imam, National Mosque Abuja

Welcome

Rt. Hon. Dubem Onyia Member, Board of Trustees

Chairman’s Remarks

H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, gcfr Former President

Tributes

Major General Paul Tarfa (Rtd.) Mallam Adamu Ciroma, cfr Madakin Fika Ambassador Patrick Dele-Cole Mr. Kola Abiola

Presentation

Mr. Amara Nwankpa Sustaining the Legacy

Reading

Miss Onyinye Onuigbo H.E. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Message Excerpt

Vote of Thanks

Mallam Murtala Yar’Adua Tafidan Katsina

Closing Prayer

Barrister Boss Mustapha Secretary to the Government of the Federation

Master of Ceremony

Ms. Saadatu Hamu Aliyu

Praye rs to immediately follow at the National Mo s que

BOARD OF TRUSTEES H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, ƠƜƟƫ Chairman, H.E. Atiku Abubakar, ƠƜƨƧ Vice Chairman Hajia Binta Yar’Adua, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (Rtd.), Mr. Yomi Edu Chief Dubem Onyia, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, Mallam Murtala Yar’Adua Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, ƜƨƧ, Mrs. Jacqueline Farris, Director General

62

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

WORLD CUP 2018

Aguero Tags Eagles ‘Weak’Team in Group D NFF plans friendly with England Femi Solaja with agency report Argentina and Manchester City forward, Sergio Aguero, has tagged Nigeria as the least headache of the South American nation in the Group D pairings of the World Cup 2018.

Despite the 4-2 defeat suffered by the Albeceleste in last month’s friendly against the Super Eagles in Krosnodar, Russia, Aguero told Argentine publication, Dobleamarilla, yesterday that he respects Croatia and is still wondering on what to expect from Iceland.

The Manchester City star, in what appears a mind game, dismissed Nigeria as a team not to be worried about.

Aguero described Nigeria’s victory in that friendly as ‘accidental’ aided by his absence in the second half of the match due to the exhaustion that led to his unconsciousness and hospitalisation.

Aguero told the publication

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS Liverpool 7-0 Spartak Maribor 1-1 Sevilla Feyenoord 2-1 Napoli Shakhtar 2-1 Man City Porto 5-2 Monaco Leipzig 1-2 Besiktas R’Madrid 3-2 Dortmund Tottenham 3-0 APOEL

that he only asked about what happened after he regained consciousness. Aguero insisted that Argentina lost because the players were thinking more about him in the hospital.

“That happens sometimes, because it was because they thought of me, they were scared. I do not know, “stressed Aguero.

On Croatia, Aguero said: “Croatia has a great midfield.

They have Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, there is Perisic who plays outside and he’s very fast.

Croatia is a bit more complete.”

He continued: “Iceland is one of the debutants, they do not play badly, they are a very organised team and they have (Gylfi) Sigurdsson, who is the one who drives the team.

We play them first; they are therefore the most important game for us. They will not be easy.”

On the overall, Aguero said it was good that Argentina was not tipped as one of the top favourites to win at Russia 2018.

He believes that the pendulum of victory is likely to swing in the directions of France, Germany and Brazil.

“It’s good that they do not take us as candidates (for the trophy),” concludes the Man City forward.

In a related development, the Super Eagles are to play a pre-World Cup friendly with England, UK-based Skysport

Ibrahimovic, Pogba, De Gea Feature Prominently in New Chivita Campaign Manchester United top stars including, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, David De Gea and Anthony Martial will feature prominently in the new limited edition promo pack of Chivita 100% fruit drink now on sale in the country.

Tagged “Breakfast with the Stars,” the campaign provides football loving Nigerians a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and share healthy and complete breakfast moments with these stars.

According to Chi Limited’s Head of Marketing, Probal Bhattacharya, millions of Nigerians are passionate about football and the new Chivita 100% Limited Packs are a great way to bring football icons to the table courtesy of Chivita 100%.

“The objective of the Chivita 100% Limited Packs is to leverage on our passion for football in Nigeria to generate excitement among consumers by giving them an opportunity to have breakfast with great football stars like Pogba, Zlatan, De Gea, Martial, and among others.

“Consumers now have one special reason to stay motivated and achieve 100% success like these football stars when they start their

day with Chivita 100%,” he stated Chi Limited believes that the new campaign is a masterstroke in communicating the breakfast narrative of the “Breakfast with the Stars”. In a statement, the. Company reiterated that the new Chivita 100% Limited Edition Packs are a fresher, brighter and bolder packaging innovation that visually communicates the love for a game and fruit juice that unites us.

So during breakfast every morning consumers can look forward to #DareToConquer with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, #BackwithaBang with Paul Pogba, #DeclareMartialLaw with Anthony Martial or #SaveTheDay with David De Gea. De Gea was the hero of Arsenal versus Manchester United clash at the weekend, making 14 saves to go into English Premier League record as the best goalkeeper of the moment.

“The new look Chivita 100% Limited Edition Packs in 1Litre packs is in its six variants of Real Orange, & Red Grape, and will be available to consumers till stocks last,” concludes the statement

reported yesterday.

Skysport quoted the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, to have confirmed the proposed game.

However, there is no confirmation from the English

FA on the match.

“We plan to play a friendly against England in June, before the World Cup,” Sanusi told Skysport, stressing that the venue and other details of the match were still to be worked out.

Both nations will feature at next year’s World Cup in Russia, with Gareth Southgate’s England paired to play Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in Group G. Nigeria last played England at the 2002 World Cup in

Osaka, Japan on June 12, 2002.

Before then, the Super Eagles had played a friendly with England on June 16, 1995 at the Wembley when Amodu Shaibu made his managerial debut with Nigeria. Eagles lost 1-0.

L-R: The Chief Executive Officer of Kinetic Sports, organisers of COPA Lagos, Samson Adamu, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, and the Special Adviser to Governor of Lagos State on Sports, Deji Tinubu, during yesterday’s joint press briefing between Kinetic Sports and the state on the 2017 Copa Lagos starting on Friday in Lagos

Copa Lagos: Organisers Hail Gov Ambode The organisers of the 2017 Copa Lagos Beach Football competition, Kinetic Sports, have showered praises on Lagos State Government, Akinwunmi Ambode over his support for the tournament.

This year’s Copa Lagos is scheduled to begin on December 8 and run through December10 at the Eko Atlantic.

Managing Director of Kinetic Sports, Samson Adamu, said at a joint media briefing in Lagos yesterday that Governor Ambode remains a pillar behind the development of beach football in the country.

He stressed that Ambode’s efforts were already yielding

fruits for beach football.

“The governor has never said no to us. He gave us so much encouragement and that is why we are having a better event with every edition.

Apart from the enabling environment created by the governor and people of the state, we have enjoyed his backing in all ways.

“We are happy with the governor especially because we went to some parts of the state where we also discovered some hidden talents in the game,” stressed the Kinetic Sports chief.

Adamu added that the talents discovered will participate in the forthcoming

competition as Gidi Sharks and they will be under the tutelage of a prominent beach soccer coach, Angelo Shirinzi, who took Tahiti to clinch silver at the last edition of Beach World Cup. Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Steve Ayorinde, said Governor Ambode was supporting sports deliberately as part of the state’s drive to use tourism, entertainment and sport to keep the state as the best in the country.

“We are proud that the state is maintaining its excellence in all areas especially in sports, tourism and entertainment.

Lagos is fully committed to

Copa Lagos competition as part of activities for the 2017 run-in.

“There are several other programmes to make the people of Lagos happy and Copa Lagos is key in the calendar of the state in December,” he further observed.

Special Adviser to Governor Ambode on Sports, Mr Deji Tinubu, was also at the media briefing.

The 2017 Copa Lagos expected to feature female celebrities for the first time is also going to witness the participation of Arsenal Beach Soccer team, Lebanon and Spain beach soccer teams.

NTTF Set for National 60 Players for Wichtech Open, C’wealth Trials Tennis Championship All is now set for the 2017 Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) National Open cum Commonwealth Games trials scheduled to hold between December 11 and 16 at the National Stadium in Lagos.

According to the Assistant Secretary of NTTF, Adedayo Adeosun, athletes would compete for honours in 18 events including para athletes who will compete in eight events for men and women.

For the national open, more than N2m will at stake for prize money at the five-day

tournament with Sola Oyetayo and Cecilia Otu-Akpan hoping to retain the titles they won last year.

Meanwhile, with less than five months to the kick-off of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, NTTF has called up 47 players for the first phase of trials holding.

The invited players include 30 able and 17 para athletes that are expected to jostle for places in the teams to the multisports championships holding on April 4 to 15 in 2018.

About 60 players are jostling for honours at the Wichtech Tennis Championship, which served off on Tuesday at the Tennis Section of the Ikoyi Club 1938.

The championship which is in its fourth edition promises to be delightful based on the readiness of the participants.

Speaking at the press conference to herald the championship, CEO of Wichtech Industries limited, Dr. Chidoze Nwankwo, who is the sponsor of the tournament, said in spite of the harsh economic situation in the country, the

tourney will be a regular feature in the Tennis Section’s calendar.

“The fact that the number of participants had increased since the beginning my company’s sponsorship shows that value had been added to the competition and it would be a permanent feature in the tennis section,” Nwankwo said.

Meanwhile, this year’s edition is fashioned around regular Grand Slam, as there would be the men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles and veteran singles.

The competition will come to a close on Saturday.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2017

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE Ogechi Ololo to Nigerians “Here, in Imo State, we have free education. This policy makes people happy. By paying for the children’s school fees simply means parents do not need to worry. That is a policy of happiness. That is part of the Ministry of Happiness” – Imo State Commissioner for Happiness and Couples Fulfillment, Mrs Ogechi Ololo (Nee Okorocha) defending her appointment.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Nigeria and the Memory of Tafida …The Yar’Adua family bore our period of trial with dignity. And we mourned the death of Tafida not with tears of rage or hatred but with prayers and celebration of Allah’s praise. The tears we shed were of pity for those of us who, when bestowed with power by Allah, chose to misuse it in an unjust and misguided manner. We also shed tears of compassion for those of us opportune to speak out against injustice but chose to be silent or even made haste to seek favour with the unjust ruler.

We often wondered at the collective conscience of a nation that stood transfixed and bewildered as the forces of injustice and destruction raged throughout the length and breadth of its borders.

So with the trial of the Yar’Adua and other families during that period, was the greater trial of the nation. For the first time in our history, those things we had always taken for granted were no longer guaranteed – the freedom of expression, the freedom of association, the right to liberty, the right to life – in short, the most basic of our fundamental human rights.

Indeed, the nation was so firmly caged that it required nothing short of a national struggle to regain its freedom. But in the end, a national struggle was never necessary as Allah in His infinite mercy intervened to save the situation.

However, every major trial has its own significance in the historical development of a people. An examination of this period and the lessons to be discerned from our collective experience must, of course, be left to the student of history. But certainly, the one lesson that stands out clearly is that we must never again take for granted our fundamental rights.

We must learn to cherish and defend them.

For it is only what we cherish and hold dear to our hearts that we defend with all our might.

And indeed, the might of the people is far greater than that of the ruler. To be truly free, we must as a people learn to cherish the ideals of freedom, justice and the rule of law and resolve to defend them at the slightest abuse… ================================ s one of the journalists invited

by Chief Onyema Ugochukwu to accompany the then President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo, I was in Kaduna on 6th March 1999 when the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, (then the Katsina State governor-elect) spoke those moving words at the launch of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation in honour of his elder brother who died in Abakaliki Prison on 8th December 1997.

The man, who would eight years later become president, spoke to a period in the life of our country when we felt like a conquered people--a bizarre period when the late General Sani Abacha was adopted by all the existing five political parties as the only man capable of ruling Nigeria; and many of those who still parade themselves as our leaders today, were holding rallies and prayer sessions to beg the late Head of State to accept being their joint (and sole) candidate for the presidency of our country. But it was also a period when our journalists, human rights activists and a few politicians with character decided to challenge Abacha at great personal cost. Among those politicians who confronted Abacha with fatal consequences was the late

A

Late Major General Yar’Adua (rtd) Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

However, while this piece may have been provoked by the late Tafida Katsina for whom friends, political associates (led by his former boss, Obasanjo) and family members will gather tomorrow in Abuja, the story of his life and career is for another day. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight who he was, especially for the benefit of the younger generation for whom Nigerian history does not go beyond what they read on social media.

A retired Major General who served as the second-in-command when General Obasanjo was Head of State between February 1977 and 1st October 1979, Yar’Adua started his political career in 1987 with the transition to civil rule during the General Ibrahim Babangida military administration. In the process, he built a formidable machine that had as members respected politicians and intellectuals from across the country. From Bola Tinubu to the late Chuba Okadigbo to Patrick Dele Cole to Atiku Abubakar to Babagana Kingibe to Anthony Anenih to Ango Abdullahi to Iyorchia Ayu and several others, the late Yar’Adua was a rallying point for galvanising Nigerians of different religious and ethnic persuasions in the bid to take power from the military.

It is, therefore, fitting that the Yar’Adua Foundation which, according to its Director

To be truly free, we must as a people learn to cherish the ideals of freedom, justice and the rule of law and resolve to defend them at the slightest abuse…

General, Ms Jacqueline Farris, seeks “to inspire future generations with Yar’Adua’s life of service; his commitment to national unity, good governance and to building a just and democratic society for all Nigerians” has chosen the 20th anniversary of his death “to remember one of Nigeria’s foremost contemporary leaders who died in Abakiliki Prison on December 8, 1997. Shehu Yar’Adua not only fought during the civil war to unite the country but paid the supreme price to ensure that democracy is enthroned in Nigeria.”

I am well aware that the story of Yar’Adua’s political trajectory is fairly long and sometimes complicated. But one thing is never in doubt: The late Tafida was the most powerful politician in the Nigeria of his era. He was also one of the few politicians who refused to collaborate with the late Abacha to subvert all that we held dear as a nation and for that, he was arrested on trumped-up charges of planning a coup and sentenced to death. Although the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, Abacha made sure Yar’Adua did not get out alive.

Since all the speeches tomorrow will, quite naturally, be in his memory, it is also important, especially on a day such as this, to reflect on our nation 20 years after his death so we can see whether we let down our guard so easily the moment we exchanged the politicians in uniform for those in civilian dresses even when the character of the Nigerian state has remained largely the same. The pertinent question here is, if a functioning society is one where all authority is subject to, and constrained by, law how does one explain a situation in which a man would spend seven years in prison without any criminal record or case file for an alleged armed robbery yet never appeared before any court?

The answer is simple: While we may be rid of military rule, hopefully for good, the arbitrariness and lack of accountability witnessed under that epoch are still with us.

The consequences of this state of affairs are everywhere: In the thousands of desperate Nigerians being enslaved in Libya and the millions that are hopelessly roaming the streets back home; in the prevalence of corruption at all levels and sectors (including elevating some fugitive civil servants and private business concerns with powerful promoters above the law); in the absence of good governance (with governors citing payment of workers’ salaries and erection of statues as achievements); in the lack of accountability by religious clerics (some of who cannot distinguish between their private wealth and that of the institutions they lead); in the trigger-happy behaviour of policemen (including those whose famous refrain is ‘I will kill you and nothing will happen’); in the endless spiral of revenge killings in Numan and Demsa Local Government Areas of Adamawa State between farmers and herders while those who ordinarily should restore peace (on both sides of the unfortunate divide) are either stoking the fire or looking the other way; in the manner in which a controversial Senator from the South-west has so captured

the judiciary that the permutations of PDP leaders are anchored on the fear of what he could conjure should he feel displeased with the outcome of Saturday’s national convention etc.

Meanwhile, against the background that Nigeria, according to a recent report by the Global Slavery Index, hosts the largest number of enslaved people in sub-Sahara Africa, I fail to understand the hypocrisy over the plights of our compatriots in Libya, as tragic and sad as it may be. A survey conducted by an anti-slavery organisation, ‘Walk Free Foundation’, reveals how almost a million Nigerians are practically living in bondage in their own country. It is, therefore, no surprise that many would choose to risk death either in the Sahara Dessert or on the Mediterranean Sea to staying home in deprivation and want.

As an aside, while President Barack Obama and his administration may have destroyed Libya with the killing of Muammar Ghaddafi, the former ‘Brother Leader’ was not a friend of black Africans as some writers would want us to believe. Since my book on irregular migration should be ready, hopefully by the middle of next year, the less written on the subject for now the better. But it is important to point out that the same Ghaddafi being venerated expelled all sub-Saharan Africans from his country in October 2000 only to begin to allow the same immigrants in some years later under a dubious ploy to use them as bargaining chips with Europe. “We don’t know what will be the reaction of the white and Christian Europeans faced with this influx of starving and ignorant Africans”, he told a gathering of Italian officials in Rome in September 2009 at a period he was demanding an annual $4 billion for keeping the sub-Saharan African immigrants in Libya, most of them in jail, otherwise he would inflict on Europe “an invasion of Barbarians”.

Now, before I get ahead of myself, let me return to the main theme of this intervention: the importance to nation-building of the rule of law and basic freedoms. Whatever may be our frustrations, Nigeria of today is different from that of December 1997 when Shehu Musa Yar’Adua died in Abacha’s gulag. But while the climate of fear may have disappeared, we cannot say that Nigerians are entirely free. To address that challenge, we must return to a system that places a premium on defending the rights of citizens while promoting the good governance that guarantees them the opportunities for self-actualisation and decent living.

On a final note, while I commend Hajia Binta, my friend, Murtala as well as my sister, Jackie and others for sustaining the legacy of Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, we must never forget the enduring words of his younger brother (and my former boss) now also of blessed memory that “To be truly free, we must as a people learn to cherish the ideals of freedom, justice and the rule of law and resolve to defend them at the slightest abuse.”

NOTE: Please see page 15 for ‘Shehu Malami @ 80’

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