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Nationwide Blackout Persists as System Collapses Twice in 24 Hours Ejiofor Alike in Lagos and Chineme Okafor in Abuja The nationwide blackout continued yesterday after efforts by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to restore electricity failed, following a second system

collapse of transmission network at exactly 14.19 hours. According to TCN, the second system failure occurred when the Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene 330kV transmission line tripped, cutting off electricity generation and transmission from the

Odukpani power station to the grid. A statement yesterday by the company’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, however, assured that restoration of the grid had reached an advanced stage. TCN added that it had also

commenced investigations to determine the exact cause of the system disturbance. “The system disturbance happened at a time when work on the Western Gas Pipeline (Ecscavos-Lagos Pipeline System) by the Nigerian Gas Processing and

Transportation Company Ltd (NGPTC), which caused a system collapse at about 21.17 hours on Tuesday was yet to be completed. “The grid would have withstood the Odukpani infraction, if generation along Lagos region was available,”

said TCN in the statement. TCN explained that NGPTC, the gas supply and marketing subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), had indicated that a contractor Continued on page 6

Petrol Importation: Oil Marketers Lobby FG for Tax Incentives to Offset Costs… Page 8 Thursday 4 January, 2018 Vol 22. No 8295. Price: N250

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Benue Killings: Youths Stone Ortom, Buhari Orders Arrest of Culprits Police apprehend eight suspects Atiku, APC, PDP, others condemn killings Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and George Okoh in Makurdi with agency report Anger spilled out onto the streets of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, yesterday over the gruesome killing of about 50 persons by suspected armed herdsmen in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of the state on New Year day

and Tuesday. Protesting residents, mostly youths, booed and stoned the state governor, Samuel Ortom, forcing the government to draft troops to quell the massive protest in the state capital and neighbouring towns and to prevent mayhem. The governor had gone to placate the restive youths Continued on page 6

Minister Launches Support Group to Champion Buhari’s Re-election Bid in S’West Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, yesterday announced the imminent launch of the South-west chapter of the Muhammadu Buhari/Yemi Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group on January 20, to champion the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari. Shittu, who made this disclosure while answering

questions from State House correspondents, after holding a meeting with Buhari, said he informed the president that he had been appointed the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the support group, Shittu, who said he was aware that Buhari had not made up his mind to seek re-election, added that his Continued on page 6

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Index Sustains Expansion for Nine Months... Page 8

BIDDING THE LATE KAITA FAREWELL... The casket bearing the remains of the former Governor of Kaduna State, the late Lawal Kaita, when he was being laid to rest in Katsina State… yesterday

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PAGE SIX BENUE KILLINGS: YOUTHS STONE ORTOM, BUHARI ORDERS ARREST OF CULPRITS at Wurukum where the protest was taking place in Makurdi yesterday but he was met with angry youths who were incensed over his seeming inability to keep the marauding herders in check. The placard carrying protesters also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over his failure to provide adequate security for the state. The president, however, condemned the mindless killings and wanton destruction of property in the state, and ordered the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book. This is just as the police in Benue said yesterday they had arrested eight herdsmen over the deaths of 10 persons and seven livestock guard in the Guma and Logo on Monday. There has been tension in the state since the passage of the Anti-open Grazing Bill into law last November. The law is meant to encourage ranching and check the menace of herders and their cattle, which often destroy farmlands in Benue and has led to bloody clashes and attacks in the past, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people in the state. However, since the enactment of the law, the cattle breeders association, known as Miyetti Allah, have vowed to resist the law and were accused of threatening to carry out attacks against citizens in the state. But in order to quell the protest in Makurdi yesterday, soldiers from the 72 Battalion North Bank were brought in to control the protesting youths and restore order, after word got out that two protesters had been wounded. The protesters called on the presidency to bring the culprits to book and carried placards with inscriptions such as “presidential intervention needed�, “why value cows more than humans�, and “stop this incessant blood bath�. Some of them chanted: “We will not vote for the present administration again at both the state and federal levels if this crises don’t stop.� According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the protesters also barricaded major roads

leading in and out of Makurdi, and vowed not to leave the streets until the presidency spoke on the killings. They also called on the government to intervene in the series of other attacks on rural communities by armed herdsmen. A resident, Mr. Terhemen Anum, told NAN that residents of Guma and Logo were yet to determine the number of peasant farmers, women, children and the aged that were massacred during the two-day killing spree. Also, Mrs. Ruth Agba said the killing of Benue farmers and destruction to their homes and farms was no different from Boko Haram activities in the North-east. Despite the anger, Ortom, while briefing reporters, called for calm over the situation and asked residents not to take the law into their hands. He disclosed that more casualties of the attacks were still been brought to Makurdi, and confirmed that the carnage had been reported to the president. “I have reported the matter to the president and we are expecting action. Some of the people we have evidence against are the leaders of Miyetti Allah who have been threatening the state. We are calling on the president to arrest them immediately,� he said. He said the federal government should rise to its responsibility “if not they are saying Benue is not part of Nigeria�.

Buhari Orders Arrest Reacting to the wanton killing spree in Benue, Buhari yesterday in Abuja commiserated with the state governor and ordered the security agencies to fish out the killers. The president, according to a terse statement by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, expressed immense sadness over the attacks on the two local government areas in Benue, describing them as wicked and callous attacks on even innocent children. Shehu said the president assured the governor and people of the state that the relevant security agencies had been directed to do everything

possible to arrest the culprits of the regrettable incidents and avert further attacks. Describing the destruction as “one attack too many�, Shehu said the president added that “everything must be done to provide security for the people in our rural communities�, adding that Buhari also commiserated with families of the victims and wished those injured speedy recovery. Also commenting on the wave of killings in the country in recent days, former Vice-President of Nigeria and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, described as unacceptable the cycle of bloodletting that has led to the loss of precious lives across the country. Atiku made the charge against the backdrop of recent killings in Rivers, Kaduna, Benue and other parts of the country, including yesterday’s early morning suicide bombing at the Gamboru mosque in Borno, barely three days into the New Year. The Waziri Adamawa, according to a statement by his media office in Abuja yesterday, said the killings in those states, and other senseless killings and reprisal blood-letting that had preceded them in the past across the country were ungodly, “a throwback to the stone age, and a hindrance to the promotion of peace and unity in the country�. Atiku stressed that the diversity of Nigeria remains one of its strongest points, reminding leaders of all persuasion and at all levels to ensure that they promote the things that unite Nigerians rather than those that create divisions. “That the Almighty in His Wisdom made us a nation of different tongues and tribes; made us Africa’s most populous nation with more than 300 tribes is no accident. If well enhanced, our diversity should be our biggest strength. “There cannot be development when innocent lives are being lost in a seemingly endless cycle of attacks and reprisals. While we should hold every life as precious, it is more painful that the victims of these attacks are women and youths – the demography

that we depend upon to drive development,� he said, The former vice-president called on Nigerians to use the opportunity of the New Year to reflect on these needless killings and to resolve to live in peace and harmony. He also prayed for the fortitude of the bereaved families. In its reaction also, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the recent terror attacks and killings unleashed on innocent Nigerians in Benue, Kaduna and Rivers States. While reacting to the unfortunate incident yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the president should take immediate steps to arrest all those behind the dastardly act. “PDP condemns the wanton killings in some parts of our nation, particularly Benue State. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate arrest of the criminal herders murdering the people Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State. “These killings are horrible, senseless and wicked. This is a time when silence is not noble,� he said. Similarly, the Benue State chapters of the PDP and the All Progressive Congress (APC) condemned the horrific killing of innocent people in the local government areas by suspected herdsmen. The Benue PDP, in a press statement signed by its publicity secretary Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, said the state chapter of the party totally condemned the barbaric act, which it said qualified by every standard as an act of terrorism employed in the pursuit of an agenda that was genocidal in character. “Our hearts go out in sympathy to the victims, the dead, those injured, and the displaced ones wandering about terrorised, dehumanised and thrust into the cruel, merciless embrace of destitution and hardship,� the state PDP said. The party said it was unacceptable that Buhari has continued to concentrate on the

deployment of security resources of the federal government solely on the Boko Haram challenge, while turning a blind eye to the bloody carnage of armed herdsmen in Benue communities and a deaf ear to the cries of their helpless victims Adding that Buhari must, as a matter of duty, urgently shift or share his focus from an “already defeated� Boko Haram to the rapidly growing menace of armed herdsmen killing helpless farmers and burning down their properties, it said this will be in fulfillment of the oath he took to protect one and all Nigerians from harm and injustice, without fear or favour. The spokesman of the APC in Benue, Mr. Abba Yaro, also described the massive killing of over 50 people by the herdsmen as an invitation to civil war. In a statement issued yesterday, Yaro decried the recent killings as an attempt to spark a second civil war in Nigeria, insisting that it was a clear case of ethnic cleansing around the Benue valley, which must be stopped immediately. While calling on Buhari to immediately call the herdsmen to order and direct the security agency to apprehend the killers, APC also called on all Benue sons and daughters, irrespective of party affiliations, to rise in defence of their communities. “This is above party politics, it is about human lives. How can you kill a pregnant woman and remove the unborn child and slaughter it? It is barbaric, unspeakable and generally unpalatable,� the APC statement read in part. APC said the Anti-open Grazing Law in Benue was not targeted at any set of persons but for the general security of Benue State, a measure against cattle rustling and a solution for herders/farmers perennial clashes. It maintained that its enforcement was ongoing and the state APC was in support of the governor and will not be not be deterred. “The Anti-open Grazing Law has come to stay,� the state chapter of the ruling party maintained.

It also warned that if the herdsmen are not called to order by the relevant authorities and refuse to stop the ethnic cleansing, Benue people shall take the law into their hands in self-defence.

Eight Herdsmen Apprehended Meanwhile, the police in Benue said yesterday that they had arrested eight herdsmen over the deaths of 10 persons and seven livestock guards in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of the state on Monday. The police public relations officer in the state, Moses Yamu, who made this known during a briefing in Makurdi, said: “Eight herdsmen, six in Guma and two in Logo, had been arrested in connection with the attacks.� He added that the state Police Command had made additional deployments in the troubled areas to forestall further attacks and restore the confidence of the people. Yamu stressed the situation in the two local government areas had been brought under control while investigations were ongoing. He said: “They attacked Tomater village in Sengev council ward, Akor village in Nzorov council ward, and Bakin Kwata village in Umanger council ward of Guma LGA. “Among those killed were seven members of Benue State Livestock Guards, their vehicle burnt and an uncertain number of persons injured in separate attacks between 31/12/2017 and 02/01/2018. “Again, Agba-Uko near Azege village and Tse-Aga village of Logo LGA experienced the same fate, where one person was killed, one motorcycle burnt and four persons injured. “All the injured from both LGAs are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the state.� According to him, five combined teams of mobile and conventional policemen led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Emmanuel Adesina, had engaged the armed herdsmen in a gun duel in Guma.

NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT PERSISTS AS SYSTEM COLLAPSES TWICE IN 24 HOURS had been mobilised to repair the affected segment of the Escravos-Lagos pipeline, so that gas supply to the Omotosho, Egbin, and Olorunsogo I and II thermal power stations could be restored. “According to NGC, work would be carried out day and night and is expected to be completed within 24 hours,� TCN assured the public. The TCN stated that with the support of the Ministries of Power and Finance it had embarked on the implementation of a Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Program (TREP) aimed at expanding, rehabilitating and stabilising the national grid, and appealed to Nigerians to be patient with it. The national grid had collapsed on Tuesday night following a fire incident reported by the NGPTC on its Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System near Okada, Edo State. NNPC had attributed the

incident to a bush fire, which spread from Abakila in Ondo State. The incident led to the shutdown of the pipeline supplying gas to the 1,320MWcapacity Egbin power station in Lagos; 676MW-capacity Olorunsogo NIPP station; 338MW-capacity, Olorunsogo I power station; 450MW-capacity Omotosho NIPP station; and the 338MW-capacity, Omotosho I station. However, THISDAY gathered that the affected stations were generating about 1,200MW at the time of the fire incident, as they were not producing at full capacity. It was also gathered that before the Tuesday fire incident, a peak generation of 4,685.3MW was recorded and wheeled out to the grid on Monday, while the lowest generation on the same day was 3,667.5MW. THISDAY also gathered that at exactly 06:00 hours on Tuesday a total of 3,749.90MW

was generated and transmitted to the grid for distribution to the 11 distribution companies. Investigations revealed that TCN made efforts to sustain minimal supply after the closure of the Escravos pipeline, using generation from the hydroelectric power stations and other gas-fired plants located outside South-west but these efforts failed at exactly 14.19 hours yesterday when the country was plunged into total darkness. A source at TCN, who declined to be named, told THISDAY that officials of the company worked hard to restore the system with generation from the hydro stations and other plants but the efforts failed. “As it stands, there is no supply to the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo, and no supply to the main regional control centres at Shiroro, Ikeja West and Benin. “Lagos is in total darkness and the same thing applies to the North and other parts of the South. So, the country is in

darkness,� he said. A source in one of the distribution companies also told THISDAY that they would give TCN reasonable time to restore power to the grid before raising the alarm over zero electricity supply. “Any system can break down. We will give them time to restore supply. If they fail, we will inform our customers that we are getting zero supply from the grid,� he said. Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, Tuesday night had ordered an immediate assessment of the damage caused by the fire in order to effect the necessary repairs. According to a statement yesterday by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, the pipeline which supplies gas to power plants in the South-west, also feeds the West Africa Gas Pipeline System. “The incineration of the ELPS,

which was built in 1989, was suspected to have been caused by a bush fire on January 2, 2018 at Abakila in Ondo State,� the statement said. NNPC added that firemen from the NNPC were drafted to the scene and were able to contain the fire from the point of leakage on the pipeline, stating, however, that the fire could not be extinguished due to the high pressure on the line. It said: “To put out the fire, the line would need to be isolated and depressurised, which might lead to the complete shutdown of the pipeline segment for repair works to be carried out. “The exercise will affect gas supply to customers in Ondo, Ogun and Lagos States, with subsequent shutdown of the following power plants with a combined generating capacity of 1,143MW: Egbin, Lagos, Olorunshogo, PEL Olorunshogo, Ogun, Paras Power Plant, Ogun and Omotosho plant, Ondo State.� Before the fire incident

MINISTER LAUNCHES SUPPORT GROUP TO CHAMPION BUHARI’S RE-ELECTION BID IN S’WEST loyalists in the group would help him to do so, pointing out that the president had performed creditably and therefore deserves to be re-elected for a second term in office come next year, to continue with his agenda for the progress and stability of Nigeria. “I have been appointed the Chairman of the BoT for the Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic

Support Group – the National Chairman of BoT of the support group – and on the 20th of this month, we are commissioning the South-west zonal office of the campaign organisation of the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo support group. So, we will be inviting all of you to be part of the commissioning. “Everyday, since he came into office, all his activities have been geared towards a better

country, and Nigerians know that they have a saviour, a rescuer, somebody who is committed to providing relief to all Nigerians in all respects. “In the area of fighting the insurgency either in the Northeast or in the Niger Delta, in the area of reviving the economy, providing jobs and providing social stability in the society, you will agree with me that but for Buhari, Boko Haram would have

invaded Lagos,� he said. Asked if the planned launch implied that the second term campaign for Buhari’s election had taken-off, Shittu said the question was unwarranted because the president’s performance had already shown the necessity for his re-election. He said: “If you have a child who goes to primary school, does well; proceeds to secondary school, does well; and you keep

asking, is he going to university? By the grace of God, we his ardent supporters who appreciate his worth on behalf of millions of Nigerians would urge him to re-contest. “I don’t know if he has made up his mind but I can say that some of us can assist him in making up his mind so that Nigeria can continue to enjoy stability and progress in our land,� Shittu said.

on Tuesday, the country on December 18, 2017 had attained a new generation peak of 5,222.3 megawatts. The feat was achieved after two electricity generation milestones of 5,155.9MW and 5,074.70MW were reached on December 8, 2017 and February 2, 2016, respectively. TCN had explained that the gradual but steady improvement in the nation’s power sector was as a result of the strategy of the administration to improve the power sector.

TOP GAINERS DIAMOND FCMB FIDELITY WEMABANK DANGSUGAR TOP LOSERS DOUBLE11 NEIMETH CUTIX

NGN NGN 0.15 1.72 0.15 1.73 0.22 2.80 0.04 0.54 1.51 21.87 NGN NGN 17.80 176.80 0.06 0.69 0.10 1.91 CADBURY 0.65 14.95 MAY BAKER 0.09 2.50 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,555.99 Volume: 589.584 million shares Value: N2.119 billion Deals: 4,366 As at yesterday 03/01/18 See details on Page 41

% 9.5 9.4 8.5 8.0 7.4 % 9.1 8.0 4.9 4.1 3.4

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

Petrol Importation: Oil Marketers Lobby FG for Tax Incentives to Offset Costs Senate denies receiving loan request from executive to pay marketers Damilola Oyedele and Chineme Okafor in Abuja Oil marketers in Nigeria may have opted to lobby the federal government to consider and grant them some form of tax holidays and other incentives that would enable them resume importation of petrol into the country, THISDAY learnt last night in Abuja. THISDAY gathered from sources that were at the meeting held between the marketers and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, in his office, that the marketers who were reportedly pushing for a pump price increase in the face of their inabilities to bring in petrol into the country at cost effective rates, allegedly made this proposal to the government. The proposal, it was learnt, was to appeal to the government to provide some kind of palliatives that would help them cut their costs of importation. Though the government had in 2016 stated that it had created a special forex window to enable them access

forex from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fund their products’ importation, the marketers repeatedly claimed they were not getting this from the CBN. However, the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the request for tax incentives was part of agreements reached at the meeting of the committee the government set up to engage the marketers on ways to find a lasting solution to the scarcity of petrol which recently resurfaced across the country. The sources equally disclosed that the meeting unanimously agreed that the pump price of Petrol should not be increased, and left at its present rate, but that oil marketers would rather adopt cost-cutting strategies to continue to do business in the downstream petroleum sector. Also, four sub-committees were inaugurated at the meeting to help address the challenges of fuel supply across the country, some of which are the logistics and business conduct committees. “There is no planned to increase

fuel price, and the minister said it should not be contemplated. Even, none of us wanted the fuel price to rise. What we talked about was

tax holidays and other things in that line,” one of the sources said. He explained that “all stakeholders agreed to look inward

and improve efficiency so that we can cut down cost and resume our businesses.” Earlier, the minister had said

it would brief the presidency on the outcome of the meeting before talking to journalists, but the

Cont’d on page 45

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Index Sustains Expansion for Nine Months Obinna Chima The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 59.3 points in December 2017, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the ninth consecutive months. According to the latest PMI report posted on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) website yesterday, 15 of the 16 sub-sectors reported growth in the review month in the following order: petroleum and coal products; textile, apparel, leather and footwear; cement; transportation equipment and paper products. Others were food, beverage and tobacco products; furniture and related products; plastics and rubber products; non-metallic mineral products; printing and related support activities; appliances and components; chemical and pharmaceutical products; fabricated metal products; primary metal and electrical equipment. However, the computer and electronic product sector contracted in the review month. On the other hand, at 63.2 points, the production level index for the manufacturing sector grew for the tenth consecutive month in December 2017. The index indicated an increase in production in the current month, when compared to its level in the preceding month. Eleven of the 16 manufacturing sub-sectors recorded increase in production level, three remained unchanged, while the remaining two recorded decline in production level during the review month. On the other hand, at 60 points, the new orders index grew for the nine-consecutive month, indicating increase in new orders in December 2017. The report showed that 13 sub-sectors reported growth, two remained unchanged, while one contracted in the review month.

Similarly, the manufacturing supplier delivery time index stood at 57.4 points in December 2017, indicating faster supplier delivery time for the seventh consecutive month. Eleven sub-sectors recorded improved suppliers’ delivery time, one remained unchanged while four sub-sectors recorded delayed delivery time. “The employment level index in December 2017 stood at 53.9 points, indicating growth in employment level for the eighth consecutive month. “Of the 16 subsectors, 9 subsectors increased their employment level, 3 remained unchanged while 4 subsectors reduced their employment level in the review month. “The manufacturing sector inventories index grew for the ninth consecutive months in December 2017. At 61.1 points, the index grew at a faster rate when compared to its level in the previous months. “Eleven of the 16 sub-sectors recorded growth, three remained unchanged while two sub-sectors recorded decline in raw material inventories,” the report added. Also, the composite PMI for the non-manufacturing sector stood at 62.1 points in December 2017, indicating expansion in the non-manufacturing PMI for the eighth consecutive month. “At 67.4 points, the business activity index grew for the nineconsecutive month, indicating expansion in business activity in December 2017. “The index grew at a faster rate, when compared to its level in the previous month, indicating improvements in business activities in the current month. “Sixteen subsectors recorded growth in business activity, one sector remained unchanged, while one declined in the review month,” it added.

NEW YEAR EVENT

L-R: Former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel; Founder of FCMB Group Plc, Olasubomi Balogun; and his wife, Abimbola, during the New Year prayer programme organised by the FCMB Founder at Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State....yesterday

Nigeria Secures $550m from China to Fund Two Satellites for NigComSat Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, yesterday in Abuja disclosed that Nigeria had secured the commitment of China for the provision of $550 million towards the purchase of two additional satellites for subsequent launch into the space in the next two years. Shittu, who made this disclosure in the State House after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, said both the China Exim Bank and China Great Walls, the manufacturers, had agreed to fund the project 100 per cent following Nigeria’s inability to fulfill the initial agreement it reached with China to provide 15 per cent of the $550 million. According to him, Nigeria’s satellite communications have hitherto been ineffective because the federal government-owned satellite company, NigComSat, has only one satellite which he said could not guarantee the confidence of prospective customers. The trend, he said, compelled companies operating in Nigeria to purchase satellite communications data abroad, adding that after the formal signing of agreement for the take-off of the project which he said would take-off on January 27, the manufacturing of the satellites will commence. He added that after the formal manufacturing process has eventually commenced, it will take another two years for the launch of the satellites which he said was

conceived to take the entire satellite communications market in Nigeria and the entire African continent. Shittu who also said the president was excited by the development, pointed out that the president was however, not surprised by the output of the renegotiation which saw China agreeing to funding the entire project, saying China knew the immense potentials embedded in the Nigeria’s satellite communications market. He further explained that the sum of $550 million fund is not a loan but rather an equity which he said would be predicated on profit sharing agreement between Nigeria and the Chinese companies adding that Nigeria will not be outwitted in the sharing of the profit because it has brought nothing to the table as he explained that profit will be shared on the basis of an agreed ratio. He emphasised that the project was not meant for job creation but rather meant to serve as the platform for the conquest of the entire of African satellite market, explaining that once the satellites are launched, all companies operating in Nigeria would be barred from patronising foreign companies for their satellite communications data. “I’m in the presidency to see the president and l am happy that l was well received to brief him on three major issues. Number 1 is the fact that Nigcomsat is one of our agencies where we hope to procure two new satellites for Nigcomsat from China. “Initially, the agreement was that they would provide the cost of the two satellites

at the cost of $550 million minus 15 per cent which is to be the counterpart fund. Because we could not afford this 15 per cent, we have renegotiated with China Exim Bank and China Great Walls, the manufacturers, and they have happily agreed to pay the extra sum of $550 million to provide two new satellites. “Already, we have one satellite over the last seven years. Having two new ones is to ensure that the Nigerian satellite company can conquer the entire African continent with regards to the provision of satellite communication services. “It is a very big business opportunity and I am sure that the Chinese appreciate the potential market that is so versed and that is why they agreed in spite of our inability to provide 15 per cent, that they are prepared to bring the entire sum of $550 million for the procurement of the two satellites. “It takes two years to make a release because it is after signing of the papers that they will start production and that takes two years. So, we hope that at the end of this month, we will be able to sign the papers and then, they will commence the manufacturing of the satellites and it is after the conclusion of the manufacturing, that these two new satellites will be launched into the space. “It is not a loan. It will be an equity participation of the Chinese company in our business. Nigcomsat is a limited liability company owned entirely by the federal government. So, they are paying that to finance these highly

required facilities and it will be with their counterparts that thy will agree on the percentage for profit sharing. Of course, Nigeria has not been introduced because we have not put anything into it in terms of financial resources. “He (the president) was excited but he was not surprised because he appreciated that the Chinese appreciated the immense or unlimited opportunities which we offer. So, the president, conscious of the entire gamut of satellite communications, was not surprised that Chinese agreed to pay 100 per cent of it. “We already know the cost of it. We will then project into what will be the profit and then, we will agree on what will be the ratio by ratio basis. Already, we also have the idea of bringing it and we have ground facilities which will also be valued into the entire system and so, that will not be difficult to agree upon when the time comes. “You see, Nigeria has been losing because with one satellite, the subscriber or the customer does not have confidence in the company which has just one satellite. If you have just one satellite and there is a problem with that satellite, they will lose their entire data. “It is just like somebody going to Lagos and he gets to a garage and meets a vehicle that does not have a spare tyre, he will not have confidence in it because when they have tyre burst on the way, they ‘ll be in trouble because they will be stuck in the bush. “

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NEWS

Stop Work Order: Security Agencies Clamp Down on BUA Cement, Arrest Two Staff Company protests arrests, asks parties to await conclusion of court process Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City For alleged violation of a stop work order issued by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel, two members of staff of BUA Cement were yesterday arrested by security agencies comprising men of the Nigerian Army, the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) in Edo State. The two employees were arrested when security operatives stormed the disputed Obu mine site at Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of the state. The arrest was carried out on the orders of Governor Godwin Obaseki when he visited the site and discovered that work was ongoing despite relaying directives from the federal government on a stop-work order pending the determination of a court suit over the ownership of the mine site. Speaking, Obaseki said the state government was more interested in the security of lives and property, adding that as much as there was need for investors to make returns on their investment, no money is worth any life. He reiterated: “There is a dispute over the ownership of this mine site. The dispute is in court. There was specific instruction from the Minister of Mines and Steel Development asking that work should stop pending the outcome of the matter before

the court. I addressed a section of the Okpella community who came to me to express concerns about the growing tension in the community because of the dispute. “At that point, I issued instructions that the work should stop in line with the federal government directive and the case in court. I said that status quo be maintained until the determination of the case in court. I think that is the simple, commonsensical thing to do. There is a quarrel and all parties should maintain peace and the status quo.” Obaseki said it was regrettable that having gotten the directive, the management of BUA International Limited went on air to say that the state government has no authority and right to enforce a federal government directive. According to him, “What they are saying in essence is that government does not matter. That sort of utterance and position is very dangerous for our country for a company that needs government to treat us with such disdain. With this, things will degenerate into anarchy. How can they operate in such an environment. We don’t care who owns what, but human life is more expensive than whatever money anybody can make.” It was gathered that there are 10 other mine sites aside the disputed one, and with the stop-work-order, BUA International Limited could mine from its other sites in the

area to sustain its production. Also speaking, the Commander of 4 Brigade, Major General Ibrahim Garba, who led the army personnel to the enforcement exercise, directed that explosives being used for the mining activities be confiscated, adding, “We gave permission for the explosives to be used here. But now, they would be sent to the brigade headquarters.” Speaking at the palace of the Okuokphellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji Andrew Dirisu, Obaseki said the visit to the site was to assure the people of the area that government was on top of the situation and to ensure peace in the community. “With the action we have taken now, we know there would be pressure on the concerned parties to resolve the situation,” he added. Alhaji Dirisu reiterated that the people want peace in the area, noting, “There is no way we wouldn’t welcome people to invest. But what we want is for everyone to take what they get

and no one should take from another. For now, as you have given your order, who are we to dispute it. I thank you for calling for peace in this matter.” Meanwhile, BUA Group has described the arrest of two of its employees as a brazen act of impunity and called on the security operatives to release them unconditionally because they are innocent. In a statement made available to THISDAY by its Group Head, Corporate Communications, O’tega Ogra, BUA said the governor’s action was a flagrant disregard to the court’s pronouncement on maintaining status quo at that particular site and wondered why there was no formal communication from the Edo State Government before the gestapo-style forceful shutdown of its site. The statement reads in part: “We have been made aware that today, the Edo State Governor, in the company of some security operatives, visited one of our

mining sites in Obu-Okpella, Edo State to effect a gestapostyle forceful shutdown of that mine despite a subsisting court pronouncement that the mine be allowed to operate. Upon reaching that mining site and not meeting any personnel or equipment, two BUA Cement employees were invited to the mining site to receive the governor. We later learnt that these employees were arrested upon arrival on the orders of the governor and taken away for no just reason. “As it stands, we do not know why they were arrested but have requested our lawyers to secure their unconditional release immediately as these employees are innocent and have no knowledge of why they were being arrested. “Now that one of our mining sites has been forcefully closed down by the governor without regard to the court’s pronouncement on maintaining status quo at that particular site (and without any formal

communication from the Edo State Government), BUA as a responsible corporate entity has instructed its lawyers to report back to the courts on this latest developments and pursue all legal channels to enforce its rights. “While the governor based the legitimacy of his actions on a purported stop-work order from the Ministry of Mines, BUA wishes to reiterate that there is a pronouncement of the Federal High Court sitting in Benin on December 5, 2017 that declared the stop-work order issued by the ministry as a contravention of the court’s directives to maintain status quo and thus deemed it illegal. The same court also threatened to arrest the minister who is the first defendant in the case if the stop work order continues to be pursued. “We once again ask all parties to await the conclusion of judicial process as this matter is already before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Dogara Seeks Overhaul of Internal Security Architecture

Insists perennial killings must stop James Emejo in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday expressed grave concern over the heinous and wanton killing of innocent people, especially women and Children in Logo and Guma Local Governments Areas of Benue State. He said no reason whatsoever, could be enough justification for such dastardly act. While also calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately deploy adequate security personnel to the hotspots in order to halt further killings, he advocated an overhaul of the country’s internal security architecture to check the prevailing mass murders, killings and kidnappings. He, however, promised that the legislature will give the executive full backing in that regard. The Speaker, in a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, further expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in parts of country, particularly Benue which had seen a recurrence in recent times. He said: “These killings coming shortly after the whole

world was outraged by similar killings in Agatu in same Benue State and another in Rivers State, is a clear indication that it is high time all the security apparatuses of the country are mobilsed to put a stop to this mindless killings. Enough is enough! “No reason whatsoever, can be enough justification for such dastardly act. “It will be recalled, a traditional ruler in Kaduna State was recently killed by same “unknown gunmen.” The killing of the second class chief came few days after several people were also killed during a Christmas carol in Jama’a Local Government of the state.” Dogara said: “It is very worrisome that at a time government is taking every step to tame the security challenges in the country, there seem to be a steady deterioration of security of lives and properties all over the country. This is totally unacceptable and the legislature is determined to hold all authorities vested with the protection of lives and properties accountable.” He, however, commiserated with the people and government of Benue, Kaduna and Rivers States at these most trying moments. He assured Nigerians that the legislature will not allow the lives of the victims go in vain.

CELEBRATING OFALA FESTIVAL

R-L: Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina; his wife, Adenike; Igwe Cyprain Nevobasi; Igwe Omeluenyi I of Agunnese, Ezeani III of Nmaku Kingdom; and, Alaagba Of Agba Kingdom, Oba Rufus Ogunwole, during a procession to the Igwe’s palace at the first grand Ofala Festival of Igwe Cyprain Nevobasi. Mmaku, Enugu State.....Tuesday

Theatre Commander Seeks Deal With Police, Others to Crush Boko Haram The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, has called for closer collaboration with police and other security agencies, to fast track successful implementation of the counter-insurgency campaign. Speaking during a familiarisation visit to the Borno State Police Command yesterday, Nicholas said that Operation Lafiya Dole was a joint operation to be implemented in partnership between the military, police and other security agencies in the North-east. Nicholas, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), added that such collaboration was

necessary to facilitate restoration of civil authorities in liberated communities by police and other agencies as enshrine in the constitution. “The counter-insurgency campaign is not a military business alone, it must comprise all stakeholders such as the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), immigration and customs services as well as Civilian Joint Task Force (CJFT). “The visit is to enhance collaboration and fill the gap to enable us succeed. “As far as we are concern, no one is superior; everybody must be carried along to defeat Boko

Haram. We are very committed to support you discharge your constitutional responsibilities,” he said. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Damian Chukwu, in his remark, pledged support to the counter-insurgency operation and restoration of peace in the state. Chukwu disclosed that the command had deployed over 500 personnel tothe counterinsurgency operation. “I am appealing to you to talk to soldiers who are always overzealous while working with policemen in the operation,” he said.

Chukwu expressed the hope that such collaboration will bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency. Also speaking, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Commander of the NSCDC, advocated for truth and reconciliation committee, to address remote causes of the insurgency in the society. Abdullahi also suggested for periodic parley between security organisations to promote synergy and enhance security network in the state. The theatre commander visited headquarters of the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and NSCDC in Maiduguri.

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NEWS

Lawal Kaita Buried in Katsina Cemetery Buhari sends powerful delegation to funeral Atiku, Saraki, Dogara, others mourn former governor Ibrahim Shuaibu in Katsina The former Governor of the old Kaduna State, Lawal Kaita, was yesterday buried at the Damarina cemetery in Katsina State. Prominent personalities who attended the rite included a federal government delegation comprising the Minister of Defence, Brig-General Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd); Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. Kaita died last Tuesday in a hospital in Abuja after a protracted illness. He was aged 85. The funeral prayer for the deceased was led by Mustapha Liman at the palace of the Emir of Katsina. Other dignitaries who attended the funeral were the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Mannir Yakubu; Emir of Daura, Umar Farouq, and the Lamido of Adamawa, Barkindo Mustapha. The Director-General SMEDAN, Dikko Radda, member House of Representatives representing Kankia/Kusada/Ingawa, Ahmad Babba; traditional rulers and religious leaders from across the country also attended the burial. Lawal Kaita left behind a wife, children and grandchildren. The deceased was elected governor of old Kaduna State on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) between October and December 1983. Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara yesterday mournedKaita. Reacting to the demise of the former governor, Atiku described him as a fearless democrat whose immense contribution to Nigeria’s democratic struggles would be etched in brass. The former vice president said Kaita, who was his political associate, was a man of remarkable virtues who inspired whoever interacted with him. According to him, few Nigerian politicians have the courage to disagree with the people in power in order to sustain political patronage for survival. Atiku explained that the late Kaita was never afraid to speak his mind in pursuit of his principles, including his insistence that political parties must respect internal democracy in order to be credible. The Waziri Adamawa noted that the late Kaita had left an

unblemished public service record because politicians of his generation were motivated by the passion for service. He recalled that his close association with the Kaita was a beneficial experience because he was a man of vast knowledge of politics and its intricacies. While extending his condolences to the government, family and the people of Katsina and Kaduna States, Atiku prayed to Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest in paradise. Also, Saraki described Kaita’s demise as a great loss not only to Katsina and Kaduna States but to the entire country. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki described late Kaita as a courageous, experienced and consummate politician, who was always frank in his views and honest in his political activities. “I consider the death of Kaita as a personal loss to me and my family considering his long mutual and beneficial relationship with my late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, which he graciously extended to me. “As a father, I benefitted immensely from his wise counsel and support at different times. His death has robbed the nation of a gentleman, fearless and honest politician who thrived on building good relationships for the purpose of better serving his people,” he stated. Saraki extended his condolences to the immediate family of the late politician, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Emir of Katsina and the people and government of Katsina and Kaduna States. He also prayed the Almighty Allah to grant the late elder statesman a place in Aljannah firdaus. On his part, Dogara expressed sadness over Kaita’s death. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker described the late elder statesman as a man of outstanding character and a committed democrat, who devoted his life to working for the development of democracy in Nigeria. While noting the exploits and positive contributions of late Kaita as a member of Constituent Assembly that midwifed Nigeria’s Constitution and governor of the old Kaduna State, Dogara said he would continue to be remembered for his selfless service, patriotism

11 Killed by Suicide Bomber in Gamboru Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri Eleven persons were yesterday killed in a suicide attack during an early morning prayer at a mosque in Nigerian border town with Cameroon, Gamboru. A member of youth vigilante group in Maiduguri, Abba Yusuf, told THISDAY on the phone that they were informed that a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped on him at a mosque in Gamboru, a town in Borno State, with border with Cameroon.

He said the suicide bomber who was lost in the explosion, caused the death of 10 other persons. He said the explosion led to the immediate death of nine persons with two others dead later. Military and other security agencies in the state, are yet to respond to enquiries on the incident. The state, government, a day earlier, had tightened security check with an extension of hours of curfew in the state capital, Maiduguri, after a resurgence of violence.

and abiding faith in the unity and progress of the country. “Kaita was a very courageous man who left a legacy of service and built bridges of friendship and unity across the North and the country in general. “He will continue to be honoured and remembered by present and future generations for his dedication to the service of his people during his tenure as a governor and even after. “Painful as his death is, we are however consoled with the fact that Kaita left an indelible footprint and legacy of service to the society as well as commitment to the ideals of democracy and nationhood.” While condoling with the bereaved family, the government and people of Katsina State, Dogara prayed God Almighty to grant the deceased eternal rest. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State said

Kaita made invaluable contributions to the development of the country. In a statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, The governor said: “He was an acclaimed pacesetter who, along with other patriotic Nigerians of his generation, fought for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria at the turn of the century. His life is an example in dedication and commitment to democratic norms and values. “Nigeria will remember the deceased as a man who gave his best years towards the development of multi-party politics. His contributions have enriched governance process at state and federal levels,” he added. While praying to Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the loss, Tambuwal appealed to both the Kaduna and Katsina State governments to immortalise the

deceased for the benefit of future generation. Former Governor of Abia State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Orji Kalu, also lamented the demise of Kaita. While extolling the virtues of the deceased, Kalu acknowledged the roles played by the late Kaita in the political development of Nigeria. He stressed that the demise of the consummate politician has created a big vacuum in the Nigerian political space. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu noted that the late elder statesman’s wise counsel on national issues would be greatly missed. He said: “Nigeria has lost yet another consummate politician and patriotic statesman, Kaita. “The deceased was forthright, bold and selfless in his pursuits. He left behind worthy legacies for other politicians to emulate.

“May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Al- Jannah Firdaus. The APC chieftain, while commiserating with President Muhammadu Buhari, Katsina Emirate Council and the government and people of Katsina State, prayed to Allah to grant the Kaita family the fortitude to bear the loss. Similarly, the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, described Kaita as a quintessential and courageous leader. In a statement, El-Rufai said both Kaduna and Katsina States and the country as a whole have lost a model for present and future leaders. He noted that Kaita exhibited courage in leadership and patriotism in all his political engagements in his lifetime. The statement signed by Samuel

Cont’d on page 51

47 HEARTY CHEERS

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside (left), receiving a birthday card from the Executive Director (Finance and Admin) of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, during his 47th birthday celebration in Port Harcourt.... recently

2018 Appropriation Bill Unconstitutional, Agbakoba Writes N’Assembly Tobi Soniyi A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has declared the 2018 Appropriation Bill unconstitutional and called on the National Assembly not to consider it. In separate letters to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the senior lawyer said President Muhammadu Buhari did not comply with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution in compiling and presenting the budget. According to him, the president can only present the budget of the executive and not that of both the judiciary and the legislature. He said: “Sections 81 to 84 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) setout

the procedure for preparing the Appropriation Bill. “The constitution requests each arm of government (the executive, legislature and the judiciary) to lay before the National Assembly its estimates of revenue and expenditure for each financial year after which it is appropriated, harmonised as a bill and presented to the president for his assent. “Unfortunately, the executive has failed to comply with this procedure by laying before the National Assembly estimates of revenues and expenditure for the Judiciary.” He drew the attention of the lawmakers to a decision of the Federal High Court in a suit he instituted against the federal government. The case in reference is Olisa Agbakoba Vs Attorney General of the Federation and Others with

SUIT No. FHC/ABJ/CS/63/2013. In the case, the court held that it is unconstitutional for the executive to prepare the budget of the judiciary. Agbakoba consequently asked the National Assembly to draw the attention of the executive to the decision of the Federal High Court. He said: “The National Assembly should request the National Judicial Council (NJC) to lay before it the judiciary’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2018 and the executive be made to represent its estimates for 2018. “In summary, the constitutional procedure for preparing the appropriation bill is that each arm of government (the executive, legislature and the judiciary) lays before the National Assembly its estimates of revenue and expenditure for each financial

year after which it is appropriated, harmonised as a bill and presented to the president for his assent. “We are unaware if the National Assembly has laid it budget estimates. But please note that if after sevem days the constitutional procedure is not complied with, we shall have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings to enforce the decision of the Federal High Court and set aside the 2018 Appropriation Bill.” Justice A.R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja had in May 26, 2014 declared as unconstitutional the executive interference with judicial funding. The court held that the continued dependence of the judiciary on the executive arm for its budgeting and funds release violates Section 81 (2) and Section 84(1), (2), (3), (4) and (7) of the 1999 Constitution.

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THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Benue Killings: Labour Party Warns against Ripple Effect Northern Christians demand urgent arrest, prosecution of killers in Kaduna, Benue

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja, Seriki Adinoyi inJos and John Shiklam inKaduna Amid violent protest in Markudi, the Benue State capital yesterday over the killings in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas on Tuesday by the Fulani herdsmen, the Labour Party (LP) has called on the federal government to move fast to arrest the perpetrators in order to prevent a ripple effect. “The LP and all concerned citizens of this great country are calling for an end to the various massacres by Fulani herdsmen across the country especially in Benue. It is imperative that we bring an end to this menace to prevent a ripple effect’’, the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Mike Omotosho, stated. “It is the responsibility of government to protect her citizens; their security should never be threatened to the point of making them pick up arms in self-defence.’’ LP called on all Nigerians to

speak with one voice against the criminal act, calling on the legislature and executive arms of government to strategically put an end to the killings. The party added: “To this effect let us all bring attention to this with the hashtag #istandwithbenue. Change your DP to the map of Benue. Call your senators, speak out for justice this is not just for Benue we need to defend our unity; we need our leaders to prioritise our security. We must respect the sanctity of life.’’ Meanwhile, Christians in the Northern region of Nigeria have lamented the unabated onslaught against its members in which over 50 Christians were attacked and killed in Kaduna and Benue on the eve of the New Year, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently arrest and prosecute the culprits, and to also do more to protect them in the region. The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in North, Rev. Yakubu Pam, in

Appeal Court Declares Okoronkwo IPMAN National President Ejiofor Alike The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Abdu Aboki, has delivered a judgment, declaring Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, as the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). The court dismissed the appeal against the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in Suit No: FCT/ HC/CV/1479/2014, which was delivered on May 28, 2014 by Justice Valentine Ashi. Another claimant to the position of IPMAN President, Mr. Obasi Lawson had dragged Okoronkwo and others to the High Court of FCT, which ruled in favour of Okoronkwo and his group. The appellants appealed the judgment, which was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. In the Court of Appeal’s order obtained by THISDAY, which was signed by the Deputy Chief Registrar, Ahmed Sa’ad Alhaji, the Appeal Court ordered that “this appeal being unmeritorious is hereby dismissed.” The Appeal Court also awarded costs of N100, 000 in favour of the respondents – Okoronkwo and his group. In a reaction to the judgment, IPMAN’s National Secretary, Alhaji Danladi Passali, said in a statement, after the National Executive Meeting (NEC) held yesterday in Abuja that the new development would address the issues of misconduct and mismanagement rocking the association. The association’s secretary said Okoronkwo remains the substantive National president of IPMAN based on the Appeal Court judgment. Passali said that the court of Appeal, Abuja re-affirmed the High court judgment, federal capital territory, Abuja suit No. FCT/HC/ CV/1479/2016 delivered on 28th day of May, 2014 which upheld the election of IPMAN National Executive committee of 10th May,

2014. According to him, the interest of all members of the association will be a top priority of the President. The IPMAN scribe said that the judgment is a welcome development to IPMAN members nationwide and the oil and gas industry. ``The judgment once again confirmed Okoronkwo as substantive National President of IPMAN. Passali said that the IPMAN nationwide members welcomes Appeal Court judgment, which will enable us maintain the serenity we normally enjoy in the distribution and dispensing of petroleum products to Nigerians in all nooks and crannies of the country. ``Now that Okoronkwo is on the IPMAN association’s driver seat, members will gets their allocation accordingly. “The NEC had reached agreement with DAPPMA for better synergy in meeting product availability in the country since DAPPMA has better strength in storage. ``And IPMAN which controlled 80 per cent outlets has better trend in distribution and dispensing in both urban and hinterland in the country. Passali said the judgment of the Appeal Court confirmed that the National Executive Committee members, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, National President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigani Shettima, Vice- President, Aihaji Danladi PassAli, National Secreatry, Bola Adeleke, National Treasurer, Chief Leo Nkameme, National Organisational Secretary, Alhaji Yakubu Ali Dimka , National Auditor, Chief J.D. Ubani (JP), National Financial Secretary, Dr Hammed Adekunle Fashil, Assistant National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Baba Kano, National Legal Adviser, Chief Ezekwesili Maduagwuna, Chief Whip, Alhaji Yakubu Suleman, National PRO

a statement in Jos, Plateau State said the federal government must investigate the murder of the district head of Numana kingdom, Dr. Gambo Makama, his wife and two others, and the killing of over 50 persons in Kaduna and Benue States on the eve of the New Year day. Condemning the recent violence in the region, the cleric said: “The attacks on Gwantu, Headquarters of Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where the district head (Chief of Numana kingdom) and Chairman of the traditional council, Makama, along side his wife and two other youths were gruesomely murdered on new year day is condemnable and worrisome. “Also, we are worried of the attacks in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State where over 50 people were murdered in cold blood on same New Year day. This is equally disturbing and worrisome to us. “CAN is not only condemning these carnages but is also calling for the immediate arrests and prosecution of all perpetrators of this heinous crimes without let.”

Pam said CAN is worried that the reluctance of the government and poor handling of security situations in the region is encouraging more attacks. “If proactive measures were taken by government and culprits are brought to book, crime in the society would have drastically reduced.” While appealing for calm in the attacked communities, the cleric urged government to step up security not only in the affected communities but the entire country to forestall further killings. “The church demands state protection to our members nation wide to stop the unchecked killings.” He also challenged the federal government to investigate thoroughly and take stringent measures on allegations of security complacency in these attacks. Also the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has called on the government and security agencies to evolve new strategies to stop the attacks and killings in communities in the southern part of Kaduna State. The union was reacting to

renewed killings and the abduction of a traditional ruler by unknown gunmen in the area. At least 12 people, including a traditional ruler and his wife, were killed in fresh attacks in the area in the last two weeks. Another traditional ruler in the area was also abducted in his house on Tuesday alongside his guard by unknown gunmen. In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, SOKAPU’s spokesman, Yakubu Kuzamani, said government must go beyond the rhetorics of emphathy, condemnation and redeployment of more troops and be more proactive in stopping the attacks. According to him, “Issuing press statements after each attack with intent to show empathy and even announce the redeployment of more troops also look good but has not stopped the attacks. “Rather these approaches, good and commendable as they look have not curbed the killings because they are all reactionary in strategy. “What is needed is more proactiveness, more sincerity and more determination to stop the attacks that have been occurring

for a long time.” SOKAPU expressed concern that despite the security presence in the southern Kaduna, none of those perpetrating the attacks had been arrested and brought to justice. “We remember the dozens of attacks in Sanga, Jama’a, Kaura and Kauru and the fact that the perpetrators of those attacks are today walking freely around. “This lack of arrest has simply emboldened these terrorists to keep attacking and killing at will while the government is left to issue flowery press statements after each attack and deploy security to already destroyed communities. “In view of all these killings of our people, SOKAPU is urging the government to show more determination, willingness and sincerity in being more proactive in curbing these killings rather than the reactionary method it has been deploying which has not stopped the killings,” the statement said. The union also called on the state government to increase the space for meaningful engagement in searching for more viable deterrents to the killings.

DOUBLE CELEBRATION

L-R: Eldest daughter of the celebrant, Mrs. Adeola Aminu; husband of the celebrant, Dr. Teslim Sanusi; celebrant, Alhaja Modinatu Abiola Sanusi; Chairman of the occasion and former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith; daughter of the celebrant, Mrs. Sherifat Olawande during the 70th birthday and 50th wedding anniversary ceremony of their mother in Lagos...recently.

Lagos Shuts Filling Station of Suspected Badoo Kingpin Gboyega Akinsanmi About 24 hours after arrest of the chief herbalist of Badoo cult, Mr. Fatai Adebayo, the Lagos State Government yesterday sealed a filling station, hotel and an event centre belonging to a suspected kingpin of the cult, Alhaji Alaka Abayomi Kamal. The state government explained the rationale behind its decision to shut the filling station, hotel and event centre, noting that the structures violated the 2010 Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning Law. This is contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, noting that the order, which sealed off the structures was in pursuant to Section 60 of the said Law.

The section read in part: “The relevant agency may serve enforcement notices on the owner of a private or public, residential, commercial, industrial, Institutional, recreational or any other land use wherever any development is commenced without planning permit and building control authorisation or, where the building constitutes danger to the occupier or public or, where the building is affected by a renewal programme…” In a statement he issued yesterday, the commissioner noted that the state government “is joining the Nigerian Police in asking the said Alaka to come out of hiding and submit himself to the law in his own interest.” Ayorinde said the state government “has also enjoined the Nigeria Police to offer the public a

reward for any useful information on the owner of the Alaka filling station, hotel and event centre in Ikorodu.” The commissioner, therefore, urged the residents of the state, especially Ikorodu and its environs “to go about their businesses without fear. We will leave no stone unturned in keeping the state safe in 2018.” The police had on December 22, 2017, declared Alaka wanted in connection with series of well-orchestrated killings and nefarious activities of the Badoo cult group in Ikorodu and Epe area of the state. Alaka is believed to be the ring leader of the Badoo menace. But the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal had paraded the

cult kingpin, who confessed to the killings and took police to their shrine in Imosan, a suburb of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State where the group’s chief herbalist, Fatai Adebayo was arrested. Adebayo, who is popularly known as Alese, was said to specialise in administering oath on Badoo members before they go for any operation. The police commissioner led the operation involving the Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Mr. Tunji Disu and Chairman of Lagos State Special Task Force, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi, among others. After the parade on Tuesday, the police commissioner had said investigation was still ongoing but that the full details about the arrests made so far would be disclosed on Thursday at a press briefing.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018

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COMMENT

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

REFLECTIONS ON THE RE-STRUCTURING DEBATE Nigeria is in need of re-definition and conversation to address its inherent imbalances, argues Okezie Victor Ikpeazu

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f recent, re-structuring has become the catchword in Nigeria’s landscape with key political leaders and socio- political groups pushing forward certain ideas and views. ‘What exactly is the idea of re-structuring?’ and ‘Is a restructured Nigeria feasible?’ The answer is simply yes, provided it favours a peaceful, safe, prosperous, virile, united, and indivisible Nigeria that offers every man, woman and child a brighter and better future where each and everyone has a chance to build and share in this great nation’s potential. Overtime, the clamour has been made for the re-structuring of our federal system in response to the cries of marginalisation by various segments of our country as well as the understanding that our federation, as presently constituted, impedes optimal development and the realisation of our peoples’ aspirations. In all these years, the various leaders have considered and embarked on various re-structuring templates of political, administrative, fiscal and economic, educational, monetary, socio-administrative, socio-economic, politico-administrative, geo-economic, geo-fiscal re-structuring and re-structuring of security apparatus. And by whatever name it is christened, re-structuring is not a magic bullet that would resolve all of Nigeria’s challenges or those of any section, region or zone of the country. This assertion does not detract from the fact that our country is in need of re-definition and conversation to address all the imbalances inherent in the present Nigerian nation. I am therefore constrained to draw our attention to the fact that the needs of our dear country is beyond re-structuring because we are yet to realise the urgency and depth thereto, rather, exigencies of our time make this roundtable imperative a sine-qua-non. In addition to the debate on re-structuring, on how resources are allocated, power shared or devolved, there is need for Nigerians to renew their commitment to moral renewal, spiritual reawakening and reorientation. Reframing the mindset and attitude of the citizens are a major catalyst in our objective to propel our country to greater height. Therefore my fear is that the greatest threat to the call for re-structuring is our fixated mindset and lack of mutual respect for one another. The present times therefore call for patriotism, tolerance, strength in our diversity, fair play, self-sacrifice, hard work, selfless service and commitment to public wellbeing. It is in the interest of our nation that we build bridges of accommodation, understanding and brotherhood. It is possible to re-define the re-structuring paradigm in such a way that it can accommodate some fundamental or foundational requirements that are key enablers for the needed or desired socioeconomic growth and survival of our country. Some integral issues staring us in the face include a) Citizens who are fractured, disengaged and poorly mobilised for the needed sacrifice required to trace the pathway to sustainable economic growth and nation building b) and an unwilling populace reluctant to trust no one, neither proponents nor opponents of the call for re-structuring.

WE AS LEADERS MUST BE CONSTANT IN DOING THAT WHICH IS RIGHT, OUR STYLE AND PURPOSE MUST REFLECT THE YEARNINGS OF OUR PEOPLE, NOT WHAT THE LEADERS FEEL LIKE DOING

This is dangerous because until we see more Igbos moving into Gwoza and Sambisa to build shops and plazas just as we expect to Dantatas and Deribes establish in Enugu, Abakaliki and Ohafia we cannot expect any meaningful change. Taking this into cognisance, the need for a holistic approach to re-structuring becomes imperatives. With a growing population that will become the third largest in the world by the year 2050 and agriculture contributing less than 10% of our earnings, as land constricts and coupled with poor technological infrastructure to advance frontiers of crop/food production, health and manufacturing, Nigeria is at the brink and we must make or mar; we must restructure to enable us begin the reconstruction of a completely deconstructed nation. The political class and leadership must demonstrate exemplary conduct in terms of probity, integrity, transparency, consistency and altruistic commitment in order to mobilise Nigerians to face our common challenges of poverty, ignorance, infrastructural decay and under development. Stellar leadership at various levels in our country is also a critical requirement, if we must galvanise our people, provide templates and framework that is capable of supporting a redistribution of opportunities and resources, not necessarily by collecting from one zone and throwing to another, but by empowering the ordinary citizens on terms that he/she can comprehend and grasp for meaningful participation in the Nigerian socio-economic enterprise. The decisive step in our long pathway of re-structuring is probably to create a sense of inclusion, participation in our economic and democratic process. Most public institutions for national cohesion, integration and good governance have been subsumed and succumbed under the weight of nepotism, inefficiency, intolerance, infringement and arbitrariness. Apart from the military, others such as National Youth Service Corps are gradually receding into catharsis of abrasion, divergence, dysfunction and irrelevance. The time to build is now and we the leaders of the moment must restructure our mentality and thinking. A leader should be able to accurately access the circumstances and then do what the situation calls for. We as leaders must be constant in doing that which is right, our style and purpose must reflect the yearnings of our people, not what the leaders feel like doing. What did China do, that has changed the burden of leading 1.3bn people to blessing of having 1.3bn people produce food and solutions for the world? There is a key balance and nexus between technological advancement/knowledge, population and opportunities. We must strike that balance immediately, otherwise we run a risk of annihilation through self-inflicted tensions. Finally, I want to seize this opportunity to reiterate my unflinching commitment to national unity, territorial integrity and oneness of Nigeria where justice, equity and fair play reigns in a country that works for ALL; though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand. Dr. Ikpeazu is Executive Governor of Abia State

NIGERIA’S NEW GOVERNANCE ORDER Olu Onemola writes that the Eighth Senate has performed remarkably

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ike an old car parked in the garage, nobody cares about propaganda politics anymore. Its tires are now flat. Its methods are now known and its inaccuracies are now easily decipherable with the quickest click of your smartphone. This is why throughout 2017, the Nigerian Senate, under the leadership of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, carefully worked to meet the demands of Nigeria’s ‘New Governance Order’ — an order that is now defined by delivery and actual performance over orchestrated publicity, and effectiveness over obvious hype. Despite the many attacks, and in spite of the countless distractions that were thrown at the eighth Senate from external forces, the focus of the senators, their persistence on people-centered legislation, and their collective commitment to always put Nigeria and Nigerians first, allowed the Upper Chamber of Nigeria’s federal legislature to achieve various notable feats in 2017. This is why, when people ask: “So, what should we expect from the eighth Senate in 2018?� you should tell them: “Look back at the Senate’s performance in the past, it will give you an idea of its future.� Looking back at 2017, we all remember that the year started off with the budget. Talks about #OpenNASS accompanied the conversation about the 2017 appropriations bill — and commentators across the social-media-sphere all had a thing or two to say about the alleged secrecy behind the National Assembly’s annual spending. Some predicted that 2017 would be ‘no different’, while others laughed at the idea of the legislators agreeing to open up their books for the first time since 1999. This status quo narrative permeated through Facebook and Twitter, all the way to ‘thoseannoying-broadcast-messages-that-your-parentssend-you-on-Whatsapp’ — and the consensus in

the court of public opinion was clear: #OpenNASS would never happen! While the naysayers preached ‘Never!’, and the self-proclaimed political pundits speculated and hypothesised, people on the inside knew that the Senate President was a man of his word. He had promised #OpenNASS, and he would deliver. Though it was difficult at first, however, through constant consultation with his colleagues in both the Senate and the House, and the political will of the entire National Assembly leadership, on Thursday, May 11, 2017 — in a move that shocked observers — the National Assembly released the breakdown of its annual budget to the world. This budget is now on the National Assembly website. You can check it out yourself. Fast forward to two weeks later — if Drake was Nigerian, his ‘Back to Back’ chorus would have been the Senate’s soundtrack. Following the release of its budget details, in quick succession, the Senate passed the historic Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (#PIGB). This piece of legislation that had tripped up the sixth and seventh National Assemblies, scaled the eighth Senate within 24 months. Right now, many people still do not know that the PIGB passed by the Senate in 2017 is aimed at unbundling the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for better performance, creating a sustainable framework for the effective governance of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, and putting an end to the issues that cause fuel scarcity across the country. The Senate did not stop there. It went on an anti-corruption sprint. It passed the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Between Nigeria and Other Foreign Countries Bill. In July, it passed the Whistleblower Protection Bill to protect people that inform the authorities about corruption. And, it also passed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Bill (NFIU) Bill at the end of July — in order to

get Nigeria re-admitted into the EGMONT Group after its suspension. This move was aimed at giving our nation the previous access that it once had to the network, resources and expertise of 154 other financial intelligence units around the world in our fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. Similarly, the Senate responded to Nigeria’s 2016 economic recession by fast-tracking the passage of the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Bill and the Credit Bureau Services Bill in 2017. Both bills, which were signed into law by the then-Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in May 2017, were aimed at providing Nigerians across the country with easier access to credit. The impact of both ‘Access to Credit’ Bills passed by the Senate, and the National Assembly as a whole, were brought to the fore when in September 2017, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that due to the Senate’s access to credit legislation, 20,684 movable assets valued at N392 billion had already been registered on the National Collateral Register (NCR). Similarly, in October 2017, the World Bank rated Nigeria among the top 10 most improved economies in its 2016/2017 Doing Business Report. All of this was due to the fact that the Senate had focused on creating more opportunities for MSMEs in Nigeria through well-crafted legislation. Of course, we cannot forget the Senate’s 2017 comprehensive amendment to the electoral act of 2010, which ensures the full biometric accreditation of voters with Smart Card Readers; the instant transmission of accreditation data and results from polling units to the collation centres; and giving INEC unfettered powers to conduct elections by electronic voting. We also cannot forget the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This exercise, brought about the approval of notable pieces of legislation like the #NotTooYoung-

ToRun Bill, which reduces the qualifying age for election into the House of Representatives from 30 years to 25 years; the age qualification for contesting for a State House of Assembly office from 30 years to 25 years; and the age qualification for contesting the office of President from 40 years to 35 years. The #NotTooYoungToRun Bill and the other constitutional amendments passed by both Houses of the National Assembly, are currently making their way through the State House of Assemblies, and are likely to become the focus of a lot of political discourse this year. To close out 2017, the Senate received a few final and significant notches on its legislative belt, when President Muhammadu Buhari signed six bills into law on December 30, 2017. Notable amongst them were the amendments to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act, which now mandates the gas producing and processing companies to contribute to the development of the Niger Delta region. Additionally, with the signing into law of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshots Act by President Buhari, all Nigerians with gunshot wound will now be able to receive immediate medical treatment — instead of having to file police reports. This bill that started in the House, but was fast-tracked by the Senate through concurrence in the later half of 2017 will definitely save many lives. There are countless other bills passed by the Saraki-led Senate in 2017 that have not been mentioned in this piece. However, as we look back at the year that has just passed, to give you a snapshot of where it currently stands, the eighth Senate has already passed 140 bills in 30 months. This is more than the fifth Senate that passed 129 bills in four years, the sixth Senate that passed only 72 bills in four years, and the seventh Senate that passed 128 bills in the same timeframe. Onemola is Head, New Media, OfďŹ ce of the Senate President

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EDITORIAL THE STANDARDS OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES The universities are necessary, but they should be made to satisfy certain criteria

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ith the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council of six additional private universities, several pertinent questions have come up. The questions speak to the concerns of critical stakeholders as a result of the proliferation of these institutions of higher learning in our country and they include: What are the standards? Who is accrediting the courses? What are the minimum infrastructure requirements? Is there a national minimum standard for university education? Ordinarily, the increase in the numbers of universities need not be a matter for alarm if other questions are posed and answered satisfactorily, namely: Are there adequate and equal numbers of high quality technical colleges? Are there competitive ‘community colleges’ supported by, and relevant to, needs of local authorities for training locally required personnel? Are local communities involved in monitoring the THE HIGH NUMBERS OF quality of the culture PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES of learning, quality of MUST BE MATCHED WITH favourably remunerENSURING HIGH QUALITY ated teaching and TEACHING AND LEARNING administrative staff? WITHIN THEIR PRECINCTS Are local primary and secondary schools endowed with high quality staff, infrastructure, teaching material and innovative teachers? There are many more questions to pose but the main worry stems from the fact that the sheer incompetence in tackling the problems in the existing public universities is being waived by this reckless recourse to all manner of ramshackle private universities with the attendant lowering of standards. Lecturers who can’t hold their own as senior lecturers in respectable universities are being hired as professors and even vice-chancellors in some of these universities. The same thing that happened with the banks when we had close to a hundred of them is now happening with universities. We must point out here that we are not opposed

Letters to the Editor

to the idea of private universities and we appreciate the critical roles many of them are playing. What we abhor is the current cynical approach to education in Nigeria and that explains why we have been calling for a total overhaul of the sector. That of course will go beyond the universities, private or public.

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he late Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once argued that since the vast majority of Africans work in the agricultural sector, and since room for training youths are severely limited in pyramidal tertiary educational sectors, it is vital to invest the largest percentage of budgets for education in providing very high quality pre-primary and primary schools so that the products can creatively transform rural economies with their inventions and local manufacturing and processing activities. The competition between the United States and the former Soviet Union was manifested in the former copying the focus by USSR on community libraries holding high quality books including classics from ancient cultures worldwide. The communist ideology of developing higher quality human beings / citizens fuelled this investment. In the United States, the belief that the defence of democracy depended on well informed citizens also drove the focus on holding high quality neighbourhood libraries. Rulers of feudal Britain were as fearful of educating their low classes as the Hausa ruling classes whom Mallam Aminu Kano attacked and fought against. This fear warps education policy. Fear of foreign domination pushed Japanese leaders in the same direction for reasons of producing local personnel who can match feared invaders by also using their own model for training leaders. While Africa needs a combination of the two models in an age driven by innovation and knowledge, the ideological guide needs to be openly discussed by critical stakeholders. In as much as we cannot continue to shut out millions of Nigerians from gaining access to university education, the high numbers of private universities must be matched with ensuring high quality teaching and learning within their precincts.

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

NIGERIA AND THE EAGLE’S DROPPINGS

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was just ruminating on the trouble with Nigeria. I have always thought of the cause of Nigeria’s problem, but every time I do, I don’t find anything serious. Each of the solutions I conclude on will all be in vain if power does not change hands. When I mean change hands, I do not mean the kind of change we clamoured for in 2015. This is an entirely different change. I mean the kind if change where young and promising youths, well read and highly intellectual are allowed to rule without external interference. External control here meaning political godfathers. Call it youth sovereignty if you will. I found out that the main problem of Nigeria is not corruption but godfatherism; it might be shocking but is the truth. Check the statistics, the set of people in power since the inception of the Fourth Republic are either people who have ruled the country before or their children. These children do not aspire for political power on their own but are persuaded by big men who would promise to get them power by just building on their fathers’ fame and name. Examples of such cases include Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was a military leader in 1979 and came back 20 years later to become the President of Nigeria in 1999. In this case, what will happen to the youths of 1979 who could still not rule their country even 20 years later? General Olusegun called the youths leader of tomorrow, if 20 years later, tomorrow is not anywhere near the

corner then, when is tomorrow? Chief Obasanjo ruled for eight years before he handed over to Umar Musa Yar’Adua, who is also the son of a political leader Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. He had his vice-president to be one-time former governor and later Governor of Bayelsa State, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He too was formerly in power. Jonathan succeeded Musa Yar’Adua after completing his (Yar’Adua) tenure and also rules for another four years. He lost in his bid for second term and lost to someone who had contested three times, President Muhammadu Buhari. PMB had already ruled Nigeria has a military ruler in 1983. Some 32 years later and there has not been a fresh ruler. The ones listed here are just little of the numerous numbers of cases. There are new political aspirants but these new people are also instigated and being controlled by godfathers. The youngest Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, is also the son of a politician. These big men in politics have turned themselves into the proverbial Banana bringing up an offspring to continue its legacy. If this continues, what is the hope of studying political science when you know at the end, you will have no say in the political world than to become a government teacher in secondary schools? Can somebody remember the Sarakis? Bukola Saraki was a governor of Kwara State. He is the son of a political lord, Dr. Olusola Saraki. He later became the Senate President of the eighth assembly. Gbemisola Saraki was also a member of House of Representatives

in 2007-2011. She is a sister to Sen. Bukola Saraki. Apart from biological children, cerebral protĂŠgĂŠs of these godfathers are also in power but are being controlled by their sponsor. If anyone thinks he can cut ties with these men after getting hold of power... Everyone knows what happened to a former Governor of Oyo State, Sen. Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. He too was a Senator in the First Assembly in 1999 and later a Governor in 2003, all with the help of his godfather. He later cut out from the grip of his father and he was deposed and his Deputy Governor was installed in his stead. His deputy, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala was still a loyalist to their sponsor. He completed the tenure and ran for his own fresh term which he won. Sen. Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, left his former party and created a new one. He contested the second time but did not win. He even contested the third time, same thing. If he won the same old cycle would have occurred. If the youths of 2003 compete by 2019, we have failed and by “weâ€? I mean Nigeria. The youths of 1979 could not contest in1999, we have failed. If this has happened and it’s happening, if it goes on this way what is the fate of the current youths? 2019 is coming, Atiku Abubakar is signifying that he will be contesting for Presidency in 2019. This same man has been in power once. He was the Vice-President in 1999-2007. Oyedeji Qudus Adedolapo,gahdejtheprince@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Princewill: Wike isn’t Invincible A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Tony Princewill has declared that beating the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike is possible only on the condition that APC puts its house in order. He spoke with journalists in Port Harcourt. Nseobong Okon-Ebong was there and presents the excerpts: insecurity anywhere it is found. Period.

Do you think Buhari deserves a second term? The short answer is ‘Yes’. He means well. He isn’t desperate to be president. I sense that. So he is doing what he feels is right, regardless of the politics. When you do that, expect to make a few enemies. APC made promises without knowing what kind of economy they were getting into. It appears the new administration started slow, but they are back on track. Buhari is used to cutting his coat according to his size. He is a man who is known to live within his means. That is why he can be forgiven for expecting Nigerians to do same. His thinking appeared to be, if we can navigate through this period, the other side will be worth it. No subsidy, a single treasury account, consequences for corruption, monies returned, massive investment in infrastructure, a boost in agricultural output, emphasis on made-in-Nigeria, improving the ease of doing business and finally taking the entertainment industry seriously. I could go on, but I think people get the point. All these despite a serious health scare. Agreed, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, but given the cards he has been dealt, you have to give him and his team credit. And there is more good news ahead. Fuel queues at the end of the year is routine, artificial and will have consequences. I expect the opposition and those who see nothing good in Buhari to take advantage of it with unsuspecting Nigerians. Don’t you see APC’s anti-corruption fight as one sided? I’ve heard that before but I don’t buy it. Just like the claim that Buhari’s appointments are biased was proved wrong, the facts do not support this claim either. I tend to identify people as guilty or innocent. Not by party. If they are guilty, they should face the consequences, regardless of political leanings. I find people who insist in the media, that people should be indicted because they are in government, just to show Buhari is working, a little odd. The right thing to do is to write a petition with evidence and pursue it. We all know people in this government that have been shown the door for corruption. It’s no longer fashionable, so I don’t expect many indictments, but seeing that corruption is still a religion for some, I’m sure Buhari will be setting examples before very long. You led a recent pro-SARS protest. Why? Because throwing the baby away with the bath water is ridiculous. Reforming SARS has to be the commonsense alternative. I find it difficult to fathom the thought that you scrap a unit of the police because they have a few bad apples. That would provide grounds for scrapping most security outfits in the world. Including the army, the police and the navy while you’re at it. I can understand why Wike would want it scrapped, the SARS Commander in Rivers refused to compromise. Years of killings and beheadings have now been checked and intimidation is no longer the order of the day. The tide has turned. I marched because I don’t want the state to return to those dark years. Rural areas in Rivers state were very vulnerable, in the past. People in cities may not understand. I do. The numbers that came out on that day showed we have plenty of support. We were a coalition, united against the end-SARS campaign, but it appears we won over a lot of new friends on that day. Rotimi Amaechi is reputed to have a strong personality. How do you cope with him? I think the closer you get to Amaechi, the

What did you see in the APC? Why did you join them? There are three key reasons. The first is local. In Rivers state, I have the misfortune to have a man called Nyesom Wike serving as my governor. If the opposition is asleep, my children run the risk of explaining him to their friends for another four years. I don’t want that. They don’t want that. Uniting all the opposition to Wike makes sense. That’s why I’m in APC. All the sticks joined makes a broom. PDP used our anger against Amaechi as a cover to sneak Wike into Brick House. I am no longer angry with Amaechi and from what I am seeing, I am not alone. In 2019, there will be no sneaking. Secondly in PDP, the deceit is like a religion. I predicted that Wike and Fayose would lead the party way before I joined APC. It’s not rocket science to choose between Wike and Fayose on the one hand and Buhari and Osinbajo on the other. You have to be good to lead me. PDP cannot lead me. The final reason is the intent. Nobody is perfect so I will be the first to admit APC has made some mistakes. However, I can see beyond their actions to their intent. I know that the APC means well and the PDP really does not. Unlike most Nigerians, I do not have a short memory. I am very familiar with what the PDP is capable of. I’m glad they kept their name. We need people to remember PDP.

Princewill

more you realise he is a simple man and very easy to get along with. If you describe knowing what he wants as being strong, then yes. But he consults and he delegates. Maybe too much. However once he makes up his mind, that’s it. We have had our fair share of debates but what you have to give to him is that he is covered by an amazing grace. Heads or tails, his team always wins. 2019 will be another test. Our job is simple, work hard, but strengthen our faith and God willing, victory is certain. Like him, I believe that in Rivers state we need to put personal ambition aside for now and focus on the group’s ambition. Some saw it as a refusal to endorse them. They were right. A choice of candidate is way too early as the days of anointing candidates are gone. Primaries will hold and by His grace, the best man (or woman) will win.

Wike spends on instinct, borrows on instinct and yet there are people who support him

What are your thoughts on the recent PDP convention that threw up your kinsman as national party chairman? My mind is on the amount of Rivers money that went into that exercise. Other than that, I saw a party that has always run on big money return to its roots and demonstrate why money can buy you PDP. Wike has played his hand. You can see where he is going. He just wants his second term ticket. He doesn’t care about the Presidency because he feels PDP will not win it. The South-West does not matter to him. Neither does any zone. All he cares about is the Rivers state governorship. Your party has had its share of troubles recently with overbearing EFCC in the Innoson case and suspicions greeting a whopping 1 billion USD to fight Boko Haram. What are your thoughts? The facts are still unfolding and GTB seems to be playing catch-up, so give it a few days. All truths will come out. My take is the EFCC did not go there for debt recovery because there was no debt and they are not that stupid. There is bound to be a reason they used to justify entry whether right or wrong. We need to know what that reason is and where GTB fits into it. In a world of 24-hour news, we do not have patience like we did before. As for the 1 billion USD, Nigerians will shout. As will PDP. They know what diverting money for security feels like. But the body that approved this money is beyond party politics and Nigerians will expect and get accountability. Also there is a misconception that it is only for Boko Haram. It to fight

Is it possible to defeat Wike? course. Since 1999, elections in Rivers state have been won by force of the gun. The party in power at the centre has controlled the security agencies and the electoral institutions and they have done their bidding. Now Buhari is changing that. Finally, popularity matters. The battle in Rivers state will be won before the day. Even Wike can feel what is coming. He is already planning his exit. The man is no fool. Neither are we. Nothing will be taken for granted, no stone will be left unturned. The biggest challenge to the APC is APC. Once we can get out of our own way, Wike and PDP will not be an issue. I can already see the enemy within being tamed. Since 2015, we have not seen the Rivers state budget. Wike spends on instinct, borrows on instinct and yet there are people who support him. Nothing else can personify a corrupt system better. It shows that Wike has decided to take us for granted. Accountability, transparency and oversight have no place in his government because he thinks the anger of the Rivers people against APC in 2015 will be more than enough to see PDP through in 2019. Let observers watch and see what will happen. How true is it that the APC in Rivers state is divided? We were. Now, I think we have identified those who are ready to win. To be honest, in politics, division makes more news than unity, so there’s bound to be more spotlight on divisions. I am not deceived by that. Nothing unites politicians more than an election. Expect more drama in the period leading to the primaries. Only then will we settle in. In 2015, we had more divisions within the PDP when Wike took the ticket without any regard to his fellow politicians. The world did not end. After he took the ticket, many of the same people he showed no regard for, ended up working for him. That’s Nigerian politics.

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ANALYSIS

Ememobong: PDP was Founded to Rule, APC Good as Opposition The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ini Ememobong has admitted that his party isn’t doing well in the opposition because it was founded to rule. He spoke with journalists in Uyo. Okon Bassey presents the excerpts:

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ome members of your party complained of imposition of candidates through a ‘unity list’. What was it about lists? If someone created unity list, you could have created progress list, faith list, or peace list and it would go. So it will now be a contention of lists. What is that list my brother? It is simple; Akwa ibom had Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, and Akwa Ibom understands that to market Enoidem to the 36 states and get them to buy in, will be difficult, so Enoidem goes out to campaign over; you now look at Kogi, if kogi has a candidate for example the National Publicity Secretary, we tell Kogi people, vote for Enoidem and we will vote for your Publicity Secretary. I have contested before, I was NANS President, such lists are available because, you must be able to have another person buy into the business and in most instances, where one person succeeds, the rest will succeed because it is now a product of collaboration. So there is nothing wrong or illegal about lists. The only thing is that those complaining about list should have also had their lists so that there will now be a contention of lists and I can assure you that they would also have been listed. The difference is that your list could have carried two people because you could only have an alliance with two; two states, three states, like that. That convention was very free, fair and credible. It shows the party’s readiness to get back power at the national. The truth is that when someone loses an election, he feels bad, but after a while, reasons come to play. It could have also been you, if your state negotiated well, you could have also ended up on the list and you could also have won. So everything was normal, nothing abnormal took place and the election was fair. That is behind us now, we are now building the party, I am sure you felt the impact. The National Chairman who on the day of his inauguration gave a quit notice to the ruling party in power is a man who must hit the ground running. How prepared is PDP for 2019? Even if you check from the first press release of the National Publicity Secretary, I am sure journalists are now happy, you have contending issues. Look at even the way he couched the heading of the press release, it showed class, it showed excellence. I know Bolaji who was once Minister of Youths, he is an excellent guy, so to find a Publicity Secretary who would also be very excellent in the position, we are going to have a very deep intellectual discuss. So when Bolaji issues a press statement, it will be replied by either an equal or superior statement. So the party is well prepared, every department of the party has been repositioned for the purpose of taking over power. That is the only reason PDP was formed, it was formed to handle power. We are not used to being opposition. There are other parties that were formed for the purpose of opposition; they are just strangers to power. We are strangers to opposition; we have to get back to power. The South West geo-political zone is complaining of being sidelined in the emerging political arrangement of the PDP ahead of the 2019. What explanations do you have on this? Well, I have not seen the communique of the Yoruba race, but I have heard the position of some of their prominent members. You see, if you don’t keep your house in order it is difficult for you to access some things; can we truly, fairly, sincerely as Nigerians and independent observers say that the members of the PDP from the south west have done very well in preserving the party? No! Look at Ogun state, litigation upon litigations. So the problem is; even if you give them the national chairmanship position, they can still use litigation and destroy the whole thing, and the party at the point of rebirth is careful about such things. Recall that we had a situation where a national chairman was about to declare open a national convention and there was a court judgment, a court order

Ememobong

preventing him. We don’t want to go that way again. So you go to the party, it was opened between the south-west and the south-south, and the south-south seems better ready and receptive. You had only one governor from the south-west, and I don’t know if you have bothered to find out whether he was disposed to have the chairman come from there. There is no way you can undermine a governor in any political arrangement. Imagine a situation where people were stepping down at the convention ground. How did you want the delegates to know? You were stepping down and the people were taking you on camera; the delegates were already at the convention ground therefore not watching TV again, so you were stepping down for those at home, whereas those at the convention were busy doing final stage. However, the National Chairman, Uche Secondus is on a reconciliatory move and those things will be resolved. Like the former caretaker chairman Amed Makarfi said that the south-west may even get something better than the national chairman if they put their house in order. The party respects every zone in this country. The intellectual components of the south-west cannot be undermined, the capacity of the south-west cannot be undermined, and the party has never looked down on them, but they also have to understand that this was a contest, and a better prepared zone picked it. Looking at the years 1999-2015 that PDP was in power, what do you think the PDP failed to do well, that if you come again, you will do better? When you say we didn’t do well! Today Nigerians would prefer what we didn’t do well to what some people are doing best. We have seen the best of the opposition, so you prefer the well that we did. The truth is that people used to think that the grass is greener across the fence, it is a natural thinking; that is why you see people travelling, leave Nigeria, run to Libya, try to cross the mediterrenian to get into Europe. They don’t know that even in Europe there are beggars, and I tell

people that if their citizens are begging so what happens to you? And you go there without a degree, without anything to work, you don’t have skills or you go there with an outdated skill, you would be feeling like nokia 3310 in the midst of smart phones. So, things may have gone wrong which could have been the exhibition of individual idiosyncratic disposition which were not well received by the general public. But again I think that there was also this very irresistible campaign that was run by the opposition. Promising miracle, because when you say that you will make one naira to be equal to one dollar, was a miracle, only Jesus could do that! But I think that the people also felt that ‘the grass maybe greener across that fence’ and decided to give them a trial and here is where the trial has landed them. You go to Abuja from the market women to the taxi drivers; everyone is anxiously awaiting the return of the PDP. Again, from 1999 to 2015, and even from the just concluded convention, it seems that the PDP always wants a preferred candidate in every situation, why so? Well, I don’t know what you mean by preferred candidate, but for people to even emerge as aspirants there are people who preferred them, so it depends on whose preferred candidate. The amalgamation of all the aspirants will give you a forum of preferred aspirants, so it now depends on who prefers you, a combination of those who prefer you. And this is a power game, not church, even in the church these days, the Assembly of God was in the court over who was the General Overseer, and who is not the G.O. So it depends on the combination of those who prefer you. What is the combination of those who prefer you to the combination of those who do not prefer you and that is simply voting! Every election is always about preferred candidates, but now the difference is in the number and quality of those preferring a particular candidate. PDP swept all the 31 chairmanship and 329

councillorship positions in the local government election in Akwa Ibom State, a fest the opposition party described as a sham. Does it mean that the main opposition party. How did it happen? We don’t distribute votes; it’s the people; so you have to call Akwa ibom people and ask them ward by ward; why they did not vote for them? But I don’t know if you could remember that most people who emerged candidates of other parties especially the APC were given tickets just to fill the space so that they have candidates everywhere. They did not respect the zoning of the people in their places. For example in Ibiono, we had agreed a long time ago that the chairmanship of Ibiono will go to Northern Ibiono, but because these people did not have any candidate, they went and picked someone from Ibiono south. So if you did not respect the internal zoning of the people that is not PDP zoning; that was the zoning agreed by the people, so how did you expect to win? That is what also happened almost everywhere. You could recall that not even one councillorship position in PDP was contested unchallenged. Every post had in minimum of three persons contesting for it. But you cannot say that for the APC, I don’t even know where they sell forms because all through the period we kept monitoring, their office was always locked with keys. So a party that does not even have a functional state office, how can you win election? In 2015, we won them, conducted by INEC they said no that it was a sham. This issue of a sham has become a recurrent lexicon of the opposition and it is not far-fetched, it is just that they are bereft of new ideas, so they will only use the words they are used to; you understand. We couldn’t have dashed anybody vote because when we insisted on going to the campaign in the 329 wards, we insisted that our candidates for the councillorship posts must drop the campaign from the wards, and go to the units, villages and in some instances through door to door. The opposition parties did not do it, so the people could only vote for the people they saw. You are a journalist, go round and check, they couldn’t cover the 31 local government areas. You could recall when they did the drama they called ‘the flag off’, what time did they have? So a party that was still in court on Thursday when the election was on Saturday, trying to stop the election could not have been prepared for that election, and they have already issued a pre-election concession speech; so a follow up was the post-election concession speech, and we combined all their concession speeches, we thank them. In 2019 when we win them again, we will take their concession speech. Now, with the PDP in charge entire local government administration in the state, the people expect us to continue to do what we have been doing that made us to win the election. They expect us to run a local government system that can respond to the basic needs of the people. They expect the councilors to be grass-rooted, to discuss with their people, to keep them abreast of happenings. They are not expecting too much. The Nigerian electorates are the easiest to please in the whole world. People just need little! They need water, they need road, and they need loan to sell; because almost everyone in Nigeria becomes a government for himself. He provides his security, he provides his water, and he provides almost everything for himself. So, what the Akwa Ibom electorates expect is that the crop of chairmen, vice chairmen, councilors just coming in will help further the deepening of democracy by providing basic things. They understand that times are hard. But no matter how hard times are, they shouldn’t keep the local government dirty. They are expecting very little basic things that get lives running. But as a party, we have a document called ‘irreducible minimum expectation’ that we expect that each and every one of them must meet, and if they fulfil that, you can be sure that PDP will keep winning.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

Life in an Abuja Slum Adjourning the high-end Asokoro district in Abuja is a cluster of shanty settlements known as Kpaduma village. Olawale Ajimotokan writes on the plight of the people of the community

Kpaduma Village...begging for government's presence

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he mid-day sun was at its peak as it radiated over Kpaduma Village in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), combining to create a perfect mix with the hazy weather. The associated communal noise produced by the horde of commercial motorcycles, market people and the underage children is reminiscent of the cacophony symbolic with unplanned settlements within the Federal Capital Territory. Kpaduma is a Gbagyi settlement to the south of Asokoro District, Nigeria’s prime destination mainly inhabited by the diplomatic corps, the powerful with deep pocket and almost all the 36 states that have their liaison offices in Abuja. Yusuf Bala Usman Street is contiguous to Kpaduma Village. Like Baroness Linda Chalker Street, JK Gadzama Street and Jose Marti Crescent, it is one arterial road that directly interconnects Asokoro District with the village. Serving as the terminus for commercial tricycle and bicycle operators, Yusuf Bala Usman Street is in fact the demarcation line between Kpaduma Village and Asokoro. The terminus offers temporary spot for

hawkers of all sorts to display their wares for prospective buyers.

Thieves are ubiquitous in this place. We have lost countless phones to pickpockets and on one occasion there was a break in at our second viewing centre. Security is really an issue here. We have vigilante people but it does not appear they are up to the task of securing the community

Separating poverty and despondency from affluence is no difficult task once a visitor leaves Asokoro District symbolised by high walls and manicured lawns and enters the derelict and rodent infested haven called Kpaduma Village. It is the distinction that is easy to establish between broad day and night. “We can’t engage in the talk that government will develop this section as people in this area (Kpaduma Village) though mainly indigenous community are illegal squatters. The whole place has been bought by prominent people and all the houses shared to prominent individuals. The inhabitants realised that one day the slum will go down one at a short notice because they are considered to be squatters,” Aliyu Mohammed, one of the cobblers explained. Attempt by Development and Control of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) in the past, particularly in 2013 to mark the houses for demolition, was fiercely resisted by the community leadership, which accused government of refusing to look into the plight of the indigenous community. It is a rarity to find in Asokoro an open

space where fans occasionally converge to watch the English Premier League (EPL) matches after paying the nominal fee. This is because most residents of Asokoro own pay-per- view television in the comfort of their homes. Therefore having to offset the monthly subscription fees is not an issue. There were no scheduled matches for airing on the day our correspondent visited Kpaduma 2. The development made it possible to feel the pulse of Bernard Michael, who operates a viewing centre in the village. Michael lamented that the resultant hardship inflicted by the nationwide recession had impacted on the business which no longer booms like it was two years ago. He said the recession affected football diehards who could hardly afford the flat rate of N100 for Champions League fixtures and N70 for EPL matches. The supply of electricity to the dwellers of the village is at best erratic impacting on the cost of the viewing centre business. He said in order to stay in business, he regularly buys petro to power his aging generator to provide alternative source of electricity.

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Ëž T H I S D AY THURSDAYËœ Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

FEATURES I like Kpaduma, but we often have issues with AMAC people that are fond of imposing high levies on our shops. In fact, they make us pay multiple rates on premises, charging N7,000 on locked-up shops and N5,000 on batchers and kiosks. It is something we are appealing to authorities to wade into

Kpaduma Village...denied development

Yusuf Bala Usman Street, Asokoro District

Asokro with Kpaduma Village in the background

However, Michael, who hails from Ogoja in Cross River State, attributed the greatest challenge confronting the inhabitants of Kpaduma to security which he said is affecting him and other businesses.

“Thieves are ubiquitous in this place. We have lost countless phones to pickpockets and on one occasion there was a break in at our second viewing centre. Security is really an issue here.

We have vigilante people but it does not appear they are up to the task of securing the community,� he said. His concern on security was reinforced by Uche Gabriel.

Gabriel pointed at a stall belonging to a woman, which thieves vandalised and made away with her wares after a break in. The residents of the community also complained about lack of attention from government regarding provision of primary healthcare in the area. As private medical centres are rare to find, they are at the mercy of local chemists and are often referred to the Asokoro General Hospital for their immediate health requirements. Gabriel said that despite the fact that Kpaduma is a thriving hub, there is irregular provision of electricity and lack of job which pushes the youths to crime. In addition, he raged that small scale businesses are at the mercy of AMAC which often subjects them to multiple charges payable on business premises. “I like Kpaduma, but we often have issues with AMAC people that are fond of imposing high levies on our shops. In fact, they make us pay multiple rates on premises, charging N7,000 on locked-up shops and N5,000 on batchers and kiosks. It is something we are appealing to authorities to wade into,� he said. His position was reinforced by Madam Kelechi Izama, who specialises in selling of fairly used clothes otherwise known as “Okrika’’. Izama says the local council is fond of disturbing the traders whenever they feel like. The FCTA through the AMMC has often described shanties within Abuja city as illegal settlements that should be demolished to preserve the FCT Master-plan. Two months ago, officials of Development and Control, led by the Acting Director of the department, Mukhtar Galadima, bulldozed dozens of structures at a settlement known as Mountain Village abutting the Kpaduma Village. The demolition which is a warning signal for the dwellers of Kpaduma followed a quit notice issued in August 2016 for them to remove their belongings and vacate the community. But Michael minced no words when he noted that since Bala Mohammed, the immediate past FCT Minister left, the FCTA, headed by the current Minister, Muhammed Musa Bello has not threatened the dwellers with a quit notice with the intention to take-over their shack. “At the time the Goodluck Jonathan administration was in power and Bala Mohammed was the minister, they used to give us problem, but this time is not like before. This current minister, Musa Bello is not even disturbing us. No one is even talking about it,� he sounded off. Izama said Kobi Road was constituting a health risk to the public because of its bad and dusty nature accentuated by the harmattan, while Michael thanked the Dangote Group for piling the road at Kpaduma 2 with stones in the past two years, thus making it passable.

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IMAGES

L-R; Senior Pastor, KICC, Church, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo; National Superintendent,KICC Church, Pastor Femi Faseru and Pastor KICC Idimu Parish, Pastor Tomi Vincent, at a press conference on Mathew and Yemisi Ashimolowo annual widows empowerment coming up on Saturday 6TH January 2018, at OdeOmu, Osun State held in Lagos,..recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right) and Head of Service, Mrs. Gladys Idahor, during a meeting with senior civil servants at the Government House, Benin City,recently

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

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris; Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, Barr. Bimbola Saliu-Hundeyin; Medical Director, Ikorodu General Hospital, Dr. Olufunmi Bankole; Wife of Lagos State Governor , Mrs. Bolanle Ambode with ďŹ rst babies of the year and mother of the babies and during the presentation of gifts to the ďŹ rst babies (twins) of the year, born 12:23am and 12:24am, weighing 2.9kg & 3.25kg respectively, at the Ikorodu General Hospital, on Monday, January 1, 2018

R-L; Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Chief Imam of Osogboland, Sheik Musa Animosahun and hisdeputy, Alhaji Adediran Samondodo, during the inter-Religious Service for the new year 2018 in Osogbo...recently

Former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel (left) and Gani Adams during a courtesy visit to Daniel in Shagamu, Ogun State.....recently

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed[Middle] anked by Special Assistant-1 to the President on Information and Culture,Mr. Segun Adeyemi [ Right] and, Special Assistant-2 to the President on Information and Culture, during the press brieďŹ ng on the Allocation of 1Billion Dollar from the Excess Crude Account to ďŹ ght Insecurity in the Country and other Isues, in Lagos...recently.

Former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore presenting gift to a patient at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) Ile Ife during his annual philanthropic project,..recently

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L-R: Managing Director, SAP West Africa, Pedro Guerreiro; Marketing Manager, SAP West Africa, Juliet Omorodion; Presales Customer Solutions Manager, SAP West Africa, Chibuzor Ezeasor and Group Head, Enterprise Resource Planning, Wacot, Manikandan Velrajan, at the SAP Media Parley, which held in Lagos...recently

InfraCos: Stakeholders List Conditions for Hitch-free Rollout Stories by Emma Okonji Industry stakeholders have warned that unless the barriers impeding telecoms expansion in the country are removed, the planned rollout of broadband infrastructure by the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), would continue to suffer setbacks. The stakeholders, who gave the warning, said they were convinced that the same challenges bedeviling the telecoms operators would continue to slowdown the activities of InfraCos who had since been licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission

TELECOMS (NCC) to rollout broadband infrastructure across the country. They listed the challenges to include: willful vandalism of telecoms infrastructure by social miscreants, refusal of right of way (RoW) permit for telecoms infrastructure by state governments, and multiple taxes imposed on telecoms operators by agencies of governments, among others. The stakeholders, therefore called on NCC to rise up to the challenges and remove the barriers in order to achieve hitch-free rollout of InfraCos.

NCC had in 2015, licensed MainOne and IHS as InfraCos to provide broadband infrastructure that will allow telecoms operators to deploy full scale metropolitan fibre-optic infrastructure and associated transmission equipment on an open access, non-discriminatory and priceregulated basis. While MainOne was licensed to cover Lagos zone, IHS was licensed to cover North-central, with plans to license additional five InfraCOs that will cover the remaining five geopolitical regions of the country, by July 2017. Worried that MainOne

and IHS were yet to rollout broadband infrastructure, and that NCC was yet to License the remaining five InfraCos as promised, the Chairman of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the same barriers impeding telecoms expansion were also hunting the planned expansion of broadband infrastructure by the licensed InfraCos. He said the same barriers were also responsible for the delay in licensing additional InfraCos, and that the same Continued on page 24

Passage of Digital Rights Bill Timely, Says ICT Operators Information and communications technology (ICT) stakeholders and operators have commended members of the House of Representatives for the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (HB. 490), adding that the passage is timely and will enhance citizen’s rights and freedom. The bill, which was passed on December 19, 2017, is a piece of legislation that is proposed for “an act to provide for the protection of human rights online, protection of internet users in Nigeria from infringement of their fundamental freedoms and to guarantee application of human rights for users of

ICT digital platform and/or digital media and for related matters.� Sponsored by Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam, the bill has passed through several legislative processes since it was first conceived by Paradigm Initiative working with the NetRights Coalition in 2015. First introduced to parliament in April 2016, the bill has now successfully completed its journey through the House of Representatives at the plenary session on December 19, 2017. Commenting on the urgency and priority accorded the Bill by members of the House of

Representatives, the Programme Manager of Paradigm Initiative, Adeboye Adegoke, said: “Paradigm Initiative is elated by the news because the Netrights Coalition, which we lead has put in serious effort in seeing the idea to fruition. We believe strongly in the potential it has, to make a great impact on the development and recognition of digital rights in Nigeria. And we hope that after its passage, other African countries, and indeed the world, would follow suit.� In his remark, the sponsor of the Bill, Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam said, “The Bill has come a long way and will proceed to the Conference Committee

of the Senate and House of Representatives for further approval before the final assent by the President, hopefully with no hitches.� According to Ujam, “The content of the Bill is laudable and brilliant. It is clear evidence of what can happen when the government involves its citizens in lawmaking and governance, and I am proud to sponsor it.� Digital rights and freedom are increasingly gaining relevance with increasing advocacy in Nigeria. Several civil society organizations exist to ensure that the rights recogContinued on page 24

ÚÚÖĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă? ËÚÙÖÙÑÓĂ?Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ĂœĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă— Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹ĂŽĂ—Ă“ĂžĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ăž ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ?Ă–ĂŁ Ă?ÖÙåĂ?ĂŽ ĂŽĂ™ĂĄĂ˜ Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ Ă’Ă™Ă˜Ă? ×ÙÎĂ?Ă–Ă?Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ Ă?Ă‹ĂŁĂ? Ă“Ăž ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂœĂ?ÚÖËĂ?Ă? ĂŒĂ‹ĂžĂžĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă?ĂžĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś Ă?Ă™ ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ™Ăœ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ĂšĂ’Ă™Ă˜Ă?ËŞĂ? ĂŒĂ‹ĂžĂžĂ?ĂœĂŁ Ă’Ă?ËÖÞÒ˛ Ù×Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă’Ă‹ĂŽ Ă–Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă?ÖÙåĂ?ĂŽ ÙÖÎĂ?Ăœ Ă“ Ă’Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹Ă‘Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÙ Ă&#x;ĂšĂ‘ĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ?Ë› ÚÚÖĂ? ËÎ×ÓÞÞĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă–Ă™ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ù×Ă? ĂšĂ’Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŒĂ‹ĂžĂžĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă“Ăž ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ÞÙ ËŤĂšĂœĂ™Ă–Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă?ËŹ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă?Ë›

Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÚÙĂ?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă“ĂžĂ? ĂĄĂ?ĂŒĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ— Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă“Ăž ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;Þ̋ÙĂ?Ě‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂžĂŁ ĂŒĂ‹ĂžĂžĂ?ĂœĂŁ ĂœĂ?ÚÖËĂ?Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÍœÍľÍˇ ÞÙ ÍœÍ°Íˇ Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞËÞĂ?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁĂ™Ă˜Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă“ Ă’Ă™Ă˜Ă? Í´ Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂœË› Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŽĂ™Ă— ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŽĂœĂ™Ăš Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ͞;͡ ÞÙ ͞Ͱͳ˛ ËŤ Ăž ÚÚÖĂ?Ëœ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ?ËŞ ĂžĂœĂ&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă&#x;Ă?Ë› Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă˜Ă?Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă?ÞÙÚ ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜ ÓÞ˛ Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂ™ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ• ĂĄĂ? ÖÙà Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?ËÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂšĂšĂ™ĂœĂž Ě‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă˜Ă?Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă?Ăž ÞÒËÞ Ă™Ăœ ÞËÕĂ? Ă“Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂŽËœËŹ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžË›

Ăž Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă’Ă‹ĂŽ Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ? Ă–Ă‹ĂĄĂ?Ă&#x;Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă‘Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ăž Ă“Ăž Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ×ËÞÞĂ?ĂœËœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă‹ĂŽ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă˜ Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ĂŽĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă–Ă?Ă‘Ă‹Ă– Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă?Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ë›

Ripple Becomes Valuable Cash System Ă?ĂœĂŁĂšĂžĂ™Ě‹Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă?ĂŽ ÓÚÚÖĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ù×Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă™Ă?Ăž Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă Ă“ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă’ Ă?ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?Ă—Ë› Ăž ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă•Ă?Ă˜ĂŽËœ ÞÒĂ? Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă’Ă“Ăž Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ÍœÍŻÍŽÍŽ ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ?Ë› Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă? Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ă?Ăœ ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ’Ă?Ăœ ÚÙÚĂ&#x;Ă–Ă‹Ăœ Ă?ĂœĂŁĂšĂžĂ™Ě‹Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă’ Ă?ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?Ă— Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă&#x;Ă—Ë› Ă‹Ă?Ă’ ÓÚÚÖĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă? Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂžĂ’ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÍœÍ°Ë›ÍąÍ˛Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ăœ Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ă?Ăœ ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă–Ă? Ă‹ Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂžĂ’ Ă‹ ĂŁĂ?Ă‹Ăœ ËÑÙ˛ Ă“ĂžĂ?Ă™Ă“Ă˜ Ă?ÞÓÖÖ ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă™Ă?Ăž Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă?ĂœĂŁĂšĂžĂ™Ě‹Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁË› Ă’Ă? Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ͯʹ˛͜ Ă—Ă“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂŒĂ“ĂžĂ?Ă™Ă“Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă&#x;Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă? Ă˜Ă™ĂĄ ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂžĂ’ Ă‹ Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‹Ă– ÍœÍ°ÍąÍŻ ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă‹Ă?Ă’ ĂŒĂ“ĂžĂ?Ă™Ă“Ă˜ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă‹ Ă Ă‹Ă–Ă&#x;Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÍœÍŻÍąËœÍłÍśÍŽË› ÓÚÚÖĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ăž ÞÙ Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă? Ă‹Ă? Ă‹ Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă–ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă? ÞÙ ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ Ă?ĂœĂŁĂšĂžĂ™Ě‹Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂŒĂŁ Ă?×ÚÒËĂ?Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă•Ă? ÞÙ Ă?âÓĂ?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă– Ă“Ă˜Ă?ÞÓÞĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ë› ÓÚÚÖĂ? ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă&#x;Ăš ÞÙ Ă’Ă?Ă–Ăš ĂŒĂ‹Ă˜Ă•Ă? Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ăš Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ×ÙÎĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă“Ă?Ă? ÒÙå ÞÒĂ?ĂŁ ÚËã Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă’ ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœË› Ă™ Ă?Ă‹ĂœËœ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÍŻÍŽÍŽ ĂŒĂ‹Ă˜Ă•Ă? Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă?Ă“Ă‘Ă˜Ă?ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ăš ÞÙ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă“ĂžĂ? ÚËã×Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă?ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?Ă—Ë› Ă‹Ă˜Ă• Ă™Ă? Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ÞÙ×Ă?ĂœĂ?Ë›

“IPv6 has been widely adopted by developed and developing nations, but Nigeria is yet to fully migrate from IPv4 to IPv6, and this could create loopholes for cyber attacks�

Director-General, DS-IHUB, Chris Uwaje

24

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

INFRACOS: STAKEHOLDERS LIST CONDITIONS FOR HITCHFREE ROLLOUT challenges facing telecoms operators would not allow InfraCos to roll out their services. Adebayo therefore, called on NCC to first remove the barriers in order to open up Telcos and InfraCos rollout across the country. President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola also told THISDAY that Nigeria suffered slow broadband penetration in the past, despite its five years broadband plan, because the county lacks enough broadband infrastructure to fast-track telecoms development. According to him, the undersea cables that was berthed at the seashore of the country by submarine cable operators came with huge broadband capacities, yet the capacities were underutilised because the country lacks sufficient broadband infrastructure to distribute the capacities to every nook and crannies of the country.

PASSAGE OF DIGITAL RIGHTS BILL TIMELY, SAYS ICT OPERATORS nized offline are on-boarded to the digital space as well. This is simultaneously in accordance with the advocacy going on internationally. Paradigm Initiative leads advocacy for these rights in Africa and has embraced policy and legislative intervention as a way to protect digital rights in Africa. The organisation has for years, actively spearheaded projects and partnered other interested civil society groups in ensuring that digital rights are upheld in Africa. Commenting on the passage of the bill, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, said: “I believe this is a notable moment in 2017. And news like this strengthens our faith in the Nigerian legislative system; in believing that laws which are of significant benefit to citizens are also taken seriously by our lawmakers. We look forward with renewed hope to the next stage of this process at the Senate.�

Group Business Editor

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

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ äĂ? Comms/e-Business Editor

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

ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă? Senior Correspondent

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

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

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

Accenture Outlines 2018 Trends for Businesses, Tech Innovators Emma Okonji Fjord Trends 2018 suggests how organisations can navigate these currents and design for positive change. It examines seven trends expected to shape the next generation of experiences to include: Physical fights back; Computers have eyes; Llaves to the algorithm; A machine’s search for meaning; In transparency we trust; The ethics economy and Design outside the lines. For Physical fights back, the report said digital has had the limelight long enough – there are two brand experience headliners now. The time has come to blend the digital with the physical. For Computers have eyes, the report said computers now understand images without any help from us. Imagine the exciting possibilities for next-generation digital services. On the area of Slaves to the algorithm, the report stressed the need to design a marketing strategy to win over the algorithms – immune to conventional branding efforts – that sit between brands and their customers. For Machine’s search for meaning, the report looked at Artificial Intelligence (AI), and concluded that it might change our jobs, but need not eliminate them. We can, and should design our collaboration with the machines that will help us develop. In the area of In Transparency We Trust, it said Blockchain has the potential to create transparency that will clear the fog of Internet ambiguity, regain lost trust, and repair relationships with the public.

For Ethics economy, the report called on organisations that are feeling the heat to take stands on political and societal hot button issues, whether they want to or not. It said consumers are speaking with their dollars, choosing brands that align with their core beliefs. For Design outside the lines, the report stated that Design’s rapid ascedency and newfound respect within organisations, must be a win for all. But, in a world in which everyone thinks they’re a designer, today’s practitioners need to evolve – how they work, learn

and differentiate themselves – if they are to continue having impact. According to Design Director at Fjord in South Africa, Marcel Rossouw, the annual Fjord Trend Report for 2018 provides an invaluable view on how technologies and experiences are shaping the way we live and do business. “In South Africa, Blockchain has the power to create transparency that will clear the fog of internet ambiguity, win back lost trust, and repair relationships with the customers. Considering the local economic and political

climate, the technology could be a real game changer to regain control and promote transparency. Automation and the rise of AI are also forcing organisations in the African continent to design for a seismic shift in the workplace,� Rossouw said. Global co-Lead, Fjord and Managing Director, Accenture Interactive, Baiju Shah, said: “We believe this edition of trends will provoke and inspire but, above all, provide actionable advice for organisations to prepare for the opportunities ahead. “Many of the thorny ques-

tions ahead of us revolve around human-machine interactions, the consequences of which will be profound for individuals, society and organizations of all kinds. As digital fades from being stand-alone to being embedded in our physical world, our relationships with everything around us will be redefined.� Fjord Trends 2018 draws upon the collective thinking of Fjord’s over 1,000 designers and developers around the world. The annual report is based on first-hand observations, evidenced-based research and client work.

CSR IN ACTION

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde; Senior Brand Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Segun Ogunleye and Nollywood Actress, Toyin Abraham at ‘One Lagos Fiesta’ press conference co-sponsored by Pepsi in Lagos State‌recently.

NIMC Gets New Policy for Practitioners Condemn FG’s Nominees for Supplementary Regulations APCON Council for NIN Emma Okonji The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has gazetted and published five official regulations that will back the mandatory use of National Identity Number (NIN). The official publication of the new policy is sequel to an approval received by NIMC from the Honorable Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, in November, 2017. The gazetted regulations include: the mandatory use of the NIN Regulations, 2017; Nigeria Biometrics Standard Regulations, 2017; Registration of Persons and Contents of the National Identity Database Regulations, 2017; Access to Register Information in the National Identity Database Regulations, 2017; and Licensing of the Front-end Services of the National Identity Management Commission Regulations, 2017. Explaining the need for supplementary regulations in the commission, the General Manager, Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Services, Mrs. Hadiza Dagabana, said it was essential towards the realisation of the NIMC mandate in the coming years.“With the increase and expansion of the commis-

Raheem Akingbolu

sion’s activities, the new policy for the implementation of the NIMS and the desire of the commission to develop the identity eco-system in Nigeria as well as meet its mandate of harmonising all identity related databases in the country, it is necessary to promulgate Regulations which consist of the set of principles, practices, policies, processes and procedures to be utilised to achieve the desired objectives. “The regulations will ensure that the commission actualises and effectively delivers on the NIMS project in the coming years,� Dagabana said. NIMC had in November 2016 announced the commencement process to document and publish these regulations, pursuant to Sections 27 and 31 of the NIMC Act, 2007 which provides for the Commission to make supplementary regulations to cover the various services and offerings of the Commission. Draft copies of the regulations were widely circulated to various government, private and security agencies as well as the general public, inviting comments, inputs and opinions, after which the comments were reviewed by the committee charged with the development of the strategy for the implementation of the NIMC regulations.

Advertising practitioners in the country have advocated autonomy for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). The practitioners, under the aegis of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and other stakeholders, have also condemned, in strong terms, the alleged appointment of non-advertising and marketing practitioners into the new board of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), a regulatory agency of government. Condemning the federal government’s action on the new council members as released last week, top Nigerian advertising practitioners said the exercise was in clear breach of the Federal Act of the parliament setting up the institution, insisting that government should not be seen to be flouting the constitution of the country. The federal government is believed to have goofed for the third consecutive times as it announced names of politicians and non-advertising professionals as nominees for the yet to be reconstituted council which had been delayed for over two years now. The newly appointed APCON Council Members are Hon. Jacob Sunday (Chairman),

Chief Dayo Abatan, Aloysius Okafor, Sani Tulu, Akor Sunday, Ismaila Umar Sifawa and Murtala Adamu Atiku. The appointment is contrary to the APCON law which demands that council members must be fellows of the regulatory body. The Nigerian Advertising Laws, Rules and Regulations Act 55 of 1988 (as amended), states that a chairman, who should be appointed by the President, shall be a distinguished fellow of the profession. Also, seven persons are to be appointed by the minister, one of whom shall be from the Ministry of Information and the rest from among other interests in advertising, which in the opinion of the minister, ought to be adequately represented. In a swift reaction to the names of the announced nominees, top advertising practitioners flayed the federal government decision, insisting that the attempt to once again foist non advertising practitioners on the regulatory body would be greatly resisted. Indeed, a check and opinion polls conducted by Marketing Edge, a wholly marketing communications journal, on the appointment revealed a general angst and bitterness by the practitioners who insist that it was about time

all industry stakeholders come together to seek autonomy of APCON from the shackles of the federal government, noting such was the only way to make the regulatory agency truly autonomous like the Nigerian Medical Association, ICAN and NIPR. In his opinion, renowned advertising practitioner and Chairman Troyka Group, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, said the incessant flouting of APCON rules by the federal government is unwarranted, noting that such exercise is an affront on the constitution of the country. He, however, observed that the only way to curb this is to free APCON from the financial apron strings of the federal government. His words: “As it is often said, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. For as long as the government continues to fund APCON, so long will it continue to appoint politicians and whomsoever or assume the right to meddle in the affairs of APCON. Except APCON is able to fund itself, this nonsense and illegality will continue. I hold the view that government has no understanding of what APCON represents. They think it is such a big organisation that can provide avenue for its board to throw some weight around and possibly do some chopping.�

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FG Urged to Hire Communication Experts for Economic Narratives Stories by Raheem Akingbolu The federal government has been called upon to use Nigerian public relations and marketing consultants to frame the nation’s economic narratives. The appeal was made by one of Africa’s leading economists, Dr. Biodun Adedipe, at a Fireside Chat, organised by the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) in Lagos, recently. Speaking on the theme of the session, “Macro-economic factors that will impact the Nigerian marketing communications Industry in 2018,� Adedipe advised the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to tap into the expertise of Nigerian PR and marketing communications consultants to help the government frame its economic narratives and distill the message for better

understanding of the populace. Adedipe said: “Nigeria has exited recession going by the gross domestic product(GDP) growth recorded in the last two quarters. Government will therefore need to communicate better than it has ever done to be able to receive social approval for some of its policy initiatives and options.� He cited the initial opposition to the government borrowing plan as an example of how using communications consultants could have made the task easy for the federal government. “It took a single session with members of the Nigerian Senate for them to understand the wisdom in using long-term loans for infrastructure development. The Nigerian Senate approved the borrowing plan immediately the economic case for taking such a loan was well articulated before them. This is your job. This is what the

Nigerian government should rely on you for,� he said. Also, Adedipe urged communications consultants in Nigeria not to wait for the invitation from government. He advised them to always put forward their professional opinions on what government should be saying and doing per time. He said: “You must always have a voice in the room. Your professional opinion on key national issues must always be articulated and put forward to the government, whether solicited or not.� He urged PR and communications consultants to commit to research, best practices, top quality services, relentless improvement and to conduct proper diagnosis on the businesses of the clients they hope to service. On the economic outlook for 2018, Adedipe said there was no doubt about the fact that Nigeria had exited recession.

PZ Cussons Foundation Marks 10 Years of Impact PZ Cussons, has reiterated that its commitment to the wellbeing of Nigerians, and impacting lives in the country by giving back to the society would not change. The personal care, homes, food and electrical conglomerate firm restated this commitment just as it marked the 10th anniversary of its foundation recently. The event which took place in Lagos, witnessed the presence of dignitaries from all walks of life and representatives of states and communities from the six geopolitical zones the foundation has impacted since its inception in 2007. Presenting the score card of the Foundation, its Prof. Emmanuel Edozien, said: “In 2007, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc came up with the idea to set up a more structured way of formulating and executing corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme by registering a foundation. That was a departure from previous way of doing similar kind acts on ad-hoc basis.� According to him, to that effect, a board of trustees, comprising 15 persons from diverse professional, ethnic and religious background with four areas of focus- education, health, potable water and infrastructure- was constituted and saddled with the task of translating that dream into reality under my chairmanship. “These choices were

informed by the desire to directly and positively impact lives without any profit motive of consideration by giving back to the society, translating their commercial mission of ‘Making Life Better’ to making social investment better,� Edozien added. Giving a breakdown of some of the projects done so far in the education sector, Edozien said: “We constructed and furnished block of three classrooms and provided 70 fully furnished classes. We decongested classrooms and created conducive learning environment by providing table and chairs; increased student in-takes in some schools by creating new spaces for additional 2,400 students.� Similarly, he said infrastructure including rehabilitation of hostel, Assembly Hall, and administrative blocks and ICT training were done for the Government College Keffi, Nasarawa State, Queen School Ilorin, Kwara and Ibadan, and College of Education, Gumel, Jigawa State, respectively. He added: “As a foundation that knows the importance of science in secondary school, we encouraged the study of chemistry in secondary schools, made laboratory easily accessible to schools in rural areas and improved computer literacy and access to teachers and students. We purchased a van that was converted into a mobile laboratory in Katsina. We have been funding and

organising PZ chemistry challenge for Lagos secondary schools.� Representative of Mbamba Community, Yola, Adamawa State, Malam Umar Aliyu Bello, while thanking the foundation for the project executed in the community, said: “On behalf of the entire members of the Mbamba community, we extend our profound gratitude and appreciation to the P.Z Cussons Foundation, We will remain eternally grateful for renovating Mbamba Community Health Clinic. The renovation undertaken by the foundation has upgraded the clinic. Consequently people from the neighbouring towns and villages patronise the clinic.� He added: “After suffering a long period of darkness due to the breakdown of the transformer supplying electricity to our community, Cussons came to the rescue. The Foundation purchased and installed a brand new 200KVA transformer for the community. This singular gesture has helped our community tremendously. It was able to connect the community primary school, borehole as well as the Mbama Health Clinic to the national grid. It is also noteworthy that the following intervention of the foundation, the World Bank also supported the clinic by supplying some clinical equipment as well as hospital beds.�

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S BEST FRIEND DEBBIE LARRY-IZAMOJE

6 best ways to stay motivated as an Entrepreneur

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ntrepreneurship is almost never an overnight whirlwind of success. Most entrepreneurs know that success is a marathon that requires continuous Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‘ĂŁËœ Ă?Ă™cused on shifting problems and solutions that only get larger and more complicated as the business grows. Ă™ĂžĂ“Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ åËâ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ăž takes unrelenting attentiveness to stay positive. Ă’Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹ Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă–Ě‹Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ?Ëœ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă“Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂŽ ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă™Ă˜ ÞÙ Ă‹ĂœĂ• Ă&#x;Ă?Ă•Ă?ĂœĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ‘ ÞÙ ĂžĂ?Ă Ă? Ă™ĂŒĂ? ÞÙ Ă?ĘĽ Ă?äÙĂ? Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă™ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă™ĂžĂ?Ëœ ÞÓÕĂ&#x; ĂŒĂ&#x;ĂŒĂ‹Ă•Ă‹ĂœËœ Ă™Ă–Ă™ĂœĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă’Ă™ ÖËÕÓÔË Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă•Ă&#x;Ă˜ ĂĄĂ™Ă?Ă“Ă•Ă‹ Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ăž ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? who have given their thoughts about starting and running a business. With this advice readily available at your Ę¨Ă˜Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂžĂ“ĂšĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă? Ă˜Ă™ Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ÞÙ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ăž ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž these titans of business have to say. InĂ?ĂžĂ?Ă‹ĂŽËœ ĂŒĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă—ĂŁ Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– approach to staying motivated when starting your own business.

be stronger and wiser with every step on your path. 3. Surround yourself with positive people. We are nothing if not products of our environment. Entrepreneurship can be diďŹƒcult Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? most positive entrepreneurs ďŹ nd it disheartening when confronted with negativity day in and day out. Ă™Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă–Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ? ÞÒËÞ support your endeavours and keep the Ă?ËÓÞÒ˛ Ă™Ă&#x;ËŞĂ–Ă– Ă›Ă&#x;Ă“Ă?Ă•Ă–ĂŁ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă– Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? ÚÙĂ?ÓÞÓà Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœself. 4. Have a motivational mantra. Keep yourself in alignment with your deepest values by creating an easy saying that you can repeat to yourself when things get ĂŽĂ“ĘŠĂ?Ă&#x;ÖÞ˛ Ăž ĂŽĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă˜ËŞĂž Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? ÞÙ ĂŒĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă–Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ù×ÚÖÓĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽËœ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜ Ă?Ù×Ă?ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă?Ëœ ËŤ Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŽĂ™ ÞÒÓĂ?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ åÓÖÖ˛ˏ Giving yourself a verbal touchstone on which to rest in moments where you feel less than inspired will help you come back to your core values immediately.

1. Stay positive. When you ďŹ nd yourself feeling like nothing Ă“Ă? Ă‘Ă™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂœĂ“Ă‘Ă’ĂžËœ Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂŁĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÚÙĂ?ÓÞÓà Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĘĽĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ë› ËŞĂ Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? best way for me to stay positive is to have touchstone practices that I know will bring me back to a state of motivation and happiness.

5. Cut o the negative people In addition to surrounding yourself with ÚÙĂ?ÓÞÓà Ă? ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ?Ëœ ÓÞ˪Ă? Ă‹ ÑÙÙÎ Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă‹ ÞÙ ĂŒĂ? ĂœĂ?lentless in axing negative people from your Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ù×Ă?ÞÓ×Ă?Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă‹Ă—ily have bad days or feel angry and need to Ă Ă?Ă˜ĂžËœ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁĂ™Ă˜Ă? ĂŽĂ™Ă?Ă?Ë› But when someone is chronically naysayĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ăœ ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ă•Ă?Ă?Ăš ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂŽĂ™ĂĄĂ˜Ëœ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ÞÓà ÓÞã Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÓÞ˪Ă? time to tell them goodbye.

2. Believe in yourself.

Ă˜ Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ?ĂšĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“ĂšËœ ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă–ĂĄĂ‹ĂŁĂ? Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă–lenges and failures. It is almost impossible to continue to see yourself as successful and push forward when you crucify yourself for every little mistake. Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁĂ™Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? are a part of the learning that is required of every prosperous entrepreneur. Learn the lesson and move on knowing that you will

6. Find ways to reward yourself. Ù×Ă?ÞÓ×Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă™ĂžĂ“Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă“Ă? Ă”Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă˜Ă™Ăž ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ?Ëœ and reward systems are one of the easiest and most primal ways to ďŹ nd it again. Set rewards for yourself that reect the Ă?ÓäĂ? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă”Ă?Ă?Ăž ÞÒËÞ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ù×ÚÖÓĂ?Ă’Ë? small rewards for incremental tasks and Ă–Ă‹ĂœĂ‘Ă?Ăœ ĂœĂ?ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ę¨Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ ĂŒĂ“Ă‘ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă”Ă?Ă?Þ˛ Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ëœ Ă Ă‹Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÓ×Ă?Ëœ Ă™Ăœ Ă‹ ĂšĂ?ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă”Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă‘Ă“Ă Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă?Ë›

Edrington Seals Partnership to Explore Spirit Market The Spirit market in Nigeria is set to witness fervent competition as an international spirits company based in Scotland, Edrington, has partnered Premium Spirits Nigeria (PSN) to expand the premium spirits consumer market in Nigeria. PSN is a business division of Nigeria’s leading bottler and distributor, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, set up to grow and manage its premium spirits consumer category. Under the partnership, consumers of premium spirits will experience a wide-range

of premium Scotch whiskies, including some of the world’s finest premium brands such as The Macallan, The Famous Grouse and Highland Park. Speaking on the partnership in Lagos recently, the Director, PSN, Idowu Adedoyin, explained that with this partnership, PS Nigeria will further drive value creation for this niche market. “Under this partnership, there would be expanded distribution of these brands. PS Nigeria would be wholly engaged in the sale and dis-

tribution of premium spirits across Nigeria, with innovative plans to grow its product offerings to include other top globally ranked premium spirit brands to Nigerian consumers,� Adedoyin said. Also speaking on the partnership, the Regional Director (Africa), Edrington, Derek Brown, revealed that the decision for the partnership is in recognition of the strength of PS Nigeria and its high distribution network and experience in the Nigerian market.

ABOUT DEBBIE LARRY-IZAMOJE Debbie Larry-Izamoje AKA The Entrepreneur’s Best-Friend holds a BSc in Information management from the University of SheďŹƒeld, United Kingdom, and MSc in management from University College London (UCL). She has also secured certiďŹ cates in user innovation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Innovation and strategy from Harvard University. She is on a mission to raise a generation of young established or soon to be established professionals who are more vocal about business diďŹƒculties while providing solutions through public speaking, training, workshops and coaching. She is the founder of the Image Boosters a full service agency with core services in digital marketing, PR, branding and more. Website: www.imageboosters.com.ng Instagram: @dee_larry @imageboosters_ Email: contactus@ imageboosters.com.ng or debbie@imageboosters.com.ng, 08050464111 (text only)

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Technologies That Will Shape the ICT Sector in 2018 Given the emergence of new technologies like Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, experts posit that these technologies will shape the ICT sector in 2018, writes Emma Okonji

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iting the growth trajectory of technology evolution around Internet of Things(IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2017, technology experts have predicted that the new technologies would drive and shape activities of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in 2018. They are of the view that IoT and AI technologies will rule the global technology space in 2018 and they have strongly advised technology companies to pull resources together and invest heavily in the trending technologies, in order to remain competitive in business in 2018 and beyond. IoT trend in 2018 The IoT is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to connect to each other and exchange data. Technology experts are of the view that more of these devices will be connected in 2018 and beyond. Consumers and corporations alike are embracing the world-changing impact of IoT on global commerce and lifestyle. The IoT wasted no time spreading across the world and connecting millions of individuals. In just few years, after its debut, billions of devices have been connected and billions of sensors redefined how businesses operated and how people interacted with one another. IHS, in its recent forecast, predicts that the IoT will grow to reach a staggering 75 billion devices by 2025. While IHS and others are predicting massive increase in the amount of digitally-connected devices over the next decade, the BI Intelligence’s report on the IoT notes that nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions in just the next five years, which will amount to rapid proliferation of IoT gadgets in 2018 and beyond. As more consumers around the globe purchase smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets which connects them to the web, the expanse of the IoT will only grow ever-greater. Low-power, short-ranged networked devices will be increasingly pushed by companies hoping to cash in on the boom of new technology. According to expert views, one of the largest impacts the IoT could have in 2018 is the waves of change it is bringing to retail. Increasingly, tech-savvy companies eager to use new data are investing in sensors-based analytics, which allows them to, among other things, track which areas of their stores are the most visited by customers. The November 2017 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report projected the growth of mobile technology. “The number of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology subscriptions is growing rapidly, and we anticipate that LTE will become the dominant mobile access technology by the end of this year,� the report said. AI trend in 2018 AI is intelligence displayed by machines in contrast with the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals. Technology experts are developing robots that use AI to carryout different operations at work places that were hitherto done by humans. Accenture, a global technology solution company with presence in Nigeria, recently showcased its latest technology capabilities that will enable businesses across different sectors in the country, boost their productivity and efficiency through its recent innovations and investments in AI), Virtual Reality (VR), robotics and blockchain.

Adebayo

Addressing the media on its new technology initiatives driven by AI, VR, robotics and blockchain, the Managing Director, Accenture Nigeria Mr. Niyi Tayo, said AI and robotics will rule the world in 2018. He strongly advised organisations to act fast on developing their AI Journey for 2018. Also, key findings from the Ericsson Mobility Report, showed that Augmented Reality (AR) and VR technologies can enhance visitors’ and remote spectators’ experience of events, making them available in new ways. The Ericsson Mobility Report said 4G systems would continue to support event visitors with services, but in the near future, 5G technology would have the capability to transform their experience. According to the report, at future events and connected venues, with high traffic density and increasing use of demanding services such as AR and VR,

One of the largest impacts the IoT could have in 2018 is the waves of change it is bringing to retail. Increasingly, techsavvy companies eager to use new data are investing in sensors-based analytics, which allows them to, among other things, track which areas of their stores are the most visited by customers

proactive management and automation will be essential to meet committed service levels. The Ericsson report further said that growth in mobile traffic at events can be attributed to changes in user behavior, especially among younger people, and that spectators now mainly share or stream live videos and engage with social networks at events, as well as increasingly creating and uploading their own content, using AI. Fear over job cut with AI, AR, VR Although technology experts are advising organisations to invest heavily in AI, AR, and VR, there is, however, a growing concern that the new technologies are capable of eliminating human efforts at work place, thereby causing job loss, as against job creation to accommodate the large chunk of school graduates that pass out of the school system on a yearly basis. The labour force is worried that robotics will displace humans initially engaged at work places, since robotics could do the same job that human beings are meant to do, using artificial intelligence. But in a quick reaction to dispel such growing fears, the Accenture Nigeria boss, Tayo said robotics would only complement human efforts in work place and create more technology innovation at work place that would boost employment. The Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Yusuf Kazaure, in corroborating with Tayo’s views, said technology evolution would continue to create new avenues for job creation, since human will be involved in the development of robotics and and other newer technologies that are evolving. Other trending technologies in 2018 Apart from AI and IoT that have been predicted to transform the ICT space in 2018, technology experts are of the view that technology platforms like FinTech and Over the Top Technology (OTT), which caused a lot of technology disruptions in 2017 in the ICT sector, will also cause more disruptions in 2018. While FinTech brought a whole lot of disruptions in the financial services sector in 2017, using latest technology solutions to change the face of financial services delivery in the banking sector, OTT technology is expected to still continue with its disruptive trend in 2018.

Describing the disruptions in the technology space created by FinTech, Accenture Nigeria, said the new technology capabilities would help Nigeria leverage on the fourth industrial revolution, which is about knowledge economy. FinTechs are technology players with speciality in financial services app that defines how financial transactions are carried out in a most convenient way. Tayo said: “We want businesses in Nigeria, from banking to manufacturing, health, construction, education, retail, security, and other sectors to take advantage of the innovations we have created to improve their businesses. We believe as one of the biggest economy in Africa, the time to seize the future is now.� While the FinTech brought disruptions in the financial services sector, the OTT technology brought a lot of disruptions in the telecommunications sector, by providing free telecoms services like voice calls and data services (SMS messages). OTT players were able to make use of the internet to provide such free services, while riding on the network of legacy telecommunications operators, thus squeezing the revenue drive of telecoms operators. Telecoms consumers enjoyed the free telecoms services in 2017, and the trend will still continue in 2018 and beyond, according to expert views. The place of broadband In all of these new and trending technologies, their success largely depends on broadband availability and affordability, since broadband drives the new technology evolution. But unfortunately, broadband penetration is still low in Nigeria, a situation that has skyrocketed the cost of internet, making it difficult for most Nigerians to access the internet. Although Nigeria has a target of 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018, but critics have said the possibility of attaining 30 per cent broadband penetration in 2018, from its current 21 per cent penetration, remains a mirage. Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria, Mr. Kevin Li, however, advised the federal government to begin aggressive investment in broadband in order to boost broadband penetration and access across the nooks and crannies of the country, since FinTech and AI and other newer technologies, largely depend on broadband accessibility.

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Tijani: Broadband Still a Major Challenge for Tech Start-ups The Chief Executive of Co-Creation Hub, Mr. Bosun Tijani, spoke with information and communications technology journalists on the importance of broadband in attracting foreign direct investment and the need for government to intensify efforts in that direction, among other issues. Emma Okonji brings the excerpts: This excitement is what foreign investors see before they invest in the market. They don’t just invest in start-ups or entrepreneurs, they also invest in the market. A start-up ecosystem valuation that was done early this year, valued Nigeria at over $2 billion, and that is the value of start-up ecosystem in Nigeria, which makes us the top in Africa. So, clearly, that has its own implication. The GSMA also did a review for 2016 and it was estimated that African startups raised a record-breaking total of $366.8 million in investment, with the top 12 destinations being Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia and Uganda. This shows just how much money was raised by start-ups in the different markets in Africa. Nigeria is top in Africa taking in $109 million, then South Africa at $96.8 million, with Kenya and Rwanda following at $92.7 million and $16 million respectively. So, it is an exciting time that we are rated among the best and definitely broadband is contributing to that but demand is always a major part of the innovation within the technology startup space. You can either create things that you push as technology push innovation to disrupt the market or you can also build products that are based on what the people want to see. Knowing the need of the market because people now have access to better quality internet and that is a part that we need to begin to look at. Financial technology is also instigating the development of a lot of exciting startups. We have seen start-ups like Flutterwave, Piggybank, Riby, PayStack, that have built-in response to demand from market for better payment systems. So, the more investment, the better opportunity for local tech startups.

You are part of the STEM Online Labs, Off-grid energy and you have also joined University of Leicester’s Enterprise Strategy Policy and Performance Committee (ESPPC). How exactly do you feel about these big steps? For me it is a privilege and an opportunity to serve. With the work we do we hope to present opportunities that make life better for people. So, it is a privilege that we are busy, we do not take it for granted. Being busy can be demanding but more importantly, it is also an opportunity to contribute and add value. I am super excited about all these opportunities. I see Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) doing really exciting things for prosperity in Nigeria, not just myself as the CEO, my partners and the entire team are also quite excited about where we are headed as an organisation and the possibilities as well. ccHUB has continued to remain the gold standard in incubation hubs in Africa. As a committed stakeholder, what would you say are the biggest challenges of start-ups? I think the major challenge is about broadband and this is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, but with other countries on the African continent. I think for us in Nigeria, the level of broadband penetration is still low and this has to be addressed because the more people have access to internet, the better opportunities would be out there for startups to build businesses that people are able to consume. So, broadband is still a major challenge. I also think that another challenge is knowledge; mainly technical knowledge. The truth is that there is still a huge disconnect between higher institutions of learning/research and the technology industry. In the technology ecosystem, our reality is that, as we continue to build, talent is needed to build compelling technology solutions, but the Tijani availability of well-trained software engineers who can help add value to the startup business in the huge talent that we have. So, there is is not readily available. We also exist in a time opportunity for us, not to only train people where even the foreign market is interested for local market but also for foreign demand. We are at the same point that India was some years ago, where India was literarily supplying technical talent to the whole world. We have that opportunity to create value in that kind of scope right now in Africa, not just Nigeria leading, but Africa as well. So, we need to invest in training more software development and technical experts that will make technology side of the ecosystem thrive. The Nigerian ecosystem is an important ecosystem because we can build new businesses that can add value and build businesses and solutions that can enable other parts of the economy to grow. So, development of the right talent is also very important. The third challenge is about strategic investment. Probably on the side of the private sector as the private sector will also grow more opportunities. Also from government, there is need to see the technology start-up space as an incredible opportunity for Africa to create new wealth opportunities to lift people out of poverty. But unfortunately, this is a sector that requires patient capital. Patient capital in the sense of how we see new opportunities, how we invest in infrastructure, creating conducive environment for investment. Strategic investment is a very important factor, but with all that, there is a place for policy. We need strong policies that will not only support us to be innovative today but also policies that will support us to be competitive in three, four, five years to come. Competition will make companies from other regions easily come into our economies to create value and take that value out. So, if we want to retain that value, we also need to be thinking and implementing forward thinking policies.

The empowerment is beyond what we can imagine and you can see that in all spheres of life, where people literally leverage their access to information, their ability to communicate and share using the internet. What is interesting about all of this is that we are still at a level where diffusion rate in Nigeria is still low. We can only imagine what would happen if more investment is put into connectivity and making sure broadband is available in the right places

Will you consider broadband as a crucial

tool for national development, especially in developing economies? Absolutely, I certainly would. Broadband networks are vital for our economic growth. Ability to communicate is crucial to how wealth is being created. It is not an option but an essential tool for improvement of businesses because communication is needed for economic and country growth. In this digitized era, broadband is an essential infrastructure for any and all economies. It is an enabler to accessing business and job opportunities, improving healthcare, education and government services, and facilitating social interactions, and its importance cannot be overemphasised. Another way to look at it is to recognise that an efficient and effective broadband infrastructure is one solid way Nigerians in the diaspora can significantly contribute to nation building through fast and efficient communications across countries and continents, driving success in the economy. Beyond the Nigerians in the diaspora, we have a large pool of men and women with ideas, products and services for the development of the economy but who are restrained because the persons who needs their products and services are unable to access them. There is no better time than now for the Nigerian government across all levels to embrace the urgency in intensifying awareness and full penetration of broadband as this would positively enhance the nation’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP). How much foreign direct investments (FDI) have start-ups been able to attract into Nigeria and how has broadband enabled that? Broadband is a major enabler. Without broadband, tech start-up is almost impossible. It is the backbone upon which businesses are built. Penetration is on the rise which means local market is also beginning to be exciting as well.

How does broadband enable investment in human capital? I will take that from a couple of angles. It is common knowledge how broadband and generally just the internet gives us the opportunity to connect better. Like never before in history, information is more readily available both to people and to businesses as well. This means that people can learn better, people can then make better-informed decisions because they have access to information. Businesses also have more competitive edge because not only can they gather data, they can now analyse it to make informed decisions. I think the true barriers to innovation, barriers to entering businesses are now low, and we all have access to some level of common knowledge, which can be incorporated. For a country like Nigeria, with a lot of young creative people, it allows for them to continue to strengthen their ability to showcase their creativity. We have seen examples of how this has been used to promote our entertainment industry across Africa where Nollywood and its diverse contents are now available on IrokoTV and IbakaTV. On YouTube for the music side of entertainment as well, a lot of people can now show their creativity. We see same display of ingenuity in e-commerce industry, people can now shop online. Which means you don’t need to leave where you stay, when you need to buy something that used to be available only in Lagos or in a particular location. You don’t need to physically travel to source those things. I remember when I was in the University in Jos, as young students, we would have to travel all the way to Lagos to get some of the things that we needed. Gone are those days, when such things happen. Now with the availability of e-commerce, thanks to the internet, people can sit in one location and shop for something Continued on page 28

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HMD Celebrates One Year in HUB8 Explains Free Web Hosting in Nigeria Managing Nokia Phones Stories by Emma Okonji HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, is celebrating one year anniversary in managing Nokia phones since 2016. In just 12 months, the start-up has made 12 major announcements including the introduction of 11 new devices, and global partnerships with industry heavyweights such as ZEISS. Throughout the period, the home of Nokia phones has been guided and motivated by the enthusiasm of its rapidly expanding fan base. With the ambition of being truly global from day one, HMD Global has already released its newportfolio of six Nokia smartphones and five feature phones in over 80 markets with activations in 170 countries, delivering websites in 48 languages and setting up solid foundations for future growth. HMD Global arrived on the scene to incredible fanfare, marked by the return of the Nokia 3310 at Mobile World Congress 2017, and the introduction of its first, global wave of Android smartphones. The new portfolio won over 20 awards at the show and sold out across markets. Today, Nokia phones are on sale across more than 80

countries on 45 local websites across 48 languages. Devices have already been activated in more than 170 countries. During its first year, HMD Global has forged major strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including Nokia, Google, Foxconn and ZEISS. Over the next year, the company’s commitment to those partnerships aims to deliver purposeful innovation to fans and set new standards for what youcan expect from a smartphone. CEO of HMD Global, Florian Seiche, said: “After the amazing year we’ve had, I first want to thank our fans for such an incredible response. Their engagement, enthusiasm and love for our new Nokia phones and what we’re trying to achieve has been what’s made each and every major announcement possible. It really demonstrates the value of reaching out to people, building communities and listening to what they want to see in their phones. With the progress we’ve made and the response we’ve received, I know I speak for everyone when I say I’m thrilled to see what 2018 holds for us and our fans.�

One of the world’s leading web-hosting company, HUB8 has given reasons why it decided to provide free web hosting in Nigeria, saying it is important to organisations to own website, including small businesses (SMEs). HUB8 stated this in a report on the use of domain names in the national domain of Nigeria named, .ng. Director for Emerging Markets at HUB8, Mr. Dmitry Deniskin, said: “We want to make it possible for all Nigerians to have a personal or business website without worrying about the cost.� Deniskin explained that HUB8, as a global web hosting company, is helping brands and individuals to easily set

up a website, adding that the company’s ultimate goal is to become a growth partner for individuals and small enterprises in emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He disclosed that HUB8 has created a page on their website dedicated to .ng domain - https://ng.hub8. com/ng-domain. “There is a directory of all active .ng websites made up as a Nigerian flag. By clicking on the flag you will be redirected to the one of the active .ng websites so you can understand how the typical Nigerian website look,� Deniskin said. According to the HUB8’s report, Nigeria is losing about 72 per cent of the revenue it should be generating through

local hosting of websites to the United State of America, even as registered .ng domains have hit 100,973 as at November 30, 2017. The report noted that, out of the 34,000 sites profiled, less than 1,000 are located in Nigeria, which is only 2.3 per cent of the total. The country of origin for the remaining three per cent of sites could not be identified so Nigeria’s share is slightly larger, though still not comparable with the amount of hosting abroad. The report, with special focus on the usage of .ng domains as it relates to website hosting, revealed that most popular domain zone is .com. ng, having almost 70 per cent of all national domains registered, with regards to

distribution of the domain zones. The number of zones identified by the study include .com.ng; .ng; .org.ng; .gov.ng and .edu.ng with number of domains being 61,609 (69.1 per cent); 15,353 (17.2 per cent); 6,077 (6.8 per cent); 1,738 (1.9 per cent and 996 (1.1 per cent) respectively. Others such domain zones include .net.ng; .name.ng; .sch. ng; .i.ng; .mobi.ng and .mil. ng, all which have less than one per cent market share. In terms of active websites, the HUB8 report noted that there are currently 38,864 websites in the .ng domain, not including the sites that fail to open to the connection timeout, redirects and the ones throwing an error, such as page is not found.

‌Partners Stormzy on NewVideo HMD Global has announced that the Nokia 8 smartphone is the official technology partner of Stormzy’s highly anticipated music video. Stormzy is an award winning English grime and hip hop artist. Via the product’s unique Bothie mode, which allows people to simultaneously use the front and back camera to take a picture or video, fans can captured exclusive behind the scenes footage from the shoot, making up parts of the video. This gave an honest account of the day, drawing people together from different walks of life and connecting their stories through the

moving shoot. His music video for Blinded By Your Grace Pt.2 – that launched on December 15th, - is set to be no exception, continuing this year’s ongoing success. Stormzy said: “The lyrics and what the song represents mean a lot to me and I wanted to show a different side to my music. Having the platform to be able to bring people together to celebrate and share a moment through one of the biggest methods of uniting people – music,inspired me to share the stage with real people that continue to amaze me every day.�

CELEBRATING JUMIA BLACK FRIDAY WINNER

L-R: Head of Engagement Marketing, Jumia Nigeria, Ojuola Asuquo; General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group, Abiona Babarinde; winner of the 2017 Black Friday Car lottery, Nnajiaku Clinton; Head of Partnerships, Jumia Nigeria, Omolara Ajele and Brand Manager, Coscharis Group, Felix Maha, during the car presentation to the winner in Lagos...recently

TIJANI: BROADBAND STILL A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR TECH START-UPS of interest in another location and get the item without leaving their location. You can also see the progress and impact in education as well. So many young people are now learning software development off the internet from platforms like Udemy or Khan Academy and the likes - clearly, you really don’t need to go into a school to learn. The empowerment is beyond what we can imagine and you can see that in all spheres of life, where people literally leverage their access to information, their ability to communicate and share using the internet. What is interesting about all of this is that we are still at a level where diffusion rate in Nigeria is still low. We can only imagine what would happen if more investment is put into connectivity and making sure broadband is available in the right places. Why do you think government is delaying the full implementation of the National Broadband Plan and the licensing of additional Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos)? I can’t say this from an informed standpoint. My work within the ecosystem is largely around the entrepreneurship based content. I have not been heavily involved even though it is an important issue for the work I do. So, I can’t give any informed opinion on why it

is being delayed because I don’t know that. But clearly, it’s something that requires huge investment from not only the government, but also the private sector. I know organisations like MainOne have always been very creative and willing to actually invest alongside the government. You can look at the examples of what we did with MainOne in Yaba, where government didn’t really spend a dime but put the right policies that provided support for MainOne to collaborate with the technology ecosystem in Yaba to lay the fibre. In less than one year, the fibre was laid and now we have probably over 60 technology led businesses in Yaba and it is still growing. Yaba is now attracting attention from every corner of the world, which is a perfect example of how government can smartly collaborate with private organisations to actually increase penetration. It is an expensive project to undertake and in some cases where the private organisations can’t go, government would need to invest in it. I think, if we are thinking of investing in the future of the country, it is not a question of how expensive it is, it is more a question of our willingness. We must do it. The sort of enablement that will happen from better penetration would only fly better opportunities for the Nigerian market. As you can see, last

year, the technology startup ecosystem in Nigeria was declared the number one in Africa. It was estimated at over $2 billion, which can actually be worth much more if we increase the investment. So, it is an opportunity for us to diversify. We are at a time where we are clinging on diversifying our economy but if we don’t invest heavily, it is going to be tough for us to diversify. So, I think government needs to take that approach. We can’t afford to delay it any longer. We need to put resources into ensuring that the whole investment into broadband penetration across the country is actually real. We also need to encourage private organisations as well as invest through creating public-private partnerships. Can you compare Nigeria’s broadband penetration with other African countries like Kenya and South Africa? We would probably need researched data to do that, but clearly, I don’t think we are on the same level as South Africa. That is a place I visit often. Kenya as well, probably, I need to be careful with my answers here because the numbers are out there. These things are reported by the Telecom Association. So, everyone can reach it, but clearly, we are not on the same level with South Africa. But I don’t think it is an

access problem. You know we have MainOne and other companies that invested in undersea cables into Nigeria, so I think that our challenge is ensuring that the broadband capacities from the undersea cables reach the last mile, ensuring that they reach where they need to reach, which requires strategic investment from all of us. I think our market is quite strong as well. We are currently being rated as number one, despite the type of infrastructure that we have. One can only imagine the successful ventures we will generate as a country, if we come closer to the ideal structures required. Imagine if we have better broadband penetration, which brings more market for local technology businesses to reach; which means more opportunity, more demand and ability to build businesses off the back of the internet, which can add value to the economy. Not just value to the economy based on local market but also take advantage of the regional market within Africa and beyond as well. So the comparison can be in terms of what we currently have but I think our comparison should always be based on what is possible, what we can create off the investment. So, probably benchmarking with Kenya may be good but may not in its entirety; we are a bigger market, and we need to be thinking even bigger.

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Okusaga: Despite Optimism, There’s Need for Caution in 2018 Mr. Bolaji Okusaga, who recently bowed out as the chief executive of The Quadrant Company, to establish Precise, a reputation design and generation company, spoke to Raheem Akingbolu on likely marketing communications trends in 2018. Excerpts: The implication of this is that the way the generations before the Millennials - those born after 1980’s - consume media is certain to become extinct as platform agnostic media and social media have already gone mainstream with traditional media becoming mere news re-base platforms as Facebook live, Youtube, Instagram, online TV’s, online radios and other digital platforms take-over. What this means is that hybrid platforms who are more adept at manipulating these platforms will go mainstream while PR agencies that lack the skills and the proprietary platforms to take advantage of this trend will shed what could ordinarily have been traditional PR spend to Hybrids with the implication being the death of PR agencies that fail to up their game in this regard.

What are your thoughts on the performance of the Public Relations (PR) industry in 2017? According to the Holmes Report, while global PR industry rebounded to seven per cent in 2016, up from five growth in 2015, hitting the $15 billion in total spend, with the likes of BlueFocus, Webber Shanwick, Golin and Ketchum out performing industry average; same could not be said of Nigeria PR firms in 2016. The state of affairs was driven largely by currency volatility, macro-economic shocks and policy issues with big spenders like MTN and Etisalat (now 9Mobile) in the Telecom sector, the Unilevers and the P&G’s in the FMCG sector crawling back with consequent squeeze on the local PR industry in 2016. The year 2017 opened with a host of foreign multi-nationals downgrading Nigeria and centralising their PR businesses in South Africa and Kenya. As a top player in the industry, what are the reasons for this imbalance? This was due largely to prevalence of foreign currency volatility which saw a great gap between official and black market rates and created a tough operating environment for businesses as they were not able to access dollars at the official rate. Under this context, 2017 opened on a bleak note for most PR practices given the impact of macro-economic shock on marketing spend and by implication, the PR share of that spend. However, following Nigeria’s exit from five consecutive quarters of negative growth in the second quarter of 2017 with the economy recording a positive but fragile growth of 0.72 per cent (revised from the earlier quoted 0.55 per cent based on improved Oil earnings), we saw a restoration of confidence in the market. This confidence saw a limited rebound in PR activities as foreign and local businesses hoping to cash in on the prospects of a full recovery began to raise their spend, albeit cautiously. So in terms of the knock-on effect of the recovery on the PR industry, it is still largely marginal given the fact that the non-oil GDP elements are not growing as fast as required for a big effect on marketing spend, at least not yet. The reason why the effect of this recovery are not yet visible are not therefore contestable. I did say earlier that while oil GDP expanded considerably in the second quarter of 2017, non-oil GDP only grew at 0.45 per cent, down from 0.72 per cent in the preceding quarter and -0.38 per cent in the corresponding period in 2016. In Q3 of 2017 GDP grew by 1.4 per cent showing sustained momentum. However, Q3 GDP results also showed that the nation’s economy is still exposed to the risks especially on the real sector side, as only two out of 10 sectors grew during the quarter. While the oil and gas sector grew by 25.89 percent, the non- oil sector from which a larger pool of marketing spend is obtained contracted by 0.76 per cent. Under this context, it does not take rocket science to see that the PR industry did not grow last year. Many analysts, including the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, have predicted that 2018 will be a better year, do you subscribe to that? While the year 2018 promises to be brighter and better, given the obvious recovery of the economy and a projected increase in government and political spending being a year before the general elections, there is a big need for caution for obvious reasons. First, while government spending goes up in the year preceding an election as the government will be in a haste to deliver on its electoral promises, the nature of the spending and the fiscal discipline around the spending may make or mar opportunities in the real sector. This is so because an uncontrolled spending regime may increase inflation and

Can you please quickly look at the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its implication on PR practice? The fourth Industrial Revolution is coming on the heels of the digitisation of all systems from transport, to communication and the development of artificial intelligence for all systems. The implication of this is that except PR also embrace big-data, machine learning and analytics as the basis of its practice, the industry is either going to become extinct or converge with other allied industries given machine possibilities. The Holmes Report in one of its Industry Reports is already predicting the convergence of PR with mainstream marketing such as Advertising and Media Buying.

Okusaga

lower consumer spending power with attendant impact on goods and services from which marketing spend is derived. In another development, while an increase in government and political spending will mean more money for agencies with Public Affair competence and clientele, the flip-side is that the fraction of this spend going to PR agencies in Nigeria may be low given the propensity of government and political spenders to shut-out local players and express preference for foreign ones. Again, we need to look closely at the impact of the rise in government and political spending on the economy because without staying the focus on key government policies like the medium term ex[expenditure framework and the economic recovery and growth plan by maintaining fiscal discipline through keeping its expenditure within budget targets to avoid eroding the macro-economic gains made thus far, there may be an adverse effect on the productive sectors of the economy with consequent impact on marketing spend. It is also important for us to know which sectors profit the most from a rise in government and political spending. For one, there will be a rise in activities in the Infrastructure and Housing Sectors during this period so government contractors and real estate players profit the most with marginal knock-on effect on marketing. Again if you break down the marketing players that profit the most, you see that the Digital and Hybrid players profit the most given changing media consumption habits and influence centres as these players have better access to younger demographics and so command more spend given the youthful skew of the mass of the population. Essentially, what one is saying is while there are indications of improved PR activities and improved spend next year, players need to improve their offers and raise their game in digital to be able to tap into the projected growth. Marketing practice is evolving everyday as a result of technology and consumer demand, what are the impacts of disruption on the PR Industry?

The forces of disruption militating against traditional public relations practice are many. Let us consider a few. First, let us look at the introduction of new technologies The rise of Digital technologies and the opportunities available today for flow of information as well as syndication and aggregation of news by non-traditional news sources, be they News-sites, Wire Services, Bloggers and Social Media Influencers - all leveraging digital technology - creates direct access by the consumers to news and information and makes traditional gate-holding and gate-keeping, upon which Public Relations feed, irrelevant. With the introduction of digital technologies which aid news and information dissemination, institutional gate-keeping is now being replaced by machine gate-keeping and so power has moved from institutional sources of influence to machine sources with algorithms set by the likes of Google with it google-robots now a new agenda setting source rather than traditional media; with social media trends on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linked-in replacing hot-topics in the newsrooms; and chats from sources such as Facebook, Whatshapp and We-chat becoming more believable than news from traditional sources. In this context, the place and effectiveness of the traditional press briefings, news release and articles is being called to question and so the traditional ad-equivalency measure of PR value and other traditional concepts upon which the industry is built are starting to hold no water. Beyond the issue of reach and measurement are other issues such as the understanding of these digital platforms by traditional players and an ability to navigate the complexities created by new technologies in delivering results to clients. What will you say about the continuous rise in digital and social networking generation which are also posing threat to traditional practice? Nigeria is a country of 193 million people with a median age of 17.2 years added to this is low life expectancy and a high population growth rate which means the median age can only go southwards rather than northwards.

11 years at the helm of affairs at TQC is huge, can you share your experience? Let me sum it up this way; my years in TQC were shaped by challenges and opportunities to explore the marketing communication industry. I led and I learnt. Two things worked for me; my background and the template I met in the foremost PR Company. Aside the fact that many top practitioners had overseen the activities before I came on board, TQC is subsidiary of a group of a marketing communications family that is guided by best global practice. The agency has been in operation for close to three decades, having been established in 1989 opened up shop formally in 1990. It had had a series of CEOs from Phil Osagie who later left to set up JSP, to Longley Evru who now runs Angel, to Vincent Oyo, the husband of Oluremi Oyo who used to be Obasanjo’s spokesperson as President, to Benedict Upa-Ayede who went on to GLO as a Director to myself, in that order. I am about the fifth person to have run the company as MD. But interestingly I have had the luck of being the longest serving CEO. It’s been a wonderful place. A whole lot has happened in the last 11 years. It has been pretty much challenging but whilst it has been challenging I have also learnt a lot. I have had to learn to be more patient. One has had to really hold one’s temper in check. I have learnt to relate with the client in such a way that even if the client does not have a clue, they still must confer to that client that kingship status. In short, humility is one key thing I have learnt in the last 11 years. Looking back, I think my background actually prepared me for the TQC job and as I move on, my client and agency experiences will further help me navigate through whatever challenge ahead. Aside my experience in the banking industry where I worked for a bank called Marina International Bank, my working relationship with the owner of the bank, the late business mogul, Alhaji Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo and later my closeness to Mr. Aighoje Aig Imoukhuede of the Access Bank family impacted on me very well.

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Raising the Bar with ‘Dakkada’ Campaign Two years after the ‘Dakada’ Campaign was unveiled in Akwa Ibom State as a philosophy, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh, in a recent encounter with Raheem Akingbolu, explained how the government is walking the talk in an attempt to reposition the state Unveiling of new logos and slogans is not new in Nigeria. From corporate bodies to state and federal government, the word ‘rebranding’ has almost been abused. To this end, only a few people take the news serious anytime the drum is rolled out to announce a new colour and slogan. Two years ago, Akwa Ibom State joined the league of states that had keyed into this global phenomenon. Of course, many people thought it would be another platform for the state to make noise and create another set of millionaire. But in an interview with THISDAY in Lagos, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh, said Akwa Ibom was still committed to the dream. He went further to give the statistics of the achievements of the administration of Governor Emmanuel to support his claim. Explaining what led to Dakkada, Udoh described it as the new Akwa Ibom spirit and that it was designed to recreate the state and redefine the people. ‘’From day one, Governor Udom didn’t mince words on the philosophy behind the campaign. According to him, it is a spirit that is aflame with greatness, a spirit that is not willing to play a second fiddle, a mind that is conditioned to achieve success in spite of odds that may be stacked against him. To our governor, who is the captain of the ship, if America had their American ‘Exceptionalism’, we, too, can have our own,� . Synopsis Until recently, the first impression one had about the people of Akwa Ibom was their penchant for unskilled jobs. In the last few years, various administration in the state, had successfully changed the narrative and repositioned the state. Rather than living with what fate had put on their laps, leaders of the state summon the courage to showcase the best attributes of the state and play up stories of citizens, who had contributed to the development of the country. According to SO & U, the creative agency that conceptualised the campaign, ‘Dakkada’, which is translated as ‘Arise’, is about attitudinal rectification, mental reformation and economic re-generation. The five fingers, shown in the new logo depict the continued transformation, rebranding and repositioning of the state. The bond between the fingers and the map of the state is meant to point out the unity and peaceful co-existence of the people. With the new campaign, Akwa Ibom appears to be calling on its indigenes to rise up and display their hidden treasures. In his remark at the unveiling, Governor Emmanuel spoke glowingly about Akwa Ibom potential of greatness, spiritual rebirth, moral transformation and re-orientation. “The campaign is a call to the faith that with God all things are possible, that we can rise above our primordial biases, ethnicity, hatred, anger, bigotry and the exclusionary tendencies. The campaign is a call for all AkwaIbom people at home and in Diaspora to deepen their value – sets; to re-invent the spirit of creativity and chart a new course for the present and future generations.� The governor also expressed his disappointment over the way the core value of honesty and integrity, which is known with the people, suddenly became their undoing. “Nigerians could only trust Akwa Ibom people with their homes and kitchens; children and jewelry. So we served the rich and the powerful and took care of their culinary needs. Servitude became a badge pinned on us by the nation. But times have changed and the new Akwa Ibom identity has emerged: bold without being obnoxious, confident without being condescending, self-assured without being arrogant and above all, loyal and deeply inspirational. Akwa Ibom today Speaking on how the governor has shown commitment to realise the philosophy behind the campaign, the commissioner said the government has made great strides in virtually all sectors in line with his determination to fulfill

Udom his campaign promises. ‘The major pillars of Governor Emmanuel’s administration include: wealth creation, poverty alleviation, job creation, infrastructure consolidation and political inclusion. It excites this writer to highlight the positive strides of the government in the different sectors of the state. Nothing excites him than the privilege to change the chronicle of the story of the state through its development stages. May 2015 to date can be rightly described as the most interesting period in the state’s history, characterised by blight in the state’s resources and defined by the can -do spirit of a leader who believes that whatsoever the mind conceives can be achieved. Succinctly speaking, the governor’s performance as at today has been awe inspiring as the state can boast of tangible growth and development in all sectors of the economy. “The biggest of it all has been the reawakening of the consciousness, drive, and push of every son and daughter of the soil through the ‘Dakkada’ Initiative. Emmanuel, the visioner, leader and governor saw the need for a mind-set change and attitudinal rebirth, which gave birth to the ‘Dakkada’ Initiative. “Dakkada is a movement to unshackle the people from underachievement by inspiring self-belief, confidence and courage to utilize skills to maximize results. Dakkada charges us to see beyond what others see, human and intellectual. It inspires us to rise to the faith that as a people, we can move beyond ethnicity, biases, religion and gender. The ‘Dakkada’ efforts are yielding fruits. Consequently, there is a proliferation of various trades, crafts, products and services across the state and it is very heartwarming to see the sense of accomplishment with which these entrepreneurs, at their various levels go about their businesses,� he said. In the area of industrialisation, Emmanuel pointed out that the state has been rated by the National Bureau of Statistics as attracting the highest number of foreign direct investments (FDI) after Lagos. He stated that the governor has attracted not a few industries to the state. He gave the list to include; the syringe manufacturing company, which he described as the largest in Africa, the electric metering factory, the resuscitated peacork paints, the flour mill, pencil and a toothpick factory.

Emmanuel further added that the state’s education policy has also given birth to a free, compulsory and qualitative education scheme where the cost of education in Primary and Secondary school is free. He said: ‘’As part of his plans to boost the free and compulsory education, government has also created a more conducive learning environment through rehabilitation and reconstruction of school blocks, provision of science and laboratory equipment, construction of hostels and supply of desks in the 31 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. ‘’As a way of ensuring that final year secondary school students are not constrained by lack of money, Governor Emmanuel undertakes payment of WASSCE fees for all students in public secondary schools. This also includes payment of NABTEB fees for all students in public technical colleges and also providing funds for laboratory reagents for practical examinations. Emmanuel has ensured prompt payment of primary and secondary school teacher’s salaries despite the economic situation while also providing subvention for the payment of newly recruited staff of Akwa Ibom State University,’’ commissioner said. Akwa Ibom Rural Devt Master Plan Another thing the commissioner pointed out as tool for positioning in the state is The Akwa Ibom Rural Development Master Plan (AK-RDMP), which was recently approved and adopted by the governor. Udoh, was, however, quick to point out that it is not just another project proposal for random distribution of infrastructural facilities across rural areas that will soon be tagged “defunct�, or an amenities allocation plan for aggrandizement of the politically powerful within a rural community ‘’The idea of AkwaI bom Rural Development Master Plan is a blueprint to recreating the village. It basically offers a mosaic of rich data base which captures all gazetted villages in Akwa Ibom State, numbering 2,240 as at the time of its compilation, identifies their peculiar socio-economic challenges and infrastructure deficits, with considerations to population density, in areas of key drivers of rural development, such as electricity, potable water, access roads, security and some proffers systematic solutions and special interventions, as basic requirement for the desired rural transformation. It also

explores the economic potentials of the rural communities, to harness their productive capacity towards self-sustenance, internally generated revenue (IGR) and economic diversification. ‘’It is a charter defining the compartment of duties and obligations for sustainable rural development between the government and the governed. It initiates peculiar patterns of conversation to systematically address the hitherto prevalent challenge of supposed beneficiaries of rural infrastructure turning around to compromise the same facilities brought to improve their pitiable living condition,� he said. On security, the commissioner stated that the location of security in the AK-RDMP would assist Akwa Ibom State and indeed Nigeria address the futility of trying to create a safe the urban area when the more vulnerable rural nursery is so porous. He added that it has an inbuilt mechanism for monitoring, evaluation and measurability of its implementation and deficit recovery. Speaking on how the idea was conceived, Udoh said it was a product of a long period of brooding over a possible rural development trajectory to radically transform the abandoned wasteland of sleepy villages characterised by vast greenery, wild chirp of insects, dusty untarred roads, hideous country-side of millions of homes only depending on lanterns at night, into a bubbling behemoth. In driving home his point, Udoh was quick to make reference to the recent 30 years anniversary of the state and pointed out that the state has covered a million miles and it has recorded milestones. To this end, he called on Nigerians, who believe in agriculture as the future to key to the fact that Akwa Ibom is the only state where farmers can plant all-round the year because of the good soil and climatic conditions it is blessed with. ‘’There are areas where farmers have planted over years without having to use fertilizers because whatever is planted naturally comes out with a bumper harvest,’’ the commissioner stated. If his submission about the current situation about the state is anything to go by, one can therefore rightly conclude that even if ‘Dakkada’ is not the destination, it is a beginning of a new dawn for Akwa Ibom State.

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Maximising the Potential of Nigeria’s Gas Industry Edememe Oladiji-Wusu and Odera Iyizoba of KPMG Professional Services Nigeria take a look at the legal basis of capital allowance claim for predominantly gas-producing companies

Gas plant

Sections 11 and 12 of the PPTA provide certain incentives applicable to companies engaged in the utilisation of associated and non associated gas. These incentives include: Section 11(1a): “investment required to separate crude oil and gas from the reservoir into useable products shall be considered as part of the oil field development.� (Emphasis ours) Section 11(1b): “capital investment on facilities equipment to deliver associated gas in usable form at utilisation or designated custody transfer points shall be treated for tax purposes, as part of the capital investment for oil development.� (Emphasis ours). Section 11(1c): “capital allowances, operating expenses and basis of tax assessment shall be subject to the provisions of this Act and the tax incentives under the revised memorandum of understanding�. Section 11(2d): “expenses identified as incurred exclusively in the utilisation of associated gas shall be regarded as gas expenses and be allowable against the gas income and profit to be taxed under the Companies Income Tax Act;�(Emphasis ours) Section 11(2f): “all capital investments relating to the gas-to-liquids facilities shall be treated as chargeable capital allowance and recovered against the crude oil income� (Emphasis ours) Section 12: “all incentives granted in respect of investments in associated gas shall be applicable to investments in non-associated gas.� Issues for consideration In order to properly appreciate and proffer appropriate solutions to this issue, it is important to review the rationale behind the incentives in Sections 11 and 12 of the PPTA. The aspiration of the Federal Government of Nigeria is to reduce (if not eliminate) gas flaring, and simultaneously, earn as much revenue from gas as from oil. This aspiration resonates in the NGP, which states its objective as moving “Nigeria from an oil-based to a gas-based industrial economy.� However, gas

flaring has continued unabated, despite the penalties imposed by the relevant legislation. When the Petroleum Act and the PPTA were enacted, there was virtually no company

Given that our plan to become an industrialised economy in the near future is based on the availability of gas, it is essential that we understand the tax and commercial issues in that sector and make the relevant changes to truly incentivize gas exploration and production. One of the key tax issues is the claim of capital allowance (CA) for predominantly gasproducing companies, in the light of Sections 11 and 12 of the Petroleum ProďŹ ts Tax Act (PPTA)

engaged solely in gas production. Therefore, the Government needed to consciously encourage gas production by skewing the provisions of these laws in favour of oil producing companies, and/or oil producing companies with associated and non-associated gas operations. This fact is corroborated in the above-referenced NGP . The lack of robustness in considering gas as a viable hydrocarbon (particularly, non-associated gas) also replicated itself in the PPTA! The intent of Section 11(1b) of the PPTA was to incentivise crude oil producers to invest in the production of associated and non-associated gas for downstream utilisation. Implicit in this provision, however, is an assumption that every gas company will have crude oil operations and therefore be able to recover its capital investment and operating cost from its oil income. The PPTA is silent on what the treatment should be where a company has significantly more gas deposits and little or no oil income, such that it is unable to fully recover the capital investment from only the oil income. With a predominantly gas field, the assessable oil profits are LIKELY to be INSUFFICIENT to absorb all CA, leaving unutilised CA as well as unsheltered assessable gas profits. Proposed framework for recovery of CA for predominantly gas-producing companies Given that the objective of sections 11 and 12 of the PPTA is to incentivise gas production, an interpretation that restricts the claim of CA to only oil income will be a disincentive to predominantly gas-producing companies, as such companies will have little or no oil income. That cannot be the intention of the law! Given this dire situation, the tax laws may need to be modified to cater for those companies. To address this problem, we propose as follows: I. The Qualifying Capital Expenditure (QCE) incurred for crude oil and gas operations should be combined, and annual CA claimable to be calculated on this basis, as

provided by Section 11 of the PPTA. II. The annual CA claimable should first be relieved against the assessable profit from crude oil, applying the CA restriction allowed under the law (i.e., lower of actual CA computed or 85 per cent of assessable profit in each year). The resulting chargeable profits would be subjected to petroleum profits tax at 85 per cent. III. The remaining CA (after offsetting against crude oil profit) should be relieved against gas profit, applying the same CA restriction as in (ii) above. The chargeable profits would then be subjected to companies income tax at 30 per cent, as provided by Section 11(2e) of PPTA. IV. Any unrelieved CA for the year would be carried forward to subsequent years, and applied in the same manner as described above. Conclusion Restricting CA claim to oil income for predominantly gas-producing companies would render their gas projects economically unviable and force them to discontinue investment in Nigeria. This would defeat the government’s current efforts and desire to maximize the potentials of Nigeria’s gas industry. This would also be a major drawback to the achievement of government’s vision of providing steady and sustainable electricity, and achievement of local content in Nigeria. Interestingly, the National Petroleum Policy takes the above discrimination into cognisance, and speaks of developing a framework that will separate oil from gas. When this is done, gas projects will be developed based on their economics and will not be dependent on or consolidated against oil taxation. However, it is important to emphasize that tax is not the only consideration that will determine investment in gas exploration and production. Other issues such as Gas pricing, limited infrastructure, bankable gas agreements, revenue securitisation and limited off-takers also need to be urgently addressed.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Devt in 2018: A Hopeful Presidential Address In the early morning of January 1, millions of Nigerians listened to President Muhammadu Buhari as he delivered his annual New Year address. Since then, the broadcast, which outlined various ongoing and new development initiatives by the federal government, has elicited various responses from the citizens. Abimbola Akosile examines the address and its implications for national growth

M

any citizens couldn’t believe it. A President, known by some for his military rigidity, Spartan discipline, taciturn nature and aloofness, was empathising with Nigerians on their suffering and hardship, and all these on national television! From his mien, one could almost feel PMB’s pain for what millions of his countrymen went through in 2017 and are still going through in the earliest days of the New Year 2018. These include persistent fuel scarcity despite official assurances, sporadic improvement in electricity supply; high cost of food prices despite agricultural boom in 2017, and costly medicare. Some cynics have asserted that the address contains mere words which do not assuage the pains of suffering citizens; while on the other hand, some listeners and analysts believe this is the first time the president has been this expressive or sympathetic to the conditions of the masses, having survived a near-death experience himself as a result of his recent medical challenges. To a third group, the January 1 address can only lead to a better year ahead if the federal government maintains or increases the tempo of development in the outlined vital sectors of the economy and the society. Pivotal Change At the beginning of the address, the President said, “This year (2018) promises to be pivotal in our quest for change. Unfortunately, I am saddened to acknowledge that for many these Christmas and New Year holidays have been anything but merry and happy. Instead of showing love, companionship and charity, some of our compatriots chose this period to inflict severe hardship on us all by creating unnecessary fuel scarcity across the country�. He said this situation was unacceptable given that NNPC had taken measures to ensure availability at all depots, and expressed determination to get to the root of “this collective blackmail of all Nigerians and ensure that whichever groups are behind this manipulated hardship will be prevented from doing so again.� According to the visibly-angry President, “such unpatriotism will not divert the administration from the course we have set ourselves. Our government’s watchword and policy thrust is change. We must change our way of doing things or we will stagnate and be left behind in the race to lift our people out of poverty and into prosperity�. He spoke as if he meant his words and that can only spell a hard time ahead for the economic saboteurs who feel no pity when inflicting pain on their fellow citizens in the name of profit. Infrastructural Deficit Here, President Buhari said, “My address to fellow Nigerians this morning is devoted mainly to informing you about the intense efforts this administration is putting to address our country’s huge infrastructural deficit. We are going to make significant in-roads in advancing road, rail and power projects across the country. “The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is one of the drivers of this Government’s commitment to renew and increase Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure in order to achieve global economic competitiveness as targeted under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan�, he added. Fortunately, the rail, road and power sectors fall under the same Ministry and this is headed by a man who was one of those who made Lagos State the success story it is today, in terms of economic and infrastructural potential and revenue generation. Many would argue that the concerned minister appears overwhelmed by the scale of work in the three sectors, but with the federal government’s support and full backing, 2018 may well turn out to be a watershed year in the history of this country.

where the rural areas will benefit from urban spread, as experienced in Lagos metropolis, and where quick and efficient rail transport coupled with public utilities and basic amenities would help check urban-rural migration and ensure development in the hinterland. Nigeria needs a good rail transport network to boost the economy and the President’s address is spot-on concerning this vital development indicator.

Buhari Railway Linkages With regards to railways, the President said, “we have set ourselves ambitious targets. Already in construction stage is the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway. The line should reach Ibadan from Lagos by the end of this year and will carry two million passengers per year and five million tonnes of cargo will be transported every year giving a substantial boost to the country’s economy. “Construction of the Kano - Kaduna segment is expected to commence this year and reach Kaduna by the end of 2019. By the end of 2021 the two ends will be joined so that we will have standard gauge railway across the main North-South trading route. The Abuja - Kaduna route will be boosted by additional rolling stock next Thursday (January 4 - today) and will be able to handle one million commuters annually. “At the same time I have approved and negotiations will be concluded in the first part of this year for the Port Harcourt - Maiduguri line covering Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Enugu, Awka, Abakaliki, Makurdi, Lafia, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and Damaturu. The Abuja - Itakpe line will go through Baro and terminate in Warri with construction of a new seaport at Warri. “Negotiations are also advanced for the construction of other railway lines, firstly from Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic passing through Kazaure, Daura, Katsina, Jibiato Maradi; and

secondly, Lagos to Calabar the ‘Coastal Rail’ through Ore, Benin, Agbor, Asaba, Onitsha, Sapele, Ughelli, Warri, Yenagoa, Otuoke, Port Harcourt, Aba, Uyo and Calabar. In the next few years, all these Nigerian cities will be linked by functional modern rail systems, giving enormous boost to the social and economic life of our people. “With respect to the Abuja Capital Light Rail, progress has reached 98% completion, as at 64% completion when we assumed office. Only test runs remain before start of operations. This train service will stimulate economic activities in the Federal Capital and provide residents with an efficient and safe transportation system. Twelve railway sub-stations around the capital over a 45.2 kilometre route will serve as a catalyst and a pull factor to the economy of the area. The Light Rail System will reduce traffic congestion and carbon emission in line with the administration’s policy on climate change�, PMB added. To many Nigerians, including this reporter, this focus on rail transportation is long overdue and can only bode well for the economy and this administration. Most developed countries of the world have strong and efficient rail networks and systems which convey commuters and other workers from work areas in business districts and economic centres to their homes in the suburbs and hinterland, and Nigeria shouldn’t be an exception. It will also promote urban de-agglomeration

Economic Revival In his address, the President also recalled that “it was not until last year that we got out of the economic recession into which the country had fallen, as a consequence of past unsustainable economic policies which projected short-term illusory growth. The government is slowly stabilising the economy. “In order to change the steady and steep decline we adopted the more sustainable policies and programmes captured in the Economic Recovery Plan. Diversification efforts have resulted in improved output particularly in agriculture and solid minerals sectors. The relative exchange rate stability has improved manufacturing sector performance. We have got to get used to discipline and direction in economic management. The days of business as usual are numbered,� he added. Although many believe the blame game by the current administration on past governments has gone stale, the fact remains that Nigeria is paying for past economic mismanagement. However, as the President has asserted that the “days of business as usual are numbered�, he has to back that up with the right sanctions that would deter the corrupt officials and potential economic saboteurs. Rice Importation On the issue of agriculture, the President said, “Two years ago I appealed to people to go back to the land. I am highly gratified that agriculture has picked up, contributing to the government’s effort to re-structure the economy. Rice imports will stop this year. Local rice, fresher and more nutritious will be on our dishes from now on. “By the same token, I am today appealing to enterprising Nigerians with ideas and unemployed graduates and other able-bodied and literate men and women with ideas not to just sit and wait for employment from the government or the Organised Private Sector. Great nations are built by enterprising people who turn their hands to anything that circumstances dictate�, NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

RANDOM THOTS National Problems Nearly everyone agrees that Nigeria has problems. The fact that a nation that is so endowed in terms of human and natural resources is still wallowing Ă“Ă˜ ÚÙà Ă?ĂœĂžĂŁËœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“ĂžĂŁËœ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?×ÚÖÙã×Ă?Ă˜Ăž and poor healthcare beats the imaginaĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› ÙåĂ?Ă Ă?ĂœËœ Ă Ă“Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĘĽĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜try’s main problems and the suggested solutions.

Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ĂĄ Ă?Ă‹Ăœ Ă‹ĂŽĂŽĂœĂ?Ă?Ă? Ă’Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂ?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁ ͚˜ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă&#x;Ă’Ă‹Ă—Ă—Ă‹ĂŽĂ&#x; Buhari said “Nigerians can be very impatient and want to improve our conditions faster than may be possible considering our resources and capabilities. When all the aggregates of nationwide Ă™ĂšĂ“Ă˜Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ?ĂŽËœ Ă—ĂŁ Ę¨ĂœĂ— Ă Ă“Ă?ĂĄ Ă“Ă? that our problems are more to do with

process than structure.â€? Ă–Ă?Ă™Ëœ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă?Ăœ Ă“Ă˜Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? ÙÖÓÎ Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă–Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ ĂœË› ĂŒĂŁ äĂ?Ă•ĂĄĂ?sili said Nigeria has a structural problem that is showcased in low productivÓÞã˛ ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂŽĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂžĂ?Ă–Ă?Ă Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă‘ĂœĂ‹Ă—Ă—Ă?Ëœ äĂ?Ă•ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă“Ëœ Ă‹ Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂžĂ?ĂœĂ?ĂŽ accountant and co-founder of global ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ëœ Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ “our problems run deeper than we have imagined. The only way out is a high level of governance transparency.â€? Ă“Ă•Ă?ĂĄĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă?Ăœ Ùà Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă™Ăœ Ă™Ă? ÙÖÎ Ă‹ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă‹ ÞËÞĂ?Ëœ ÖÒËÔÓ Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĂœĂ‹ĂŒĂ? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă‹Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ the problem with Nigeria had always been leadership rather than structures. Musa said the economy was in ÞÒĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ“Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœËœ Ă’Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?

ÞÒĂ? Ó×ÚÙà Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă’Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ëœ and suggested the restructuring of the economy to ensure that the government ensures delivery of impactful governance in the country. ÙåĂ?Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁËŞĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă–Ă?Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ù××ÓÞment on the part of the leadership and Ă?ÙÖÖÙåĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ëœ ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ă—Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă“Ă?Þ˛ Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂĄ Ă?Ă‹Ăœ ĂŒĂ?Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ëœ ÑÙà Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ăž Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă–Ă?Ă Ă?Ă–Ă? Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă–ĂŒĂ?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÞÙÚ ĂšĂœĂ“Ă™ĂœĂ“ĂžĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ• ĂžĂ™ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă‹ ĂœĂ?ËÖÓÞã˛ Ă˜ĂŁĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă–Ă?Ă?Ă? than that would compound the existing problems...simple logic -Abimbola Akosile

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Fuel scarcity; a recurring problem in Nigeria

Is Full Deregulation the Best Option? Although the Federal Government has embraced some partial deregulation in the oil industry and power sector, many eminent citizens have called for full deregulation of both sectors in a bid to boost power supply and also ensure a level and more effective playing filed in the oil sector to eliminate the yearly fuel scarcity and untold hardship on Nigerians. From your viewpoint, can full deregulation solve Nigeria’s power and oil industry challenges in 2018? Abimbola Akosile * Deregulation of the downstream sector has failed Nigerians woefully due to very poor and dishonest policies implementation; hence the stifling or suffocation of the economy and system. Petrol scarcity, food insecurity, high cost of living, NNPC and oil markers in war of words etc all point to the truth that all is not well with our economy and people. Liberalise the oil sector now, control the standard price to avoid arbitrariness and abuses, but ensure regular power supply. - Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State * Full deregulation of Nigeria’s power and oil industry cannot solve the numerous problems unless the Electricity Distribution Company Plc and Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission are working effectively. Nigeria oil refineries must be functional. The fuel crisis that Nigeria is experiencing was induced due to speculation of price increase, mismanagement, and lack of effective monitoring by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and the Department of Petroleum Resources. There should be effective monitoring, prompt accountability and transparency, while representatives of the civil society should also show keen interest in working with oil stakeholders and the law enforcement agents to try and monitor oil retail outlets, stock, importation, downstream sector, and ensure that different petroleum stations are selling at the official rate. There should also be more research on transportation, distribution technology, and building of more oil refineries. - Mr. Michael Adedotun Oke, Founder, Michael Adedotun Oke Foundation, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja * In fact full deregulation is the best option because those who sabotage our economy are key government officials. If government totally removes its interference in both the oil and power sectors, we shall see great improvement in all sectors as the key players will have the fear of the government and the people. Let us give this a trial for our total benefit. - Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna State * The issue is that the so-called fuel scarcity

THE FEEDBACK Yes, it is:

5

No, it is not:

4

Others:

3

Radical tip:

Sell the refineries!

Total no of respondents:

12

Male:

10

Female:

2

Highest location:

Lagos (5)

is the handiwork of cabals in the oil sector who want to enrich themselves. It is a game planned by marketers to punish Nigerians in determent of their selfish interest. It is a very ugly trend for marketers and has become a yearly ritual for them to hold Nigerians to ransom and it must stop. Government should find a lasting solution to these ugly acts. - Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State * Yes, it is. - Mr. Emmanuel Majebi, Legal Practitioner, Lagos State * The issue of full deregulation vis-a-vis vital economic sectors of Nigeria is one that gets me worked up oftentimes. Now talking about the oil and power sectors, I am seriously hesitant about advocating full deregulation. Reasons are legion. What we endured in Nigeria in December (2017) concerning fuel supply shows that governments through the ages, including this one, have lied to us. Until we get a government that’ll be scrupulously honest with Nigerians, we shouldn’t have full deregulation. - Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, Apo, Abuja * The power sector is something that needs to be addressed in 2018 from the three tiers of government before talking about infrastructural development. President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) should sell off the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) because the past government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan sold the power sector to never-do-well investors

due to his presidential ambition. - Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State * Not at all, one may look at the fuel scarcity as being contrived to punish certain faith. It has an opaque system structured in a way that allows only few cabals to feed fat on the misery of millions of Nigerians. Except government finds a way out, neither deregulation of power or oil sector will salvage the situation. - Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna State * Yes, full deregulation is obviously the very best option now. No, to any half or dishonest measures as oil marketers have perfected criminal prowess for manipulating the oil sector selfishly and sometimes connive with NNPC to stress Nigerians every December. Government and even Labour have failed to check the recurrent excesses for decades. They must please hands off this oil business for good for the private sector to manage as done in other climes. - Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * To me, the question can be answered with another question: whether there cannot be positive change until the power and oil sectors are deregulated? I would not be drawn into expert analysis, but the truth is that the present government does not have any recipe to our mountain of problems. And that is why we continue suffering. - Barrister DYN Maigari, Abuja * Partial deregulation in the power sector has cost Nigeria far more to maintain than probably when it was fully owned by the government. Since the partial deregulation, the bailout the private companies have received could be well over a trillion naira without the requisite infrastructure of improvement to show for it; costing the Federal government far more than she received when PHCN was broken up and sold. The downstream petroleum sector is failing because the federal government failed to build the promised refineries. All Nigeria has to do now is to fully commercialise the refining sector and allow anyone who can build big or small refineries to do so with great incentives to begin with. Eventually our existing refineries should be sold off to reputable and competent companies to run. If this is done in a few years time Nigeria

would meet domestic demand and at the same time sell most of her products in refined form. - Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * Full deregulation of both the power and oil sectors of the economy sounds like a good prospect for Nigeria in 2018, if only the federal government would keep out of the basic activities in the sector and only serve as regulator. This will open the sectors up to all players and make the products’ market competitive and allow consumers have different options to patronise, which will in turn force down the prices of final products just like in the telecoms sector. Government must hands-off the two sectors totally! - Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: How Can FG Truly Stop Economic Sabotage?

Ă˜ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă?ĂĄ Ă?Ă‹Ăœ Ă‹ĂŽĂŽĂœĂ?Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Í’Ëœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă&#x;Ă’Ă‹Ă—Ă—Ă‹ĂŽĂ&#x; Ă&#x;Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ“ Ă?ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂ˜Ă?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă?ÞÓà ÓÞÓĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ&#x;ĂšĂ&#x;Ă–Ă™Ă&#x;Ă? ĂšĂ?ÙÚÖĂ? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă“Ă˜ĘŽĂ“Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă?ÓÞÓäĂ?Ă˜Ă? ĂŒĂŁ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă– Ă?Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ?ÓÞã Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂŁË› Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă“ĂžĂ&#x;Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂšĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ à ÙåĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă‘Ă?Ăž ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ™Ă™Ăž Ă™Ă? ˍÞÒÓĂ? Ă?ÙÖÖĂ?Ă?ÞÓà Ă? ĂŒĂ–Ă‹Ă?Ă•Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;ĂœĂ? ÞÒËÞ ÞÒÙĂ?Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă’Ă“Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă“ĂšĂ&#x;Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ?Ă Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ĂŽĂ™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă™ Ă‹Ă‘Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ë›ËŹ Ă“Ă Ă?Ă˜ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x;ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă– Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ? ĂŒĂ?ĂŁĂ™Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă“Ă–Ëœ ÒÙå ĂŽĂ™ ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x; ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă• Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŒĂ™ĂžĂ‹Ă‘Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŒĂ? Ă?Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă•Ă?ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ËŁ Ă–Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă? ĂŽĂ“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžËœ Ă?Ă’Ă™ĂœĂž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ó×ÚÖĂ?Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ÞËÞĂ? ĂŁĂ™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă˜Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ëœ ÞÓÞÖĂ?Ëœ Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ë› Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă’Ă™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂŒĂ?ÞåĂ?Ă?Ă˜ ÞÙÎËã Ě™ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Í• Ęś Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁ ͙̚ ÞÙ abimbolayi@ yahoo.comËœ greatbimbo@gmail.com, abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive. comË› Ă?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă?Ă’Ă™ĂœĂž ĂžĂ?âÞ Ă—Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ÞÙ 08023117639 Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽËšĂ™Ăœ 08188361766 Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽËšĂ™Ăœ 08114495306Ë› ÙÖÖËÞĂ?ĂŽ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? ĂšĂ&#x;ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă?Ă’Ă?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă’Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Í’Í’

34

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Active stakeholders in the informal trading sector in Lagos

ABIMBOLA AKOSILE

Land Rights: African Women Farmers Challenge ECOWAS Heads on Action Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Pan African Rural Women Assembly has challenged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of States to move from words to action by addressing the issue of women land rights in all the countries in the sub region. The group said despite commitments and promises made at several fora on the need for rural women’s empowerment to alleviate

property, fighting hunger and sustainable development, it is obvious that these challenges remain an issue, particularly the issue of land rights. The Chairperson of the group, Mrs. Ejim Nnenna made the call on Friday in Abuja at a press conference on Land Rights for African Rural Women, organised by Oxfam Nigeria. The women farmers stated categorically that poverty eradication would continue to elude Africa if land rights of women are not implemented.

The group explained that records have shown that women represent more than 60 per cent of the labour force in the agricultural sector in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Nnenna, “we account for between 60 and 80 per cent of the food produced on the continent. We make up almost half of the agricultural labour force production and involve in 80 to 90 per cent in food processing, storage and transportation as well as hoeing and weeding.� “Despite this significant

contribution, less than 20 per cent of women farmers own their farm. While rural women are powerful drivers for agricultural development, our potential is still hampered by the disparities between women and men,� she added. The chairperson stressed that in West Africa, rural women are being faced with three major challenges, which include: Equity in access to land; safety of operating and investment by women, and the protection and preservation of women’s land rights.

She lamented: “We are the first victims of land and related natural resources grabbing, all this together threatens the capacity communities to meet the whole challenges of sustainable agricultural and food system. “As the ECOWAS Heads of States continue meeting, we stand again today to ask policy makers in West Africa to move from words to action. Direct right to land ownership, land use decision-making power, and protection against grabbing are all sensitive issues

that require major reforms in land rights at regional level and each of the country under ECOWAS. “We demand that access to land for women is not enough if public funding targeting rural women are not made available, or if access to credit for women is not easy,� Nnenna stressed. On her part, the State Coordinator, Country Women Association of Nigeria (COWAN), Ms. Jessica Vanket said if the Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved, women rights to land is essential.

Lagos Seeks Inter-agency Cooperation among Emergency Responders Gboyega Akinsanmi The Lagos State Government has identified strategic collaboration among all rescue workers in the state as a weapon to prevent loss of life during disaster, noting that the chance of saving a life is extremely low without synergy among emergency workers The state government has, equally, equipped all emergency workers in the state with modern life-saving techniques “to prevent undue loss of life as well as improve response time to distress calls at all times.� The Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo stated this at a workshop organised for all workers of the state’s emergency response agencies at the Lagos Travel

Inn Hotel, Ikeja recently. The workshop, which brought together frontline emergency workers from Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LSNSC), focused on synergy among safety corps, security personnel and emergency responders to actualise value to life. At the workshop, the commissioner said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had resolved “to improve inter agency collaboration, at both the formal and informal levels and ensure promotion of team work amongst safety and emergency corps in the state.� He added that the state government had come up with new measures to improve life saving and response time

to incident and distress calls, which he said was the focal point of the workshop and specifically designed to build capacity of all emergency responders in the state. Consistent with the state’s policy that place utmost value on lives, Oladejo said the workshop was put together “to train diverse groups of emergency responders that operate in the state to foster the unity of purpose, cooperation and synergy.� Oladejo emphasised improvement in renewal and sustenance of the existing synergy amongst the various agencies saddled with the responsibility of managing safety and emergencies in order to prevent loss of life and also to improve response time to distress calls at all times. He implored all participants

at the workshop “to actively participate. The workshop will ensure improved collaboration, increase productivity and improve response time to diverse emergencies that occur in the state.� The commissioner noted the state “is not only determined to institutionalise interagency co-ordination but is equally desirous of improving intersectorial collaboration amongst emergency responders. “I have no doubt that the Ambode administration is determined to continuously and relentlessly promote safety culture in the state by adopting best practices and deploying world class resources available to address the challenges of managing emergencies and disasters in the State. “We, therefore, recognise the

need to continue to advocate inter-sectoral collaboration and promote community participation policies designed to mitigate the impact of potential disasters using modern strategies.� Also at the workshop, the Chairman of Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LSNSC), Mr. Israel Ajao explained that the state government would continuously promote safety culture in the state. Ajao, a retired Deputy Inspector-General, said the state government had already adopted best practices and deployed world class resources available “to address the challenges of managing emergencies and disasters in the state. “For these reasons, it has become imperative to build

a culture of inter-sectorial collaboration and promote community participation in government policies designed to mitigate the impact of potential disasters. That is the core objective of this workshop.� In a goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Jemilade Longe re-affirmed the readiness of the state government to continue to push for timely and swiftly response to emergency situations across the state. The permanent secretary, urged all the participants “to use the opportunity the workshop offers to build their capacity to synergise and assist the state government to promote safety and make emergency sustainable.�

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Wearegoingtomakesignificantin-roadsinadvancingroad,railandpowerprojectsacrossthe country.Withregardstorailways,wehavesetourselvesambitioustargets.Alreadyinconstruction stageistheLagos-Kanostandardgaugerailwayline.ThelineshouldreachIbadanfromLagosbythe endof2019andwillcarrytwomillionpassengersperannumandfivemilliontonnesofcargowillbe transportedeveryyear,givingasubstantialboosttothecountry’seconomy� - PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI SPEAKING IN HIS NEW YEAR ADDRESS TO NIGERIANS RECENTLY

IPC Advises Youths on Correct Approach to Leaders

Oluwafunke Lasisi

Ekiti Promises to Arrest, Prosecute Vandals of MDGs Projects Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Chairman of the Ekiti State Implementation Committee on Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, has warned that the State government would do everything within its powers to arrest and prosecute vandals of MDGs projects in the State. Anisulowo, who doubles as the Chief of Staff (COS) to the Ekiti state governor, Mr. Ayo Fayise said such support and partnership had become necessary in view of the fact that government alone cannot shoulder every responsibility, nor know the exact area of their immediate needs unless they speak out or embark on it first. He spoke at the recent 2017 edition of Are-Ekiti Day celebrations, saying the present administration was desirous of developing the rural areas so as to inject life into the living standard of the people as well as reduce rural-urban drift. Anisulowo appealed to rural dwellers to take ownership of the projects to prevent vandalism and under-utilisation of the facilities. He said the facilities were so designed in such a way that they spread across the three senatorial districts of the state, focusing on education, health and agriculture sector, under which schools and hospitals were built, or renovated while supports were given to farmers to sustain food production in the state. He assured the stakeholders gathered at the event that the present administration in the state would not take partisan interest in the execution of projects under the MDGs, saying what the government was after was to spread the dividends of democracy to the populace “Our projects distribution across the state is not about who is in power currently, but about what government can do. We are not going to discriminate against any community or individual based on political inclinations “This formed part of the reasons why we want communities to see any project sited in their domain as theirs. If they fail to take

An MDGs school renovation project in Anambra ownership of these projects, vandals will take charge and the facilities will depreciate. So they have to be vigilant and observant to save all the facilities from destruction�, he said. Anisulowo disclosed that no efforts will be spared to ensure that all the facilities are given adequate protections, especially against vandalism. “Recently, Ekiti was adjudged to be leading in open defecation in South-west, and that was

SOURCE: WWW.ICIR.ORG

very bad and didn’t speak well of us. That was why we built some toilets in strategic locations across the state to arrest open defecation “Our operations were strategic, by this we mean we considered what the people wanted and desired most before executing them. Our prayer is that these projects are not destroyed by vandals, because that had been the reason why some of projects in Nigeria are underutilised�, he said.

The International Press Conference (IPC) has educated students in higher institutions and the youths of the nation on methods to participate and engage in the electoral process, governance, and other activities without becoming hooligans or causing violence both within and outside schools. The programme was organised in collaboration with UKAid and ActionAid under the initiative of Strengthening Citizens Engagement in Electoral Process (SCEEP) titled ‘Towards a more inclusive participation of campus youths in electoral process and democratic governance’, recently in Lagos. It was billed to enlighten students in Universities, Polytechnics and colleges on issues of how to make requests, present challenges before the government and other parastatals on their bothered needs without becoming hooligans. Legal Practitioner, Citipoint Chambers, Mr. Tomi Olagunju who shared his experience, while in school as an activist and not being a hooligan, spoke on ‘Engaging the electoral process: youth as vanguard in deepening the democratic process’ stressed that whatever students do at certain points while in school will have ability to affect the larger space in the entire world now or thereafter. He expressed that activism is not hooliganism if the person(s) in question has good manner approach and are respectful, and added that engaging in electoral process is critical while students should also learn the task of good presentation. While speaking on youths restriction in participating to win top seat in politics, he urged youths across the country to participate in politics both in schools and in the general public, saying people below the age of 35 years constitutes 60 per cent of votes during election in Nigeria and if youths can vote for youths, they will be in power. Olagunju explained that youths can engage in electoral process through three ways such as: youth ministries where the agenda setting of government should be democratic; youths running for office, and voting intelligently during an election. “There are ways youths use their vote to either engage democratic political for change or violence�, he added. Speaking at the event, Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER) Mr. Wale Adeoye, who spoke on the ‘Realities, difference between academic life and the society at large to articulate youth activism as agents of development’, said students should think globally because the world is a continuity of force where they should not depend on certificates obtained from school but being creative and acquiring universal knowledge to go higher as one can meet himself/herself anywhere in the world. He advised students not to limit themselves to a particular area both in their studies and the activities in the society, and that they can become something else without the knowledge of whatever course they may have desired to study. He said having certificate without good character and morality would limit the length at which the youth can go in life as there is reward for everything people do. He mentioned that activism is an act of correcting, eradicating and challenging any form of abnormal behaviour and acquiring necessary needs that were supposed to be done but refusing the right.

36

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Childhood Cancer: A Burden Unaddressed While the Nigerian government gives priority to communicable diseases, cancer, a noncommunicable disease is currently stripping many children of their prime, dimming hopes for the country’s future. Ayodeji Ake writes on the need to tackle the growing disease

C

ancer is a name used to classify a very wide-range of diseases in which cells in the body lose their normal structure and/or function and begin to grow uncontrollably. It is not one disease. There are hundreds of different types of cancers and one organ can develop dozens of different types of the mad cells. This refers to malignant tumors which send metastases to other distant organs through blood or lymph. And could be better described as an army, that sends emissary or spy soldiers to a faraway country to set up a secret war camp. The metastases initially stay silent but will eventually cause a lot of harm if left unchecked. Statistics show that over the last decade, Nigeria’s exponential growth in population has put immense pressure on the country’s resources and on already overstretched public services and infrastructure. With children under 15 years of age accounting for about 45 per cent of the country’s population. According to World Health Organisation’s estimate, up to 30,000 children are diagnosed with cancer yearly; and 80 per cent of them live in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Nigeria. Globally, there are 160,000 new cases of cancer every year and 90,000 deaths recorded annually for children under the age of 15. Just like adult cancer, childhood cancer is not one entity. There are many different types of cancer that can develop in a child. The same processes of cell growth, division, and replication occur in children. And just like adults, things can go wrong somewhere along these processes. Many people don’t know that children develop cancers too. Children develop different types of cancer than adults but they often have the same types of treatments, that is chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Most common cancer of children includes; Leukemia – cancer of the blood, brain and spinal cord tumors, Neuroblastoma – cancer arising in neural structure most common in the abdomen (belly area), Wilms tumor – cancer arising in kidney cells, Lymphoma (including both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) – cancer arising in lymph nodes, Rhabdomyosarcoma – cancer arising in cells with muscle origin, Retinoblastoma – cancer of the retina of the eye, Bone cancer (most common Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma). An Oncologist and the founder of a non-profit organisation, Dorcas Foundation, Dr. Adedayo Joseph, who has taken a lead role in raising fund for treatment of early detected childhood cancer explained that sadly till date the causes of childhood cancer are unknown but most childhood cancers are traced to genetic aberrations which nobody can prevent. “There are many different types of cancer in children, most of which no specific cause has been identified. Some cancers have been linked to viral causes or exposure of the parent or child to harmful ionizing radiation, or certain chemicals like Benzene. Generally speaking, children’s cancers are mostly due to genetic aberrations which nobody can prevent, and are still being understood by scientist and researchers,” she said. Reducing the burden of childhood cancer, Joseph admitted that “it’s a difficult task. Unlike adult cancers that are linked to diet and lifestyle choices, children’s cancers are not really preventable.” As a mother, she lamented that the expensive treatment of cancer generally is an obstacle, consequently losing lives battling cancer. “Cancer treatment is very expensive. It costs an average of N2 million to take a child through diagnosis and testing, to treatment and rehabilitation. As at today, Dorcas Foundation has funded treatment for 10 children as you can imagine, many

Cancer cell

people cannot afford this,” she said. She noted that the foundation is actively involved in funding direct care for children with cancer. But do not begin the treatment process unless they are sure of covering it till the end of treatment. She also noted that The Dorcas Cancer Foundation has recently launched our Childhood Cancer Handbook Series with the release of the first book in the series:

According to World Health Organisation’s estimate, up to 30,000 children are diagnosed with cancer yearly; and 80 per cent of them live in low and middleincome countries like Nigeria

Cancer in Children. The foundation intends to translate these books into the common colloquial and vernacular languages in Nigeria, as well as continue to release more books in the series to educate families, patients, and healthcare professionals about childhood cancers. Prof. Remi Adekingbe, an Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has called for early detection and diagnosis. Adekingbe urged for private and government partnerships to secure the lives of cancer patients, stating that treatment and drugs for cancer are very expensive. “Cancer is not a respecter of anybody. When a mother notices anything unusual, she should report to the hospital immediately. Treatment and drugs for cancer are expensive. In Nigeria today, we only have about seven machines for cancer treatment when we should be having about 200. Patients cannot battle cancer on their own, they need assistance from private organisations and even the government,” he said. According to WHO, all types of cancer arise from the transformation of normal cells into tumour cells in a multistage processthat generally progresses from a pre-cancerous lesion to a malignant tumour. The health body says these changes are the result of the interaction between a person’s genetic factors and three categories of externalagents, including: physical carcinogens, such

as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation; chemical carcinogens, such as asbestos, components of tobacco smoke, aflatoxin (a food contaminant), and arsenic (a drinking water contaminant); and biological carcinogens, such as infections from certain viruses, bacteria, or parasites. WHO, through its cancer research agency, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), maintains a classification of cancercausing agents. “Ageing is another fundamental factor for the development of cancer. The incidence of cancer rises dramatically with age, most likely due to a build-up of risks for specific cancers that increase with age. The health body believes risk factors for cancer includes tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity, which it described as major cancer risk factors worldwide; also representing four shared risk factors for other noncommunicable diseases. “Some chronic infections are risk factors for cancer and have major relevance in low- and middle-income countries,” it added. “Cancer mortality can be reduced if cases are detected and treated early through early diagnosis. When identified early, cancer is more likely to respond to effective treatment and can result in greater probability of surviving, less morbidity, and less expensive treatment. Significant improvements can be made in the lives of cancer patients by detecting cancer early and avoiding delays in care,” the body says.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

NEWS

Nutritionists Advocate Education, Counseling to Fight Infant Mortality Martins Ifijeh In a bid to reduce Nigeria’s high infant mortality rate, experts have called for emphasis to be placed on education and counseling on the importance of nutrition for children, starting with exclusive breast feeding. They said most of the deaths during infancy were linked to poor nutrition, hence the need for Nigerians to be informed on the importance of nutrition for their infants and children. The experts spoke recently, during a ‘Symposium and Convocation of Post Graduate Programme in Pediatric Nutrition’, an educational initiative supported by Nestle Nutrition Institute, in association with Boston University School of Medicine and Medinscribe, in Lagos. A Professor of Paediatrics, University of Lagos, Dr. Chinyere Ezeaka, said, nutrition education was often a part of nutrition counseling session which should be adopted by health institutions. He said: “If everybody embarks on optimal nutrition counseling and education, we would not be having a lot of issues around nutrition. Nutrition counseling and education should start with exclusive breastfeeding.” She maintained that there is need to change food practices and behaviours, as well as incorporate nutrition

counseling and education in health delivery services. “Nutrition education is any combination of educational strategies, accompanied by environmental supports, designed to facilitate voluntary adoption of food choices and other food and nutrition related behaviours conducive to health and well-being. “Nutrition and counseling education are used to provide guidance to individuals on how to develop or change food practices and behaviours to meet their nutritional requirements and improve their health,” the Professor of Paediatrics said. Powered by RubiQube Ad Network she lamented, “In spite of the benefits of nutritional counseling, many physicians lack the requisite education and training in medical nutrition therapy to counsel their patients and to ensure continuity of nutrition care across healthcare providers. “Therefore providing healthcare providers guidance on nutrition counseling and education is of paramount importance. “This is also where motivational interviewing comes in. “Motivational interviewing is a patient-centred counseling style that seeks to elicit internal motivation to change their behaviour and encourage them to understand and resolve their ambivalence about behavioural change.

COPE Launches ‘Wall of Fame’ to Fight Breast Cancer Martins Ifijeh As part of efforts to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria, the Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (COPE), has launched the Breast Cancer Awareness Network Wall of Fame. The Initiative, according to the Chairman of COPE, Ebun Anozie, is a joint collaboration with partner agencies to aid early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, leading to an increased survival rate. According to report, breast cancer constitutes a major public health issue globally with over one million new cases diagnosed yearly, resulting in over 400,000 annual deaths and about 4.4 million women living with the disease. It also affects one in eight women during their lives. Further reports show that Nigeria records over 100,000 new cases of breast cancer yearly, as it accounts for about 16 per cent of all cancer related deaths in the country. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Anozie said the rise of cancer worldwide has become a major obstacle to human development and well-being, which is causing an increased mortality rate in Nigeria, hence the move to bring proactive measures to reduce the disease, through early diagnosis and treatment. She said, the joint collaboration with the organisations, which include, Skye Bank, Access Bank, Citi Bank, variant Advisory, Union Bank Plc., and Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) will bring

“reduction of breast cancer mortality, increased political commitment for prevention and control accessibility in screening, reduction of late presentation, early detection at a cheaper price, public enlightenment of the disease, facilitate broad network of cancer control partners and experts at national level and development of standards and tools to guide planning and implementation of interventions.” She added that to enable people partake of the initiative, which the partners have already paid for by contributing one million naira each, vouchers have been made in place of the cash to enable people pick it up from the outlets that are members, in which they would present and then get free breast ultra sound scan and clinical breasts examination. Also speaking, the Head, Strategic Brand Management, Skye Bank, Nduneche Ezurike said as an organisation that is interested in the well-being of its clients, it has embarked on initiatives that will restore health to the people, saying: “We love partnering with NGOs whose initiative is on saving lives of women with cancer and we have done that for over 10 years now, we have intervened in over 15, 000 women and we encourage our female staff to undergo free breast cancer screening just as we step-up the fight against cancer and to ensure we eliminate it finally in Nigeria, which is why we have partnered with initiatives that promote interventions against the disease.”

Motivational interviewing is regarded as a promising approach to nutrition counseling,’’ Ezeaka said. Presenting a paper on ‘Establishing Healthy Food Habits in Children’, an Adjunct Professor of Nutrition, Children’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, U.S, Dr. Clifford Lo said it was important to establish healthy food habits early in life. Lo, who represented the Boston School of Medicine, said, “The early years of life are characterised by rapid developmental changes in

eating habits. “Infants begin to develop flavour preferences in the utero, through the amniotic fluid, long before they taste solid food. “Postnatally, flavour learning continues through breast milk, with the introduction of complementary foods, infants further develop food and flavour preferences. “The dietary patterns learned during the early years of life track into later childhood and adulthood and form the basis for future eating patterns. “Consequently, it is important to establish

healthy food habits and dietary habits early in life,” the Adjunct Professor of Nutrition added. Responding, Chioma Emma-Nwachukwu, Manager, Anglophone Speaking Countries, Central and West Africa, Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa, said the programme would help equip healthcare providers with needed knowledge on nutrition and associated issues. “The healthcare professionals don’t have enough nutrition training during their medical training, so, this programme is aimed at closing the gap. It is

aimed at ensuring that every healthcare professional gets the right nutrition knowledge and is well equipped to make the right decisions.” Emma-Nwachukwu further said; “In Nigeria, there is still opportunity to change the landscape on nutrition because there is a lot of malnutrition and micronutrients deficiency. So, they need to equip our healthcare professionals in the area of nutrition arise; this is also because investment made in the first 1000 years has a multiplier effect in later life.”

L-R: Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris; Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Wasiu Eshilokun; Chairman, Health Committee, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade; Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode with first baby of the year (3rd right); and parent of the first baby of the year, Mr. & Mrs. Lateef Ikudaisi, during the presentation of gifts to the first baby of the year, born 12:05am, weighing 2.9kg, at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, January 1st, 2018

Ambode Welcomes 17 First Babies of theYear Charges nursing mothers on post natal care

Ayodeji Ake As part of her first activities of the year 2018, the Wife of the Lagos state Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode has welcomed 17 first babies of the year with gift items at the Ikorodu, Gbagada and Island maternity hospitals in Lagos. At the exercise, which was organised by the Office of the Wife of the Governor and the Ministry of Health, Mrs Ambode noted that newborns of the year were divine gifts from God and indication of blessing to Lagos state and Nigeria as a whole. “Every year comes with hope that the year will be full of accomplishments, and that it will be better than the one before. We hope that the coming months will bring to fruition our earnest expectations and achievement of our heart desires. Interestingly, these are the series of hope that comes with the birth of a new baby. The arrival of a new born generally symbolises passing the baton to the next generation . In our culture , a new baby is a messenger of hope indicating good fortune for the family and society” she said. She said that the present administration has made heavy investments in primary healthcare to eliminate maternal and infant mortality, adding that the only way to appreciate the government’s effort is by putting those facilities to good

use. She said : “I’m aware that this administration makes health issues, especially maternal and infant health a top priority. As part of our own efforts, the health sector has been provided with high dependency units, neo-natal care units and other medical equipment and resources to enhance the quality of maternal and child care services, we are poised to do more this year”. The first lady urged nursing mothers to take postnatal services seriously as it mattered greatly to the good health of the new born, as she advised them to pay attention to their own health. “I wish to emphasise that post natal care of the baby is just as important as the antenatal. Therefore, mothers must take all necessary steps to ensure the well-being and good health of their babies. These include strict obedience of instructions of the medical personnel, as well as good care and attention to themselves” she said. On his part, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, expressed his joy welcoming and celebrating with the first baby of the year, particularly appreciated the overwhelming support of Governor’s Wife who according to him as over the years shown her passion for health and well-being of all Lagosians, especially the mother and child. “For us in the Ministry of

Health, the first baby of the year is a symbolic event. As a state, this is the very first activity of the government every year. Its significance is demonstrated by the priority it is given with the visit of the

wife of our Governor and the many important dignitaries, We make it a duty to be here to rejoice with our mothers on the birth of their children and that in itself speaks volumes” he said.

Renowned Broadcaster Seeks N15m for Husband’s Kidney Transplant Mrs. Ify Onyegbule Anderson, a renowned broadcaster and publisher of Woman of Substance, has sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to public-spirited individuals to help save her husband, George, from chronic kidney disease. Anderson, who is Team Lead, Truespeak Broadcast Academy, said her husband who fell ill in September last year was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with kidney failure. Thereafter doctors recommended three sessions of dialyses every week to help filter his blood and stabilise organ functions. Every session costs over N40,000 without the tests and other organ function examinations. In her passionate message, Anderson graphically describes her pain and fears. “Every day, at the hospital is a very emotional and disturbing experience, I watch my husband, daily and slowly slipping into pains from these

diseases. My heart aches. My tears won’t dry. My husband is weaker at each sunrise and slower at sunset. A medical report signed by the Consultant Physician and Nephrologist, Althahaus Medicals, Dr. PC EmemChioma, noted that George is long term hypertensive, being managed for End Stage Kidney Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis.” According to the report, George requires urgent kidney transplant. His condition requires repeated electrolyte, urea, creatinine and Full Blood Count Evaluations as well as three haemodialysis per week for him to be relatively stable while awaiting kidney transplantation. He also requires monthly shots of erythropoietin. The treatment, surgery including post-surgery care and support are estimated to cost N15 million. “Where am I going to get that from?”She asks, rhetorically.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

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HEALTH

2017: A Year Like Never Before for Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Nigeria

Reactive vaccination campaign in Sokoto State during the 2016/2017 Meningitis outbreak

Chikwe Ihekweazu In the year 2017, like never before, Nigeria was faced with several outbreaks - Cerebrospinal Meningitis, Lassa fever, Yellow fever, Cholera and most recently Monkeypox. There was definitely no quiet period for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) - the national public health agency with the responsibility of preventing, detecting and responding to disease outbreaks. From one outbreak into another, this young agency continued to work to respond and protect the country, round the clock while at the same time strengthening its own capacity to effectively protect the health of Nigerians. An outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis, which had begun in December 2016 in Zamfara State, was not reported to the national level until two months into the outbreak. By this time, the number of reported cases began to escalate rapidly, and the situation was not looking good: hundreds of new cases of meningitis were being reported weekly through the NCDC surveillance systems. The NCDC led a multi-partner team to control this outbreak, which was ultimately achieved, though not without the loss of over 1,000 lives. The sheer number of deaths strengthened our resolve to improve our prevention and response capabilities, working with partners and stakeholders. We knew then that the current state of affairs had to change, the existing procedures/protocols for detecting and reporting disease outbreaks at the state level were not working optimally. The challenge that we faced also became clearer than ever, we are dependent on a workforce at the state and Local Government Area (LGA) level over whom we had no direct control. Just as we begun to record a decline in the number of cases of Meningitis, an outbreak of Cholera hit some states in the country - spreading quickly. The climax of this outbreak was in Borno State, where the insurgency had disrupted potable water supply, resulting in challenging hygiene and living conditions. For the first time in the country, an oral cholera vaccination campaign was implemented in a joint effort led by the Borno State Government and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). A visit to Borno State including Cholera treatment centres located mostly at Internally Displaced

Persons (IDPs) camps further highlighted the critical need for a stronger response and the strength of partnerships. Unlike the Meningitis outbreak where we had a shaky start, we had held a Cholera outbreak preparedness meeting with high priority states and stakeholders, developed a preparedness plan, begun an awareness campaign before the rainy season and proactively sent out letters of alerts and other communication with states. This definitely put us in a better position to respond to outbreaks. But, we knew that outbreak preparedness is not an event but a cycle. In September 2017, an unusual outbreak emerged; Nigeria faced an outbreak of Monkeypox. This disease had not been detected in Nigeria since the seventies. Further investigations showed that it may actually have been circulating in Nigeria for some time, but could have been under reported or misdiagnosed in recent years. Our investigations are continuing to unravel its origins. This outbreak highlights the structures the NCDC has put in place to strengthen its surveillance system - including an event based surveillance system and its diagnostic capacity, essential ingredients in outbreak detection. The last large outbreak of Yellow fever in Nigeria is reported to have occurred over thirty years ago. In 2017, investigations into news reports of ‘strange illnesses and deaths’ in Kwara and Kogi States revealed the re-emergence of Yellow fever. Given the very low immunisation coverage rates in many parts of the country, this was not surprising. When the reports came in from these two states, we actively set up an Emergency Operations Centre at the national level, placed an alert to all states, sent teams to states to investigate, placed our Field Epidemiologists in training on alert and by the end of December 2017, four States had reported confirmed cases. Our sister agency, NPHCDA led a reactive vaccination campaign in Kwara and Kogi States and a nationwide vaccination campaign is planned for 2018. In previous years, suspected Lassa fever cases were reported mainly during the dry season. This year however, the trend did not show this pattern, rather we saw an all-year-round reporting of suspected Lassa fever cases. The continuing reporting of cases even with the onset of the rainy season unlike in previous years

suggests either an evolving epidemiology of Lassa fever in the country or improved detection following intense public awareness campaigns that were initiated. Despite this, however, a decrease in the case fatality ratio was recorded when compared to previous years - indicating that we are getting better at managing cases. This improvement in case fatality is due mainly to the increasing expertise at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State, which manages by far the largest number of Lassa fever cases in the world. For each of these outbreaks, we set up an Emergency Operations Centre that our teams worked round the clock- extra hours and often through the weekends. We deployed Rapid Response Teams who travelled at odd hours and over very long distances to better understand the situation and to support the states. Our communications lines were kept open and despite the challenges we faced, we published weekly situation reports. The prepositioning and distribution of medicines, personal protective equipment, consumables, laboratory reagents and other medical supplies to the different states across the country was also a key part of our work, to ensure preparedness and to support response activities. The response to these outbreaks highlighted opportunities for improvements in the work we do: from our surveillance systems to our laboratory architecture and other critical areas. In June 2017, Nigeria became one of 52 countries globally and the 15th in Africa to carry out a Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of its International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) capacities. The JEE process which is led by the WHO and other external partners, using a peer-review mechanism, was co-ordinated by the NCDC Surveillance and Epidemiology Directorate which also serves as the IHR desk for the country. This evaluation provided an opportunity for us as a country to identify the most urgent priorities and opportunities to strengthen our health security through a transparent process. It also brought together several internal partners with joint responsibilities on health security matters. The output from the assessment will help stakeholders across the relevant roles in Nigeria to develop a plan, which prioritises activities needed for improving the country’s

IHR capabilities as well as enhancing its health security. This is one of the NCDC’s top priorities for the 2018 and plans are underway for implementation. Operationalising the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) in Gaduwa, Abuja was a major focus of the new leadership of the NCDC and on the 13th of May 2017, the first test was carried out at the NPHRL. Currently, our national laboratory has the capacity to confirm Monkeypox, Meningitis, Avian Influenza, Cholera, Lassa fever, Yellow fever and is building its capacity to test for all other endemic prone diseases in Nigeria. In addition, we established an Incident Coordination Centre within the NCDC- this serves as the hub of alert and response operations combining information and communications technologies to inform decision-making for effective investigation and response activities. We are constantly monitoring, detecting, responding and following up. As many Nigerians went on Christmas holiday this December, three different Rapid Response Teams were deployed to Zamfara, Nassarawa and Kano States - supporting the states in responding to an outbreak of Meningitis in Zamfara, and Cholera in Nassarawa and Kano States. Our service to the country continues. The increasing confidence, cooperation and support of our leaders, local and international stakeholders and partners has been critical to progress we have made over the last year. The approval of the NCDC Bill as an Executive Bill by the Federal Executive Council and its passage through first and second reading at the National Assembly gives us confidence that the country appreciates our work. Our vision is to earn the confidence of Nigerians and the global community in our mandate to protect the health of all those living in Nigeria through timely surveillance and an effective response. We stand ready to take on this task, working in partnership with the Nigerian people, while assuring our resolve to strengthen our role and contribution towards improving public health in Nigeria. The year 2017 taught us a lot of lessons and we realise 2018 will not be any easier, but we are ready for the challenge. Dr. Ihekweazu is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

HEALTH NEWS

Boosting Healthcare in Lagos State While stakeholders have continued to clamour for increased funding for the health sector as part of efforts to reduce medical tourism, Lagos State is taking the bull by the horns with the recent procurement of health equipments worth N2.5 billion. Martins Ifijeh writes It is no longer news that Nigeria loses about N200 billion to medical tourism abroad every year, with many Nigerians preferring to access healthcare in countries like Germany, India, United States, or even co African countries like South Africa where they are sure to get quality healthcare. What seems to worry stakeholders is that the country has continued to place less priority on stopping healthcare abroad through the abysmally poor health allocations in the entire annual budgets (whether from the federal or state governments). Nigeria’s current health allocation for the entire country is below four per cent of the entire budget even though the 2001 Abuja Declaration where African leaders agreed that all African countries should allocate at least 15 per cent of their entire budget to the health sector; an approach that has continued to hamper the drive to reduce medical vacation abroad. But as part of efforts to tackle this, Lagos State Government has taken the bull by the horns with the injection of over N2.5 billion into procurement of health equipments for qualitative healthcare in the State General Hospitals and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH); with the aim to reduce medical tourism in the state, and by extension help save money for the country which ordinarily would have been spent abroad on treatment. Revealing this recently during a media chat to end the year, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, said the N2.5 billion was spent on equipments which include General Out-Patient Department (OPD) equipment, Anaesthetic equipment, Theatre equipment and Laboratory equipment. According to him: “these huge investments in infrastructural upgrade and procurement of equipment in the health sector will help foster an enabling environment for the implementation and take-off of the much awaited Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) which will ensure that residents have unfettered access to qualitative care. “With these in place, residents of the State are readily offered the opportunity of making choices of health care delivery within a wide range of well renovated and fully equipped hospitals. The scheme will reduce out of pocket expenses on medical care, promote access to qualitative health care, reduce incidence of chronic diseases as citizenry will be encouraged to present earlier as financial barrier to positive health seeking behaviors would have been removed,” the commissioner said. Idris stated that the infrastructural development projects embarked upon by the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration in the health sector include the construction of Helipad at LASUTH, Purchase of 20 Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances, purchase of 26 transport ambulances, power generators and

L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Chief Medical Director, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Wale Oke; and Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, during an inspection tour of health facilities in Lagos recently

mobile x-ray machines for all the secondary and tertiary health facilities. According to him, other infrastructural upgrade embarked on included the installation of additional mortuary refrigerators at Ikorodu and Mainland Hospital Mortuaries, completion of the renovation and upgrading of Epe General Hospital which involves renovation of theatre complex, X-ray, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Out-patient Department and Accident and Emergency unit. The commissioner added that renovation works were also carried out in phases in several General Hospitals within the State with phase one involving Apapa General Hospital, Epe General Hospital and Mainland General Hospital. “Phase two included renovation works at Orile-Agege, Agbowa, Gbagada and Ikorodu General Hospitals and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital while Phase three included renovation works at LASUTH, Badagry, Alimosho and Surulere General Hospitals, Accident and

Emergency Centre at the Toll Gate, Ijede Health Centre and KetuEjinrin Health Centre”, he said. Idris noted that the effect of infrastructural development in the health sector by the state, aside from enhancing the efficiency of the health workforce and increasing the scope and quality of service delivered at the health facilities was geared towards ensuring that Lagos State emerged as a prime global destination for persons in quest of qualitative medical care. “The huge investment in the health sector by this administration is triggered by the noble goal that every Lagosian enjoys unfettered access to qualitative healthcare without significant geographical, financial, cultural or political barriers. The basis for sustained investments in health by this administration is borne out of the conviction that in the pursuit of the public good, individual health needs are also met and secured. “These modest contributions can be viewed from the perspective of the positive impact which the health of Lagosians has on the overall

development of population groups in the State and national economy,” the commissioner said. While appealing to health workers to put the equipment and facilities to good use and ensure that they are well maintained, protected and preserved to serve the purpose of which they were procured for, Idris assured residents that the year 2018 will be a better year in terms of improved healthcare delivery. The commissioner stated that several welfare issues with doctors under the employ of the state government has been addressed while those not addressed are being looked into. “We have made a proposal to increase the numbers of beneficiaries of various health related training programmes both on attitude and clinical services. The Service Charter is being beefed up to complement the roles of Health Service Commission while the services of different Civil Society Groups have been engaged to provide information and feedback to government on the conduct of our hospital workers,” he said.

Scientists: Excess Sugar Not Cause of Diabetes Martins Ifijeh Contrary to belief that excess sugar causes diabetes, scientists say it is not the excess sugar on foods that causes diabetes, but that the body’s inability to produce or utilise glucose is responsible. Dismissing the belief during a capacity building workshop on diabetes organised for Health Journalists in Lagos recently by Sanofi, a global healthcare firm, they said diabetes was a metabolic disease resulting in high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both.

One of the scientists, Dr. Ifedayo Odeniyi, an Endocrinologist and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, explains that diabetes is a problem with the body’s handling of glucose. Odeniyi said; “Most people believe that when you have diabetes, it is because you eat too much sugar, this is not correct. “Diabetes is not as a result of consuming sugar or sugary things, but rather, it is as a result of the body’s inability to handle glucose in the body. “The glucose comes from all the food we eat whether it is meat, carbohydrate, protein or fat; so, in their normal forms, the body does not recognise

them. “The only thing the body recognises is glucose as a source of energy; when eat `eba’, `fufu’ foods prepared from cassava, rice and others, the body changes them to glucose,’’ the Endocrinologist said. Odeniyi added: “The body needs glucose for energy for us to move around, eyes to see, brain to function and for every part of the body to function well. “However, before the body can make use of this glucose, one hormone is very important and that is insulin. After we have eaten and glucose is in the system, the pancreas produces insulin, (which lies on body cells), when the body senses

there is glucose in the system. When it does that, the channel is opened for the insulin to go into the body cell for them to be broken down into energy, carbon dioxide and water. So, insulin can be likened to be the key that opens the door for the glucose to go in. Some people’s body may not be producing insulin at all, as in those that have Type 1 diabetes.’’ The Senior Lecturer noted that some people might be producing insulin but it is either it was not enough or was not working well enough to allow the glucose to be absorbed into the blood stream. “This is what happens in those that have Type 2 diabetes, so, it is not the food that is causing

diabetes,’’ he explained. Odeniyi, who is also an Honorary Consultant Endocinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), also said that it was erroneous to believe that someone with diabetes must be on a special diet. “There is no special diet for diabetes and there is nothing like diabetic diet. We hear that the diet for people with diabetes should be beans, unripe plantain and wheat. Diabetic patients can eat everything; the only thing that should change is the quantity of which must be regulated. There are so many diets but none specific for diabetes; in which ever environment one is, use the food that is culturally accepted

to the patient to manage the person. So, as long you can control the calories, a patient can eat any type of food,’’ Odeniyi said. Making his remarks, Mr. Oladimeji Agbolade, Head, External Affairs, Sanofi, said that diabetes had become a global pandemic. As at 2015, it is estimated that 415 million adults have diabetes and it is expected to rise to 642 million by 2040, Agbolade said. According to him, managing the disease was tedious and time-consuming, but required effective management which would include taking extra care around food and exercise, as well as monitoring of blood levels throughout the day.

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T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ JANUARY 4, 2018

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Analysts Forecast Increase in Remittances to Nigeria Obinna Chima Analysts at Lagos-based FBNQuest have predicted an increase in the value of remittances to Nigeria. The firm stated this in a report obtained by THISDAY. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) balance-ofpayments data for the third quarter 2017 showed a continuation of the upward trend in workers’ remittances/transfers since the foreign exchange reforms earlier this year. But FBNquest “suspects that the principal drivers of remittances through recorded channels are the ease and cost of transactions.� The World Bank had indicated that transfer costs to sub-Saharan Africa were among the most expensive in the world, at an average 9.1 per cent of the transaction.

These costs had spawned the emergence of digital transfer operators in competition with the traditional players in the field. “The latest annual total (of $19.5 billion in 2016) can surely be bettered when we allow for the size of the Nigerian Diaspora, estimated at up to 18 million people,� the report added. Continuing, the report stated: “Remittances of $5.71 billion in the third quarter 2017 were the highest since the fourth quarter of 2010 ($5.75 billion).We expect a decent increase for the current quarter, which generally sees the largest inflow of the year due to the holiday season.� According to the report, the receiving institutions in Nigeria are not required to document the purpose of remittances.

However, one Londonbased transfer company had estimated that 80 per cent of the transactions it handles were for family support. The federal government had raised $300 million from the sale of Diaspora bonds in the first quarter of 2017. Meanwhile, a separate report by the firm has stated that from the balance of payments (BoP) for third quarter 2017, the current-account surplus widened from the equivalent of 1.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter to 2.4 per cent. Merchandise exports had increased by 10.8 per cent on the quarter, while imports declined by -8.4 per cent as Nigeria emerged slowly from recession. The 11.7 per cent share of oil and gas exports in GDP was the highest since Q3 2014.

GTBank Urges Customers to Set Financial Goals in 2018 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) has listed five financial goals its customers and followers must “focus on and stick with� in the New Year. The bank which posted this on its Twitter handle, stressed that the New Year gives “us a chance to begin afresh which means this is the perfect time to get your finances in order. Are you on track to achieve your goals this year?� First, it urged its customers and followers on the social media platform to set a personal savings goal for the year. “Look at how much you are making, what your expenses are, and determine how much you could realistically save each month,� it added. Secondly, the bank urged them to make “a budget you will be motivated to stick to,� and thirdly to “have a solid emergency fund.� “This should be the first savings goal on your list. It can take away a lot of the money worries that you have, since you know that you will always have a reserve if you get into a tight spot.� Fourthly, the bank said there was need to: “Have a solid emergency fund. This should be the first savings goal on your list. It can take away a

lot of the money worries that you have, since you know that you will always have a reserve if you get into a tight spot.� Finally, it added: “Create multiple source of incomes. Even if you love your job, creating multiple income streams is a form of income insurance which means that you’re not dependent on a single source of income ever!� Following the country’s exit from the economic recession in 2017, the stability in the foreign exchange (forex) market, decelerating inflation, bouyant oil prices and stable production from the oil-rich Niger Delta, economic analysts and bank chief executives have predicted brighter economic prospects and a jump in bank lending in 2018. The bank executives and economic analysts that spoke with THISDAY expressed optimism that the positive momentum observed in the economy last year, would continue this year, but cautioned that as politics picks up in the second half of the year, this could lead to economic uncertainty as investors sit on the fence. After snapping five consecutive quarters of contraction, the Nigerian economy grew by 0.72 per cent in the second

quarter of 2017 and doubled its output to 1.4 per cent in the third quarter of the year. The country’s external reserves also grew by $13.73 billion in 2017, from $26.09 billion as of January 3 to $38.731 by December 28. The country’s growing reserves strengthen the capacity of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to intervene in the foreign exchange market and end the forex shortages in the economy. The CBN, through the creation of the investors’ and exporters’ window and its aggressive interventions, further led to the streghthening of the naira on the parallel market and eventual convergence of the I&E rate with the rate on the streets. With improved forex availability, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 55.9 index points by November 2017 – an expansion of 7.7 points from the 48.2 index points recorded last January. The rate of inflation also maintained a downward trajectory last year due to the gradual recovery of the Nigerian economy, as it declined to 15.90 per cent in November, from a peak of 18.72 per cent recorded in January 2017.

InfraCredit Guarantees Nigeria’s First Corporate Infrastructure Bond InfraCredit has announced its inaugural guaranteed bond transaction, successfully connecting infrastructure as an asset class to the long-term local currency debt capital markets in Nigeria. InfraCredit is an ‘AAA’ rated infrastructure credit enhancement facility established by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority in collaboration with GuarantCo (a Private Infrastructure Development Group company), A statement on Tuesday explained that with InfraCredit’s guarantee, Viathan

Group through Viathan Funding Plc, established a special purpose vehicle to raise the debt capital. It noted that Viathan Group successfully accessed the debt capital markets for the first time by “issuing a N10.0bn 16.0 per cent Series 1 Senior Guaranteed Fixed Rate Bond Due 2027 (the “Viathan Bonds�) backed by the irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of InfraCredit and accorded ‘AAA’ long term national scale rating by GCR and Agusto & Co.� According to the statement, the Viathan bonds

would be the first corporate infrastructure bonds issued in the Nigerian debt capital markets with a tenor of 10 years, extending the yield curve for corporate debt issuances. “By leveraging on InfraCredit’s financial strength and high credit ratings, the Viathan Bonds was subscribed by 16 institutional investors comprising at least 12 pension funds and two insurance companies, committing a total of N10.5 billion out of the total issue size of N10 billion, translating to a 105 per cent subscription,� it added.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

AUGUST 2017 Broad Money (M2)

21,851,454.31

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,890,813.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,523,239.91

---- Demand Deposits

8,367,573.19

-- Quasi Money

11,960,641.22

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

9,732,990.89

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,118,463.42

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,821,446.81

---- Credit to Government (Net)

4,824,226.22

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

7,834,536.74

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

--3,010,310.52

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,997,220.59

--Other Assets Net

--14,702,983.39

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,486,804.65

--Currency in Circulation

1,868,735.07

--Banks Reserves

3,268,266.17 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

August 2017

Inter-Bank Call Rate

22.63

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

13.35

Savings Deposit Rate

4.08

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.86

3 Months Deposit Rate

10.14

6 Months Deposit Rate

11.51

12 Months Deposit Rate

11.40

Prime Lending rate

17.69

Maximum Lending Rate

31.20 Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY, 2 JANUARY 2018

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $64.83 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $64.47 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela) SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

MARKET NEWS

Banking Stocks Rise Further on Sustained Demand by Investors Goddy Egene High demand for banking stocks at the stock market lifted their prices further yesterday, which was the second trading day for the new year. Although the stock market closed on negative note with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index falling 0.20 per cent, the NSE Banking Index appreciated by 1.2 per cent. Out of the 37 price gainers

recorded yesterday, 15 where banking stocks. Diamond Bank Plc led the price overall price gainers’ chart with 9.5 per cent, trailed by FCMB Group Plc with 9.4 per cent. Fidelity Bank Plc and Wema Bank Plc chalked up 8.5 per cent and 8.0 per cent respectively. There were also: FBN Holdings Plc (4.6 per cent); Sterling Bank Plc (4.4 per cent); Unity Bank Plc (3.6 per cent); United Bank

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

for Africa Plc (3.4 per cent) among others. The banking sector recorded the highest gain in 2017 with the NSE Banking Index rising by 73.3 per cent. Commenting on the last year’s performance of the sector, analysts at Meristem Securities Limited said active investor participation was seen as investors reacted to the inflow of favourable news within the space in a bid to position

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

adequately for short-term and long-term profits. “The sector’s performance was largely anchored by investors’ reaction towards the financial performance and corporate benefits of sector companies. We also note the impact of portfolio rebalancing activities and the year-end rally on the sector, as this drove most counters to their year-highs. In the coming year, we envisage increased participa-

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

tion within the space as we note that the sector is highly suited for speculative trading as well as long-term investments,� the analysts said. Meanwhile, a further analysis of the trading yesterday showed that the decline in the index was majorly caused by the depreciation in share price of Dangote Cement Plc. The stock fell by 3.0 per cent to close lower at N223 per share. However, Double 11

O F

Plc led the 11 price losers with 9.2 per cent decline. Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc trailed with 8.0 per cent, while Cutix Plc and Cadbury Nigeria Plc shed 4.9 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively. Commenting on the market performance, FSDH Research said the market closed on a negative note largely attributable to the decline recorded in the share price of Dangote Cement.

0 3 / 0 1 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

42

Ëœ ÍźËœ ͺ͸͚͜ Ëž T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

NIBSS, PFS Collaborate on Cheque Clearing System Emma Okonji Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Precise Financial Systems (PFS) have collaborated to unveil a new National Automated Clearing System (NACS), which allows all the banks in the country to clear cheques within hours. The banks have been testrunning the infrastructure for 11 weeks and a total of N5 trillion worth of cheques from 10 million transactions have been processed through the new platform.

At a session in Lagos with representatives of the banks, Managing Director of NIBSS, Mr. Ade Shonubi, explained that the institution had been on the project for over 18 months. He added that the infrastructure would allow all the banks to achieve several payment and non-payment transactions. NIBSS’ boss said that as at today there are four clearing sessions. According to him, the advantage of having multiple clearing sessions was that the net amount against each bank

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return. An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

is smaller so that risks are managed. “With the new system, a cheque can be cleared within six hours, four hour or at whatever duration we agree�, he said. The Managing Director of PFS, the software firm behind NACS, Dr. Yele Okeremi, said the process of clearing cheques in all Nigerian banks has been simplified with the launch of NACS and that the successful completion of the project has the door for more Nigerian firms to take on more national challenges.

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 02Jan-2018, unless otherwise stated.

Okeremi commended the collaborative effort that exists between NIBSS and PFS, saying that the partnership has given birth to the new system that allows bank customers to experience the benefits of shorter cheque clearing cycles. “The solution reduces operational cost of the banks because the clearing departments of the bank can work smarter and close earlier,� Okeremi said. Expatiating on the reasons for the innovation, he said NIBSS needed a future proof system

that would help the institution to realise its vision of a faster and more efficient clearing system that would be less resource intensive and accommodate various new requirements and practices in the clearing system. “NIBSS wanted a system that can be incorporated with the Bank Verification Number. They also wanted a situation where they would have a session-less system that would always be online such that banks could transmit their transactions as soon as they happen rather than

a batch system that opens up at specific times and closes after stipulated time frames,� he said. Head, Domestic Payments and Collections, Union Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Kolawole Aminu, described the new platform as user-friendly. He added that “over N5 trillion that has been processed on the new platform just within 11 weeks. We are talking of over 10 million in terms of the volume of cheques. That tells you how much we do with this mode of payment.�

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 180.91 182.36 42.74% Nigeria International Debt Fund 235.18 236.77 11.37% 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 0.83 0.84 18.23% ACAP Income Funds 0.65 0.65 84.76% 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 17.75% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 18.45 19.01 1.00% ARM Discovery Fund 392.95 404.80 1.00% ARM Ethical Fund 27.60 28.43 1.00% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.63% 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 152.47 153.54 0.50% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.65% 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 18.01% 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 18.40% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.09 1.11 9.65% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.03 1.06 4.32% 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 1,151.84 1,153.00 7.39% FBN Heritage Fund 139.33 140.70 8.54% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.70% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $113.47 $113.58 0.98% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $112.83 $112.94 0.99% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 172.86 175.42 0.00% 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 1.41 1.44 51.60% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 3.00 3.00 16.72% 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 3,007.45 3,045.48 36.68% Coral Income Fund 2,471.09 2,471.09 18.54% 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 16.84% 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 17.12% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.10 2.13 25.06%

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 0.00% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 115.08 115.08 18.61% 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 1.23 0.38% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,055.29 1,055.29 0.27% 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 14.08 14.21 45.75% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 16.80% 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 1.25 1.28 25.81% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.04 11.11 6.28% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.10% 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 129.39 131.63 27.66% 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 1.48 1.48 19.13% 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 2,258.80 2,273.37 23.40% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 176.75 176.75 14.80% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.01 1.03 32.47% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 220.77 220.77 18.13% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 180.43 182.74 38.96% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.84% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,746.95 9,865.94 28.57% 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 1.33 1.35 19.30% United Capital Bond Fund 1.57 1.57 28.26% United Capital Equity Fund 0.92 0.93 36.13% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.30% 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 12.74 12.92 18.21% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.45 13.60 7.88% Zenith Income Fund 19.00 19.00 14.87%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 132.64

1.01% 6.99%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.15 144.94 110.20

12.25 147.96 112.25

0.25% 46.45% 45.41%

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 9.49 17.88 19.47 148.57

4.67 9.57 17.98 19.67 150.57

67.14% 34.79% 50.86% 21.93% 16.95%

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018

43

THURSDAY JANUARY 4, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

44

INTERNATIONAL Huge Pro-regime Rallies in Iran

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Head of Iran Guards announces ‘end of the sedition’ Tens of thousands gathered across Iran yesterday in a massive show of strength for the country’s Islamic rulers after days of deadly unrest,

with state television showing vast crowds marching through several cities, according to AFP. Chants of “Leader, we are ready”

North Korea Reopens Border Hotline as Trump Boasts of ‘Bigger’ Nuclear Button North Korea reopened a long-closed border hotline with South Korea on Wednesday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to mock the North’s leader by saying he has a “bigger and more powerful” nuclear button than he does, Reuters reports. The North’s decision to open the border phone line came a day after South Korea proposed high-level discussions amid a tense standoff over North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. That followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year address in which he said he was open to speaking with the South and would consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be held just across the border in Pyeongchang in February. U.S. officials said Washington would not take any talks between North and South Korea seriously if they did not contribute to denuclearizing North Korea. A State Department spokeswoman said North Korea “might be trying to drive a wedge of some sort”. Kim ordered the reopening of the hotline at the truce village

of Panmunjom at 0630 GMT on Wednesday, when South Korean officials at the border received a call from the North, the South’s unification ministry said in a text message. Officials on both sides were checking the line and conducting a conversation for about 20 minutes, the contents of which were not disclosed by the ministry. That gesture came only hours after Trump, who has mocked Kim as “Little Rocket Man”, again ridiculed the North Korean leader on Twitter. “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” Trump tweeted. Trump and Kim have exchanged a series of bellicose comments in recent months, raising alarm across the world, with Trump at times dismissing the prospect of a diplomatic solution to a crisis in which North Korea has threatened to destroy the United States.

were heard as images showed thousands rallying in the cities of Qom, Ahvaz, Kermanshah and elsewhere. The demonstrators waved Iranian flags and pictures of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as placards saying “Death to seditionists”. “We offer the blood in our veins to our leader,” was another popular chant. There were few reports of anti-regime protests overnight, although it remained difficult to verify information from the provinces. President Hassan Rouhani expressed hope in a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep

Tayyip Erdogan that the protests would end in a few days, a Turkish presidential source said. It said Erdogan told Rouhani that “peace and stability” had to be preserved in Iran. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday that the unrest that had rocked Iran over several days was at an end, and that a maximum of 15,000 people had taken part nationwide, according to AFP. “Today we can announce the end of the sedition,” said Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards. “There were a maximum of 1,500 people in each place

and the number of trouble-makers did not exceed 15,000 people nationwide,” he said on the Guards’ website. “A large number of the trouble-makers at the centre of the sedition, who received training from counter-revolutionaries... have been arrested and there will be firm action against them.” Jafari said the Guards, a parallel security force directly loyal to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, only intervened “in a limited way” in the provinces of Isfahan, Lorestan and Hamedan. Protests over economic problems broke out in second city Mashhad on December 28 and quickly spread across the country, turning against

the regime as a whole. A total of 21 people have died in the unrest, with protesters attacking government buildings and police stations in some areas. “The counter-revolutionaries intervened massively on social media,” Jafari said. He said thousands were based abroad and trained by the United States, while internal “monarchists” and supporters of the exiled People’s Mujahideen opposition group were also involved. “The lack of action” by Iranian officials to shut down online supporters of the unrest had “reinforced the troubles”, he said. “But once restrictions were started, th e troubles reduced.”

Ex-hostage Boyle Charged with Sex Assault, Confinement A Canadian man recently freed with his American wife and children after years being held hostage in Afghanistan has been arrested and faces at least a dozen charges including sexual assault, The Associated Press reported his lawyer as saying on Tuesday. Attorney Eric Granger said Joshua Boyle also faces assault and forcible confinement charges. Boyle, his wife Caitlan, and their three children were rescued last year in Pakistan, five years after the couple was abducted by a Talibanlinked militant group while on a backpacking trip in neighboring Afghanistan. The children were born in captivity. A hearing on the case was scheduled for Wednesday in Ottawa, but the lawyer said Boyle would not attend in person. He said Boyle was in custody. Ottawa police declined comment. Granger said he had not seen the court documents yet. “Mr. Boyle is presumed innocent. He’s never been in trouble before. No evidence has been provided yet, which is typical at this early stage. We look forward to receiving the evidence and defending him against these charges,” Granger said in an email. A publication ban bars reporting any information that could identify the alleged victims or witnesses in the case. In a statement to the Toronto Star, Boyle’s wife wrote, “I can’t speak about the specific charges,

but I can say that ultimately it is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this.” “Obviously, he is responsible for his own actions,” she added, “but it is with compassion and forgiveness that I say I hope help and healing can be found for him. As to the rest of us, myself and the children, we are healthy and holding up as well as well we can.” The family met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the leader’s office last month. Boyle told The Associated Press in October that his wife had been hospitalized in Ottawa, but did not specify why she was taken to the hospital. “My wife has been through hell, and she has to be my first priority right now,” Boyle wrote then. Boyle also told AP that he and his wife decided to have children even while held captive because they always planned to have a big family, thinking: “Hey, let’s make the best of this and at least go home with a larger start on our dream family.” “We’re sitting as hostages with a lot of time on our hands,” Boyle added. “We always wanted as many as possible, and we didn’t want to waste time. Cait’s in her 30s, the clock is ticking.” Boyle said then that their three children were 4, 2 and “somewhere around 6 months.”

Gen Jafari said the total number of protesters had not exceeded 15,000 nationwide

REUTERS

Palestinians Condemn Trump Aid Halt Threat, Mixed Reaction in Israel Palestinians condemned as blackmail on Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold future aid payments over what he called the Palestinians’ unwillingness to talk peace with Israel,Reuters reports. Trump drew praise from a cabinet minister in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government but a warning from a former Israeli peace negotiator of the dangers in cutting off financial assistance to the Palestinians. On Twitter on Tuesday, Trump said that Washington gives Palestinians “HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, said in response: “We will not be blackmailed.” Palestinian anger at Trump is already high over his Dec.

6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a declaration that also generated outrage across the Arab world and concern among Washington’s Western allies. Commenting on Trump’s tweets, Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Jerusalem is not for sale, neither for gold nor for silver.” Abu Rdainah said the Palestinians were not opposed to returning to peace talks that collapsed in 2014, but only on the basis of establishing a state of their own along the lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war. “If the United States is keen about peace and about its interests it must abide by that,” he said. Israel, which withdrew troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, has called the pre-1967 war West Bank boundaries indefensible and has pledged to hold on to all of Jerusalem forever. A report prepared for the U.S. Congress in December 2016 by the U.S. Congressional Research Service said annual U.S. economic support to the West Bank and Gaza

Strip has averaged around $400 million since fiscal 2008. Much of the money has gone toward U.S. Agency for International Development-administered project assistance and the rest toward budget support for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers limited self-rule in the Palestinian territories under interim peace agreements. Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, welcomed Trump’s aid comments, saying on Army Radio: “I am very satisfied ... (Trump) is saying the time has come to stop saying flattering words (to the Palestinians).” But Tzipi Livni, an Israeli opposition politician and a former peace negotiator, said “a responsible and serious (Israeli) government” should quietly tell Trump that it would be in Israel’s interest to prevent a “humanitarian crisis in Gaza” and to continue to fund Palestinian. Ethiopia to Release All Political Prisoners, Says Prime Minister In a surprise move, Ethiopia’s prime minister has announced the release of all political prisoners and

the closure of a notorious detention centre, allegedly used as a torture chamber, according to a BBC report. Hailemariam Desalegn told a press conference the move was designed to allow political dialogue. But it is unclear exactly who will be released - or when it will take place. Ethiopia, a staunch ally of the West, is accused by rights groups of using mass arrests to stifle opposition. Amnesty International welcomed Mr Hailemariam’s announcement, saying it could signal “the end of an era of bloody repression in Ethiopia” - although warned the closure of Maekelawi detention centre should not be used to “whitewash” the “horrifying” events which took place under its roof. This is a landmark moment for the country - not least because it is the first time the government has even admitted to having any political prisoners, previously describing them as “criminals”, BBC Ethiopia correspondent Emmanuel Igunza says. Rights groups have accused the government of using anti-terrorism laws to jail its critics.

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FG Delegation Departs for Libya over Evacuation of Nigerians Alex Enumah inAbuja Ahigh-powered federal government delegation yesterday departed Abuja for Tripoli, the Libyan capital on a fact-finding mission on the level of the enslavement of Nigerians in that country. It also plans the mass evacuation of Nigerians trapped in the North African country. According to a statement from the Press and Public Relations Unit of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the delegation which is led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, included NAPTIP’s Director General, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora

Matters, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa among others. The statement disclosed that the delegation departed the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, aboard the Nigeria Air Force Flight N5FGS. The Head of the unit, Josiah Emerole, who signed the statement, said the fact-finding mission would among other things engage with the Libyan, authorities, Nigerian officials and citizens living in Libya as well as international organisations working on migration issues in Libya. “It will be recalled that following reports of the enslavement of Nigerian Migrants in Libya which has raised a lot of concerns in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the evacuation of

all Nigerians trapped in the North African country back to Nigeria. “He also set up a team led by the foreign affairs minister to work out modalities for carrying out the mass evacuation. Since then, a number of high level meetings have been held among various federal government agencies. “Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo

has also presided over some of those meetings. For the NAPTIP Director-General, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, the agency is ready to assist victims of human trafficking who will be amongst those returning to Nigeria to get properly reintegrated back into the Nigerian society,” the statement noted.

Emerole added that, the agency’s counsellors are fully ready to receive the returnees and give them the needed psychosocial assistance for proper reintegration into the society. “We will also help them with all the necessary tools to sustain themselves including vocational training and education assistance.

This will be done with assistance from government, corporate bodies and the international organisations. “This is not the time for anybody to stand aloof and watch the federal government alone do it. All hands must be on deck now, because doing nothing will affect all of us,” the NAPTIP DG was quoted as saying.

NCAA Lowers Minimum Visibility for 18 Airports Chinedu Eze The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in conjunction with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has lowered minimum visibility for takeoff and landing of flights for 18 airports which have improved navigational aids, including Performance Based Navigation (PBN) and other equipment that enhance visibility during inclement weather. This new minimum visibility would take effect from today. Before now, the average minimum visibility was 800 metres below which flights were not allowed to operate to the airports, but now flights can operate when visibility is about 150 meters, depending on the available navigational aids. The implication of this is that flights that were hitherto stopped from operating to airports when the visibility were below 800 metres can now operate; so even at the height of harmattan haze last December, airlines would have operated with the minimum visibility. In the statement signed by NCAA spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, the regulatory authority said it carried out a review of Aerodrome Operating Weather Minima for 18 airports in Nigeria in recognition of improvements in visual and navigational aids within the affected airports. NCAA said the review was in compliance with the provision of Part 8 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs Part 8), and in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Doc.9365. “In this review, the Regulatory Authority took cognisance of improvements in visual and navigational aids within the affected airports. The reviewed Aerodrome Operating Minima would serve to enhance the operating capacity of the aerodromes. This is due to the fact that it will avail the operators with improved minima for low visibility operations,” the regulatory authority said. According to the review, the landing minima specified for all the 18 airports were determined based

on applicable criteria as defined in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations and these includes all relevant amendments, as well as available navigational facilities, including Instrument Landing System, Voice Omni directional Radio Range and Distance Measuring Equipment (ILS,VOR/DME, etc) or PBN Navigational Specification (RNAV/GNSS). “On the other hand, the reviewed operating minima provided for a performance based takeoff minima for the affected aerodromes in Nigeria is determined by available visual aids for takeoff. These are Runway Centre Lights, Touchdown Zone lights, Runway Edge Lights, Threshold Lights, Runway End Lights and Runway Surface Markings. The 18 aerodromes where the operating minima and takeoff minima have been reviewed are Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Dutse, Eket and Enugu. Others are Gombe, Ilorin, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Owerri, Sokoto, Uyo, Yola and Zaria,” the statement said. NCAA said the last time weather minima were actually reviewed was in 1983, but a semblance of revision undertaken in 1993 only stated that the takeoff minima shall be equal or greater than landing minima at all airports. “This is to allow for an air return to the same airport should there arise an emergency,” NCAA said. “However, this present review allows for takeoff as low as 150 metres Runway Visual Range (RVR). While some airports in the country with Category Two Instrument Landing Systems (ILS Cat II) can permit landing with 300 metres Runway Visual Range (RVR). “Before this review, the lowest visibility with Category Two ILS in the nation’s airports was 800 metres/550 RVR (Runway Visual Range). Based on the review, the following airports now have ILS Cat II approach and landing minima, Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Ilorin, Gombe, Owerri, Sokoto, Uyo, Yola, Dutse, Calabar and Enugu,” the regulatory body said.

IJAW MEETING

L-R: Renowned Poet, Prof. JP Clark; Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson; and Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, at Kiagbodo, Burutu, Local Government Area òf Delta State yesterday.

Trouble Brews in Anambra over Disappearance of Herdsman, Dead Cows David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The disappearance of a cattle herder identified as Shehu Issah in Aguleri, Anambra State, may cause unrest and hostility between members of Aguleri community and herdsmen. THISDAY gathered that Issah who went out with his cattle for grazing, disappeared without trace, just as two of his cattle were found dead. The Chairman of South-east Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders, Alhaji Gidado Sadeeq, declared that the 23-year old cattle herder,

disappeared in Aguleri, but failed to state his date of disappearance. He said two cows under Issah’s guide were killed in the community while others returned without the herder. Sadeeq said the situation haS created tension in the area, while stating that the police and the Department of State Service (DSS) averted an attack on some other cattle herders by the host community. THISDAY gathered from a source in Aguleri, who pleaded to remain anonymous that the disappearance of the cattle herder may breed trouble for the community, saying

that this has been a source of worry to the community. He insisted that the community did not know anything about the disappearance of the herder, nor were they involved in the travails of the herder. But Sadeeq expressed worry too about the safety of his people. “My people are now afraid of an imminent attack. It’s unfortunate that this is happening. “It’s unfortunate that the host community are not keeping to the agreement reached between the security, Anambra State Government and the herdsmen,” Sadeeq stated.

THISDAY gathered that as a result of the development, security had been beefed up in the community which incidentally is Governor Willie Obiano’s home town. When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Nkeiruka Nwode, said the matter had not been brought to her knowledge. She promised she would get in touch with the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Otuocha, where the incident allegedly occurred, and get back to THISDAY but she never did as of the time of filing this report.

PETROL IMPORTATION: OIL MARKETERS LOBBY FG FOR TAX INCENTIVES TO OFFSET COSTS meeting, as learnt, was chaired by Kachikwu, while heads of some parastatals under the ministry, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), members of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, (DAPPMA), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and labour Union officials were reportedly in attendance. Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday denied that it has received any request from the presidency, to approve loans meant to offset the debts being owed to oil marketers. The upper legislative chamber said this in response to claims credited to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, that the payments due to the marketers are being delayed at the National Assembly. Kyari reportedly said this during a meeting with the stakeholders on

the fuel scarcity in the country. But Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in a statement wondered what request or payment the presidency was referring to, particularly as fuel subsidy had already been cancelled. He added that rather than shifting blame and resorting to false claims, the executive should work with the legislature and other stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the perennial fuel scarcity in the country. Sabi’s statement read in full: “The attention of the Senate has been drawn to a claim said to have been made by the Chief of Staff to the President, Kyari, during a meeting with stakeholders in the oil industry on the perenial fuel scarcity in the country to the effect that the payment of debt owed to oil marketters was being delayed because the National Assembly has

not approved request presented to the legislature for loan meant for that purpose. “The Senate would want members of the public to know that no such request has been made to it specifically requesting for loan meant for payment to oil marketers. “The Senate is aware that subsidy on petroleum had been cancelled by this administration; so we wonder which payment we are talking about now. “Senators have been inundated with calls from oil marketers who were present at the meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President on the issue and thus, we call on Kyari to either prove his claim or retract it. “It should be noted that a similar claim was made by the Minister of Finance on the foreign loan at a time

the presidency had not forwarded the request. The letter requesting for the foreign loan was submitted long after she was confronted with the fact. “It is the opinion of the Senate that instead of resorting to false claims and shifting blames in the mould of ‘Blame Someone Else’, both the executive and legislature should work together to solve this unecessary fuel crisis which is making life more difficult for our people,” it read. “That is why members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) were mandated by the Senate President to suspend their recess and embark on ovesight visits to key areas in the sector while it would today (Thursday) hold an investigative public hearing with all stakeholders aimed at finding solution to the problem of fuel scarcity,” it added.

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Uzodimma Urges Igbo Leaders to Re-strategise for 2019 Ahead of the 2019 general election, Igbo leaders have been urged to put on their thinking caps and re-examine the current political alignments in the country to reposition the South-east geopolitical zone for the nation’s presidency in 2023. In a goodwill message to a wellattended meeting of Igbo leaders from Imo State, the Chairman of the Southern Senators’ Forum (SSF), Senator Hope Uzodimma, said the advice had become necessary because current political indicators in the country all point to the possibility that the South-east might lose out in the nation’s political equation in 2019 even more than it did in 2015. Uzodimma who is also the Senate Committee Chairman on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, spoke on New Year day in his country home, Omuma while addressing prominent political leaders from Imo State in a special meeting aimed at advancing the political fortunes of Ndigbo in 2019. According to him, “every right thinking Igbo man must be worried that the recently released Federal board appointments clearly indicate that the Igbos are losing out in federal political calculations. We must be conscious of the fact that other geo-political zones appear to be outsmarting us as they did in 2015. Right now they are positioning

themselves as the strategic allies of the Northern political elite and they appear to be receiving favourable attention as reflected in the federal board appointments.” He said there was an urgent need for Igbo leaders to put on their thinking caps and re-examine their present political leaning which he believes will put Igbos at a grave disadvantage in 2019. He declared; “Let me be honest with you my brothers and sisters, I think we are putting ourselves in a disadvantaged political position, we need to re-strategise and quickly strike strategic alliance with our Northern political elite ahead of the 2019 elections so that what happened to us in 2015 will not be our lot in 2019.” He maintained that unless that is done, Igbos might find that in 2019 two planks of the tripod that make up Nigeria would have conspired to put them into political disadvantage as they did in 2015 adding: “such a development will spell a great tragedy for the Igbo nation and we cannot afford the consequences. “I tell you my brothers and sisters we should grow above politics of region. We need a national platform to properly integrate our people into the national political grid. Let us forget the ugly events of the civil war and be part of a larger Nigeria. In the next four years, it is

Gombe Coalition Denounces Mbaka’s Endorsement of Dankwambo for President Enugu State-based cleric, Rev Fr Mbaka, has been taken to task on his endorsement of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, as the next president with a Coalition of Gombe State Indigenes saying that the priest spoke out of context in his assessment of the work and worth of the Gombe State governor. The coalition in a statement yesterday issued on its behalf by a prominent son of the state, Muhammad Jibrin, drew attention to what it claimed as the failures of the outgoing administration in water supply, education, health among others to emphasise why it disagreed with Rev Fr. Mbaka and urged the cleric to travel to Gombe and see things for himself. Mbaka, a former enthusiast of President Muhammadu Buhari had in his New Year message upbraided the president and asked him not to seek a second term in office, charging that Dankwambo who he praised for his sterling achievements should be projected to fill the North’s turn. But responding to Mbaka, the coalition through Jibrin said: “If the Rev Fr is well apprised of the state of affairs of Gombe State, he will certainly not recommend Dankwambo as a worthy replacement for the great President Buhari. Perhaps, some examples will show the Rev Fr Mbaka of the extent of the damage Dankwambo has done to our state “It is a well-known fact that Gombe town had battled with lack of portable drinking water since independence. The previous administration of Senator Danjuma Goje took this as a priority and spent over N8 billion to ensure the provision of water across the State and specifically within the metropolis of Gombe. Governor

Dankwambo refused to make an annual budgetary spending of only N200million required to maintain the supply of water. Today, you will easily find water in the desert before Gombe State. “Gombe State education system was adjudged one of the best in the country. With a state university founded by the previous administration being rated as one of the top 10 state-owned universities in Nigeria as at 2011. As with the water project, he has neglected to continue with the required funding of the university. Today, the university and the entire education system is now in shambles and our class rooms are playground for idle students without teachers who have left en mass due to unpaid salaries. “On the health sector, our hospitals, which were modernised and fully equipped, are now mortuaries and consulting clinics. “The international airport in Gombe that opened the entire North-eastern region to air travel, both passenger and cargo, has been totally neglected. “The international hotel that was built to cater for those travelling to and by Gombe has been neglected and taken over by animals. “Perhaps, Rev Fr Mbaka should come clean and tell Nigerians what his major motivation in making this recommendation. We are aware he only received a handshake from the frugal Buhari when he last visited Aso Villa. “I advise Fr Mbaka to travel to Gombe state and visit the state university, hospitals and water projects in Gombe town and all the other 10 local governments of the state and tell Nigerians his findings.”

hoped that the North would have spent eight years in the presidency and after that the presidency will come back to the South. “May I once more remind you

that Obasanjo from the South-West spent eight years as President, Jonathan from the South-south spent six years as President. The logic is therefore that in 2023 when

the presidency is due to come back to the South, it will be the turn of the South-east to produce the president. We cannot toy with this great historic

opportunity. We must be part of the going concern (Project Nigeria). Mind you, you can only reap where you sow. A word is enough for the wise,” he said.

HIGH TABLE

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeeem; and Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Hon. Oladele Adekanye, during the inauguration of Board of the state Consumer Protection Agency at Lagos House, Ikeja.....yesterday

‘Jonathan’s Cousin Not Involved in N27bn PHCN Scam’ Tobi Soniyi Kakatar Construction and Engineering Ltd and its Managing Director, Azibaola Robert, are not part of any scam involving alleged diversion of monies allegedly meant to settle insurance premium of sacked PHCN workers, the company’s spokesman Mr. Austin Ekeinde, has said. Ekheinde made the clarification against allegation that Kakatar CE Ltd was part of an alleged diversion of insurance premium payments of PHCN workers. Robert is a cousin of exPresident Goodluck Jonathan. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in an affidavit alleged that his company, Kakatar CE, was involved in illegal payments of premium of PHCN workers which the company disputes.

Speaking with THISDAY on the telephone, Ekeinde said: “An affidavit deposed to by an officer of the EFCC for a forfeiture order clearly misrepresented the facts.” According to him, Kakatar CE took a N2.5 billion facility from Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited to fund a federal government contract it won to provide infrastructure for Kyami District, Abuja.” Eplaining further, he said: “On December 12, 2014, Kakatar CE got an award letter for a contract to provide engineering infrastructure for Kyami District which we were required to move to site to commence work immediately. “As we were unable to secure a favourable credit facility from any commercial bank, Bestworth Insurance offered to provide us a project execution facility

with mutually agreed terms upon which we moved to site immediately. “Unfortunately the federal government has been unable to pay its statutory mobilization sum of over N7.5 billion due to Kakatar CE. “However, sometime last year, EFCC invited us that it was investigating Bestworth for alleged diversion of insurance premiums of PHCN workers. That was how our N2.5 billion facility became an issue. “There is no law which says a corporate organisation cannot take a facility from another corporate organisation. “On the basis of documentary evidence the EFCC requested that the facility be repaid to it to enable it recoup the payment to Bestworth. It was on that basis that we commenced repayment through the EFCC to Besthworth.

This has nothing clearly to do with any scam or fraud in that matter. “As a good corporate citizen, our company adhered to the terms of the agreement reached with EFCC even though the federal government has failed to pay to us its obligations on the Kyami project for which we took the loan,” he added. He said that Kakatar CE had no knowledge of Bestworth Insurance source of funds and had no need of probing its legality as it is a legally registered insurance company. “It was purely a business transaction to help us execute a contract to open up Kyami district,” Ekeinde stated. He said it was wrong and misleading to link Kakatar CE, a most patriotic indigenous engineering construction company, and its managing director to allegation of fraud with regard to the insurance premiums of PHCN workers.

Niger Gov Swears in New Commissioners Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, yesterday swore in 14 newly appointed commissioners with a strong warning that any of them with separate agenda from that of the state government will be shown the way out. Bello also told the new commissioners that the administration has zero tolerance for corruption, and as such, they should resist any temptation to illegally tamper with public funds. “These are not times to seek personal glory or fame and we shall not hesitate to show anybody the way out once we discover that he or she has a separate agenda other

than that of serving the people “I encourage you not to see yourselves in competition with either elected office holders or another appointee rather as a key stakeholder and partner in progress, support and complement one another in our collective effort to improve the lives of the people,” the governor warned. He also asked them to have “deep understanding” of their mandates as well as what was going on in other ministries other than their postings, adding that the government would not tolerate any laxity and disrespect for established

rules and regulations. According to him, “More importantly, each of you will be accountable for whatever transpires in your ministries during your tenure, hence you must be prepared to provide responsible leadership; take firm decisions without fear or favour; stand by them and monitor the execution of programmes and projects under your watch.” The governor also submitted that his administration was determined to ensure meaningful development in the state as such, “every member of the council must bring to bear their wealth of experience on new assignment.

He assured them that the remaining commissioner nominees yet to be screened would be cleared by the House of Assembly soon and inaugurated at the appropriate time. Of the 14 commissioners sworn in, two are women while eight are members of the dissolved cabinet. In the new postings announced by the governor, Mr. Nasara Dan Mallam was returned as Commissioner for Justice; Hajia Fatima Madugu retained the Ministry of Education while Zakari Jikantoro was also retained in the Ministry of Local Government. Dr. Mustapha Jibrin was also returned and retained in the Ministry of Health.

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Clark Bemoans FG’s Neglect of ljaw Land Dickson preaches Ijaw unity Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Ijaw national leader and former Federal Commissioner, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday alleged that the federal government has neglected the Ijaw people. The nonagenarian urged the present administration to right the wrongs done to the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta in the past, insisting that successive governments had treated the ethnic group unfairly. Clark, according to the Special

Adviser on Media Relations to Governor Seriake Dickson, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, made the call when he hosted the governor who led a delegation of Bayelsa State Government officials and Ijaw leaders to the country home of the ijaw leader in Kiagbodo, Delta State. Also present at the event were Prof. John Pepper Clark, the Bolowei of Gbaramatu Kingdo; Chief Wellington Okrika, President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Pereotubo

Senate Minority Leader Denies Plan to Leave PDP

Endorses Udom Emmanuel for second term Okon Bassey in Uyo The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has denied any plan to defect to another political party Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district held at the Independent Hall in Abak Local Government Area of the state, Akpabio emphasised that it was not true that he was quitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He however noted that Ikot Ekpene senatorial district is a positive force and influence in the state which has always contributed immensely to the rapid growth and development of the state. Calling for all hands to be on deck in working towards the total transformation of the state, Akpabio urged the people to remain united and focused in order to achieve the laudable developmental ideals and agenda of the PDP. The former state governor equally enjoined the people to continue in their support for the success of the government of Governor Udom Emmanuel for the overall transformation

of the state. He used the forum to announce the formal endorsement of Emmanuel for second term in office. “Here and now, we, the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district, all stand to formally endorse Governor Emmanuel for another term in office in 2019 in view of his remarkable leadership,” Akpabio stated. Senate Minority Leader thanked the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, for hosting and giving them a sense of belonging and political direction. The deputy governor, who hosted the meeting, called on leaders and stakeholders of the PDP in the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district of the state to remain steadfast in their support for the administration of Emmanuel in ensuring even development in the state. He said the meeting became imperative in view of the need to sustain the platform for interaction with the people of the senatorial district as well as offer government the much needed opportunity for feedbacks from the people.

2019: Groups Intensify Calls for Yuguda to Re-contest Bauchi South Senate seat Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Groups of individuals have intensified calls for former Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isah Yuguda, to re-contest for the seat of the Bauchi South senatorial district on the platform of the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN). One of the groups, Dangarba Volunteer Group, yesterday paid a courtesy visit to the state party secretariat to express it support for the former governor to heed the calls by groups and individuals to contest for the Senate seat. Yuguda had earlier contested for the Bauchi South senatorial seat in 2015 after his eight-year tenure as governor. He however lost to Senator Ali Wakili of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking on the visit yesterday in Bauchi, leader of the group, Alhaji Dangarba Magaji, said they came to rally

more support for the former governor to re-contest for the seat because they are hopeful that he will deliver more dividends of democracy to the people. According to him, members of the group have embarked on a massive campaign to canvass support for the governor in every nook and cranny of the seven local government areas of Bauchi South senatorial district. In his welcome address, the state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Sani Mohammed Bura, commended the group for their support to the former governor and their call for him to serve his people. He assured them that members of the party would work towards convincing Yuguda to contest for the Bauchi South senatorial seat. Highlight of the visit was the donation of a car by a member of the group to help in logistics to canvass support for the former governor.

Oweilaemi, and a former Delta State PDP Chairman, Chief Pius Sinebe. Others were: Mr. Fred Agbedi and Douye Diri of the House of Representatives from Bayelsa State the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Konbowei Benson; his deputy, Abraham Ngobere, Assembly members, commissioners and traditional rulers. Clark prayed for a change of attitude from the federal government in the new year, noting that the authorities at the federal level must appreciate the Ijaw people for their contribution to the national economy. “This new year will touch the heart of the Federal Government that the Ijaw people have been neglected for too long. Something has to be done for them. We want actual appreciation, something has to be done for us,” he said. He hailed the governor for

fighting the Ijaw cause and contributing to its development, especially in the education sector with the introduction of free primary and secondary school education in the state. “You are the man who speaks for us. When you speak, we are very proud of you. I listened to the governor in 2012 when he declared an emergency in education and I was waiting to see what that meant. “Recently, he invited me to Bayelsa State to see what he has done; he invited General Gowon and his wife. And what I saw in the field of education, if I don’t say it publicly I will be doing harm to myself,” he added. In his remarks, the governor said the led the delegation to Kiagbodo on a Christmas and New Year visit to Pa Clark and other top Ijaw leaders in the country. Dickson said the visit was also

partly motivated by the need to consult the Ijaw leaders on issues of urgent importance to the Ijaw nation. He called for more unity in all the segments of the Ijaw movements especially the IYC. “We will consult on other issues of urgent importance both at the level of Ijaw nation, and the larger Nigerian nation. So apart from bringing seasons greetings and warm felicitations to our leader and our fathers, I am also here to consult our leader because we have an urgent task to put the Ijaw Nation together. “We have an urgent duty to put the all sections and components of the Ijaw movement together. And so I want to make a public call for unity at all level, I call for unity in the IYC. “I want to see greater unity and greater display of dedication at all level in the course of

service to our people. I call for support as we move together to reposition the Ijaw nation as we move forward,” he said. Dickson had earlier yesterday called on all political leaders regardless of their political leanings to forge a common front in tackling issues bordering on security and the overall development of the state. He spoke when Benson, Speaker of the State assembly, led the leadership and members to pay a new year visit to him at his country home in Toru Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area. Benson had said he led the leadership and members of the assembly to pay a new year visit to the governor to felicitate with him in the spirit of the festive season. “The visit at such a festive period is to seek ways of continually promoting good governance for the welfare and wellbeing of Bayelsans,” he said.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Indigenes of Benue State protesting frequent killings in the state by Fulani herdsmen in Makurdi ....yesterday

Ambode Unveils 12-man Board to Boost Ease of Doing Business Laments incessant infractions of consumer rights Gboyega Akinsanmi Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday inaugurated a 12-man board to steer the state Consumer Protection Agency (LSCOPA), which he said had become imperative to complement its reforms on the ease of doing business in the state. Consequently, the governor explained his decision to constitute the 12-man board, which according to him, resulted from the highest reported cases of daily infractions on the consumer rights the state had recorded in the ranking of sub-Sahara African states. He expressed the concern at the inauguration of the LSCOPA board at the State House Ikeja yesterday alongside the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Adeniji

Kazeem. At the inauguration, Ambode named Mrs. Olufunmilola Falana as the Chairman of the board, Mrs. Ajoke Olugbode as General Manager, Mr. Jacobs Oduyebo as the secretary, Mrs. Sola Salako Ajulo (member), Mr. Femi Awogbami (member), Mrs. Toki Mabogunje (member) and Dr. Modupeola Adeleke (member) among others. Ambode explained that the agency was designed “to complement our reforms on the ease of doing business in the state especially as it affects the development of the industrial, commercial and consumer satisfaction value chain.” He added that the agency would be an effective service centre for the protection of the interests of consumers, settlement of consumer disputes and for other connected

purposes as enshrined in the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency Law, 2014. The governor, thus, said his administration had taken another giant stride to guarantee the welfare of the good people of Lagos State on a sustainable basis with the inauguration of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency. He said the establishment of the agency “is a strong demonstration of our commitment to the protection of the rights of consumers, the promotion of consumer satisfaction in the State and our resolve to ensure that they get value for money spent on goods and services. “The need for the agency has become more imperative in view of the fact that Lagos State, with its huge population provides the largest commercial market in sub-Sahara Africa, with

the highest reported cases of daily infractions on the consumer rights,” he explained. He justified the appointment of the board members, noting that its members “have been carefully selected both from private and public sectors based on their impeccable character, remarkable track records, experience on the subject matter and passion for the job. Ambode, thus, charged the board members “to be dutiful and nurture this new agency to become an institution that will guarantee timely delivery of effective services to aggrieved consumers in Lagos State.” He also urged Lagos residents “to utilise this alternative commercial dispute mechanism that will guarantee reduced time for the resolution of consumer related cases.”

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Don’t Blame N’Assembly for Delay in 2018 Budget Passage, Says Adeola Femi Ogbonnikan In Abeokuta Senator Solomon Adeola representing Lagos West has exonerated the National Assembly of any blame over the delay in the passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill. Fielding questions from journalists at his Ilaro home in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, recently he laid the blame over the delay in the passage of the budget on the

doorsteps of the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). According to him, “We are not far behind in the passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill. But let me make some clarifications here on the issue of the budget delay. You can see we were working round the clock to ensure that by last December 21 we were able to make headway, if possible for the first time, in the history of our country we could pass the budget in record time. “But as it is now, the

documentations- facts and figures that we need to scrutinise all the items of the transactions-both in the recurrent and capital expenditure, as contained in that documents, have not been given to us by these MDAs. The attitude of these various MDAs is nothing to write home about, because it is when they are prepared to

defend these documentations that those figures, as contained in that documents, that we will be looking at the record to pass this budget. “But since we don’t have these documentations and the figures to work with, it will be difficult for us at the National Assembly to do anything. However, the

government has submitted its proposals and policies in numerical terms, called budget.” However, the senator noted that the option left out to look at in the 2018 Appropriation bill is to critically analyse the over N7 trillion budget as proposed by the president, whether it will be achievable or

not, stressing that, that can only come to realisation when right documentations are submitted to the National Assembly. “If we are going to pass the 2018 budget in a record term, there is need for us to know the 2017 budget performance. So, we need all documentation to back everything up,” he stated.

Boards Appointment: Akintola Congratulates Ajimobi, Oyo Appointees Legal practitioner and leading aspirant for Oyo State governorship ticket in the forthcoming general election, Chief Adeniyi Akintola, (SAN), has congratulated the state governor, Senator Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi, on recent appointments of indigenes of the state and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into boards of federal parastatals and agencies. In the list released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha those appointed as chairmen are a former deputy governor to the late former governor Lamidi Adesina, Iyiola Oladokun, National Environment Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency) late Lam’s personal assistant, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Professor Adeolu Akande, Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, ex-president of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) Chief Bayo Oyero, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, amongst others. Akintola in a statement made available to journalists lauded the initiative of Ajimobi for rewarding men and women of impeccable integrity from the state. He further noted that the appointments “reflect the governor’s character as a man of principle non vengeance seeking fellow who believes in fairness, merit and appreciation of the political and geographical arithmetic of our most noble and largest state, south of Nigeria.’’ The statement read in part: “I send my sincere congratulations to

all my compatriots and fellow Oyo State indigenes especially Iyiola Oladokun, our leader from Ibadan land, Chief Bayo Oyero, my brothers and friends, Professor Adeolu Akande, Fatai Ibikunle, Zacheus Adelabu, Dr. Wale Okediran, Sister Lanre Otiti, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun and all others who have been graciously acknowledged and rewarded by our forward looking, fair minded and progressive leader, His Excellency , Aare Senator Ishaq Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi. ‘No doubt the list reflect the governor’s character as a man of principle non vengeance seeking fellow who believe in fairness, merit and appreciation of the political and geographical arithmetic of our most noble and largest state, south of Nigeria. “I have always been restating the fact that only the best is good for Oyo State and that there is enough for everybody’s need but not enough for everybody’s greed. ‘’Let us cooperate with our dynamic and forward looking governor who has graciously moved the governance of Oyo State beyond pedestrian level of the illiterates by the illiterates for the enlightened. “Now that it has pleased Almighty God to bless us with government of the literates by the literates for the enlightened as personified by Governor Ajimobi and his lieutenants in government, it is in the interest of all of us to sustain the legacies of Aare Ajimobi, build on the foundation he has laid for the good of the good people of the state and look forward with brighter hope for the future.”

Police Arrest 14 over Ibadan Violence The Oyo State Police Command yesterday said it had arrested 14 suspects in connection with the violence which occurred at Oke-Ado area of Ibadan between two warring groups. The police spokesman in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan yesterday that peace had also been brought to the troubled area following the deployment of policemen to the area. He said the command was currently investigating the incident, which began on Tuesday, in order to ascertain the circumstances that led to the clash. Ajisebutu, who said he was yet to ascertain the casualty figure, disclosed that the Police

Commissioner in the state, Abiodun Odude, had ensured that normalcy was restored in the area. NAN reported that properties worth millions of naira were destroyed while several houses were burgled as suspected hoodlums from Foko and Itamaya areas of Ibadan unleashed terror in Oke-Ado area of Ibadan metropolis. Relics from burgled houses, shops, burnt tricycles, commercial motorcycles, broken bottles and pieces of wood from chairs and tables littered the streets. The crisis paralysed business activities in the affected areas as residents fled their houses while shop owners kept their shops locked.

SECURITY ALERT

Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (third from right), flanked by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo (left); Commander of 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Major General Ibrahim Garba (right) with other government officials and security personnel, at the Obu mine site in Okpella, Edo State, where they arrested officials of BUA International Limited for violating a stop-work-order.... yesterday

Masquerades Don’t Drive Cars, Kogi Gov Replies Faleke Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has said that masquerades are extra-terrestrial beings and as such, do not drive cars. Hon. James Faleke, the running mate to the late Abubakar Audu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 21, 2017, election in Kogi State, had last Tuesday accused the governor of donating six Toyota Venza cars and cash gifts of N2million each to masquerades. Speaking through his Director General on Media and Publicity, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, yesterday in Lokoja, Bello said he was shocked that Faleke could make such claims. According to him, “Yesterday, I

received a call from a friend who resides in Lagos. After the New Year banters, my friend cleared his throat so mischievously that I instantly knew he was up to something sinister. “He said: ‘But Kingsley, why are your masquerades in Kogi State are so expensive? “Who told you Kogi masquerades are expensive my friend? My late grandfather was a leading ‘Aworo’ (masquerades’ custodian), so I know a bit of the mystery of masquerades. In Kogi, masquerades are not expensive’ “My friend said his representative in the House of Representatives, Chief James Abiodun Faleke, had told the world that the state governor donated posh cars and millions of naira to masquerades!

“I was shocked. Even if Faleke is a Lagosian, he was born and brought up in Kogi State. His community, Ekinrin Adde, parades some masquerades that boast of cultural artistry and finesse. “I was forced to harmlessly ask my friend if Eeyo drives posh cars on the streets of Lagos. Brother Faleke, masquerades are extra-terrestrial beings. They do not drive cars.” He further stated that “the governor went to celebrate an important festival with his people. He loves his people. He has always been with his people. He is a proud Anebira who would not trade his place of birth on the altar of political desperation.” The governor’s aide further accused Faleke of spreading

falsehood about the Bello-led administration. “The Kogi State story will always be laden with the desperation of falsehood merchants who are more interested in misinformation and character assassination. “The administration of Bello is poised to rebound our state and consolidate his gains of the last two years. We have serious business to do here. Kogi State is our baby, so we won’t allow any knife on it. “You went to the villa to report the governor that he was de-marketing the party in the state. But in the past few weeks, thousands came out to declare support for the governor. Your frustration is understood, but please stop sinking further. We love you!”

Kidnappers of Nursing Officer Reduce Ransom to N1m Okon Bassey in Uyo Kidnappers of a senior nursing officer in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Effiong Ekereke, have reduced the ransom demanded for her release from N10 million to N1 million The nurse who is the wife of a senior official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the local government area, Mr. Effiong Ekereke, was kidnapped by armed men on the New Year day. Sources said Mrs. Ekereke was

abducted in her home at Ikot Akpankuk with the ransom now put at N1 million instead of N10 million earlier demanded due to lack of cash. According to family sources, the hoodlums decided to kidnap Mrs. Ekereke since her husband could not be reached. “It has become the usual practice here for leaders of criminal gangs to send letters to prospective targets, mostly civil servants, businessmen and politicians, demanding certain amount of money or be attacked or kidnapped for ransom,” a local

vigilante, Etim Umoh, said. A Principal of Community Secondary School, Nkek, a suburb of Ukanafun Local Government Area, was gruesomely murdered last year “for refusing to pay N1million to a group of gangsters.” Reacting to spate of kidnappings in the area, the new State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, said he would do his best to sustain peace in Ukanfun and the Etim Ekpo axis. Ogunjemilusi who reported to his duty post last Wednesday

promised to reform the operational strategies of some departments in the police including anti-cultism, anti-kidnapping, anti-robbery, State Intelligence Bureau and Quick Response Squads in order to be in good stead to combat crimes. He vowed “to make the state the safest in Nigeria,” assuring the people that the morale of the personnel would be raised through attractive welfare packages. “Let me therefore warn that tough time awaits criminal elements in the state. The command will make it very difficult for you to succeed,” the CP warned.

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N500m Alleged Fraud: Supreme Court Affirms Ikuforiji, Aide’s Trial

The Supreme Court has upheld a Court of Appeal decision which set aside the ruling of a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court

that cleared former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and Oyebode Atoyebi, of money laundering

In Readiness for 2018, Ex-Speaker Dumps PDP for APC in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti In preparation for the 2018 governorship poll in Ekiti State, a former Speaker of the old Ondo State House of Assembly, Chief Femi Akinyemi, has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State. Akinyemi, who is a close ally of former Governor, Segun Oni, formally joined APC in his Unit 001, Usi-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area with his supporters. He was the chairman of Local Government Service Commission in Oni’s government. Briefing his supporters, Akinyemi said what fascinated him to the party was the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying: “The president’s zero tolerance for corruption is the precursor to restoring the country’s lost glory.” He added that the governorship ambition of Oni further stimulated his interest to join the APC, urging

the party to give his followers a sense of belonging and recognition. “Well, it’s a matter of choice; I know somebody that I have worked with very closely and that is Governor Oni. “He is planning to come back and I see some genuineness about development in both human and others in him, and I feel I should join hands with him and give him some support. “I hardly criticise any government because we are all human, but I hope Oni takes over from the incumbent so that dividends of democracy will reach the commonest in the society.” Receiving the defectors, the APC Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye, said the new comers would be accorded same privilege as old members. She urged Akinyemi and his supporters to work hard to win more members and ensure the victory of the party in their wards and local government area in the forthcoming governorship poll.

charges. In a ruling delivered by Inyang Okoro, a judge, the apex court held that that appellate court was right in declaring that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established a prima facie case against Mr. Atoyebi, an aide to Ikuforiji. Meanhile, the apex court will deliver a separate ruling on Ikuforiji’s application on January 15, Premium Times has learnt. The Lagos Division of the Appeal Court had in November 2016 also ordered that a fresh trial be commenced before another judge other than Ibrahim Buba, the Federal High Court judge who had handled the case. Justice Buba had on September 26, 2014, discharged Messrs. Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of a 54-amended count charge of conspiracy and laundering the sum of N500 million belonging to the assembly. The EFCC said the cash payments were above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act without going through a financial institution.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d) and 16(1d) of Money Laundry Act, MLA, 2004 and 2011. The trial judge, who discharged the Speaker and Atoyebi, while ruling on a no-case submission filed by the accused persons, held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Godwin Obla, filed the notice of appeal dated September 30, 2014. Obla asked the Court of Appeal to hold that Justice Buba erred in law when he held that counts two to 48 were incompetent because they were filed pursuant to Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act in 2011. The EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011 only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than government. The commission also submitted

that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents. Following the decision of the Appeal Court against them, Messrs Ikuforiji and Atoyebi headed to the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the ruling. According to the grounds of appeal (nine in total) filed by Atoyebi before the apex court, the Court of Appeal “misdirected themselves in law” by concluding that his preliminary objection challenging the competence of some of the charges leant more on technicalities than substantial justice. Atoyebi also stated that the appellate court erred in law when it held that Ikuforiji, who was the Speaker of the House at the time, was an individual in his dealings with him. He further stated that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it held that there were no material contradictions in the evidence led by the EFCC witnesses as to render their

evidence unreliable. “The findings of fact by Buba (judge) which was not appealed against found that there was an admission against interest in the evidence of prosecution witness,” said Atoyebi. “The trial court found that ‘both the evidence in chief and one extracted under cross examination of PW2 constitute an admission against the prosecution. The conclusion of the Court of Appeal amount to a review when there was no appeal against findings.” But in its response, the EFCC held that the provisions of the Money Laundering Act are “clear as day.” “There is no requirement of guilty mind or knowledge being part of the offence,” the commission stated in its brief before the Supreme Court. “The source of the cash payment is immaterial. As aptly held by the lower court, once the cash paid or accepted by either an individual or a body corporate without passing through financial institution is above the threshold amount, the offence is completed.”

2019: Umahi Endorses Lawmaker for Third Term Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, has endorsed member representing Ohaozara/ Onicha/Ivo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Okorie, for the third term, appealing to the people of old Ohaozara political bloc to drop their ambition for senatorial position of the South zone in 2019. Umahi made the appeal yesterday at his country home in Umunaga Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state when the people of Onicha Local Government Area paid him a new year homage. He noted that it would be unfair and unjust for the old Ohaozara bloc to have him and a Senator at the same time while Old Afikpo bloc in the zone would be left with nothing. However, to further placate his bloc, the governor approved the reelection of the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Obasi Odefa, and member representing Onicha West for the fourth and third terms respectively. The Ohaozara political bloc comprises Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Local Government Areas while Old Afikpo bloc comprises Afikpo South and Afikpo North Local Government Areas in the southern senatorial zone of the state. Umahi therefore appealed to all political gladiators from the old Ohaozara who have been angling for the position to shelve their ambitions and support his reelection as governor in 2019, noting that his people would benefit more in having him reelected as governor than producing a senator for the zone. Though the senatorial position

has been ceded to the people of Afikpo bloc who currently hold the seat, THISDAY gathered that the incumbent, Senator Sunny Ogborji, would be dropped due to his alleged romance and defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor added that he took the decision to allow for their reelection in realisation of the fact that all the affected politicians alongside himself came on the platform of ‘Divine Mandate’, stating that it would be unfair and against the spirit of peace to drop any of them in 2019. He also stated that the decision would lessen their fights during the campaigns and the elections proper and also brighten their Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, with social media influencers at the Government House Port Harcourt....Tuesday. chances of victory. Umahi assured the people that in 2023, he would bow out together with all the state and national assembly members who have served two terms and above and allow new people to take shots at the positions. am directed to refer to the letter denied him/her while he/she was was given. Adibe Emenyonu in Benin He said: “I have noticed that City This however generated fisticuffs from the Deputy Chief of Staff to interdicted or suspended. some people from Ohaozara are When contacted however, as a private cameraman who was the Vice President, Ref No SH/ positioning for Senate in 2019. But A mild drama played out yesterday there to record the event was OVP/DCOS/LGR&C/FMOH/208 the Public Relations Officer of let me remind us that Afikpo even at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric prevented from doing so and in dated 28th August, 2017 on the the hospital, Efe Stewart, said though they have only two local Hospital, Uselu, Benin City, when the melee, one of the affected staff, above subject and to convey the the hospital was not aware of government areas, is a zone of its 10 staff of the hospital who were Dr. Charles Ikeji, sustained some Ministry’s approval to the immediate any such letter. own just like Ohaozara. Therefore, on suspension and dismissal since injuries. He said: “Their claim is reinstatement of Dr. A.O.Lawan and in true spirit of fairness and equity, 2014 stormed the hospital armed The presidency sometime in 10 others, who were suspended/ unfounded because they are it would be unfair for the zone to with a letter reinstating them from November last year, directed that dismissed from the services of the people that have criminal cases have both the governor and the the presidency. 10 staff who were either dismissed hospital on 11th November 2014. in court. One of them was very senator at the same time. “You are also directed to restore recently arraigned for fraud. For The affected workers arrived the or suspended should be recalled to “I am begging that let us lessen premises of the hospital at about 9; the service of the hospital. the following benefits: The prompt embezzling money belonging our fights by allowing things to 20 am and went into the premises The letter which was dated payment of their outstanding to the Psychiatric Hospital take its proper courses. We have where they held consultation among November 24th 2017, with reference 2013 promotion arrears, arrears Cooperative. A child that has been much more to gain in retaining themselves, before going into the number LA/80/15/T1/62 and of relativity and their withheld put to birth, can you abort it? As the governor than producing a office of the Secretary of Head of addressed to the Medical Director, salaries up to date by virtue of I speak with you, I am not aware senator. What I have done in Department where they were told Dr. Sunday Olotu, of the hospital Public Service Rules (PSR) 030404 of any letter, if the ministry directed Ohaozara, no senator can do it. that management of the hospital was signed by Director, Human (iv) which states that if confirmed that they should be reinstated, then So am appealing to us and to was not aware of such letter. Resource Management, Halad Keana than an officer is not guilty of the who is Psychiatric hospital to say those who are supporting me Spokesman of the 10, Dr. for the Honourable Minister, Federal charge made against him/her, the no, so they should go back and genuinely to queue behind my Ambrose Lawani, said they decided Ministry of Health. affected officer shall immediately complain to the same ministry and reelection and leave the Senate to go and resume after waiting for The letter titled, Re: Plea for our be reinstated and shall receive the not coming to enter the hospital to for Afikpo bloc.” over one month since the directive immediate reinstatement reads; “I full amount of his/her emoluments foment trouble.”

ENDORSEMENT

Tension at Uselu Psychiatric Hospital over Resumption of 10 Staff

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Muazu Assumes Duty as Permanent Secretary, Mines and Steel Development Ministry Kasim Sumaina and Tayo Olaleye in Abuja Dr. Abdukadir Muazu, yesterday assumed duty as the new Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Muazu, who replaces Alhaji Muhammed Abbas, who retired after attaining 35 years in service promised to build on the achievement of his predecessor. In his acceptance speech in Abuja, the new Permanent Secretary, stated that he is happy to assume office even as he seeks the

cooperation of staff of the ministry. According to him, “As Mohammed Abbas noted in his handing over notes, the achievements could not have been possible without the conducive and harmonious working relationship that existed within the high level management of the ministry as well as the support and cooperation of top management and staff. “We must continue to build and work together to assist and support the honourable minister and the minister of state and their determined effort to rejuvenate the mining sector and managed it as

one of the key drivers of our nation’s economic diversification.” I will maintain an open door policy and try to carry everybody along .I will try to listen not only to what I want to hear but also what I need to hear. I urge you to kindly endeavour to tell me not only what I want to hear but also what I need to hear. Muazu said, “As public servants, we shall at all-time be conscious of the fundamentals and core values of the service,

honesty, accountability, loyalty, integrity and incorruptibility. “We are required to play by the rules and as top management we all know the rules. We will strive to play by the rules and be fair to the system and the country. We are all serving a government that is pursuing fundamental reforms in both public service and the 3 years strategic plan approved by FEC and socio economic sectors with the ERGP and Executive Orders.

We must all be the change agents to assist government to achieve its policies and programs.” He added that: “We must also try to take the welfare of our staff very seriously. Our human resource is our most important resource and we shall try to make the environment under which we walk as conducive as possible. “I will study the handing over note and in the coming week take briefs from head of departments and units in order to get familiarised

with the workings of the ministry. Continuing, he said: “I therefore wish to use this opportunity to ask for your support and cooperation as I settle down to learn and lead. I’m aware that I have a lot of learning to do. I am ready to listen and learn so that together we can support the Chief Executive to achieve the noble ambition and objectives of the road map for the growth and development of the Nigerian Mining Industry aptly tagged “on the road to shared Mining Prosperity.”

Etche LGA APC Chairman Resigns, Defects to PDP The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Etche Local Government Area in Rivers State, Chief Musa Elekwa, has resigned his membership of the APC with immediate effect. The Etche APC Chairman has also formally joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a letter to the Rivers State APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ikanya, dated January 3, 2017 titled: ‘Resignation of Membership of APC’, Elekwa said he was rejoining PDP because the party has kept faith with the people through projects delivery. The letter read: “I have decided willingly to renounce my membership of APC and relinquish my office as LGA party chairman and go back to my parent party, the PDP as a prodigal son. “The PDP in Rivers State has kept faith with the people and kept its campaign promises. “Considering the colossal failure of the APC to keep to its promises

and persistent battle with conscience for betraying the people of Rivers State, I am compelled to make this decision and set my conscience free. I cannot again mislead the people of Etche and indeed the people of Rivers State.” He said after close to three years in power, the people of Etche have not seen any positive change as they have been neglected. Elekwa said that all the promises made to the people of Etche by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, have not been fulfilled. He stated that instead, Wike has executed key projects in the area and empowered the people. He said he defected because of the excellent works of the governor and the performance of the Member Representing Etche/ Omuma Federal Constituency, Chief Jerome Eke. He prayed the APC to accept his resignation in good faith without any mudslinging.

Patients High Debt Profile Worries UBTH Mgt Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Chief Medical Director, (CMD), University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Dr. Darlington Obaseki, has raised the alarm over high debts owed by patients who were treated at the hospital, even as he said the hospital gave a waiver of N35million between JanuaryDecember, 2017 to patients who could not pay. Obaseki stated this in Benin City, at the celebration of his 50th birthday, “We did a lot of waivers to patients, when we found that the situation is getting worse due to the general economic situation. Most patients can’t pay their bills and we can´t turn people back”. According to him, “As at December 2017, we gave waiver of over N35million bills owed by patients and that is a lot of money that we don’t have. But we consider that as part of our contributions to the society. It is a big problem that so many people cannot afford hospital bills and we cannot turn people back. We have to provide services to people and we are finding a way to do that¨. On how his administration ended the strike action by staff of the hospital, Obaseki explained that when he came on board, he noticed there was general despondency and

demoralised workforce in UBTH. “WE just realised that the first action should be to lift the moral of the workers. We spoke to them and assured them that what is due to them will be given to them. We made them realise that the new management team, our priority will be staff welfare. We kept telling them and we have demonstrated this in the past five, six months. We are happy that the staff are happy with us today.” “We will go the extra mile to make them happy because that is the key to motivate them. My dream is that in the next four years of my tenure we will not experience any local strike and we hope to actualise that. We have started on a good note. “We met a fragile system, yes the system was functional but fragile. When I say fragile, I mean, when there is any little disruption like when a generator breaks down the system crumbles. When citiscan breaks down, everybody goes out to do citiscan. But we said it should not be so. “For a hospital as big as UBTH, we expect to have backups in the event that one is down. We have succeeded in doing that because that is one of the major issues we inherited. We are hoping to get more funds to get more of these equipment, he stated.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE

L-R: District Governor, Lions Clubs International District 404B1, Oyewole Oyewunmi; Executive Chairman, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Hon. Bashur Oladele Adeniji; Chairperson Diabetes Awareness Committee, Dr. Juliet Jolaoluwa Opaleye; Vice Chairman Ado Odo/Ota Local Govt, Hon Ojugbele; and Secretary to the Local Government, Hon. Wale Dada, during the commemoration of the World Diabetes Day/Road Awareness Campaign/Lecture of Lions Clubs International District 404B1, in Ota, Ogun State...recently

A’Ibom Police Boss Berates Nigerians for Calling for Disbandment of SARS Okon Bassey in Uyo The newly posted Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, has condemned those calling for the disbandment of the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) in the country, saying the unit remained relevant to the overall success of the police in combating violent crimes. In his maiden press briefing yesterday at the Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan-abia, Ogunjemilusi described those calling for disbandment of SARS as not well informed. He admitted that re-organisation of the unit and other tactical units of the command for better service delivery remained a priority for him in line with the guidelines being

implemented by the Inspector General of Police (IG). According to the state police boss, the unit remained the only arm of the police that contain violent crimes, assuring the people that the IG who has already set up a committee to reform the unit and remained desirous of an overall improved security architecture for the country. “Nigerians calling for the disbandment of SARS have not suffered violent crimes. You can imagine how you will feel when you lose a loved one overnight to criminals. So I believe they are doing so out of ignorance. “SARS is useful, but needs reorganisation to make it better. Instead of disbanding them, Nigerians should even call for a special fund for them and their families.

“They should have an improved condition of service because they are the most attacked of all the police units,” he stressed. The commissioner, who promised an improved welfare for officers and men of the force, however warned that such would not be an excuse for extortion, adding that the police code of conduct should remain the guide for all officers and men of the force. On efforts to contain the recent jail break at Ikot Ekpene prisons, he noted that security has been beefed up at the facility in collaboration with other security agencies while some of the convicts who escaped have been arrested. He said the command would build on the existing cordial relationship between it and the public

for improved security in the area and work with the government to create an enabling environment for job and wealth creation, industrialisation and constructive engagement of the youths. “It is therefore my vision to make Akwa Ibom the safest state in the country. To that effect, I have reviewed the security architecture of the state and had brainstorming sessions with my principal officers to reposition the command for effective service delivery. “The command under my watch will be guided by three principals of integrity, professionalism and quality service delivery. This is in line with the vision of the IG. This is also in tandem with the vision of the state government,” he added.

Niger Delta People Prays for Yusuf Buhari’s Recovery Sylvester Idowu in Warri The people of Niger Delta under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) yesterday prayed for the speedy recovery of Yusuf, son of President Muhammadu Buhari. Yusuf is currently under intensive care following injuries he sustained in a motobike accident.

Coordinating Secretary, PANDEF, Dr. Alfred Mulade, in a statement last night in Warri, however, expressed shocks and disbelief at the bike accident Yusuf was involved in. The group also sympathised with wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari, over the incident, praying God to strengthen her and as well grant Yusuf quick recovery.

“The leadership of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) received news of the near fatal motor bike accident involving Mr. Yusuf Buhari, son of President Muhammadu Buhari, with utter shock and disbelief. “Like all well-meaning Nigerians, PANDEF wishes to use this opportunity to sympathise with President Buhari and his

entire family, including the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, over the unfortunate incident. “Similarly, on behalf of the good people of the Niger Delta region, PANDEF prays for the speedy recovery of Yusuf, and guidance and protection for the first family of our dear country, Nigeria. Whilst wishing them a glorious new year, 2018,” the statement added.

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Stop the Senseless Killings, HURIWA Tells Buhari Condemns failure to declare armed Fulani herdsmen as terrorists A foremost pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation in Nigeria, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has expressed worry that armed freelance killers and herdsmen are having field days killing, maiming and destroying lives and property of citizens without the relevant armed security forces and the governments adopting measures to bring it to an end. HURIWA expressed shock that at all levels of government, public office holders are careless about the rampaging attacks and senseless killings of ordinary citizens by armed Fulani herdsmen “probably because the Nigerian state spends a fortune at public expenses to provide all round security to the political class.” The group said the next electioneering year may be bloody unless the Nigerian and various state governments adopt proactive approach to crime prevention and control. HURIWA therefore called on

President Muhammadu Buhari and the state governors of the major flashpoints of incessant attacks such as Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Kwara and Kogi States to brace up to the challenges of carrying out their primary constitutional duties of protecting lives and property of Nigerians as well as ensure that the armed mass murderers are brought to effective justice. The rights group said the refusal and/or failure of the President Buhari to proclaim armed Fulani herdsmen as terrorists is a violation of his constitutional oath of office not to allow his personal interest to interfere with the discharge of his constitutional obligations to Nigerians of all affiliations. It said the “overwhelming public perception is that the rampaging armed Fulani herdsmen are allowed by the relevant armed security forces and even allegedly aided to carry out these carefully choreographed

and coordinated pogroms of mostly Christian dominated communities in all parts of Nigeria in the guise of fighting for grazing rights only because President Buhari is not just a Fulani by ethnicity but is said to be the national patron of the association of Fulani herdsmen. HURIWA, through its

National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, condemned the strange killings going on in “Rivers State in circumstances that can at best be described as shrouded in high wire plots from external forces to instigate a state of unrests in order to justify the calls

by some agents of darkness for emergency declaration to crumble the only strategic state headed by an opposition party Governor, Nyesom Wike.” HURIWA also condemned what it termed as clear display of partisanship by the officers and operatives of the much criticised Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS

in Rivers State just as it has asked the National Assembly to investigate all the violence and mass murders thathaveoccurredacrossNigeriacarried out by the Nigerian Police Force and SARS to be specific, including the recent killings of some youngsters in Cross Rivers State who allegedly had minor disagreement with the state Commissioner for Agriculture.

DPR Seals 80 Petrol Stations in Delta More than 80 petrol filling stations have been shut in Delta State for selling above official price and hoarding. The stations were sealed by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Warri Zonal Office, since fuel scarcity begun in December, 2017. Mr. Antai Asuquo, the Warri Zonal Operations Controller, said yesterday in Warri that the filling stations were sealed in Warri, Ughelli, Sapele, Isoko and Asaba. Asuquo, who led a group of surveillance team to Asaba, said that aside from selling above the government approved price of N145 per litre, and operators always absconded on sighting DPR officials. “DPR has sealed over 80 filling stations since the fuel scarcity began last month. “Those we sealed are because they refused to dispense at the government approved price of N145 per litre and those that abandoned their retail outlets on sighting our personnel. “Today, we have been to many

LAWAL KAITA BURIED Aruwan, spokesman of the governor, said: “Alhaji Lawal Kaita was a quintessential and courageous leader who served the old Kaduna state meritoriously with dedication and commitment in the course of “As an elected governor of the old Kaduna State, he contributed immensely to the development, unity and progress of the old state. “Alhaji Kaita was a patriot and a role model for present and future leaders. May Allah grant his soul Aljanna Firdausi and comfort his immediate family.” On its part, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC said Kaita would be remembered for his courageous and principled lifestyle. “We express our deep condolences to his family, government, Katsina Emirate

filling stations in Asaba; one actually abandoned his station and we sealed the facilities because they have an equivalent product of 30,000 litres. “We will revisit the station to ensure that appropriate sanction is melted out on the owner. “We also saw stations selling above the approved pump price; we compelled them to sell at the regulated pump price,” he said. Asuquo advised petroleum marketers not to purchase fuel if they knew that they could not sell at the regulated price of N145 per litre. “It is our intention to keep monitoring the products and price; we will also ensure that the products are not sold to the third party. “Overtime, we have observed that some depots sell to third parties and they add their margin and that affects the ultimate price,” he said. Asuquo, who said that the federal government was doing everything to ease the fuel problem, also advised marketers not to dispense fuel to people with jerry cans.

MERITORIOUS RETIREMENT

L-R: Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Hon Abubakar Bawa Bwari: Wife of the celebrant, Hajia Abass; former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mohammed Abass; and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; during a sendforth event organised by the ministry commemorating Abass’ retirement from the service after attaining the mandatory 35 years …in Abuja....recently

Cleric Hails Ugwuanyi on 2018 Budget Proposal

Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma has commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for presentating a “realistic budget proposal” to the State House of Assembly for approval. Chukwuma expressed optimism that Ugwuanyi will implement to the letter the budget, which stood below N100 billion when passed into law, noting that while other states budgeted above N100 billion, Enugu State in consideration of the nation’s economic realities, presented a modest budget proposal it could implement with the lean resources at its disposal. The clergy who spoke at the IN KATSINA CEMETERY New Year prayer session held at the Government House, and people of his home state of Katsina and Kaduna state where he governed under the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) Benjamin Nworie in Abaka“The Kaita was a courageous liki and principled leader who stood firm and fearlessly canvassed causes The member representing Ikwo/ he believed in. Ezza South federal constituency in The party recalled his outstanding the House of Representatives, Hon. tenure and service as member Lazarus Ogbee, yesterday lamented of the 1994–1995 Constitutional that since President Muhammadu Conference; leader of Peoples Buhari assumed office, everything Democratic Movement (PDM) in the country has changed for which largely metamorphosed the worst, indicating that he was to the Peoples Democratic Party not competent to rule the country. (PDP) when the fourth republic was The federal lawmaker noted birthed and one of the founding that the three years of Buhari’s members of the Action Congress administration have become a waste (AC) in 2006. as it has not impacted meaningfully “Indeed, the country has lost on the lives of the people. one of its first-rate and influential Ogbe made this known while politicians who made solid interacting with journalists at his contributions to the politics, political country home at Onueke, Ebonyi party and democratic development State, urged him to wakeup to his of the country. responsibilities and improve the

Enugu, to formally usher in the commencement of work, applauded the governor for his people-oriented and inclusive leadership that has touched lives and earned him support and praises from leaders of opposition political parties in the state. He reiterated his stance on Ugwuanyi’s re-election in 2019, saying: “Anybody who says you’re not going for second term will fail”. According to him, “I am happy that APC chieftains acknowledge that you are doing well. So anybody who comes to challenge you will fail. Enugu is peaceful, no report of any upheaval, unlike other states where there were killings and pandemonium. “Enugu State is in the hands of God. I was listening to the budget proposal of Enugu State.

Other states budgeted above N100 billion each, but Enugu State budget proposal is N98.5 billion. Ugwuanyi is realistic and will implement the budget”. While thanking the governor for the passage of Child Rights Act into law, the Archbishop also commended him for the massive road projects in the rural areas to improve on the living standard of the people, especially the dwellers. He therefore, charged the civil servants in the state to display honesty and dedication and continue to support the good works of the governor. Ugwuanyi in his prayer message expressed gratitude to “the Almighty God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob and awesome God of David, for the blessings and favours He bestowed on us last year and for

the Grace we hope to receive this New Year”. The governor thanked Chukwuma, the officiating Priests and all the participants for their presence at the prayer session and also appreciated the stakeholders of the state, the civil servants, the organised labour, the clergy, market men and women and indeed the entire people of Enugu State-the true heroes of democracy- for the prayers, support, solidarity and cooperation that they have continued to accord his administration. He said that “the New Year offers us another chance to sustain the tempo of peace and good governance in the state and to rededicate ourselves to the building of a secure and viable society for the benefit of all and sundry.”

Buhari Has Failed Nigerians, Says Lawmaker lives of Nigerians. The lawmaker further urged the president to stop his blame games and do all he can in this 2018 to ensure that all his campaign promises are implemented to better the lives of Nigerians. He said: “From the speech of the president, we have been abreast again with rhetorics. Nigerians have been known as a people who prefer paper messages and doing little to the populace, most especially this administration. “From 2015 that the change mantra came into being, it has been stories and stories. 2016 came, they were still preparing for governance. 2017 came, the world stood still waiting for another chapter of governance and very soon, it will be three years of the

administration and no meaningful impact has been created on the lives of the masses. “Nearly everything in the country has changed for the worst. Is it the transportation system? The prices of transportation have skyrocketed. Is it the food items in the market? The prices have changed negatively. We pray that the president of the country should wakeup to its responsibilities. The change mantra should not be on the lips and on pages of newspaper. It should actually impact on the lives of the people positively. “The economy of the country has nosedived from what it used to be when former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over. And we cannot continue to blame the past administration.

“Government they say, is a continuum. Bring in your own ideas and those things you had in mind that you told Nigerians that you would bring to their door steps, bring it, to improve the lives of the people. That is what we are saying. “For me, I am a member of the PDP, the great PDP, and I know that if we get power back at the centre, we will give Nigerians the needed democracy dividends and they will be happy about it. “2018 is a very good year for APC to change and bring live back to Nigerians. But in all, I think they are not prepared for governance. For us in the PDP that knows how to govern a country as large as Nigeria, we will be back on the saddle of leadership,” he stressed.

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Rivers People Have Rejected Amaechi, Says Wike Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has stated that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, stands rejected by Rivers people because of his failure during his eight-year ill-fated administration. He said despite the evil machinations of the former state governor, Rivers people would continue to reject his bid to foist his boy, the defeated 2015 APC Rivers State governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, on them as his way to siphon their resources through an illegal third term. He spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt on Tuesday when he hosted social media influencers to a state dinner. He said: “Governance is not for house boys. Governance is for serious people. Rivers people will never allow Amaechi to do a third term through the backdoor by foisting his house on the state.” He berated the minister for politicising security, saying that his comments on the Omoku killings is an indictment of security heads posted to the state by the APC-led federal government. He said while his administration has never influenced the posting of any security head to the state, it has

always funded and provided logistics for security agencies more than any state government in the country. “I challenge any state government in the country to come forward to say it has provided more support for security agencies than Rivers State. “When you portray the state as insecure , you are driving away investors. No good man does that. By Amaechi’s logic, the killings all over Nigeria is being sponsored by the president,” he said. He said that while Amaechi was governor of Rivers State, all the leading construction companies like Julius Berger Plc fled the state because their personnel were kidnapped regularly. He said Amaechi resorted to the use of unqualified contractors, which led to poorly executed projects. He said as a result of improved security in the state, first class construction firms like Julius Berger Plc, CCECC and RCC are working in the state. “International conferences and seminars are back to Rivers State. This is because the people now have confidence in the security architecture of Rivers

State. During Amaechi, all the seminar and conferences moved to Akwa Ibom State,” he said. He assured that his administration will continue to invest in the security of lives and property of Rivers people. Wike commended social media practitioners for their support and their commitment to the promotion of Rivers State. While thanking them for

working for the development of Rivers State without gratification, Wike urged them to keep up the good work. He said that his administration would involve them during the third anniversary celebrations. The governor added that he would support the postgraduate education of social media influencers in Nigerian universities.

He also offered medical assistance to social media influencers with health challenges. Also speaking, Senator George Sekibo and the Member Representing Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency, Hon Jerome, lauded the social media influencers for their contributions to the development of the state. The spokesman of the Social

Media Influencers, Victor Oko Jumbo, said social media is an important tool that has been effectively deployed by the influencers to promote Rivers State and support the administration of Wike. He assured the governor of their continued support, saying that social media influencers appreciate his outstanding developmental strides.

Edo LG Poll: Aspirant Urges Politicians to Be Unselfish Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Ahead of election into Edo State local government councils, one of the aspirants jostling for the chairmanship seats, Mr. Curtis Ugbo, yesterday urged politicians seeking public office to see it as a call to impact on the lives of the masses rather than for self-service and aggrandisement. Ugbo who is also a social activist seeking election under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) gave this charge in Benin City, yesterday, saying if given the mandate, Oredo Local Government under his watch will record rapid development as a cosmopolitan council in the state. He however, urged eligible voters to obtain their voters cards to exercise their franchise. He said: “In this penultimate election campaign year, I encourage all of us to register to vote and obtain our voters card so that we can make our voices heard in the LGA election booths. “To our politicians, I urge us

to look beyond the acquisition of power so that we can reap the reward for service. I also advise that we compete fairly, decently, and humanly, bearing in mind that power comes from God alone. And only by his permission can any man be promoted or demoted. “Let me assure you all, that if elected as the Oredo LGAChairman by the grace of God, all Oredo LGA youths, artisans, entertainers, graduate and non- graduates will be gainfully employed. “Under my watch, the secretariat is going to be ICT driven for proper records, accountability and transparency. There will be no room for redundancy and a proper biometrics of LGA staffs and taxes will be technologically driven” “Although we have been so marginalised, I call for unity, tolerance, mutual respect, and justice; because that is our only true hope for progress and development for a greater tomorrowfor our children, grandchildren and those unborn”

Six Parties to Contest Taraba Assembly By-election Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Six political parties have fielded candidates for the January 13, Ardo Kola State constituency by-election in Taraba State. According to a document signed by the Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Augusta C Ogakwu and released by the legal department of the Commission, the candidates include, Patrick P Kini, ACPN; Sanusi Usman J, All Progressives Congress (APC); and Abdulshafa’at Matthias Dame, APDA.

Others are Tukur Jibril, DPP; Dominic Azinang Bukumi, (PDP) and Sajo Haruna Mohammed, (SDP). The Ardo Kola State constituency seat became vacant following the passing away of the member representing the constituency in the state assembly sometime last year. INEC has already mobilised and trained staff for the exercise, urging voters in the constituency to turn up with their permanent voters’ card to vote at the polling units where they were registered.

CALL TO SERVE

Akwa Ibom State Governor Mr. Udom Emmanuel (right), with the Paramount Ruler of Onna Local Government Area, Edidem Raymond Timothy Inyang, shortly after his coronation at Onna Sports Stadium....recently

Maku to Al-Makura: Revive Nasarawa Cultural Festival You’ve Killed Emmanuel Ukumba in Lafia The National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labaran Maku, has asked the Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, to revive the state Cultural Festival which he stopped. He said the cultural festival died since the exit of the erstwhile governor of the state, Aliyu Akwe Doma in 2011. Maku gave Al-Makura the tasked while addressing journalists at a press conference in Akwanga, headquarters of Akwanga Local

Government Area of Nasarawa State, adding that culture and tourism alone can generate Nasarawa State billions of naira. “I am still crying for the Nasarawa State cultural festival which has died since the exit of former Governor Doma as there is no more cultural festival in the state. I don’t know who is afraid of our people dancing, or who is afraid of our masquerades?” “I know that cultural festival in Nasarawa State is a big income. Unfortunately, the state government has killed the cultural festival in the state.”

He continued that to worsen matters, the state Customary Court of Appeal has also died. “Why are they denying Nasarawa people justice in their own tradition? I call on the government of Nasarawa state to return the customary court of appeal to enable our own people, in their various ethnic groups, to solve their own problem in their own way as they used to do before,” Maku stated. Maku, who is a former minister of information, also called on the Nasarawa State Government to use the latest

release from Paris Club to offset arrears of salaries, gratuities and pensions of workers and pensioners as a lot of people are dying because of frustration. “There are many people who retired and their pension dried up and died because they could not pay their children’s school fees, afford food for their families. I am appealing to the government of Nasarawa State to change as it enters into the new year by having human sympathy and settle our civil servants and pensioners,” he concluded.

APC Chieftain, Thousands Defect to PDP in Bayelsa A one-time chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Hon. Jackson Suokiri, was among thousands of APC supporters who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Monday in Odi, Kolokuma Okpokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. Suokiri, a one-time state Secretary of the PDP and commissioner in the state had defected to the APC prior to the 2015 general election. He was among thousands of party faithful that welcomed Governor Henry Seriake Dickson to Odi Community when the Governor paid an unscheduled visit to the community on Monday to celebrate the New Year, 2018. In his remarks at a brief reception held in his honour, Dickson admonished the political class to

connect with their people, especially at the grassroots level at all times and not only when they need the votes of the people at elections. He urged the political class to have closer contact with the electorate, by regularly visiting, connecting and interacting with them, stressing that it is by so doing that politicians would gain the trust and confidence of the people. According to him, as a countryman and a grassroots politician, he will remain connected to the people in appreciation of the massive support he has received from them over the years, especially in his political adventures. He said: “The power of the people is the most potent weapon, you can find any where in the world; more potent than any armoury. The difference between

me and many politicians is that I am a Countryman. I connect with the people, I feel their pains, when they are happy I am happy and vice versa. I appreciate the people because they have made me what I am and above all, they have made the PDP the strongest party, the only party that can win election in our state. “For those who seek political office, we must not go out to hurt people for their welfare and interest should ordinarily be the reason for being in politics. We should be civil as we carry out our activities in 2018, being a crucial election!” Also speaking, Chief Whip of the state House of Assembly and member representing Kolokuma/ Opokuma Constituency I, Hon. Tonye Isenah described Suokiri as a high profile politician, who has

traversed the political landscape for over decades, noting that, his return would positively impact on the PDP in the local government. He called on other APC members in the state to retrace their steps, as the PDP remains the party of every right thinking Bayelsan, who means well for the State and its people The state Chairman of the PDP, Hon Cleopas Moses, commended Suokiri for his decision to quit the APC for the PDP which he said was his home. He stressed that, Suokiri was a committed and deep rooted PDP member before those wielding the broom hoodwinked him into joining them. He noted that, as a foundation member of the party in the state, he has truly returned to rejoin the family he rightful belongs

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

A I T E O / CA F AWA R D S 2 0 1 7

Mane, Salah Battle Aubameyang for Africa’s Top Football Honour Duro Ikhazuagbe In the absence of the winner of the last edition in 2016 Riyad Mahrez of Algeria and Leicester City, Africa’s top honour, the Aiteo/CAF award for the best footballer of the year will be handed out this evening at the Accra International Conference Centre in Ghana. Nigeria’s nominee in the initial list released in November by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Victor Moses lost out in the last three that included 2015 winner, Gabon and Borussia Dortmund forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Liverpool duo of Sadio Mane of Senegal and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.

Mahrez was not listed in the initial nominations released earlier for the 2017 edition. From the inaugural Awards in 1992, there have been 16 winners including four Nigerians (one of them, Rashidi Yekini (1993), now of blessed memory), while John Mikel Obi (now Super Eagles’ captain) was runner-up in 2013 and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama came third in 2014. Other Nigerians in the award’s Hall of Fame include; Emmanuel Amuneke (1994), Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999 and Victor Ikpeba (1997). It remains a mystery of the awards that former Super Eagles’ Captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, is not among the 16

previous winners. Many still feel he was good enough for it in 2004, when he was the Most Valuable Player of the AFCON and had a year to treasure with Bolton Wanderers in the English Premiership. However, football aficionados in the continent have pointed out that this 2017 edition of the award is going to be a close fight with the winner emerging with a very slim margin. All the three nominees had good run for both club and country early in the year but Mane and Salah have the

edge, leading their respective countries to qualify for World Cup in Russia. Aubameyang on the other hand was very influential in the modest achievement of Dortmund in winning the German Cup last May as well as finishing as top scorer in the Bundesliga last season, netting 31 goals. Will Salah’s last minute blitz in all competitions for Liverpool that influenced his been selected as 2017 BBC African Player of the Year also play a part in him picking this continental top honour this evening? Will it

be the turn of Senegal’s Mane who has been included in the CAF Team of the Year for 2015 and 2016? It is just a matter of hours before the player who will rule the continent as the best for the next 12 calendar months is unveiled. The evening however will not be about the trio alone as CAF has other categories of shortlists to be also honoured. The Player of the Year (based in Africa) category was however yanked off from this edition with no explanation from CAF. In the Coach of the Year category, Franco-German gaffer,

Gernot Rohr who led the Super Eagles to pick the first ticket to Russia 2018 with a game to spare is nominated along with Hector Cuper (Egypt) and L’Hussein Amoutta of Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco. Hugo Broos, who led Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions to the Africa Cup of Nations title in February, missed out on the final three-man list after being named among the original five nominees. Nigeria also has Asisat Oshoala in the run to retain the African Best Player award in the women’s category.

SHORTLIST African Player of the Year: rMohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool) rPierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon and B. Dortmund) rSadio Mane (Senegal and Liverpool) Women’s Player of the Year: rAsisat Oshoala (Nigeria and Dalian Quanjian) rChrestina Kgatlana (South Africa and UWC Ladies) rGabrielle Aboudi Onguene(Cameroon and CSKA Moscow) Women’s National Team of the Year: rGhana U-20 rNigeria U-20 rSouth Africa Coach of the Year: rGernot Rohr (Nigeria) rHector Cuper (Egypt) rL’Hussein Amoutta (Wydad Athletic Club) National Team of the Year: rCameroon rEgypt rNigeria Club of the Year: rAl Ahly rTP Mazembe rWydad Athletic Club Youth Player of the Year: rKrepin Diatta (Senegal and Sarpsborg) rPatson Daka (Zambia and Liefering) rSalam Giddou (Mali and Guidars) PREVIOUSPREVIOUS WINNERS WINNERS 1992: Abedi Pele (Ghana) 1993: Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) 1994: Emmanuel Amuneke (Nigeria) 1995: George Weah (Liberia) 1996: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) 1997: Victor Ikpeba (Nigeria) 1998: Mustapha Hadji (Morocco) 1999: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) 2000: Patrick Mboma (Cameroon) 2001: El-Hadji Diouf (Senegal) 2002: El-Hadji Diouf (Senegal) 2003: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon) 2004: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon) 2005: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon) 2006: Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire) 2007: Frederic Kanoute (Mali) 2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) 2009: Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire) 2010: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon) 2011: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire) 2012: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire) 2013: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire) 2014: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire) 2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) 2016: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)

L-R: Super Falcons’ Asisat Oshoala; FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura; NFF President Amaju Pinnick and Super Falcons’ Onome Ebi at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra… yesterday

Nominees, Legends Flock Accra for the Award Gala The capital of Ghana, Accra is abuzz and bracing up for unarguably the biggest football gathering of the New Year, Aiteo/CAF Awards 2017. The Awards Gala that will see the decoration of players, officials and administrators for their achievement in 2017 is scheduled for this evening at the Accra International Conference Centre. Stakeholders of the game are looking forward to the event as nominees and legends flock the Ghanaian capital for the much awaited event. It is also the first time that all

past winners have been invited to the grand occasion. All the living 15 previous winners, including Nigeria’s Kanu, Emmanuel Amuneke and Victor Ikpeba are expected to turn up at the Accra International Conference Centre. They will be joined by Liberia’s President-elect George Oppong Weah (who is the only African to have won the World Player of the Year title, and did a treble by also winning the European Player of the Year award in the same 1995), former Black Stars’ Captain

Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew (winner of the maiden award in 1992), four-time winners Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto’o Fils, two-time winners Didier Drogba and El-Hadji Diouf, and Frederic Kanoute, Patrick Mboma, Mustapha Hadji, Emmanuel Adebayor, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Riyad Mahrez. Only Cote d’Ivoire, with Drogba’s double and Toure’s quadruple, have taken more titles than Nigeria. It is also the first time ever, football fans and the general public have been presented

with the opportunity to have a say in the selection process for the African Player of the Year and Africa’s Finest XI. Public voting opened on the CAF website on Sunday, December 24, 2017. The outcome will be tallied with results from the earlier phases of the selection process for the contenders. The list of invitees is not only limited to previous winners, but also to other players and officials whose contribution towards the progress of African football cannot be overlooked.

2017: Dalung Thumbs-up Nigeria’s Achievements in Sports Duro Ikhazuagbe Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has thumbed-up his ministry for the modest achievements Nigeria recorded in continental and global sports last year. While addressing sports journalists at the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) boardroom in Lagos yesterday, the minister listed Super

Eagles qualification for the World Cup amongst the achievements of his ministry. Dalung who was appointed to oversee the sector in November 2015 by the Muhammadu Buhari administration insisted that the mandate handed out to him to formulate and implement policies for the sports sector was on course. “Since assumption of office, we have worked assiduously

to ensure that our core mandates are not only met but possibly exceeded. “ Since November, 2015, I was given the mandate to supervise the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes on youth and sports development towards wealth creation, youth empowerment, physical fitness and wellbeing. “We are achieving excellence

in sports, national unity and sustainable development in the sector,” observed the minister. “The Super Eagles qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia with a game to spare, an outcome that is sustained even with the application of FIFA penalty on the team for inappropriate fielding of a footballer who already had two yellow cards,” stressed the minister.

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THURSDAYSPORTS

2018: Great Expectations for Nigeria Sports Nigeria’s sport was a mixed bag of fortunes in 2017. While taking us through most of the events that defined 2017, DURO IKHAZUAGBE here believes the New Year holds much promise for Nigeria 2017 was a year like no other in recent time for Nigerian sportsmen and women. It was a year of mixed bag of fortunes in almost all sectors. It therefore was not surprising that Nigerians entered the year with so much pessimism.  But this New Year appears a different ball game given the manner it crept in with so much hope. Over the years, it is no surprise that success or failure in football has become the yardstick of gauging the overall performance of Nigeria in sports. With Super Eagles failure to make the cut to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the second time back-to-back even as defending champions of the 2013 edition, Nigerians didn’t expect much to happen. The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon roared to the AFCON 2017 trophy to give the signal of another miserable year for Eagles. But with one foot ahead of the pack in the Group B of the 2018 World Cup qualification pairing that included, Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia, that initial victory for Nigeria against the Chipolopolo in Ndola in October of 2016 set the stage for the eventual easy cruising to the Mundial for Super Eagles. They even did that with the last trip to Algeria as a dead rubber affair having secured the lone ticket at stake. That singular feat wiped away the tears of missing out of AFCON 2015 and 2017. Suddenly, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chief, Amaju Pinnick and his board members at the Glass House became the toasts of football crazy Nigerians. Everyone is now commending the wisdom of hiring Franco-German gaffer, Gernot Rohr and his crew. In other competitions, the Home-based Eagles qualified for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) starting in Morocco next week; the Under-20 and Under-17 girls swept aside opposition to reach the final round of qualification for their respective FIFA Women’s World Cup finals taking place in 2018. 2017 was indeed a good year for Nigeria qualifying for global football competitions taking place in this New Year. Will 2018 be year of harvest for Nigeria? Can the John Mikel Obi led Eagles go to Russia to write fresh chapter in Nigeria’s football history in summer? The second round feat Stephen Keshi and his generation achieved at the maiden outing at USA in 1994 remains the best performance by Nigeria at the World Cup. We matched that again at France ’98 and at Brazil 2014. Anything short of going beyond the second round will be seen as failure by Nigerians who are hungry for success at the senior level after conquering the world at the cadet stage on five occasions! Qualifying rounds for the AFCON 2019 are also taking place this year. Another failure here will make it three times in a row that Eagles will not be represented at Africa’s football showpiece. That will certainly not be a good testament for Pinnick who is hoping to leave a legacy of excellence in Nigeria football. The series of sponsorships he has attracted to the Glass House like the AITEO partnership (for the payment of the foreign coaches and the Federation Cup) are positives that even his ardent critics have acknowledged as worthy for plaudits. In basketball, Nigeria’s D’Tigers as defending champions finished as runners-up to hosts Tunisia in the FIBA Afrobasket 2017. Despite crashing to Tunisia in that epic final, Ike Diogu’s impact and value were recognised as he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Earlier in August, D’Tigress conquered the continent for the first time in 12 years at the women’s version of the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket in Bamako, Mali. The Nigerian side defeated Senegal 65-48 to become the new African champions and also qualified for World Cup in Spain.  Already, D’Tigress’ American Coach, Sam Vincent, is looking forward to a successful 2018. Now, the country’s men are equaling looking to emulate the ladies by qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 scheduled to hold in China. In February, Nigeria will go up against Uganda, Mali, and Rwanda in Group B of the first round of the African Qualifiers. If they finish in the top three, they will advance to the 12-team second round of the qualifiers before any hope of grabbing one of

Super Eagles qualiďŹ ed for the World Cup in Russia with a match to spare the available tickets to the World Cup. Just last weekend, the basketball federation (NBBF) under the watch of Ahmadu Musa Kida invited 20 male players to camp ahead of the basketball event of the XXI Commonwealth Games 2018 scheduled to hold between April 4 and 15 in Gold Coast, Australia. The performance of these teams in these global competitions will go to a large extent in determining the success or otherwise of the game in the year. However, the protracted leadership crisis that erupted from the two different elections that ushered in two executives for the NBBF remains the sore point in the positives recorded last year. How the matter is resolved may also be the highpoint of whatever gains to be made in 2018. In Track & Field, there is nothing to count as gain in the just ended year. There was a lull in athletic activities. Nigeria’s outing at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London was dismal with none of the country’s representatives able to make it to final of any of the events talk-less of podium placement. With the expiration of the second term tenure of Chief Solomon Ogba as Athletics Federation of Nigeria president, Nigerian athletes were literarily like a ship with no captain. Instead of the new board led by Ibrahim Gusau to begin to look for ways out of bailing the sport from its present state of decay, they have engaged in mindless power struggle on who occupies what position in the standing committees set up. With Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor almost in her peak and already knocking on door leading to retirement, our lie of being a one-nation-athlete is about to end for the worse. 2018 is going to define the direction track & field will take. That will come even before the end of the first quarter at the Commonwealth Games where Nigeria used to be a power-house. I however have my fears if Nigeria can ever bring back the memories of those good old times at the Games in Gold Coast! After what looked like a fairy-tale run the previous year, culminating in Aruna Quadri emerging as one of the sought-after table tennis player in the world, the game recorded a slight lull. Even Aruna could not repeat some of the things that stood him out. Though he still ended 2017 as the best-ranked African player on ITTF standing, Nigerians want to see the fire in him again in 2018. He has to start with the Commonwealth Games by going for the gold in Australia. He won a bronze medal at the Glasgow Games four years ago. Although Ishaku Tikom who replaced Enitan Wahid Oshodi as NTTF president is striving to make his mark, it will take him time to match the standard created

Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua defeated Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko to become IBF and WBA world heavyweight champion by the former Lagos State sports commissioner in the game locally. Despite the uncertainty that surrounded Nigeria’s participation at the World Wrestling Championship in Paris, France last August, Odunayo Adekuoroye, became the first African woman to win a silver medal at the competition. Adekuoroye was beaten to the gold medal by Japan’s Haruna Okuno who won the 55kg final match in a nail-biting 5-4 result. Both Blessing Oborodudu and Aminat Adeniyi narrowly missed podium placements. Since he took over the affairs of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation, Dr. Daniel Igali has given hope to the sport and its ardent followers. Igali believes 2018 will definitely be a year to lift the sport out of lesser sports rankings. Starting with the African Championship scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt early in the year and the Commonwealth Games in Australia. In boxing, except for the global recognition the feat of Sagamu-born British boxer, Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua brought to his quiet town in Ogun State last April nothing of note really happened in this sport. Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko to become

the IBF  and WBA world heavyweight boxing champion. In the local front here, poor funding that has stunted the growth of sports in the country remained the bane of the sweet science. However, GOtv Boxing Tournament became the rallying point for boxers. The competition has helped to give hope to Nigerian boxers. Apart from giving them the chance to get out of rustiness, they equally earned good money there. Tennis players in the country had couple of outings with nothing tangible to show. The only consolation is the growth of junior players like Mary Love-Edwards, Angel McCloed and others who have continuously began to give the senior players a run for their monies. With good harnessing of their potentials, Nigeria could be on the way up in ITF reckoning again. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Tennis League and Lagos Governor’s Cup Tennis kept the players busy almost all through the year. However, the sad tale of most Nigerian players crashing out of the Governor’s Cup tennis repeated in 2017 and there is no hope in sight of any major improvement this year.

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MISSILE Samuel Ortom to Presidency “The security agencies are aware of what is happening in Benue. So many people are being killed with many house destroyed. Some innocent children were slaughtered, others sliced in the throats just because they want to be law abiding. Even among the livestock guards who were there to ensure that there are no clashes, nine of them were killed” – Benue State Governor Samuel Orton on the killings in Benue State, allegedly by herdsmen protesting the anti-grazing law.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI When Judges Imperil Democracy THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

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ver since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost at the 2015 general election, I have taken special interest in its affairs. That is simply because our democracy will not thrive without a credible opposition. So, two weeks before last month’s national convention to elect the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members, I sought appointment with the then caretaker chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi for a background chat on what was going on. And in our interaction, the former Governor of Kaduna State was rather candid about the party’s challenges and prospects, including how the chairmanship election was likely to go and the factors that would shape the entire convention. However, what struck me in my discussion with Makarfi was the fear by the party leadership at the time that a particular Senator from the South-west has the capacity to single-handedly keep PDP in crisis because of his “strong connection” to some powerful Judges who can grant him a contrived ruling, order or injunction at any given time. What I took away from that encounter is the level to which corruption has eaten deep into our judiciary such that some of our politicians are no longer content with hiring Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), they also have their own judges. Nothing exemplifies this sordid state of affairs than the fact that the people of Anambra Central Senatorial district have been denied representation for over two years now. The unfortunate drama started on 28th March 2015 when Mrs Uche Ekwunife, then of the PDP, won the senatorial election that was later nullified on grounds that she was not validly nominated by her party. After exhausting all appeal options available to seek legal redress, Ekwunife was in December 2015 disqualified by the Appeal Tribunal, the final arbiter for all litigations for National and State Assembly elections. By way of a consequential order, the court also directed INEC to conduct a re-run election within 90 days. In compliance, INEC scheduled the rerun poll for 5th March 2016 without the participation of the disqualified candidate (Ekwunife) and her party (the PDP). This is in line with a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that parties that field candidates disqualified by the Appeal Tribunals cannot participate in court-ordered re-run elections because the 60-day period for nomination of candidates had elapsed while the disqualified candidates can also not be replaced because the period for withdrawal of nominations (45 days to a general election under the Electoral Act) has similarly elapsed. INEC has been invoking this Supreme Court judgment to edge out parties whose candidates were disqualified from participating in court-ordered re-run elections, including for two senatorial districts in Kogi State. However, Anambra politicians are a special breed. When Ekwunife’s election was nullified, the two major parties, APC and PDP, insisted that they must replace their

CJN... Justice Onnoghen candidates with both of them conducting fresh primaries. The PDP nominated former Governor Peter Obi to replace Ekwunife while the APC nominated Mrs Sharon Ikeazor to replace Dr Chris Ngige, the original APC candidate who had by then been appointed a Minister by President Muhammadu Buhari. Quite naturally, INEC rejected these two nominations in line with the Supreme Court pronouncement and this ignited another round of legal fireworks that stalled the conduct of the court-ordered re-run election. Meanwhile, a curious twist was added to the drama following the Supreme Court ruling in the cases involving Governor Samuel Otom of Benue State and Aisha Alhassan’s gubernatorial bid in Taraba State. According to the Supreme Court, the improper conduct of primaries in one political party cannot be used by a member of another political party to cause the nullification of an election. Since that Supreme Court position came after the nullification of Anambra Central Senatorial election by the Appeal Tribunal, Ekwunife thought she could use the principle to secure back her seat so she again approached the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division; urging the court to set aside the judgment of the Appeal Tribunal and to restrain INEC from conducting the re-run election. On 3rd March 2016, the Court dismissed Ekwunike’s case as follows: “This is an appeal cloaked in the guise of a motion. We cannot sit on appeal over our own judgment. This court is the final Court. Once a court delivers judgment, subject to the ‘slip rule’ principle, that Court becomes functus officio...The motion is incompetent and completely misconceived. Consequently the Motion praying for an order of injunction restraining the Respondents from conducting fresh election is hereby struck out as having been overtaken by the outcome of this Motion.” Dissatisfied, Ekwunife approached the Supreme Court for redress in the light of its own decision on Ortom and Alhassan. On 10th February 2017, the apex court, in

dismissing the plea, reminded Ekwunife that “the decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from the National and State House of Assembly election petitions shall be final” before ruling that “this Court has no jurisdiction to hear any appeals related thereto, no matter how cleverly framed”. While that effectively marked the end of the road for Ekwunife’s bid to regain her senate seat, it was by no means an end to the Anambra Central Senatorial drama. With INEC rejecting his nomination as PDP candidate for the re-run election, Obi had dragged the commission to the Federal High Court, Abuja presided over by Justice Anwuli Chikere. And on 29th February 2016, barely one week before the poll scheduled for 5th March 2016, the Judge granted a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from conducting the re-run election without him (Obi) and the PDP. And since INEC had to obey the ruling, that effectively stalled the election. Quite naturally, INEC challenged the curious judgment at the Court of Appeal while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the election, Chief Victor Umeh, separately but on similar grounds, also approached the appellate court. And on 20th November 2017, the Court of Appeal delivered judgments in the two cases by setting aside the judgment of the Federal High Court (given by Justice Chikere). It also ordered INEC to conduct the re-run election within 90 days without the participation of Obi and PDP; and by inference, without APC if it is not Ngige that is being fielded. Based on these judgments that should ordinarily be final, INEC has fixed next week Saturday, 13th January 2018 for the re-run election. But since we are dealing with politics in Anambra State, that cannot possibly be the end of the story. And it is not! On 13th December 2017, a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice John Tsoho delivered a judgment in a case filed by Mr Obiora Okonkwo that he was the rightful PDP candidate in the primaries conducted on 7th December 2014. And according to Justice Tsoho, Okonkwo won the said PDP primaries and on the basis of that; should be declared the Senator-elect! What’s more, Justice Tsoho also ordered the National Assembly to pay Okonkwo every kobo that his “colleagues” in the Senate have received since June 2015! The implication of the foregoing is that, at the moment, INEC is faced with two conflicting orders: the Court of Appeal ruling that the re-run election should proceed without the PDP and its candidate as well as the Federal High Court ruling that a Certificate of Return be issued by the commission to “Senator” Okonkwo so he can be known and addressed as “Most Distinguished”. While we wait to see how the latest farce will play out, this case has thrown up a number of issues. When the election Petitions Appeal Tribunal nullified Ekwunife’s election, it was supposed to end all litigations by virtue of Section 246 (3) of the 1999 Constitution

(as emended) which confers finality on the judgment of the Appeal Tribunal in legislative elections. But it is also evident that the people of Anambra Central are mere pawns on the chess board of some desperate political players. What is even more unfortunate about the debacle is that the interest of both the APC and the PDP is the same: Neither wants the re-run election to hold. The PDP, because it cannot field a candidate and the APC because, since Ngige prefers a ministerial bird in hand to an unsure senatorial seat, he has decided not to run; yet the party cannot present any other candidate except him. In my book, “Against The Run of Play”, President Goodluck Jonathan recounted a meeting he had with the leadership of both the National Assembly and the judiciary on how to find an institutional framework in the bid to combat corruption in our country. Let me quote the former president here: “…I also invited Chief Judges from one state in each of the six geopolitical zones. I specifically requested for Lagos and Anambra to represent their zones. My choosing Anambra was because that is one state where every political aspirant goes into election with at least two court orders in his pocket. You cannot fight corruption without dealing with such issues”. All said, it is the judiciary that really should feel ashamed by the shenanigans that are going on. Our court system is predicated on judicial hierarchy. Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly defines the hierarchy and lower courts are under obligation to obey the judgments of superior courts under all circumstances. Section 287 (1) & (2) state as follows: “(1) the decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons, and by courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court; (2) the decisions of the Court of Appeal shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons, and by courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Court of Appeal”. The pertinent questions therefore are: How come that, in this particular instance, a lower court could overrule a superior court on the same subject matter three weeks after the judgment of a superior court? How come that a High Court can order the issuance of a certificate of return for an election that had been nullified more than two years ago by the Appeal Tribunal with a consequential order for its re-run? The role of the courts as the interpreter of the law, resolver of disputes and defender of the Constitution, requires that Judges abide by their oath at all times. That explains why a judiciary debilitated by, or prone to, all manner of misconduct, including corruption and political interference, is a danger to society. And on the immediate case of Anambra Central Senatorial election, it is incumbent on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to intervene on the side of reason and common sense.

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