Sunday 17th December 2017

220 Boko Haram Terrorists Captured, Says Nigerian Army Approval of $1 bn anti-terrorism grant in order, NGF replies Fayose Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri In a feat unequalled since the war against terrorism began about eight years ago, the Nigerian Army, at the weekend, said it captured 167 suspected

Boko Haram terrorists in various operations in the North-east over the last fortnight. Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, and Theatre Command Spokesperson, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement

in Maiduguri. He said 53 other insurgents had earlier been captured.

The announcement came as President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for $1 billion grant in aid of efforts to combat the Boko Haram terrorism

received a boost from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. NGF also dissociated itself from the position of Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, who claimed the grant request was a ploy to garner funds for Buhari’s re-election campaign, which

never received the governors’ unanimous support.

In a related development, there were divergent views at the weekend over the fate of repentant terrorists, with some canvassing forgiveness for them while others maintained that

they should face the full weight of the law.

Nwachukwu said troops fighting Boko Haram in the North-east under the special military operation code-named Continued on page 8

Femi Adesina Writes on President Muhammadu Buhari at 75 … Page 69 Sunday 17 December, 2017 Vol 22. No 8277

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Leaders, APC Hail Buhari at 75 Onyebuchi Ezigbo and James Emejo in Abuja, Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto Leaders and politicians belonging to different political parties have offered felicitations to President Muhammadu Buhari as he marks his 75th

birthday today. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose were among the first set of prominent Nigerians to send greetings to the president on the

eve of his birthday. They hailed Buhari as a rare statesman for his experience in leadership and his commitment to the development of the country.

In a statement issued by his media adviser, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze yesterday, Jonathan described Buhari as a statesman whose rare

experience in the leadership of Nigeria at different times had earned him a special place in history. The immediate past president and member of Peoples Democratic Party said in the statement, “I wish to most sincerely congratulate you on your 75th birthday. My

family and I are pleased to join your numerous well-wishers to felicitate with you as you mark this day.

“Your Excellency, you are a statesman whose place in history as Nigeria’s leader, at different epochs in our nation’s development journey, is guaranteed. I

pray that God Almighty that has kept you alive and healthy will continue to protect and strengthen you as you lend your efforts to the bid to realise our collective dreams for a greater and more prosperous nation.”

Continuedon page 15

FG Releases Balance of Paris Club Refund to 27 States IMF:Nigeria can save N2.75 tn with digital payment system

FIRS targets 90% tax compliance in 2018

Kunle Aderinokun in Lagos, Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja and Obinna Chima The federal government has made good its promise to release the balance of the Paris Club refund to states, as 27 states of the federation have so far benefitted from the latest refunds.

The Director, Home Finance of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Olubunmi Siyanbola, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting for the month of November.

Siyanbola noted that 27 states had so far benefited from the new tranche of refunds, with nine others yet to receive their share of the Paris Club refund.

She explained that the delay in releasing the refund to the nine states was only “a matter of process,” assuring Nigerians that they (remaining states) would get theirs as soon as the processes were completed.

Continued on page 8

A MEETING OF MINDS… R-L: President Muhammadu Buhari; President of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr Alassane Dramane Ouattar; The Gambia Vice President, Mrs. Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang; Nigerian former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and others at the 52nd ECOWAS Heads of State Summit in Abuja ...yesterday STATE HOUSE

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PAGE EIGHT FG RELEASES BALANCE OF PARIS CLUB REFUND TO 27 STATES Siyanbola stated that one of the issues also discussed at the FAAC meeting was the accruals into the Excess Crude Account (ECA), which now stands at $2.317 billion as against $2.308 billion last month.

On the development, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, attributed the marginal increase in the ECA “to interests that have to continue accruing for keeping the money for the future.�

Also on the question of whether or not the $1billion, which the state governors approved from the ECA to fight Boko Haram had been deducted, Idris stated that, “it is one thing for requests to be made, but there is a process for money to be taken out of an account.�

He pointed out that the state governors as part owners of the ECA were perfectly in order to request that part of the money be used to secure the country, adding that “as part owners, there will be no objections and we will go with the directive.�

Reacting to Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose’s objection to the withdrawal of $1 billion from the ECA, Idris said Fayose should

have made his objection known to the Governors’ Forum instead of the press.

On why the FAAC meeting had to hold on Saturday, Idris stated that because of Christmas activities, it was decided to hold the meeting mid-month (December) as against between 20th and 25th of the month so that money would be available for workers to celebrate Christmas.

Due to the change in date, Idris noted that “institutions found themselves inundated with reconciling figures at short notices and some FAAC officials were at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) till 9pm and the documents needed got to stakeholders this morning thus prompting today’s meeting so that Nigerians can have better Christmas and New Year celebrations.�

For the month of November, 2017, the total sum of N609.959 billion was distributed to the three tiers of governments.

Under the statutory disbursements, the federal government got N248.227 billion, states received N125.904 billion, local governments were given N97.067 billion, the oil producing states got an additional N43.215

the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), explained that its analysis had revealed that, by updating their payment systems to digital from cash, governments of developing countries could save about 1 per cent of GDP, which may even be higher in some parts of Africa.

According to Lagarde, “IMF analysis in our recently published book, ‘Digital Revolutions in Public Finance’, shows that across the developing world, countries could save around one percent of GDP by updating their government payment systems from cash to digital. In some places in Africa the potential is even higher. “In Nigeria, for example, we estimate that a government move to digital payments could save between 5 to 9 billion U.S. dollars, or about 1.7 percent of GDP.�

The IMF chief executive believed when governments put technology into practice millions of people could be helped. “Think of Sierra Leone.

During the Ebola outbreak, some emergency responders had to leave their patients for days to go and collect payments from a regional office. By introducing a mobile wallet system, the govern-

ment was able to save lives and better allocate resources where they were needed the most.�

Similarly, Lagarde, who delivered an address, titled, ‘The Foundations of Technological Transformation in Africa’ at UNECA, also said the IMF projected 3.6 per cent growth for 2017 and 3.7 per cent for 2018 for Africa. “Looking at the continent of Africa, the recovery is strengthening in many countries. Growth is expected to reach 2.9 per cent in 2017 and 3.5 per cent in 2018 and 2019. “This topline number masks significant variations among countries. While nearly one-third of nations are growing at around 5 percent, others — particularly the commodity exporters — are seeing a slowdown due to lower commodity prices,� she explained.

Lagarde, however, added that, on a GDP per capita basis, 15 countries on the continent were expected to see a decline this year. This, she pointed out, encompassed about 40 per cent of the population, Stating that, “There are concerns on the horizon as well, even as the sun is shining,� she

believed, “Indeed, as I have been saying recently, it is when the sun is shining that we have to fix the roof.� “One concern we see is a sharp increase in public debt, which has reached 50 percent of GDP in nearly half of subSaharan Africa’s countries. This is a big cloud on the horizon,� she added.

In another development, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has said it targets 90 per cent tax compliance from both individuals and corporates in 2018.

The Executive Chairman, FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, said this in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a training workshop for tax professionals on the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which took place in Lagos.

According to Fowler, the target should be for the federal government as well states’ revenue mobilisation agencies to be able to fund their respective annual budgets.

villages in the northern fringes of Borno State.

According to Nwachukwu, “During the operations, troops intercepted and arrested 53 fleeing insurgents, who have been profiled and are currently helping with investigations.

Fifteen insurgents have also willingly renounced the sect and surrendered, dismissing it as futile struggle.�

He commiserated with families of troops who died in the encounters and suicide bombing attacks by the terrorists, and reiterated the commitments of the military to the defeat of the Boko Haram insurgency and restoration of peace to the North-east.

The army spokesperson called on the people in the region to be vigilant and cooperate with the security agencies

by providing information on suspicious persons to help the military in the war against the insurgents.

Meanwhile, as the controversy over the approval received by the federal government from governors to withdraw $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to aid the fight against Boko Haram rages, NGF has dismissed Fayose’s criticism of the approval and claim that it was not supported by all the governors. The forum said Fayose misrepresented what took place at its meeting, insisting that the governors have given the federal government the green light to withdraw $1 billion from the ECA to fight Boko Haram.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the 83rd National Economic Council

polity, in a statement yesterday in Sokoto by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam.

The governor stated, “Attaining 75 years in life calls for thanksgiving and expression of gratitude to God. I am glad the Almighty Allah has blessed our president with long life and good health. “No doubt, the president has proven himself to be a leader of high ethics and morality. We in Sokoto State join all Nigerians in wishing the president a happy birthday.�

Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said Buhari required the prayers of all Nigerians.

The governor, who is a member of the opposition PDP and one of Buhari’s most vocal critics,, stated, “This is to congratulate Mr President as he clocks 75. I want to thank God for his life and pray for good health in the service of our nation and that he continues to age with grace. I wish him the best. He represents us all and we owe him prayers and cooperation where necessary, just as we also need to criticise him too where necessary.�

However, the Ekiti State gov-

ernor added, “We need an agile president come 2019. We need somebody that is experienced and agile. He shouldn’t contest and the decision is his and his party’s. But that is not going to stop me and my party from taking over from him and his party come 2019.�

APC also felicitated with Buhari on his birthday. The party said in their message, “We attest that under his leadership, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is building a new Nigeria for our progress, peace, unity and prosperity; restoring our country to its deserved standing among the comity of progressive nations; fighting corruption and repairing our value system; diversifying our economic revenue base, creating jobs and economic opportunities for Nigerians; bringing succour to the insurgency-ravaged North-east; reforming the oil, defence, pensions, and other critical sectors and creating a world-class transport system, among others. “Our great party wishes the president many more happy, healthy and rewarding years of service to the nation and party.�

meeting in Abuja, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki said the governors had mandated the federal government to take the money from the ECA as their own contribution to the fight against Boko Haram.

The balance in the ECA, as reported to the council by Accountant General of the Federation Ahmed Idris, was $2.317 billion as of December 13, 2017.

Fayose had declared in a widely publicised statement that the $1 billion to be withdrawn from the ECA was a scheme by the APC federal government to fund Buhari’s second term election in 2019. “Since they said they have defeated Boko Haram, what else do they need a whopping sum of $1 billion (over N360 billion) for if not to fund the 2019 election?� the governor had alleged.

But Chairman of NGF and governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, said the approval for the $1 billion was a collective decision by the forum, stressing that Fayose’s absence at the meeting where the decision was taken does not exculpate him from the forum’s resolutions.

In a statement by NGF's Head of Media, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the forum accused Fayose of being unfair with his comments, saying, “You can never spend too much on security because the safety of lives and property is the most cardinal among all the principles of governance in any democracy.�

Bello-Barkindo said, “I am saying that the statement was an unfair cut against the forum.

When a decision is taken by the forum in one’s absence, once there was a quorum at the meeting, where the decision was taken, it becomes binding on all. I am sure Fayose was not making the statement to undermine the forum. He was just doing his thing.�

NGF justified the $1 billion grant as sign of synergy between the governors and the Presidency in the fight against insurgency, “which ought not

to be politicised.�

According to the statement, “This same lack of unity between governors and the presidency had brought about poor governance in the past, throughout the country and now that we are working together, no one should constitute a wedge in the process.�

NGF stated that the issue of drawing from the ECA was very broadly deliberated at the forum’s meeting on the eve of the National Economic Council meeting, where the decision was taken.

Bello-Barkindo added, “If Governor Fayose was there at the meeting, he would have seen the wisdom in the decision. Yes, the administration is claiming to have decimated the insurgents out of Sambisa Forest but they are re-emerging in different flashpoints across the country. They need to be tackled wherever they are and the NGF decided to support the Presidency just as it (The Presidency) had been supporting states with their own problems. “Governor Fayose is on his own! We have to protect our people and we have to do it with everything we have. Let me reemphasise one more thing, Mr. President is a responsible and honest leader, who does not believe in money politics and he would never divert public resources into it.�

However, Yari has restated that an internal rapprochement is on-going to reinforce the forum’s unity and indivisibility for the delivery of good governance to Nigerians. He said NGF had begun consultations with Fayose on his stance on the ECA deductions to fight insurgency. Yari said the row over the $1 billion ECA money was a minor misunderstanding among governors, which would be addressed. He remained optimistic that a middle ground would be found that would further strengthen the unity of members of the forum.

billion as 13 per cent derivation requirement, while the balance of N15.120 billion went for cost of collection and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) refund.

On Value Added Tax (VAT) disbursement, Idris revealed that the total sum of N80.426 billion was shared, with the federal government receiving N11.581 billion, state governments N38.605 billion, local governments N27.023 billion, and the balance of N3.217 billion went as cost of collection and FIRS refund.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Commissioners Forum, Alhaji Mahmoud Yunusa, said “Saturday’s figures were higher now but they can be better off. The states are happy that workers will be paid before Christmas.�

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has said Nigeria could save between $5 billion (N1.525 trillion) and $9 billion (N2.745 trillion) if it migrates its payment system to digital from cash. In the fund’s estimates, the saving represents about 1.7 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, who disclosed this in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at

Read concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com

220 BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS CAPTURED, SAYS NIGERIAN ARMY Operation Lafiya Dole captured 167 insurgents after raiding their enclaves in the Lake Chad Basin, while 67 women and 173 children, who were identified as family members of the insurgents, were rescued.

He said 53 other insurgents had earlier been captured in the northern parts of Borno State.

Nwachukwu said the troops had intensified their offensive to clear remnants of the insurgents in the region, explaining that the operations have yielded result.

The Army spokesman stated, “Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have intensified offensive on Boko Haram enclaves in the island around Lake Chad. The offensive, which commenced about two weeks ago with coordinated air and artillery bombardments on Boko Haram

enclaves, is yielding positive results, as several insurgents have been killed while 167 fleeing insurgents have been captured by the troops. “Troops also extricated and profiled 67 women and 173 children, who revealed during profiling exercise that they are family members of the insurgents, who fled the troops’ offensive.�

Nwachukwu explained that arrangements were being made to handover the women and children to the authorities at the Internally Displaced Persons camps, after the completion of preliminary investigations.

He said the troops had in the past two months conducted long range fighting patrols and ambushes, disclosing that they have cleared the insurgents’ hideouts at Saada and Juwei

LEADERS, APC HAIL BUHARI AT 75 In his own message, Dogara, a member of Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress, praised him as a leader who had come at a critical time in the history of the country to help it regain its glory. “The numerous achievements of our APC-led government which you pilot and your revolutionary zeal, courage and dynamism in leadership have earned you and indeed Nigeria, respect globally as well as inspired and rekindled the hope of Nigerians for better days ahead,� Dogara stated in the birthday greeting he personally signed.

The speaker stated further regarding the president, “You have consistently demonstrated exceptional humility, uncommon integrity and dogged patriotism while piloting the affairs of the nation. “You have equally remained consistent in dealing with the hydra- headed problems of corruption, insecurity and unemployment through various reforms and interventions in line with your campaign promises.

"Under your leadership, Nigeria is steadily regaining its past glory and winning investors'

confidence and earning global respect and recognition.�

He described the president as a visionary and prudent leader who had carved a niche for himself as military Head of State and brought to bear his long standing pedigree as an incorruptible leader in the discharge of his duties as a civilian President and Commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

While assuring the president of the continued support and cooperation of the legislature in the task of nation building, Dogara prayed God to continue to grant Buhari wisdom and many more years of sound health as he pilots the affairs of the nation. “On behalf of the leadership and entire membership of the House of Representatives, I wish to join the good people of Nigeria and numerous well-wishers across the globe in wishing Mr. President a happy Birthday, while praying God to continue to keep you in good health and bless you with more fruitful and prosperous years of service to the people and the nation," Dogara stated.

Tambuwal said Buhari had paid his dues in the Nigerian

Read concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

BOKO HARAM AND THE $1 BILLION QUESTION The cost of prosecuting the war against Boko Haram is rising. Do we need to pay more to be safer?

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t is becoming increasingly difficult to make sense of some of the decisions being taken by the current administration. At a period Nigerians were told that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated”, governors of the 36 states last week announced that they had given approval for the federal government to withdraw $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to fight the insurgency. The message that this sends most poignantly is that Boko Haram is far from being defeated, technically or otherwise.

Nigerians need to be told the truth.

Ordinarily, a war on terror is usually longdrawn and notwithstanding any subterfuge to the contrary, it would seem that the military operation against Boko Haram is entering a more indeterminable stage. That is what this ‘Christmas gift’ from the governors to finance the anti-terrorism fight in the Northeast means. But there are so many questions begging for answers, both in the decision and the manner in which it was taken. Where does this charity of a billion dollar fit into the federal government defence and security budget for 2017 that is currently being implemented as well as that of 2018 that is under consideration at the National Assembly?

We pose the question against the background that the casualty figures from Boko Haram direct attacks have reduced significantly in the past two years while the insurgents have been reduced to using suicide bombers to hit soft targets, aside occasional ambush of soldiers. That leads us to other questions. What exactly are the new threats that warrant this scale of expenditure? Besides, where in the constitution is it written that the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by the Vice President, can make this kind of extra budgetary commitment

on behalf of the three tiers of government?

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The funds in the excess crude account ought to be subject to normal appropriation procedures both by the National Assembly for the federal government and the Houses of Assembly for the states

Letters to the Editor

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITORS VINCENT OBIA, OLAWALE OLALEYE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH, PATRICK EIMIUHI ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

oreover, the funds in the excess crude account ought to be subject to normal appropriation procedures both by the National Assembly for the federal government and the Houses of Assembly for the states. Did the governors who ‘donated’ this money get the mandate of their respective state assemblies before signing away their shares of the statutory allocations from the Federation Account? Were the authorities of the 774 local governments also consulted or did the governors, as usual, just take it for granted that they do not matter? Assuming, without conceding, that there are urgent needs by the military, how did the NEC arrive at the sum of $1 billion?

In dissociating himself from the decision which suggests that there was no agreement among the governors, Mr Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State described it as a ploy to divert the money for political ends before adding that “Nigerians deserve proper explanations from the federal government on the rationale behind spending such huge sum of money to fight an already defeated Boko Haram.”

While we endorse Fayose’s call for transparency on the specific operations that the military will use the money for, we do not subscribe to political speculations that are not backed by any evidence.

But we must also note that when in July 2014 the former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan proposed borrowing the same sum of $1 billion to fight the insurgency, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that was then in opposition were quick to dismiss the proposal.

Jonathan, according to the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was seeking the money “to buy the election and pay for the intimidation of the opposition and electorate” and ultimately “to build a casket for democracy.”

We must commend our military for the critical role they have played in the fight against Boko Haram and in making sacrifices on behalf of the nation.

We also believe they should be given all the support they need in the bid to rid the nation of terrorism.

However, it is still our considered view that throwing money at the Boko Haram insurgency without reliable and result-oriented strategies did not work in the past and will likely not work today. What is even more curious is that the total money in the excess crude account is only $2.317. Yet the governors have no qualms about giving away close to 50 per cent after a meeting lasting only a few hours.

There must be something in the wisdom of those who superintend over the Nigerian state that passeth all human understanding!

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

ARE LOCAL COUNCILS TOOTHLESS DOGS?

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resident Buhari said: “Constitutionally there are limits to powers of each of the three tiers of government but that should not mean the federal government should fold its arms and close its eyes to what is going on in the states and local governments.

Not least the operations of the local government joint account.

While the federal government cannot interfere in the details of its operations it will ensure that the gross corruption at the local level is checked. As far as the constitution allows me I will try to ensure that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country.

For I will not have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.” This was part of President Buhari’sinaugural speech after he was sworn in as the President of Nigeria on May 29, 2015. Has this promise been

fulfilled? Local government is generally referred to as government at the grassroots level. That is, to bring government very close to the people at the local level and this will help them to get the dividends of democracy and also appreciate the existence of government.

Local government is the lowest level or tier of government all over the world.

According to John Stuart Mill, “the very objective of having a local representation is in order that those who have any interest in common, which they do not share with the general body of their countrymen may manage that joint interest by themselves.”

Therefore, the existence of local government is very important in democraticsystem of government, but they are being neglected in Nigeria. I think it is this negligence that President Buhari had observed before coming into power and made the promise of extirpating the endemic corruption at that level and also promising to remove the so-called joint account between local

and state governments.

But this promise has not been fulfilled after more than two years in government.

As far as I’m concerned, for local governments to effectively function based on the principles on which they were established, both financial and political autonomies must be granted to them. Financial autonomy means that the so-called joint account must be stopped because it is of no use. Most of the governors today in Nigeria enrich themselves through the local government joint accounts. They release only the money for the payment of local government staff and that is why there are no local government projects at the local levels today.

Of course, there’s is pervasive corruption in local governments across the country.

A cashier will build a house that even a permanent secretary who spent 30 years in service cannot build. Indeed, financial autonomy cannot be granted to local governments without providing the

appropriate means that can tame the endemic corruption at that level. Political autonomy must also be granted to local governments if we really want them to discharge their duties without the unnecessary interference of state governors. Local government chairmen are not duly elected today in Nigeria but selected by state governors.Elections are rigged and caretaker committees are selected.

State governors send some of their friends, relatives or die-hard political supporters to local governments as caretakers or sole administrators which is not allowed by the constitution.

The constitution stated that local government chairmen must be duly elected. For example, Daily Trust of December 10, 2015, reported that: “Justice Abdulfatah Lawal of the Lagos State HighCourt nullified the appointment of caretaker committees in the state, declaring it as illegal and unconstitutional.

The judge held that no governor was empowered by the constitution to take over the administration of local governments through sole administrators or caretaker committees.

The court ruled that local governments could

only be managed by democratically elected people and ifthe state House of Assembly should make any law validating sole administrators for local governments, such a law will be invalid and unconstitutional.”

Most of the state governors ought to have been impeached for this gross breach of constitution. Since the emergence of democratic system of government in 1999, each ruling party wins the local government elections of its state. For this to be stopped, INEC should conduct local government elections. This is because most of the state governors rig local government elections and postpone the conduct of elections under the pretense of not having sufficient funds for the exercise. In my state of Kaduna, the last local government elections we had was in 2012 during the era of late Patrick Yakowa . Therefore, if both financial and political autonomies cannot be granted to them, we should scrap them and operate only two levels of government.

––Hashim Ahmad, hashimbahmad@ gmail.com

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OPINION Can UNILAG Celebrate at 55?

Not really. It could have done more, writes Amoo Apampa “Wherefore rejoice?

What conquest brings he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome� ––An unimpressed Mark Anthony rails on his audience in Shakespeare’s “JULIUS CEASER�.

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o do I, of the celebrants in UNILAG at 55. When I was at University of Lagos between 1975 and 1977, light and water did not fail residents. Can the celebrants say light and quality water runs all day at UNILAG today? Has the university expanded beyond the founding Departments of Law, Social Science, Environmental Science, Engineering, Education and Arts? When will the university add Departments of Aquaculture, Food and Crop Production to its menu as Lagos was in olden times city of ďŹ shermen and farmers?

I cannot celebrate if news does not come to me that bed-bugs feast on students’ blood at UNILAG. Are the hostels routinely cleaned and made safe to students’ health? Have new beds and mattresses been bought and installed in the halls of residence? What new buildings have been constructed in the past years beyond those already in the quadrangle of the fore-court and the students’ hostels by the main gate?

The library is the soul of the university. Are there new acquisitions and e-libraries? Is the bookshop fully stocked with new books and journals? A university lecturer not only publishes to be damned, he has a burden to write, teach, publish and publish!

Where is the University of Lagos Law Series and its counterpart in the History Department? Is there any follow-up to Professor Ayodele Awojobi’s ‘reversible’ automobile or a follow-up to Professor Chike Obi’s Fermatt’s Last Theorem? Who are the poets-in-residence replacing our own ‘W.S’ and ‘J.P.?’ The University of Lagos can only celebrate if it has broken the ogre of ‘NO NEPA’ by, for instance, installing

barges on the lagoon right in front of its estate to generate electricity, or quicken researches, (possibly with German counter-parts) for the production and installation of affordable solar panels for generating electricity for its immediate needs and transferring the remainder to its host community.

Pray of what use is celebration and the cutting of a birthday cake where honour has fled to ‘brutish beasts’ in the bickerings to mount the vice–chancellorship in the 55 years of its existence? When will the cut-throat rivalry of “The Naked Gods� cease? In my days at UNILAG, the University Health Centre had among its staff, a cadre of expatriate staff, including, I remember clearly, one Dr. Velandria. The menu at the facility included vintage fruits and fresh sardine and salmon in soup. Drugs were available and free. Is this still so? And what about housing and transport needs of staff and students? To what extent are these provided for in the annual budgetary allocation to UNILAG? In my days, foreign students from other African countries, particularly, Camerouns, The Gambia, South Africa

I cannot celebrate if news does not come to me that bed bugs feast on students’ blood at UNILAG. Are the hostels routinely cleaned and made safe to students’ health? Have new beds and mattresses been bought and installed in the halls of residence?

had UNILAG as a ‘first choice’. Mrs. Lucy Ayuk Asuagbor, a Camerounian and my class-mate, was the first student of the Faculty of Law to bag a first class in the June, 1977 bar finals. Professor Akin Oyebode of the Law Faculty once lamented in a national daily the absence of under-graduates from other African countries in the Law Faculty in ensuing years. Are the celebrants of UNILAG at 55 willing to enquire where the under-graduates have gone? UNILAG is, today, a shell of a universality long gone by.

Is UNILAG pulling up or sourcing endowments from public and private bodies for its departments? There are some hundreds of persons, sitting on stupendous wealth in oil blocs in this country. They should be invited, to subscribe to endowments to the university. Are there published accounts on its efforts?

In social circles on campus, life was vibrant and exciting with play-wrights like late Bode Osanyin on campus and the university consistently hosting the NUGA Games. Celebrants should ask what happened to the publication of the Lagoon Echo and its celebrated columnists. Where are they? What happened to the paper that once sold for, wait for it, 30 kobo?!

To the philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Free should the scholar be, free and brave, free even to the definition of freedom, without any hindrance that does not arise out of his own condition� To what extent is academic freedom permitted in teaching, research and publication in UNILAG without constraints?

All in all, at 55, UNILAG has made strides in manpower development, producing over the years, graduands including the former Deputy Governor of Delta State, Professor Amos U. Utuama; former minister of External Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia; former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo; the pro-Chancellor, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) and, not the least, the VicePresident, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

In conclusion, Comrades Ahoy! Great Akokites, Aluta Continua!

Victory is assured! We will win! –– Apampa, a Legal Practitioner, wrote from Lagos

An Open Letter To President Buhari Biose J. Ifechukwude, one of 100 scholars stranded in the UK, writes TETfund to release funds for their school fees

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write on behalf of over 100 stranded Nigerian scholars in the United Kingdom under the 2014 TETfund academic staff training and development scheme to pursue various PhD programmes. The fund is administered by our employers, the beneficiary educational institutions - polytechnics, colleges of education and universities across all the regions of Nigeria.

Most of us are now three months away from completing our PhD training; but we cannot finish our studies following the compulsory withdrawal from our respective courses due to unpaid fees. At the moment I am not a registered student and may be deported from the UK in a matter of weeks according to the terms of my Tier four student visa. In addition to this, we have now become heavily dependent on loan facilities from families and supporters in order to meet up with basic living conditions. Should this predicament continue without prompt release of supplementary funds by TETfund, the tragedy is not only the shameful waste of three productive years of our lives but the colossal waste of already advanced funds in the past years on this scholarship.

I hereby humbly request your kind intervention to ensure that the Executive Secretary of TETfund, Dr A.B. Baffa, gives our predicament the prompt attention it deserves. We have sought the attention of the Executive Secretary of TETfund through written communications and through our various home institutional channels in Nigeria as well as Twitter, #TETfundscholarsUK and BBC Africa’s report https:// youtu.be/IyBHrSCpluw to no avail. We have also written to various public office holders including the Hon. Minster of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), the President of the Nigerian Senate, the Nigerian High Commissioner in the UK and the Chairman of the board of TETfund. To date, nothing significant has been done to assure us the feasibility of completing our training and to obtain our degrees after all these years of hard academic work. Here is a link goo.gl/AZPudt to the documents demonstrating our communication efforts.

We are appealing for special intervention and a

review of our scholarship awards. The review is needful due to exhaustion in funds awarded which is also accompanied by the following reasons: One, the exponential increase in the exchange rate of the naira against British pound sterling since December 2014. Most of us were awarded the scholarship at an exchange rate of about N265 per British Pound.

At present, the rate varies between N470 and N500.

Although, some scholars received the full payment of their fund in naira account; it is in the public domain that all commercial banks in Nigeria closed their platforms for foreign exchange transactions through form A following a directive from CBN. Consequently, these TETfund scholars had to resort to Bureau de change at extortionate rates, leading to the unexpected exhaustion of the advanced sum.

Two, the refusal of our home institution, the beneficiary educational institutions, to hold the approved fund in a domiciliary account as stipulated in the 2014 TETfund guidelines. These institutions, including mine, had solely been responsible for the direct payment of my fees and the overall administration of the funds allocated to me. Also, against our cries to either follow TETfund guidelines or release the money to us for onward conversion to pound sterling, the fund was kept in naira and released to us in meagre tranches. In my view, this amounts to the mis-management of the Nigerian tax payer’s money, leading to the drastic depreciation of funds held in trust for us.

Three, the lack of or inadequate monitoring of the administration of approved sums by TETfund. Four, the lack of sanctions on the accounting officers of beneficiary institutions following failure to adhere to TETfund guidelines.

Five, the perpetual refusal of Dr Baffa and the TETfund Board to review our circumstance and approve supplementary funds for the assurance of our degrees.

In light of the above, the management of our employers (the beneficiary educational institutions) has mismanaged the Nigerian tax payer’s money.

Yet, the management of TETfund and in particular

the Executive Secretary of TETfund, Dr Baffa has woefully failed the Nigerian tax payers for not ensuring the strict adherence to guidelines. Dr Baffa cannot absolve himself from this fiasco, pursuant to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (establishment, etc) Act, 2011, charging him with the management and administration of the fund. Hence, TETfund has continually failed to do the needful.

Could there possibly be laws and/ or administrative constraints hindering the executive secretary from monitoring and implementing sanctions to erring beneficial educational institutions? Would Nigeria watch her tax payer’s money go to waste and her citizens come back to Nigeria with their heads bowed to the dust of a failed institution? Is the management of TETfund really dysfunctional?

Mr President, we are ardent believers and supporters of your swift actions to give a resounding response to the above questions ravaging our thoughts.

Firstly, we implore you to direct the executive secretary of TETfund, Dr. Baffa to approve and release supplementary funds for our fees and maintenance. This would assure us of our degrees and put to good fulfilment of already spent funds.

Also, I ask that Dr Baffa must pronounce and implement appropriate sanctions on all the accounting officers of the beneficiary educational institutions that have mismanaged the funds for our studies as highlighted above.

We believe, TETfund should have the responsibility to monitor the progress and welfare of all scholars under her sponsorship and to implement strategies to sanction all the beneficiary educational institutions that have failed to administer the fund in accordance with her guidelines.

Lastly, TETfund must now rise to the occasion of providing funds in the currency of the academic institution of each scholar; this can be achieved through a direct liaison with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). ––Biose J. Ifechukwude, PhD student and TETfund scholar, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

LETTERS Bad Loans and Nigeria’s Debt Burden

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ecent media reports indicated that Nigeria has lost huge revenues from various segments of the economy, including the agricultural and financial services sectors. For instance, the federal government has spent a total of N3.49tn on domestic debt servicing and payment between January 2015 and September 2017. In the same period, the country paid a total of $1.07bn (about N326.69bn) to service foreign loans obtained by both the federal and state governments.

This shows the wide gap between the size of domestic borrowing and foreign borrowing, which has seen the government spending much of its revenues, especially during the just exited recession on debt servicing.

The recent growth in the external debt component reflects the federal government’s move to take more foreign loans as against the acquisition of costlier internal loans. According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), the current plan to raise $5.5bn from the external debt market will save the country N166bn if it should borrow the same amount of money

Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance

from the local debt market.

The Director-General (DMO), Patience Oniha said, “The plan is to increase the ratio of the country’s external borrowing to 40 per cent and reduce the size of domestic borrowing to 60 per cent.”

Meanwhile at the moment, the ratio stands at 76.96 per cent for local debt and 23.04 per cent for external debt.

In a painful irony, the National Economic Recon-

struction Fund (NERFUND) is under investigation over its N17bn debt. The House of Representatives has commenced investigation into the role played by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the failure of NERFUND to recover the debt owed it by Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) stakeholders.

Chairman of the 19-member ad hoc committee, Ayodele Oladimeji, stated that in

addition to investigating the roles played by commercial (intermediary) banks, the committee will seek out high profile debtors to the fund as well as conduct a survey on the conditions of the projects that benefited from the loans.

The legislator describes as highly suspicious the inability of NERFUND to recover its debts as the laws establishing it gives the CBN power to debit the accounts of intermediary banks.

The level of non-performing loans in the Deposit Money Banks, according to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) data, has risen by 50 per cent from N1.639tn in December 2016 to N2.424tn by September this year. The CBN’s non-performing loans ratio in the banking industry is five per cent, but the banks’ NPLs have moved from 10.13 per cent to 15.18 per cent within the period, the financial returns of the DMBs compiled by the NDIC revealed. The data, however, showed that total loans and advances by the banks decreased within the period before rising again.

The Director, Banking Examination Department, NDIC, Mr. Adebayo Adeleke, in a presentation entitled:

Nigeria And The Imperative of Happiness

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latest World Happiness Report (WHR) that rates 155 countries on the strength of their happiness status, ranked Nigerians as the sixth happiest people in Africa and the 95th happiest in the world. In 2003, a World Values Survey had indicated that Nigerians are the world’s happiest people.

How the country rapidly slides from being the World Happiest People in 2003 to currently being 95th in the world should be a thing of immense concern to all wellmeaning Nigerians. There is, therefore, an urgent need for us to reclaim the lofty status of being the happiest people in the world. It is an aberration for us to lose that enviable position to any other nation. It is our birthright and we must do all within our powers to possess our possession.

This is why much commendation must particularly be accorded the government and good people of Imo State for showing the rest of the country the way forward in this onerous task to salvage our mandate as the happiest people on planet earth. The recent appointment of a Commissioner for Happiness and Couples’ Fulfillment in Imo State represents a significant watershed towards the all-important mission of retrieving our crown as the happiest species on earth. The state governor and his crop of ingenious advisers surely deserve an Oscar for coming up with such a deft and innovative move.

Now that Imo has braced the odds by coming up with

such a creative agenda to resuscitate the dwindling fortune of happiness in the land, other governments across the country, should hurriedly come on board by replicating same at their respective domains. The reason is that the happiness of Imo people alone would not be enough for our beloved nation to repossess the enviable ranking of being the happiest people. So, where do we go from here? How do we guarantee that sound of happiness once again reverberate across our land?

Well, the way forward isn’t that difficult. As a matter of urgency, the federal government must go ahead to establish its own equivalent of Federal Ministry of Happiness. It must be done without further delay. It is that urgent.

Same goes for all the states of the federation.

The Imo template is an enticing model that must be swiftly duplicated by others.

After all, it is always said that one could copy something that is worthwhile. As for all the local councils in the country, they must without delay set up a full -fledged Happiness Department.

With recent incidents of suicide, divorce, murder, rape, depression, kidnapping and other such discomfited cases across the country, it is quite obvious that a melancholic spirit currently pervades this once happy nation. It is, thus, quite imperative that something critical is done to redress the situation. We must not allow sorrow and gloom to take over our land.

We are happy people who are

known for our intoxicating aura of happiness, and happy we must remain.

Now, as soon as the federal government sets up its own equivalent of the Ministry of Happiness, it must ensure that a very humorous, witty and charming personality is appointed as the Hon. minister to oversee the ministry. This would be a very strategic move. For one, it would help fast track the confirmation of the prospective minister by the National Assembly, as his/her happy demeanor would easily disarm the distinguished legislators.

Therefore, it is suggested that any of Ali Baba, Falz the Bad Guy, Omo Baba, AY, Funke Akindele or such other distinguished comedians in the country should be considered as potential nominees for the coveted office of Federal Minister of Happiness, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Having scaled through the National Assembly hurdle, as soon as the probable minister settles down to business, he needs to quickly sets in motion the process that would lead to the recruitment of capable personnel who would help him rapidly turn the happiness situation in the country around. Getting the best of such personnel wont, of course, be difficult. The ministry could be staffed by the brightest comedians and Nollywood players in the country. Possible names in this wise include Baba Suwe, Osofia, Aki and Pawpaw, Pa Latin, Funke Akindele, Princess, and a host of others. You can bet, with such

incredible array of irresistible and talented comedians and humorous actors manning the proposed ministry, our nation wouldn’t be in want of amusement and happiness.

With the proposed ministry appropriately staffed, the next phase would be to resourcefully devise creative programmes and activities that would guarantee that the whole nation is filled with tremendously happy people.

Since laughter is one of the most visible manifestations of happiness, it is recommended that the anticipated ministry organise a one of its kind comedy road show across the country to usher in a wave of heartfelt laughter that would ultimately engender greater happiness across our beloved nation. Similarly, the Ministry could empower famous Nollywood comedy inclined acts to come up with hilarious movies that could further boost the country’s happiness credential.

Since poverty and economic hardship are potent joy killers, it would be cheering news to the teeming masses across the country if, for instance, the federal government would come up with a scheme that could ensure that indigent Nigerians who want to get married but couldn’t do so for economic adversity would be assisted to do so. This could be done with a legislation barring indigent folks from paying bride prices and engaging in other such costly process that make getting married so frightening.

––Tayo Ogunbiyi, Alausa, Lagos.

“Curtailing the growth of non-performing loans in banks – The role of regulators and supervisors’’ disclosed that the total loans and advances decreased from N16.183tn in December 2016 to N16.076tn in March 2017 and N15.783tn in June, before rising to N15.976tn in September.

“The rise has been largely attributed to the fall in crude oil price and production levels arising from the militancy in the Niger Delta,” he said. The Financial Stability Report issued by the CBN as of December 31, 2016 indicated a disproportionate credit allocation to the oil and gas sub-sector by the Nigerian banks. Analysts attribute the causes of the rising NPLs in the banking sector to banks’ lending policies, which had been relatively unselective and competition-driven, with little consideration for associated risks. Others are inadequate appraisal of loans and poor assessment of obligors and sectors in which they operate, leading to loan concentration and lowering of underwriting standards; rapid credit growth associated with lower credit standards; and poor GDP growth rate, which became negative in the first quarter of 2016 and resulted in recession by the second

quarter of the year.

In the agricultural sector of the economy, the nation has witnessed the loss of about $15bn due to postharvest losses. It has been mentioned by stakeholders who spoke at the 2017 Agra Innovate West Africa in Lagos that the continued inadequacy in storage, processing facilities and wastage in tomatoes value chain, cost Nigeria about $15 billion post-harvest losses annually. Nigeria is Africa’s second largest producer of tomatoes with nearly two million tonnes annually, yet up to 40 per cent of the crop never makes it to market, impacting food security and smallholder farmers’ incomes.

While monetary policies can be deployed to manage cases of bad loans and debt, the federal government should prioritise its needs on foreign and domestic loans on projects. The proposed increase in minimum wage for instance, when the country’s borrowing is on the increase may not be a feasible idea. The system should also look inward on reviving the economy through various initiatives including PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) and feasible tax incentives.

––Rahma Oladosu, PRNigeria, Abuja.

EXERCISE A S A NTIDOTE TO HEART ATTACK

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ike every well meaning citizen, I am alarmed by the growing spate of sudden deaths in recent times. We used to think that these deaths, caused by heart failure, or cardiac arrest was peculiar to the rich, and it actually seemed at a point in history that it was a disease of affluent western nations. We now know that simple, routing daily exercise can prevent these deaths.

The perception that heart attack is an executive disease has now changed because of the widely reported cases of sudden deaths that have become a daily feature in the local media. This is a wake-up call for all stakeholders in the health care industry to take proactive action against the world’s deadliest serial killer before it becomes an epidemic.

Lack of exercise, poor dietary habits, damaging life style involving hard drinking, smoking, lack of rest, etc., have been advanced as reasons for the increasing cases of sudden deaths which come by way of otherwise healthy people collapsing suddenly and dying within seconds without prior symptoms of illness.

I operate in the fitness segment of the health industry and my detailed study of this disturbing trend shows clearly that prevention is truly better than cure. This old maxim holds true today more than ever because, of all the possible causes of sudden deaths, fitness related issues are major. This is a universally

accepted fact, beyond dispute or controversy.

First, let’s get this clear in the proper context. You can be fit without being healthy. Fitness speaks of being in the right physical condition for an activity, while being healthy depicts a clean bill of health in a given period. This is often confused with what exercise does for you. Exercise tunes up your system and ensures that your heart pumps blood to all parts of your body; boost your intake of oxygen and opens up your veins. Even blocked articles, a major cause of cardiac arrest, open up while you exercise.

Exercise burns up your bad cholesterol, and generally eliminates fats and waste from the body. While running or road walk is ideal, the obvious dangers of being hit by reckless drivers or threatened by kidnappers are real safety concerns that tend to discourage physical exercise on the streets nowadays.

Thankfully, we now have diverse exercise equipment that are suitable for different physical activities in the exercise regimen. The beauty of exercise equipment is that you can use them in the comfort of your home.

Also aerobics instructors are available to guide the elderly who have delicate physical constitution due to old age or degenerative diseases like arthritis, backaches, and other peculiar challenges requiring special equipment.

––Goodluck Obi, goodlucketomobi@yahoo.com.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

INTERNATIONAL

Restructuring Nigeria Beyond the Bile and Politics of Non-negotiability of National Unity

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estructuring Nigeria: Implications for Identity Struggle and Nation-building� was the theme of the 3-day International Conference of the School of Communication and Liberal Studies of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Lagos. The conference was held from Wednesday, 13th to Friday, 15th December, 2017 at the School ofAgriculture Auditorium, Ikorodu Campus. The organisation and theme of conference, which is the third in the series, is important for various reasons.

First, the Dean of the School, BarristerAdebayoAdekunleAlake, noted in his welcome address that the rationale for the organisation of the conference at the tail end of the year was clear: ‘preparing and positioning all the stakeholders for a prosperous new year 2018.’ More important, he said there was the need to ‘de-structure, restructure and structure the national yearnings for restructuring Nigeria.’And perhaps, most importantly, there is the need to ‘proffer practical solutions to some of the various challenges of our nation-building in line with the culture of polytechnic education and international best practices across the globe.’ What is particularly noteworthy in the welcome address of the Dean is his hope for a better Nigeria to come in his life time. This is a hope that is not likely to come true, because political governance is largely predicated on the promotion of dishonesty by condoning and rewarding it. This is one major and critical rationale for the quest for restructuring.As BarristerAlake put it, ‘I am waiting for a day, when Tega, my son from an Ijesha father, born to (an) Urhobo mother, can contest and win governorship election in Kano State without any form of barriers. That’s the Nigeria that can be called a nation. It is very possible in our life time.’ We cannot agree more with this hope if the political will is there to sustain it. It is good to dream dreams but it is not good to dream and over-dream, when there are well-known institutionally built obstacles.

This problematic necessarily explains the goodness in and timeliness of the organisation of the international conference.

Second, in his address to the conference, Mr. Samuel Oluyinka Sogunro, the rector of the polytechnic, who was represented by the Deputy Rector,Administration, Dr. Ola Olateju, at the conference, said ‘building the Nigeria-state is dependent on a strong structural foundation and, as a society seeking socio-political and economic development as a nation, we cannot continue to hope for a more prosperous nation with a weak or jaded structure.’ More important, Mr. Sogunro noted that ‘at the heart of all the agitation about restructuring in the country today is the question of competition for resources, hunger for development, the fight over access (opportunity) in the Nigerian space...The issue of restructuring has been discussed extensively to be perceived as resource control or devolution of power. However, some scholars view restructuring as equality of access to political and economic power. Needless to say here that there is no consensus on what restructuring is but there is clear agreement on its desirability.’ Importantly, the rector further submitted that ‘in the reorganisation of a society to achieve its full potential, it is fundamental to consider the option of developing its human capital’ and that is why the Lagos State Polytechnic, the Polytechnic of Excellence, is to ensure delivery of its mandate of producing enterprise graduates, that is, ‘all categories of students must require, at least, one relevant entrepreneurial training through the Centre for Entrepreneurship and SkillsAcquisition (CESA) various programmes, which are strategically thought out to produce job creators rather than job seekers.’ One cannot agree more here with the rector that the promotion of education requires greater emphasis in any attempt at restructuring.

Restructuring means different things to different people. Even, at the level of national and international politics, the conception of restructuring is not the same thing even though the ultimate objective of restructuring remains the same.

Internationally speaking, restructuring is coterminous with reform or review, revisit, reconsideration, or amendment.Africa’s quest for the reform of the United Nations, especially at the level of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) clearly illustrates this point. The misuse of the right of veto by the Five Permanent Members (P-5) of the UNSC was a major dynamic of the calls for reform and international concern, particularly during the Cold War era.

However, the P-5 has not shown any keen interest in any reform that will deny them the privilege of veto. Besides, as provided in Articles 108 and 109 of the United Nations Charter, the requirement of unanimity or consensus of the P-5 before the Charter can be amended, is to prevent any reform that will not be in the interest of the P-5.

In the national setting, restructuring can lead to territorial separation but cannot in the international arena, as the politics of perestroika

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Buhari

and glasnost has pointed to in the former Soviet Union. Restructuring can enhance nation-building if well-handled and it can undermine it if not well-conducted and managed.

Third, political governance in Nigeria is currently fraught with many threats to national security and political stability. In fact, calls for restructuring have been on the increase. The Southern Senators Forum has met to discuss the issue. The Northern Senators Forum also met last week in Katsina to discuss the issue. In fact, the issue of restructuring retained the focused attention of the 2014 National Conference, as shown in its Main Report, particularly in the section on devolution of power (pages 99-107).

For instance, the Conference recommended 68 items under Section 5.4 on devolution of power for the Exclusive Legislative List. They included defence, including arms, ammunition and explosives; banks, banking, exchange control, bills of exchange, currency, legal tender and promissory notes; census; citizenship, naturalisation, and aliens; federal trunk roads; extradition; military, meteorology, public service of the federation, nuclear energy; railways; prisons; trade and commerce; weight and measures; and public holidays.

The main problem with the foregoing recommendations, however, is that President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) is not interested in any of the arguments of restructuring.As he has put it, Nigeria’s unity is not ‘negotiable.’ This simply means that, like Gowon’s war slogan, ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done,’ Nigeria will be kept united by all means, including the use of force and whatever the circumstance.

Most unfortunately, however, as noted above, the environmental conditionings of political governance are not favourable to the hard stance of PMB. In the face of current inclement environment, the federal government is still much saddled with how to permanently nip in the bud the challenges posed by the Boko Haram and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for theActualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). In addition to this, is not only the new dimension of public interpretation of the Fulani herdsmen-farmers saga, but how the situation of the country is generally seen.

It is argued that we cannot be doing the same thing the same way and expect any change for the better. Opponents of restructuring are

.There is no need for anyone to cry wolf about the need for national unity or restructuring without first addressing how Nigeria is governed. If Nigeria is restructured today and the mental attitude is not, it cannot but be a change in continuity. It is when PMB decides to do what is right in terms of fairness and justice that Nigeria can know and have peace. Dinah Maria Mulock Craik once argued that‘the secret of life is not to do what one likes, but to try to like that which one has to do.’ I cannot agree more with her. In the same vein, Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) has posited that‘vive pius, moriere pius,’that is‘live righteously, you shall die righteously

considered selfish as they simply want to be collecting easy money from the centre and be expending it without accountability. Many people believe that the country is not and cannot move forward unless there is preliminary restructuring.

For instance, Nigeria is said to be very rich in natural resources. The reported resources are mostly on the exclusive legislative list. But, most unfortunately, the federal government is yet to take much interest in them. The constitutive states of Nigeria in which the mineral resources are located want to have the possibility of exploiting them for their own development. However, the rigidity that has come to characterise policy-making under the administration of PMB has been a major source of the political bile in the country.

In fact, the serious concerns generated as a result of the political situation in the country are to the extent that various strata of society have now been insisting on the urgent need for restructuring. To a great extent, the proponents of restructuring cannot be wrong. In the first case, unity is not and cannot be imposed. It can only be desired and worked for. When it is imposed, it does not last. Many cases in international practice have clearly shown this. Even when it is desired and negotiated for, the right of withdrawal is always still provided for.

And even when it is not provided for, fundamental human rights of freedom to exist and associate or not to associate with any group of people is still there. Freedom is the most important pillar of democracy.

Explained differently, with the items recommended to be put on the exclusive legislative list, and for which PMB is showing little or no concern, the likelihood of restructuring may not be for the immediate future. In fact, the non-attention can only strengthen the existing national discord on the matter. It can only strengthen the armed struggle for self-determination by the IPOB and the MASSOB. It can only create new opportunities of strength for the Boko Haram as government cannot but be faced with fighting in different battlefields.

We also strongly believe that restructuring, if it takes place, has the potential to generate adoption of principles of self-reliance, particularly in terms of initiative-taking, reducing excessive dependence on others for survival and generation of development plans. Self-reliance gives birth to self-pride and self-projection. With all this, it is self and national identity that will be promoted in the long run. However, in the event restructuring leads to disintegration, national identity and nationbuilding cannot but be more seriously impacted upon. Consequently, it is now a desideratum to seek to go beyond the bile and politics of restructuring and therefore deal squarely with the issues in restructuring.

In this regard, the School of Communication and Liberal Studies’ conference identified more than 20 issues for discussion. They included national industrial policy for purposes of national development, crisis of citizenship, constitutionalism, psychology of identity in nation-building, entrepreneurship in restructuring small and medium enterprises, role of online media in restructuring, resource control, reinventing true federalism, role of radio in restructuring rural education, and restructuring the language of politics in Nigeria.

On the issue of citizenship, for instance, MartinsArogundade of the Department of General Studies argued that ‘one of the major issues that confront the nation-state building project inAfrica today is the postcolonial crisis of citizenship,’ and that ‘the constitutionally set criteria for and the notion of citizenship to primordial attachments (such as indigene, non-indigene, native settler divide) to local communities undermine the prospect of nation-building.’ Michael Sonayon of the Department of Political Science of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education submitted that the ‘1914 amalgamation that culminated in the emergence of a state called “Nigeria� was not actually done to promote’ unity and that the constitutional efforts made by the colonial master were unable to sufficiently lay the foundation for a viable state,’ Onwuliri et al not only reminded in their paper on resource control of K.C. Wheare’s argument that financial autonomy and independence is required in guaranteeing ‘true federalism, but also advised that every state in the federation of Nigeria should control and manage the natural resources located within its territory. What is obvious from the various papers presented, as well as from the general debate in the country, is that no one has openly come out in favour of disintegration of the country. Virtually all contributions were made along the path of a stronger and united Nigeria. But the approach is what is yet to be well articulated. This, again, has been made more difficult with the position of PMB, and particularly by the politicisation of it.

Beyond the Bile and Politics of Restructuring

The notion of restructuring is complex and generally misunderstood. Restructuring is a process and can therefore be explicated as an objective to be attained, method of attainment of the objective, and as a solution or outcome. In whichever way it is looked at, restructuring as an act is not really Nigeria’s problem. It is the attitudinal disposition to issues in political governance. Without doubt, all the issues involved in restructuring are well known but, again, it is not the issues involved that are the main sources of Nigeria’s problem. It is how the issues are perceived and evaluated for purposes of decision-taking that matters.

Consequently, the current generation of political leaders in Nigeria is a major obstacle to national unity and nation-building. The operation of a presidential system of government is another obstacle. The attitude of the people is another. On the basis of these obstacles, no amount of restructuring can make Nigeria free from political chicanery and dishonesty of purpose.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 17, 2017

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

BUSINESS

Business Editor Vincent Obia Tel: 08054681757 Email: vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

GE: Improper Alignment between Education Curriculum and Industry Needs, Major Barrier to Nigeria’s Devt Recommends holistic public-private partnership to address skills gaps

LAST WEEK Trade The value of Nigeria’s trade balance, for the first time since 2014, reached N1.23 trillion in the third quarter of 2017 due to increase in exports and adeclineinimports.Thiswasdisclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics, in its report published, Monday, on the bureau’s website. According to the report, the figure exceeded the N506.5billionrecordedintheprevious quarter. The report also showed that the value of Nigeria’s total imports in goods decreased by 10.51 per cent in thethirdquarterof2017,fromtheN2.6 trillion recorded in the second quarter of 2017 to N2.3 trillion.

IMF Despite seeing Nigeria as a viable investment destination, the InternationalMonetaryFundsaidprospective investorswerebeingheldbackbyfears of possible difficulties in repatriating profits.SeniorFinancialSectorExpert, Debt and Capital Market Instruments Division,MonetaryandCapitalMarkets Department,IMF,MiriamTamene,stated thisduringavisitoftheIMFteamtothe Securities and ExchangeCommission inAbuja.TheIMFexperturgedNigeria’s monetary and regulatory authorities, liketheCentralBankofNigeriaandSEC, toevolvepoliciestobringdowntherate ofinflationinthecountryandincrease access to domestic funds.

A textile production line Vincent Obia TA report released Tuesday by General Electric, Nigeria, emphasised the need for investment in relevant skills to meet requirements in key sectors of the country’s economy. Titled, “The Future of Work in Nigeria, Bridging the Skills Gap: The Key to Unlocking Nigeria’s Inherent Potential,” the report was part of the company’s global “The Future of Work” series, which highlight the need for investment in sustainable skills development.

“The Future of Work in Nigeria” was the product of a survey of four key industries of oil and gas, transportation, healthcare, and power, commissioned

by GE. The purpose was to gain insight from industry leaders, including chief executive officers and human relations and operations directors, on the impact of skills shortage on their businesses, and ways to address the skills gap.

The report by the leading global digital industrial company highlighted quality education as crucial to Nigeria’s future socio-economic development, saying the lack of proper alignment between current educational curriculum and industry needs is a major hindrance to the country’s infrastructural development.

It recommended dialogue as a first step, and public-private partnerships as a key driver in enhancing the quality of education.

The report acknowledged Nigeria’s enormous potential for private sector development in terms of resources and market. But it said the growth witnessed in the last decade and a half could have been accelerated if Nigeria was able to successfully and effectively harness its human capital, leveraging its

INDUSTRY demographic dividend—an estimated population of 170 million people, 75% of which is under the age of 30 – which is projected to increase by 40% by 2025 and by over 100% by 2050. It said Nigeria’s labour market was unable to absorb the rapidly expanding population while at the same time a huge skills gap emerged for companies seeking to hire and develop their local workforce because the skills required in the industries experiencing growth had changed.

GE said, “Nigeria must grow faster, and rapidly develop the skills of its workforce if it is to realise its potential.”

To lay the foundation for faster and sustainable job creation within the context of requirements in the key sectors, GE believed Nigeria needs a three-pronged strategy based on: a stronger education system with closer links to industry; more open and flexible labour markets and a broader talent localisation strategy pursued in partnership with global companies; and a conscious effort to build the pipeline of skills needed to successfully leverage the technological advances of tomorrow, enabling the “Future of Work in Nigeria”.

In an overview of key industry skills gap, the report said though total investment inflows into the power sector averaged $2.5 billion during the privatisation process from 2012, investment in infrastructure in the sector remained low. Underlining the inadequate investment in human capital, the report said industry operators estimated that the average age of workers in the sector prior to privatisation was about 52 years, which highlights a vast lack of adequately skilled workers within the younger generation, an essential

component needed to develop the power industry. It attributed the deficit in part to decreasing interest in Engineering and Sciences among university and polytechnic applicants. Quoting information from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the report noted that applications for Engineering and other technical courses was 13.24%, compared to 23.35% for Social Science. To increase the number of graduates with technical backgrounds, the report said there should be a general reorientation towards the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the country.

In the area of transport, the report cites the World Economic Forum Competiveness report, which ranked Nigeria 133 in overall quality of infrastructure out of 140 economies that were examined, with To lay the foundation for faster and sustainable job creation GE believed Nigeria needs a three-pronged strategy based on: a stronger education system with closer links to industry; more open and flexible labour markets and a broader talent localisation strategy, and a conscious effort to build the pipeline of skills needed to successfully leverage the technological advances of tomorrow

transport forming a critical component of this evaluation. “Despite successful privatisation of Nigeria’s ports concessions, the country faces rising capacity constraints, notably at its main cargo terminals in Lagos, while road and rail infrastructure across the country requires significant investment. There have been very positive developments in this regard in recent years with a huge rise in public and private investment. But there remain prominent skills shortages in transport planning and management,

as well as in more technical roles,” the whitepaper stated.

For the oil and gas sector, the report identified the skills gap mainly in technical areas of the industry and in multi-disciplinary management roles. It said in the past, most international oil companies bridged the gap by hiring many expatriates to occupy positions believed to be too technical or strategic for the local workforce to handle. However, this approach did not help to develop local talent and deepen local benefit across the economy from the country’s oil resource.

Consequently, the government in April 2010 enacted the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act to increase the level of local participation and benefits from the industry.

Before the local content law, there was the Nigerian Immigration Act of 1972, which included requirements to introduce understudies for expatriate staff to help transfer skills and technical understanding to the local workforce.

Despite these policies, the report noted that the oil and gas sector continued to lack the required level of technical capacity to effectively drive its expansion in the long-term.

“The government maintains an ambition to increase crude oil production from 2.5 million barrels to 4 million by 2020. To achieve this, it will require clear policy management and effective handling of security issues in the Niger Delta. But it will also need private and public stakeholders to begin to collectively invest in building the technical skills that will support these goals.”

The report said the country’s health system had deteriorated over time

Cont’d on Page 21

Tax The Federal Inland Revenue Service said the federal government had so far realised N17 billion from the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme inaugurated in July.

FIRS Executive Chairman, Babatunde Fowler, disclosed this. Fowler said the N17 billion was voluntarily paid by some companies through VAIDS, an amnesty programme inaugurated by the government for taxpayers to regularise their tax status relating to previous tax periods. According to him,theinitiativeismakingprogressas additional N6 billion is expected to be paid by some corporate bodies before the end of 2017.

Oil TotalOilpenultimateFridaysaiditsnew Egina field, offshore Nigeria, was on tracktostartadding10percenttothe country’sproductionin2018.Thefield willhaveacapacityof200,000barrels perdayandlaunchinthefourthquarter of2018,counterbalancingproduction constrainedbyagingpipelines,theft,and sabotage.“Thatcouldcertainlychange the dynamics,” said head of crude and products at Resource Economist, a consultancy,EhsanUl-Haq.TheNigerian petroleumministrydidnotrespondto a request for comments on the Egina field start up, and whether production elsewherewouldbecurtailedasaresult.

Bond The Debt Management Office announced that as part of preparations for the issuance of the first Sovereign GreenBond,itwouldsensitiseprospectiveinvestorsinthebondthrougharoad showinAbujaandLagosthisDecember.

The offer, which is for N10.69 billion, isexpectedtobeadvertisedinvarious media organs, including newspapers and the DMO’s website, to enable the public subscribe to the bonds.

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INTERVIEW

Irvine

Irvine: We’re Undertaking World’s Biggest Waste Management Job in Lagos John Irvine is Chief Executive Officer of Visionscape Group, a multinational corporation providing specialised environmental solutions, which is currently in charge of waste management in Lagos State under the state’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative. Though internationally known for its environmental services, ranging from waste management, sanitation, and wastewater treatment for governments and municipalities to recycling, resourcing, and manufacturing, Visionscape is new in Nigeria. Yet it is handling what it calls the world’s largest waste management contract for the Lagos State government. Irvine discusses the contract, involving an integrated waste management system scheduled for full rollout in January, in this interview with Vincent Obia and Kunle Aderinokun. Excerpts:

Y

our company is new in Nigeria. Can you shed some light on your activities and your vision regarding waste management in Lagos?

Visionscape is a group of environmental companies. We deliver to the value chain of the waste stream. What I mean by that is, not only do we collect the physical waste, but as part of our core business, we develop that waste. We reuse what we pick up within our contract and we bring that material back.

For instance, some of our sister companies in the UK will assist us in bringing some of the recycled plastics back to the business under the CLI umbrella and deliver to the

community sanitation workers. We have a range of businesses across the globe with the same underlying message. Wherever we go, we bring what we call a closed-loop philosophy to the business. So whatever we collect in the waste stream, we try and reuse it for our activities globally.

What has been your experience in Lagos State so far?

We are a new face. For so many years, people have been used to the norm, which has been government managing the waste process. We will bring something fresh into the market. But this is not about Visionscape as an individual company; this is not even about Visionscape being part of the CLI. This

is about the engagement with the residents within the state. Without their buy in and trust, we will all fail. So the most important part for us as a company and as part of the CLI umbrella is to be sure that Lagosians understand that we are here not only for ourselves as a corporate entity, but we are here to deliver something special to the state.

How do you plan to address the huge waste problem in Lagos?

A contract like this has what we call in the industry an 18-month window. The beginning of the contract is spread to three areas, and between four and six months in each segment. The first six months is mobilisation, and that entails going into the state, investi-

gating, recording, studying, surveying, and collecting all the data. There was no data, unfortunately, here for us. When we speak about data, we mean technical data, like GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping, there was nothing like that. So we have to go and create our own GIS mapping. That takes between four and six months.

The second area is stability. So when we start the contract, which will be officially in January, the six months stability means we start reaching out into areas, wards, LCDAs, and we start delivering service. The third element is what we call the augmentation stage, that is the last segment of the 18 months window, and that is where we enhance the service.

That brings to the end the 600 vehicles that

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INTERVIEW

The Major Problem of Waste Management in Lagos is Communication

goal of a cleaner Lagos with the very few waste bins you have deployed in the state currently?

will come, the support vehicles, and collecting vehicles. That is the time it takes to deliver a contract like this.

Then you would say, what have you done?

We have been cleaning the state for over six months, and we will show you the black spots, we are tackling the illegal dumpsites 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The only thing we are not doing at the moment is the physical day to day collection of what we call the MSW – municipal solid waste – and that is because that happens in phase two, the stability stage.

You can’t just bring a million bins and throw them out into the streets. Everything is about planning and a phased approach. That’s one of the problems we have in Nigeria, people automatically think that things should happen overnight. If you put a million bins on the streets, how do you plan on picking them?

There are over 620 vehicles coming. If I have the money to get the 620 vehicles and they all come in here tomorrow, how do I deploy 620 vehicles in a day, week, and month? I need to train staff; I need to ensure the vehicles are properly maintained. Lagosians were worried because they heard that things were changing, but they didn’t know what was happening.

From your assessment so far, what is the key problem of waste management in Lagos?

It’s like every other developing city in the world that we’ve worked in. We’ve touched South America, North America, and the Middle East. The biggest problem is communication, talking to the residents to let them understand.

The problem is, as a resident in Lagos, I don’t know when the garbage truck is coming. Are they coming today, tomorrow, we don’t know.

What we are bringing to the table as part of the CLI is a methodology that would allow the residents within the wards and LCDAs to know exactly when we are coming. And that would be everyday. It may be twice a day. It requires a process and planning.

The crux of the problem is that in Nigeria, as in many developing countries, there is no proper integrated waste management system.

That is what we are here to do – communication and education – for people to know there is a lot to do beyond just picking up your waste and that waste doesn’t just go away.

We see in Olusosun (refuse dump site), for instance, which used to be at the end of the city, which is now in the middle of the city.

Over the years, we had one attitude towards waste, which is, just get rid of it. But there is a lot of planning that goes into managing it because it is something that you are doing everyday, and what happens when you are not there. There hadn’t been a critical and honest look at what the situation is and the need for an integrated waste management system.

What would this new waste management system cost Lagosians?

Not much has really changed because Lagosians are paying their taxes everyday.

It is under the one government umbrella.

There is no cost. It is important to note that the Lagos State government is our client. We are not billing the people of Lagos directly. We are here to manage the municipal service that the government is providing to the people.

What precisely are you supposed to do for Lagos residents under this contract?

We are the primary residential waste collector for Lagos State. We will be collecting waste in the over two million households, servicing the 22 million residents, and taking up waste from every household. Part of that brief is a moral and corporate responsibility to aid the residents to reduce their waste and to drive the waste away from the dumpsites.

Take Epe landfill, for instance, we are taking ownership of the site. It would be the first engineered corporate landfill in West Africa, mixing culture and systems. In January, we are starting the remediation work. So it’s not just about collecting the waste. It is, how do we manage that waste from the front door of the residents to the final point of destination.

Visionscape prides itself on being a provider of waste to energy solutions.

What should Lagosians expect from you in this regard?

Waste to energy is not part of our contract.

It is part of what we do as a company, it’s something we would like to do, but there are limitations here. Federal law prohibits you from distributing energy that you generate. The type of waste to energy that we are talking about is enough to change lives and it’s enough to provide millions of homes with energy. But there is a bit of way to go before you get there in Nigeria because of the limitations and bureaucracy that come with distribution of power.

What of waste to wealth?

Cont’d from Pg. 20

There are concerns that the PSP’s – the former waste management operators – were abruptly stopped by the state government without any stopgap measures to mitigate the problems that would arise from their exit before your full take off. How would you react to this?

Irvine Recycle education is one of the things that we are big on. It’s very important, not just from the waste to wealth angle, as most people think waste to wealth immediately translates to money. There is profit that you can make from waste and that is one of the things we would be educating people on. But that is not the main point of recycle education. Recycle education is really about sustainability and letting people understand, you cannot go on like this. If you keep on drinking from a new plastic bottle and discarding it everyday, that plastic bottle takes 450 years to degrade.

Eventually you are going to run out of space and that is if the chemical from the bottles that is going into the groundwater doesn’t kill us before that. Whichever one happens first. Recycle education is very important.

We have a recycle credit programme that is going to be directly tied to incentivising people to recycle.

Furthermore, under the CLI, which we are just a part of, there are companies, including us, that are going to be implementing the environmental projects and those projects involve jobs. For instance, under the CLI, with the cleaning of the streets, there is a recruitment that has been going on all year that happened in Agege and Alausa, recently.

It has to do with 27, 500 community sanitation workers who are to do street sweeping and cleaning. That is outside the 6, 000 that are doing the work now. The landfill in Epe, which is about 88 hectares, would need hundreds of workers. There is multiplier effect, as these new jobs come with disposable incomes that were not there before.

That is economic wealth. The most important thing that people forget here is environmental and social wealth. A cleaner environment is a better place to live in. When people speak about environmental wealth, they tend to automatically talk about naira and dollar. But the reality is something more important than dollars and naira. It’s about people’s lives and the children who come after us. You can imagine 15, 20 years’ time, there would be no waste line on the streets. There will be no waste line on the streets in a year’s time.

I can guarantee that and you can quote me on that because the processes we are putting in place, the systems that you will see will reinforce my statement. The most important people in this are the Lagpsians. They need transparency and understanding of what we are doing.

To put it into context, let’s take Miami in the US, which is very coastal, like Lagos is, for instance, waterfront properties in Miami cost

millions of dollars. You go there, you want to stay in a hotel, there are nice restaurants, you want to walk along the beach. If we were in a situation where we had a fully integrated waste management system, and our waters were not so polluted, we would be able to take advantage of tourism, for instance.

You have tourists in Miami everyday and waterfront hotels that are fully booked. You are paying on average $500 - $600 a night.

You can imagine what that would give us by cleaning up the city alone. The bar beach stretch of Ahmadu Bello road in Victoria Island, for instance, imagine all of those waterfront properties that are just abandoned, if we were able to get to the stage of doing environmental remediation, which is one of the things you see them doing with Eko Atlantic and pushing the water back. If we are able to clean up our city to the point where you could turn that stretch of VI into a place where people could visit, those people would be bringing in dollars, pounds, etc.

What is the duration of this waste management contract?

Ten years. We are being monitored, not just by Lagos State, but by the world. This is the largest waste management contract in the world. It is a performance based contract.

How do you intend to achieve your

I have been all over the world; this is the largest waste management contract in the world.

And you think it is the dirtiest city, it is not.

I have been to worse places than Lagos.

This is not easy, but it is achievable, with ourselves as part of the CLI, the government, and residents working together

PSPs were never stopped from working.

There was a recertification that PSPs were asked to come and do under the new environmental law. There was a law that was to be revamped to bring together everything holistically. On record at the time, there were about 300 PSPs. If there were really 300 PSPs servicing the state, obviously, there wouldn’t have been the problems that were witnessed.

The revalidation was required to make sure, for instance, that you who say you have five trucks and collect money for the services every month really have those trucks. I can’t speak for the state, but I can only speak to the facts I knew at the time.

What makes Visionscape different from the previous waste management operators in the state?

We have history. The core waste management team here have an excess of a hundred years’ experience in waste management. Myself 30 years. The second thing, which is perhaps most important, is transparency. We have nothing to hide. And, third, probably the most important one for Lagos residents, we have commitment. We are here to deliver a social, economic project under the CLI and we are here to make it work. We are here to transfer our skills. You may come back here in six months’ time and it would be a Lagosian who would be sitting here, because it’s part of my brief from the board. I have to make sure this contract is being run by residents, for residents, and for the future. This is not about profitability and pushing up the value of the group, this is about really delivering something special. I have been all over the world; this is the largest waste management contract in the world. And you guys think it is the dirtiest city, it is not. I have been to worse places than Lagos. This is not easy, but it is achievable, with ourselves as part of the CLI, the government, and residents working together.

What is your vision for the next five years?

Our business plan over the next five years is to reduce the amount of waste residents are putting into the illegal waste dumps. We can’t say a figure as yet. Come back in three months’ time, we would know what we call waste composition, the characterisations, and which wards have which waste stream. I can then make some commitments to you, and say we would do ABC in one or two years.

In five years’ time, we would have delivered an outstanding project under the umbrella of CLI.

How would you evaluate the level of environmental sustainability consciousness among Nigerians?

Sustainability is very much in its infancy stage in Nigeria. We do have environmental education programme where we start from the school, teaching children about recycling, etc. We have a very active schools programme.

We have identified schools in every LCDA so that we touch every single ward and make it part of their educational programme. That is besides advocacy.

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INTERVIEW Mirchandani: There Must Be Deliberate Policies to Cut Cost of Borrowing for Manufacturers Mr. Arjan Mirchandani is Chairman of Sona Group of Industries, one of Nigeria’s biggest manufacturing chains. Mirchandani says the Nigerian government must take deliberate steps to support growth in the manufacturing sector if the country is to develop, stressing that Africa can be self-sufficient if investment is encouraged with sound policies. He also speaks on his company’s multi-billion naira expansion projects in Nigeria, in this interview conducted recently after a facility tour. Abimbola Akosile was there. Excerpts:

M

r. Arjan Mirchandani is Chairman of Sona Group of Industries, one of Nigeria’s biggest manufacturing chains. Mirchandani says the Nigerian government must take deliberate steps to support growth in the manufacturing sector if the country is to develop, stressing that Africa can be self-sufficient if investment is encouraged with sound policies. He also speaks on his company’s multi-billion naira expansion projects in Nigeria, in this interview conducted recently after a facility tour. Abimbola Akosile was there. Excerpts:

What is your greatest attraction to the Nigerian economy and what is the cumulative net worth of your investment?

Talking about net worth, everything belongs to God. Nothing belongs to me; I am only a trustee.

We didn’t bring anything into this life and we are not going to take anything with us when we die. Whatever I have is from God. The question should be, how banks and government policies can help? Government must make policies to help manufacturing. In my opinion, such policies are lacking. The banks charge 22 to 24 per cent.

How do they want manufacturers to survive with such interest rates? Banks are not even giving money without 100 per cent bank guarantee.

With these kinds of conditions manufacturers cannot survive. Today, we work with India. India gives three per cent on loans. Manufacturing is easier that way because the cost will be cheaper and we’ll be able to export more. So I think government policies are important to help.

It is instructive that a bank is involved in this facility tour. What inspired their participation?

Of course, they are looking for customers. You could see that they are impressed by what we have done, but they are not lending. But we are still talking to them. They are saying they can’t give loans for less than 21-22 per cent because government lends them money at 17-18 per cent and, as such, they can’t lend for cheaper.

So, it’s a policy issue that the government must look at to reduce the cost of borrowing.

As a major manufacturer, what would you say governments in Nigeria are doing right or otherwise in terms of policies?

I still think that government can give more concession to industries that are doing the right things and are using local raw materials. They should help them to grow more. Charity begins at home. If government can encourage such industries, Nigeria will be self-sufficient. And Africa will be self-sufficient, because if we have goods here we can supply neighbouring countries and they will depend less on foreign imports.

Nigeria has exited recession and experts say this is good news for manufacturers like you. Do you feel any sense of increase in the purchasing power of consumers, which should drive demand?

I think purchasing power is reducing because salaries have remained the same. Obviously, the poor people only buy necessities and that is normal.

If the consumer is spending less, which means demand is not improving, how come you are expanding your investment rapidly?

We are investing more because we feel that Nigeria requires these jobs and population is always growing; and, again, we have now embarked on export and when you export

Mirchandani you need excess capital. It is necessary for us to export. Nigeria is a big market, but we have other markets around us. In those other markets we have people who also need our products for survival.

Going by the huge investment you are making in a struggling economy, is there a research pattern by which you study the market to understand what the market wants?

I think some businesses are struggling because they are not producing quality goods. Manufacturers who don’t produce quality goods will definitely not survive. Nigerians are very clever and they are people of taste. They understand the value of goods. If you introduce a good quality product, the packaging is good, and presentation is good, Nigerians will buy. Now,

I still think that government can give more concession to industries that are doing the right things and are using local raw materials. They should help them to grow more. Charity begins at home

there is restriction on import and when you have such people turn to local alternatives, and we are providing those alternatives, that helps us to understand people and what they demand and when the demand increases you naturally have to expand to see that you satisfy the consumers.

Again, imported items are disappearing from the shelves and the sellers are running to us. For instance, many people used to import biscuits from India, but they no longer import because of forex problems. They come to us and demand that we produce biscuits for them. You can go to some of the Indian shops and you’ll find our goods. So, the demand is there.

Can you tell us about the installed capacities of your various businesses, in terms of actual capacity utilisation and

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Mirchandani: There Must be Deliberate Policies to Cut Cost of Borrowing for Manufacturers Cont’d from Pg.. 22 demand?

have to wait for 100 days for their goods to arrive and they don’t have to go through foreign exchange problems. Everybody will like to get locally products that they should have normally imported. That will help the economy of the country. We are doing exactly the same things in so many other areas. For example, we are producing malt extract here and so many other biscuit companies are buying from us and using it in the place of sugar, which is imported. We have huge orders, we cannot meet demand.

We are looking into export. We started this year and we can see that export is growing. We see everyday growth. We started in Ghana but we now export to Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire. I can see that there is a demand and that is why they are coming to us. It is very important for Africans to buy from Africans. Africa should get out of the mentality that only foreign goods are great.

But how do you tackle the challenge of cross-border transportation, which is a major impediment to trade in the continent?

From the look of things, you emphasise global standard quality production in your businesses, how are you able to achieve that despite the difďŹ culties of the operating environment?

I must admit that borders are difficult. If the borders become easier to cross, I am sure we can export more and the cost will come down. But, again, every business has its own challenges.

Challenges will always come; they are nothing new. Every good thing has its own challenges.

I think difficulties are within us; we can solve them. It is not a problem. I believe if you are manufacturing goods and you are not giving quality, people will reject them. Number two, you must comply with international regulation for you to be accepted in the export market.

You have to put in efforts to comply. People who want to buy want to come over to the factory to see what our practice is, whether it is normal practice or international practice; is it going to jeopardise the interest of the public?

So, we need to be updated because the world is a global village. Manufacturers need to do something to ensure that they are in compliance with global quality; otherwise, export will be very difficult. Multinationals like PZ, Guinness, Nigerian Breweries and others keep placing big demands because we meet their quality specifications. If we don’t, they won’t come. We work to gain the confidence of these companies.

During the facility tour of your business you mentioned the fact that the market is huge. How huge is the market?

The market is huge and we can expand to twice as much, as we are doing now. That is not a problem because the imports have been restricted. People used to bring in goods from Taiwan, China and other countries; but today they are not able to import due to forex problems.

Are you also making investments in new technology and human capacity development to meet the rising demand?

Today, if you don’t have a plant that is fully automated people will not buy your goods.

You cannot produce goods anyhow and expect people to buy.

People are very clever. In any case, somebody is paying the money and he has to see what he is paying for and he has a choice because there are other manufacturers. That is why we have to invest in technology to produce quality, and to mass produce in a way that the cost of production will reduce.

There has been a massive growth in the biscuits market lately. What is driving that growth? Is it just taste?

It is not just taste. We are very careful. We used all local raw materials. We make cashew, ginger biscuits. Ginger is local, it comes from Kano. Again, the malt extract that we use for biscuits is produced by our sister company and that replaces sugar. So we don’t have to import sugar. It is much healthier.

When is the ethanol plant going to be operational?

We are looking at about two months’ time.

Right now, they are putting finishing touches to it. We will be able to supply a lot of companies like pharmaceutical, food and drinks. And, I will like to see that they each get a good price.

Mirchandani

Most of your raw materials are agro-based, are you therefore also thinking of venturing into agriculture/farming?

We are encouraging local farmers because they also want to survive. We want them to have that understanding that we are buyers. We believe that we should encourage the farmers by paying them for their produce and give them an opportunity to grow. We are looking at ways by which we can help them to increase their yields by teaching them what kind of seeds

to plant. We have the IITA in Ibadan and we work with them to help the local farmers. We believe that is the way it should be.

You are building what is said to be the largest ethanol plant in Africa, what is driving that investment?

You have so many other industries that require ethanol and they are all importing; if we can produce ethanol here locally we can supply better, cheaper and quicker. Then, they don’t

Your rice mill is in Ghana, is there a chance that you will replicate what you are doing there in Nigeria?

The future nobody knows. But we are doing what we consider best in every market. I love the people of Ghana. Africa, to me, is great. God created all as one but the fact is that what we are doing here is not in Ghana. We always look at the opportunities in each market to make investment decisions.

GE: Improper Alignment between Education Curriculum and Industry Needs, Major Hindrance to Nigeria’s Devt Cont’d from Pg.. 19 due to a substantial skills gap caused mainly by the mass migration of capable healthcare workers to more developed economies. It said the health industry had been one of the worst hit areas of the economy by “brain-drain�. It quoted the Institute of International Education as saying that as of November 2015, about 227 doctors migrated from Nigeria in the preceding year alone, citing as reasons for their emigration poor remuneration, lack of a conducive work environment, and lack of infrastructure. The report noted that there were 72,000 healthcare practitioners registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. But of that number, only an estimated 45,000 still worked in the country while about 20,000 worked abroad, resulting in an average doctor-patient ratio of about 1:6,300 (well below the World Health Organisation recommended ratio of 1:1,000). There is also the issue of uneven distribution of healthcare practitioners, with urban areas having the bulk of resources.

According to the report, “The health sector requires a wide array of professionals as well as the precise application of knowledge to provide high quality services to patients. Thus, some of the responsibility for the failings witnessed in the Nigerian health system must be attributed to the education sector.

There are only 31 federal universities fully accredited to offer medical programmes, with eight dental schools producing as few as 3,000 doctors annually.�

It said insufficient infrastructure had also limited the number of medical specialists that can be produced.

Chief Executive Officer, General Electric, Nigeria, Lazarus Angbazo, stated, “At GE, we believe that a country’s infrastructure extends beyond the physical power stations, roads, bridges, schools

BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS GAP ACROSS KEY SECTORS

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Source: National Planning Commission (NPC) - National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (2013 - 2043) and hospitals that are built. We believe that human capital, and the skills of the workforce that builds, maintains and services these assets is equally, if not more important. That’s why we are committed to working with all partners in Nigeria to support the attainment of what we call ‘The Future of Work.’ “We know that investing in skills development is a job for both the private sector and public sector

combined, working purposefully towards a shared goal of sustainability and prosperity.�

Angbazo added, “Competing in the 21st century global economy requires advanced skills development strategies and policies robust enough to adjust to changes in the economic landscape and the associated demands for skills.�

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who wrote the

preface to the report, stated, “The availability of skilled labour is one of the key competitive advantages that global investors look for when making choices about where to invest,� stressing, “We must invest in developing a labour force that is globally competitive so that we can accelerate our growth performance and capture a greater proportion of global investment.�

24

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

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Yϯ͗ϮϬϭϳ &ŽƌĞŝŐŶ dƌĂĚĞ ^ƚĂƟƐƟĐƐ͗ dƌĂĚĞ ^ƵƌƉůƵƐ ŽůƐƚĞƌĞĚ ďLJ ZĞĐŽǀĞƌLJ ŝŶ 'ůŽďĂů Kŝů DĂƌŬĞƚ Yϯ͗ϮϬϭϳ &ŽƌĞŝŐŶ dƌĂĚĞ ^ƚĂƟƐƟĐƐ͗ dƌĂĚĞ ^ƵƌƉůƵƐ ŽůƐƚĞƌĞĚ ďLJ ZĞĐŽǀĞƌLJ ŝŶ 'ůŽďĂů Kŝů DĂƌŬĞƚ

,Ϯ͗ϮϬϭϴ͕ ĂŶ ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ƐƚĂďůĞ͕ ŝƐ ďŽƵŶĚ ƚŽ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƚƌĂĚĞ ďĂůĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ͘

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'ůŽďĂů ƋƵŝƚLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĞǀŝĞǁ ĂŶĚ KƵƚůŽŽŬ

-2***

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ Z/ ^͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ĂƐ Ăůů ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƐĂǀĞ ĨŽƌ /ŶĚŝĂ ^ ^ĞŶƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ Ϭ͘ϲй͕ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ƐŽƵƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ͘ ^ŽƵƚŚ ĨƌŝĐĂ͛Ɛ &d^ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ďŝŐŐĞƐƚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϭ͘Ϯй t'Ž't͘ >ŝŬĞǁŝƐĞ͕ ZƵƐƐŝĂ Zd^ ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ĨĂůůŝŶŐ Ϭ͘ϵй t'Ž't ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ZƵƐƐŝĂŶ ĐĞŶƚƌĂů ďĂŶŬ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞĚ Ă ƉůĂŶ ƚŽ ďĂŝů ŽƵƚ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ďĂŶŬƐ͘ dŚĞ ŚŝŶĂ ^ŚĂŶŐŚĂŝ ŽŵƉŽƐŝƚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ ƐƵŝƚ͕ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ Ϭ͘ϳй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ĐŽŶĐĞƌŶƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ŽĨ h^ ƚĂdž ƌĞĨŽƌŵƐ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ƌĂnjŝů /ďŽǀĞƐƉĂ ůŽƐƚ Ϭ͘Ϯй t'Ž't ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶ ďLJ ƌĂnjŝů͛Ɛ ŽŶŐƌĞƐƐ ůŽǁĞƌ ŚŽƵƐĞ ƚŽ ĚĞůĂLJ ƚƌŝŵŵŝŶŐ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƐĞĐƵƌŝƚLJ' Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ͛Ɛ ƐƵƌŐŝŶŐ ƉƵďůŝĐ ĚĞďƚ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƵƌĂƐŝĂ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ͕ ϯ ŽĨ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƌĞŇĞĐƟŶŐ Ă ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘ dŚĞ :ĂƉĂŶ EŝŬŬĞŝ ůŽƐƚ ϭ͘ϭй t'Ž't ĂƐ ŵĂũŽƌ ĞdžƉŽƌƚĞƌƐ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ LJĞŶ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ƚŚĞ ĚŽůůĂƌ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ǀĞŝŶ͕ &ƌĂŶĐĞ͛Ɛ ϰϬ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϭ͘ϭй ǁŚŝůĞ 'ĞƌŵĂŶLJ͛Ɛ y dZ y ƐŚĞĚ Ϭ͘ϳй t'Ž't͘ dŚĞ ,ŽŶŐ <ŽŶŐ ,ĂŶŐ ^ĞŶŐ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶĞƌ͕ ƌŝƐŝŶŐ Ϭ͘ϳй t'Ž' t͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĨƌŝĐĂŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ͕ ƚŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͕ ĚŽǁŶ Ϯ͘ϭй t'Ž't

+ , . / 0 1 2 3 +*

+ , . / 0 1 2 3 +*

2&*3 ,+&1 +3&/.*&*/ +1* 1&// *&1, +&-/ +.0.&*/ ,2

-0*** -.*** -,*** -**** ,2*** +3' %'+1 ,0' %'+1 *,' " '+1 *3' " '+1 +0' " '+1 ,-' " '+1 -*' " '+1 *1' " '+1 +.' " '+1 ,+' " '+1 ,2' " '+1 *.' " '+1 ++' " '+1 +2' " '+1 ,/' " '+1 *+' '+1 *2' '+1 +/' '+1 ,,' '+1 ,3' '+1 *0' !'+1 +-' !'+1 ,*' !'+1 ,1' !'+1 *-' #'+1 +*' #'+1 +1' #'+1 ,.' #'+1 *+' '+1 *2' '+1 +/' '+1

WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŐůŽďĂů ĞƋƵŝƚLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂůďĞŝƚ ƐŬĞǁĞĚ ƚŽǁĂƌĚƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĚ ĂƐ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŝŶ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ ŽƵƚƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞĚ ǁŚŝůƐƚ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ ůĂŐŐĞĚ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵŽĚŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ĚĞƐƉŝƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŚƌĞĂƚ ƉŽƐĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐ ŽƵƚƉƵƚ ŽĨ h^ ^ŚĂůĞ͕ Žŝů ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ϭϭďƉƐ ŶŽƌƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ t'Ž't ĂƐ ƌĞŶƚ ƌƵĚĞ ƐĞƩůĞĚ Ăƚ h^Ψϲϯ͘ϯϴͬď ;ĂƐ ŽĨ ǁƌŝƟŶŐͿ͘

/Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚƐ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ďƵůůŝƐŚ t'Ž't ĂƐ Ăůů ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ͘ dŚĞ h< &d^ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ Ϭ͘ϴй t'Ž't ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽŐƌĞƐƐ ŵĂĚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƌĞŐĂƌĚƐ ƚŽ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŵŽĚĂůŝƟĞƐ ŽĨ ƌĞdžŝƚ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚŚĞ h ŝƐ ƐĞƚ ƚŽ ĨŽƌŵĂůŝnjĞ ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚƐ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ŝƚƐĞůĨ ĂŶĚ ƌŝƚĂŝŶ ŽŶ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ ĐŝƟnjĞŶƐ ƌŝŐŚƚ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĐŽŶĚ ƉŚĂƐĞ ŽĨ ƚĂůŬƐ ďĞŐŝŶ ŶĞdžƚ LJĞĂƌ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ h^ E ^ Y ƌŽƐĞ Ϭ͘Ϯй t'Ž't ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ ^ΘW ϱϬϬ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƌĞĂĐƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ĚĞĂů ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ tĂůƚ ŝƐŶĞLJ ĂŶĚ ϮϭƐƚ ĞŶƚƵƌLJ &Ždž ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ĚĞůŝďĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ ŽŶ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ dƌƵŵƉƐ ƚĂdž ƌĞĨŽƌŵ ƉůĂŶƐ͘

ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞ ĐĂƉ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ <ĞŶLJĂ E^ ϮϬ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϭ͘ϭй t'Ž' t͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŚĂŶĚ͕ ƚŚĞ ŐLJƉƚ 'y ϯϬ ĂŶĚ 'ŚĂŶĂ '^ ŽŵƉŽƐŝƚĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ t'Ž't͕ ŝŵƉƌŽǀŝŶŐ Ϯ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϳй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘

ŽŵĞƐƟĐ ƋƵŝƚLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĞǀŝĞǁ ĂŶĚ KƵƚůŽŽŬ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ĞƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ Ϯ͘ϭй t'Ž't ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϯϴ͕ϰϯϲ͘Ϭϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϰϯ͘Ϭй͘ EŽƚǁŝƚŚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ͕ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ďLJ Eϲ͘ϬďŶ ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϳƚŶ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĨĞůů ϰϰ͘Ϯй ƚŽ ϰϮϱ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ϰϭ͘ϯй ƚŽ EϭϬ͘ϯďŶ͘ dŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͛Ɛ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ & E, ;ϭϴϰ͘ϮŵͿ͕ / DKE ;ϭϰϳ͘ϯŵͿ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;ϭϭϳ͘ϮŵͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E' D ;EϮϯ͘ϵďŶͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;Eϯ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;Eϯ͘ϬďŶͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ dŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Žī ŽŶ Ă ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ŶŽƚĞ͕ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƚŽŽŬ ƉƌŽĮƚ ŝŶ ďĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ' E' D ;'ϭ͘ϳйͿ͕ E/d, ;'ϯ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ h ;' ϱ͘ϬйͿ ƚŽ ĚƌĂŐ ƚŚĞ ^/ ϴϴďƉƐ ůŽǁĞƌ͘ KŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ͕ Ă ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂů ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ͕ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬĚƌŽƉ ŽĨ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ h E ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ E'^h' Z ;нϯ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϲйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ^/ ϯďƉƐ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ͘ KŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞdž ƌĞǀĞƌƐĞĚ ŝƚƐ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͕

!" &%" # !# %! $ !# %

1&-/ ,*&*+1&2/ /*+&-+ +/3&2, 1&+3 *&03 +&+.+*&*2 ,1

+*&+6 2&-6 2&+6 1&16 0&.6 /&*6 .&-6 -&26 -&26 -&16

+*&+6 ,*&,6 ,+&*6 3&+6 0&/6 ,+&26 ,.&+6 /&/6 ++&-6 *&*6

,0&.6 ,//&,6 +,1&+6 .,&+6 '-3&+6 /2&+6 +&/6 ,,&16 2*&16 ',1&.6

+*&/$ 2&/$ +*&3$ 3&*$ 3&1$ +3&2$ /&+$ -2&+$

!" #" # !# %! $ !# %

*&/2 *&20 + .&*+ .-&*+ ,&,. +*&. *&2 +*&*2 +.&11

*&02 + +&+.&/ .2 ,&.3 ++&// *&22 ++ +/&3

'+.&16 '+.&*6 '++&/6 '+*&36 '+*&.6 '+*&*6 '+*&*6 '3&+6 '2&.6 '1&+6

'0&/6 '1&/6 *&*6 '0&16 '+-&06 2&16 .&*6 '.&26 *&26 +.&+6

+0&*6 ++&16 -+&06 ,0&36 ++&*6 +00&16 11&,6 '.&26 +,.&*6 .-&/6

2&/$ ,&2$ /&-$ +*&1$ -&2$ ,&*$ .&,$ .&.$ .,&+$

*&3$ -&1$ /&*$ *&1$ ,&/$ *&/$ +&*$ *&0$ ,/&,$ +&/$

*&-$ *&,$ *&-$ +&*$ 0&/$ *&-$ *&0$ *&3$ *&1$ ,&/$

*&3$ +&,$ ,&*$ -&-$ *&0$ +&*$ *&0$ *&3$ .&3$ *&-$

+&,$ *&-$ *&,$ *&2$ *&2$ *&,$ *&0$ *&+$ *&2$ *&3$

ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ ϭ͘Ϭй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ ŝŶ ůĂƌŐĞ ĐĂƉ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ' 'h Z Edz ;'ϰ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;'Ϯ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;'Ϭ͘ϱйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ E' D ;'ϭ͘ϳйͿ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞdž ϭ͘ϲй ůŽǁĞƌ ' Ğdž' E' D͕ ƚŚĞ ^/ ǁŽƵůĚ ŚĂǀĞ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ Ϯ͘ϲй͘ dŽ ĐůŽƐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞůLJ ƌŝƐŝŶŐ ϭ͘ϯй ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƚĂŬĞ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ ' E' D ;нϰ͘ϰйͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϮ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;нϮ͘ϴйͿ͘ ͘

WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ϯ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ t'Ž't͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ůĞĚ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϱ͘ϯй t'Ž't ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;'ϱ͘ϮйͿ ĂŶĚ h ;'ϴ͘ϰйͿ͘ dŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ĨĂůůŝŶŐ ϰ͘ϴй ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ E' D ;' Ϯ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ t W K ;'ϭϬ͘ϰйͿ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƐƵŝƚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͕ ƐŚĞĚĚŝŶŐ Ϯ͘Ϯй t'Ž't ĂƐ D E^ Z ;'Ϯ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ E D ;'ϰ͘ϲйͿ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƌŽƐĞ ϰ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϳй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĂƐ ^ W> d ;нϳ͘ϳйͿ͕ E ^d> ;нϯ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ E'^h' Z ;нϴ͘ϯйͿ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŐĂŝŶƐ͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ͕ ƐŽŌĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϯdž ;ϭϱ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞƌƐͬϰϱ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐͿ ĨƌŽŵ Ϯ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ dŽƉ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ǁĞƌĞ Z' Z ;нϭϬ͘ϭйͿ͕ E'^h' Z ;нϴ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ E ^ KE ;нϴ͘ϭйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ >/E< ^^hZ ;'ϭϰ͘ϳйͿ͕ > ZE &Z ;'ϭϰ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ ^d Z>/E' ;'ϭϭ͘ϱйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ Ă ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŽ ƌĞďŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ͛Ɛ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ŝŶ ĨƵŶĚĂŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ ƐŽƵŶĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂŚĞĂĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƵƐƵĂů LJĞĂƌ'ĞŶĚ ƌĂůůLJ͘

DŽŶĞLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĞǀŝĞǁ ĂŶĚ KƵƚůŽŽŬ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ŵŽŶĞLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌďĂŶŬ ƌĂƚĞƐ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ŽŶ ϰ ŽĨ ϱ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĚĂLJƐ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ E ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ŝƚƐ ŶŽŶ'ŝƐƐƵĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ KDK ďŝůůƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ǁĞĞŬ͘ ZĞƐƵůƚĂŶƚůLJ͕ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ KƉĞŶ ƵLJ ĂĐŬ ;K Ϳ ĂŶĚ KǀĞƌŶŝŐŚƚ ;KsEͿ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ Ăƚ ϯ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ ϰ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ĨƌŽŵ ϱ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϲ͘ϯй ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ &ƌŝĚĂLJ ĂƐ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Eϲϳ͘ϯďŶ͘ KŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ͕ ĐŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƚĂŝů &y ^ĞĐŽŶĚĂƌLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ /ŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ^ĂůĞƐ ;^D/^Ϳ ƌĞĨƵŶĚ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ƚŽ ƚƌĞŶĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ĂƐ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ƚŽ Eϰϯϵ͘ϳďŶ͖ ŚĞŶĐĞ͕ K ĂŶĚ KsE ƌĂƚĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ĚĂLJ Ăƚ Ϯ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϯ͘ϵй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ KŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ Ϭ͘ϯ ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϭ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ƚŽ Ϯ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ ϯ͘Ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚĞƐƉŝƚĞ ĂŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ƚŽ EϰϵϬ͘ϳďŶ͘ dŚŝƐ ƌĞǀĞƌƐĞĚ ďLJ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ĂƐ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ĞdžƉĂŶĚĞĚ ƚŽ

25

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

Eϳϴϲ͘ϲďŶ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚ ŝŶŇŽǁƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƌŝŵĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĞƉĂLJŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ Eϭϯϭ͘ϰďŶ ĂŶĚ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů KDK ƌĞƉĂLJŵĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ EϮϬϵ͘ϲďŶ͘ ,ĞŶĐĞ͕ K ĂŶĚ KsE ƌĂƚĞƐ ĚƌŽƉƉĞĚ ƚŽ ϭ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘ϵй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ůĞǀĞů͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĞĂƐƵƌLJ ďŝůůƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶ ďLJ ƚŚĞ Ğďƚ DĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ KĸĐĞ ; DKͿ ƚŽ ƌĞƉĂLJ ŵĂƚƵƌŝŶŐ d ďŝůůƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƉƌŽĐĞĞĚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ ŝƐƐƵĞĚ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƚƵŶĞ ŽĨ h^ΨϱϬϬ͘Ϭŵ ƐŚĂƉĞĚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚĞŶŽƌƐ͘ /ŶŝƟĂů ƉĂŶŝĐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ ŽŶ ^ĞĐŽŶĚĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽŶ ŶŽŶ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ƚĞŶŽƌƐ͕ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ ůĞƐƐ ƚŚĂŶ ϵϭ ĚĂLJ ĚĂƚĞ ƚŽ ŵĂƚƵƌŝƚLJ d ďŝůůƐ ĐƌĂƐŚĞĚ ƚŽ ĂƐ ůŽǁ ĂƐ Ă ƐŝŶŐůĞ ĚŝŐŝƚ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ͘ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĞĂƐƵƌLJ ďŝůůƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ĂƐ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ƚĞŶŽƌƐ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ t Ž t ƐĂǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϭ LJĞĂƌ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐƚĂLJĞĚ ƐŽŵĞǁŚĂƚ ŇĂƚ ŽŶ Ăůů ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĚĂLJƐ͘ ƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞůLJ ƋƵŝĞƚ͕ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ ďLJ Ă ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƚƵƌŶ ǁŝƚŚ ĞŵƉŚĂƐŝƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƐŚŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ŵĞĚŝƵŵ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ŚĞŶĐĞ͕ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚƐ ĨĞůů Ϭ͘ϯƉƉƚƐ ĂŶĚ Ϯ͘ϲƉƉƚƐ ƚŽ ϭϭ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ ϭϰ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ LJ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƐŚŽƌƚ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƐƚĂLJĞĚ ŇĂƚ ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĞĚŝƵŵ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͛ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚ ĚŝƉƉĞĚ ϯϬďƉƐ ƚŽ ϭϭ͘ϭй͘ LJ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽŶ ŵĞĚŝƵŵ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƌŽƐĞ ϲϯďƉƐ ƚŽ ϭϭ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ Ɵůů ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ǁŚŝůĞ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚ ŽŶ ƐŚŽƌƚ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ĨĞůů ϭ͘Ϯй ŽŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ƚŽ ϭϮ͘ϵй ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŐĂŝŶŝŶŐ ϭϰďƉƐ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϭϯ͘ϭй ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐƚĂLJĞĚ ŇĂƚ Ɵůů &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĂŶ KDK ŵĂƚƵƌŝƚLJ ŽĨ EϭϬϱ͘ϬďŶ ĂŶĚ d ďŝůůƐ ŵĂƚƵƌŝƚLJ ǁŽƌƚŚ Eϱϱ͘ϭďŶ͕ ƚŚƵƐ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞůƐ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ͘ ůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ E ƐƚƵĐŬ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ƚƌĞŶĚ ŽĨ

ŶŽƚ ŝƐƐƵŝŶŐ KDK ďŝůůƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĚŽ ŶŽƚ ƌƵůĞ ŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ ŽĨ KDK ŝƐƐƵĂŶĐĞ ŶĞdžƚ ǁĞĞŬ ŐŝǀĞŶ ƚŚĂƚ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ĐůŽƐĞĚ Ăƚ Eϳϴϲ͘ϲďŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ʹ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚĞƐƚ ŝŶ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ͘

&ŽƌĞŝŐŶ džĐŚĂŶŐĞ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĞǀŝĞǁ ĂŶĚ KƵƚůŽŽŬ /Ŷ ůŝŶĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŝƚƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ĞīŽƌƚƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ ƐƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ Ăůů ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĨŽƌĞŝŐŶ ĞdžĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ E ǀŝĂ ĂŶ ^D/^ ŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ŝŶũĞĐƚĞĚ h^ΨϮϭϬ͘Ϭŵ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ h^ΨϭϬϬ͘Ϭŵ ǁĂƐ ƐŽůĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ǁŚŽůĞƐĂůĞ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ h^Ψϱϱ͘Ϭŵ ĂƉŝĞĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƐŽůĚ ƚŽ ďŽƚŚ ^D ƌĞƚĂŝů ĂŶĚ ŝŶǀŝƐŝďůĞ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚƐ͘ dŚĞ E ƐƉŽƚ ƌĂƚĞ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ EϯϬϲ͘ϯϱͬ h^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͕ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂůůLJ ĨƌŽŵ EϯϬϲ͘ϰϬͬ h^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ dŚŝƐ ƵƉƚƌĞŶĚ ǁĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ Ăůů ǁĞĞŬ ʹ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ŇĂƚ Ăƚ EϯϬϲ͘ϯϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŐĂŝŶŝŶŐ ϱ ŬŽďŽ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ĮŶĂůůLJ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ EϯϬϲ͘Ϯϱͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ŝŶƚĞƌ ďĂŶŬ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ EϯϲϬ͘ϭϲͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ĨƌŽŵ Eϯϲϯ͘ϴϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĂƐ ƋƵŝĐŬůLJ ƌĞǀĞƌƐĞĚ ďLJ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ĂƐ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ EϯϲϬ͘ϱϴͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ĂŶĚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ Ɵůů ŵŝĚ ǁĞĞŬ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ Eϯϲϰ͘ϰϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ďLJ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞŶ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ Eϯϲϯ͘ϴϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͕ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ŇĂƚ t Ž t͘

ƚ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƌĂůůĞů ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ŶĂŝƌĂ ƐƚĂLJĞĚ ŇĂƚ Ăƚ Eϯϲϯ͘ϬϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ĨƌŽŵ DŽŶĚĂLJ Ɵůů tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ Eϯϲϰ͘ϬϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ďLJ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ĮŶĂůůLJ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ Eϯϲϱ͘ϬϬͬ h^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ E & y ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ϰϮ ŬŽďŽ t Ž t͕ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ EϯϲϬ͘Ϯϱͬ h^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ĨƌŽŵ Eϯϱϵ͘ϴϯͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ dŚĞ ĚŽǁŶƚƌĞŶĚ ǁĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ Ăůů ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ E & y ƌĂƚĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ŇĂƚ Ăƚ Eϯϱϵ͘ϵϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ DŽŶĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ

EϯϲϬ͘ϭϲͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĐŽŶƐĞĐƵƟǀĞ ĚĂLJƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ EϯϲϬ͘Ϯϱͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ŝŶ ƚŚĞ /Θ ǁŝŶĚŽǁ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ƚŽƚĂů ǀĂůƵĞ ŽĨ ƚƌĂŶƐĂĐƟŽŶƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŽ h^Ψϱϳϵ͘ϵŵ ;ĂƐ Ăƚ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJͿ͕ ŝŶĚŝĐĂƟŶŐ Ă ϯϱ͘ϲй ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ h^ΨϵϬϬ͘ϱŵ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ ǁĞĞŬ͘

ƚ ƚŚĞ &D Y Kd ĨƵƚƵƌĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƚĂů ǀĂůƵĞ ŽĨ ŽƉĞŶ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ EĂŝƌĂ ƐĞƩůĞĚ Kd ĨƵƚƵƌĞƐ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ƐƚŽŽĚ Ăƚ h^Ψϯ͘ϯďŶ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ʹ ϰ͘ϰй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ h^Ψϯ͘ϭďŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ ǁĞĞŬ͘ dŚĞ ϮϬϭϳ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŽƚĂů ǀĂůƵĞ ŽĨ h^Ψϰϵϵ͘Ϯŵ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ ůĞĂƐƚ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďĞĚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ EKs D Z ϮϬϭϴ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƚŽƚĂů ǀĂůƵĞ ŽĨ h^Ψϰϴ͘ϰŵ͘ tŝƚŚ ĞdžƚĞƌŶĂů ƌĞƐĞƌǀĞƐ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůLJ Ăƚ h^Ψϯϲ͘ϰďŶ ʹ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ŝŶ ŐůŽďĂů Kŝů ƉƌŝĐĞƐ͕ ĐŽƵƉůĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ h^Ψϯ͘ϬďŶ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ŝƐƐƵĞĚ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŽƚŚĞƌ ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞĚ ĨŽƌ ŶĞdžƚ LJĞĂƌ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ E ƚŽ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶ ĨƌĞƋƵĞŶĐLJ ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨŽƌĞŝŐŶ ĞdžĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĂŶĚ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ŶĂŝƌĂ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ƚƌĂĚĞ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƐƚĂďůĞ ďĂŶĚƐ͘

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ĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ^Ƶď ^ĂŚĂƌĂŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ĂƐ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚ ŽŶ Ăůů ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ t Ž t ƐĂǀĞ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚ ĨƌŝĐĂ ϮϬϭϵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ĂŶĚ ĂŵďŝĂŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ ŐĂƌŶĞƌĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ĂƐ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ϯϬďƉƐ ĂŶĚ ϮϬďƉƐ t Ž t ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ D / ϮϬϮϰ ;нϭϮ͘ϮйͿ͕ ', E ϮϬϭϰ ;нϭϮ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ < Ez ;нϭϮ͘ϬйͿ ŚĂǀĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ zd ͘ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ LJŝĞůĚ ŽŶ ϰ ŽĨ ϭϬ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ t Ž t͘ dŚĞ &/ >/dz ϮϬϭϴ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϮϳďƉƐ ƚŽ ϯ͘ϴйͿ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ͕ ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ E/d, ϮϬϮϮ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϲďƉƐ ƚŽ ϲ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ h ;ĚŽǁŶ ϰƉƐ ƚŽ ϲ͘ϴйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ & E, ϮϬϮϬ ;ƵƉ ϭϳďƉƐ ƚŽ ϴ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ 'd E< ϮϬϭϴ ;ƵƉ ϭϮďƉƐ ƚŽ ϯ͘ϳйͿ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ͘ dŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ zd ĂƌĞ / DKE ϮϬϭϵ ĂŶĚ & E, ϮϬϮϭ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ƵƉ Ϯϳ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ Ϯϯ͘ϲй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

26

BUSINESS/MONEY

Capital Market Operators Call for Unified Licence to Access Discount Window For the umpteenth time, operators in the Nigerian capital market have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to permit them to extend their investment foray into the money market. Their argument is that it will deepen the financial markets and boost liquidity.

However, some other stakeholders are saying the full potentials of the capital market are yet to be explored. Bamidele Famoofo reports

Stockbrokers trading on the Lagos floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange

R

ecently in Lagos, the Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (AIHN), through its President, Mr. Sonnie Ayere, made a ‘save our soul’ call to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s apex financial markets regulatory body, to permit capital market operators in the country to have access to its discount window.

The discount window is an instrument of monetary policy (usually controlled by central banks) that allows eligible institutions to borrow money from CBN, usually on a short-term basis, to meet temporary shortages of liquidity caused by internal or external disruptions.

Ayere, who is also the Group Managing Director of Dunn Loren Merrifield (DLM) Limited, a fullservice investment company based in Lagos, Nigeria, said this will be achievable if a unified licence would be granted to capital market operators that have big enough financial muscle to play in the market.

He said the need for a single license for capital market operators went beyond enhancing the liquidity status of operators, but will help facilitate a more robust and deeper financial market in Nigeria.

Capital market operators, which include issuing houses, stockbroking firms, asset managers among others being licensed primarily by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the regulatory body in the Nigerian Capital Market, are not permitted to trade in money market instruments.

AIHN believes that a reform of the existing market structure would provide a much stronger platform for market based financial intermediation to thrive and ensure that they were well capitalised and regulated.

“We are proposing that the CBN allows capital market institutions with the requisite capital (as agreed by CBN) access to primary auctions on behalf of themselves and their customers.

“Discount Window access can then be given to such operators to be able to discount for liquidity purposes all instruments normally acceptable to the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the AIHN boss reiterated.

Ayere said that the CBN should not focus only on commercial banks, noting that the combined capital base of issuing houses, stockbroking firms was not up to the capital base of a smallest bank in the country.

While it will take an issuing house, for example, to raise just N200 million as minimum paid-up capital to be eligible to transact business in the capital market, the least any bank is expected to have as paid-up capital to play in the money market is N10billion. Commercials banks in the class of national banks are required to raise a minimum of N25billion as capital while N50billion minimum is required to play at the international level.

Vice President and Divisional Head, Corporate Planning, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Kaodi Ugoji, holds a contrary view to Ayere, as she says opportunities in the nation’s capital market are yet to be fully explored.

Ugoji aired her views at a meeting of stakeholders of the Nigerian capital market hosted by the Capital Market Correspondent Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) recently in Lagos.

She noted that Nigeria as a country had not yet taken full advantage of the capital market to develop its economy. She explained that the capital market was an important medium to channel long-term savings into investment in the real economy.

Ugoji lamented that Nigeria’s capital market was faced with high implied costs, low primary issuance, high interest rate environment, illiquidity and lack of legal and regulatory frameworks.

The way out of the daunting challenges, she said, would be to create a stable macro economy environment that would help deepen the market, reduce transaction costs and lower capital requirements for corporate issuers.

“The importance of a strong and viable domestic capital market as an alternative source of finance in emerging economies has been affirmed by the success it has enjoyed in countries such as Brazil, Malaysia, Russia, India and China. With government economic reforms running at full throttle, prospects are high for the sustained developments of the Nigerian capital market as a viable tool for driving Nigeria’s economic growth, she added.

The chairman, Association of Stockbrokers House of Nigeria (ASHON), Mr. Patrick Ezeagu, said the poor savings habit of Nigerians was a major setback for the deepening of the nation’s capital market.

He believed that lack of discipline on the part of government to develop the economy from within was another obstacle bedevilling the growth of the capital market in Nigeria.

He, however, suggested that creation of an enabling environment for investment to thrive locally would be the way out for the nation’s capital market.

On his part, acting Director-General, SEC, Dr. Abdul Zubair, said the apex capital market regulatory body, in deepening the market over the years, had continued to introduce initiatives targeted at enhancing the capital market contribution to economic growth and development.

Zubair pointed out that some of the initiatives taken by SEC in recent times to deepen the capital market include the introduction of dematerialization, direct cash settlement, E-dividend management system, National Investor Protection Fund, Corporate Governance Code and Scorecard, Non-Interest Products and Complaint Management Framework.

He maintained that, the commission was poised to ensure the stability of the Nigerian capital market and maintain the high level of investor confidence observed in the market.

Zubair, who presented the third quarter scorecard of the market said that the total value of issuances in the Nigerian capital market amounted to N1.55 trillion in September.

Equities he said, accounted for 12 per cent of the total value of issuances in the market during the period as the secondary market total equities transactions appreciated by 78.6 per cent to N1.66 trillion as at September 2017.

“Foreign transactions increased by 47.31 per cent during the period while All-Share Index had returned 47.11 per cent as at December 7, 2017 showing a remarkable recovery”, he said.

Stakeholders, who include SEC, Debt Management Office (DMO) and others during the annual workshop of CAMCAN held last week in Lagos, agreed that for the nation’s capital market to grow there must be mechanism for efficiency, accountability and transparency across major economy players including CBN. However, Ayere insisted that achieving a single license issued by CBN could only lead to a more robust financial market, a deeper pool of technically savvy operators that could seamlessly transmit monetary policies to all segments of the financial markets with little or no discernible systemic or operational risks.

27

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ͚ͿË&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

MARKET NEWS

Lafarge Africa N132 Billion Rights Issue Closes Goddy Egene The Rights Issue of 3,097,653,023  ordinary shares  by Lafarge Africa Plc  to existing shareholders was expected to have closed last Friday.  The offer, which was made  at N42.50 per share, opened on November 10, and closing date was December 15,  2017.   Lafarge Africa Plc had, at the beginning of November, applied to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to raise N132 billion fresh capital from existing investors

through  the  Rights Issue.

Shareholders of the cement manufacturing firm had in June approved the proposal by the company to raise about N140 billion.

However,   the company is raising   about  N132 billion through  the issuance  of  3,097,653,023 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at  N42.50  per share on the basis of five  new ordinary share for every nine  ordinary share s held as at November 1, 2017.

Shareholders of the company

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 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sharesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the

had given the approval for the rights issue  with a charge to the directors that the company would remain listed on  the NSE. The Chairman of Lafarge Africa,  Mr.  Bolaji Balogun, had said that the rights issue, which is the first since 2005,  represents an important step in resolving the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign currency  exposure  and impact on its earnings.

According to him, apart from reducing debt of the company, the right issue provides all shareholders opportunity to increase their

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 14-Dec-2017, unless otherwise stated.

investment in the company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The recapitalisation is positive and our largest shareholder, LafargeHolcim has committed to subscribing to their rights in full through a conversion of existing shareholder loans. This investment is a strong indication of the groupsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; continued belief in the Nigerian story. It is the largest right issue and the largest investment in a listed company by an investor. It reduces our foreign currency exposure by approximately half, improves our cash flow and positions the company for our future capacity

expansion plans,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Responding to request by the shareholders that the company should not be delisted after the right issue, Balogun said if the LafargeHolcim was considering that option, it would not commit to make such huge investment in the company.

Speaking on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turn-around plan launched in the third quarter of 2016, the chairman said it has started yielding results. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The plan revolves around  achieving  high reliability  across our production

facilities, increasing the use of alternative fuel(biomass) and locally sourced coal as a way to mitigate  disruption of production by gas supply shortages and the impact of devaluation on cost of gas. We have increased local sourcing of critical materials to lower foreign exchange component of our operational costs. Finally, we are working on a new route to market initiative and improvements in logistics with increased vehicle turn-around and size of fleet of third party providers,â&#x20AC;? Balogun said.

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 180.70 182.13 42.57% Nigeria International Debt Fund 235.15 236.73 11.35% 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 17.24% ACAP Income Funds 0.64 0.64 82.67% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.45% 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 19.02 19.60 54.08% ARM Discovery Fund 393.06 404.91 36.87% ARM Ethical Fund 27.66 28.49 23.79% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.71% 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 152.65 153.72 45.13% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.91% 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 17.70% CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.49% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.12 1.14 12.69% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.06 4.01% FBN QUEST 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 1,145.05 1,146.22 12.79% FBN Heritage Fund 149.50 150.80 34.11% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.90% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $112.24 $113.16 9.08% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $111.71 $112.62 9.31% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 171.10 173.63 51.98% 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 1.40 1.43 50.53% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.97 2.97 15.68% 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 2,985.15 3,023.43 35.68% Coral Income Fund 2,453.24 2,453.24 17.69% 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 17.04% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.66% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.13 2.16 26.91%

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 18.31% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 114.12 114.12 17.61% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ďŹ ncon@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 1.20 1.22 21.03% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,049.99 1,049.99 11.37% 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 14.04 14.16 45.30% 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 1.26 24.02% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.00 11.07 5.88% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 16.68% 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 131.03 133.01 29.14% 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 2,233.86 2,246.89 22.00% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 177.50 177.50 15.29% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.99 1.01 29.87% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 218.76 218.76 17.05% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 179.85 182.09 38.49% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.65% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,588.80 9,700.56 26.45% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.06 1.06 6.00% 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 1.34 1.35 19.73% United Capital Bond Fund 1.53 1.53 25.45% United Capital Equity Fund 0.94 0.96 39.57% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.10% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.73 12.91 31.62% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.47 13.62 23.62% Zenith Income Fund 18.98 18.98 14.73%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 132.29

1.01% 6.71%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.95 143.96 109.32

12.05 147.09 111.39

38.17% 45.53% 44.27%

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 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva GrifďŹ n 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

4.63 9.42 17.90 19.49 148.88

4.67 9.50 18.00 19.69 150.88

67.14% 33.80% 51.02% 22.06% 17.19%

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and FMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

28

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯ͵Ë&#x153; Ͱͮͯ͵

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

17.12.2017

FROM TRAUMA TO STARDOM, THE INSPIRING STORY OF YINKA AYEFELE

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍľ, Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

COVER

FROM TRAUMA TO STARDOM, THE INSPIRING STORY OF YINKA AYEFELE Nseobong Okon-Ekong examines the life of one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular physically challenged creative artistes, Yinka Ayefele, who is exposed to perpetual pain from a spinal cord injury, but has converted his trauma to a source of inspiration for countless fans and himself

T

here are many sides to living.

Yinka Ayelefe, the physically challenged musician has seen it all. Maybe he has not appreciated all sides to life. But he has gotten many flip sides.

A long time ago, he used to walk.

For 30, of his 50 years, he went everywhere his feet could take him. He could stand, walk, run, jump or do any of those things he needs to with the aid of his feet.

Those were mostly joy-filled years, when he hoped to accomplish many things as a voice-over artiste, broadcaster and budding musician.

In the last 20, of his 50 years, he has been confined to a wheelchair; rolling around in excruciating pain. The years have been difficult and he has to smile through the pain, with undying optimism that he will walk again, even if some people only see the apparent material comfort he has attained.

Following a car crash 20 years ago which damaged his spinal cord, Ayefele is the subject of an engaging spectacular legend wrapped in the bizarre and the outrageous. Most surprising of all is that a man in a wheelchair is a source of inspiration and motivation to countless numbers including over 140 employees who call him, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. His growing enterprise includes hospitality business, a band, multi-media and a radio station, Fresh 105.9FM. No one expected this inexplicable turn of fortunes; from a seemingly hopeless situation to increasing prosperity.

Evidently, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;glory to Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a perpetual phrase on his lips. The ghastly accident that almost took his life occurred on December 12, 1997 along Ibadan â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Abeokuta Road. The tragic event has since become the defining moment that transformed his

Ayefele

life. With the accident came a Midas touch. Everything he touches turns to gold.

There were 40 persons in different stages of trauma at the time he was admitted in the University College Hospital, Ibadan for treatment. He alone survived. The rest died. Looking back now, the accident impressed on him the importance of the spinal cord to human life, particularly, when he was told he might be confined to a wheel chair for life. At first, he thought it was a death sentence. The initial shock over, he resolved to live. And he is still alive!

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system. According to UCH sources, a spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes

changes in its function, either temporary or permanent. These changes translate into loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in parts of the body served by the spinal cord. There are fewer than 100 cases per year in Nigeria. Treatment can help, but this condition canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be cured. A traumatic spinal cord injury may happen because of a sudden blow or cut to the spine.

Rehabilitation and assistive devices allow many people with spinal cord injuries to lead productive, independent lives.

Treatments include drugs to reduce symptoms and surgery to stabilise the spine.

On the 20th anniversary of the life-transforming accident, Ayefele has set aside over N70 million to execute various charity interventions. The week-long activities traversing Oyo and Ekiti states climaxes today, December 17 with a thanksgiving service, launch of the 20th year remembrance album and public presentation of his first book, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You and Your Spineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Other highlights of the goodwill gesture include the commissioning of a multi-million naira hall donated to his alma mater, Ipoti High School. One hundred women in that community will receive cash gifts.

Ayefele and his team visited various orphanages, old peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes and hospitals, particularly, the University College Hospital, UCH in Ibadan to present buses, cash gifts and food items to the less privileged in the homes and patients in the hospital.

Though, he has become very wealthy, living a life of restriction on his wheelchair leaves him at the mercy of others. In a weird turnaround, Ayefele has converted his agony to a source of motivation for many powerful and inspirational

albums which provides happiness and comfort to a lot of people. He is also a recipient of over 200 awards including Member of the Order of the Niger, MON, a recognition bestowed on him by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He has recently been notified that a street is being named after him in the Federal Capital Territory.

Ayefele could have gone down the inglorious path of drug addiction to kill the pain that ravages his body constantly, but he choose to use his trauma to bring happiness to others.

So it depresses him more when people suggest that he may after all be enjoying life in a wheelchair. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can one prefer to be in pain? I am in terrible pain for 24 hours every day. I have five ribs broken and I still have that persistent pain. I live in pain every day. The alternative is to take pills. This might lead to addiction or damage to my kidney, liver or lungs, so I decided to live with pain.

I cannot prefer to live in pain; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;God has a purpose for everything. Some of my friends say if they can achieve what I have; they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind having an accident too.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only me that knows what I am passing through. All they see is Yinka Ayefele on wheelchair making it. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pray to have accident before I make it. If I was not involved in that accident, maybe I would have worked towards traveling out of the country. Perhaps, I would play music or do something else that will make me prosperous. Medically, I am very fit. (He rolled his trousers up to show that his legs have not become smaller or unequal) I do everything that you can do (including sex) except that I cannot stand up. I am very agile. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any other health issue. If I did not tell you,

31

DECEMBER 17, 2017 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

COVER nobody knows that I am still passing through serious pains. Whenever, I am in a gathering, I forget the pain and play along with them. Eventually, if I walk, they won’t add to the past 20 years that I have lost. I need to enjoy the one I have now. Whenever I am on stage trying to make people happy, I am always ready to give them what they want.”

It was the musician’s suggestion that the group of journalists interview him at his business headquarters called ‘Music House’ in the Challenge area of Ibadan. This building had evoked much emotion for Ayefele when the Oyo State government attempted to demolish it a few years ago. Meeting him in Ibadan was a last minute change. The interview was originally scheduled to hold in Lagos, but travelling back-to-back in the week of the anniversary took a toll on him.

Throughout the conversation, Ayefele shared his appreciation to God and his team who work very hard. The journalists also discussed the direction of his music, including its acceptance by a broad spectrum of society. The journalists were with him in his office. He was behind a massive brown table. His comfortable office chair was empty because he was on his motorized wheelchair. He shook hands with the visitors; one after the other.

If he was apprehensive, he did not show it. Wearing a permanent smile, he scrutinized the faces before him.

He looked quite good for a 50 yearold. The formality was not long. His manager extended the latitude of the interaction. The journalists were free to ask any question, he said.

The journalists hesitated for a while then they all wanted to speak at the same time. “I am most grateful for life,” he said. “I won’t be able to achieve what I have today without life.” It’s not my doing. It is God. I have a lot of friends doing what I am also doing but cannot be put side-by-side me.”

We had been talking for some time when he demonstrated how he exercises himself by holding the arm of his chair and lifting his buttocks up like one doing a sit-up. He has become used to that motion, from trying to

jump out of the wheelchair. “I want to jump out of the wheelchair especially whenever I am on stage. I wish I could stand up. I want to show a lot of people that I am still very fit and whenever I see people dancing to my music, I feel like joining them. I believe in miracles.

I have been waiting for it and I know it will come unexpectedly.” Ayefele has done a few awkward things in the cause of looking for a miracle. He readily recalls one. “I went to the Synagogue Church for All Nations in those days when I was looking for a miracle.

A lot of people advised me to go to the church and I took the pain to go.

Unfortunately, Pastor T. B Joshua could not see me on the first, second and third day. On the third day, he sent someone to give me Five Thousand Naira for transport. That was about 17years ago.

I decided not to go there again. I believe that God won’t share his miracle and glory with anybody. Many men of God have told me that God said he would do it at His own time and no man will take the glory. If I had stood up at any of the churches, a lot of people would have trooped down to such church.”

He frowned at the idea that he may have received patronage only from people who want to show some compassion. “When I released ‘Bitter Experience’, a lot of people said it was patronised because of my condition, then I came out with the second album.

It was accepted. I came out with the third album and over five others, were those records bought based on sympathy, as well? No. It only takes the favour of God. There is nothing special about me. There are lots of musicians across all genre and they are making it yet they are not on wheelchair; you can see that they are also favored. The irony of life is that there are some people who don’t like the Ayefele brand.”

Ayefele agrees that he is a pathfinder. “Tungba is my own kind of music and the Tungba is the sound of my talking drum. It is my own way of preaching the gospel and if you like believe it or not. I am the only Nigerian gospel artiste with lots of Muslim fans.”

His pride as a musician stems from the broader achievement that he has been able to perpetrate himself. He explained that his style of music had been adopted by many. “I feel so happy because it’s a legacy. I am not bragging but the truth is that I changed the face of gospel music. Before me, we only had Mama Bola Are and Funmi Aragbaye; they didn’t play danceable music. Also if you listen to Juju music, they play like Yinka Ayefele’s Tungba, My Muslim brother Ere Asalatu plays like me. That phrase ‘Like Ayefele’ is my pride.”

Whatever attitude Ayefele has injected into music, he insists that he has done the same in other areas of endeavor. “I was a guitarist and played with the likes of Toye Ajagun. We started Wale Thompson’s band together. I was a tenor-guitarist. Those are the things I did before joining FRCN. When I joined FRCN, I had the opportunity to produce musical jingles. I changed the face of Nigerian jingles. Before that, we used any artiste’s song in the beginning, then you read your script and at the tail end, you use the same music to bridge your jingle. As time went on, I started producing songs for jingles. I produced two songs before I had the accident. My first album turned me into a musician because I still wanted to remain in the broadcasting world. When I saw the acceptance of the albums ‘Bitter Experience’ and ‘Sweet Experience’, it encouraged me to perform more music.”

His office complex which accommodates a recording studio, a multi-purpose hall and a radio station is designed to create a barrierfree environment to allow Ayefele move around in his wheelchair.

Before the journalists left, he invited them to witness the presentation of official cars to two deserving staff.

CAN ONE PREFER TO BE IN PAIN? I AM IN TERRIBLE PAIN FOR 24 HOURS EVERY DAY. I HAVE FIVE RIBS BROKEN AND I STILL HAVE THAT PERSISTENT PAIN. I LIVE IN PAIN EVERY DAY. THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO TAKE PILLS. THIS MIGHT LEAD TO ADDICTION OR DAMAGE TO MY KIDNEY, LIVER OR LUNGS, SO I DECIDED TO LIVE WITH PAIN. I CANNOT PREFER TO LIVE IN PAIN; IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR EVERYTHING. SOME OF MY FRIENDS SAY IF THEY CAN ACHIEVE WHAT I HAVE; THEY DON’T MIND HAVING AN ACCIDENT TOO. IT’S ONLY ME THAT KNOWS WHAT I AM PASSING THROUGH. ALL THEY SEE IS YINKA AYEFELE ON WHEELCHAIR MAKING IT. I DIDN’T PRAY TO HAVE ACCIDENT BEFORE I MAKE IT

32

T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 17, 2017

T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 17, 2017

57

58

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍľ, Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

with Ě&#x201C;

͎ͯͯ͜ͲͲ͡ͳ͹ͰͲË&#x153; nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Grooming Next Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs Vanessa Obioha

W

hen twin brothers Daniel and Joshua Asiegbunam set out to revolutionise the Teensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ministry of Redeem Christian Church of God [RCCG] City of David Parish, through fashion, they did not anticipate the huge impact the fashion show will have on the teens. They simply wanted to do something that will stand the teens out. With the help of other likeminded teens, they came up with the Genesis Fashion Show where the teens model decency on the runway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to change the modernday concept that fashion has to be too revealing.We wanted to prove that there could be beauty in decency,â&#x20AC;? they said.

Now in its fourth year, the show has recorded impressive achievement beyond its initial plan. Among the teens today are fashion designers whose works are being appreciated by the public. One of such success stories is that of Josephine Alabi who has been designing on the platform for two years.

There is also Sisan Daibo who won the 2012 Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children Great Talent competition-another initiative of the church. For her, she never believed that she possesses designing skills, let alone have people wear her designs. She was stunned when people demanded for her services.

She also said that the fashion event has changed her perspective towards fashion.

The Genesis Fashion Show did more for Stephanie Akhigbe. The very shy teen said through the platform sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been able to overcome her extreme bashfulness.

For the organisers, these are all good testimonies that their work has not been in vain.

GIFT LOVEDAY WINS COMEDY CENTRAL CROWN Twenty five year-old comedian, Gift Loveday received the coveted title of the first ever Comedy Centralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grab The Mic (CCGTM) winner, together with Maltina.

Gift received the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grand prize of 1.5 million naira along with the golden opportunity of sharing the stage with ace comedian Ali Baba. The winner was announced by show presenter Seyi Law .

Loveday, a Maltina wildcard contestant won the title ahead of seven other talented finalists, Nyerhorwo Ndaxwell and Emmanuel Oliver from Jos, Daniel Jonah Nyah and Oveze Godwin Jagbojo from Lagos, Coxson Christian and Justice Kalawa from Port Harcourt including the other Maltina Wild Card contestant, Desmond Eghaghe from Port Harcourt who were flown into Lagos to participate in a keenly contested final that displayed exceptional showmanship on stage.

Popular fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favourite, Gift was consistent with his phenomenal performances on the CCGTM stage since his first arrival and throughout the entire competition. Born in Port Harcourt Rivers State and growing up at Nembe LGA in Bayelsa State, the second son and fifth born in a family of seven, has pursued comedy professionally for the last seven years.

The two-hour television broadcast, which also featured stand-up performances from Ali Baba and Chigurl together with a musical performance from Falz, was hosted by Comedian, Seyi Law. At the finale, the selected contestants were given the opportunity to impress the judges including head judge Ali Baba and co-judges Funke Akindele and Frank Donga, after which the judges declared him as the ultimate winner.

An emotional and elated Gift was grateful for this incredible opportunity and expressed his appreciation for the experience and growth he has gained from his participation in the show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The journey has been long; weeks of practice and focus but in the end. I thank the Almighty God for helping me express

Organisers of the RCCG City of David Fashion Show

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to promote positive self-image in the teens. Genesis Fashion Show is now a platform to groom young entrepreneurs . All the teens are involved in each stage, from the graphics to the runway.No one is left out.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are building a family and making sure that we stay connected to our collective goal, that is promoting decency in fashion,â&#x20AC;? added Daniel.

The fourth edition tagged â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Identityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will take place tomorrow, December 18 at

the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition is coming with huge anticipation from the public due to the tremendous feat previous editions have recorded. The organisers expect a larger number of participants. The 2016 edition witnessed an encouraging audience of over one thousand.

There will also be fashion designs Masterclass with Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, Tara Koko [THOD BESPOKE], Peter Adebayo among others. The event as usual will

also create great avenue for budding young entrepreneurs who have flair for fashion, modelling, photography,media, videography, graphic designs among other related vocations.

The organizers have already embarked on designers selection/screening of designs,model casting/audition and coaching under the watchful eyes of creative expertise of Mai Atafo among other participating prominent designers. the popular series Jenifaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diary, Falz is the proud owner of several awards. Some of which are: Best in a Comedy Series/ Movie for the 2016 Africa Magic Viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Awards ((AMVCA) awards, Viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Best New International Act for the 2016 BET Awards, Album of the Year for the 2016 City People Entertainment Awards, Best Afro Hip Hop Video for the 9th Nigeria Music Video Awards, as well as several nominations.

Gift Loveday

Falz

my talent through CCGTM and more importantly, making my light shine among thousands. Here I am, standing as the 1st winner for the Comedy Central Grab The Mic with Maltinaâ&#x20AC;? a grateful Loveday said.

way back know me as a lawyer. There are those who are familiar with my multiple personalities and career. The idea behind The Falz Experience is to bring all of this together, for the benefit of all my fans. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a music concert that will incorporate different elements of my art, with support from the many colleagues I have collaborated with.â&#x20AC;?

Planned as a full multi-media event, the rapper says fans should expect a concert of a lifetime. The Falz Experience will hold at Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, with support from friends of the artiste including Simi, YCee amongst others.

Falz (real name Folarin Falana) is a law graduate from the University of Reading whose career began in secondary school when he, along with friends, established a musical group called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The School Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Years down the line, Falz has more than proved himself as not only a talented artiste but one with versatility. Singles such as Something Light, Soft Work, Karishika, Wehdone Sir, Bad Gang, Soldier amongst others have earned him not only organic airplay but has helped carve a niche in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Also known for his antics as Segun on

FALZ DREAMS 100 MILLION FANS AT SOLO CONCERT Nigerian entertainer Falz is wrapping up a great year with a concert that is projected to make a huge impression. The multi-talented lawyer-turned-rapper recently announced plans to host a seven-hour live concert that will reach at least 100 million fans real time.

Titled The Falz Experience, the December 20 big-budget concert will have 7,000 fans inside one venue, while millions of others watch live on cable television and on the internet.

It is the first time the rapidly-rising performer - who is the son of respected lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) - is stepping out for his own exclusive concert.

Speaking on the event, Falz expressed his excitement towards the incoming event: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people are used to seeing my comedy skits on social media. Others are familiar with my music, while those from

ABIODUN KOYAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FRANKINCENSE CONCERT From the moment she opened her mouth to sing, it was evident that the young slender lady was born to do this: sing classical music. The way she carried herself while her vocals stretched back and forth as they produced sounds left the media personalities who were her audience for this particular session in awe. Earlier, Bolaji Okusaga, the Managing Director of the Quadrant MSL Group had hinted that Abiodun Koya possesses magical vocal cords. After her stunning performance, the gentlemen of the press couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but agree that indeed she is a talented musician.

Her name does not easily ring a bell. This is so because her genre of music is not pop culture. That does not mean that Koya is not famous in some quarters. She has performed in the White House for two former US presidents. Her latest effort is singing for the Nigerian Army at their base in Abuja on Independence Day. It was the first time she will perform for such an audience at the request of the president, Muhammadu Buhari. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an easy feat but her patriotic spirit led her on. Her allegiance with world leaders fetched her the nickname â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Presidents and Kings Singerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; It is this spirit of patriotism that led her to organise a first-of-its-kind classical concert in Nigeria to celebrate the festive season.

Drawing inspiration from one of the three gifts presented to the Son of Man at birth by the wise men, Frankincense, Koya, an American-based Nigerian Soprano singer will be hosting first classical music concert titled Frankincense concert.

(See more entertainment stories on www. thisdaylive.com)

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

What Happens If Regulators Block Disney-Fox Merger?

J

Vanessa Obioha If everything go as planned, Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acquisition of majority of 21st Century Fox assets will be a historic milestone for Hollywood and Silicon Valley. The $52. 4 billion deal will give Disney an intimidating dominance in the media and film industry.

The new merger will see Disney in total control of major franchises owned by Rupert Murdochâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company such as the 20th Century Fox studio, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox 2000, FX. Networks, Fox Sports Regional Networks, National Geographic Partners among others. The 53 acre-lot on Pico Boulevard in Century City, which is Fox residence, is not part of the contract. Disney plans on leasing space on the Fox lot for seven years.

Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ambition to dominate the industry was hinted last September when it announced the launch of its own streaming service in 2019, halting its long-term relationship with the online streaming service Netflix. Bob Iger the Chief Executive

Director revealed then that the company will have its sports cable network ESPN and another channel dedicated to movies and TV shows in digital format. Iger who has now extended his contract as chairman and CEO through the end of 2021 said that the acquisition reflects the increasing consumer demand for a rich diversity of entertainment experiences that are more compelling, accessible and convenient than ever before.

Murdoch will now launch the new Fox which will handle sports, news and broadcast businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You may be wondering how we came to this momentous decision, and the answer is simple. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always made a commitment to deliver more choices for customers; provide great storytelling news, challenging opinion and compelling sports. Through todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcements, we are proud to recommit to that promise and enable our businesses to flourish for years to come,â&#x20AC;? states the company in a memo signed by Rupert and his sons Lachlan and James.

The union between these two giant

companies is not totally embraced by all in the industry. For instance, the Writers Guild of America West opposes the deal citing anti-trust concerns. According to the group that represents film and television writers, the merger will reduce the number of Hollywood studios from six to five, which translates to fewer gatekeepers in the industry. There are also fears the Justice Department may block the deal after reviewing it due to the Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stance in the AT&T and Time Warner deal. The regulators will be looking at the industry consolidation of large production studios, regional sports networks being controlled by the company that owns ESPN and Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super control over Hulu, an online streaming service.

If the deal is blocked, Disney will have to pay Fox $2.5 billion. However, if Fox decides to call off the deal, it will pay Disney $1.525 billion. The deal has a one-year timeline. t4PVSDF )PMMZXPPE 3FQPSUFS

Bob Iger

THE SHAPE OF WATER, THREE BILLBOARDS LEAD GOLDEN GLOBES AND SAG AWARDS While The Shape of Water leads the pack in Golden Globes nomination list with seven nods, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri takes the front lead in the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The dark-comedy drama by Martin McDonagh clinched four nominations in the SAG list. It stars Frances Dormand who is nominated in the Best Female Actor category, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell who are both nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category. The last nod for the film about a mother who takes desperate measures to bring her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s killer to justice is in the Best Ensemble category. The Shape of Water only received two SAG nominations: Best Female Actor (Sally Hawkins) and Best Male Supporting Actor (Richard Jenkins).

However, in the Golden Globes, the cold war fantasy by Guillermo del Toro snapped up nominations in the drama category for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Score and Best Picture. Three Billboards followed shortly with six nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score.

Golden Globes Awards will announce its winners on Sunday, January 7, 2018 in a ceremony hosted by late-night talk show host; Seth Meyers while SAG Awards will announce its winners on January 21, 2018.

NO CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS FOR TEXAS PRISON INMATES Inmates at Texas Prison will have least entertainment this Christmas as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice banned over 10,000 publications. The disciplinary action prohibits the over 150,000 inmates from reading books, possessing cellphones, using Facebook and receiving snacks in the mail. They will also not have access to the pop-edition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Charlie Brown Christmasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The banned books include best sellers like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Time to Killâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Freekonomics and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Color Purpleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; a 1983 novel that won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Publications will be carefully read and searched by the mailroom staff members to ensure that the books do not have graphic sexual content or a hidden material that could help inmates to make a weapon, plot an escape or start a riot. p p Although, reactions have trailed the announcement, a spokesman at the Texas Department If the books does not violate the uniform of Criminal Justice, Jason Clark said â&#x20AC;&#x153;If offender correspondence policy, then offenders are allowed to have it.

Offenders have access to thousands off publications.â&#x20AC;?

The department approves books by white nationalists and Adolf Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mein Kampfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Sally Hawkins

AVA DUVERNAY TO RECEIVE 2018 VISIONARY ONARY AWARD W The award-winning director who is famous for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;13thâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; documentary was recently announced as the honoree onoree of the 2018 Producers Guild Visionary Award. DuVernay is recognised for her honoured for her stories which highlight social issues. ssues. Her 2014 film Selma won an Oscar nomination so did the documentary 13th which also two Emmys. She also directed thee riveting drama â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Queen Sugarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. She is also the first woman to direct the Disney classic â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Wrinkle in Timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which is budgeted over ver $100 million.

The award recognises television, film m or new media producers for their unique contribution to culture lture through inspiring storytelling or performance. DuVernay y will be presented the award at the 29th Producers Guild Awards wards on January 20, 2018.

STEVE HARVEY FACES LAWSUIT CEO of Manchester Strategy Partners, rs, LLC, Vincent Dimmock slammed comedian Steve Harvey ey a lawsuit for failing to pay him for his services.

Dimmock revealed that the comedian an had approached him to help raise the sum of $20 million forr the Marjorie Foundation with the promise to give him a percentage rcentage off 1.25 1.25 on o any monies pledged on the foundation n or any an ny of Harveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects. Moved by Harveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s d persuasive skills, Dimmock said he did as agreed, only to be rewarded with just $1 million on the spot for one of Harveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects. He promised to meet up with his initial agreement butt failed to do so.

A disappointed Dimmock decided to take legal actions against the TV star as it seemed he had no intention to pay the contractual fee after Dimmock made several demands for his payment. The court documents obtained by online site radaronline reads that the Dimmock seeks redress for Harveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fraudulent promises and breaches of the partiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fee agreement.

Ava Duvernay

Steve Harvey

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY DECEMBER 17, 2017

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PERSONALITY

Durotoye: Our Generation Must Show Leadership to Change our Story Fela Durotoye, renowned leadership coach and trainer, says the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potentials can be attained and dreams of citizens realisable. But the time of sitting on the fence by the present generation is over. Raheem Akingbolu writes

A

cting Right beyond Being Goadedâ&#x20AC;Ś During one of his recent lectures, Fela Durotoye, the chief executive of Gemstone Leadership Centre, told of an experience he had at a traffic light. According to him, the light controlling his lane had shown red which made him stop even when there was no traffic from any of the other two directions. However, the car behind him, a state of the art Lexus sports utility vehicle, SUV, being driven by woman was hooting behind him apparently asking him to move despite the red light. Her reason, understandably, was because since there was no car in the other directions, he should move on even when the traffic had not shown green. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That experience taught me somethingâ&#x20AC;?, Durotoye said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It showed that ability to do the right or the wrong thing has nothing to do with social status. It is about how one conditions his or her mind. The pain I had that day was not that the woman swore at me, but because there were two lovely girls on the back seat aged between six and eight who would probably grow up believing that it was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;normalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to move when the traffic light shows red.â&#x20AC;?

We Need to Restructure our Reasoningâ&#x20AC;Ś Durotoye believes Nigerians have to change their mindset about how the country is being run and how every individual has to play his own role in building a Nigeria of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream and make the country the most desirable nation on earth to live in by 2025.

He says he chose to become nation builder as far back as 2004 when he decided to go beyond consumer care coach and become a leadership coach whose mandate went beyond making companies sell more and make more profit. According to him, he decided to invest in building human capacity

prayers. For instance, the second stanza: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh God of creation, direct our noble cause. Guide our leaders right, help our youths the truth to know.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So, if you go through the national anthem, you would realise that it is a prayer.

But the question is why are we praying and not acting? It is because many people take the national anthem as a song and not a prayer.

He added that as a result of this, he saw Nigeria as the most desirable nation to live in the world by December 31, 2025. This was in 2004. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have held on that word and my job is to build a people who could lead and deliver.

Hence, nation building has been my job in the past few years and I have given up everything for it.â&#x20AC;?

Durotoye

for societal development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My journey started in 2004 when I started to understand that there was much that needed to be done about Nigeria,â&#x20AC;? Durotoye told a national newspaper recently during an interview. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At that point, I had looked at the circumstances of the national anthem and I realised that it was a prayer and if God answered that prayer, it would literally birth the best country in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Our National Anthem is not a Song, But a Prayerâ&#x20AC;Ś The renowned leadership trainer said a careful look at the wordings of the second stanza; they are prayers that if answered, the nation would be a land that every citizen would be proud of. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you look at all the lines of the national anthem one of the other, they are

Youth Have Every Reason to Lose Hopeâ&#x20AC;Ś Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents were academicians. His father, who died when Fela was still less than 12 years of age was a university professor. His mother too is also a professor. Therefore, he is a guy who knows the value of qualitative education. But it is also shame that most of the young persons of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generation do not only value education, they also do not believe the nation has anything to offer them.

How will they then be prepared to take over leadership? But Durotoye says, despite this, the Nigeria that Nigerians dream of is still possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am absolutely convinced that the Nigeria of our dreams, where everything works and everyone is working to make things work is possible,â&#x20AC;? Durotoye enthuses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have seen it and I know it is not only a possibility, it is a reality. But like every architect sees a house before the rest of the world sees it, I have seen the future of Nigeria. What I am trying to do is the job of an architect, which is to bring in all the people with various skills and tell them what it is that I have seen and give them plans and whatever tools they need to work with. I have seen engineers building cities, medical workers building a new health

care sector, teachers raising great people in great schools. We can build it because I have seen it. We will build it. I am so convinced that we will deliver the future. Now, are there people who have not seen it? Of course yes.

Do they also see things that discourage and distract then? Absolutely yes! I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t blame ant young person who has given up on Nigeria.

You know, one interesting thing is that I am 46 years old and I had a great privilege of seeing almost what you would call the tail end of the good old days. When I was in the primary school, we drank water from fountains, not from boreholes; I grew up on the then University of Ife (Osun State) campus, I went to the staff school, then later got admitted to the school. The point Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to make is that I had a Nigeria where everything worked. I went to a school where it cost N1,260 to do a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree programme per semester. So, I have seen a bit of the good old days in Nigeria and something tells me that the best is always before us, not behind us.â&#x20AC;?

We Must be Involved in the Electoral Processâ&#x20AC;Ś Fela says Nigeria has always been ruled and not led. And that is why he thinks there are many Nigerians who are not involved. And they have to be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are almost 90 million Nigerians who are of voting age. We have almost 70 million who are registered as voters. But only 28 million votes were counted in 2015. Mind you, I said counted not actually cast. What happened to the other 40 million votes? They were protest votes of those who did not see what they wanted in those two candidates.

Therefore, those who have not gotten their permanent voter cards should do so now. The time to get involved is now.â&#x20AC;?

Perhaps, he has his points. May be if the right values are enthroned as Fela is pushing, perhaps, the woman who was hooting behind him when the traffic light was in red will probably know the meaning of doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Making Ethics Go Viral for Online Journalism Yinka Olatunbosun

T

he viral nature of news and information dissemination through the online media platforms has been an intriguing feature. Add to this the online mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efficiency at breaking news on the go. Needless to say, many online media today lack credibility which is part of the reasons why the traditional media such as print and television have continued to dominate the industry.

On the flip side, the traditional media have developed online media platforms to compete favourably with the online journalism movement that marks this period in human history. That inter-relationship between the online and traditional media had made the existence of the former inevitable in spite of the huge criticisms against its operation.

To sanitise online media that is currently unregulated by laws or policies in Nigeria, the President Online Publishers Association of Nigeria, OPAN, Austyn Ogannah, has revealed that a one-day conference for stakeholders with the theme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Future of the Fourth Estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; is set for February 7, 2018 to deliberate on the rules of engagement that must guide online media practitioners. Without the conference, the virtual space will remain a nursery for pseudojournalists, giving way to parasitic effect for the

Ogannah

professionals in the business.

In a breakfast meeting with THISDAY, Ogannah disclosed how the association has set out to reform online media. The Grill room inside Wheatbaker was the meeting point. In more ways than one, the pizza atop the centre table looked like a prototype for what the online journalism should be - a compact, colourful well-mashed up piece with variety of content. Ogannah, a 43year old Editor-in-Chief and President, The Will Media, is the newly elected President of OPAN who is committed to changing the landscape for online journalism. In line with that objective, he is

working towards ensuring that the conference is sustained in subsequent years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The conference is an annual event,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he began. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we are trying to do is to create the platform or movement that will reform digital media. It will be an intellectual party. It has not been done before. We will wrap it up with some form of entertainment. The first edition will kick off on February 7. It will be the flagship event for the association. We have big brands that want to be part of it. We have workshops and mini events that expose our members to training and learn the business of journalism. This conference is about discipline, raising the standards, restoring trust and improving content among members. We want fairness in what we do.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Recalling how it all began, Ogannah said OPAN was formed in 2010 and registered a year later with Corporate Affairs Commission by some discerning professionals who felt the need to define standards for the fastest growing engagement platform for this generation. Thus, the idea of OPAN was conceived after founders recognised and understood the shift in the mode and means of social engagement, disruptions and changes that would challenge the existing legal framework for publishing and broadcast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before you can be part of us, you need to swear to an oath which is that you will not blackmail or publish what you cannot defend.

We have certain standards to help sanitise the

sector to gain more credibility. Our laws are still grappling to understand the new media. Some of our laws that we have were made when we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the internet infrastructure. Our policy makers have not made laws that look into the future. Some of the laws we have for the media cannot control the digital or social media. Before you can publish a newspaper today, you must go and register. But before you start a website today, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to talk to anybody. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the online media came, it arrived on the vehicle of self-expression. If you then want to regulate the online media, it means you want to regulate free speech. That was the argument. The institution is then caught within that argument.

But where your own right ends is where anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right begins. There must be a balance.

That is why we are for some kind of regulation and sanity,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said.

Meanwhile, the representatives of this association have two meetings with the senate on regulatory issues. Like other existing trade unions, OPAN is set up to self-regulate members but there are no instrument of the law to deliver on this objective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want our lawmakers to give us a legal backing to enforce our own laws within the laws of the state so that we can punish defaulters,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said.

He said the conference would attract top legislators, private sectors, media and advertisers.

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Lanre Alfred Releases â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Titansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Lagos Funke Olaode

T

HISDAY Newspaper columnist, Lanre Alfred, recently released a new book titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Titans: Amazing Exploits of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greatest Achievers.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The book which is the fifth of Alfredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publishing endeavours, chronicles the exploits and attainments of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest brains and leaders in different fields of endeavor.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Steve Ayorinde, graced the public presentation of the book in Lagos, on behalf of the state government, a major supporter of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s factual initiative.

Ayorinde commended the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s depth and the painstaking research that heralded the factual and inspiring narrative. Other dignitaries at the presentation enthused about the finesse and brilliant craft of the author.

The book, stressed Alfred, details the matchless and valuable contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria by individuals who have turned an idea into an industry and attained in the process, remarkable prosperity and renown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is about the wunderkinds from the slums of Ajegunle, Bariga and Surulere, Agege, Amokoko, Ijora, among other places that have parlayed their creativity into a flourishing enterprise and are not only financially liberated but are accorded global respect,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The literature is dedicated to Capt.

Idahosa Okunbo for profound reasons: chief among them is the rarity of his persona, according to the author. Alfred stressed that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions flaunts the same fundamental psychology as the artist, inventor, or statesman.

He has set himself at a certain work and the work absorbs and becomes him. It is the expression of his personality; he lives in its growth and perfection according to his plans.â&#x20AC;?

According to him, Capt. Okunbo became worthy of the honour by account of his sterling industry, humanity and unpretentious modesty manifests positively on all of his acquaintances, the author inclusive. Capt. Okunbo is a patriot whose commitment to national and economic stability are beyond doubt. He is currently one of the very few economic giants and magnates enjoying the respect of the Nigerian government due to his infectious modesty and enviable business culture in the oil and gas sector. He would be 60 in January.

At 60, Capt. Okunbo has conquered Air, Sea and Land. There is no gainsaying that he has conquered the air as a pilot; the sea as an oil and gas player with over 60 vessels; and now, land as he recently unveiled an agricultural project worth a staggering $750

L-R: Mr. Goodluck Hayi, Director of Taleveras, Mr. Kunle Bakare, Publisher, Encomium Magazine, Hon. Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State Commissioner For Information, Mr and Mrs Lanre Alfred, Mr Dayo Asaju, Publisher First Weekly, and Princess Toyin Kolade

million with an initial $300 million take-off capital.

Alfredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new book is widely commended as a product of meticulous research spanning the last decade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The book mirrors the outstanding resilience and perseverance of outstanding Nigerians in their ambitious dash for honour and progress and in the face of daunting political and socio-economic odds,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Some of the chapters in the book include: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Forbears, Their Imperial Majesties, Like Burnished Stones, Thrill Merchants, Gods of Industry among others. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Essentially, I have documented in pristine prose and pictures, the inspiring exploits and attainments of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest breed of magnates, politicians, scientists, academics, technocrats and entertainers who

are transforming the world and inspiring others to do likewise,â&#x20AC;? said Alfred.

Thus, as he recalls his subjectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; storied trajectory and records it for posterity and historians, Alfred projects his book as an inspirational mini-biography of the exploits of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest.

In commemoration of Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; golden jubilee, Alfred noted that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A section of the book has been devoted to the contributions and achievements of some Lagosians whose industry and initiatives have contributed to making Lagos the fifth largest economy in Africa and a primus inter pares in Nigeria.

Their contributions to the growth of Lagos would be put into proper historical perspectives for the benefit of posterity and researchers.â&#x20AC;?

With a Foreword written by Encomium

Alfredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new book is widely commended as a product of meticulous research spanning the last decade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The book mirrors the outstanding resilience and perseverance of outstanding Nigerians in their ambitious dash for honour and progress and in the face of daunting political and socio-economic odds

Magazine publisher, Kunle Bakare, the coffee table book has hit bookshelves across the country. According to Kunle Bakare, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This assemblage of profiles of our most colourful characters not only signposts our past but defines our future. The heartwarming narratives of those who toiled and laboured and sacrificed, who risked lives and limbs to ensure our today and tomorrow are far better than our yesterday are masterfully catalogued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This documentation of giants who struggled to make life more meaningful, worthwhile and enjoyable for posterity positions Alfred as a chronicler to applaud for his audacious compilation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Painstaking and methodical with a good grasp of an engaging lexicon of the flowery kind, he tells the stories of the giants who provide shoulders to perch on so that we can see far convincingly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a young man with a punishing schedule and deadlines to beat every week, Alfredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort brings to fore what seriousness can accomplish. What determination and diligence bring to bear.

And l have never doubted his passion for writing, for beautiful and lyrical proseâ&#x20AC;?.

Alfred, a former THISDAY Society Editor, writes the popularly Highlife, a column that focuses on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Amazing Lifestyles of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rich and Famousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; and biographies including â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pacemaker â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Triumphs of Igho Sanomi at 40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Lion of Afia Nsit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Triumphs of Scott Tommey at 45â&#x20AC;&#x2122;; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Julius Roneâ&#x20AC;ŚThe Jewel of the Deltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Jerusalem Capital and Commissioner for Happiness/Purpose Fulfillment elcome to the 12th and final month of the year. For many of us it is a time to look back, take stock and make plans towards the coming year.

The end of 2017 has certainly given us much to remember it by â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have been made aware of harrowing stories of modern day slavery and slave trade of Nigerians in Libya, the terrible loss of lives of Nigerians trying to make it illegally to Europe in search of greener pastures. In the Western world men who have hitherto been in the habit of sexually harassing women are being called out. In Nigeria the polity is heating up; political activities are gaining momentum, political parties are coming alive with alliances, permutations and plans as we approach an active political season. Above all, it is the month in which President Trump has taken a historic decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US embassy there, thereby fulfilling prophecy and setting the stage for the return of Jesus Christ.

This is also Christmas month and we can easily get swamped in the commercialisation of Christmas - gatherings over gourmet meals, festivities, exchange of gifts, planning for various outings, decorating houses, shops, streets,

W

travelling.

Putting a pause on routine end-of-year activity and making time for reflection is a good way to prepare to transit from one year to another.

As the year runs its last lap, for many of us there may be a feeling that there is little to be joyful about. We join the crowd in jubilation but eventually we will be left alone to face our personal reality. When the music fades and the noise dies down, when the party partners have left and we have no one but ourselves for company, we are hit with the Christmas blues; we are surrounded by people and yet we feel terribly lonely, we are accomplished by every standard and are even the envy of many but we have a sense of hopelessness. Many homes are struggling: marriages are in turmoil, children are unruly. There are numerous young men and women who had wished to settle down by now and begin a family but there just seems to be a scarcity of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wife materialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;husband materialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Some are still waiting for that child and time is running out! Some of us are praying that the next doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report will bring good news. There are amongst us those who have found themselves in one entanglement or another be it legal, financial or relational.

Others have worked towards a financial target, expected a promotion on the job, contemplated a change, and we seem no closer to these blessing than we were in January.

In short this end of year appears like nothing but a time of coming face to face with our broken dreams and unfulfilled promises.

Many are discouraged. In the extreme people are giving up on life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hence the alarming rate of suicides being reported in Nigeria. This is a worrying trend and indeed a reflection of the general state of mind of people.

Whereas I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe appointing a Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose fulfillment is the solution to our problems, even this tells us our general welfare is increasingly becoming cause for concern. The truth is times are tough and many people are struggling to make ends meet. But even those who do make ends meet materially are struggling in other ways â&#x20AC;&#x201C; welcome to life!

While all the blessing we have prayed and waited for are important, necessary and legitimate, in themselves they do not satisfy.

And even when our prayers do get answered, the needs will not cease - challenges are part of life, they are here to stay. It is then logical to plan to make life worthwhile in spite of them.

And one of the ways is by being intentionally thankful. No wonder the Psalmist says in Psalm 107:1 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh give thanks to the Lord for His mercies endure foreverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

If we find it difficult to be thankful, I suggest a trip to the hospital. It should help us be thankful.

Beyond the euphoria of this season, Christmas brings a message of love, redemption and blessings. Christmas is God stepping from eternity into time, wearing flesh and dying on the cross so that you and I can be reconciled to Him. Christmas is peace beyond human understanding, and we experience this when we receive His salvation.

Christmas heralds us into a life of purpose, as we know Him we become a people headed somewhere. We can wake up each day with bright eyes and a satisfied smile. No, our problems have not disappeared. We are still surrounded by challenges but we have an invisible reservoir from which we can draw strength. We are no longer afraid of the future because we have hope. And because of this hope we look forward to tomorrow.

Let us make this a December to Remember by looking back at the year, counting our blessings, and giving God thanks, in spite of the challenges.

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

THE INVERTED PYRAMID PAGE 65

17.12.2017

TAM FIOFORI

RELIVING THE MEMORIES OF FESTAC '77 Fiofori

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\PERSONALITY

TAM FIOFORI: RELIVIN MEMORIES OF FESTAC Ace documentary photographer and filmmaker, Tam Fiofiori discusses his career highlights an Olatunbosun

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t was agreed that the interview would last just 30mins-in between the tea break and the panelistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; session at AFRIFF. That was impossible. Tam Fiofori had with him iconic images, loaded with historical details that couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be munched as snacks. Hence, we settled for a full-course meal in form of a long conversation, undulating across viewpoints, counter-arguments and of course, story-telling, at a corridor inside Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

For many in the art community, he certainly needs no introduction. Besides having a career in photography that had spanned five decades, Fiofori is known as a key associate of a pioneering synthesiser player in the US, Sun Ra. Fiofori is also known as the first new music/electronic music editor for Down Beat and other publications in the US. In fact, records have it that his work in film was screened at FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77.

For FESTAC memories to be unearthed 40 years later gives Fiofori the nudge to collect his pictures of the ground-breaking cultural event that began on January 15, 1977 with an opening ceremony at the National Stadium, Surulere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have concentrated on documenting very important events; once in a lifetime events such as FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77,â&#x20AC;? he disclosed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In 1979, I covered the presidential elections with people such as Awolowo, Azikiwe and Shagari. I have covered big sporting events such as the All African Games in 1978 in Algiers.

The Cup of Nations in 1978 held in Ghana and Nigeria in 1980.â&#x20AC;?

Fiofori worked as a freelance photographer, not employed by any media house to cover event. Yet, he managed to gain access to important events as a well-established photographer. He would write to the media planning committee for these events and get his accreditation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believed I should build up a photo archive which I have finally done. I have with me iconic images. And for those who want to use the images for books, I was always sought after. It has been an investment. I have produced two books.

I covered the coronation of the Oba of Benin in 1979. And out of it I produced a book titled A Benin Coronation: Oba Erediauwa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now, I want to produce a book from the FESTAC Photographs. I also have a book called 1979 containing photographs that I took in 1979. The photographs were on the coronation of the Oba of Benin, the 1979 elections which featured Azikiwe, Awolowo, Shagari and the house-warming in Ijebu-Ode.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; From a folder, Fiofori uncovered more FESTAC photos that were taken on January 15, 1977 showing all the 56 participating countries from Africa and Africans in the diaspora. It was thrilling to be allowed to hold them, for a few seconds before Fiofori gently pulled them from a firm grip.

Another picture showed the Cubans marching behind their national flag.  Then, he brought out another showing the Brazilians in their national costumes.  Then came one with a sea of

Participants From Gabon, In National Costumes, Marching Behind the Life-Size Portrait Of President Omar Bongo at FESTAC '77 heads gathered at the National Stadium.

Though a prestigious gathering, it was free entry to all. At that period, televisions in Nigeria and perhaps in other countries showed only Black and White. His pictures, captured in coloured, were beautiful statement on one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most decorated events since independence.

It had been argued that FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77 was a wasteful expenditure. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was very vocal about this view and even reportedly pulled out of the event for this reason. Fiofori had a different view. He had lived in Harlem. Hence, with every sense of black-consciousness, he would rightly argue that FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77 was necessary to foster global unity across racial differences. South Africa was still under in apartheid system.

US still had silent racism institutionalised.

Promoting black culture was really a need and the best vehicle for that was not Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan but the arts.

While still on the subject of Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absence from FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77, Fiofori thought that Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pull out from the event did not diminish the greatness of that moment in history. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The greatest black musicians came for the event,â&#x20AC;? he recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stevie Wonder, Mariam Makeba and many more. We needed to show the whole world the strength and breadth of black culture. I think Nigeria did the world a favour. We cannot say money was wasted. The only thing we can be sad about is that the documents, the films that were made are no longer around. CBAAC has some of them. CBAAC didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show films about FESTAC until last month. How can they say they want to celebrate FESTAC at 40 in one week? They were even being ridiculous by saying that they would have a

wrestling match. Was there wrestling in FESTAC 77?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Ruby crown was to be given to former president, Olusegun Obasanjo by the Ooni of Ife in a ceremony to mark FESTAC at 40 in Lagos. Fiofori thought it would be a mistake to do any such tribute to the former military president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obasanjo must be thanked for making FESTAC happened,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is why I am very proud that Obasanjo Presidential library has featured memorabilia from FESTAC. But to say he will be crowned by Ooni of Ife for his contribution to culture is ridiculous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why the Ooni of Ife? We need to be careful. FESTAC was not about a particular king. We should not debase FESTAC 40 years after. You can honour him by telling Nigerians that this is the man that made FESTAC possible. Not by crowing him, what kind of crown is that?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Only those who traded during that period could say something about FESTACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic impact on host country, Nigeria. But Fiofori thought that if Nigeria had preserved all the works from the event, it could be a great source of revenue as they will be useful as archival materials. The National Theatre, Orile Iganmu, which was built for the event is being considered for sale, making it convenient to argue that FESTAC was a wasteful expenditure as the facility has not been put into productive use in recent years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fact that it is not properly used does not mean it was not needed,â&#x20AC;?

Fiofori countered. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The National Stadium in Surulere was built to host the All Africa Games in 1973. We do not have the right manpower to maximise this edifice. Like I said. We have the wrong civil servants who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a clue. Wembley Stadium that was used for Olympics, is it not being used till now? We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have people with ideas on how to keep those places going.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; For him, FESTAC is a success story for the large turn-out of people from different countries to project their culture, with no previous model. Yes, it was the second edition of the Festival of Arts and Culture, still, it is unbeatable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had Anthony Enahoro then with the Gowon government which began planning FESTAC. But it was postponed a couple of times. But Obasanjo saw to it that it took place. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think any country can replicate FESTAC. Rather than be condemning FESTAC, we should look at the gains of the event. I was many interesting things on FESTAC when I went to the website. I saw Victor Uwaifoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recordings and the Congolese musician. Why are they not being publicised? Why are we not making money from the archives?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Perhaps, the answer is that we have short memory in the arts; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re quick to forget the veterans. But Fiofori has a better answer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is because we always have the wrong people running culture. As long as we give posts based on political membership, it will be like that. Using quota system is bad in the long run. I am a Nigerian and a stakeholder. Lai Mohammed has done well for the arts. so far so good. Earlier this year, we had a workshop talking

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍľË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

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NG THE C '77

Ă&#x17D; ̳ͿͿ ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Yinka

about collaborations with Korean and South African film makers. He working on MOUs and he is encouraging the arts. Nigerian movie industry boomed during the time of Baba Sala, Ade Love because we had this cultural exchange programme in North Korea. We used to go to their festivals. We have lost all that opportunities. We are retrogressing in respect to being at the forefront of culture. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a sense of appreciating the old. Today, they call themselves on- air personality but they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know much about music.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Next on Fioforiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plate is a compilation of the FESTAC â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77 pictures which had been nicely printed on metal in miniatures at Bloom Art, which also boasts of a huge metal sheet edition of the work titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Spirit of FESTACâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My good friend whom I admire a lot General Obasanjo will write the foreword. I must emphasise that Obasanjo deserves a lot of credit for the FESTAC. The crowing diminishes what he has achieved. I presented my FESTAC archives during the CORA Art Stampede in March. I showed more than 60 coloured pictures at the vent. The FESTAC logo was the Benin mask Queen Idia, and you know that the British took the mask with them. They refused to return it. Some people believe that the British wanted to keep the power of our artefacts in their museum. We must realise the power of our art. They said if they had given us, would we have looked after the artefact well?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It sounded like a valid argument.

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

CICERO

Editor Olawale Olaleye Email wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

An Interesting Build-up to 2019 The recent sparring between the APC and the PDP is instructive preparatory to the 2019 elections.

Olawale Olaleye writes

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s far as 2019 is concerned, neither the All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will take no prisoners in their already bitter rivalry.

The frenzy is gradually building up and the two parties have begun to subtly pick their battles, sequel to the main event.

For the APC, after many years of playing and juggling its opposition – either through realignment or merger – its gamble eventually paid off in 2015 as a movement of combined political parties uprooted the PDP and took over power. By 2019, it would have only served just a term.Therefore, the tendency to want to seek re-election is present and high. More so, everything it is currently doing suggests re-election is an option already on the card.

President Muhammadu Buhari had personally hinted at this twice. First, he hinted at a possible presidential run in Abidjan, during a summit on counter-terrorism, and second during his recent two-day visit to Kano State.

The PDP, on its part, was in power for 16 years. Indeed, it sought to rule for 60 years as once mooted by one of its former national chairmen, Ahmadu Ali, before the APC threw spanner in the wheels for it. But PDP is the one party that has retained its name and identity since 1998 and therefore, enjoys seemingly immutable name recognition even in the remotest parts of the country. But in spite of its clout and outward grip on the polity, it was sent packing in 2015 in an election, whose results it could not even challenge.

Sadly, for the PDP, while it remained too complacent in power, it was not by any means ready for its current job prescription as an opposition party. It is no wonder, therefore, that almost three years after leaving power it is just beginning to understand that there is a role reversal after all. From leadership crisis to personal mistrust and a malignant blame game, it has been through the many obnoxious curves and right now, appears to be strongly coming out with just one thing in mind: take-over power from the APC. The APC, three years after“grabbing”power, is yet to fully have a grasp of the demands of its new calling.To think that the APC is yet to understand that its approach to issues as an opposition is by common sense meant to be different as a ruling party is one of the factors that have come together to properly sculpt and situate some of its inadequacies as a ruling party and government. From its understanding of issues and the positions often taken at the end of the day, APC is still an opposition in power, literally.

Thus, from both ends, it is not quite a comfortable position and as such, the 2019 run may just be an open call, of course, depending on who plays it better. Already, the drumbeats of electoral war are building up even though the umpire, INEC has yet to declare the field open. But the signs are everywhere.The gladiators are gearing up and speaking in parables. Some have begun to throw shades at each other; the others are trading tackles, more like treading the familiar path in the lead up to an election year.

But the path to what to expect was clearly marked last week, when the spokespersons for the two main parties, Malam Bolaji Abdulahi of the APC and Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP’s newly elected National Publicity Secretary, gave a dose each of the stuff they were made of.

First, for the record: the two are products of theTHISDAY media family and rose enviably on the job.They have also since sought other opportunities in public service, where they are still doing great exploits in the ways best possible.

They are both from the North Central part of the country – Kwara and Kogi. While Abdulahi has a relationship with the current President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, since his days as governor of Kwara State, Ologbondiyan used to work for the immediate past Senate President David Mark and together, they ran the senate for eight years. And as professionals, they are both well-honed for the tasks at hand.

So, it was Abdulahi, who first served the salvo. Reacting to PDP’s national convention, which held two Saturdays ago and produced Uche Secondus as its national chair, Abdulahi said alleged reports of rigging during the election showed that PDP was rooted in corruption and could not change, adding that“A leopard cannot change its spot.”He even said corruption was in its DNA. Unfortunately, for the APC, this unprovoked tirade came as the first major test case for Abdulahi’s counterpart,

Ologbondiyan, who had just been elected to redirect the communication approach of the party and without wasting time, the PDP spokesperson went ballistics. His response was a direct punch, saying the APC had lost control and only clutching at straws for survival, having been rejected outright by Nigerians.

It goes without saying that the journey to 2019 has truly begun and those aiming at one political destination or the other are already at their respective transportation terminal, only waiting on the umpire to declare the race open. It is therefore a delight to many that these hard core professionals have been nominated to champion the official narratives of their party in a way that not only efficiently communicates their positions but also sets abiding examples without recourse to gutter exchanges.

It is trite to conclude that the battle for 2019 has begun.

Importantly, however, there would be more attention on these two as the observing public unlearns from the misrepresented past, which typified crass ‘publicity nuisance’. For this new season, therefore, the engagement must be robust and refreshing.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

End SARS as a Mob Project

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Ibrahim Idris Kpotun, IGP

he campaign demanding an end to the deployment of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS), a detachment of the police force, following alleged high-handedness and abuse of power continued last week with supporters of the SARS too staging a counter-rally, which called for the retention

of the squad.

There is no debating the fact that some of the SARS operatives had become law unto themselves, perpetrating the unthinkable, ostensibly in the course of discharging their duties.Therefore, the campaign when initially ignited was timely and instructive. But even more commendable was the response of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who immediately or-

dered a re-organisation of the detachment for efficiency and professionalism, showing immense sensitivity to the mood of the nation. But to further push for an outright scrapping of SARS may be asking for too much or better still, seeking the impossible at this material time.

The SARS operatives are not totally useless as the campaign seems to represent.They had busted a lot of crimes and restored sanity in many instances.Therefore, isolated cases of a few ‘criminals’ or the ill-behaved amongst them should not be generalised or form the basis to write them all off.That a few Nigerians are corrupt should not be taken by foreigners that all Nigerians are. All that the SARS and indeed, the entire police force require is genuine reform that is comprehensive and not scrapping it outright.

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BRIEFINGNOTES With Convention over, PDP Tackles a Bigger Challenge Moving forward, the proposed reconciliation initiative by the Uche Secondus leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, if pulled through, could put the party in good stead ahead of 2019, writes Onyebuchi Ezigbo

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here were a lot of frayed nerves at the just concluded elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Although the convention was adjudged transparent by many having been conducted in the open and in the full glare of the klieg lights of national television cameras at the Eagle Square, Abuja, certain premeditated actions during the exercise created anxiety and fears over the credibility of the process. For instance, the sudden emergence of a document tagged “Unity List” which contained names of preferred aspirants even before voting commenced raised some dusts.

The organisers of the convention though dismissed the list as not official or relevant since it was unsigned, it later turned out that all those mentioned in the document actually won their various positions.

Also, the bad blood created by the disagreement over micro zoning was not entirely laid to rest even with the position repeatedly stated by the leadership of the party before the convention that it was not binding on anyone.

It was not surprising therefore that the matter still reared its head again, when on the eve of the convention, a frontline aspirant, Chief Bode George, addressed the media announcing his withdrawal from race. George expressed displeasure over what he described as failure of the party and its leaders to uphold the practiced micro zoning. He also accused the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike of insulting the South-west by saying they have not contributed much to the PDP to warrant their insistence to occupy the national chairmanship of the PDP. Following his withdrawal from the race, other five aspirants from the zone joined suit. Although not stated, many believed that these aspirants may have been aggrieved by what they perceived as unfair treatment and decided to throw in the towel.

As if the convention was destined to be marred by controversy, an unknown group, came up with what was tagged the “Unity list” containing names of candidates they claimed had been endorsed by the party.

Leading on the unity list was Uche Secondus, who was already being taunted to clinch the coveted chairmanship seat even before votes were cast. The circulation of the unity list caused a stir at the convention venue with one of the aspirants, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, vehemently protesting. Dokpesi, who addressed journalists, faulted the election process and described it as a charade. He said such an action might destroy the party.

Dokpesi alleged that the process of voting had been rigged, following the distribution of a unity list containing names of candidates believed to have won elections into various national leadership positions in the party before voting began. He explained that the 21 names of candidates contained in the list appeared on the ballot papers as number one and in the voting boots as number one as well. He said complaints were lodged to the chairman of the PDP electoral committee, Gabriel Suswan, who confirmed that he had seen the list with some delegates but that he could not act on it.

Dokpesi said it was unfortunate that a party which was just getting out of a major leadership crisis would be involved in acts of impunity and electoral malpractice. The media magnate however urged the party leadership to urgently rectify what he called an anomaly and a charade before it becomes another major challenge in the party, ahead 2019 general election. Also reacting to the outcome of the election, another aspirant, Professor Tunde Adeniran, who later stormed out of the venue, said the circulation of the list of candidates while voting was yet to take place was absurd, and that it had tainted the entire process.

He said although the arrangement put in place by the convention planning committee was very good, the organisers were overwhelmed by fraudulent people, who would never let democracy thrive, saying: “The desperados are the one perpetrating this act.”

Secondus and his leader, Wike On the circulation of the unity list, he described it as absurd. “This is the type of imposition we have been talking about. And when it is coming from those, who are supposed to guide people to make free choice, then, of course, the consequences will be there”. But a member of the convention planning committee and former minister of Environment, John Odey described the alleged circulation of candidates list as a non-issue. He said the list could not be traced to anyone since it was not signed. The former minister said the process was democratic despite the complaints over the circulation of the unity list by unknown persons.

At the same time, support for the newly elected Secondus-led NWC has come from several quarters, including the former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who called on the defeated aspirants to rally round the new leadership in the interest of the party. Metuh noted that the outcome of the election does not in any way detract from the credibility and the qualification of those elected.

Metuh, in a statement personally signed, urged aggrieved aspirants to join hands with the new party leadership to “provide a credible opposition that would continuously provide alternatives and options to the policies and programmes of the ruling party.

What is needed now is for them to join hands with the new leadership to reposition the PDP for the task ahead.”

Also, after an initial criticism by the National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, bordering on allegations of irregularities, APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, had also issued a statement, congratulating Secondus for his victory.

In the same vein, the national chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has congratulated the PDP for successfully holding its national convention last Saturday and welcomed on board the newly elected national officers of the party.

However, in a bid to stem the crisis that arose from the convention, the party’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee has swung into action trying to make peace with those that felt aggrieved over the outcome of the national convention.

Chairman of the peace committee and Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, said his committee intends to visit George and other PDP chairmanship aspirants. Dickson gave a ray of hope for a post-convention peaceful reconciliation, when he told journalists that initial contacts they made with the aspirants were positive. He said the committee has already established contact with one of the aspirants, George and that talks with him were fruitful.

“Generally, we are pleased with the outcome of the exercise (Convention) but we have established contact already with those who are dissatisfied and who have concerns, issues and grievances which is normal in an exercise such as this. The effort we have made so far is to establish contact with all the chairmanship aspirants. And we intend to interact with all other aspirants for various offices, with a view to promoting amicable resolution and better understanding within the PDP family.”

Crisis Not Yet Averted The post-convention crisis seems yet to be averted as a group under the auspices of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2017 National Convention Candidates and Stakeholders’ Forum threatened on Wednesday to form a parallel National Working Committee (NWC) of the party if the result of convention was not reversed. Despite congratulatory messages from some the chairmanship aspirants to Secondus, their absence at the inauguration of the national executive of the party was still a clear sign that trouble was yet to be over.

In a statement dated December 12, the aggrieved group of aspirants called on the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin to convene an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting within seven days. Two of

the aspirants, Chief Godwin Chinedu Duru, who contested the position of National Organising Committee (NOS) and Edede Franklyn, who contested National Youth Leader, were among those who signed the document.

“Failure to address item 2 and 3 above, we would have no option but to announce the correct results and inaugurate the authentic National Working Committee of our great party, the PDP,” the statement stated.

It is not known yet whether this group is acting on its own or being backed by other influential stakeholders within the party. Nonetheless, they cannot be taken for granted in view of past experience, where such relatively unknown groups picked up quarrel that later engulfed the party. What this means is that a lot of work is still there for the Dickson-led committee to do in order to ensure that the situation does not escalate further. Importantly, how the party manages the post-convention crisis will no doubt go a long way in determining how far it can go in its bid to challenge the ruling party APC for power in 2019.

It is to be noted that the committee has so far made some progress in the effort to reconcile the aggrieved chairmanship aspirants and to get them to accept the outcome of the convention. During a visit by a delegation of the committee to Adeniran last week, the team got an assurance from him that he was going to cooperate in the peace efforts and would work towards rebuilding the PDP. According to the Special Adviser to Dickson on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, Adeniran urged the committee to reach out to all other candidates to ensure full reconciliation.

Similarly, the peace committee was said to have gotten a positive response from Dokpesi, when it visited him on Wednesday. Dokpesi was said to have assured the committee of his determination to continue his support for the PDP. He said he would not withdraw his support for the party as a result of the convention that produced Secondus.

Dokpesi said his major concern was to oust the APC from power in 2019.

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CICERO/TRIBUTE

Buhari at 75: Why God Kept Him Alive Femi Adesina

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et me begin by telling a story. On June 1, 2015, the day I resumed work as adviser on media to President Muhammadu Buhari, he had admonished me: “Adesina, always tell me the truth. That is what I want from you. In this type of position I have found myself, it is very easy not to be told the truth.

People will just tell you what they think you want to hear. But from you, I want the truth. As a General, I may argue, but please argue with me. Tell me the truth always.”

Based on that blank cheque I’d been given, I went to the residence one evening last year to see the President. That was the time there was deafening talk of hunger from different parts of the country. I wanted to be sure that the talk was not being filtered from the President. Of course, I know him as somebody who reads newspapers religiously, and wherever we are in the face of the world, he asks for media highlights from Nigeria.

So, he would not be unaware of what Nigerians were going through. But I still wanted to raise it with him.

“Mr. President, there is hunger in the land, and people are complaining. I know government is doing its best, but I just want you to be aware,” I said.

Mr. President responded: “I know, I know. I am aware of what people are going through. I have people in my own constituency back home, and I know the messages they send to me. But it is a passing phase. Our country was vandalised, and we found ourselves in this problem. But now that we are here, we will do our best. We will bring change to this country, and we are already seeing it in agriculture. This period of hunger will pass.”

It was prophetic. The season of hunger will pass, and is indeed passing. Anyone that is honest will admit that things are looking up in Nigeria. The ravening clouds shall no longer be victorious. They shall not longer possess the sky.

I went away with one conviction from that night’s meeting: the poor matter very much to this President. He is not the type that people would tell they had no bread to eat, and he would tell them to eat cake instead. This is a friend of the talakawas, a man who loves ordinary people, and who wants their station in life to be improved. And those people know it. That is why they gravitate towards him, and repose so much confidence in him. He is their hero. Our hero.

President Buhari turns 75 years today. But some six months back, how many could confidently say this day would come for the ramrod straight man from Daura? How many believed the President would come out of the severe medical challenge that had confronted him? It all began as a routine vacation cum medical check up in January, and few days after, the rumour mill was on overdrive. The challenge lasted till August, before the President returned home finally, and since then, he has been looking better by the day. Each time you now see him, there is a fresher glow, and you cannot but give glory to God on his behalf.

But why was President Buhari kept alive, so much so that he is turning 75 today? Why did he pass through the sea of infirmity, and he was not swept away? Why did he pass through inferno, and the fire did not kindle against him? Big question. I don’t have the answer, but I can hazard some guesses, based on divine principles.

Rigobert Song. Remember him? Song was the Cameroonian defender who played many years for the Indomitable Lions.

He appeared at eight African Nations Cup tournaments, five as captain, and stood between Nigeria and victory many times.

He became an idol, venerated by his countrymen and women.

He retired to become a coach.

Then late last year, Song was not on song again on the soccer pitch. He had a near death experience on October 20. He went down with brain aneurysm, and was in coma for two days.

Doctors battled to save his life, and he was eventually evacuated to France.

While the travails lasted, the social media was abuzz with news of Song’s passage. As someone who had followed his career over the years, I felt very sad. But this is the season of fake news. Song was not dead, he miraculously rallied back.

He narrated his experience, which I found instructive, considering what our President also passed through: “I did not know what was happening to me...I did not even know I was fighting between life and death...All these people, they put God in trouble. Because everyone in this situation,

Buhari they were praying - this is what I keep in my mind - God would have been in trouble. Everyone was praying, asking, ‘God, please don’t do that, don’t take Rigobert.’ I say thank you everybody for making me come back.”

What song was Song singing? One of thanksgiving. Cameroonians who loved him bombarded God with prayers, ‘Please, don’t take Rigobert now.’ And God heard. He showed mercy.

That is the same reason President Buhari is alive today.

Nigerians bombarded Heaven with prayers. With supplications, intercessions, pleas for mercy. Muslims prayed in mosques.

Christians prayed in churches. President Alpha Conde of Guinea declared 24 hours prayer for his Nigerian counterpart.

Prayers were going on everywhere, both at home, and in the Diaspora. I can imagine God telling Himself: ‘I must answer these prayers. These petitions are too many. I must answer.’

And God had mercy, a fact attested to by President Buhari himself. He said his return was a miracle, which only God could have done.

Why did God keep our President alive? The Holy Books answer: “Blessed is he that considers the poor; God will deliver him in the day of evil.

God will preserve him, and keep him alive, And he will be blessed upon the earth;

That is the man we follow, and serve. Millions would today follow him into battle blindfolded. Millions upon millions would vote him again and again, if he throws his hat into the ring. Happy birthday, Mr President. You have shown us how to care for the lowly and the poor, how to bear them in our hearts at all times, and how such pleases God, and brings mercy our way. Thank you for coming this way, thank you for offering yourself for service

And deliver him not unto the will of his enemies, And raise him up from sickness.” (Psalm 41:1-3).

And this one in Surah At-Tawbah 9:128: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer, for he is concerned over you and to the believers he is kind and merciful.” President Buhari is concerned about Nigerians, particularly the helpless, the ordinary people, and he has dedicated his life to serving them. And when he was near unto death, those ordinary people besieged Heaven with prayers. That Christian hymn says “dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.” And God truly answered.

There is power in goodwill, we have seen it work. It worked for Rigobert Song, and it has worked for our President. Have a heart for men, particularly for the poor, the lowly, and the downtrodden. And see God rise on your behalf.

Consider Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek), who lived at Joppa. She was full of good works, always doing good, and helping the poor. One day, she took ill, and died. Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, was invited. He came, prayed, and said: “Tabitha, arise!” And the woman came back to life. That is what is possible, when you have a heart for the poor.

In his New Year message last year, President Buhari told the country: “Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily sufferings. These challenges are only temporary, we are working to make things better.”

When news came a couple of months ago that Nigeria had exited from recession, what did the President say? “Until coming out of recession translates into meaningful improvement in peoples’ lives, our work cannot be said to be done.”

In another broadcast, the President had stated: “All my adult life, I have always earned a salary and I know what it is like when your salary is simply not enough.”

That is the man we follow, and serve. Millions would today follow him into battle blindfolded. Millions upon millions would vote him again and again, if he throws his hat into the ring. Happy birthday, Mr President. You have shown us how to care for the lowly and the poor, how to bear them in our hearts at all times, and how such pleases God, and brings mercy our way. Thank you for coming this way, thank you for offering yourself for service.

–––Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari

70

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

Uneasy Calm as Ajimobi’s New Obas Move to Depose Olubadan The last may not have been heard of the Ibadan chieftaincy review exercise, writes Ademola Babalola

R

ather than thaw, the frosty relationship between the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Isiaka Ajimobi, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, is widening by the day. For having the effrontery to challenge the status quo and enthroning 21 more kings in one single day, the governor had since entered the bad book of the Olubadan and not a few indigenes of the ancient city.

Curiously, the development had also entrenched in the polity, divergent views from those, who want the Olubadan to remain the only crown-wearing monarch and are therefore averse to the new reform which grants permission for High Chiefs and some Baales (Village heads) to wear crowns or coronets as the latest development suggests.

Ibadan, from the beginning and for ages, had chequered history and tradition of a seamless ascension to the throne of Olubadan.

Every Ibadan born male child, is a King in the making, a potential monarch of the city reputed for its unique ascension process. The child once installed as family head otherwise known as Mogaji becomes cynosure of all eyes and symbol of the family for the coveted seat of the Olubadan.

Soon after, by posterity and other considerations, such Mogaji will then join either of the two lines to the throne of Olubadan. The two lines are that of Egbe Agba (Civil) and Balogun (Warriors). Ab initio, the ladder to be climbed before reaching the status of Olubadan are 23 on Balogun and 22 on Otun or Egbe Agba lines respectively.

The founding fathers of the city are largely warriors, and history says they converged from different parts of the Yoruba nation in its formation to settle in Ibadan, which soon became a war camp where external aggression and intrusion into any part of Yorubaland are subdued by the supreme fire power of Ibadan warriors. Ibadan monarch relishes this feat a lot and prides self as one of the leading first class monarchs in Yorubaland.

And for the privilege of having climbed the ladders, which in most cases take nearly four decades or more to mount the throne of Olubadan, the reigning monarch enjoys the privileges and perks of such office, albeit at a rather old age. Such was the situation till about the middle of the outgoing year, when the state government constituted a panel to review the Olubadan chieftaincy declaration and other related chieftaincies in Ibadanland.

Prior to the August 27 crowning ceremony of the new kings, the pro-establishment, especially many prominent indigenes and high Chiefs of the city had put up stiff resistance and argued in defence of the unique ascendancy order. To them, the status quo was devoid of rancour and acrimony, and thus for long become the envy of many similar cities across Yorubaland for its uniqueness.

But there also exists some highly placed influential individuals, who are desirous of change in a way that the Ibadan monarch can be more educated, youthful, cerebral and possess the energy to attract greater goodwill to the city unlike the previous experience, where the reigning monarchs were no longer in their primes to give needed vigour and sense of directions to their subjects as being witnessed in neighboring towns.

Put succinctly, the latter category and proponents of change wanted a monarch of the 21st century that would be the face of Ibadan to attract meaningful socio-economic contributions from its palace.

Thus, on completion by the panel saddled with the task “to review the existing 1957 Declaration of Olubadan of Ibadanland in line with the proposed change in chieftaincy institution in Ibadanland”, under a reform panel, headed by a retired High Court judge, Justice Akintunde Boade, the governor wasted

Olubadan receiving certificate from governor Ajimobi

no time in the implementation of the parts of the recommendations and in many more instances, made additional contributions through his own ‘post-review committee’ headed by the Governor’s Senior Special Executive Assistant, Otunba Moronkola Thomas, a lawyer and seasoned politician in the state.

For the record, part of the responsibilities of the panel was to “review the existing requirements and qualification for ascendancy to the throne of Olubadan, as well as to review the selection process of Olubadan from Otun and Balogun lines. Other areas included “the possibilities of having more beaded crown Obas in Ibadanland, taking into consideration the present size and population of the city.

Ajimobi, consequently said the review was long overdue, considering the fact that the existing declaration made in 1957 was no longer in tune with the current reality and modern trend in Yorubaland.

“I want to emphasise that this judicial commission of inquiry is not being set up to witch-hunt anybody or raise prejudice against anyone, but to ensure effective traditional institution in Ibadanland. This is to pave the way for socio-economic development of Ibadanland and Oyo State in general, which is one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration.”

Expectedly, the outcome did not only catch the Olubadan napping, many others including one of his high chiefs, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, cried blue murder and headed to the court. He was soon joined in another separate litigation

by Ibadan Council of Authentic Mogajis and other interested indigenes of the city.

Curiously, the Otun Olubadan, Senator Lekan Balogun, who had joined Ladoja in instituting the matter before the court withdrew, having ‘studied the panel’s recommendations, which also favoured the high chiefs as crownwearing Obas”. At the moment, no less than five different cases are pending in different high courts and observers are still watching what their outcomes would be.

But since the inauguration of the new kings, the state government has been giving recognitions to the new monarchs as they now put on all the paraphernalia of their offices as monarchs to government functions on daily basis. Olubadan, who by right and position, should always attend is either not invited to such state functions or boycotting them for reasons adduced above.

The governor has not done enough too to assuage the feeling of Oba Adetunji as he continuously taunt the monarch in a rather unpleasant manner through uncouth public remarks that the new kings cannot be removed in defiance to the ongoing litigation. And at other occasions emphatically sending signals to those who care to listen that more kings would be enthroned in not too distant future.

The exigencies of time left for his administration may however not make such volte face become a reality in the life of this government.

The latest of such remarks by the governor that the reform and crowning of new kings were not reversible at the recent Id-el Maolud celebration at the Remembrance Arcade, Agodi, Ibadan made Olubadan to say in return that “the review is reversible’’.

Receiving hundreds of Bale (Family Compound Leaders) from Idi Arere, Popoyemoja, Isale Osi, Igbonna, Akuro, Gbodu, Bode and adjoining areas in his palace last weekend, Oba Adetunji noted that he had lived long enough to know that God Almighty has the capacity to reverse the irreversible and return Ibadan chieftaincy system to the path of peace and harmony that had become the envy of people at home and abroad.

The monarch stated further that the legal tussle over the controversial matter between the Oyo State Government and diverse stakeholders in Ibadan land is alive, adding that all parties to the dispute are advised to respect the rule of law by giving the court the chance to play its constitutional role of adjudicating in disputes without let or hindrance.

The first class monarch contended that it was in order to give peace a chance that he had

allowed different stakeholders to meet with him for what they called ‘out-of-court settlement’, adding that no peaceful resolution of the conflict could be achieved without repudiating the gazzette that has further deepened the lingering crisis.

A spokesperson of the family leaders, Mogaji Aperin, Isale Bode, Ibadan, Chief Musiliu Ola Adekunle had commended Kabiyesi for his comportment in spite of provocations, praying that his reign would be peaceful throughout.

He pledged the support and solidarity of all the family compound leaders, who came to visit Kabiyesi.

Barely three days after, the new Obas issued a 21-day deposition notice to the Olubadan over alleged abuse of office. The Obas under the banner of Ibadan Council of Obas accused him of acts unbecoming of his office as the paramount ruler of the ancient town.

The new traditional rulers, led by Oba Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, addressed a press conference at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan where they detailed all the ‘sins’ of Olubadan and gave him 21 days to retrace his steps or be removed from office.

Among the many allegations leveled against the monarch was taking actions on behalf of the council without input from members. They also accused him of inciting people against the state government, which, according to them, was not representative of the relationship between the council and the government.

The Obas were particularly angry that all the issues pending between them and the Olubadan which almost led to taking legal action against the monarch in the past are still not addressed by him.

“Olubadan-in-Council meetings are not conducted the way they are supposed to be.

Oloris were still attending meetings with us and contributing, dictating, attacking that resulted to abuses and curses on the High Chiefs. The appointment of Baales and Mogajis are not in compliance with proper set up rules and standards.

71

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ DECEMBER 17, 2017

CICERO/TRIBUTE

Saraki at 55: His Battles and Victories At 55, Senate President Bukola Saraki has proven to be a worthy example of quality and sound leadership, writes Akintoba Fatigun

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recently he inaugurated an ad hoc committee on security infrastructure to be headed by the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan.

The South East Development Commission bill is also in the offing and may soon get the nod of the Senate as it has already scaled the second reading. Saraki’s Senate has also intervened in the face-off between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Earlier in the year, the eighth Senate, held a firstof-its-kind public hearing on the 2017 Appropriation Bill. Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, explained then that the 2017 Budget hearing was aimed at making the national budgeting process an all-inclusive activity for Nigerians.

“Budget Hearing will shape discourse on fiscal, financial and economic assumptions used as basis in arriving at total estimated expenditure. The forum on budget hearing will be used for the collation of views and positions with a view to making general legislative contribution,” Danjuma had said.

Speaking on the hearing, Saraki said the historic public hearing on the budget was aimed at ensuring more citizen-participation in the legislative processes.

“We will continue to create platforms such as this that will allow the general public to play a role in what we do here. Moving forward, the public can expect that we will continue this practice of having an open budget hearing, where every-day Nigerians are primary contributors,” he said.

resident of the eighth Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will on Tuesday, December 19, mark his 55th birthday.

Since he burst into political visibility, first under the tutelage of his father, the late Oloye Olusola Saraki, Second Republic Senate Leader, and later weaned himself, Saraki has meant different things to different people.

He was two times the governor of Kwara State, headed to the Senate in 2011 and made his way back to the red chamber in 2015. In some circles, he is a political maverick, who inherited a huge political machine.

Others see him as a goal-getter, who spares nothing at achieving his set objectives.

In 2014, a former colleague of his in the Senate attested to how he lobbied him to join the train of defectors to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as he insisted that power would surely change hands in 2015. That former colleague of his took Saraki’s admonitions for granted but was later to confess the political wizardry of the Kwara-born politician, when the results of the last presidential election trickled in.

His goal-getting and never say die characters were on display in the build-up to the inauguration of the Senate in June 2015. The presidency and the leadership of the APC had kicked against his ambition as they brandished an anointed list of principal officers.

Any chicken-hearted Senator-elect would have easily thrown in the towel, by a mere peep into the challenges of that contest. But Saraki plunged into the race, gave his all and today, he is the President of the Nigerian Senate. His is one of the two Nigerian families that have successfully got two generations elected into the red chamber. Apart from him as the inheritor of the Saraki dynasty, his sister, Gbemi too was once a senator.

The other is the Adeleke family in Osun State, whose patriarch was senator in the Second Republic before it produced the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke and now Senator Ademola Adeleke.

Whichever way you look at Saraki and his exemplary leadership of the National Assembly so far, you will easily deduce focus and patriotism, as well as the love for ethics and traditional values of lawmaking targeted at economic development and national growth.

Composition of Senate Committees

Before now, the standing Committees of the Senate had stood at 55 as the Senate then considered it should restrict the number in view of outcry from the public against huge number of standing committees. Saraki, however, appraised the situation and discovered that development of the segments of the country could not be guaranteed unless specific committees are assigned the role of oversight of the key sectors.

His argument was that without breaking down the developmental focus to easily manageable segments, the oversight functions of the committees would not be effective. He, therefore, broke down several sectors and in the first instance created 64 Standing Committees.

Sectors like Education, Health, Petroleum, Environment and Transport among others were further broken into segments with separate committees saddled with responsibility of oversights.

The essence is thorough and effective oversights to ensure national development and two years down the line, Nigerians are bearing witnesses to the series of mouth-watering revelations from the Committees.

Key Bills and Motions

In his two years as Senate President, Saraki’s leadership has taken upon itself the Made-in-Nigeria Campaign, having passed amendments to the Public Procurement Act to ensure home-made goods are given pride of place in the procurement process. The senate had also moved the motion on the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to highlight possible areas Nigeria would have been short changed. The Senate and the House of Representatives early in 2017, held the very first public hearing on budget, while also entering into partnerships with the civil society for more open and transparent budget process.

It has also held a roundtable on employment creation, with a motion that recently unraveled that Libyan slave trade cartel. His Senate has also held a roundtable on National coalition against Aids in a bid to curb HIV/ AIDS by 2030; taken motion on stranded Nigerian students abroad and passed the amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act, which is currently awaiting action by the House of Representatives.

The Open National Assembly Initiative is also a plus

The Power Probe

Saraki

for the Saraki-led National Assembly. Through this initiative, the National Assembly has for the first time thrown open details of its budget subheads and allowed more public insights into the budgetary process.

Though the public may still be clamouring for more, it is obvious the National Assembly has commenced a trip on the right lane.

One other key intervention of the Saraki-led Senate is the roundtable on curbing drug abuse in Nigeria.

This is a senate initiative to tackle the rising menace of drug abuse in Nigeria through a roundtable in Kano on December 18. The senate has also passed the health insurance bill in its determination to alleviate health challenges in the society. It has also entertained the Ease of Doing Business procedure through motions and resolutions.

The investigation on the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) is one major assignment that landed the Senate in serious controversy. The Senate had set up an ad hoc committee on mounting humanitarian challenges in the North East headed by human Rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani. His committee burrowed into investigations and at the end of the day, made monumental discoveries of stealing and mismanagement of public funds.

It recommended the suspension and trial of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, who was regarded as a strong insider in government. The report indicting PINE and Lawal was rebuffed with the system scoffing at it for some time.

But Senate’s insistence on the veracity of its findings in respect of the management of PINE paid off, when Lawal was suspended and eventually relieved of his job.

Another good core on the side of the Saraki senate is the passage of the elusive Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB). The bill has been in the National Assembly since the Sixth Assembly. It has always run into bad weather. But Saraki devised a way out by breaking the bill into three parts. On record, the senate has passed the first segment into law while the remaining aspects are at committee stages.

Saraki has also championed the passage of the popular North East Development Commission (NEDC) Bill, which was recently signed into law. Again, only

Three weeks ago, the Senate President declared open an investigative hearing into the fate of the troubled 215MW Kaduna Power Plant titled “Urgent Need to Save the 215 MW Kaduna Power Plant.”

Unlike the previous power probes, which landed the various National Assembly committees into trouble, the quiet probe instituted by the Joint Senate Committee on Gas Resources and Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy has revealed much about the troubles of the Nigerian state as regards the power sector.

Saraki, who was represented at the hearing by the Deputy Senate Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimekhena, said the Senate was aware that the federal government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was on the verge of awarding the contract for the construction of the 40x614km AjaokutaAbuja-Kaduna-Kano gas pipe line to aid the delivery of the Power plant, adding that the Senate was convinced that the use of gas to power turbines was sustainable and environmentally friendly.

He was setting the tone for the controversy already dogging the power plant, where the Ministry of Power had approved the change in its design from gas to diesel-powered.

The Senate President said: “It is surprising that the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing appears to have jettisoned the use of gas to power the Kaduna power plant and instead, opted for the construction of Automobile General Oil (diesel) tanks for the use of AGO, which is 60% higher in cost when compared with gas.”

And then, the revelations at the hearing justified Saraki’s earlier position. Stakeholders at the investigative hearing told the Joint Committee that it would cost Nigeria $200 million more to use diesel instead of gas at the power plant. Indeed, it was revealed that to power one unit of the eight unit plant, Nigeria would spend N46 million daily, cough out 180,000 litres of diesel per day and also generate power at the rate of N79 a Kilowatt, whereas the use of gas would guarantee the country the production of one kilowatt of electricity at between N35 and N37.

Though the Senate in plenary is still awaiting the report of that joint committee, the committee had already ordered the stop of the planned commissioning of one unit of the Power Plant in January 2018 in view of the huge financial haemorrhage the operation would cost the economy.

By and large, Saraki at 55 has been both a business and political success. He has also been a good family man. As the Chairman of the National Assembly, stakeholders agree that he has maintained the spirit and determination of leading a legislature that is focused, full of initiatives, people-oriented and sold to development.

––Akintoba, a former local government chairman in Kwara State, wrote from Abuja.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍľË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

Understanding the Libyan SlaveTrade Markets Mohammed K. Ibrahim

A

lthough both the Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Saharan slave trades ended officially more than 200 years ago, this crime against humanity still takes place in several countries, notably in Mauritania, India, Pakistan and Haiti. Mauritania had tried three times to abolish slavery within its borders, most recently in 2007, and three times it failed. According to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walk Free Global Slavery Indexâ&#x20AC;?, 4% of Mauritanians, mostly dark skinned, live in slavery. While many believe that slavery is a historical issue, in reality it is an everyday problem, as millions of people are forced to work through coercion, mental or physical threats. In the Maghreb, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much a cultural issue that it is not uncommon to hear even children calling African diplomats â&#x20AC;&#x153;Abidâ&#x20AC;? (slaves).

In spite of what we thought we knew about global slavery, the CNN report of early last month showing sub-Saharan African migrant workers being auctioned in Libya like commodities was received with a huge shock and outrage around the world. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres; the Chairman of the African Union, President Alpha Conde of the Republic of Guinea; and Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union, not only condemned this evil trade, but also called for its immediate stop and the rescue of all those sold as slaves. Although the CNN report did not indicate where the slave trade markets were located, intelligence reports indicate that this vile trade regularly takes place in nine Libyan towns: Zuwara, Sabratah, Garyan, Castelverde, Gadamis, Kabaw, Alzintan, Alrujban, and Sabha. At least four of these cities are outside the control of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli.

Knowing Libya as much as I do, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised to hear that African migrants were being sold as slaves in this troubled North African country. Indeed in a less formal sense, exploitation of African laborers working on farms in Libya wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t entirely new even during the rule of Col. Gaddafi. However, in post-Gaddafi Libya, things got worse as even indigenous Black Libyans are now subjected to despicable racial atrocities, because of the perception that most of them fought on the side of the pro-Gaddafi army during the NATO-inspired war that led to the killing of Gaddafi and the toppling of his government.

Another reason why the sub-Saharan African migrants are today hated in Libya is because the average Libyan believes that Gaddafi squandered their wealth in developing the economy of Black Africa. In the first few weeks after Gaddafi was killed, thousands of Blacks in Libya were summarily executed without anybody raising a finger in the international community. The ethnic cleansing that took place in Tawergha, a city of 30,000 people, remains one of the most inhuman tragedies of the Libyan war.

The people of Tawergha â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blacks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are up till now isolated in camps in Tripoli to prevent Libyan Arab nationalists from concluding the genocide they started against them. Gaddafi was not a racist by any measure, and this was among the sins that the average Libyan Arab nationalist held against him!

There are two categories of sub-Saharan African migrants in Libya; those whose destination is Libya, i.e. Nigerienne, Malians and Burkinabe citizens; and those for whom Libya is only a transit country, i.e.

Nigerians, Ghanaians, Senegalese, Cameroonians,

GeoďŹ&#x20AC;rey Onyeama, Foreign AďŹ&#x20AC;airs Minister

etc. The former settle in Libya and work on the farms of the highly subsidised Libyan farmers.

Their condition of work has always been horrible â&#x20AC;&#x201C; call it â&#x20AC;&#x153;Modern Day Slaveryâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you wish! The final destination of 99% of the Nigerians in Libya is Europe through Lampedusa Island in Italy. There have never been an accurate figure of Nigerians in Libya, but our Embassy in Tripoli used the conservative estimate of 15,000. For all the period I was Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ambassador to Libya (2004-2008) not more than 200 Nigerians had registered with the Embassy, but at one point, there were about 1,500 in prisons alone, more than the number of Libyans in their countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prisons! With regard to those on the death row, more than 40% were our citizens.

Among the condemned inmates were those whose trials and convictions were done in Arabic and had no legal representation. Most times, the staff of our mission in Tripoli were not even allowed to witness the trial!

Nigerians from all works of life have since the CNN slavery report, joined the rest of the world in expressing their outrage for the Libyan slave trade, because from the clips many of the slaves appeared to be Nigerians. When I watched the report, the first thing that came to my mind was, had CNN not carried out this investigative reporting, how long would it have taken Nigeria to find out that hundreds of her citizens are going to spend a good part of their lives as slaves in Libya? The other question on my mind was what should Nigeria do in the circumstances?

Considering how sickening the international community found the incident, I thought Nigeria would seize the moment by getting ECOWAS to impress on the UN and EU to intervene with a view to not only stopping the auction, but also rescuing those already sold as slaves. Instead, the nation was fed on the balderdash - â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigerians were warned against going to deadly and dangerous Libyaâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; forgetting that there are at least four

Knowing Libya as much as I do, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised to hear that African migrants were being sold as slaves in this troubled North African country. Indeed in a less formal sense, exploitation of African laborers working on farms in Libya wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t entirely new even during the rule of Col. GaddaďŹ . However, in post-GaddaďŹ Libya, things got worse as even indigenous Black Libyans are now subjected to despicable racial atrocities, because of the perception that most of them fought on the side of the pro-GaddaďŹ army during the NATO-inspired war that led to the killing of GaddaďŹ and the toppling of his government

other routes to Europe for the migrants: the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla in Spain and Malta. So, telling Nigerian irregular migrants to avoid going to Libya is just like informing them that there are other routes for their mission!

For me what the CNN report exposed most was the cruel and degrading commoditisation of human beings, as well as the sophisticated network of mafias involved in this business. Early this year, overwhelmed by the inflow of the migrants and disappointed by the efforts of Libya to stem the tide, the Italian government decided to send its naval ships into the Libyan waters in order to stop the boats carrying the migrants from entering into Italy.

This violation of Libyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sovereignty attracted a very strong response from Marshall Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman in control of the east and south of the oil-rich country. The Marshall gave orders to his forces to hit any foreign ship inside Libyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s territorial waters.

As a result of this strong response the Italian government was left with no other option other than to mellow down and do business with Marshall Haftar. In a quid pro qua action, the Italians agreed to give money and arms to Haftar in return for his men stopping the inflow of the African migrants trying to enter Italy from the side controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA). A similar agreement was signed with the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, and the effect was a near total blockade of all the routes into Italy, as well as into Libya usually taken by human traffickers. As a consequence, thousands of the migrants were trapped inside Libya, some in various detention camps set up

by Libya and financed by the EU. The timing of the blockade coincided with the peak of demand for laborers by Libyan farmers. In the absence of their traditional Malian, Burkinabe and Nigerienne seasonal workers, the Libyan farmers engaged any able-bodied migrant to work for them.

On the other hand, the traffickers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nigerians, Libyans and Maltese â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who could no longer ferry their trafficked victims across the Mediterranean to Italy, at the cost of between $2000 and $3000, had the opportunity to cut their loses by selling off the migrants. Slave trade is like any other economic transaction; there is demand, supply and price.

With the glut in the market, the price of the slaves plummeted from $1000 per person to about $300.

Apparently, Nigerians, Ghanaians and Senegalese were the most affected. The slaves will continue to work on farms until they are able to redeem themselves for $3000 - $4000, about ten times the price they were bought. In this deal, you can say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody is Happyâ&#x20AC;?! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very lucrative business, which cannot be stopped by moral situation alone. And, as far as the Europeans are concerned stopping the inflow of the migrants is the most important thing to them; the end justifies the means.

At least four of these markets are in areas controlled by Marshall Haftar. Being outside the control of the Tripoli-based government, poses huge difficulty for Nigeria to arrange the evacuation of her citizens, without having talks with the Marshall, or his secret protĂŠgĂŠ, the Italians. The promise made

by President Buhari to repatriate and rehabilitate â&#x20AC;&#x153;all the Nigerians stranded in Libya and other parts of the worldâ&#x20AC;?, is very encouraging but how realistic is it, when Nigerian illegal migrants litter every country on the earth?

Also, should relieving the self-inflicted pains of the migrants be given priority over the 2 million IDPs in various parts of the country, who are yet to be rehabilitated in spite of a similar promise?

In the last ten years not less than 100 repatriation missions of Nigerian migrants in Libya had been carried out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some of which I was involved in â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but sadly, majority of the returnees re-embarked on the same treacherous journey a few months later.

I am, therefore, not sanguine if the on-going repatriation would yield a different result unless the government decides to take a hard look at the socio-economic factors that push our youth to risk their lives in crossing the desert, the Sea, and facing the possibility of being sold as slaves, all for the dream of a better life in Europe! Lakhdar Brahimi, the iconic UN and Algerian diplomat said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Youths are not running to Europe; we are pushing themâ&#x20AC;?! At Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current population growth rate, unless urgent action is taken to control it, by 2050 Nigeria could end up with at least 250 million restive youth. At that stage even the ECOWAS free movement protocol could collapse! â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Amb. M.K. Ibrahim is former Nigerian Ambassador to Libya.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ CEMBER 17, 2017

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PERSPECTIVE

Humbling Moments for Adeboye at Another Holy Ghost Congress Bisi Daniels

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reatness cannot hide! A time comes when it blossoms for all to see and admire or hate out of jealousy. That was the lot of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and the Redeemed Christian Church of God at the just-concluded Holy Ghost Congress of the church.

For a pastor who is infectiously humble, and for a church that is not keen on publicity or hype, there could be no hiding place, as church leaders and eminent pastors from around the world defined their positions for them; a new definition which was amplified by the demographics of attendance at the Congress.

With delegates from many countries, including Mongolia, a relatively unfamiliar country, at the Congress, no further proof of the spread of the church worldwide was required The church, which had less than 40 parishes in the 1980s has spread to about 198 countries, from many of which delegates and representatives attended the Congress, drawing commendation for the hosts. Delegates and representatives from over 40 foreign countries were among the millions of people who poured into the Redemption Camp for the week-long Congress. There were delegates from the US, UK and other European countries as well as Thailand, Costa Rica, Georgia, Honduras, UAE, Chile, India, and Mongolia, among others. Africa was highly represented by many countries, as well as various churches in Nigeria, including RCCG parishes.

For a humble man Pastor Adeboye, who can never be caught talking about his pre-eminent role in Christianity, people were eager to see his reaction during the shower of encomiums on him and the mega church he leads.

Dr Mensah Otabil, founder of a mega church, International Central Gospel Church, headquartered in Accra, Ghana, is highly respected around the world for his spiritual gifts and integrity. His preaching style is predominantly teaching, bringing the Bible alive with revelations and connections of Bible characters and events to ease understanding.

His versatility was evident when he had a double session to the delight of the congregation during his stay.

Dr Otabil described Pastor Adeboye as, “the foremost Christian influence in the world at the moment,” and praised him for his integrity, holiness and high leadership qualities.

From Cote d’ Ivoire, came an eleven-member delegation from six different churches. Their leader Lionel Mitchell, described Pastor Adeboye as “the Abraham of our age, whose work and person continue to inspire us.” He added: “What God is doing through him gives us faith and hope.”

Pastor Paul Keith from Northern Ireland on the other hand had never seen a congregation that big, seated comfortably. The Pastor of Simple Faith Ministry in Belfast said, “This is my first time in Nigeria, and in all my ministry work around countries, I have not seen so much joy and hope.” He continued, “This has taught me so much; I am totally transformed by the experience.”

Those are a few of many such encomiums.

So how did the humble Pastor Adeboye, who, for a good reason, doesn’t share God’s glory, ingest all the praise?

The cameras didn’t focus on him during the shower of praises to enable one read his body language. But someone very close to him revealed how the revered Pastor handles praises. “He is always humble, even at such moments; and returns all the glory to God, where it properly belongs; a process of transferring praises to the power behind his success.”

There is a fearsome reason Pastor Adeboye cannot take delight in adulation. According to a personal testimony he shares often, he was specifically warned against any attempt to take God’s credit in his ministry. He said: “Something happened after Lekki 98; one of the biggest programmes that we ever had. The

Adeboye

whole of Lagos was paralyzed because of the programme.

“People walked kilometres to the venue and back. Fortunately, the programme was also transmitted by radio, so those who couldn’t get there listened to it on their radio. It was a fantastic programme!

After the programme, I returned to the Redemption Camp and soon proceeded on a prayer walk to thank God: ’God I bless Your Holy name, what a wonderful thing, etc.’

“It was between 2a.m. and 3a.m. when He spoke. I heard him say clearly, ‘Son, bend down.’ I did that quickly because, you know, I was in the jungle. You never can tell; a witch could have been flying past.

And then He said, ‘Draw the figure of a man in the sand.’ “I drew the figure of a man: zero for the head, one line for the body and two lines for the leg and so on. You know that kind of drawing.

God said, ‘Stand up.’ I did, but by then I was afraid because I knew something serious was happening. He said, ‘Wipe out the figure you have drawn with your leg.’ I wiped it out. And He said, ‘Son, if you ever forget who your boss is, I will wipe you out and nobody will even remember you came to the world.’

“That was what He told me. So, I smile when I hear people say, ‘He’s a very humble man. How can a man be so successful and so humble?’ You think I want to be wiped out?

As they say in Nigeria, ‘You think say I dey craze? Me I no dey craze at all o.’

So, all the credit for the successful Holy Ghost Congress, including attendance, hosting millions of people from diverse backgrounds, accommodation and feeding of thousands of guests and volunteers, and even the seamless flow of activities and the safety of people were for God. According to sources, what mattered to Pastor Adeboye were God’s validation and also the impact of the Holy Ghost Congress on people, which if he was ticking would go as follows: Salvation: This primary focus of his ministry scored very high as thousands of people responded to the daily altar calls with a rush.

God’s touch: It came in multiple ways through sermons delivered by Pastor Adeboye and other anointed men of God on the subject “Songs of Victory.” Participants were also

enriched by the ways of achieving victory with a God who has enormous powers to do even practically impossible things; and also by fervent prayers for breakthrough in various aspects of their lives. Practical lessons on living successful lives were also taught by experts during morning and afternoon sessions.

Miracles: There were miracles galore, which were testified by many. An evening was set aside for deliverance and another, Tuesday, for healing. Pastor Adeboye disclosed that he had been attending to people after the programme on the first day up until 2am on Tuesday, and had wanted to catch some sleep but God won’t let him because He wanted him to pray.

He then got out of his house, and as he walked around the Redemption Camp that night praying, God promised repeatedly, “I will heal, I will heal.”

Apparently God did. At the end of the special congregational prayers with seven prayer points on Tuesday to close the session, when Pastor Adeboye asked those who believed they had received the touch of God in their bodies to sing and dance to the altar in praise of God, thousands of people, including some who lifted their crutches to show they no longer needed them, flooded out.

Excited by the work of God, he picked up his tambourine and joined in the singing, a broad smile on his face. The scene was so moving that he asked the band to play for two additional minutes for praise singing and dancing to continue.

He had started his ministration, titled “Victory Over Sicknesses and Diseases,” by correcting the impression that God is preoccupied with love for the soul and spirit of humans and was less concerned about the body – the third part of the individual.

Citing several Bible passages, he showed that the body is God’s and the temple of the Holy Spirit, so He is concerned about how it is kept.

“God is interested in your body; the devil is happy that you think your body does not belong to God, so that he can use it against you and your relationship with God,” Pastor Adeboye warned, stressing that the whole human body belongs to God. Explaining that our responsibility to the body is to be careful how we use it, he stated that the reasons many Christians are sick today is that they don’t realize their bodies belong to God.

He reminded the congregation that the involvement of the body in sinful acts attracts illnesses directly and through spiritual afflictions.

Pastor Adeboye had promised the congregation it was a special night they would not forget in a hurry. From the experience of many people, it indeed was.

Friday, which was the climax of the Holy Ghost Congress, was attended by millions of people at the Camp and at viewing centres around the world. It was a night full of expectations as Pastor Adeboye preached “Songs of Victory.” That was more so as he had requested the congregation to bring three new handkerchiefs each.

Although, he hardly spoke about the handkerchiefs during his sermon, expectations were high. He broke the topic into two parts – songs and victory - reminding the congregation that God created all things for His pleasure and expected man to praise Him through songs, as he expected same from even trees that sing with leaves; and oceans, with waves.

He also spoke on how God always grants victory to those who serve and obey Him in battles.

Citing the case of the Israelites, whose enemies were hot on their heels at the Red Sea, he said God did not only part the sea for them to cross but also drowned the enemies, making their leader Moses sing praises to the Lord. It is said that it was the first time Moses would do so.

With the sermon, prayers, prophecies and praise singing drawing to a close, Pastor Adeboye made an altar call for those who had missed Reverend Joe Olaiya’s earlier call to receive salvation – he never misses that occasion to save souls.

The hour of the handkerchiefs came shortly after that, as he urged people to return to their seats to get their handkerchiefs. He went for his – three large handkerchiefs on sticks which were really white flags.

He then reminded the congregation about an earlier testimony of one of the guests, whose son doctors were giving up hope on after an accident, but was discharged from the hospital healthy after she begged to be placed on him a handkerchief anointed by the pastor during one of the church’s programmes.

He also recalled the testimony of a lady, earlier that night, who after years of barrenness was blessed with twins and less than three years later, with a set of triplets; and how when one of the triplets died, she revived him with a dress she wore on a day he pronounced blessing on clothes people wore during a church programmes.

Earlier that night, there was also a testimony of a lady from Texas, who suffered multiple injuries during the last hurricane in Houston, but was quickly healed with the use of a handkerchief that had been blessed. She sent the testimony online.

Reminding the congregation of the various instances in the church when God had ordered him to do things that looked stupid to people, but turned out to evoke miracles, he urged the congregation to wave their handkerchiefs as he waved his, one after another, and prayed. It was an intensely solemn moment of waving flags as he prayed fervently.

“We will hear your testimonies,” he said in the end.

Many of the congregants however, were already aware of many of Pastor Adeboye’s testimonies to buoy their faith.

Other anointed men of God who ministered during the Holy Ghost Congress included Prophet S.K. Abiara, Founder of Christ Apostolic Church, Agbala Itura; Pastor Tudor Bismarck, Founder of Jabula New Life Ministries and Pastor of New Life Covenant Church in Harare, Zimbabwe; Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); and Pastor Taiwo Odukoya. As at Saturday of the Congress, the church’s medical facility had recorded the birth of 51 babies – 25 boys and 26 girls.

–––Daniels is a journalist, writer and author

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ CEMBER 17, 2017

PERSPECTIVE

Faith, Public Reason and the Search for Ethical Integrity in Nigeria Simeon O. Ilesanmi

A

s we approach the end of the second decade of Nigeria’s post-military return to a democratic experiment, otherwise referred to as the country’s Fourth Republic, we confront a massive decision about the character and quality of our common life as a nation. It is a phase in our history that requires us to take stock of the past and to envision a future that is neither predetermined nor prescribed. What that future will be is up to us. There are competing and seemingly contradictory proposals on how to journey forward, all of which focus on the appropriate changes needed in our forms of interaction, on the supposition that we have it within our powers to create a new time and a new way of life.

From many angles and in many venues, there are clamors for social change, cultural renewal, economic justice, and political re-structuring that reflects Nigeria’s putative federalism. While the substance of the debate may be confounding, given the labyrinth of problems currently plaguing the nation, its occurrence as a form of civic ritual is not new. Rather, it is, in theory, a continuation, a reenactment of some sort, of our implicit commitment and genuine fidelity to deliberative practice anchored in democratic ethos and constitutional tradition.

The Preamble to the 1999 Constitution, not unlike its predecessors, begins with a self-referential insignia—“We the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” who resolve, in a covenant-like act, “to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble Sovereign Nation under God.” Declaring this governing charter as the supreme law of the land and its provisions as having “binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the Preamble further assures the citizens that the promotion of “good government and [their] welfare…on the principles of freedom, equality, and justice” shall be the supreme purpose of the Constitution.

Against this backdrop, it can be tempting for anyone who has the privilege to address an august audience like the one here today to adopt an encyclopedic approach in the bid to cover all relevant issues. But this would be imprudent, considering the constraints of time and my own limited expertise. Thus, I will confine my reflection to a subject whose importance lies not only in its existential relevance to many Nigerians, but also in its imperviousness to the country’s sociological configurations and constitutional strictures.

It is hardly an exercise in hyperbole to assert that no other issue has given us as a people more political headache and cultural anxieties than religion in all its variegated expressions and manifestations. Arguably the fastest growing industry in the country, religion has also “always formed a shadow over the Nigerian federation, and has, since May 1999, not only formed a darker shadow over the polity, but even threatened to eclipse it.” Muslims, Christians, and adherents of the traditional religions are divided over the limits, if any, that should be imposed on their freedom and the scope of responsibility they should have in shaping political life, broadly construed.

Their disagreement remains the single most important issue in Nigeria’s post-colonial history, and is rendered more complex by other streams of pluralism that are latent in the country, including ethnicity, class, and region. In addition, the absence of common symbols of discourse deriving from the indigenous traditions with which to think and speak as Nigerians about the meaning of political reality and responsibility, coupled with the frequent eruption of civil tumults in the country, complicate the task of articulating an account of the proper relation between religion and the state.

The coalescence of these conflicting signals—on the one hand, a commitment to the rule of law and, on the other, the “divergent epistemic notions of democracy that are disputed on cultural grounds”—creates the need to reexamine the integrity of Nigeria’s evolving experiment regarding the constitutional status of religion.

The experiment is facing a crisis of faith that centers on how to reconcile the perceived dissonance between Nigeria’s avowed political and legal norms and their equitable application to the diverse and competing spheres of culture and society.

The fundamental question we have to address, as participants in this national conversation, is whether Nigeria is capable of creating and maintaining a political identity through constitutional and democratic avenues, which would prevent the state from identifying with any one of the cultural and religious segments within it. We know too well that it is not enough that a country declares an adherence to a constitution, written or unwritten, it is also necessary to inquire about the motivational rationale behind that commitment. As Richard Joseph rightly observes, “many

Ilesanmi

contemporary dictatorships have constitutions which serve more to camouflage the exercise of power than to guide and determine it.”

To be sure, the Nigerian polity is not a dictatorship, at least in appearance, in that it has sloughed off erstwhile tendencies toward an asphyxiating exercise of power; yet, the system is anything but consistent or predictable in its disposition to, and implementation of, its self-imposed constitutional precepts.

What often emanate from the precincts of power, in terms of official policies and idiosyncratic winks, are a tangled jumble of contradictions and mixed signals regarding the permissible boundaries between religion and the state. Spokespersons of religious institutions are themselves not innocent in creating or contributing to this conundrum, lending credence to the perception of similarity of motives among the Nigerian ruling elite.

In other words, the prevailing modus vivendi in religionstate relationship in Nigeria encourages a “hegemonic alliance” between the guardians of Civita Terrena and those of Civita Dei. It is a pattern of interaction characterized by “the reciprocal assimilation of elites,” understood as the process by which various elite groups in the society--the administration, bureaucracy, military, intellectuals, traditional rulers, and religious authorities--constitute themselves into “a privileged zone of interpenetration and mutual reinforcement.”

Rather than seeing themselves as occupying different roles with specific functions to perform in society, leading religious figures often behave as “class actors in partnership with political elites to seek to achieve mutually advantageous goals.” Political elites return the favor by patronizing religious houses in the belief that “access to the spiritual world is a vital resource in the constant struggle to secure advantage over their rivals in political in-fighting.” It is common knowledge that this competitive struggle of both groups for state power is not for the benefit of the public, but primarily “for accumulation, associated as it is with statism, monopoly of power, and the interposition of coercion in the labor process, [which] raised to new heights on the capture of state power.”

Unfortunately, the Nigerian elites are in an unenviable company on the African continent. According to the late Professor Claude Ake, “The state, in the sense of a public force or a truly public sphere, a commonwealth or res publica, hardly exists in a few instances. In much of Africa, the public sphere

How then should we assess the place of religion in the Nigerian Constitution?What are the policy implications of the legal status of religion? Do the universities have a role to play in providing guidance on how to think about these issues, especially the importance of constitutional ideal in a liberal democratic context?

is a contested space where strangers converge to appropriate for the interest groups whatever is on offer, including the power of the state. Every interest group is out for itself; each wants to appropriate and privatize state power to its own benefit.”

The predictable consequence of this entrenched system of co-optation is clear: it blurs the distinction between the state and the private order. Moreover, it makes it aberrant for religious spokespersons to confront the state determinedly when it infringes (as it so often does) on the fundamental rights of its citizens, for, on this reading, religious authorities are, like their counterparts within the elite circle, “brokers of power in the most mundane sense.”

How then should we assess the place of religion in the Nigerian Constitution? What are the policy implications of the legal status of religion? Do the universities have a role to play in providing guidance on how to think about these issues, especially the importance of constitutional ideal in a liberal democratic context? I address these questions in turn in the rest of this lecture.

In book 3 of The Politics, Aristotle asked, “On what principle ought we to say that a State has [created and] retained its identity, or conversely, that it has lost its identity and become a different State?” His answer, which requires that we distinguish the physical identity of a state from its real [normative] identity, has contemporary relevance to our context, in light of the assertion attributed to one of the nationalist leaders and shared by others that Nigeria is not a nation but a mere geographical expression.

For Aristotle, the “identity of polis [or a state] is not constituted by its walls.” Instead, it is defined by its constitution, which for him refers not just to the particular distribution of the offices in a polis, but more importantly to the specific end towards which the community aspires. As to what this end might be, John Locke provides a clue. He explains that the only legitimate goal of a [democratic] form of government is the public good, and the Constitution sits firmly under this horizon. Thus, for both Aristotle and Locke, the constitution is what gives a political community its identity; it is the foundation for both legal and social relations within it.

However, the constitution is not a magic document. Its capacity to achieve the end for which it is designed depends on two ancillary factors. First, it has to reflect or take cognizance of the social character—what Aristotle calls the extra-constitutional features—of the society. Second, there has to be a correspondence between its precepts and the behavior of those who fall under its jurisdiction, otherwise the entire constitutional project would be short-lived. The norms contained in the constitution may indicate a commitment on the part of the citizens to create a particular identity, but until confirmed in their accumulated practice over a long stretch of time, this goal, however noble, will remain unfulfilled.

Without a doubt, Nigerians’ adoption of a constitution as a normative framework for organizing their social and political life sealed a twofold covenant inherent in the facticity of the act.

The first aspect of the covenant as a moral vector of the nation is horizontal, which designates “a contract by which people bind themselves into a community prior to any state,” and the second is vertical, by which the same “people set a sovereign over them.” In both respects, the covenant receives its binding ingredient from the parties’ common subscription to the moral ideal of political justice, whose focus is “the basic structure of society,…the way in which the major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation.”

Political justice presupposes that citizens of a religiously pluralistic society understand themselves as moral, rather than purely cultural, persons. It also seeks to shape the major systems of such a society to serve the mutual advantage of all.

However, as already hinted, many well-intentioned people doubt this sanguine appraisal of the nation’s constitutional project and its potential to further the interests of justice. Their skepticism is less about the normative desirability of a constitutional regime than about the artificial genesis of the country, which lied in the arbitrary colonial amalgamation of socially disparate and culturally distinct peoples with minimal prior interactions, leading some to suggest, naively it seems, that a more viable path lies in the dismemberment of the existing structures as a way to bring about homogeneity in social composition.

Even if this option were possible, its proponents often fail to prove that it would guarantee social peace and political justice, as countries such as Somalia, Yemen, and others clearly demonstrate. Implementing the vision in Nigeria would be impossible for any mortal to achieve, for the country is not only divided along ethnic lines but also religious ones, which are cross-cutting and inter-locking. The Yoruba alone are said to have over 300 divinities, each with its own coterie of devotees, in addition to the denominational compartments of Islam and Christianity.

––Being the text of the 2017 University of Ibadan Convocation lecture by Simeon Ilesanmi, Washington M. Wingate Professor at the Department for the Study of Religions, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, United States.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍľË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

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The Belt and Road: New Opportunities for China-Nigeria Cooperation Chao Xiaoliang

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n 2013, Chinese President,Xi Jinping, proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (The Belt and Road). The Belt and Road Initiative comprises more than physical connections. It aims to create the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest platform for promoting Policy Coordination, Facilities Connectivity, Unimpeded Trade, Financial Integration and People-to-People Bond. Since then, the Initiative has made good progress in various cooperation and won warm response and active participation. More than 100 countries and international organisations have joined this Initiative, among which more than 40 have signed cooperation agreements with China, reaching a broad international consensus on the Belt and Road Initiative. From 2014 to 2016, total trade between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded 3 trillion US dollars and Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investment in these countries has surpassed 50 billion US dollars. Chinese companies have set up 56 economic cooperation zones in over 20 countries, generating 1.1 billion US dollar of tax revenue and 180,000 jobs for them.

On May 14th, 2017, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing.

In attendance were 30 heads of states or heads of governments, leaders from over 70 international organisations and more than 1500 representatives from over 130 countries. The Belt and Road Initiative has become a new opportunity for China and for the World.

Chinese President Xi said in the report of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China: China should pursue the Belt and Road Initiative as a priority, give equal Emphasis to â&#x20AC;&#x153;bringing inâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;going global,â&#x20AC;? follow the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, and increase openness and cooperation in building innovation

President Buhari in a handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping

capacity. We will expand foreign trade, develop new models and new forms of trade, and turn China into a trader of quality. We will adopt policies to promote high-standard liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment; We will develop new ways of making outbound investments, promote international cooperation on production capacity, form globally-oriented networks of trade, investment and financing, production, and services, and build up our strengths for international economic cooperation and competition.

Africa has a natural and historical connection with the Initiative. In 15th century, Chinese Admiral Zheng He led a fleet of 300 ships to Africa, which has planted friendship seeds in the hearts

of both Chinese and African people since then.

With area of over 30 million square kilometers, 1.1 billion population, 800 million hectares of arable land, countless natural resources, Africa is unarguably an important pillar of the world economy. Most African countries endeavor to industrialise and diversify their economies, while China, after nearly 40-year reform and opening-up, has accumulated rich experience in industrialisation and modernisation. The combination of Chinese capital, technology, market, enterprises, talents, rich experience in development and African abundant resources, huge demographic dividend, great market potential will have a great chance to make another miracle of development.

China welcomes all countries to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. Nigeria is Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic partner. This year marks the 46th anniversary of the establishment of China-Nigeria diplomatic relations. With the joint efforts of the two sides, the two countries have gained fruitful achievements from friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields. The bilateral trade volume reached 10 billion USD from January to August this year, investment from China reached 2.7 billion USD. In the overall environment where multi-polarisation and economic globalisation continuously progress, deepening China-Nigeria friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and their peoples and conductive to the peace, stability and development of Africa and the world as a whole.

Both China and Nigeria take on arduous task of development. The two countries have corresponding development strategy, strong economic complementarity and enormous cooperative potential, so we should promote mutual benefits and win-win results as well as seek common development. The two sides should strengthen friendly exchanges in all fields, render mutual understanding and support.

The Belt and Road Initiative offers Nigeria an ideal platform and framework in conducting cooperation not only with China, but also with all participating countries. Through the platform of Belt and Road Initiative, Nigeria can obtain more opportunities to strengthen its infrastructure, diversify its economy and integrate itself into the world economy. With more initiatives, efficiency, willingness and proper forms of participation, Nigeria can take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative as a strong driving force to help realise its own development strategy. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Xiaoliang is the Consul General of the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Republic of China in Lagos

Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201D;Ă? Ë? âĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Nduka Nwosu

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o matter how pleasant good music is to the ears, it surely must recede to its last stanza but with a resounding ovation from the audience. So has been the life and time of Angela Amaju-Oritse Gbinije whose demise took place on November 8 2017. The family was getting set for her 90th birthday on 27th May 2018 but death cheated in marking an event that would have closed the chapter of a great earthly experience a life filled with celebrations.

On her 80th birthday, she and the love of her life rolled out the carpet to mark as well the 50th anniversary of their wedding. Warri came to a stop as they rolled out their carpet with visitors coming from various walks of life. Beyond Warri, Chief Gbinije regularly travelled overseas on holidays seeing the other side of Cornwall as medieval literature would put it.

There is no doubt Mrs. Gbinije standing by the side of her late husband described as the quintessential legislator, a member of the Midwest House of Assembly from 1962 to 1964, elected into the House of Representatives during the Second Republic first term from 1979 to 1983 and then from 1983 to 1984 as a member of the House of Representatives and chairman of the House Committee on Mines and Power, she exuded satisfaction of a life well lived.

How did this fairy tale of a life begin?

On a warm afternoon in the long distant past, May 27, 1928 to be specific, an interesting event - the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day played out in the mind of the chronicler enough to convince him something spectacular was unfolding. A young

Angela Gbinije

lady, Mrs. Utsaye Akpokiniovo-Wekpe of Azor Quarters in the famous Kokori town, went into labour and delivered a beautiful princess named Angela AmajuOritse, to her lovely husband-Joseph Akpokiniovo-Wekpe of Ogharha Agbarho in the then Mid-West Region.

Well there were no three wise men with rare gifts from the East to pronounce the arrival of a daughter of the most high, yet those who beheld her charm knew she had something special to offer.

Expectedly, Angela grew into an adorable, loving, young woman; by the time she clocked six she was already a pupil of the local L.A. Primary School Agbarho, where she had her primary education. Young Angela came out in flying colours so much so the school authority retained her as a pupil-teacher, having exhibited an unusual skill in the art of imparting knowledge so early in the day.

In 1955, she was sent to the nearby Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Training College, where she excelled and gained a professional certificate as a Grade One Teacher. Her in-depth knowledge of the art drew critical focus to her among her mentors and the school management. Soon the neighbouring schools were inviting her regularly to take on their pupils in those subjects she excelled. She gained the appellation of Mistress derived from Headmistress and was thus addressed by many of her pupils who were far older than she was.

Angela Amajuoritse Akpokiniovo-Wekpe met Chief Patrick Aghoghin Gbinije in 1958. Young Patrick was stunned as she beheld the unusual beauty nature had bestowed on the young lady and with time he saw her unwritten side, the sterling qualities, a character trait any man would love to live with for the rest of his life. It was a case of being hit by the proverbial thunderbolt. He did not hesitate to propose and asked her hand in marriage, after all the obstacles young Angela placed on his way just to test his commitment and professed love for her. She finally gave her yes consent to the great delight of his dear Patrick, who wedded her that same year.

In 2008 they celebrated their fifty years in marriage with their six lovely children and many grand-children adorning the event.

Mrs. Gbinije, an accomplished philanthropist, was mother to many nonbiological children she sent to school with

her earnings as a headmistress. Pleasant, simple and elegant, she earned the appellation of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oni-emoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meaning mother of children. An accomplished headmistress of various schools under the old Bendel State Government, Angela Amajuoritse Gbinije finally retired in 1983.

Though her husband Chief Gbinije was a very successful businessman who robustly ministered to the needs of his household, his wife remained unrelenting in complimenting her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care of his family. Mrs. Gbinije was more interested in expressing her God given talent as a multi-talented woman.

The entire vicinity where she lived and operated in Warri knew her as a very active business woman with a bias for the cottage industry combining business with her responsibilities as a loving wife taking care of the home front and bringing up responsible children who as adults have risen to the peak of their professional careers.

In 1990 the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom conferred on her the title of Orhorho 1 Domingo Ejiyeren in recognition of her contribution to society. Her husband who died at the age of 94 was the most senior Okakuro of Okpe Kingdom and held the chieftaincy title of Okpagha of the Kingdom. They together carried out the kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s duties assigned to them from the palace. Both couples exhibited uncommon humility and contentment so much so that when the kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stool was declared vacant and Chief Gbinije was asked to ascend the throne as the regent of Okpe Kingdom, he politely declined and earned critical respect for taking a decision hailed by his people.

Until her demise she was the matriarch of the Gbinije and AkpokiniovoWekpe families.

Evergreen shall her memory be.

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SUNDAYNEWS

83 News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08023117639 (sms only)

Buhari Mourns Gidado Idris Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

FOCUS ON SECURITY R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; his Deputy, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; Executive Secretary/CEO, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun; and Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, during the 10th LSSTF Security Town Hall meeting at the Lagos House, Ikeja...recently

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday mourned the death of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mallam Gidado Idris, describing it as a big loss to the nation.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari expressed sadness over Idris death, saying “being a highly experienced and quintessential technocrat who traversed the different stages of the political evolution of the country, his wise counsel will surely be missed.”

It added that Buhari said the late Idris, in addition to rising to the pinnacle of his public career as SGF, also served several civilian and military administrations meritoriously as federal permanent secretary and left inspiring imprints.

“He enjoined current and upcoming civil and public servants to emulate the cherished values of hard work, discipline, professionalism and integrity which the late distinguished nationalist embodied.

“President Buhari also commiserated with the family and associates of Mallam Idris, and prayed that God will comfort them,” the statement added.

Power Generation Hits Highest Levels this Month t 5,156MW, 5,077MW, 5,103MW recorded on Dec 8, 14, 15, respectively Chineme Okafor in Abuja

Nigeria recorded the three highest power generation figures for the first time in her electricity generation history, report from the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed.

The power generation figures, which were recorded in three days of the first two weeks of December were 5,156 megawatts(MW), 5,077MW and 5,103MW Obtained last night from the Advisory Power Team of the Vice President, in Abuja, the

report, detailing the amount of power generated and wheeled out to the national grid, stated that on December 8, power generation hit an all-time record of 5,156MW to put the last record of 5,074.7MW achieved in February 2016 to the bins. It then dropped to 5077MW on December 14, and again peaked at 5,103MW the next day which, was December 15.

“The three highest Nigerian generation records have occurred this month on December 8,14 and 15 2017 (5,156MW, 5,077MW and 5,103MW),” said

the report.

The report also provided operational details of the industry as at Friday, December 15, saying that the Trans Amadi power plant, which, hitherto, was down has been restored to functionality.

It equally stated that average power sent out to the 11 electricity distribution companies within the period was 4,200MW, up by about 171MW from the previous day’s supplies to them.

According to it, the reported gas constraint experienced by the industry was 631MW, while

reported line constraint was 44MW. It explained that about 939MW of the generated electricity could not be utilised by the Discos due to their feeders’ challenges. The water management constraint experienced, it noted was 344MW. Cumulatively, the report stated that the power sector lost an estimated N940 million of revenue that should have come to it but could not due to the constraints reported on December 15 2017.

Similarly, the Transmission

Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed that as power generation continues to improve in the country, it would before January 31, 2018, add about 1000MW transformer capacity to the grid, stating that by then most of its transmission projects would have been completed.

TCN also said this would further be improved upon with the implementation of the Nigerian Electricity Transmission Access Project (NETAP), which successfully negotiated and finalised its terms with the World Bank on December 8.

Interim Managing Director of TCN, Mr. Usman Mohammed, who made these known to journalists in Abuja, also stated that, at the momentum, the transmission company could not be said to be the weakest link in the industry anymore.

Mohammed explained that the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme of the TCN has continued to attract financing for several of its projects, and that the programme would upgrade Nigeria’s transmission capacity to 20,000MW in the next four years.

Buhari Challenges W’African Osinbajo Celebrates Media Traditional Rulers, 19 Leaders to Boost Economies Contribution to Nigeria’s Growth Govs Storm Kaduna as to Avert Migration Northerners Mark Centenary Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja democracy we enjoy today would Omololu Ogunmade and Alex Enumah in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja challenged his colleagues and heads of governments in West Africa to drive aggressive economic growth and save the lives of youths who constantly perish in search of greener pasture in Europe.

Buhari who made the call while addressing the 52nd ordinary session of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at Hilton Hotel, said the frequency of suicidal mission being embarked upon by West African youths, calls for creation of conditions of peace and security in their respective countries.

He lamented the dwindling economic growth in the subregion and appealed to the leadership of ECOWAS Commission to promote probity and accountability in the management of resources.

He also advocated the consolidation of the current reform of ECOWAS institutions and the promotion of good governance, sound financial management, cost reduction and prudent optimisation of ECOWAS dwindling resources.

“Equally important is the need to consolidate the efforts made so far on the ongoing Reform of ECOWAS Institutions and Specialised agencies, and to emphasise the importance of good governance, sound financial management and cost reduction as the underlying factors for a successful reform.

“In this regard, Nigeria welcomes the approved institutional reforms of our organisation, and we are looking forward to their comprehensive implementation.

The gains and savings made should be invested on greater integration projects, as well as on security and development,” he said.

The president canvassed the creation of regional mechanism for the evacuation, resettlement and empowerment of stranded West African youngsters and the initiation of dialogue with their European partners to address the menace.

Buhari, who also lamented the adverse effects of violent extremism spearheaded by terrorist groups on the youths, observed that the situation had taken toll on West African economies and hence, the need to give it urgent attention.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN yesterday hailed the Nigerian media for their contributions to the development of the Nigerian society.

He said “the democracy we enjoy today would not have been possible without the guerrilla efforts of some of our finest and most irrepressible journalists.”

The vice president, according to a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, made the remarks in Lagos at a forum tagged: ‘Media Renewal in Nigeria,’ organised to mark the 50th birthday of broadcaster, Kadaria Ahmed.

Osinbajo who commended the invaluable contributions of journalists to the growth of Nigeria from the colonial days through the military era to the current democratic dispensation, said “the Nigerian press is and has always been one of the most vibrant in the world.”

He added: “You can always take it for granted that no matter the intensity of the clampdown on press freedom in Nigeria, there will always be a prominent group of journalists who will refuse to be cowed, and will seize every tool at their disposal to hold the authorities to account. “This will be as through a century from today as it was in the 1990s. Indeed, the

not have been possible without the guerrilla efforts of some of our finest and most irrepressible journalists.”

Commenting on the current administration’s recognition of the media’s role in society and contributions to the advancement of media practice, Osinbajo said “there is probably now greater access to information and freedom of expression than ever before in our history.”

According to the statement, Osinbajo observed that in view of contemporary challenges in the country coupled with innovations in technology, “influencers must set bigger targets,” in order to keep emphasising the media’s positive impact on society. He also said “a return to basic principles and the re-discovering of an understanding of media’s place in society, among others” would be critical to repositioning media practice in Nigeria. “We are at a point where outrage at wrongdoing is severely low. The press as crusaders for justice or against corruption seems like a vintage matter. The Nigerian press has had to deal with the same circumstances that have undermined virtually every institution in the country in the last few decades.

John Shiklam in Kaduna

Traditional rulers, governors of the 19 northern states and thousands of citizens yesterday converged on Kaduna to mark 100 years of the Northern city.

This took place as President Muhammadu Buhari described the ancient city as the melting point of Nigerian politics.

Kaduna became the capital of the northern protectorate in 1914, when the colonial Governor General, Lord Fredrick Lugard relocated the capital from Zungeru, Niger state, to Kaduna.

The city served as the capital of the northern region before the creation of states.

It has remained the political capital of the north even with the creation of states.

The celebration, which started last week, was rounded up with a colourful durbar led by traditional rulers, including the emirs of Kano, Zazzau, Keffi, Misau, Katsina and the Shehu of Borno among several others.

Speaking at the event which was attended by

thousands of northerners, President Buhari described Kaduna as crucial to Nigerian politics.

Represented by the minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Muhammad Bello, the President noted that the city is still playing a significant role in the development of the region and Nigeria “So celebrating the 100 years of its existence as a political capital is by no means a child’s play and I am happy this celebration is happening under a progressive government”, Buhari said.

The president said Kaduna state has achieved a lot under Governor Nasir Ahmed ElRufai, who is a progressive governor, as he has started implementing the vision he wants to see the state attain in the next 100 years.

The President reiterated the determination of his administration to solve the power problem bedevilling the nation, saying, “Once this is done, many industries in Kaduna that are comatose will be back as well as other states in the country.”

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Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Ronaldo Scores as Madrid Beat Gremio to Win 3rd World Club Cup

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ristiano Ronaldo expects to continue his “trajectory” and win more trophies at Real Madrid after scoring the winner against Gremio in yesterday’s Club World Cup final.

The Portugal international, 32, curled home a free-kick as Real became the first team to win back-to-back titles. Ronaldo won a fifth Ballon d’Or earlier this month and crowned himself “the best player in history”.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “I am very happy, I remain very motivated to keep winning things at a collective and individual level.

“I still feel strong enough to continue my trajectory as a player and to win trophies, which is what I like most.”

Yesterday’s victory in Abu Dhabi was a recordequalling third Club World Cup win for Real, who also triumphed in 2014, matching Barcelona’s achievement. Real have now won five trophies in 2017 - the Champions League, La Liga, Uefa Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and now the Club World Cup. It takes their overall total under Zinedine Zidane to eight since the former France international’s appointment as manager in January 2016.

For long periods of this game in Abu Dhabi, it looked like Brazilian side Gremio would frustrate Real Madrid and perhaps even pinch a victory as the Spanish giants became increasingly frustrated in their attempts to break down a disciplined defence.

Real dominated possession in the first half but only one of their 10 chances before the break was on target. They switched to attempting to find joy from long distance but efforts by Luka Modric, Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were all wayward.

However, eight minutes into the second half Real were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal when Ronaldo was tripped and the Portugal international picked himself up to curl the ball through a gap in the wall and into the net.

It was Ronaldo’s fourth goal in three Club World Cup finals and extended his record of scoring in significant finals for Real Madrid, having also hit three goals in three Champions League finals and two goals in two Copa del Rey finals.

Real Madirid have won five titles in 2017

E/ Guinea Open: Pam, Odegha, Mboku Face Cut Risk From Olawale Ajimotokan, Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea

Three Nigerian regular tour professional golfers, Sunday Odegha, Daniel Pam and Markus Elisha and female player, Uloma Mboku, risk missing the 3e Actuaries Equatorial Guinea Open Championship cut as rain lashed the Presidential Golf Course in Mongomo and prevented about half of the players from completing their 54 holes.

They faced an uphill task to be among the 30 and tied professional golfers that will play

the final round today.

Odegha, one of the international qualifiers at Ibadan in October, stays in 45th after grossing an 18 over par 234. He carded a 74.

Pam shot a 79 that left him in 46th place, three spots ahead of Markus Elisha, who carded 22 over par 239.

Baring any setback, Oche Odoh and two other Nigerian players, Sunday Olapade and Haruna Mohammed are poised to make the cut.

Odoh stayed 12th on the leaderboard until rain forced the afternoon group to suspend play after five holes.

Odoh levelled par on holes five, six, seven, eight and nine to stay nine shots out of the lead currently held by Zimbabwean Ben Follett- Smith.

Spain’s Xavier Puig Giner is second at seven under.

USPGA player, Charlie Wi and Jared Harvey are tied for fourth at four under.

Ghana’s Emos Korblah birdied the 13th and 14th to stand in 16th place at one under.

Nigeria’s only female professional, Mboku returned an 84 that left her in the 31st spot in the ladies competition.

Only 18 players will make the cut.

N10bn Universities Solar Project 2m Nigerians Benefit as DfID Aimed at Developing Education Sector, Winds Down Country Programme Growth and Employment in two million people have seen Power Ministry Tells Senate C’tee States (GEMS), a DfID funded their records rise with GEMS Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has said its proposed N10 billion solar powered streetlight project in 37 federal universities and seven teaching hospitals is aimed at boosting effective learning, innovation and advancement, through uninterrupted power supply, to the institutions.

The project, is part of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP) of the Federal Government aimed at

rejuvenating the nation’s education system by providing uninterrupted power supply to the institutions, the ministry said.

It said these in response to reported criticism of the N10 billion project by the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, during the budget defense by the ministry last week.

The ministry in a statement issued Saturday, said a newspaper had misrepresented the project, as

a mere “solar-powered streetlight project in nine universities across the country valued at N10 billion,” while purportedly reporting the proceedings of the 2018 Budget Defense Meeting of the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy attended by the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi.

At the hearing last week, the Committee Chairman, Senator Abaribe had said there was a better way to

deploy the funds if the REA had N10 billion to “play round” with.

Senator Mohammed Hassan had also queried why the REA was expending the money to provide solar power for universities, when the rural areas, which it has mandate for, are still in darkness.

The Ministry, in the statement, said the project is far from being a “streetlight” project” and the attempt to belittle its impact is outrightly unpatriotic.

Ethiopian Airlines Fly with All-female Crew from Addis to Lagos Chinedu Eze and Demola Ojo Africa’s most profitable airline, Ethiopian Airlines, on Saturday made history as it transported its passengers from the Bole International Airport Addis Ababa to the Murtala International Airport Lagos on a Boeing B777-300 ER plane operated by an all-female crew.

The crew was made up of Captain Amsale Gualu, First Officer Tigist Kibret, and 11 cabin crew members.

The flight is the first international flight to be operated by an all-female crew to Nigeria.

The 391 passengers on board the ET 901 flight that lasted approximately four hours, thirty minutes applauded the crew during take-off

and after the plane touched down in Lagos.

On arrival in Lagos, the flight was welcomed with water cannons which preceded a ceremony to welcome the historic flight.

The Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Mrs. Nkiru Onyejeocha, commended the Captain and the rest of the crew, saying that their successful flight from Addis Ababa to Lagos is proof that women can achieve so much if given the opportunity.

Onyejeocha also commended Ethiopian Airlines and said it has always partnered Nigeria both in good times and bad. She recalled that earlier this year when the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, was closed

for runway repairs, Ethiopian Airlines was the only foreign carrier that agreed to operate from the alternative Kaduna International Airport.

She also noted that the successful operation of the all-female flight by the airline is an incentive to women in Nigeria to realise that the aviation industry is an attractive sector where they can rise to the highest position and that those who dream to be pilots should know that the dream is realisable.

Commenting at the ceremony held at MMIA, Captain Gualu said she was elated to have flown with an all-female crew to Lagos. She revealed that flying was a childhood dream and since she realised it, she has gone on to fly different aircraft types

from Bombardier, Q400 to flying the large body aircraft, Boeing B777.

“Since I was a child I wanted to be a pilot,” she said. “When I was young, my father used to take me and my sister to the airport to see aeroplanes take off and land and I used to admire pilots’ uniforms and that was how I developed the passion for flying.

“After my university education, I joined Ethiopian Airlines as a first officer and flew the Fokker 50 and the Boeing B737 and then became a captain,” she said.

The General Manager of Ethiopia Airlines in Nigeria, Firihewot Mekonenn said the airline management was happy to operate the all-female flight to Nigeria.

market development project in Nigeria wound down recently at a ceremony to reflect on its achievements.

The programme was initiated to facilitate market system changes to address identified constraints, in order to encourage economic growth; resulting in the creation of 10,000 new jobs and increased incomes for 500,000 Nigerians.

At the event in Abuja, DfID Private Sector Development Advisor, Mr. Andy Gartside said the project was inspired by the need to help raise the incomes of the poor and to raise the incomes of two million people, including 1,000,700 women.

“I am very pleased to say that this target has been met and over

activities. Additionally, we had a target of creating or supporting the creation of full-time equivalent jobs. The target by the end of 2017 was to support the creation of 26,000 jobs - again, I am very pleased to say that target was achieved,” he said.

In his remarks, the Project Director of GEMS4, David Joiner, said the project met all its targets by creating ample job opportunities and raising the incomes of many Nigerians, especially women “We had a target of creating ten thousand equivalent full time jobs and raising the incomes of 500,000 people in Nigeria and we met all through our interventions, so we were successful,” he stated.

In Brief Hisense Acquires Toshiba TV for $115m Global home appliances manufacturing giant, Hisense Electronic Company Ltd, has acquired 95 per cent shares of Toshiba Visual Corporation (TVS), the television business subsidiary of the Toshiba Corporation. This acquisition includes Toshiba TV productions, brands and Operations service worldwide.

The acquisition agreement which was signed off recently with erstwhile owners, Toshiba Corporation of Japan, cost Hisense a sum of 12.9 billion Japanese Yuan, about $115 million. The Toshiba Corporation management will however retain 5 per cent of the business’s total shareholding. Under the new arrangement, Hisense will control the entire Toshiba businesses including production, research and development, engineering, and sales functions.

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High Life

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...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich and famous

A Prince with a Gun...Emir Sanusiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Son Becomes a Policeman

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oo many rich, spoilt kids do nothing that has permanence.

They slither through life and the world, like the proverbial rattlesnake travelling across the rocks without an imprint or establishment of its presence on the rocky plains.

But Prince Aminu Lamido Sanusi seems remarkably different.

The heir to Lamido dynasty recently showed the traits of a heir eager to tread in his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footsteps.

Prince Aminu Sanusi Lamido, a 26 year old first son of His Highness Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has become a police officer.

Aminu is a graduate of Accounting from the University of Buckingham, UK, and studied Arabic in

Riyad, Saudi Arabia, before returning to Nigeria for his NYSC in Lagos.

The prince then joined the service of the Nigeria Police, Plateau Academy, where he passed out with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). His late grandfather, Emir Ado Bayero was also a police officer before he joined diplomatic work , then became the emir of Kano.

Born into incredible affluence, he completed university education to devote himself to a vision far removed from what family, friends and associates of his influential and powerful father probably had of him.

Very few children, like Aminu, of rich and influential parents, actually get to enjoy such freedom.

Chris Aire

CHRIS AIRE PLANS 52ND BIRTHDAY SOIREE It is fashionable to be scarce if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the reputation and convenience to be missed. It is uncertain whether Christopher Airemiokhai Iluobe, otherwise known as Chris Aire current disappearance from the social scene was predicated on this timeless saw, but hardly anyone would dispute the fact that the lifestyle man is discomfortingly absent from spotlight. Back when he was the toast of everybody in the socio-political milieu, Chris rocked Abuja from the eaves to its foundation. He is called the Iceman on account of his trading

in diamonds and other precious stones with which he has bedecked many of his superstar friends.

Friends of the jeweler, however, claim that his absence from the scene was informed by the need to restrategise, reposition and rebrand himself and his business for a more capital intensive venture for the long haul. After leaving Nigeria at the age of 17years in 1983 for greener pastures abroad, Chris Aire has done well for himself.

The jeweler and exotic watchmaker, artist and designer, has as buddies some of the biggest names in American music, film, fashion, entertainment and sports industry.

In music where he once tried his hands out in his early days in the US, his friends and clients include Rihana, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Jay Z, Nelly, Usher, Celine Dion and 50 Cents. In the film and TV world, his pals include Will Smith, Bruce Willis, Adrian Brody, Eva Longoria, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey and Clint Eastwood. Interestingly, however, On April 7, 2010, a day after her appointment as Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke flew to Beverley Hills in Los Angeles to revel in a lavish party and fashion show put together by Christopher Aire, whom she met during her 15-month tenure as Minister for Solid Minerals and Steel Development. By the time the bejeweled Diezani returned home a few days later, to assume

Prince Aminu and his father, Emir Sanusi

duties as Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female Petroleum Minister, she had achieved three clear objectives from the trip â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she had unlimited fun, acquired some of Aireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exotic gold and gemstones, and handed Aire an invitation to become one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest crude oil lifters.

At the time, Aire had nothing to do with the oil business. His company, Solid 21 Incorporated, dealt strictly in jewelry and timepieces. Those close to him said Aire was content with his jewelry business and had no plan to venture into Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murky oil waters. But all that changed after his meeting with Diezani. As the minister was flying home, Aire began the process of registering new companies with which he planned to lift Nigerian crude oil.

However, Chris clocks 52 in a few days time. And though he has witnessed many memorable days in his life, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a different ball game entirely that day. Aireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday is not going to be epochal due to any gaudy merriment or outlandish display of wealth, but it would be so more because the day would be marked with exaltation of this businessman.

faith in his abilities as fiscal guru and bank chief. The Skye Bank chief is not just administrative Managing Director (MD) but a seasoned leader.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget, administrators are always cheap and easy to find, and even cheaper to keep but leaders are worth their weight in gold.

Leaders are risk takers and they are often in very short supply; ones with enduring vision however, like Tokunbo, are pure gold.

When he assumed the mantle of leadership at Skye Bank, pundits believed he had been appointed to play the role of an undertaker due to the destructive plunder visited

REAL REASON TOKUNBO ABIRU IS BEING CELEBRATED...

Tokunbo Abiru is a miracle working banker. Unlike the middling marabout, his miracles arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deceptive in nature rather each one is an event that creates

Tokunbo Abiru

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HIGHLIFE

Love Actuallyâ&#x20AC;Ś Obasanjo Serenades Wife, Bola

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fter the devastating death of Stella, former President Olusegun Obasanjoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, in 2005, conjectures and speculations arose as to who among his numerous female fans would step in as first lady. Trust Baba, as the former Head of State turned democratic president is popularly known, he did not publicly announce that he had chosen a new wife.

For the remainder of his time in office, he was without an official first lady but those who knew his appetite for bright and beautiful women knew that he just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to rock the boat. Since he left office though, one woman has

become a permanent fixture in his episodic existence.

Her name is Bola. In her early 60s, Bola used to be based in England before she returned home after their hush-hush wedding in 2009 to take firm and full control of Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast household. Said to be in the good books of Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many children because of her matriarchal appeal, Bola cooks the former Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meals and is always on hand to attend to his endless stream of guests and Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many needs. Little wonder Obasanjo talks about her to friends and visitors with so much relish. He spares no expenses to make her look so good all the time. Baba is no doubt in love.

on the bank.

However, Tokunbo eventually rescued the bank from collapse.

Besides entrenching a culture of professionalism and excellent results in the bank, he ensures that there are no dirty deals within the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s halls.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sanity in Skye bank and the bank is doing pretty well.

The Skye Bank chief understands that leadership is not just about operationalising some empty formulas but establishing deep connection at group and personal levels through service, determination, uprightness, and poise.

Since he joined Skye Bank in 2016, Tokunbo has brought his ingenious leadership style to bear, thus changing the fortunes of the company for better, in 12 months to be precise.

Within the period Tokunbo has transformed the bank via visionary initiatives and he has also done a great deal to reclaim debts owed the bank by defaulting billionaire clients in particular. Since he assumed leadership at Skye Bank, he has outlawed dirty loan deals and is currently on a very successful crusade to reclaim huge loan debts from the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chronic billionaire debtors.

Some of his other notable efforts within the past one year include, rationalisation of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s branches, review of service contracts and cash management operations which have resulted in hundreds of millions of financial savings. Also, through some of the initiatives, the bank has successfully settled many matured trade and bilateral obligations and restructured outstanding balances with the relevant institutions and counterparties.

On his watch, Skye Bank has divested from four local subsidiaries releasing total cash value of N6.2 billion.

He is also known for his

disciplined, straightforward and uncompromising approach to service delivery which keeps members of staff on their toes always. He however, rewards good work and initiative with ample perks and resource endowment in the interest of outstanding staff.

While serving as the Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, it is to Tokunboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credit that the state successfully floated an N80 billion bond, earning it the EMEA Financeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Local Currency Bond Award for 2012.

And during his tenure, Tokunbo improved the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax returns.

He discovered over 5.5 million tax evaders in 2013 and his efforts also led to increased Land Use Charge revenue generations to the tune of N6.2 billion. Tokunbo is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and Lagos Business School.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;PLEASE DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T POISON MEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TEMI OTEDOLA IGNITES MEDIA SPHERE WITH NEW COOKING SHOW

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his wife, Bola

There is fire in the heart of Temi Otedola. So intense is its flare that her passions crackle in its heat, gifting her lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enchanted cusp with sparks of brilliance and enduring ambition. The heiress of billionaire magnate, Femi Otedola, recently announced her foray into yet another thrilling terrain; soon after she established herself in the fashion world as a leading blogger and proprietress of JTO Fashion, Temi has unveiled her latest undertaking, a new cooking show, which she calls, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t poison me.â&#x20AC;? The show is billed to run on her YouTube channel and the fashion enthusiast disclosed that its first season will premiere soon, with each episode featuring a different guest with whom she would establish interesting banter and cook up a storm. By her recent initiative, Temi further establishes her independence and desire to attain self-actualization outside the shade of her father â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shadow.

Indeed, genius connotes the gene of the Otedola clan. It trickles down the lineage, seeping from one generation to the other, like the pricey but delicate fragrance worn by royalty and coveted by minions living close to the crown.

was unarguably the hottest shop for trendy eyeglasses. However, like many top clothiers, Alogaga suffered a massive decline in fortune following the Federal Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ban on importation of textile materials then. But the eminent clothier would not be daunted; he attempted a gallant comeback with Waka Restaurant and Bar on Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. In consonance with his dreams, his new establishment hosted a few high profile events including the owner â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society wedding to Bikuro Dennis, a Kaduna born model in May 2007. But just before he could start counting his gains, his business crumbled. Today, the premises that hosted his restaurant and bar now plays host to IBTC Bank. Consequently, Alogaga faded from the high society with his name. However, like a cat with nine lives, the ambitious entrepreneur now runs a small shop in Ikota, Lagos, where he has once again started and of course, with his trademark Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;uomo insignia.

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;UOMO BOSS, KENNEDY ALOGAGA, BOUNCES BACK

Temi Otedola

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits,â&#x20AC;? averred Richard Nixon, former US president. Kennedy Alogaga must be a fan of the late American president. Despite his travails and repeated failures to get the best of fate, Alogaga hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t given up. Few years ago, Alogaga loomed quite imposingly on the Lagos social scene that he attained something close to the reputation of a movie star. But Alogaga was no movie star, he was simply a clothier under the aegis of Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;uomo, which had offices in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Asides dealing in elite range apparels; his boutique

Kennedy Alogaga

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍľË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

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Skymit Boss, Tayo Ayeni, Plans Big Birthday for Yuletide ËžWhy he is having it so good

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e who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take risks, would never drink champagne.

The honeyed tang of success sweetens the bubbles and froth of the choicest liquor. But only the champions among men enjoy this perk.

Men like Tayo Ayeni.

Ayeni no doubt fulfills the poster icon stereotype.

Having paid his due, the proud owner of thriving Skymitt Motors, is having the time of his life.

Things are looking up for him at work and the home front.

And just recently, he acquired a multimillion naira mansion on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos. News making the rounds is that the Chief Executive Officer of Skymitt Motors is getting set to host a massive celebration during the Yuletide.

Unlike the frequent gatherings where he shows the goodness of his heart by catering to the poor and the needy, the upcoming event is meant to celebrate his birthday. To this end, he has been pulling all the stops to ensure the event proceeds with the maximum of pomp and fanfare.

Although the event is still few days away, it is no surprise that the Ilesha-born dude is planning for it very well. His record for meticulousness and long-term planning is what has brought him the huge success he now enjoys. Ayeni understands that in the end, you are measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish.

This is why he never leaves anything to chance.

THE SHAMEFULSTORYOFTWO RANDYEXPATRIATES Jupiter himself was turned into a satyr, a shepherd, a bull, a swan, a golden shower, and what not for love. But even the medieval god was never as lecherous as the two popular expatriates in Lagos who attained notoriety by the persistence in terrorizsng their female staff.

This is the heart-rending story of the expatriates who love to sexually harass their female workers. The two characters whose contemptible acts have earned for them unparalleled infamy, run an energy services company that has a popular politician on its board.

So appalling has the situation become that the male staffers are threatening a showdown with the two directors. Some of the aggrieved workers disclosed that the expatriates are far too gone into this unwholesome game so much that female workers must either give in to their sexual demands or experience hell. The directors, we gathered, actually let go their wanton fangs with impunity especially when the managing director of the company jets out of the country on business trips, which he does frequently.

What triggered the anger of other workers is the present dilemma of a youth corps member who was recently posted to this company for the NYSC exercise. Her troubles began when, as usual, one of the directors showed interest and promptly made his intentions known, which she rebuffed. And you bet, the director could not condone the rejection and has been giving the lady a hell of a time.

Her male colleagues have secretly formed an emergency pressure group to battle the expatriate directors.

GLADTIDINGS...ASBOBBYEKE SEEKSOUTHISBETTERHALF The rumour mongers may catch a break now. That is because Lagos celebrity hair-stylist and owner of Bobby Signatures, Bob Eke, has decided to lay all their malicious rumours to rest by quitting bachelorhood to seek out his better half from Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teeming crowd of eligible spinsters. Bobby as he is fondly called by his friends and clients is no doubt intent on achieving his new found target. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer news that the handsome dude suffered a mild stroke sometime back and was hurriedly ferried to India for medical treatment.

His absence at that time caused some apprehension, as the stories of his rumoured death rented the air. It took the intervention of his friends to dispel the wicked

Tayo Ayeni

rumour by breaking their silence and educating the anxious public that he was receiving treatment in far away India. Today, the good news is that he is back at home and recuperating steadily.

Thank God and few well meaning Nigerians who bankrolled his travel expenses. Since the lightcomplexioned guy came back to his feet, he has made no secret of his intention to quit bachelorhood.

When he was down, it became clearer to lots of friends and wellwishers that he had no fiancĂŠe.

Nobody came out as his fiancĂŠe or girlfriend. Some speculated that Bobby is straight, and that he only prefers company of men than women; while others argued that his singleness had spiritual undertones. They claimed that Bob is only taking his time to search and find miss right who has been elusive. Whatever the speculations and insinuations, Bob has decided to find his dear own Miss Right.

of Tuesday from complications arising from diabetes. Many of her old secondary school friends and mates have taken to the social media to express their condolences. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often said that, life is bliss to the ones that live a charmed life but to those who have to ease from grief to cope with ill, life is just one damned thing after another. But â&#x20AC;&#x153;faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.â&#x20AC;? It is unclear what Ayinde thinks of this measure of wisdom. And sadly, it would take almost forever for things to return to normalcy for KWAM1. It was a devastating and distasteful death that has plunged the entire Wasiu Ayinde clan into a pall of gloom. Everybody with the suffix, friends, associates and relatives of the fuji musician particularly have been unanimous in their grief.

LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT! DEATH STEALS TOP FUJI MUSICIAN, WASIU AYINDE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;S DAUGHTER IN CANADA

Bobby Eke

Even the wealth of the wealthy ones offers them no shield against death. As it claims the commoner, so does it claim the affluent. This bitter nugget proved to be true as death visited the household of Wasiu Ayinde. Death has dealt the family a mortal hurt. So deep is their wound that the fairest of tributes and most soothing psycho-babble cannot extinguish the pain that afflicts their hearts.

Of all the aged folk in their family, the grim-reaper decided to claim the life of one of his daughters, Wasilat. Wasilat Anifowose died in Canada after a brief illness. The deceased, said to be 34 years old, reportedly died in the early hours

Wasilat Anifowose

Sunday December 17, 2017

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Price: N400

MISSILE PDP to APC

The era of lies and propaganda is long gone and Nigerians now know the truth. The federal government must be held accountable and stopped from any move to fritter away our national savings.

– The Peoples Democratic Party berating the All Progressives Congress-led federal government for what it called manipulative plot to secure approvals for the release of $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to fight terrorism.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Changing the Sad Story of Solid Minerals

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ad news. Every state in Nigeria is blessed with solid minerals. Every single state. North, south, east, west.

And in commercial quantity too.

Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger and Osun are very rich in gold. Ebonyi, Plateau and Nasarawa are blessed with tin and tantalum. The bitumen in Ondo state is of the highest quality anywhere in the world.

Anambra has iron ore and limestone in abundance.

Bayelsa has gypsum and limestone. Akwa Ibom has limestone and clay. Imo has lead/zinc and salt. Bauchi has gold and columbite. Gombe has gemstone and gypsum. Katsina has kaolin, marble and salt. Lagos has bitumen, clay and glass-sand. I can go on and on, but boredom would set in.

Bad news. The gold deposit in Osun state alone is worth about $5 billion in today’s price, according to Professor Olugbenga Akindeji Okunlola, a prominent geologist. That is about N1.5 trillion. If it is mined and Osun takes 13% derivation, that is some N200 billion revenue over the lifespan of gold mining. In contrast, for the whole of 2016, Osun state collected N62 billion as federation allocation and internally generated N8.88 billion. If Ajaokuta steel in Kogi state can come on stream full blast, the potential income for Nigeria is in billions of dollars. And, of course, Kogi will take 13% of that. Enugu’s iron ore deposits are worth billions as well.

Bad news. From the solid minerals we have in Nigeria, we can create value chains spewing out billions and billions of dollars every year.

Millions will be employed directly and indirectly.

Governments at all levels will receive billions of naira in tax revenue — VAT, personal income tax, corporate tax, stamp duties, royalties and several other handles. Factories upon factories are waiting to be created to produce thousands of products from these minerals. From talc alone, which is present in Niger, Osun, Kogi, Ogun and Kaduna states, we can produce plastic, paint, coatings, rubber, electric cable, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and ceramics. Now I’m boring you.

If we are so blessed, why do I call it “bad news”? It is because all said and done, what benefits have we been deriving from these solid minerals? When you mention natural resources in Nigeria, we seem to be more interested in oil and gas. Since the oil boom of 1973, our lives — and nationhood — have revolved around it. Every discussion about Nigeria starts and ends with oil. Oil price is up, we are happy. We eat and drink and rise up to play. Oil price is down, we are sad. We are depressed. Naira takes a tumble. Industries shut down. We promise to “diversify” the economy. We threaten to develop agriculture and solid minerals. Oil price rises again and normal service resumes.

If we are so blessed with solid minerals, why are we not developing them? If solid minerals will generate so much and provide jobs for millions, why are we not grabbing the opportunities? The answer, of course, is that Nigeria has been making so much money from oil that agriculture and solid minerals have inevitably suffered. We are rich in solid minerals — why are we not exploring them?

I had a one-hour interview with Dr. Kayode Fayemi, minister of mines and steel development, for TheCable a few days ago. That was my question to him. His reply: “When I came to this ministry, one of the first questions I asked was the same question you asked.”

And then he took me down memory lane, as the cliché goes. Solid minerals used to contribute about four to five percent to our GDP up till the 60s because we prioritised our focus on

Kayode Fayemi the solid minerals, he said, disclosing that “if you look at the various works done by the geological survey of Nigeria then, you would see that the concentration paid off, and we became top ten producers of tin in the world, we became the major producer of coal to the world. In fact we had recorded trade in gold at the time, and then we discovered oil…”

Every Nigerian can fill in the gap.

Since I was born, I have been hearing that every part of Nigeria is rich in solid minerals.

While growing up in my village, I saw that we had marble. I remember that it was like farming for the artisans. Every day they woke up and went to work as if going to their farms.

But they were just merely eking out a living, producing raw materials that had little value and were not even officially captured. Fayemi told me: “People are selling gold daily in Nigeria, but we don’t have a record of what is being sold, and these are the kind of issues that we think we need a proper framework to begin to address.” A sector that is 80% artisanal, as things stand, is grossly underdeveloped.

There is also a point to be made about investment. Why are private investors not really interested in mining these resources? As the minister pointed out, mining is a long-term sector. The mining cycle, he said, is about 10 years. “To do a successful exploration alone takes an average of five to six years of intensive capital expenditure, and when you now do that, to move from exploration to production takes you another three to five years before you start seeing the result,” he said. So the big investors would rather concentrate on areas where they can easily make their money. Oil exploration is also capital-intensive and takes time to yield result — but the reward is out of this world.

It is not all bad news, though. In fact, the good news of the inevitable decline of oil is driving attention to alternatives. So while the future of oil is getting threatened by the impending ban on vehicles using fossil fuels in countries such as UK, France, China and the US, it is a big opportunity for Nigeria to

start producing batteries from these mineral resources that will power the electric cars. Let me be optimistic and declare that there will be electric-battery manufacturing companies in Nigeria before the ban comes into place. We have all the ingredients to become an electric battery-producing country. Nigeria’s overall economic potential is too good to be true.

For decades, though, we have only been talking and theorising on the solid minerals sector. No significant progress has been made.

At least, the progress is not momentous enough for Nigerians to shout “eureka!” The simple act of testing the quality of these minerals is mainly out of our hands — it requires ISO standard if investors are to take us seriously or get excited at all. Fayemi said the government is working with the SGS, the mineral inspection company, to revive the laboratory in Kaduna and bring it up to ISO standard so that we can start testing the minerals here at home, “rather than taking them out to Australia, Canada and other places”.

In the end, we are starting from the beginning again, hoping that the momentum will be sustained so that we do not keep lamenting about what might have been. “We have put in place the framework. The roadmap was approved in 2016 by the federal executive council, and that roadmap looks at the governance of the sector, it looks at the strategy for enhancing the mining industry, it looks at policy, it looks at the regulatory framework, and it also looks at the fiscal regime like: what do we charge? What is the withholding tax in the mining sector?

A whole load of detailed work had gone into that,” he said.

The federal government is focusing on seven key minerals — bitumen, gold, coal, limestone, barites, lead-zinc and tin. The Nigeria Minerals and Mining Commission will soon be set up to be a regulator, independent of the ministry, in order to boost investors’ confidence. The integrated automated and interactive solid minerals portal (IAISMP) has been launched for a centralised GIS web portal for the automation of mining activities across the country. Cooperatives have been set up for artisans so that they can formalise their activities, have access to credit and sell to a mineral-buying vehicle at the real market value. There is now a special mines police division.

It is gratifying that solid minerals have now been elevated and are getting the attention they deserve. Fayemi has tried to derisk mining by providing bankable data, providing concessionary loans through the solid minerals development fund and the Bank of Industry, and even planning to raise a mining bond. There is an aggressive marketing of Nigeria as a mining destination, with more emphasis on the need for processing rather than exporting raw export (they call it “beneficiation”), and encouraging linkage to industrialisation. Even legacy issues in Ajaokuta and Ikot Ekpene are being settled.

I would say I stepped out of Fayemi’s office with more good news than bad news. By December 2018, a bitumen processing plant will be inaugurated in Ondo state, according to the minister. Perception is changing, he said, as evident in Nigeria climbing up as a mining destination on the Fraser’s rating index. While it is true that investment in minerals does not produce results overnight, my relief is that there is now a clear goal and a clear focus on where we are going. It may take long, but let us get properly started in the first instance. We can then hope that despite the lengthy “mining cycle”, we are finally getting off on a solid ground. No pun intended.

And Four Other Things…

JABBING HIJAB Have you heard about Ms Amasa Firdaus, the law graduate who wasn’t called to the Nigerian bar for refusing to remove her hijab? I have heard people say she should have “obeyed the law” by removing her hijab, but my template answer to this kind of mentality is that if Rosa Parks had “obeyed the law”, segregation in public buses in the US would not have ended. Rev Martin Luther King would never have made that “I have a dream” speech. Meaningless rules should be disobeyed. How does the hijab hurt anybody?

By the way, why do lawyers keep wearing that useless wig? We inherit certain things, continue to do them and never question the value. #DropTheWig! Defiance.

MPC LOGJAM I once read a cartoon in which some children were on hunger strike. But they regularly took breaks to eat in order to have the strength to continue with the strike. The senate is currently on strike over confirmation of the president’s nominees — because of the refusal to replace Mr. Ibrahim Magu at EFCC despite failing screening twice.

Can the senate please take a break from the strike and confirm the nominees for the depleted monetary policy committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)?

Nobody needs to be told the consequences for financial markets if the MPC is unable to meet in the new year. We can’t afford to cut our nose to spite our face. Pragmatism.

JUDICIAL LORDS Some years back, we were told that our laws should be amended so that the National Judicial Commission (NJC) would be the body appointing INEC chairmen. We were told about NJC’s integrity and all that. In Nigeria, we always think new laws and new constitutions are the solution to our problems. I opposed the proposal — there is no guarantee anywhere that NJC members are beyond reproach. I was insulted, as usual.

But we are now getting to know the billionaire judges and how they pervert justice as a hobby. Meanwhile, Nigerian judges are now officially above the law. Only the NJC can allow them to be prosecuted for corruption, according to the court of appeal. Congrats!

YAHAYA JAMMING Be careful what you pray for — you might get it. Kogi people have been praying for almost two years for their governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to inaugurate a major project.

Their prayer has been answered: he has “inaugurated” his palatial country home. It is a masterpiece to envy. As civil servants continue to complain about unpaid salaries (his aides usually say “it is only nine months, not 10”), he is enjoying his life to the fullest.

We’ve been told he made his money before he became governor, but can’t he be a bit humble the way he flaunts it? People are dying over unpaid salaries and kidnappers have turned Kogi to the capital of kidnapping.

Priorities.

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