Sunday 21ST January 2018

Gencos Gulped N152.9bn of CBN’s N701bn Power Sector Fund in 7 Months Bulk Trader extends PPAs of 14 solar IPPs further by six months Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) has disbursed a total of N152.974 billion to 23 power generation companies (Gencos) within the

first seven months of 2017, THISDAY can report. This disbursement represented 21.6 per cent of the N701 billion payment support facility provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for Nigeria’s

power sector A document obtained by THISDAY at the weekend, which revealed this also contained other payments made by the NBET to the Gencos from what it collected from market

within the seven-month period, amounting to N83.351 billion.

The document further showed that aggregate payments from the CBN facility and market collections to the Gencos within the period totalled N236.353

billion. It also represented about 80 per cent of the generating company’s invoices within the payment cycle and in line with the NBET’s strategy of paying the Gencos’ monthly invoices in this regards.

A further breakdown of the payment details disclosed that while all the traditional Gencos in the country – Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro hydro plants, as Continued on page 8

Tributes as Ekwueme Begins Final Journey Home… Page 8 Sunday 21 January, 2018 Vol 22. No 8312

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How Abducted Americans, Canadians were Rescued John Shiklam in Kaduna The police have explained how the four foreign nationals abducted on Tuesday along the Kwoi - Jere road in Kaduna State by gunmen were rescued.

The four rescued foreigners comprise three men and a woman. They are Nate Vangeest and Rachel Kelley (female) from Canada, and John Kirlin and Dean Slocum, from the United States.

The foreigners were

ambushed along the Kwoi-Jere road by gunmen at about 7pm last Tuesday on their way from Kafanchan in Kaduna State to Abuja. The two police escort accompanying the foreigners were killed during an exchange of gunfire with the bandits.

Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Agyole Abeh, said they were rescued by the police at Jere area in Kagarko Local government of the state.

Abeh said the abducted foreign businessmen were rescued in the bush Saturday

morning following a massive manhunt for their abductors by men of the Kaduna police command and the Inspector General of Police Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

He did not say if a ransom was paid before they regained

their freedom.

The police commissioner also said arrest had been made in connection with the incident, adding that the police were on the trail of the remaining Cosntinued on page 8

APC: Despite Preference for Buhari, We Won’t Shut out Other Aspirants Minister unveils Buhari campaign office in Ibadan PDP faction submits to Secondus leadership Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Ademola Babalola in Ibadan The All Progressives Congress said at the weekend in Abuja that all those aspiring to get the ticket of the party ahead of next year’s presidential election, including incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, would have an equal chance of success. The APC national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this, saying it is in spite of recent endorsements of Buhari by key figures and blocs within the party.

APC National Vice Chairman for South-south, Chief Hilliard Etta, spoke in a similar vein.

Etta said the party would not shut out any contender for the presidential ticket because of Buhari.

Also yesterday, Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, an organisation promoting the re-election of Buhari, was unveiled in Ibadan. The organisation is being promoted by Minister Cosntinued on page 8

AHEAD OF EKITI ELECTION...

L-R: Former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, during their visit to the President at the State House, Abuja… Friday

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Tributes as Ekwueme Begins Final Journey Home Shola Oyeyipo and Segun James The final burial rites of former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme began last Friday with a commendation service held at The Cathedral Church of Christ and a night of tributes at the Muson Centre, Lagos.

The event, which attracted notable Nigerians, including former and serving public office holders, presented the people an opportunity to reflect on the numerous contributions of the late elder statesman, who died in a London hospital on November 19, 2017 at 85 years old.

Former Provost of The

Cathedral Church of Christ, Very Revd Yinka Omololu, in his sermon compared the late politician to the biblical ‘Good Samaritan’, saying he exemplified integrity, selflessness and honesty unlike many politicians.

"Today, politicians take our money in the guise of community projects, they now distribute exercise books. Dr. Ekwueme spent his own money for the good of his own people of Nigeria.

"Dr. Alex Ekwueme was a selfless leader, a very humble man. To describe him as great was to belittle him. So, as you remember Ekwueme, how are you spending your life?

Ekwueme loved God and he showed it.

"As long as Nigeria exists, the name Ekwueme will always exist. He will be remembered by what he has done. So, his family must keep this heritage going," he enjoined the people.

Also, speaking about Ekwueme's outstanding qualities, a former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, said "He (Ekwueme) was one of the best in this country.

You could see from all that has been said and written about him. He was one of those, who faithfully served this country, an example for today's politicians to follow."

Former Abia State governor,

Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, described the late Ekwueme as a perfect politician, who had great love for Nigeria and Nigerians and detested politics of bitterness.

"He was a detribalised man.

He did very well for the county and he played politics without bitterness. Even though people offended him, he overlooked all those shortcomings. So, I believe he would be resting in peace now. His soul will rest in peace.

"This is not really a time for people to talk. No matter how old one dies, it is very difficult to bear losses. So, I condole with the family and Nigerians at large," Kalu said.

Though said to be

unavoidably absent at the event, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, in a prepared text, said Ekwueme played significant and patriotic roles in the evolution of Lagos.

He described him as a "Creative political thinker, patriotic, modest, politically foresighted, incorruptible and an uncompromising democrat," stressing that "it is to his credit that the idea of the six geopolitical zones we have today" was developed.

Some of the dignitaries present at the commendation service were the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; former Ogun State governor, Aremo Olusegun

Osoba; former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi; former Secretary General to the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Otunba Olasubomi Balogun; former President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof Joe Irukwu and the wife of a former Lagos State governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola.

Others included former Lagos State military governor, Admiral Ndubusi Kanu; former Chief of General Staff, Ebitu Ukiwe; former Super Permanent Secretary, Philip Asiodu; traditional ruler of Oko community and younger brother to the deceased, Prof Laz Ekwueme.

organised by Shittu, who is chairman, Board of Trustees, MBO. The former governor emphasised the need for unity, and urged Buhari and OdigieOyegun to urgently broker peace between Ajimobi and Shittu.

In another development, the Uche Secondus leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend recorded a major feat as members of the rebellious Fresh PDP ended their stand-off and dissolved into the Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC).

The group declared that the party had now become one and a united entity.

Members of the group, led

by Chief Olukayode Akindele, also declared the cancellation of their earlier plan to inaugurate a parallel NWC on Monday, January 22.

The declaration was made after a truce was reached at the residence of former national chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo in Abuja.

Aside Nwodo, others members of the PDP present at the peace meeting were a member of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Stella Omu and the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan.

Those who represented the Fresh PDP were Akindele, Godwin Duru, who contested for the office of national organising secretary of the party at the convention and Franklyne Edede, who ran for office of national youth leader.

The Fresh PDP had last year opened its parallel secretariat in protest to the outcome of the December 9 national convention of the party. It had early this year declared plans to inaugurate its parallel NWC members on Monday, January 22 in Abuja.

Speaking after a lengthy closed door meeting at his residence, Nwodo disclosed

that the reconciliatory process enjoyed the backing of the national leadership of the party as well as that of the BoT. He further stated that no conditions were given in the lead up to dissolution of the fresh PDP, whom he said comprised enthusiastic youths needed by the party ahead of 2019.

Nwodo, who described the disbandment of fresh PDP as the best gift PDP could give to Nigerians, said "A lot of people thought our house was divided and was about to cascade down.

But we want to assure you that

by God's mercy, an internal reconciliation capacity of the PDP, the cracks that you noticed has been completely sealed off.

"Today, the fresh PDP has collapsed and all its members have dissolved into the mainstream of the PDP and we have a United PDP, poised ready and promising Nigerians that we are going to take away this government that is insensitive to human life, which is the primary responsibility of government, which is protection of life and property and if the government fails to protect life and property, it has no business being in government.

"Today, by what has happened here, we are sending a powerful signal across the country that the PDP wants to assure all Nigerians that you know to expect of us we will not disappoint you. We will give you a strong and united party that will wipe away your tears, restore confidence in your country, make you proud as a Nigerian, wherever you are, because we will bring back a government that cares and is interested in the welfare of its citizens, in protection of our general good and prosperity of our nation."

APC: DESPITE PREFERENCE FOR BUHARI, WE WON’T SHUT OUT OTHER ASPIRANTS of Communications, Alhaj Adebayo Shittu.

Buhari has not announced his intention to seek a second term, but he has in recent times received endorsement from APC governors and key leaders of the party, including its national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who had last May said the party would give Buhari the right of first refusal for the presidential ticket. Last week, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, which comprises all state governors of the party, said the party’s governor had endorsed the president for re-election.

The governors’ forum and the leadership of the NWC are key in determining the rules, participation and outcome of any exercise to choose the party’s presidential nominee.

Abdullahi defended the rights of Odigie-Oyegun and Okorocha to state their presidential preferences. But the APC spokesman said the party would organise a transparent primary and convention to pick a presidential candidate in line with its constitution.

The publicity secretary told THISDAY, “The governors’ forum is a major stakeholder in the party, but it is not an organ of the APC. But if you look at the constitution of the party, the key organs are the convention, the National Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, the National Caucus, and the National Working

Committee.�

Regarding fears that such early endorsement of the president may discourage other interested aspirants, Abdullahi stated, "No, I don't think so.

The governors’ forum is an association of governors and it is within their democratic right to call on Mr. President to re-contest or to express their support for his re-election. They don't have a role to play constitutionally in deciding who becomes the candidate of the party. “They are only entitled to their opinion and they only have power of their vote at the convention. We can also say that because they are party leaders in their states, they can influence other delegates from their states to vote for the president. If so, why not, it is within their right. “I am saying that as a party, there is no contradiction in the national chairman, Chief Oyegun, saying that he supports President Buhari. But what I’m saying is that it is our duty to conduct a credible and transparent primary. If we conduct a transparent primary and President Buhari emerges due to the preponderance of support, we would have been seen to have fulfilled the provisions of our own constitution. “We will be acting in violation if we say that there will be no convention or, like the PDP did during their own time by printing only one form and ensuring that only one aspirant emerged. We are saying that

we are not going to do that. “If other aspirants say they are interested in the contest, of course, we have to make the space available to them. It is a game of numbers. But what I can assure you is that at the end of the day, the NWC of the APC will be fair to every member of the party who is interested in contesting for that post.�

Similarly speaking on the NWC and governors’ position on Buhari’s candidature, Etta said, “Those two positions do not stop the manifestation of internal democracy that we hold dear. So anybody that has interest to contest against the president would be allowed by the party to do so, regardless of the positions so expressed

by Oyegun or the governors. “Nobody is going to be shut out from the primaries if the president decides to re-contest.

Truly, everywhere in the world a sitting president is always given the prerogative to take the first shot at vying for the presidential ticket by the party, especially when we are all of the opinion that he has actualised the mandate that we gave to him. So it is not out of place or against the democratic principles known to all of us. It is just a convention that has been practised all over the world.�

At yesterday’s unveiling of the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, APC governors in the South-west, the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and many other leaders of the party from the

zone were absent.

THISDAY learnt that the above party leaders were all invited to the event, which had in attendance Minister of Communications, Shittu, and Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, as well as former Senate President Ken Nnamani and former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu.

Those who attended the Ibadan launch of the Buhari campaign office also included Postmaster General of the Federation, Mr. Bisi Adegbuyi; National Coordinator, Muhammadu Buhari/ Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, Usman Ibrahim; South-west zonal coordinator of the organisation, Lateef Olawumi; and Senator Ayo Akinyelure.

Reports said while the launch of the campaign office went on, the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, addressed another APC rally at the party's office at Oke Ado, also in Ibadan, where he told members to prepare for the forthcoming local government election in the state.

The unveiling of the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, which held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, peaked at the organisation’s ultra-modern campaign office at Mokola area of the city.

Speaking at the launch of the office, Kalu observed the division in Oyo State APC and the absence of the governor and the party executive at the event

GENCOS GULPED N152.9BN OF CBN’S N701BN POWER SECTOR FUND IN 7 MONTHS well as Egbin, Transcorp Ughelli, Olorunsogo, and Shell Afam VI, amongst others, consistently got paid within the period, up to eight out of the 10 power plants built under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) and managed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd (NDPHC) equally got paid their invoices, to buttress a recent claim by the Managing Director of the NDPHC, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo, that the N701 billion had saved the power sector from near collapse.

The document stated that in January, the NBET paid the Gencos N17.798 billion from the CBN facility and N10.261 billion from the market collection to bring its total payment for the month to N28.063 billion; in February, it paid N19.419 billion of CBN facility and N12.694 billion of market remittance to the Gencos to make it N32.113 billion for the month; and subsequently remitted in the March payment cycle to the

Gencos a total of N35.504 billion containing N22.716 billion from the CBN facility and N12.787 billion from the market.

In April, N33.136 billion was paid to the Gencos, out of which N20.414 billion and N12.723 billion were from the CBN facility and market collections respectively; payments for May, were N22.819 billion (CBN facility) and N12.768 billion (market collections), totalling, N35.587billion, while that of June was N35.717 billion (that is, N24.424 billion (CBN facility) and N11.293 billion (market collections). For July, the NBET paid the Gencos a total of N36.209 billion, containing N25.383 billion, from the CBN facility and N10.825 billion, collected from the market.

In March 2017, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved that the CBN guarantees payments by the NBET to Gencos for electricity they generate through the N701 billion facility. The NBET would

also have about 10 years to liquidate the loan to the CBN. A government memo, which THISDAY exclusively obtained in June 2017, stated that the NBET would administer the loan, which has a two-year moratorium and five per cent annual interest rate, over a period of two years.

Meanwhile, THISDAY also learnt that NBET has again extended the execution window for the power purchase agreements (PPAs) it signed for Nigeria’s 14 pioneer utility scale solar plants by another six months to enable promoters of the projects meet up with the condition precedents in their PPAs. The PPAs were first signed in July, 2016 between the promoters and Nigeria’s federal government, their tenure were however renewed in July 2017 after they expired and made to last for six months which again expired in January 2018.

Sources in the NBET

informed THISDAY that another six months extension was given on the PPAs, which were reportedly distributed between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and World Bank by the government. Both development finance institutions have reportedly been working on closing them out to enable promoters achieve financial close for the projects.

Collectively, the 14 solar power projects would when completed, generate 1,125 megawatts (MW) of solar electricity to augment Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity.

They will cost the promoters about $2.5 billion.

NBET in 2017 also announced that the promoters of the solar IPPs had posted their development securities of $20,000 per megawatt to it via letters of credit. The securities, it explained then, were to guarantee that the IPPs would achieve financial closure by their target closing dates.

See the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com

HOW ABDUCTED AMERICANS, CANADIANS WERE RESCUED suspects to bring them to justice.

Calling for the support of members of the public, He said the police was determined to crush all criminal gangs in the state.

The police chief urged members of the public to be vigilant and provide useful and confidential information about the activities of criminals in the community to the police.

At a press conference in Lagos where the identities of the victims were unveiled, Assistant Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, who heads the InspectorGeneral of Police's Intelligence Response Team (IRT), said: “We rescued the two Americans and

two Canadian citizens, three males and one female in fairly good health around 7:30 a.m. today, January 20. The victims have been handed over to the American Embassy in Abuja for medical attention and other immediate needs."

He also disclosed that the rescue exercise was carried out by a combined team of IRT, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and the Kaduna Police Command deployed by the Inspector-General of Police.

Kyari said already, two of the suspected kidnappers had been arrested while the police were on the trail of others who escaped.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

A NATION ON T HE BRINK The authorities could do more in tackling crime and corruption

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n a sermon predicated on the fast deteriorating security situation in the country, Bishop David Oyedepo, the General Overseer of Living Faith Church, last Sunday warned politicians against sacrificing Nigeria’s destiny for their ambitions. Titled, “A Nation in a State of Slumber,” the cleric said that Nigeria was now a nation at war with herself given that there are neither ethnic crises nor natural disasters yet mass burials have become so common place. “The soul of Nigeria is near to the point of death,” he said before adding that “Citizens of this nation are fast becoming endangered species.”

Oyedepo is not alone in raising fears about the spectre of violence that seems to be engulfing the nation. Mr. Ibrahim Coomassie, Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum expressed similar sentiments when he said that unless the problems of bad governance, corruption and youth unemployment were addressed, the future of the country was in jeopardy. Coomasie, a former Inspector General of Police, who spoke at a conference in Kaduna with the theme, “The North and the Challenge of Leadership”, argued that “political office holders pay scant attention to the needs of their populace,” while corrupt practices have become endemic. “Nepotism has become common place in most appointments. Unless we approach these problems with the seriousness they deserve, we may be heading towards anarchy and eventual disintegration,” Coomassie warned.

Many Nigerians are perhaps right to be worried about the state of the nation. Everywhere, there is tension, fuelled, among other things, by reckless and prolonged killings being perpetrated by

sundry criminal elements who act as though above the law. From Adamawa to Ekiti to Taraba to Zamfara and Enugu, these killings crop up time and again, with the authorities seemingly helpless. Nowhere are these worries more apparent and consequential than in Benue State, where many communities have become graveyards and farm lands are laid waste. Only a fortnight ago, some 73 community of innocent farmers with their wives and children were buried in an emotional ceremony in Makurdi, the state capital, all victims of heartless serial killers.

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What has become very clear is that the Nigerian state is losing the dominance of the machinery of violence to non-state actors

Letters to the Editor

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

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

owever, the madness is not restricted to Benue State as thousands of innocent lives had been lost to the irrational violence between farmers and the herdsmen across many states in the Middle Belt in recent years. Two months ago, some communities on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State erupted in an unprecedented orgy of violence that claimed the lives of many inhabitants in the longrunning conflicts between herdsmen and farmers. But more confounding is that the authorities have deliberately allowed the impunity to thrive, resulting in a country lurching from one crisis to another.

With the Boko Haram devastation still on in the North-East, wanton kidnappings, armed robbery and free-wheeling criminalities in several parts of the country, it is safe to say that Nigeria has fallen so badly short in peace and security. Indeed, what has become very clear is that the Nigerian state is losing the dominance of the machinery of violence to non-state actors. To add to the mounting concerns, the prevailing economic downturn has undermined the capacity of both the state and individuals so much so that basic necessities of life, including food, medicare and shelter have gone far beyond the reach of the majority of Nigerians.

In plain words, the state is increasingly failing to provide for the people.

With the growing fractiousness and polarisation in the land as a result of the violence, there is an urgent need for the federal government to apply the wedge and pull the nation back from the brink. Aside instituting the appropriate social policies that would engender a regime of justice and fairness--a major requirement for peace and security--it is also important to de-escalate the growing tension in the current theatres of violence. Until that is done, the body count will keep mounting to our collective shame as a nation.

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

ROAD SAFETY AND DRIVER’S LICENCE

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ll over the world, driver’s licence remains a document, which users obtain after due diligence. It is held in high esteem and processed by those who by all standards of assessment merit it. From the cradle of the process to the peak of delivery, the system is structured in a way that cannot be bye-passed. As an official document, it permits individuals to operate one or more types of motorised vehicles, such as motorcycle, car, truck or bus on public roads in accordance to the law of the country.

In any nation, the first and most important purpose of driver’s licence is to identify the owner as duly certified by the state to operate a motor vehicle. It is the first document a police officer or state enforcement agency will demand from a driver, without which a driver has no right to operate a

vehicle on public roadway.

Driver’s licence serves as a document for official personal identification, which may be required for reasons, such as opening of a bank account, applying for government benefits and loans. A current driver’s licence is a universally accepted form of personal identification, because it displays contact information and picture of the holder. In the instance of accident or emergency, it has also been structured to provide vital information concerning contact details of the next of kin, blood group of driver, which sometimes determine treatment to be administered during casualty. It is a one-stop document, with multiple values for those authorised to use them.

According to the1999 Constitution, issuance of driver’s licence is on Residual List under Motor Vehicle and Administration Agency,

whose activities revolve around the management and control of motor licensing operations, including driving and other related licenses.

Other responsibilities are issuance and renewal of motor vehicle licence learner’s permit, certificate of roadworthiness, registration of vehicle and preparation and also documentation of all licenses issued. It is not in doubt that states have lived up to expectation until it became imperative not only to redesign driver’s licence into a model that will capture basic details of the owner, but equally meet international standard.

On the other hand, the establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission in 1988 was informed by the need to put in place strategic action to address the carnage on Nigeria roads. The commission was first established through decree no. 45 of 1988 as amended by

decree 35 of 1992, referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act Cap 141 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and was eventually passed by the National Assembly as Federal Road Safety Corps (establishment) Act 2007. As an agency of the federal government, the organisation has in no small measure restored sanity on our roads. From checking the excesses of drivers on the highway to ensuring that driven vehicles are in good shape for safety, their impact cannot be overestimated.

In recent times, many Nigerians stay away from going through the process of securing driver’s licence because of the cumbersomeness of the process involved. In many instances, the services of middlemen or consultants in the system are contracted to fast-track the process without their direct involvement, except payment and possibly capture, which cannot be side-lined. In such instance, a document that is officially obtained for N6, 350.00 for three years

will be obtained unofficially for N20, 000. It is unfortunate to recount that many officials have compromised the process of securing driver’s licence for a few naira notes, thus, compromising the safety on our roads with licensed drivers who can barely interpret road signs. Part of the consequences has been needless and avoidable accidents that we encounter on our roads.

For clarity, the process of securing driver’s licence in recent times has been a tripartite arrangement between the State Board of Internal Revenue, the state Vehicle Inspection Office (under Ministry of Transportation) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (which is equipped with the capacity and equipment to capture the applicant’s data and print the document). State Board of Internal Revenue collects payments for learner’s permit; RS form NDL-18N and driver’s licence.

––Bolaji Odumade, Alausa, Lagos

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ANUARY 21, 2018

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08023117639 (sms only)

HOLY MATRIMONY L-R: Bride’s parents, Chief Peter Arigbe and Mrs. Pamela Arigbe; the groom, Obinna Ononuju, bride, Jacklyn Kobaro; groom’s parents, Mr. Christian Ononuju and Mrs. Maria Ononuju, during the solemnization of holy matrimony between the couple at Our Saviours Church, TBS Lagos...yesterday

PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO

Fibre Optic Cable: TCN Cautious over Concerns for National Securit y Chineme Okafor in Abuja

But for the heavy impacts its actions would have had on national security and the economy, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) would have taken austere actions against two indigenous telecommunications firms that reportedly breached the terms in the concession agreements it signed with them for the use of its fibre optic cable network, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAYgathered yesterday Abuja from top sources who are privytotheensuingcontroversy generatedbyAlheriEngineering Company Limited and Phase 3 Telecom Limited, use of TCN’s fibre optic platforms without allegedly paying in full the concession fees charged them, that the TCN had considered options, which included completely cutting off and barring all secondary users of the fibre opticnetworksignedupbyboth

firms to it.

The sources explained that cutting off these secondary users would have led to the shutdown of telecommunications services to millions of Nigerians including government security agencies, and especially those connected to a majortelecommunicationsoutfit that uses the network through Alheri and Phase 3.

According to the sources, that option would have affected Nigeria’s national security and economy, and as such, the National Communications Commission (NCC) was quick to intervene to assuage TCN, which THISDAY learnt, then took the option of shutting out onlyofficialsofAlheriandPhase 3 from all of its facilities where the network is controlled from.

A letter reportedly written by the Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to President Muham-

madu Buhari, late in 2017, had highlighted the development, wherein both concessionaires - Phase 3 Telecom and Alheri Engineering, used TCN’s fibre optic platforms and the facilities but failed to pay for them in line with an agreement they signed.

The letter indicated that about $75.5 million was owed the TCN by both firms over a period of 11 years for the use of its fibre optic network which TCN concessioned to them in 2006.

In the letter, Fashola sought Buhari’s intervention to recover moniesowedtheTCNbytheconcessionaires after they failed to payaconcessionfeeof$40million each for the use of TCN’s assets to service their customers.

He (Fashola) said since 2006, Phase 3 and Alheri paid only $2 million and $3.5 million concession fees respectively, leaving a huge balance yet to be paid to the TCN. Theagreementsalsoprovided

for shelter fees of 2.5 per cent royalty on gross revenue, but the telecommunications firms had denied owing the TCN in this arrangement.

The sources however told THISDAY that the TCN’s transmission lines which are reportedly built with fibre optic linescouldconveytelecommunications signals nationwide, and thattheywereoneofthebestand most extensive in the country at the moment.

They informed that when the new management of the TCN discovered the anomaly, they made unsuccessful efforts to get the firms to pay up but the firms on their own initiated court actions against the TCN for making efforts to recover its fibre optic assets from them.

Similarly, a statement from the TCN on Friday in this regard explained that the transmission companywouldrelyontheexistingcourtprocesstorecoverwhat

Buhari Orders Review of Pandemonium as One Nigerian Varsity Curriculum Dies of Lassa Fever in Kogi t As Obasanjo gets PhD in Christian theology from NOUN t Doctor quarantined Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to review the Nigerian university curriculum, in order for it to meet national needs and be relevant and equivalent to global demands and standards.

Buhari, who gave the charge yesterday at the 7th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), notedthatuniversitiesneedtobe innovativeenoughinapproachto curriculum development.

The President, who was represented by the executive secretary of the Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, also emphasised on the need for the NUC to continue to embark on strategiccapacitybuildingtobring academics up-to-date with new trends in their respective subject

areas.

Heexplainedthathisadministrationwascommittedtoensure that every facet of the university education including Open and Distance Learning Education is given due priority to provide quality university education to Nigerians.

He said, “There shall be no discrimination in terms of employability and opportunity for graduates of Open and Distance Learning programmes to pursue higher degrees either in conventional universities or the ODL setting.

“Inthelightofthis,government willcontinuetoaccordthegraduatesofNOUNandthoseofother distance learning institutions in Nigeria, due recognition to buttress the fact that they are not inferior to those of conventional universities”, he added.

Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja

There was pandemonium at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja yesterday following a fresh case of the outbreak of Lassa fever, which claimed the life of a seven-month-old baby.

Howeveramedicaldoctor,who wassaidtohavehadcontactwith the patient has been placed on danger list.

THISDAY gathered that the baby,whowasaboutsevenmonths old, was rushed to the hospital on Friday by his parent and was admitted at the Children’s ward.

Thesourceaddedthatthelittle baby was attended to by a doctor on duty and when it was discovered that the baby had contacted Lassafever,thesituationthrewthe hospitalintoconfusionasparents whowereadmittedinsameward withthebabywereseenmaking

efforts to be discharged.

The sources disclosed further thatthebabydiedintheearlyhours ofyesterdayafterseveraleffortsby the doctors to save his life.

THISDAYalsogatheredfrom thehospitalthatthemedicaldoctor, simply referred to as Dr. Osebi, who had contact with the baby, waswheeledintoanambulance foronwardtreatmenttoahospital in Irrua, Edo State.

THISDAY equally gathered from the hospital that those suspected to have also had contact with the baby particularly the parent have been confined.

However,anemergencymeetingofdoctorswassummonedat theofficeoftheChiefMedicalDirectorofthehospitalforapossible appraisalonstrategyandnextline of action in curtailing a possible outbreakofLassafeverinthestate with the recent development.

is owed it by the firms.

The statement stated: “The attention of the management of the TCN has been drawn to the recent misrepresentation in recent media publications of the operation of its terminated fibre optic concession contract. It is imperativetostatethattheissue in question is before a competent courtoflaw.TCNhasconfidence inourcourtsystemandissurethat justicewillprevailbasedonthevery clear facts of the case.”

Buttressing this, the sources informed that while Alheri and Phase 3 were reportedly making overtures to the TCN to now settle out of court, the TCN was howeverunwillingtobackdown and would prefer to see out the court process on the basis that by the merit of the case, it could take backitstelecommunicationasset andperhapsdealdirectlywiththe secondary users that Alheri and Phase3concessionedtheassetto andmadehugefinancialreturns.

Nigerian, Ebuka Okori, Killed in South Africa Abimbola Akosile with agency report

A 27-year-old Nigerian, Ebuka Okori, was reportedly killed by the Police in Durban weekend, the Nigerian community in South Africa has said.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Union chapter in Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa, Mr. Bartholomew Eziagulu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Durban that the victim was a native of Umunze in OrumbaNorthLocalGovernment of Anambra State.

He said an eyewitness had informed the union that two police officers in mufti forcefully gainedaccesstothevictim`shouse atCampbellStreetinDurbanat2.am on Friday.

According to him, the officers immediately demanded money fromOkori.“Whenherefused,he washandcuffed,takenoutsideand shot dead. The officers took away hiscellphone,e-passportandother valuable documents.

The relative of the victim was torturedandrobbedofhisbelongings while a third victim, a South African,wasalsorobbed,”hesaid.

EziagulualsosaidOkori`sbrother escapedfromthehouseandcalled forhelp.“TheMetroPolicearound thevicinityswiftlyintervenedand picked the vehicle number of the assailants,” he said.

Eziagulu said police detectives and another special police team which investigates complaints againsttheircolleaguesareassisting to arrest the culprits.

Corrigendum InourleadstoryofJanuary20,2018editiontitled: ‘Buhari:IStill Marvel that Jonathan Conceded, He Could Have Destabilised the System’, aparagraphwaserroneouslyputinquoteandascribedto the President. The paragraph reads: “Bearing in mind that having stayed for so long in the corridors of power, he could deploy all the arsenals within his reach to destabilise the system.” Those were NOT the exact words the President used. His words were: “He (Jonathan) rang me and said, ‘Your Excellency,’ and l said, ‘Your Excellency sir.’ He said ‘l ring to congratulate you.’ I will not forget the time. He said, ‘l ring to congratulate you that l have conceded defeat, congratulations.’ He said ‘did you hear me?’ I said ‘yes sir.

Thankyouverymuchforyourstatesmanship’becauseafterbeing a deputy governor, governor, vice president and president for six years,forhimtotakethatdecision…becausehecouldhavecaused some problems having stayed long enough in his capacity.’

The mix-up is regretted - Editor

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018

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OPINION How To Make Nigeria Work Abimbola Agboluaje canvasses the restructuring of Nigeria’s federalism

O

nly very few people will argue that Nigeria has achieved anything near its potential.

The nation is assailed by political, social and economic problems. We have remained dependent on oil, which accounts for 95% of export earnings and 70% of government revenue.

Agricultural productivity is low and despite an abundance of arable land and millions of jobless young people, Nigeria has become a net importer of food and cash crops. In 2016, Nigeria paid N656.4 billion for agriculture imports, while it exported only N60.7 billion of agricultural products.

The Nigeria Police, which has been rated the worst in the world, is very poor at preventing, investigating, and resolving crime.

Violent conflicts frequently erupt in communities, a clear deterrence to production, economic growth and investment. The public health and education systems are in a shambles: states are paying thousands of teachers that can barely read and write.

About 12 million young Nigerians are out of school and 11 million face malnutrition, rivalling India, a nation of 1.3 billion people.

Millions of young Nigerians lack the education and skills to make a significant contribution to the economy; economic growth is also too mediocre to generate jobs for millions of young Nigerians. And to make the picture drearier, drug addiction is on the rise.

The solution to Nigeria’s myriad problems has not been a priority to Nigerian politicians and civil servants across virtually all levels of governance. Nigerians agree that the country’s problems have a relationship with political organisation and political behaviour.

We are unable to hold the politicians and state institutions they control to account, ensuring they serve our interests. We might ask ourselves a few questions: what makes a police force efficiently investigate, prosecute and deter crime? What makes people regulating the built environment monitor constructions to ensure buildings do not collapse? Why is the education budget in France or Sweden invested in high-quality teacher training rather than employing half-literate party supporters? The reason may be that citizens in France or Sweden are able to vote for politicians who seek and use power to ensure state institutions work efficiently.

It is very clear to these politicians that their parties would be punished during elections if they do not perform to expectation.

They hence create incentives for politicians to compete to provide the best ideas to society’s problems and when they secure power, use it to implement the solutions for society’s benefits. Politics is hence, a severe competition to proffer solutions to economic, social, security, education, and other problems. Where it works well, the

competition among politicians to improve education, to deliver mass housing, to improve healthcare, etc., is almost as productive as the competition in the telephone handset industry that has seen us in 20 years, move from four-kilogramme handsets to smart phones that also function as cameras.

Of course, political incentives (the things that voters reward politicians for and what voters expect to gain from political participation) create political culture (the attitudes, expectations and behaviours of voters and politicians) and also shape “mass mentality�. So, if a leading politician and a top civil servant collude in today’s Nigeria to embezzle N600 million meant for nomadic education, the civil servant may be retained in the ministry and the politician re-elected in 2019.

We may even find people from their villages carrying placards requesting “our people to be left alone�. Does this provide evidence that millions of Nigerians are “mental�, i.e. mentally incapacitated people who support the destruction of their society? Or is this simply a reflection of our inability to act together effectively and successfully pressurise or create incentives for our politicians to create a loot-proof Ministry of Education that delivers high-quality education for the masses? Bureaucrats, politicians and villagers in France or Sweden don’t have superior “mentality� to Nigerians. They would also make use of the opportunity to steal millions of public funds if they saw other people doing so and getting away with it. They would also be able to find people to carry placards in support of the theft.

The critical difference is that there is clear and great political pressure on politicians in Sweden and France to design procedures in government ministries that prevent and swiftly detect and punish fraud. In case dogged deviants succeed in stealing public funds, they

Why is the education budget in France or Sweden invested in highquality teacher training rather than employing half-literate party supporters? The reason may be that citizens in France or Sweden are able to vote for politicians who seek and use power to ensure state institutions work efďŹ ciently

are swiftly caught and punished by the efficient criminal justice system (police, public prosecutors and courts) that politicians also have an incentive to build and strengthen. Politicians compete on how efficient they could make government ministries and the criminal justice system.

Ruling parties are punished at elections if citizens perceive that the quality of services in hospitals and schools is deteriorating or that the criminal justice system is allowing politicians and bureaucrats to steal and get away with it. Voters drift towards political parties and politicians that proffer better ideas about institutional or policy reforms, which will make the ministries perform better and make the police and government lawyers more efficiently investigate corruption and have corrupt officials jailed.

Nigerian politics lacks these incentives that strongly link performance (efficient, investment-friendly institutions, quality education and healthcare, good roads, constantly growing number of abundant and well-paying jobs) to reward (support from voters). Nigerian politicians do not mobilise voters or compete on performance. Rather, political competition is primarily a competition to win a fair or greater share of national resources (political appointments, public jobs, infrastructure, etc.) for one’s ethnic, regional or religious group.

The most successful politicians are the ones who are most able to demonstrate that they are the most reliable people to defend “their people’s� interests. Politicians, thus, have a strong incentive to speak or act in ways that antagonise other ethnic or religious groups so they can reinforce their primary political constituency.

Political competition creates the incentive to emphasise and also exclusively focus on issues that promote ethnic or religious divisions rather than those that relate to the delivery of services to citizens and businesses, i.e. welfare and economic growth.

Redesigning Nigeria’s constitutional structure so that smaller political units (encompassing less diverse ethnic identities) are endowed with greater share of national economic resources and enjoy greater policy and legislative powers to create wealth will restructure political incentives in Nigeria. Perverse “mentality� will not change if political competition remains an ethnic battle to capture massive resources concentrated in Abuja. Voters will be less tolerant of theft and waste if they perceive public resources more as their “own�, i.e. resources to be used to provide good hospitals, schools, roads, etc., and less as federal resources, which their kinsmen have fought to capture. ––Dr. Agboluaje, who runs a Lagos-based strategic communications and investment risk advisory, is Secretary of The Peter Bauer Foundation.

Children, Ultimate 100 And Change Winners Children of the world are the real winners of the MacArthur award, writes Kole Shettima

T

he Board of Directors of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation said it was difficult to choose a single recipient in its global competition for a $100 million grant that promises a bold solution to a critical problem of our time. I can see why. Ultimately, MacArthur awarded Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee $100 million to educate young children displaced by conflict and persecution in the Middle East, because it felt an urgency to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis by supporting what will be the largest early childhood intervention programme ever created in a humanitarian setting. Based on the strength and potential impact of the other three finalists proposals, MacArthur also awarded additional grants of $15 million to Rice 360° Institute for Global Health, HarvestPlus, and Catholic Relief Services.

The Foundation is deeply committed to helping all the finalists attract the support their critical work requires and deserves.

MacArthur will continue its effort to cultivate other funding partners to fully realise these projects. One of the ways MacArthur hopes to draw attention to and support for the many strong proposals submitted to the competition is through its partnership with Foundation Center to create the 100&Change Solutions Bank.

The website features nearly 2000 100&Change submissions that are searchable by geography, subject, strategy, population served, sustainable development goal alignment, and linked research.

MacArthur’s goal is to drive investment in proposals, facilitate collaboration between organisations working on similar problems, and inspire other funders.

The four finalists were painstakingly thorough and any of them could have received the $100 million. I had my preference before The Finalists Live presentations late last year, but became undecided after. What’s clear is children were the ultimate winners. It seems most fitting that the foundation awarded $15 million to each of the three other finalists to secure the health, education and wellbeing of children, making it one of the biggest overall grants in support of children. The good news is that these new awards don’t negatively affect the current level of funding of our operations in the Africa office.

I feel a sense of connection with each of the four finalists. For instance, HarvestPlus’ proposal to reduce hidden hunger is on the spot. Malnutrition is a major global problem affecting millions of

people in Africa. It stunts cognitive and physical development, and eyesight of children. Malnourished child-brides carry very high risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. I was horrified by a slide during HarvestPlus’ presentation, which compared the brains of a malnourished child and healthy child. Even with the best academic infrastructure, a malnourished child can’t compete academically. If human capital is the most important resource of a country, biofortification, the proposed solution to reduce malnutrition, is about nurturing the capabilities, creativity, and talent of Africa for Africa.

The HarvestPlus proposal is also about reducing poverty, enhancing the agricultural value chain, and diversification of the economy. During a field visit to the project, I met industrialists who have invested in biofortified cassava and maize value chains, fabricators of machineries, manufacturers of various commodities from biofortified maize and cassava, distributors of biofortified food, and suppliers of seeds, stems and chemicals. Biofortification generated employment among young people and there were kiosks for online services. Women formed cooperatives to produce fufu and gari in large scale.

Having spent most of my professional life at the foundation working on maternal health, the Rice 360° proposal to reduce neonatal deaths was a no brainer. Millions of children die from preventable diseases, despite the ubiquitous knowhow and available preventative techniques. The simple technology proposed by the Rice consortium could revolutionise neonatal health care; becoming an antidote to the “equipment grave yard�, as brilliantly described by Rice 360° team member, Queen Dube. Such graveyards are widespread in many African states.

The consortium invented the Nonpneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG), a simple technology for prolonging the lives of women in postpartum haemorrhage, which when applied to a Yoruba woman at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, who probably would have died, but for the simple technology, was renamed ‘Ayorunbo’, meaning, she who had gone to heaven and returned. A mock neonatal mobile clinic that the Rice 360° team created in Chicago brought home the importance of the project.

The public presentation from Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee (Sesame and IRC) told the history of Sesame Street as a product of the civil rights movement, an

educational alternative for African-Americans lacking access to formal education. Sesame and IRC proposed implementing an early education intervention, which is the bedrock of life opportunities that will reach an estimated 9.4 million unserved and underserved children scattered across the Syrian response region—including neglected and ill-funded refugee camps.

The children in refugee camps are exposed to toxic stress, which correlated with my encounter of a three-year-old boy in Maiduguri who offered N20 to a military officer at a check point in exchange for his gun. The environment where children grow is probably the single most important determinant of their future; and it is this theme—environment—which connects the Sesame and IRC proposal with that of Catholic Relief Service (CRS).

CRS’ proposal to change the way we care for children in orphanages is critical to the healthy development of children.

It was heart-wrenching to watch their presentation on the nine million orphaned children who physically looked four-year-old but in reality, were older than 10. Their presentation painted in my mind the cruel future facing the more than 60,000 children orphaned in Maiduguri by the Boko Haram violence. CRS, along with its partners, Maestral and Lumos, proposed a cost-effective strategy of connecting parents and their children.

100&Change is part of a new approach of grantmaking at the foundation focusing on problems and solutions. MacArthur believes that solutions are possible to even some of the most challenging problems facing the world. This was an initiative that sought to contribute to solving any problem anywhere in the world without the constraints of current foundation thematic foci and geography. When it was announced in June of 2016, 7,069 organisations registered. When the application period closed in October, 1,904 proposals were submitted. Of those, 801 passed administrative review. Nigerians participated in the review. The four finalists emerged from eight semi-finalists.

At the end, the real winners are children of the world who are interconnected by the problems of neonatal death, stunting, toxic stress and neglect and isolation. And the award of $145 million will contribute to nurturing their future, or more appropriately, our future. ––Dr.Shettima is the Director of the Africa Office of the MacArthur Foundation based in Abuja.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

LETTERS

ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY AND NATIONAL CONCILIATION

L

ee Kuan Yew, architect of modern Singapore, visited Nigeria a few days before the military struck on Saturday, January 15, 1966. His visit was in connection with the Commonwealth Conference held in Lagos on Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. His conclusion about Nigeria in 1966 is contained in a book he wrote in 2000 titled: “From Third World to First”. In the book, he concluded thus: “I think their tribal loyalties were stronger than their sense of common nationhood”.

Today, Kuan Yew’s observation about the country has not changed. Similar factors that led to the January 15, 1966 bloody coup that ended the First Republic and triggered a counter-coup that subsequently plunged Nigeria into a civil war are still very much the reasons for unending chapters of violence in the country. An appraisal of Nigerian society 48 years after General Gowon’s civil war victory message to the nation tagged: “The Dawn of National Reconciliation” does not suggest that the country is on the track of national conciliation. We still discuss primordial issues.

Just like before the January 15,

Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Minister of Defence

1966 crisis, Nigerians of different age groups are everywhere listing all the problems with the soul and spirit of the country.

The dearth of such values as justice, fairness and tolerance among Nigerians are obvious, yet the leadership is not doing enough to address them.

Sadly, the inclination of political profiteers, tribalists, and gullible followership to shun the lessons of January 15, 1966 partly accounts for why the country still

dances to python and crocodile rhythm as well as resorts to “Operation Lafiya Dole” to silent agitation tunes.

If January 15, 1966 was the day that the destiny of Nigeria was totally and painfully redefined, opportunity to build a new nation provided itself on January 15, 1970. Yet, the country has not explored the opportunity beyond the cosmetic wreath laying, speeches, lamentations, special Jumat and Sunday

services, which have been the annual ritual of every January 15.

On Monday, January 15, 2018, the ritual of Armed Forces Remembrance Day was repeated at the National Arcade, Abuja, as well as all state capitals across the nation. We were told, as usual, that the day was set aside to honour the Nigerian fallen troops in the various military conflicts for the preservation of the territorial integrity of Nigeria and peace keeping across the world. The question, however, is, why do we celebrate January 15 and yet fail to carefully harness its message? Undoubtedly, January 15 is not an ordinary date in Nigeria’s history, from whichever perspective that we might choose to view it. But then, have we really done enough to suggest that the blood that was shed on that day and others that followed was not in vain?

Could it really be ascertained that enough effort has been spared to conciliate the Southeast, for instance, in recognition of perceived grievances and fears since the tragic incidents of 1966?

In his famous civil war victory message to the nation in 1970, former military ruler, General Gowon said: “The so-called ‘Rising Sun of Biafra’ is set for ever.

VAIDS AND NIGERIA’S VIABILITY

M

y default response to any government pronouncement, policy or programme is to shuttle between indifference and scepticism. Only in very few instances (and I can count them on the fingers of one hand) have I felt a government programme has a chance of success. I guess it is part of being Nigerian.

Last July, when the Federal Ministry of Finance unveiled the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), I was not indifferent-because there had been conversations around taxation-but I was sceptical about its chances of success. My doubts, of course, became stronger when I discussed with friends who are also relentlessly sceptical and dismissive about government policies. Countless examples of policies that bombed were given to support their position.

While they agreed that there is a need to do something about poor tax culture in the country, the blame for it was laid squarely at the feet of government at all levels, especially poor service delivery and near-total dependence on oil revenue, which has been shrinking since 2014 because of dip in oil prices on the international market. Of course, that was before the recent mini-bounce in oil prices.

One friend, who had lived abroad, argued that service

delivery is poor in Nigeria because people do not pay taxes at all or when they do, they grossly underpay. If you do not pay or grossly underpay, he argued, you are less inclined and, of course, ineligible to demand adequate service delivery from the government. This friend had also taken time to study the provisions of VAIDS, which he did his best to break down to digestible bits. The scheme, he explained, has, as its major goal, the rectification of our tax anomalies by offering tax defaulters a time-limited opportunity to regularise their tax status.

If it works, he added, it will bring many more taxpayers into the tax loop, reduce dependence on oil revenue, provide a reliable and more sustainable revenue source for government and nudge Nigerians to demand that service delivery be better.

I did not disagree with him, but wondered how the government was going to discover hidden assets and income. Patiently, he explained that the government was inviting people to voluntarily and truthfully declare such and pay tax liabilities over three years, as agreed with the relevant tax authority.

This, he said, is the fairest possible in the current circumstances, given that the government is also offering incentives such as immunity from prosecution for default, freedom from tax audit and a waiver of

the interest and penalties that have accrued. I told myself that I was going to suspend belief in the scheme for some time. I remained wedded to my belief that a pig would fly before the government would discover hidden assets.

I have since been relieved of that belief (delusion, it now seems). What cured me of it was the realisation I reached through reading a new item that showed I had been ignorant of many things. Specifically, the news item announced that the VAIDS office had collected data of over five corporate organisations and individuals in the country. The collected data, said the news report, have been undergoing analysis to ensure that all unpaid taxes are tracked and collected. Efforts in that direction have also yielded data government revenuegenerating agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority, Petroleum Technology Development Fund and Nigerian Communications Commission. State governments, I later understood, have volunteered transaction data required to identify tax defaulters at the expiration of the first phase of the VAIDS on 31 March.

In addition, the VAIDS office has obtained data on all contracts and transactions above N50 million from

the Nigerian Customs Service, Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria and Nigeria Export-Import Bank among other sources.

Data collected are being matched with those that will be provided by the FIRS, Corporate Affairs Commission and Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System to identify taxdefaulting companies.

Alongside data collected locally are those to be collected on Nigerians with offshore assets. In case you are in doubt, a variety of trans-border informationsharing agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory are there to blow the lid off.

These rely on cooperation among tax authorities to exchange data even without request.

One of such is the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI), which kicked off in Nigeria on 1 January. Home or abroad, it is obvious, the tax defaulter has no hiding place. Defaulters, obviously, want to stay away from the teeth of the law. In the first four months of implementation, VAIDS delivered N17billion into government coffers. Two months later, an additional N6billion was realised through the scheme. I am left with no doubt that VAIDS is viable and the country needs it to remain viable.

––Ogunsusi, a town planner, writes from Ado-Ekiti

It will be a great disservice for anyone to continue to use the word Biafra to refer to any part of the East Central State of Nigeria.

The tragic chapter of violence is just ended.” How do we assess this statement if we go through all national dailies with so many reports of killings, disunity and insecurity in different parts of the nation? Having been amalgamated for 104 years and living together as an independent nation for over 57 years, we must commit ourselves, both as individuals and groups, to making Nigeria work, but on the principle of justice and fairness.

It is in the interest of all Nigerians that this nation works because the country contains the fabric of uncommon greatness waiting to be fostered.

It may be necessary to set up centres for the study of ethnic relations. This can be an antidote to overcome the opportunity of the political class, which makes it difficult to separate genuine interests of ethnic groups from the selfish interests of the class.

The setting up of a Centre of Ethnic Relations will be one way of making it possible to ascertain genuine interests. It can as well reduce the rate at which our youth rant all day through the social media, fighting ‘civil war’ and making more money for Mark Zuckerberg. The Nigerian people can also learn that poverty, ignorance and disease, which oppress the working masses today, do not recognise ethnic, language, religious, and regional differences.

The federal system should be strengthened through faithful adherence to the constitution to allow for the optimum development of all tiers of

government. Indeed, all tiers of government must be viable and productive. We have to beat the habit of preying on others and consuming without producing.

Sadly, most people venture into politics as a main route to power and wealth. But then, how to make governance work for the people is actually of less concern to them.

Professional and other trans-ethnic associations should be encouraged as a counterforce to ethnic associations, which exhibit divisive tendencies.

Joining popular associations, such as occupational and trade unions and clubs, which cut across ethnic, language, religious and regional boundary, will make it possible for people to make friends across ethnic and religious barriers. For instance, the interventions of professional bodies like Nigerian Union of Journalists, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Medical Association, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, etc., on national issues will attract more approval than when it is that of religious or ethnic champions, even when expressing similar views. Also, extant integrating processes and policies (like the National Youth Service Corps and other such uniting tendencies) should be encouraged and strengthened, while official and institutional hindrances, as well as unfavourable attitudes (like discrimination against nonindigenes), should be discouraged and outlawed, if possible.

This should also be extended to national appointments.

––Rasak Musbau, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Lagos.

A CHINK IN MAGU’S ARMOUR

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very passing day, Nigerians are barraged by a cacophony of discordant tunes coming out of the policy and administrative juke boxes of the All Progressives Congressled federal government. When Alhaji Ibrahim Magu, the Senate want-away Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), declared that “the war against corruption must be fought like a jihad” he really opened a big window to the policy-chamber, as it were, of President Muhamamdu Buhari’s policy directions.

The closest Nigerians have been exposed to a jihad are the ravages of Boko Haram and Fulani tribesmen; but a jihad, be it economic jihad or political jihad or social jihad or scorched-earth jihad, must necessarily, by Islamic injunctions or brute fatwas, be directed against “the people of the Book” otherwise known as the Jews and “the ones who have gone ‘astray’” otherwise known as the Christians.

Nowadays, other nonMuslim types who were not profiled in the Koran, like the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, the Shintos, the Jains, the Zoroastrians, the Confucians, the Baha’is, the Druzes, and even the Shi’ites are now fair game in a jihad. From the mouth of Magu the true reason for the relentless, onesided pursuits and confiscations of the assets of Nigerian Christians spewed forth for even babies to discern.

No wonder the allegations against Dr. Maikanti Baru of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would be “swept under the carpet.” Alhaji Magu’s pronouncement also reminded us of the daily bashings that Jews and Christians get each time a Muslim recites the al-fatiha: “…those who have lost your favour…” are the Jews and “... those who have gone astray...” are the Christians.

––Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna Niger State.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Í°ÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

INTERNATIONAL

Pastor Tunde Bakare’s ‘Deliberate or Department of Sinful Silence’is in All Nigerians

O

n Sunday, 14th January, 2018, Pastor Tunde Bakare, a former presidential running mate of General Muhammadu Buhari in 2011 and Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, presented his 2018 State-of-the-Nation Address, entitled, “It is Time to Renegotiate our Union’ to his Assembly (church). The word ‘renegotiate’ is synonymous with ‘restructuring,’ a word President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) does not condone and for which he will always be prepared to do battle with anyone who toys with it.

As media reports have it, Pastor Bakare not only complained about the mania and silence of the Federal Government over the killing of innocent people in Benue State by the Fulani herdsmen, but also drew attention to the Federal Government’s double standards when comparing the situation with the handling of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). As he reportedly put it: ‘look at what happened to IPOB; they massively mobilised the military because of a man who is not killing anybody, but just saying there would be no election.’ More important, he said, ‘in the present case, people, literally, were murdered and nothing was done. That is not justice and you are laying foundation for cyclonic eruption of violence because once retaliation or reprisal begins, we can’t handle it. An eye for an eye will render all of us blind. What happened to those 70 people is a sad tale. In fact, in a decent society, such a government will be shown the way out.’ And perhaps most significantly, Pastor Bakare not only said that he stood ‘to prick the conscience of a nation that has turned the other eye... while Nigerians are being murdered in various parts of the country by marauding herdsmen,’ but also put the complicity of the Federal Government, and particularly the Department of State Services in the context of official remissness towards the Fulani herdsmen. In his words, ‘who authorised them to bear arms? Who gave them immunity against Section 3 of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act 1990, which prescribes punishment for illegal possession of arms? Who monitors the use of these guns?’ Why have the relevant government agencies failed to act? In particular, why has the name Department of State Services (DSS) become synonymous with the phrase ‘Deliberate Sinful Silence (DSS)? Or is it now the Department of Sinful Silence?

Above all, he believed that ‘the Federal Government has become complicit... by not advancing and vigorously executing policies aimed at pre-empting or preventing these killings even with sufficient warnings.’ There are many critical issues in the foregoing quotations. The first issue is the belief in ‘deliberate silence’ in the political governance of Nigeria and which Pastor Bakare considers very sinful. Another question is the changing function or additional roles of the Department of State Services, which is maintaining silence.

In fact, silence is the most critical issue as the acronym, DSS, now reflects the elevation and importance of sinful silence in the governance of Nigeria.

One cannot agree more with Pastor Bakare on this observation but there is still the need to also put the observed conspiratorial and sinful silence in the context of general political governance of Nigeria, which not only prevents Nigeria from making progress in all its ramifications, but which also makes the need for either renegotiation or restructuring a desideratum if national unity is to have a solid foundation.

Put differently, let us learn from one Yoruba proverbial saying, according to which ‘ati ibi isana ni won ti kiyesi ogun,’ that is, ‘it is from a stick of match that one should be cautious of, or appreciate, juju (marabout). Thus, the accusation of silence should not be limited to the Federal Government alone or even to any State Government because it is also manifested at the level of the generality of the people of Nigeria. Nigerians, even at the level of civil society organisations which have specific objectives, hardly complain against societal ills for as long as they derive some benefits.

The truth is that the consciousness of Nigeria as a nation or nation state does not exist on the minds of most Nigerians, particularly all those claiming to be leaders and patriots. And most unfortunately, however, they are the very people the international community is dealing with. Let us illustrate this observation with some empirical cases in the political governance of Nigeria.

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Pastor Bakare

PoliticalGovernanceinNigeria

Political governance in Nigeria is especially predicated on the management of esprit de Corps, political chicanery and ethnic chauvinism. Rather than focus primarily on developmental questions, such as issues in productivity and growth rate, population development, use of foreign policy to grow the economy and defend Nigerians, as well as promotion of national integration, emphasis is always put on regime survival, as clearly manifested in party politics and its focus on forthcoming election.

Let us first of all look at the current controversial remarks by Donald Trump about the good people of Africa. In this regard, there cannot but be ‘sinful silence’ in the context of diplomatic declarations without meaning and message, as evident in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the controversial statement.

On Thursday, 11th January, 2018, Donald Trump held a meeting with the US Congressional Leaders at the Oval Office during which a suggested new approach was made on how best to deal with the protection of the immigrants in the country. In reaction to the suggested plan of action, Donald Trump reportedly asked: ‘why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?’ What is shithole and which countries are referred to as shithole?

Shithole can first be looked at as a combination of two words: shit and hole. Shit, as understood within the context of bullshit, is not complimentary. Shit as another word for excreta is also not complimentary. In other words, any word having to do with ‘shit’ is not good. Its use cannot but be offensive. Even though Donald Trump has denied the use of the word, some of the Congressional leaders who participated in the meeting still said Donald Trump actually used the word while some others argued that Donald Trump did not intend to insult anyone.

In light of Donald Trump’s denial, the invitation extended by

Consequently, pretending that the killing of fellow Nigerians by herdsmen, who are technologically more empowered and sophisticated enough to acquire weapons more powerful than those in possession of the security agents, and also operating in many countries of the Sahel and ECOWAS region, is not for the purposes of Islamising Nigeria cannot but be the crescendo of self-deceit and, of course, that of Deliberate Sinful Silence as observed by Pastor Tunde Bakare

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to US Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr. Symington, to come and explain what Donald Trump meant by the use of ‘shithole’ was in order. However, for two main reasons, it is not. First, Nigeria has consciously admitted that Donald Trump really used the word. It is on this basis that the US Ambassador, Symington, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. David J. Young, in his absence, was invited to explain. If the belief was not there, there would not have been any need to have him invited.

Second, the statement of the Foreign Ministry, as reportedly issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry, Dr. Tope Elias-Fatile, ‘[t] he Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, today, summoned the US Ambassador to Nigeria to clarify issues regarding the remarks credited to the US President, Mr. Donald Trump, in which he was widely quoted in media reports as referring to African countries as “shithole countries� and which he denied...

The Minister sought clarification on the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks, stressing that if they were true, they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptable, especially given the very warm and cordial relations that presently exist between the Nigerian Government and the Government of the United States of America.’ If we take a closer look at the statement, the ‘sinful silence’ of the Government of Nigeria cannot be far-fetched, especially when it is compared with that of the other leading countries of Africa, like South Africa. At the level of the Foreign Ministry’s statement, the clarification sought was actually made ambiguous with the explanation of Ambassador David Young who said that ‘there were contradicting accounts by those present as to the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks.’ In this regard, what really is the position of Nigeria on the matter?

The Foreign Ministry said, if Donald Trump’s remarks were true, ‘they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptable, especially given the very warm and cordial relations that presently exist’ between the two countries. This is a good statement at the level of commentary but most unfortunate at the analytical level. The hurtfulness, the offensiveness and unacceptability to Nigeria is not on the basis of Nigeria’s current relations with the United States but to future relations. This is because of the difference between ‘at present’ and ‘presently.’ ‘At present’ means ‘now’ while ‘presently’ refers to the future. Thus, there is unnecessary sinful silence on the veracity or otherwise on Donald Trump’s remarks.

Perhaps more importantly, unlike Nigeria, South Africa made clear her policy direction on the matter. South Africa not only stated her support for the statement of the African Union which described Donald Trump’s description of African countries as ‘shithole countries,’ as ‘shock, dismay, and outrage,’ but also noted as follows: ‘we agree to the importance of strong relations between South Africa and the United States that are based on mutual respect and understanding.’ From this statement, South Africa is not opposed to the making of warmer and stronger ties with the United States, for as long as the relationship is predicated on mutual respect, for as long as the understanding is located on horizontal, and not on vertical, considerations. Thus, South Africa has sent a strong message of caution to Donald Trump while Nigeria is playing with diplomacy of words without any well-articulated policy stand. Nigeria comments generally on many international questions but keeps silent on them in terms of policy stand and direction. The same is true at the level of domestic governance.

In this regard, let us look at the visible societal indiscipline and then put it in the context of Pastor Bakare’s ‘Deliberate Sinful Silence.’ Deliberate Sinful Silence cuts across political governance, both at the official level of government, on the one hand, and officious and unofficial levels of the people, on the other. The Deliberate Sinful Silence is built on the promotion of culture of corruption by essentially acting contrary to acceptable behaviour and seeking an outcome that would not have been enabled under normal circumstance. An act of corruption is necessarily an expression of dishonesty. An act of dishonesty is a taint on integrity. Ataint on integrity not only affects credibility, but also impedes progress in various ramifications. The experience of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), which is not based on hearsay, provides a good illustration of Pastor Bakare’s ‘Deliberate Sinful Silence.’ Under the General Ike Omar Nwachukwu-led Governing Council of the NIIA, 2012-2015, governance was, at best, built on deliberate sinful silence. For instance, attention of Council was drawn to the act of serious misconduct of the Director of Administration and Finance, Ms Agatha Elochi Ude, who not only removed queries issued by various Directors-General of the NIIAfrom her classified files, but also changed some promotion examination results in favour of some staff. I referred the matter to the Governing Council which asked the Appointment and Promotion Sub-Committee of the Council, of which I was the statutory chairman to look at my complaint.

Being the complainant, I was asked not to chair the meeting, which was perfectly in order. However, the Council decided that the matter had been resolved on the basis of the report of the sub-committee that Ms Agatha Ude, the Director, had regretted her action and apologised in my absence, which I . This was a good manifestation of a deliberate sinful silence over an ‘act of serious misconduct.’ (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS

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

African Devt Bank Forecasts 2.1% GDP Growth for Nigeria in 2018 Bases projection on high oil prices, strong agricultural performance

LAST WEEK PIGB With the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) by the House of Representatives last Wednesday,theSpeakeroftheHouse, Hon.YakubuDogara,hasurgedPresident Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, sign into law the legislation passed by the National Assembly. His appealcameontheheelsofthepassage ofthelegislationbytheSenatelastyear.

The speaker said the new legislation would be transmitted to the president withinthenextfewdays,explainingthat theEighthNationalAssemblyhadtomove on and pass its own version of the bill, following the failure of the executive to present a draft bill to the National Assembly.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, Dogara described the passage of the PIGB as a historic and landmark achievement by the Eighth National Assembly after it was first introduced to the parliament by late PresidentUmaruMusaYar’Aduain2008.

An ongoing infrastructure project Vincent Obia Nigeria is in a good position for growth this year, so says the African Development Bank. In its economic outlook for 2018,AfDB says despite slow and difficult recovery from recession and paltry Gross Domestic Product growth in 2017, rising oil prices and output as well as growing agricultural performance stand Nigeria in good stead and place it well to grow in 2018.

After recording negative GDP growth in two successive quarters, Nigeria’s economy was mired in recession in the second quarter of 2016. The country, however, exited its worst economic recession in more than two decades the following year, with growth of 0.55 per cent in the second quarter of 2017. The National Bureau of Statistics, which announced the growth, attributed the economic recovery to improved performances in the oil, agriculture, and manufacturing and trade sectors of the economy.

Launching the 2018 edition of its yearly report, the African Economic Outlook, on Wednesday, at its headquarters inAbidjan,AfDB says there are continued signs of economic recovery in Nigeria from the 2016 recession. It estimates GDP growth at 0.8 per cent in 2017, up from –1.5 per cent in 2016.

The bank, the first to provide headline numbers on Africa’s macroeconomic performance and outlook, says regarding Nigeria, “The outlook beyond is positive, with growth projected at 2.1 per cent in 2018 and 2.5 per cent in 2019.

This outlook is anchored in higher oil prices and production, as well as stronger agricultural performance. Oil

ECONOMY prices rebounded to an average of $52 per barrel (Brent crude) in 2017 and are projected to reach $54 in 2018, up from $43 per barrel in 2016. Oil production also increased from 1.45 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2017 to 2.03 million in the third quarter of 2017 following de-escalation of hostilities in the delta region and is expected to remain at the same level in 2018 and 2019, in tandem with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ production restrictions.”

Detailing the macroeconomic indicators, AfDB says fiscal policy remained expansionary in 2017, as in 2016. It says though the percentage of total spending to GDP declined from 13 per cent in 2014 to 10.3 per cent in 2017, revenues declined more sharply, from 11.4 per cent to 5.6 per cent.

“The budget deficit was estimated at 4.8 per cent in 2017, up from 4.7 per cent in 2016, and is projected to improve to 4.3 per cent in 2018 and 4.1 per cent in 2019, as revenue performance improves,” AfDB states. “At 14 per cent, unemployment remained high in 2017, the same as in 2016, and is expected to decline only slightly in 2018, to 13.5 per cent, as recovery eases production constraints in manufacturing and agriculture.”

Nigeriahasoperatedamacroeconomic policy involving a reduction in money supply, with the monetary policy rate kept at 14 per cent since July 2016, in what the Central Bank of Nigeria explains as an attempt to support the naira, control inflation, and stabilise the economy.

AfDB says the contractionary monetary policy is expected to remain

unchanged in 2018. It predicts that inflation, which has remained high and in the double digits, at an estimated 16.2 per cent in 2017, up from 15.6 per cent in 2016, would ease to 13.7 per cent in 2018 and 12 per cent in 2019.

The bank notes the improvement in foreign currency liquidity following the introduction of administrative measures by the CBN since early 2017. The measures include establishment of a distinct trading window for portfolio investors at market-determined rates and introduction of the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Rate Fixing, which allows commercial banks to quote forex rates that are close to parallel market rates.

It says, “The naira remained stable for most of 2017 and is expected to The outlook beyond is positive, with growth projected at 2.1 per cent in 2018 and 2.5 per cent in 2019. This outlook is anchored in higher oil prices and production, as well as stronger agricultural performance

strengthen slightly as the economy continues to recover.”

On the tailwinds, AfDB identifies the recent rise in oil prices and increase in oil production as one of the key conditions that would drive growth, as it would deliver badly needed revenues to the government to pursue its economic diversification policies and structural reforms.

“Faithful implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017–20) holds the promise of weaning

the country off its dependence on oil,” AfDB says.

The ERGP focuses on six priority sectors, namely, agriculture; manufacturing; solid minerals, including iron, gold, and coal; services, including information and communication technology, financial services, tourism, and creative industries; construction and real estate; and oil and gas.

On the headwinds, AfDB lists significant challenges that the country still faces to include foreign exchange shortages, disruptions in fuel supply, unreliable power, and insecurity in some parts of the country. It says, “Revenue mobilisation efforts are insufficient; at five per cent, value added tax rates are among the lowest in the world, and revenue administration is inefficient.

Poverty is unacceptably high; nearly 80 per cent of Nigeria’s 190 million people live on less than $2 a day.”

The African Economic Outlook provides short-to-medium term forecasts on the development of key macroeconomic indicators as well as analysis on the state of socio-economic challenges for all 54 AfDB member countries.

The president of AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, says there is a compelling need for accelerated industrialisation inAfrica to create jobs, reduce poverty, and promote inclusive economic growth. Citing data from the 2018 African Economic Outlook, Adesina says infrastructure projects are among the most profitable investments any society can make as they “significantly contribute to, propel, and sustain a country’s economic growth.

Infrastructure, when well-managed, provides the financial resources to do everything else.”

Inflation Forthe11thconsecutivemonth,theConsumerPriceIndex(CPI),whichmeasures inflation,ended2017at15.37percent (year-on-year)inthemonthofDecember.

Thiswas0.53percentagepointslower thanthe15.90percentrecordedinNovember–the11thconsecutiveslowdown intheinflationratesinceJanuary2017.

However,increaseswererecordedinall ClassificationofIndividualConsumption

by Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yield the headline index. In the latest inflation figures released lastTuesday, theNationalBureauofStatistics(NBS) notedthaton-a-month-on-monthbasis, theheadlineindexincreasedby0.59per centinDecember2017,0.19percentagepointshigherthanthe0.78percent recorded in November. e-Dividend TheSecuritiesandExchangeCommission (SEC) has extended period for the free e-dividendregistrationtoFebruary28,to encouragemoreshareholdersparticipation in the initiative.

ThecommissioninastatementbySEC lastThursdayinLagos,indicatedthatthe extensionwaspartofitsdevelopmental role. It said that the extension became necessarytoencouragemoreshareholders mandate their bank accounts.

Thestatementsaidinreviewingtheprogressofthee-dividendregistrationafter theDec.31,2017deadline,therewasstill a great influx of shareholders desirous of mandating their Bank accounts for payment of dividends electronically.

Poverty TheSpecialAdvisertothePresidenton Social Protection, Maryam Uwais, said about67percentofNigerianpopulation livebelowpovertyline.Uwaissaidthisduringasocialprotectionpractitionersand academicsdialogueinAbuja.Accordingto her,someofthesocialissuesthatplague Nigeriaarehighpoverty,highunemploymentrates,increasedinsecurity,gender inequalityandpoorliteracyrates,among others.

She added that social protection was a response and a key strategy towards reducing poverty and socio-economic vulnerabilitiesinthepopulationaswell astoencouragepaymentsdigitalisation and financial inclusion.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Tomato sellers in local market awaiting patronage

Leverage for Monetary Policy Easing as Inflation Inches Down Following the continued downward movement of the consumer price index, which, in December 2017, stood at 15.37 per cent, having dropped from 18.72 per cent in January 2017, analysts are optimistic that the Central Bank of Nigeria would see a justification to ease the monetary policy rates, as they expressed the belief that the CPI would further drop significantly by the end of this year. Kunle Aderinokun and Bamidele Famoofo write

T

here are signs that the standard of living of Nigerians may get better in the days ahead as the consumer price index (CPI) recorded a huge drop in December 2017.

Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) last week showed that inflation recorded a decline for the 11th time in December 2017, from 18.72 per cent in January, 2017 to 15.37 per cent in December.

The improvement in December was particularly noticeable as inflation dropped from 15.90 per cent in November, 2017 to 15.39 per cent in December, 2017, representing a decline by 0.53 per cent, the best in 11 months.

Analysts at FBN Quest Research has attributed the significant improvement recorded in the nation’s inflation figure in December to a steep decline in food price inflation from 20.3 per cent to 19.4 per cent year on year. “Our expectation, shared with wire service polls of analysts, was 16.0 per cent on year on

year basis of higher seasonal demand”, FBN Quest said.

FBN Quest Research is optimistic that the nation’s inflation trend will further improve as the year rolls by. “We see the headline rate falling again to 15.2 per cent year on year in January. Base effects will be positive through to June/ July, when we see the rate just above 11.0 per cent”.

Analysts at Investment One Research shared the views of their counterparts in FBN Quest as they agree that inflation would moderate towards the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) target of 11-12 percent.

“Our view remains that as we see headline inflation moderate towards the CBN’s target (11-12per cent) we are likely to see the apex bank move to a more accommodative monetary policy.”

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, at the Annual Bankers’ Dinner in November, 2017, had said, “Monetary policy stance could change when the underlying fundamentals become

supportive. If the pace of disinflation becomes adequate and we see inflation at predicted levels, I am very optimistic that Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) may begin to see strong justification for an easing of monetary policy, which may further accelerate the recovery process.

“We believe that it may return to very low double digit or high single digit levels during the next year. Though the base effect had diminished, I expect that as the socio-economic factors that are driving food inflation are resolved the inertia therein would dissipate and the pace of headline disinflation will grow.”

Similarly, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma , was optimistic that inflation in Africa’s largest economy would ease to 12.54 per cent in 2018.

While speaking in Lagos recently, Udoma Udo Udoma said, “There is so much potential in the country and it is this potential and the results of our initiatives that make the 2018 outlook

so positive.

“So, we are targeting a GDP growth rate of 3.5 per cent for this year and 7.0 per cent by 2020, and an inflation rate of 12.54 per cent for 2018 and single digit inflation of 9.9 per cent by 2020.”

Analysts at Investment One Research said December 2017 Inflation report may further confirm expectations for the rise in consumer prices to moderate in 2018, on the back of the high base effect of 2017 as well as the willingness of the present administration to curtail any potential increase in energy and food prices, given the negative impact it may have on re-election prospects.

“Nonetheless, we see the on-going scarcity of PMS, which contributed to the +18per cent month-on-month increase in the average PMS price paid by consumers in December 2017 (c.N172/ litre), as a potential downside risk to our outlook, as well as disruptions to activities in the agriculture sector and election spending”.

Elaborating on the implications, they said potential for a further decline in

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Leverage for Monetary Policy Easing as inflation Inches Down the rate of increase in consumer prices should be a positive for company performances in 2018, which should be a supportive of the equities market.

Meanwhile, FSDH Research in its inflation projection for December published ahead of the NBS report had predicted a higher inflation rate for December though at a declining rate.

FSDH Research expects the inflation rate (year-on-year) to drop to 15.85 per cent in December 2017 from 15.90 per cent recorded in the month of November.

“The expected decrease in the inflation rate will be driven by the base effect.

The drop in the December inflation rate would be the eleventh consecutive month of decrease in the inflation rate in 2017.

Based on the data release calendar on the website of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), FSDH Research expects the NBS to release the inflation rate for the month of December 2017 on January 16, 2018”, FSDH said in its report.

According to FSDH, the December 2017 monthly Food Price Index (FPI) from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) shows that the Index averaged 169.8 points. The Index was down by 3.31 per cent, compared with the revised November 2017 figure. According to the FAO, the latest performance of the Index was largely driven by a sharp fall in dairy, vegetable oils and sugar prices. The FAO Dairy Index depreciated by 9.70 per cent from November 2017, as a result of weaker demand.

A review of 2017 inflation rate showed that the rate opened at 18.72 per cent in January 2017 to close at 17.78 per cent in February.

In March, inflation rate closed at 17.26 per cent, the second decline recorded in two months.

The statistics bureau had explained that growing prices in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other Fuels, Education and Transport contributed to hike in inflation rate in the first quarter of 2017, following the unstable foreign exchange market.

Economic indicator had revealed that, while economy growth declined, the rise in inflation was inevitable as falling exchange rate and rising foreign prices passed through directly to domestic prices.

However, the inflation rate closed April at 17.24 per cent, 16.25 per cent in May 2017 and 16.10 per cent in June.

In the third quarter, the inflation rate slowed marginally to 16.05 per cent in July, 16.01 per cent in August and 15.98 per cent in September.

Towards the end of 2017, Inflation rate moved to 15.91 per cent in October and 15.90 per cent in November.

The report released by NBS in January showed that on a month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 0.59 percentage points in December 2017, 0.19 percentage points higher from the rate of 0.78 per cent recorded in November.

It said the percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending in December 2017 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 16.50 per cent, showing 0.26 percentage point lower from 16.76 per cent recorded in November 2017.

FBN Quest noted that while the trend in the core measure had broadly reflected the softening of demand in the now-ended recession, food prices have remained stubbornly high because of supply factors, notably insecurity and a pick-up in food exports. We suspect, in the absence of any data, that some harvests have disappointed.

“The NBS commentary isolates the large price increases for lubricants and fuel for personal transport, for solid fuels and for air passenger transport.

This is consistent with the anecdotal evidence of fuel scarcity, notably of

Adeosun

gasoline/petrol, in the holiday season”.

The bureau also tracks inflation by state, with the highest 21.9 per cent year-on-year in Bauchi in December and the lowest 10.0 per cent in Kogi.

However, it cautions that household baskets vary across states.

The NBS disclosed that high year-onyear food prices and food price pressure continued into December though consistently at a slower pace month-on-month and at a slower pace year on year. The Food Index increased by 19.42 per cent (year-on-year) in December, down from the rate recorded in November (20.30 per cent). On a month-on-month basis, the Food sub-index increased by 0.58 per cent in December, down by 0.30 per cent from 0.88 per cent recorded in November.

CEO, The CFG Advisory Ltd, Adetilewa Adebajo, believed the latest development on inflation was positive for growth.

Adebajo suggested that the CBN should cut rates to provide the necessary stimulus to kick start economic growth.

According to him, “Interest rates are too high and the level of reserves suggests that Naira should be trading in the 200+. Distortions that are unnecessary

The moderation in inflation was also very significant considering that it happened during the festive period when improved demand and high cost of transportation would have driven it higher

Cont’d from Pg.. 18

Emefiele

are stalling growth. Monetary and Fiscal authorities have to act quickly.”

In the same vein, the Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital, Femi Ademola, noted that, “The decline in the rate of inflation for the month of December 2017 to 15.37 per cent from 15.90 per cent in November 2017 is a very pleasant but surprising news.” This, he explained was because “the inflation appears to have reached a core point having hovered between 16.10 per cent in June 2017 and 15.90 per cent in November 2017; shedding only 0.2 per cent over a period of about six months.”

Ademola added: “The moderation in inflation was also very significant considering that it happened during the festive period when improved demand and high cost of transportation would have driven it higher. While it is clear that the lower inflation reported was driven by rural inflation which eased to 15.02 per cent from 15.59 per cent; an indication that the higher demand for goods for the festive period is limited to the urban areas, the decline in inflation rate may also reflect the fact that inflation is more of a structural phenomenon than liquidity driven.”

Nevertheless, the analyst posited that, “By and large, the moderation in inflation is not totally unexpected as I had earlier in the year stated that because inflation rate was higher in the second half of 2016, I expected inflation for the second of 2017 to be significantly lower with an expectation to get to as low as 15 per cent in the coming months.”

Ademola believed, “The sharp decline in inflation is encouraging for consumption with positive effects on production and economic growth. It also signals that the expected lower inflation in 2018 on which the potential reduction in the Monetary Policy Rate (MPC) is based is plausible.”

Also, Director, Union Capital Markets Limited,Egie Akpata, pointed out that the drop in inflation to 15.37 per cent in December was a very welcome development. Nevertheless, he added that, “The increasing rate at which inflation is falling needs to continue for a few

months for us to say we have a clear acceleration downwards in the CPI.” Akpata, however, stated that, “There is a risk that higher oil prices would eventually negatively impact inflation figures despite the government’s intention to keep the price of petrol below the actual cost of importation. Kerosene and diesel prices are deregulated and could start to impact the cost of other goods and services if the oil price keeps rising.”

According to him, “The CBN might not see 15.37 per cent inflation as enough reason to start cutting MPR as the current level of 14 per cent is effectively a negative real interest rate.

We might need to wait a few more months to see inflation well below 14 per cent, which would be needed to justify a cut in interest rates by the MPC of the CBN. “Lower inflation is generally better than higher inflation for the Nigerian economy due to its effect on interest rates and exchange rates and the impact on capital formation. The current trend looks positive for the Nigerian economy and needs to be sustained so as to translate to improved GDP growth in 2018.”

The CEO, Global Analytics Consulting Ltd, Tope Fasua, who said, “The fact that inflation is trending down is elating,” also enthused that, “It also gives assurance to investors who usually benchmark returns against inflation.”

Fasua pointed out that, “Whereas we are still a far cry from progressing, the hope is that other policies will act to continue to force down inflation.”

“The downside risk is that 2018 will see heavy political spending which may push up inflation further.

“However it may not be as bad as expected because in reality the bulk of political spending happens among a very tight click of people, and the majority are usually bottom, at best being given little to feed them for a day. The implication of this has always been that the Naira would be under pressure because the big players usually send money abroad. We hope the trend continues until we can also boast of single-digit inflation,” Fasua however added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/ENERGY

Barrels of Oil

Will Oil Price Upswing Endure?

Buoyed by the decision of member countries of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC countries to apply limits on outputs from their fields, crude oil prices have risen to levels not seen since December 2014. But would the upswing endure for a long time? Chineme Okafor reports

I

n the last three years, oil prices had not risen as high as have been seen this January.

Supported by a mix of geopolitical factors, mostly from the Middle East, including indications of a tighter oil market, and healthy global economic growth that could see demands for oil growing further, prices have been relatively bullish since December.

Apparently ignoring US production growth, which has stalled in recent days because of very cold weather, the EIA weekly data indicated that production was 9.492 million barrels per day (mbd) on January 5, down from 9.782mbd the previous week.

On Thursday, Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, traded at $69.31 by 09.43 GMT, dropping about 7 cents from the value it was traded on Monday when it hit $70.37, the highest since December 2014. Similarly, reports indicated that U.S. crude also went up by 2 cents at $63.99. It had previously traded at $64.89. it equally reached its highest since December 2014.

But as oil prices fluctuated above the $60 mark in the first weeks of January 2018 – Brent just below the $70 threshold – market analyses indicated that prices could continue on this threshold especially with support from global oil demand growth and repeated successes recorded by producers in the OPEC-Russia production cut agreement.

These analyses also showed that at the moment, oil prices have maintained a steady rise, overriding concerns that shale oil will grow even more than predicted and disrupt the market once again.

There were reports that supply information from the American Petroleum Institute last Wednesday presented a mixed picture. The reports said inventories in gasoline and diesel were rising while crude stocks were falling.

API said crude inventories fell last week by 5.1 million barrels, while stockpiles of gasoline rose by 1.8 million barrels, less than anticipated.

Though, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said it expected the country’s oil output to

continue to rise in February with production from shale increasing by 111,000 barrels per day, experts’ analyses however believed prices were unlikely to fall much, precisely because of the OPEC-led production cuts.

The EIA was due to post its data on Thursday at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT), and if it followed the API figures, reports stated that it would be the ninth straight week of crude inventory declines. “This rally has been driven first by robust fundamentals, with strong demand growth and high OPEC compliance accelerating,” said Goldman Sachs, in a note it reportedly shared with Reuters. Goldman further stated, “We see increasing upside risks to our $62 per barrel Brent and $57.5 per barrel WTI forecast for the coming months.”

In addition, fund managers have reportedly raised their bullish positions on Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures and options.

Leading global financial services firm, Morgan Stanley, said in a note that it saw Brent hitting $75 a barrel by the third quarter of 2018, while U.S. crude could hit $70 a barrel. It, however, noted that it saw prices retreating later in the year, even though it believed the market would remain undersupplied in 2018, and prices in backwardation.

New Threats Emerge from Nigeria While the OPEC and Russia agreements have reportedly remained instrumental to the price rise, which seems set to last through 2018, to further tighten the market, a new threat by a militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, has emerged in Nigeria. NDA said it would attack offshore oil facilities in few days to come, a situation that could support the price climb. NDA’s belligerent activities in the oil-rich Niger Delta had resulted in oil production disruptions for much of 2015, with Nigeria unable to produce enough to meet its OPEC quota. The country at that time lost as much as 800,000 barrels of oil a day from NDA’s repeated bombing of oil installations onshore.

Now, the group in a statement sent out on Wednesday, said it would target to disrupt oil production at offshore facilities in the coming days.

Most of Nigeria’s oil volumes come from offshore production facilities. NDA said it would disrupt oil production on the 225,000bd capacity Bonga FPSO, 250,000bd Agbami FPSO, and 150,000bd Akpo FPSO, among others.

The group said in the statement posted on its website, “The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wishes all Niger Deltans a Happy New Year as we admonish the Nigerian government to brace up for the doom we have finished all arrangement to unleash on the oil sector in a few days’ time.”

It explained, “This round of attacks will be the most deadly and will be targeting the deep sea operations of the multinationals which include Bonga Platform, Agbami, EA Field, Britania-U

While the OPEC and Russia agreements have reportedly remained instrumental to the price rise, which seems set to last through 2018, to further tighten the market, a new threat by a militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, has emerged in Nigeria

Field, Akpo Field, amongst others littered across the deep waters of the Niger Delta region.”

The group equally warned that it would attack the upcoming Egina FPSO, which is expected to begin production in 2018.

“As for the Egina FPSO, we are advising the operators to let it stay where ever it is right now, as we are tracking its movement. We mean it when we say they (the oil installations) shall dance to the sound of the fury of the Niger Delta Avengers. Good a thing the ocean is wide enough to accommodate as many wreck as possible,” it added.

NDA further stated, “On the 15th of January 2018, being the 62nd historic remembrance day of the 1956 discovery of commercial oil by Shell Darcy in the now forgotten and dejected Oloibiri Community in the Niger Delta, the high command of the ND Avengers summoned a meeting of all our operatives from across the Niger Delta to review the progress of our operations so far and deliberate on the planned actions for the future.

“It was agreed in that meeting that the killings and division presently playing out in Nigeria along divergent grounds makes this the perfect time to restructure this country.”

According to the group, its imminent attack would destabilise Nigeria’s income from oil, and its economy.

“While promising a brutal outpour of our wrath, which shall shake the coffers of the failed Nigerian nation, our demand, unambiguously, is for the government to ‘Restructure This Country’,” it added Reacting to this, analysts stated that the threat if executed by the NDA would impact significantly on the global oil market.

“The impact of such a threat, if carried out, would be significant on the global supply and demand balance,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM to Reuters.

Varga, said, “The market is still sensitive to geopolitical developments.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/CAPITAL MARKET

Nigerian Stock Exchange building, Lagos

FMDQ OTC Market Outperforms NSE 109 Times in 2017 Bamidele Famoofo

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hough the Nigerian equity market achieved a record N1.27 trillion turnover in the 2017 financial year, the performance trails investments worth over N142 trillion by investors in the fixed income market in the same period. In terms of turnover, investments on the platform of the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, where short- term yielding instruments are traded, was 109 times bigger than those on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2017.

Data released by the NSE Tuesday last week showed that the Nigerian equity market activity skyrocketed from 2016 levels, as market turnover increased by 121 per cent to N1.27 trillion, from N0.58 trillion.

Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said on Tuesday that the NSE recovered from the macroeconomic overhang of the commodity downcycle to become the third best performing market in 2017 globally, with a 42 percent return in the NSE ASI index. Onyema spoke during a 2017 performance recap and 2018 outlook of the Exchange briefing.

The NSE boss attributed the sterling performance, in part, to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s monetary policies that resulted in increased liquidity in the foreign exchange market.

Meanwhile, on the other divide, the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange in its market turnover report for 2017 (January-December), revealed that the total turnover recorded in all instruments traded on the platform, which excludes commercial papers in the course of the financial year, amounted to over N142 trillion.

Investment Breakdown – OTC A breakdown of investments in the market in the financial year ended 2017 confirmed investors’ preference for Treasury Bills. About N60.32 trillion was invested in Treasury bill instruments of varying maturing periods in the financial year, which represents about 43 per

cent of total turnover recorded in the market.

Repurchase Agreements/Buybacks accounted for about 23 per cent of gross investment in the FMDQ OTC market at N31.90 trillion, while trading in foreign exchange contributed 15 per cent to gross turnover with about N21.09 trillion exchanging hands in the market in the review period.

Other major contributors to turnover in the fixed income instruments market under the auspices of the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange in 2017 are forex derivatives, which accounted for 12 per cent of turnover, with over N17 trillon exchanging hands, while the Federal Government Bonds (FGN Bonds), which contributed about seven per cent to the turnover, attracted close to N10 trillion from investors. Unsecured Placements/Takings also attracted about N1.63

Nigerian equity market activity skyrocketed, as market turnover increased by 121 per cent to N1.27 trillion, from N0.58 trillion…on the other divide, the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange report for 2017 revealed that the total turnover in all instruments traded on the platform, which excludes commercial papers in the course of the financial year, amounted to over N142 trillion

trillion from investors to the market. Other instruments, which investors traded on in the financial year at a moderate level, include Other Bonds, N33.57 billion; Euro Bonds, N86.51 billion; and Money market derivatives, N22.90 billion.

Stock Market Performance Breakdown The NSE boss revealed that the “IPO activity in the year remained mute, however, there were several other positive indicators, including the revival of supplementary listings and the return of new issuances. The value of supplementary listings increased by 27 per cent, bringing the total value of equity issues in 2017 to N408 billion.”

On bonds, Onyema stated that the NSE fixed income market recorded a mixed performance.

He stated, “New bond issuances increased over the previous year, while bond yields gradually moderated from 2016 levels amidst easing inflation and greater FX stability. Yields across various tenors declined between 0.4 percent and 1.5 percent, and market turnover declined by 24 per cent in 2017, as investors sought higher returns in alternative product classes.

However, supplementary issuances by the federal government saw bond market capitalisation increase by 34 per cent year-on-year.

“The NSE’s ETF market witnessed increased activity across key metrics in 2017, recording a 272 per cent year-on-year growth in trade volumes, 33 per cent growth in turnover and a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in market capitalisation to close the year at N6.69 billion.”

Onyema also noted that NSE made steady progress on its strategic focus areas set out at the beginning of 2017.

He said, “Demutualisation remained a key strategic focus in the year under review.

Through targeted engagement efforts with our members, Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Assembly, NSE members, including Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission, and other key stakeholders, we achieved the broadbased support required to secure approval for demutualisation from The Exchange’s members and successfully progressed the Demutualisation

Bill through the first and second reading and public hearing stages of the law making process.”

Onyema added, “In 2017, we amplified our efforts to establish West Africa’s first derivatives market and achieved a number of key milestones during the year. These include the: (i) completion of draft rules; (ii) development of product specifications; and (iii) market-wide trainings on derivatives and Clearing Counterparty (CCP) transactions. We also worked to create and enhance legal and regulatory frameworks which support derivative instruments, and have made significant progress towards securing approvals to operationalise these frameworks.”

Outlook for 2018 In keeping with its objective of taking a vigorous and adaptive approach to strategy execution, Onyema stated that NSE re-assessed its strategic agenda in light of changing dynamics in both the operating environment and the global exchange landscape against the backdrop of the fourth industrial revolution. This culminated in a new corporate strategy for the 2018 – 2021 periods. “Our efforts will be geared at satisfying our customers, boosting our domestic retail segment, and enhancing our organisation for a demutualised structure,” he stated.

Speaking on the prognosis for 2018, Onyema noted that the outlook for the Nigerian capital market was encouraging. “Indeed, to some extent, political activities and currency movements will have some effect on the market, but we expect that such impacts will be short-lived and the performance of the underlying business activities will ultimately determine market performance,” he said.

On its part, the NSE is on track to become a more agile and flexible demutualised securities exchange. “We are hopeful that the Demutualisation Bill will be signed into law in 2018, and are working assiduously with our advisers to fine-tune outstanding aspects of the demutualisation project as well as providing clarity and transparency on the process via regular engagement with all our valued stakeholders,” Onyema stated.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/TELECOMS

Customers at a 9mobile centre

Fresh Challenges for 9mobile The recent court injunction obtained by Spectrum Wireless Communication to stop the sale of 9mobile will, no doubt, pose fresh challenges for the telecoms company, whose sale was at the verge of completion. Emma Okonji writes

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ndustry stakeholders, 9mobile and United Capital Trustees Limited, were thrown into confusion last week, when it was reported that Spectrum Wireless Communication had gone ahead of them to obtain a court injunction to stop the sale of 9mobile. United Capital Trustees Limited is the receiver-manager appointed by the consortium of 13 banks, which lent $1.2 billion to the former Etisalat Nigeria, which currently trades as 9mobile.

It became a big and devastating issue to the concerned parties because the court injunction came at a time when they were almost getting a sigh of relief that the challenges of 9mobile would soon be over, since the planned sale, which had lingered since last year, was nearing completion.

But to their surprise, the unexpected happened, when Spectrum Wireless Communication obtained a court injunction, restraining the sale of 9mobile.

Spectrum Wireless Communication has alleged that its interest in 9mobile as an investor, who invested over $35 million in the telecoms company, was not factored into the planned sale of 9mobile. It therefore prayed the court to stop the sale to enable those involved to rewrite the template for the payment of its investments in 9mobile before it could be sold to a new investor, and the court granted its request and placed an injunction to stop the sale of 9mobile. Although United Capital Trustees Limited has appealed the case, and has vowed to continue with the planned sale, it is uncertain how far it can go, since its action may be legally interpreted as contempt of court.

Position of Spectrum Wireless Spectrum Wireless, which claimed to be one of the investors in Etisalat Nigeria, now trading as 9mobile, said it had 17.5 per cent shares in the former Etisalat Nigeria. And it is demanding a return of its investment worth over $35 million, before the telecoms company can be sold. The management of Spectrum Wireless claimed that since it invested over $35 million in Etisalat Nigeria in 2009, no returns had been made to it.

Having secured a Federal High Court injunction in Lagos on January 12, which nullified the Central Bank of Nigeria-led Interim Board of 9mobile, Spectrum Wireless Communication said the planned sale of 9mobile must stop until every kobo of its investment was paid.

Solicitors to Spectrum Wireless Communication Limited warned that by virtue of the said judgement, the positions of Dr. Joseph Nnanna, Oluseyi Bickersteth, Ken Igbokwe, Funke Ighodaro and Boye Olusanya, as security trustee nominee of the board of Emerging Markets Telecommunications Service had been nullified and the order appointing them vacated. The Solicitors, J.A. Achimogu and Co and Dr. Reuben Atabo and Co, warned that any institution or company who transacts

business for the purpose of sale or acquisition of EMTS or 9mobile, did so at his or her own risk.

Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had in his judgement said the motion was struck out having set aside the order adding, “the respondent shall reverse all steps taken by it since the order was nullity.”

The stakeholders, led by Spectrum Wireless, approached the court in December 2017 to challenge the Ex Parte Order granted in favour of United Capital on July 3, 2017. This culminated in the court ruling of January 12, 2018 which discharged (sets aside or nullifies) the prior court order of July 3, 2017 on the grounds, among others, that it was granted based on a misrepresentation of facts made available to the court at the time.

Industry View Telecoms industry players who have been following the processes of the planned sale of 9mobile and were initially optimistic that 9mobile would bounce back to the telecoms space stronger, after it must have been sold to a credible investor. They are now worried and confused about the recent development.

President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola, said Spectrum Wireless Communication might have its reasons for seeking a court injunction, but the best way to resolve the issue was for all the parties involved to come together and reach an amicable resolution.

Citing the case of Airtel Nigeria, which had a similar issue with Mr. Strive Masiyiwa of Econet Wireless,Teniola said Airtel Nigeria was able to survive the situation, which almost crumbled its operations before it was eventually sold to Bharti Airtel of India. Masiyiwa, a London-based Zimbabwean businessman and founder of Econet Wireless, had severally obtained court injunctions to stop the sale of the former Econet Wireless Nigeria (EWN) to numerous interested investors, before Bharti Airtel Limited, an Indian global telecommunications service company based in New Delhi, India, finally bought it over and added it to its several operations across the globe as Airtel Nigeria.

Teniola blamed the Etisalat Group and Mubadala Development Company of the United Arab Emirates, the core investors in the former Etisalat Nigeria, for not handling the issue properly when it was at its early stage. Although he said he was happy that United Capital Trustees was ready to continue with the sale of 9mobile.

Judicial Opinion A telecoms lawyer who preferred anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter spoke to THISDAY on the statement by United Capital Trustees that it would go ahead with the sale of 9mobile, despite the court injunction. According to the lawyer, once a plaintiff

gets a court injunction, be it an Interim Court Order, Ex Parte Order, or Interlocutory Order on notice, and has signed undertaking to bear the loss that may accrue from the judgement of the court, if it later happens that the judgement was given in error, then it becomes binding for the defendant to accept the court injunction, even though the defendant still decides to appeal the case. The defendant has the right to appeal the case, he said, but the same defendant is also bound by law to obey the court injunction. Any attempt to go against what the court order has restrained, will amount to disregard to the rule of law. The defendant has to abide to the orders of the court injunction, pending when the order is lifted, the telecoms lawyer said, adding that the defendant has the right to appeal a case, but does not have the right to disobey court orders on injunction.

Threat Industry stakeholders say the court injunction obtained

by Spectrum Wireless Limited is a big threat to the activities of 9mobile, given the judicial interpretation.

They are of the view that the initial intervention by the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria may become wasted efforts if the case lingers on and eventually turns the other way round.

NCC, the telecoms industry regulator, while initially giving clarifications on the true position of 9mobile sales

by Barclays Africa, in relation to the January 16 date earlier announced, had said that contrary to speculations that a “winner” will be announced on the same day (i.e. 16th of January 2018), “We wish to clarify that Barclays is expected to review the bids received by the deadline and to make recommendations to the 9mobile interim board thereafter. The NCC and CBN will be duly notified once the 9mobile interim board accepts Barclays’recommendations and a winning bid is determined in accordance with the terms of the exercise. The winner will now apply to NCC in order to commence the processes for securing the regulatory approvals from the board of the NCC necessary to give full effect to the transfer.”

NCC also made it clear that its intention to intervene in the 9mobile indebtedness issue to the 13 local banks was purely in the interest of the telecoms sector to save the over 2,000 employees of 9mobile from losing their jobs, protect the over 20 million subscribers of 9mobile, and protect telecoms investment. It said it also wanted to assist the 13 banks recover the $1.2 billion loan given to 9mobile in 2013, which it was unable to repay, citing economic downturn of 2015-2016 and naira devaluation, which negatively impacted on the dollar-denominated component of the loan.

The action of Spectrum Wireless is currently a threat to the intervention of NCC and CBN to save the telecoms company from collapse, the stakeholders said.

Challenge 9Mobile, formerly known as Etisalat Nigeria, became the fourth entrant into the GSM space in Nigeria, when it rolled out its commercial service on October 23, 2008. One of its first television commercials, called the 080-9ja4life, was a great hit for the telecoms company, a situation that earned the telecoms company great respect among Nigerian youths, coupled with its innovativeness in product deliveries, especially on data services.

But trying to expand its network, the telecoms company in 2013 approached a consortium of 13 local banks for a loan of $1.2 billion for network upgrade and expansion. The money was sourced in dollar and naira denominations.

However, citing the economic downturn of 20152016 and naira devaluation, which negatively affected the dollar-denominated component of the loan, the former Etisalat Nigeria wrote its creditors informing them of its intention to halt the repayment of the loan in instalments, until such a time that it was able to raise more money.

Unsatisfied with the excuse from the telecoms company, the banks threatened to take over its operations, should it fail to meet its payment obligations. The situation forced the telecoms company to enter into series of negotiations with the banks, which eventually collapsed, and that was the beginning of the many challenges of 9mobile.

After all negotiations between the telecoms company and its lending banks failed, Emirates Telecoms Group Company (Etisalat Group), pulled out of the shareholding structure and announced on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange in the United Arab Emirates the transfer of 45 per cent of its stake and 25 per cent of its preference shares in Etisalat Nigeria to United Capital Trustees Limited, the legal representative of the lending banks.

The other two core investors, Mubadala Development Company, which has 40 per cent stake, and Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS), representing the Nigerian shareholders, which has 15 per cent stake, remained committed to Etisalat Nigeria, despite its debt crisis.

Few days after it pulled out of the shareholding structure, six Mubadala and Etisalat Group-appointed Non-executive Directors (NEDs), all nationals of the United Arab Emirates, resigned their appointments, an action that was shortly followed by the resignation of the former board chairman, Mr. Hakeem Bello-Osagie, who is a Nigerian. This was again followed by the resignation of the then CEO, Mr. Mathew Willsher, and several management staff of the telecoms company.

Banks involved in the loan deal are Zenith Bank, GTBank, FirstBank, UBA, Fidelity Bank, Access Bank, Ecobank, FCMB, Stanbic IBTC Bank, and Union Bank, among others.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

BUSINESS/POWER

A Damning Rating of Nigeria’s Infrastructure Chineme Okafor writes on the Nigerian Society of Engineers’ critical assessment of the country’s infrastructure

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report on the status of Nigeria’s infrastructure, which the Nigerian Society of Engineers released last week in Abuja, says within the last two years, between 2015 and 2017, the country recorded a two-point drop in the rating of its infrastructure. The 2017 National Infrastructure Report Card Rating and Analysis analysed comprehensively the state of public infrastructure in Nigeria in the areas of health, security, transport, power, oil and gas, communication, social/mass housing, education, agriculture, tourism, water and sanitation, as well as infrastructure for emergency responses.

It stated that overall, the rating of the national infrastructure was F1, meaning they are “unfit for purpose”.

The report came just when the government through the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, repeatedly said the government’s financial investment and commitment to infrastructure had increased and was second to none since 2015. The report card was, nonetheless, clear in its ratings of the different aspects of Nigeria’s infrastructure.

The report was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonanya Onu, by the immediate past president of NSE, Mr. Otis Anyaeji, during the ceremonial investiture of Mr. Adekunle Mokuolu as the 31st President of the NSE. Poor Operations and Maintenance The report explained that the latest rating of the country’s infrastructure was informed by poor operations and maintenance standards, adding that of all the infrastructure categories it analysed, only those of the oil and gas sector were seen to be the best performing within the period.

It questioned claims by Fashola late last year that the government spent 30 per cent of its earnings within the year on infrastructure as one of the measures to get the country out of recession.

Fashola had said at the Nigeria Mining Week in 2017 that the government was focusing on mining and agriculture to revive the economy, which had slipped into recession in 2016, but has since exited. He had said,“We have come out of recession. We spent almost 15 per cent of what the country earned on infrastructure.

The allocation was doubled to 30 per cent in 2017, about N1.2 trillion on capital projects. It was the first time that amount of money was spent on capital projects.

“Construction industry itself, which had been in negative growth, started picking up as a result of the implementation of the budget.”

Fashola equally noted that the government had its eyes on some top power projects, such as the Mambilla and Zungeru hydro power plants, to improve Nigeria’s power infrastructure base. He also repeatedly said at meetings that investments in road and bridges, mass housing, and power infrastructure were high on the government’s priority list, and were getting funding to advance them.

But the NSE infrastructure report card, which release coincided with an online ranking of Nigeria’s power sector as the world’s second worst after Yemen, showed otherwise.

Specific Ratings The NSE report concentrated on key aspects of Nigeria’s national infrastructure, using seven distinct criteria for assessment – capacity and adequacy, budget allocation, future plan, operations and maintenance standards, safety standard, reliability, and modernisation. The seven parameters it used were reportedly adapted from the United States Infrastructure Grading Criteria, and they involved a cumulative grading

Intensified use of generators...an awful testimony to Nigeria’s poor power infrastructure on point averages. In general, it stated that the state of infrastructure in Nigeria was on decline, while funding on some infrastructure by the government was inadequate and made little difference to close the gaps noticed.

On housing, the report stated that the present state of social mass housing in Nigeria was deplorable, and that 64.2 per cent of the country’s city dwellers lived in slums with inadequate living conditions. According to it, the lack of adequate housing infrastructure and planning has resulted in deforestation, congestion, poor health, and poverty. The reported added that Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, had a quality of life of 0.63, compared to Paris which has 0.93, and London with 0.90 in line with the UN-Habitat rankings. It noted that demands for social and affordable housing had never been met, and this had left Nigeria with a deficit of 17 million housing units.

The report stated, “Authorities are ambitious about bridging this gap. Only in this year’s budget, N41 billion ($144 million) against N1.8 billion budgeted in 2015, was appropriated to ‘lead the aggressive intervention to increase housing supply’. This is estimated to fund building of 261,516 housing units by the end of the year. The problem is that it would take about four years to build one million housing units recommended annually at this rate, which implies that this problem would not go away in the nearest future due to lack of funding.”

It also rated the country’s power infrastructure low on progress, adding that it dropped from its E1 rating level (poor state) to F2 (unfit for purpose, which means that infrastructure has failed or is on the verge of failure, exposing the public to health and safety hazards. Immediate attention required). The power sector, it noted, has received greater attention from the government, but the capacity and reliability of its infrastructural provisioning remains in serious doubt.

It said, “To put the country’s power sector in perspective, Nigeria has a per capita power

consumption of only 151kWh per year, which is amongst the lower end of the spectrum in Africa.”

Turning to the country’s security infrastructure, the report slammed it with a F3 score (unfit for purpose), adding that the F3 score is the lowest in the scale and signified the infrastructure has failed and is exposing the public to safety risk. It explained that apart from the general decline in the country’s infrastructure, the law courts and prisons recorded poor outings despite respondents’ high ratings of budgetary provisions to the sector.

“Nigeria seems deficient on many fronts when compared with some countries of its standing in terms of effective policing. With a population of 50.58 million people and police strength of 157,518, South Africa has a police-population ratio of 1:321 while that of Nigeria is 1:432. In 2013, the South African government allocated $7.39 billion to its police institution while Nigerian budget for the year was $1.93 billion,” it added.

For the country’s educational infrastructure, the report accorded it a F2 score, which means it is unfit for purpose, and said the deplorable state of the education infrastructure was evidently linked to its underfunding and understaffing. It explained that while the UNESCO recommended a budget allocation of 26 per cent of annual national budget to the education sector, Nigeria only dedicated 6.1 per cent of its budget sum to the sector in 2017.

For agriculture, which the government has made the central focus of its economic diversification plan, the NSE report said its infrastructure was not fit for purpose with a F1 score. It added that the agricultural infrastructure rated in this category were food grain storage facilities, food processing facilities, and irrigation infrastructure.

It also said the crisis in the oil market had forced the government to turn to agriculture but that decades of the country’s reliance on oil had done very heavy damage to agriculture, saying it would need sustained commitment to get it back to a good level.

Another critical infrastructure, which was assessed and rated by the NSE, was the information technology infrastructure, which got an E3 score, meaning that it is on a poor state and on the verge of failure.

For the country’s oil and gas infrastructure, the report said it was poor and on the verge of failure and require urgent rehabilitation to prevent it from complete collapse or failure.

The ratings on the sector covered oil and gas pipeline infrastructure, exploration and production infrastructure, as well as petroleum refining infrastructure, out of which it explained that only exploration and production facilities were rated the best performing.

Assessment Procedure The report explained that 1,661 responses were obtained from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with a larger percentage of responses coming from Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Delta and Kaduna. It also had select sector experts analyse the findings, and their independent perspectives reflected in the report as anecdotes.

The report said, “The scope of the National Infrastructure Report Card rating is defined to assess selected infrastructure at national level rather than regional/state-wise. Therefore, the results presented provide a national perspective to the state of Nigeria’s infrastructure systems.

“The overall rating of Nigeria’s infrastructure was F1 – unfit for purpose. This rating is a further drop by two points for E2 in the previous rating carried out two years ago (2015). This rating generally portrays a perceived decline in the state of Nigeria’s Infrastructure.”

It further explained, “Expectedly, therefore, participants are key stakeholders or opinion leaders whose input and involvement in the sub-sector is significant enough to be able to influence the provision or public perception of the standard of service or performance of the infrastructure.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

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ŽŵĞƐƟĐ ƋƵŝƚLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ

WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ϱ͘ϭй t&Ž&t ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ Ă ϵ&LJĞĂƌ ŚŝŐŚ ŽĨ ϰϱ͕ϬϵϮ͘ϴϯ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƚŽ ϭϳ͘ϵй͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ Eϳϴϱ͘ϵďŶ ŝŶ ǀĂůƵĞ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĂĐĐĞůĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ Eϭϲ͘ϮƚŶ͘ dŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͛Ɛ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƐŽŵĞ ďĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌƐ͕ ŶŽƚĂďůLJ E' D ;нϴ͘ϯйͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;нϭϭ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;нϱ͘ϲйͿ ĂůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ŽďƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ Ăůů ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ǀĞŝŶ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ĂƐ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϯϯ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭ͘ϬďŶ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ Eϵ͘ϮďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϲϯϱ͘ϳŵͿ͕ / DKE ;ϯϯϴ͘ϴŵͿ ĂŶĚ ^^ ;ϯϮϭ͘ϴŵͿ ǁŚŝůĞ 'h Z Edz ;Eϱ͘ϯďŶͿ͕ & E, ;Eϰ͘ϯďŶͿ ĂŶĚ ^^ ;Eϯ͘ϵďŶͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ dŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŬŝĐŬĞĚ Žī ŽŶ Ă ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ŶŽƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ^/ ĂĚĚŝŶŐ ϱϭďƉƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌƐ & E' D͕ 'h Z Edz ĂŶĚ E/d,͘ dŚĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ Ɵůů ŵŝĚǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ^/ ŝŶĐŚĞĚ Ϯ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘ϵй ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ŐĂŝŶƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ E' D ĂŶĚ & E,͘ DŽƌĞ ƐŽ͕ ƚŚĞ ^/ Śŝƚ Ă ϵ&LJĞĂƌ ŚŝŐŚ ŽŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϰϰ͕ϴϴϱ͘Ϯϰ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ LJ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĂƌĞĚ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŽŶ ƉƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ͕ ĚƌĂŐŐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ^/ ϴďƉƐ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŬĞĚ ƉƌŽĮƚ ŝŶ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ĂŶĚ h ͘ dŽ ĐůŽƐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚŚĞ ^/ ƌŽƐĞ Ϭ͘ϱй ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ĂŶĚ E/d,͘ ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂƐ ϰ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ͛ ĐŚĂƌƚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž͕ ƌŝƐŝŶŐ ϴ͘ϱй t&Ž&t ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;нϭϭ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;нϱ͘ϲйͿ͘ dŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ͕ ƵƉ ϯ͘ϴй͕ ďƵŽLJĞĚ ďLJ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ D E^ Z ;нϭϰ͘ϰйͿ ĂŶĚ E D ;нϭϴ͘ϭйͿ͘ >ŝŬĞǁŝƐĞ͕ Ă ƌĂůůLJ ŝŶ DK /> ;нϭϯ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ KEK/> ;нϱ͘ϬйͿ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ϭ͘ϵй ƵƉ ǁŚŝůĞ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ E' D ;нϴ͘ϯйͿ ĂůƐŽ ƉƌŽƉĞůůĞĚ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ϭ͘ϭй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŚĂŶĚ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞĚ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞůLJ͕ ƐŚĞĚĚŝŶŐ ϭ͘ϯй t&Ž&t͕ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ďLJ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŝŶ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;&ϱ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ E ^ KE ;&ϭϯ͘ϲйͿ͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐŽŌĞŶĞĚ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĂďůLJ ƚŽ ϭ͘Ϯdž ĨƌŽŵ ϵ͘Ϭdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ϯϵ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ ϯϮ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ƚŚĂƚ

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ǁĞƌĞ ^<z ;нϱϯ͘ϲйͿ͕ hE/dz ;нϰϴ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ t D ;нϰϭ͘ϴйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^ KE ; ϭϯ͘ϲйͿ͕ s/d &K D ; ϭϯ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ '> s Ed ; ϭϮ͘ϬйͿ ůĞĚ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͘ ůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŚĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ Ă ϯ ǁĞĞŬ ůŽŶŐ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ŵŽŵĞŶƚƵŵ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƵƉƚƌĞŶĚ ŝŶ ŐůŽďĂů Žŝů ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵĞŶĐĞŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ ĨŽƵƌƚŚ ƋƵĂƌƚĞƌ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƐŽŵĞ ƐůŝŐŚƚ ƉƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ͘

DŽŶĞLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĂƚĞƐ dƌĞŶĚ >ŽǁĞƌ ŝŶ >ŝŶĞ ǁŝƚŚ >ŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ LJŶĂŵŝĐƐ͖ d ŝůůƐ DĂƌŬĞƚ ůŽƐĞƐ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ DŽŶĞLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĂƚĞƐ ʹ KƉĞŶ ƵLJ ĂĐŬ ;K Ϳ ĂŶĚ KǀĞƌ EŝŐŚƚ ;KsEͿ ƌĂƚĞƐ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ŽŶ ϰ ŽĨ ϱ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ͘ ƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ K ĂŶĚ KsE ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ŝŶ ĚŽƵďůĞ ĚŝŐŝƚƐ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ E ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚĞĚ KDK ĂƵĐƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ^D/^ ;^ĞĐŽŶĚĂƌLJ DĂƌŬĞƚ /ŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ^ĂůĞƐͿ ǁŽƌƚŚ EϴϬ͘ϬďŶ ĂŶĚ h^ΨϭϬϬ͘ϬϬŵ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚƵƐ͕ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽŶ DŽŶĚĂLJ ƌŽƐĞ ϭ͘ϵƉƉƚƐ ĂƉŝĞĐĞ ƚŽ ϭϬ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ ϭϭ͘ϱй ĨƌŽŵ ϵ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ ϵ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞ ĐůŽƐĞ ŽŶ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ŝŶ ƐƵďƐĞƋƵĞŶƚ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕ ŵŽŶĞLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƌĂƚĞƐ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ůŽǁĞƌ͗ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ;ϳ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ ϴ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJͿ͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ;ϲ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϲ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJͿ ĚĞƐƉŝƚĞ d ďŝůůƐ ĂƵĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ EϮϮϵ͘ϵďŶ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ;ϱ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ ϱ͘ϳй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJͿ ĂŶĚ KDK ƐĂůĞƐ ǁŽƌƚŚ EϭϱϬ͘ϬďŶ ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚĞĚ ƐĂŵĞ ĚĂLJ͘ ZĂƚĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ Ăƚ ϭϲ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ ϭϳ͘ϳй͕ ƵƉ ϳ͘ϳƉƉƚ ĂŶĚ ϴ͘ϭƉƉƚ t Ž t ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ dƌĞĂƐƵƌLJ ŝůůƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ƐƚĂLJĞĚ ƐŽŌ Ăůů ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞĞŵ ƚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ƐŚŝŌĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŵĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͘ ƚ ǁĞĞŬ ŽƉĞŶ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŵŝŶŝŵĂů ǁŝƚŚ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ ƐĞĞŶ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐŚŽƌƚĞƌ ĞŶĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐƵƌǀĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĂƚĞƐ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŽĨ ϭϯ͘ϵй ;ƵƉ ϱďƉƐͿ͘ dŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ

25

ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ƵƉǁĂƌĚ ƚƌĞŶĚ Ɵůů ǁĞĞŬ ĞŶĚ͕ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ϯďƉƐ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ;ϭϯ͘ϵйͿ͕ ϭϬďƉƐ ŽŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ;ϭϰ͘ϬйͿ͕ ϭϬďƉƐ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ;ϭϰ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ ůĂƚĞƌ ĐůŽƐĞĚ &ƌŝĚĂLJ Ăƚ ϭϰ͘ϭй͕ ŝŵƉůLJŝŶŐ ĂŶ Ϯϰй ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ t Ž t͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŵĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ E ŽīĞƌĞĚ Eϭϭ͘ϳďŶ͕ Eϯϯ͘ϰϵ ĂŶĚ Eϲϴ͘ϮďŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ϵϭ ĚĂLJ͕ ϭϴϮ ĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ ϯϲϰ ĚĂLJ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͘ Ɛ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĞĚ͕ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝƉƟŽŶ ůĞǀĞůƐ ƐŽĂƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ Ϯ͘ϭdž ;EϮϰ͘ϯďŶͿ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϵϭ ĚĂLJ͕ ϭ͘ϱdž ;Eϰϵ͘ϵďŶͿ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϭϴϮ ĚĂLJ ĂŶĚ Ă ǁŚŽƉƉŝŶŐ ϲ͘ϴdž ;Eϰϲϱ͘ϳďŶͿ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϯϲϰ ĚĂLJ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚ͘ EŽƚǁŝƚŚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ͕ ĂůůŽƚŵĞŶƚ ůĞǀĞůƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ƐŝŵŝůĂƌ ƚŽ ŽīĞƌ ĂŵŽƵŶƚƐ ƐĂǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ϯϲϰ ĚĂLJ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚ ;ĂůůŽƚŵĞŶƚ͗ Eϭϭϱ͘ϴďŶͿ Ăƚ ƐƚŽƉ ƌĂƚĞƐ ŽĨ ϭϮ͘ϱй͕ ϭϯ͘ϵй ĂŶĚ ϭϰ͘ϯй ĨŽƌ ĞĂĐŚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞƐĞ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ƚŽ ƉŝĐŬ ƵƉ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĐŽŶĚĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĂƐ ƵŶŵĞƚ ĚĞŵĂŶĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŵĂƌLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŵŽǀĞĚ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĂƚ ƐƉĂĐĞ͘ ůƐŽ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ĂŶ KDK ŵĂƚƵƌŝƚLJ ŽĨ Eϲϰ͘ϯďŶ ƚŽ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ ŽŶ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞůƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ E ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŝƚƐ ƵŶƉƌĞĚŝĐƚĂďůĞ KDK ŵŽƉ ƵƉƐ͘

&ŽƌĞŝŐŶ džĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ /ŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ tŚŽůĞƐĂůĞ &y /ŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ďLJ ƚŚĞ E ŽůƐƚĞƌĞĚ ZĂƚĞ ^ƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ^ŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ƚƵƌŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ LJĞĂƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉĞdž ďĂŶŬ ŚĂƐ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŝƚƐ ŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ &y ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ďŝĚ ƚŽ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ƐƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͘ &ƵƌƚŚĞƌ ďŽůƐƚĞƌĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ƌĂůůLJ ŝŶ Žŝů ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŽƵĐŚĞĚ Ă LJĞĂƌ ŚŝŐŚ ŽĨ h^ΨϳϬ͘Ϯϲͬď ŽŶ DŽŶĚĂLJ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ ĞdžƚĞƌŶĂů ƌĞƐĞƌǀĞƐ ;ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ h^ΨϮϮϱ͘ϱŵ ƚŽ h^Ψϯϵ͘ϴďŶ ĂƐ Ăƚ ϭϲͬϬϭͬϮϬϭϴͿ͕ ƚŚĞ E ŽīĞƌĞĚ h^ΨϭϬϬ͘Ϭŵ ǀŝĂ ^ƉĞĐŝĂů tŚŽůĞƐĂůĞ /ŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ ^ƉŽƚ ĂŶĚ &ŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƐĂůĞƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͘ ŐĂŝŶƐƚ ƚŚŝƐ ďĂĐŬĚƌŽƉ͕ ƚŚĞ E ^ƉŽƚ ƌĂƚĞ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ EϯϬϱ͘ϴϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ;ƐŝŵŝůĂƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ &ƌŝĚĂLJͿ ďƵƚ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ϱ ŬŽďŽ ďLJ ŵŝĚ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĞǀĞŶƚƵĂůůLJ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ Ăƚ EϯϬϱ͘ϳϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ͕ ƚƌĂŶƐůĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ Ă ϭϬ ŬŽďŽ t Ž

t ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƌĂůůĞů ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ŶĂŝƌĂ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ŇĂƚ Ăƚ Eϯϲϱ͘ϬϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ Ăůů ǁĞĞŬ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ͛ ĂŶĚ džƉŽƌƚĞƌƐ͛ ;/Θ Ϳ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ĐƵƌƌĞŶĐLJ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ E & y ƌĂƚĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ϭϬ ŬŽďŽ t Ž t ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ EϯϲϬ͘ϭϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͘ ŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ŽĨ ĚĂŝůLJ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ƐŚŽǁƐ ƚŚĞ ƐƉƌĞĂĚ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĚĂŝůLJ ŚŝŐŚ ĂŶĚ ůŽǁ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚĞĚ Ăůů ǁĞĞŬ͕ ĨƌŽŵ Eϰ͘ϴϱͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ DŽŶĚĂLJ ƚŽ Eϯ͘ϱϬͬh^Ψϭ͘ϬϬ ŽŶ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ͘ dŽƚĂů ƚƵƌŶŽǀĞƌ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚ ƐĞƩůĞĚ ĂƚĐh^Ψϭ͘ϬďŶ ;ĂƐ Ăƚ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJͿ ĨƌŽŵ h^Ψϭ͘ϱďŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ ǁĞĞŬ͘ ƚ ƚŚĞ &D Y Kd &ƵƚƵƌĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝƉƟŽŶ ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂůůLJ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ϭ͘ϳй ;h^Ψϱϲ͘ϯŵͿ t Ž t ĂƐ ƚŽƚĂů ǀĂůƵĞ ŽĨ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ƐĞƩůĞĚ Ăƚ h^Ψϯ͘ϰďŶ ĨƌŽŵ h^Ψϯ͘ϯďŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ǁĞĞŬ͘ dŚĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƐƵďƐĐƌŝƉƟŽŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ E'h^ EKs Ϯϴ ĂŶĚ E'h^ Ϯϲ ϮϬϭϴ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ h^Ψϱ͘Ϭŵ ĂŶĚ h^Ψϱϭ͘ϯŵ t Ž t ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ E'h^ WZ Ϯϱ ϮϬϭϴ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚ ƌĞŵĂŝŶƐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŽƚĂů ƐƵďƐĐƌŝƉƟŽŶ ŽĨ h^Ψϲϱϲ͘ϵŵ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƌĂƚĞƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ǀĂƌŝŽƵƐ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ Ăƚ ƐŝŵŝůĂƌ ůĞǀĞůƐ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƉĞdž ďĂŶŬ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ ŝƚƐ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ ŝŶũĞĐƟŽŶ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ &y ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͘

;ĚŽǁŶ ϱďƉƐ ƚŽ ϭϯ͘ϰйͿ͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϰďƉƐ ƚŽ ϭϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϯďƉƐ ƚŽ ϭϯ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ ϭϯ͘ϯй ŽŶ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͕ ŝŶĚŝĐĂƟŶŐ Ă Ϭ͘ϭй ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ t Ž t͘ DĞĂŶǁŚŝůĞ͕ ƚŚĞ DK ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŽŶĚƵĐƟŶŐ ŝƚƐ ĮƌƐƚ &'E ŽŶĚ ĂƵĐƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ LJĞĂƌ ŶĞdžƚ ǁĞĞŬ͘ dŚĞ :h>z ϮϬϮϭ ĂŶĚ D Z ϮϬϮϳ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƌĞŽƉĞŶĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ŽīĞƌ ĂŵŽƵŶƚƐ ƌĂŶŐŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵ Eϰϱ͘ϬďŶ ʹEϱϱ͘ϬďŶ ĂŶĚ Eϱϱ͘ϬďŶ ʹ Eϲϱ͘ϬďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ &ƌŽŵ ŽƵƌ ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ͕ ŐŝǀĞŶ ƚŚĞ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƟŶŐ LJŝĞůĚ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ ůŝŶĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ƌĞĂůŝƟĞƐ͕ ǁĞ ĨŽƌĞĐĂƐƚ Ă ƐůŝŐŚƚůLJ ůŽǁĞƌ ŝƐƐƵĞ LJŝĞůĚ ĞƐƟŵĂƚĞĚ Ăƚ ϭϯ͘ϭϳй ĂŶĚ ϭϯ͘ϭϵй ĨŽƌ :h>z ϮϬϮϭ ĂŶĚ D Z ϮϬϮϳ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞĐ ϮϬϭϳ ƵĐƟŽŶ ŝƐƐƵĞ LJŝĞůĚ ŽĨ ϭϯ͘ϭϵй ĂŶĚ ϭϯ͘Ϯϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘

zŝĞůĚƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ EĂŝƌĂ ŽŶĚƐ DĂƌŬĞƚ DŽĚĞƌĂƚĞ͖ ^ŽǀĞƌĞŝŐŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ WƌŝĐĞƐ &Ăůů

ŌĞƌ ƐĞǀĞƌĂů ǁĞĞŬƐ ŽĨ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͕ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ŽŶ ^Ƶď ^ĂŚĂƌĂŶ ^ŽǀĞƌĞŝŐŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ĂƐ LJŝĞůĚƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ŽŶůLJ ϴ ŽĨ ϮϮ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ƌĞĐŽƌĚŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶƐ͘ EŽƚǁŝƚŚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ͕ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ ǁŝƚŶĞƐƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ǁŝƚŚ LJŝĞůĚƐ ĨĂůůŝŶŐ ŽŶ ϰ ŽĨ ϲ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ĐŽŶƚƌĂƌLJ ƚŽ ŽƚŚĞƌ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐ͖ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ LJŝĞůĚ ƌŽƐĞ ϭϳďƉƐ͕ ϱďƉƐ͕ ϯďƉƐ͕ ϳďƉƐ͕ ϭϰďƉƐ ĂŶĚ ϴďƉƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ 'ŚĂŶĂŝĂŶ͕ 'ĂďŽŶĞƐĞ͕ /ǀŽƌLJ ŽĂƐƚ͕ <ĞŶLJĂŶ͕ ^ĞŶĞŐĂůĞƐĞ ĂŶĚ ^ŽƵƚŚ ĨƌŝĐĂŶ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͘ zŝĞůĚƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ĂŵďŝĂŶ ƵƌŽďŽŶĚƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŚĞ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ŝƐƐƵĞĚ E/' Z/ ϮϬϰϳ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ^Khd, &Z/ ϮϬϰϭ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ zd ͕ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŽĨ ϭ͘Ϯй ĂƉŝĞĐĞ͘

ŽŶƚƌĂƌLJ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĞĂƐƵƌLJ ďŝůůƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽŶĚƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ͘ dŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ƐĂǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ &'E KĐƚ ϮϬϭϵ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϯďƉƐͿ͖ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ďŽŶĚ LJŝĞůĚ ĐůŽƐĞĚ DŽŶĚĂLJ ϳďƉƐ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ Ăƚ ϭϯ͘ϰй͘ KŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚƵƌŶĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂƐ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŵŽƐƚůLJ ƐŚŝŌĞĚ ƚŽǁĂƌĚƐ ƐŚŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ůŽŶŐĞƌ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ŽŶ ƐƵďƐĞƋƵĞŶƚ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ƉŝĐŬĞĚ ƵƉ ŽŶ ŵĞĚŝƵŵ ƚĞƌŵ ŝŶƐƚƌƵŵĞŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ďŽŶĚ LJŝĞůĚ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ůŽǁĞƌ ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ

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26

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

MARKET NEWS

SEC Gives Extra Time for Investors to Complete e-Dividend Registration Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has again extended the grace period for stoppage of issuance of physical dividend warrants in Nigeria’s capital market to February 28, 2018.

It said the extension of the exercise which it had earlier said would close on December 31, 2017, was in line with its developmental role in the capital market and to encourage more shareholders to mandate their bank accounts.

A statement from SEC on

Thursday in Abuja, said in reviewing the progress of the e-dividend registration exercise, after the December 31, 2017 deadline, the Commission noted that there was still a great influx of shareholders desirous of mandating their bank accounts for payment of dividends electronically.

It thus stated: “In light of the foregoing, the SEC, as part of its developmental role, has extended the period for the free e-Dividend registration exercise till February 28, 2018, to encourage more

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

shareholders mandate their bank accounts.

“Accordingly, shareholders that are yet to register should continue to approach their banks or registrars to mandate their bank accounts for the collection of their dividends electronically, including unclaimed dividends, not exceeding 12 years of issue.”

The statement explained that SEC announced that the e-dividend registration exercise would continue seamlessly in spite of the expiration of the initial December 31, 2017 free registration deadline.

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 18-Jan-2018, unless otherwise stated.

It quoted its Acting Director General, Dr. Abdul Zubair, to have said that all investors that were yet to enroll, are thus enjoined to continue with the registration exercise, adding: “Such investors should continue to approach their banks or registrars, as usual, to seamlessly mandate their bank accounts for the collection of their dividends electronically, including unclaimed dividends, not exceeding 12 years of issue.”

Zubair, also announced in the statement an extension of the forbearance window for multiple

accounts consolidation to March 31, 2018.

“With a view to encouraging many more investors to consolidate their multiple subscriptions into one account, the SEC wishes to announce an extension of the forbearance for multiple accounts till 31st March, 2018.

“Accordingly, investors that bought shares of the same company during public offers, using different names, are allowed till 31st March, 2018 to continue to approach their stockbrokers or registrars, to regularise their shareholdings,

in line with SEC rules on customer identification. Thereafter, all shares not regularised shall be transferred, on trust, to the Capital Market Development Fund,” he explained further.

He also disclosed that in line with approved rules of the Commission, all registrars have been directed to stop the issuance of dividend paper warrants with effect from January 1, 2018, and that for the avoidance of doubt, all paper dividend warrants issued up till December 31, 2017 were valid and should be honoured by banks and registrars.

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 200.62 200.76 12.69% Nigeria International Debt Fund 240.94 241.09 4.02% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.85 0.86 3.72% ACAP Income Funds 0.62 0.62 -4.16% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.45% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.70 21.32 13.27% ARM Discovery Fund 428.55 441.47 10.15% ARM Ethical Fund 28.68 29.55 4.97% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.59% 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 167.63 168.81 10.51% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.99% 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 18.25% Paramount Equity Fund 12.98 13.31 4.99% Women's Investment Fund 101.37 103.97 0.74% 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 16.68% 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 1,168.10 1,169.27 1.76% FBN Heritage Fund 152.48 154.03 9.45% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.80% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $113.87 $114.33 0.81% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $113.79 $114.26 0.84% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 196.08 198.90 14.79% 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 1.47 1.50 12.24% Legacy Debt Fund 2.90 2.90 0.73% 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 3,216.64 3,266.84 8.02% Coral Income Fund 2,484.66 2,484.66 1.58% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.99% 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 15.66% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.26 2.29 7.27%

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 18.03% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 114.27 114.27 -0.80% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.17 1.19 1.96% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,035.39 1,035.39 0.47% 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 17.73 17.90 25.82% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.53% 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 1.28 1.30 7.62% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.15 11.23 1.08% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.93% 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 141.77 144.99 10.36% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.49 1.49 0.54% 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 2,374.49 2,392.86 5.83% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 179.47 179.47 1.71% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.10 1.12 9.90% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 223.49 223.63 1.50% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 186.84 189.20 4.40% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.84% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,731.48 9.50% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.07 1.07 0.94% 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 1.41 1.43 17.15% United Capital Bond Fund 1.58 1.58 24.35% United Capital Equity Fund 1.01 1.03 10.31% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 14.66% United Capital Eurobond Fund 103.15 103.15 7.83% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.12 24.15% 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 13.97 14.18 11.22% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.83 14.00 5.63% Zenith Income Fund 19.22 19.22 1.62%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

10.00 132.85

-11.35% 0.29%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.93 171.90 128.36

13.03 175.68 130.79

6.66% 20.39% 17.51%

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 Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

6.02 10.37 20.67 23.10 153.59

6.06 10.45 20.77 23.30 155.59

26.89% 8.32% 16.34% 17.35% 3.36%

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.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

21.01.2018

VICTOR MBADIWE

SCION OF AN ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY

28

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018

53

54

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

COVER

VICTOR MBADIWE

SCION OF AN ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha spend an interesting evening with Chief Victor Mbadiwe, a burgher who boasts of a proud heritage and pedigree

I

t is late afternoon on a Thursday.

Homebound traffic was already building up on Adeola Odeku Street in Victroria Island, Lagos.

On one of the side streets, a steady stream of people arrive at the black gate of an imposing building painted in white. The guests are gathering for a weekly routine family rendezvous with Chief Victor Mbadiwe.

This has become the established tradition for some years now. As long as he is in town, all his siblings and members of the extended family in Lagos congregate at his residence for a session of bonding. This period of holding court goes back to the days of his late father, J. Green Mbadiwe, an affluent and influential businessman and philanthropist.

Reclining into a chair in his expansive living room, he spoke in impeccable Hausa to his cook, instructing him to get some food ready. To another staff, he spoke in Igbo. His fluency in both languages is rooted in his early childhood. Born in Minna, Niger State, Victor spent the first 14 years of his life in the northern Nigeria where he had his primary education. Back then in Minna, he recalled, the social scene was different and calmer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growing up in the north really helped me a lot and changed my way of viewing things. I became immersed in the culture of that area. They were very respectful. People that were born in the north take things easy.

They do not hustle too much. In those days, you can open your doors, go anywhere you like and return to find it there.â&#x20AC;?

With this tranquility experienced in the North, Victor was however disappointed when his family returned to eastern Nigeria during the Nigerian civil war. The environment was hostile. People picked on each other without a cause. It was nothing compared to the surroundings he grew up with. Perhaps, what baffled him the most was the outright aggression towards one another. He couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comprehend their behaviour. Nevertheless, Victor managed to adapt to the lifestyle and moved on but never allowed the prevalent aggressive mannerisms to rub off the good-spirited and calmer attitude he grew up with. That peaceful demeanor is still seen in him today.

Having arrived late for this interview, he modestly apologized for keeping us waiting. On this particular afternoon, he was in the company of his cousin Nath and a very good friend of his, an American Bob Thomas. Interestingly, Bob is a retiree of the famous Wahl Company which Victor is the sole distributor of their products in Nigeria and West Africa.

An encounter with Chief Victor Mbadiwe is likely to engender an intriguing tale about his father. There is no doubt that he holds his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory in great esteem. This is evident in the way he preserved pictures of him taken in different places and in the company of founding leaders of Nigeria.

The Mbadiwe dynasty is arguably signposted by the late loquacious and flamboyant politician of the first and second republic, Chief Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe. The celebrated K.O had a larger than life image and strut the political landscape like Colossus. K.O. promoted the ideals of nationalism, celebrated African Arts and even earned the friendship of a Mbadiwe

prominent global figure like the then First Lady of United States of America, Eleanor Roosevelt while he studied in the U.S. A. His exploits in politics and arts during the pre and post independent era are in the public domain. Through him, the name Mbadiwe acquired a national status and legacy.

However, little is known of his older brother J. Green Mbadiwe who paved the way for him in politics. Acting on the wise counsel of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ceremonial president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, he facilitated K. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s travel to the United States of America. Upon his return from the United States of America, J. Green Mbadiwe who enjoyed staying in his comfort zone and pulling the strings from the background smoothened the path for K.Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grand entry into politics.

Adorning the walls of Victor Mbadiweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home at Victoria Island are photos and other memes showing his father in the company of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Azikiwe and the Queen of England.

There was no denying the admiration in Victorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes as he showed us the black and white images of his father.

From this standpoint, it was clear that there was no way we were going to have a conversation without frequent reference to his father. There are too many memories of him that Victor cherishes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My father was a hardworking man who started business in Enugu, but had to relocate to northern Nigeria. He started as a railway contractor, doing relay lines for the railway in Minna, Niger State.

He found gold in a place in Niger state called Madaka. It was there that he had the mining prospective that enabled him to start mining gold. He made quite some money from mining gold. At a point, he became a board member of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. But the highest position he held there was the Deputy Chairman of the Corporation. Ibrahim Dasuki was the Chairman then. He was also in the distributive trade with Life Flour Mills Sapele, and had a big piggery in Chanchangan. He used to send pigs in wagons of trains to all parts of Nigeria.

My father also had a big farm in a place called Isiokpo in Rivers state. It is a big palm plantation. We also have pineapple and all sorts of crops. You can categorize my father as a railway contractor, a farmer and a miner, and in the later years, he was in the distributive trade.â&#x20AC;?

This was just one part of his father.

There are several aspects of his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality that Victor is so proud of. One of them is his altruistic nature. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My father was a very kind man.

I consider him one of the greatest philanthropists of his time. In the early 30s, he was so affluent that he started helping other people. In those days, when we travelled by train; due to his status as a board member of the Railway Corporation, he was given a special coach that was like a house. Whenever we get to any railway station and he sees beggars, he will delay the train and make sure he gives alms to these beggars. He also helped widows and other less-privileged. He did not like to see others suffer. He trained his brothers and extended family members including

JANUARY 21, 2018 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

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COVER IF YOU ARE AN MBADIWE AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT, THEN NOBODY WILL LISTEN TO YOU. YOU MUST PROVE THAT YOU ARE WORTH THE NAME. IT COMES WITH A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THE NAME HAS A LEGACY, SO YOU MUST LIVE UP TO IT people from other ethnic groups in Nigeria. He also helped the church.

He was one of the pioneer members that started the centenary cathedral in Arondizuogu which the late Alex Ekwueme came to open after his death.

He has a chapel named after him in that cathedral.”

Apparently, the late J.Green made a lot of friends in his lifetime. Most of them were influential natural rulers like the Emir of Katsina, Emir of Kano and others. In Minna where he was based, he was a very good friend of the Sarki of Chanchaga. His friends were not limited to the northerners. He also associated with the Ibos and Yorubas. Some of the notable people whose company he kept included the late Herbert Macaulay and Shehu Shagari.

Despite his close relationship with those in the corridors of power, J. Green never openly participated in the politics.

Rather, he stayed behind the scenes and laid the political framework for his younger brother, K.O Mbadiwe.

“My father helped the pioneer nationalist of those days. He sponsored the National Council for Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Even the West African Pilot Newspaper that the late Nnamdi Azikiwe established was funded by him and Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu.

When his late brother K.O. Mbadiwe finally came back in the 40s, my father made sure that his brother got into politics. He was much older than K.O. He didn’t have the strength to go into politics.

But he wanted his brother to succeed.”

In order to entrench his father’s heritage of charity, he established the J. Green Mbadiwe Foundation in 1992. The foundation reaches out to many charity organisations orphanages across Nigeria, the Spinal Cord Injury Resource Centre, in Maryland-Lagos and other charitable homes. The foundation also award scholarships to secondary school and university students.

At a time when many were proud of their Nigerian names, how did Victor’s father end with two English names? “The J stands for James. Green was the name of his mentor, a Yoruba man ‘Mr Green’, whose name my father decided to adopt.

His Ibo name was Ugboaja.”

As a way of keeping his father’s legacy, Victor has not only inherited his father’s company, J. Green Mbadiwe and Sons Limited, most of his businesses are named after his father. However, he is still uncertain if his seven children will toe the same path. So far, only one of his daughters and one other son have shown interest in his businesses. His entire family lives in the United States of America, compelling him to shuttle frequently between Nigeria and America.

The third son of his father, circumstances have thrust the headship of the family on Victor. He counts himself lucky for avoiding conscription into the Biafran army. This was largely due to the fact that the war did not come close to his village, Arondizuogu in Imo State.

Moreover, he lost two older brothers to the war. He felt the battleground was not cut out for him despite the overriding believe then that it was ideal for young boys his age to join the army. In retrospect, he believes he did the right thing and admonishes the youths of today who are clamouring for war.

“I don’t think that war is what we

should be thinking at this age and time.

Have we finished managing what we have in Nigeria before talking about getting into another war? If they were born at that time and see what people went through, they wouldn’t even talk about another war. There was no food.

People suffered from malnutrition, kwashiorkor and all kinds of diseases.

There was no decent place to lay one’s head. It was a rough situation. Nigerian military jets were raining bullets and bombs on us. Is that the situation we want in this age and time? And I don’t see the need for that war. What are we fighting for? Let’s get ourselves together and see how Nigeria can move on. If there is any problem that the young ones or the elders see are not happy about, they can come to a table and talk things over. We are in a democratic set up; it’s not like a military rule where there are decrees. We have the senate, the judiciary, executives, for checks and balances. The press is there to give voice to grievances and see. Instead of causing confusion, let us help move the country forward.”

After the war, he travelled to the United States of America in 1972 to study Business Administration and Political Science at the City University of New York. He returned to Nigeria in 1980 at the death of his father. Done with the obsequises, he decided to live in Kaduna.

Meanwhile, he registered with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) where he got a couple of contract jobs until 1987 when his cousin Nath, who incidentally was present at the interview, introduced him to Wahl Clippers. He flew back to America to meet with the leadership of the company. At the end of the conference, he returned to Nigeria with 12 sample clippers in his suitcase.

This would later multiply like the 12 Apostles with whom Jesus Christ spread the gospel around the world. His initial attempt to introduce to traders at Balogun Market in Central Lagos was rebuffed.

Undaunted, he took his wares to Enugu, where recodred marginal success. By the time he returned to Lagos, the market was ready. Impressed with the quick successes, Wahl headquarters wasted no time in making him the sole distributor of the company’s products in Nigeria and West Africa in 1990. His new role informed his decision to move from Kaduna to Lagos where he believed the market was larger.

As part of his promotional strategy for the product, he introduced an annual barbers’ competition where barbers are rewarded with cash prizes and various tools for their trade. It is easy to assume that the name Mbadiwe effortlessly opens doors of opportunities, particularly in high places but Victor thinks differently.

“If you are an Mbadiwe and you have nothing to show for it, then nobody will listen to you. You must prove that you are worth the name.”

“It comes with a sense of responsibility because the name has a legacy, so you must live up to it,” added Nath.

Victor may not have acquired as much as his father, but he is content with what he has achieved so far. Living in retirement at age 68, he takes life easy. His typical day includes waking up as early as 5:00am, going on the treadmill, lifting minimal dumbbell and barbells and checking up on his various businesses to offer advice when necessary.

Today, he is into real estate, hospitality business and Wahl Clippers trade.

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

with Ě&#x201C;

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

Davido and his team

An Awards Festival to Celebrate Achievements Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha report that the ďŹ rst big entertainment show of the year was an all-round captivating experience for artistes and fans

I

n more ways than one, the recent Soundcity MVP (Most Valuable Player) Awards Festival at the Eko Convention Centre of Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos was more of an awards show than a festival. Of course, it had the right audience with thousands of music fans in attendance. Although the ceremony was televised and streamed live on social media, most people preferred to have an eye witness experience. They thronged the venue to be part of the glitz and glamour of the event. Being the first entertainment show of the year, the anticipation was very high. At least, most people were back from the Christmas holidays and the fuel scarcity that kept quite a few indoors during the yuletide had abated significantly.

The hype and buzz that accompanied the announcement of the festival also heightened the frenzy. Introduced in 2016 by Consolidated Media Associates, owners of Soundcity Africa (Television, Radio and Digital) to replace the popular Soundcity Music Video Awards which was finally rested in 2010, the organisers deployed their various media platforms to promote the event. With huge viewership on its TV channels and listenership on the radio station, Urban 96.5FM, the message was bound to reach a wider audience. At a time when the industry boasts of a few reputable music awards platform that can capture showbiz aptly, SMVP Awards Festival is a breath of fresh air.

More so, as the awards has positioned itself as a Pan African event by going beyond Nigeria to appreciate artistes from other African countries.

While the huge turnout spoke volumes for the organiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reach, the massive hall which was transformed to an showground of sorts could not accommodate all. There was barely any unoccupied space in the ground floor of the hall.

It was not different upstairs. Even the VIP section which accommodated nominees and celebrities was so packed that some attendees only had room to stand. The female protocol officials had a hard time persuading to move away from blocking the view of those seated. But their pleas fell on deaf ears. It took the intervention of security personnel to convince them to either squat or leave. This respite was however shortlived. Once the guards left, they resumed their position. At this point, the female ushers gave up.

Apart from the mammoth crowd, everything about the ceremony reeked of an award fete.

There were no cultural activities on display within and outside the main hall; no other side attractions unless one wants to consider the free sampling of Guinnessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; product â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Africa Specialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

There was also Cocacola Mix. For a music celebration to earn the status of a festival, it must, at least, provide other forms of activities because festivals go beyond sound and performance on stage.

Nevertheless, the SMVP Awards Festival was a very brilliant show. In fact, it has raised the bar for music award shows. It was also big testimonial to the excellence and professionalism of the CMA helmsman Tajudeen Adepetu.

For five days, Adepetu and his team worked tirelessly at the venue to achieve the desired result. Carpenters, sound technicians, event planners, stage designers gathered at the site daily to transform the purlieu. The walls of the hallway leading to the main hall were covered with design of the nominees. Although there was a dedicated red carpet area right outside the convention centre, the floor of the hallway as well as the lobby leading to the events hall were draped in red. Inside, the auditorium was a continuum of glitz and glamour. The lighting and visual randomization spread from the screen on stage to the ceiling and walls, creating a fascinating effect befitting of an event of such caliber. The aesthetically designed stage was T-shaped. This allowed winners of the event to easily waltz into the stage from their seats instead of going through the backstage. Only the performers, host, and award presenters made use of the main entry and exit on stage.

Electrifying Performances No doubt, Adepetu threw everything into the ring to have a spectacular show. This was largely made possible by three major brands, Guinness, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Coca-Cola that threw their weight behind the ceremony.

Perhaps, Adepetuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hat-trick was the theatrical script that was delicately brought to life on stage.

Each music act that came on stage was a delight to watch, not necessarily because they were better performers but the skilled choreographers who accompanied them showcased pulsating displays. From their costumes to their dance steps, they electrified the atmosphere.

For instance, Skalesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance was highly sensual. The sexily-dressed female dancers who performed with him displayed very erotic dance steps during his performance of his hit-track â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Booty Languageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, particularly the hook part which named the female backside in different Nigerian languages.

Moving to the rhythm of the beat, they swayed their hips, twerked while on all fours, rolled on the floor, rubbed their rear seductively, then performed a sexual move that required them thrusting their hips upwards while their shoulders rested on the floor. Their performance left most members of the audience jaw-dropped.

But Skalesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance was just a foretaste of what to expect for the night. Junior Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Irapadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was very dramatic.

The dancers waltzed into the stage dressed in traditional Yoruba costumes. The ladies were dressed in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;iro and bubaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with big headgears while the guys wore â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;buba and sokotoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with matching caps. Their gestures indicated that they

were in a party setting where the ladies gossiped, clapped hands while grabbing their men for a dance.

There was no way Small Doctor could be outdone. He came on stage with his own group of dancers dressed in red football jerseys and shorts as he rendered his wave-making hit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Penaltyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The dancers displayed football skills on stage and jogged from one end of the stage to the other, imitating the training routine of footballers. The audience was however deprived of a good theatre display during Kiss Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance of his dancehall tune â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sofaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The back-up dancers did not come to the stage on time and by the time they arrived in pairs; the crowd was already carried away by the song as they sang along with the artiste. His second performance â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yebaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, another favourite of the audience, however, saw the dancers entertaining the crowd with their moves.

However, it was Iyanya that totally stole the night. He was the only performer who did not rely on the popularity of his songs to entertain the audience but actually immersed himself in his performance. A very good dancer, he jumped, waved and moved along with every dance step. This showed that he must have rehearsed very well with them. Performing his newly-released single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Good Vibesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the Mavin Records singer who was dressed in an all-white apparel had the time of his life while performing with his team of choreographers.

His performance was very well applauded.

When Tiwa Savage came on stage to perform with Alternate Sound Live Band, everybody expected a live performance. But along the line, the DJ cued in her songs: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Maloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; featuring Wizkid and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;All Overâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Apparently, her act was an opportunity to showcase the very impressive live band.

Interestingly, 2Baba who usually performs with a live band was without one at the event.

Notwithstanding, he was a crowdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite.

Performing his popular hits including â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gaga Shuffleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, he ended his act by calling on the government and security agencies to put a stop to the recent killings by Fulani herdsmen in his home state, Benue. It was a bloody New Year celebration in the state when a gang of marauders attacked some villages, leaving scores dead.

While Nigerian artistes had a good outing at the show, South African rappers EMTee and Cassper Nyovest, and Ghanaian act Sarkodie who took home the Best Collaboration Award for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pain Killerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; his collaborative effort with Runtown (not Patoranking as author and OAP Toke Makinwa excitedly announced on stage) ; didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fail to excite the audience. Cassper displayed his hip-hop dance moves as he performed his 2017 hit single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tito Mboweniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, while Sarkodie basked in the glory of having the

audience singing back the lyrics of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pain Killerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to him. EMTee on the other hand got the crowd all rolled up during his rendition of his popular track â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Roll Upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Other artistes who graced the stage were M.I., Seyi Shay, Yemi Alade, Dice Ailes and Realself among others.

Killjoy With the boisterous manner which hypeman and Cool FM On-Air Personality Oladotun Kayode widely known as Do2dtun and DJ Neptune opened the awards festival, having Ebuka Obi-Uchendu as the host was a killjoy. Of course, he has the savvy looks and eloquence but lacks the charisma for a show of that nature.

He was too formal and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sustain the adrenalin pumping mood Do2dtun created.

Gaffes The awards show had its funny moments of blunders. Toke Makinwa set the gaffe ball rolling when she excitedly announced that Sarkodie and Patoranking were the winners of the Best Collaboration Award for the song â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pain Killerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, instead of Sarkodie and Runtown. The DJ followed suit by mistakenly playing Simiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Joromiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when Runtown was announced the winner of the Viewers Choice award. Davido crowned the gaffe of the night by dedicating one of his awards for the night to his late friend DJ Olu whom he said died earlier this year. Hello, Davido, we are in 2018!

A Reflection of the Music Industry Every award show is a reflection of the music industry. From the red carpet to the main event, there is an opportunity to have a glimpse of the lifestyle of these music artistes and how they manage their fame. While the Nigerian Entertainment Industry is not going through a sexual harassment tornado like its American counterparts it is, however, important to pay attention to some of the hidden messages celebrities convey through their fashion statements. The red carpet of the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival highlighted the escalating degree of glamour, ambition and perhaps loneliness of these artistes. No thanks to the American entertainment television network, E! that has trivialized red carpet interviews by identifying women by what they wear rather than who they are.

Expectedly, the female celebrities stormed the red carpet with full glam. Some wore fashionable outfits while others flaunted parts of their body unabashedly. The men too donned well-tailored pieces that gave them a dashing look. Wearing their fame with pride, they smiled to the cameras while striking beautiful poses.

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

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

ON THE COUCH

MRS. CHINEDUM OLUWADAMILOLA (TEACHER)

I Thought I Would be a Medical Doctor Interviewed by Funke Olaode this culture of continuous improvement. That is the major reason the Secondary arm and other arms have maintained their record of excellence over the years. To mark this anniversary, we signed a MoU with Goethe Institut to formalize teaching of German Language.

Can we have an glimpse into your background?

I am Chinedum Oluwadamilola native of Imo state who was born and raised in Lagos.

Incidentally, I went to school mostly in the East because my parents wanted me to know the region. I had my first degree in Applied Microbiology and a few years later I embraced teaching. Ironically, I never considered teaching as a career option but by providence I applied to Corona School in 1993. Being a science oriented person, I have done three post graduates courses in education from three different institutions and went on to do a masters and started a doctorate degree which is still in view. For many reasons, I wanted to have an MBA and I pursued it as well. Here, I have worked through the ranks as an Integrated Science teacher. I later became Monitoring and Education Manager reporting directly to education administrator to ensure that standards are met in every Corona School. And early this year, I was appointed the Principal of Corona Secondary School.

Your resume portrays you as an educationist. But you studied Microbiology? Did you get into teaching by accident?

I see it as a calling and divine. In August, 1993 I was standing in the balcony of my house and the only official vehicle in Corona Trusts Council then, a Station Wagon 504 passed by the junction. I had this feeling in my spirits that said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;go to that schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Incidentally, I knew someone who was an administrator at Corona School then, Mrs. Williams. I just walked up to her and explained my feelings. Fortunately, there was an interview for recruitment of teachers in the next two days. I had a threemonth baby then. But this woman encouraged me. I went to the interview with an application.

Mrs. Fowler was on the panel and other Corona Board Members. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any teaching experience which Corona was particular about.

And she asked me â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why do you want to teach?â&#x20AC;? I just said I knew I could teach. I teach in Sunday school and I had done certificate courses in Children Evangelism Ministry

What beneďŹ ts or special status does German Language confer on your school?

We have been teaching German Language in the last five years and was made official on Monday November 20, 2017 after the commissioning of Corona Secondary School partnership with Goethe Institut.The world is a global village and because most of our students go abroad for their university education, and in the process of searching for universities abroad, the school realised that in Germany there is quality education with little or no tuition fees, but language is a big barrier. The move was borne out of the need to give the students more opportunities for higher education and scholarships.

during youth service in my church, Baptist.

I was passionate about these courses for my children and the church and never thought it would be useful one day. They asked me you studied Microbiology, how would you teach children? I said Micro-organisms are everywhere. I think they were impressed and I got the job.

and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see anything closely related to what I wanted. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to disappoint this relation who told me to go there. I chose Industrial Microbiology. That was how I studied the course which served as a basis for teaching science which was helpful when I joined Corona because I could do a bit of welding, carpentry, technical drawing etc.

Why did you study Microbiology?

That was an accident. I wanted to study Medicine and got admission to the then University of Ife. But I had a pass in Physics.

I was offered another course and given the option to change later, but my father declined and sent me to England for GCE Cambridge â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Levels. I passed and came back to Nigeria by choice. I went back and did â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Levels and JAMB again. I heard that Anambra State University of Technology was looking for students. I went through all the courses

What makes the school tick?

Corona Secondary School is the only Secondary School of Corona Trusts Council.

And the Council stands for providing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;World Class Education.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And being a trust the ownership structure is different and because of this the school does not have a proprietor. So every teacher is a stakeholder and we always bear this in mind that whatever â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I do, I do it for myself.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Again because it is a Trust that does not spare any expense in training the workforce, in providing facilities for the schools. There is

If you did not study education, what other career would you have pursued?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know because ever since I came into education I have not considered any other thing. It was a hidden talent discovered by providence.

What are the gains of being an educationist?

We had an alumni reunion two weeks ago and they spent the weekend with us as part of the activities. You know when you come out and a grown up man driving a big car just prostrates flat on the ground and introduces himself (as your former student) and starts crying, it is overwhelming and emotional. The fact that we watched them grow and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give up on them and they turned out to be successful is most gratifying.

By the time you quit the stage, what would you like to be remembered for?

As someone who gave her best. As someone who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give up on anybody: not a child or a teacher.

FOCUS

Cardiologists Advocate Regular Checkup, Healthy Eating to Reduce Heart Failure

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igerians have been tasked to avail themselves of preventive measures against heart failure and to engage in regular checkup, healthy eating habit on monthly basis to reduce the mortality rate of patients with heart issues.

A team of cardiologists made this known at a heart failure awareness programme organised recently by Novartis for journalists.

The team led by Consultant Cardiologist, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Prof. Micheal Balogun said the awareness programme was to sensitize participants on early diagnosis, symptoms and possible treatments of Heart Failure.

Prof. Micheal Balogun listed factors such as obesity, lack of physical exercise, unhealthy eating habits, heavy alcohol intake, as the major causes of heart failure.

He further said Nigerians needs to go for regular medical check-ups, as the first evidence that someone has been living with heart failure may be death.

Consultant Cardiologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Amam Mbakwem advised patients to desist from eating too much at a time, take more vegetables, watch their salt intake and take enough rest.

Dr. Ikechukwu Ogah, Consultant Cardiologist

From left: Consultant Cardiologist, Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Prof. Kamilu Karaye; Consultant Cardiologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Dr. Dike Ojji; Consultant Cardiologist, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr. Ikechukwu Ogah; the Chairman of the Occasion/Consultant Cardiologist, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Prof. Micheal Balogun; Consultant Cardiologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Amam Mbakwem; Consultant Cardiologist, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof. Ibraheem Katibi; and, Consultant Cardiologist, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Maclean Akpa, during a Heart Failure Awareness event held in Lagos at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja

University College Hospital, Ibadan further emphasized on the need to follow preventive measures, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;All heart failure patients, regardless of their symptoms are at high risk of dying. 76 per cent of heart failure patients struggle to perform their daily

activities and 63 per cent report symptoms that are consistent with depressionâ&#x20AC;?

Other cardiologist who were present at the awareness event include, Consultant Cardiologist, Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Prof. Kamilu Karaye; Consultant

Cardiologist, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Maclean Akpa; Consultant Cardiologist, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof. Ibraheem Katibi; and Consultant Cardiologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Dr. Dike Ojji.

58

Ëž JANUARY 21, 2018

Overscenes

with LEKAN FATODU 08060140882

â&#x20AC;ŚHappenings in the Diaspora

On Atikuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diaspora Soundbite Lekan Fatodu

B

arring any last minute twist, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of Nigeria, will be the major presidential contender against the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which will most likely be President Buhari in the 2019 general elections.

Therefore the former VP, an astute politician, has been provoking thoughts and engaging the polity with potent talking points ostensibly with a view to accentuating his political agenda.

At first, Atiku hit the system with his idea on restructuring which subsequently became a much debated and yet-to-be-concluded political discourse in Nigeria. Later on, understanding the fervent agitation for youth participation in politics, the Adamawa-born politician strategically made the youth-concern as the core of his speech that announced his return to his former party, PDP from APC. Now, in a move that seems like a clever attempt at stirring all the issues burning the hearts of many Nigerians, Atiku has picked on the diaspora subject.

While responding to the public comment made by the popular comedian I Go Dye on his politics, Atiku copiously cited his efforts in attracting brilliant Nigerians from the diaspora as part of his contributions to the the Obasanjo-Aitku-led government between 1999 and 2007.

Prof. Isaac Adewole

Atiku â&#x20AC;&#x153;As VP, I assembled what is arguably the best Economic Team ever in Nigeria. It was made up of young, world class professionals, who came home to work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I went to the World Bank and met a bright lady, convinced her to come back home, and she became a star in our government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under our tenure, we witnessed a large repatriation of Nigerians back to Nigeria, driven by the hope of the recovering economy. It is sad that many of those young people are heading

back abroad now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is to show you that leadership mattersâ&#x20AC;?, he said.

Frankly, that young Nigerians are back on the route of seeking the proverbial greener pastures abroad, as highlighted by Atiku, is clearly part of the misadventures of the political leaders in the country including the speaker himself.

However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite befuddling that issues such as this get politiciansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention only at the turn of an election cycle.

Trailing Tax! With Kemi Adeosun, No Hiding Place for Overseas Landlords

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t the inception of this government not a few had sniggered at her capability for the huge task of managing the financial state of a complex country like Nigeria, but before long the UK-returnee who was appointed Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minister of finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, was able to prove the cynics wrong.

Despite the poor state of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account, troubled by the dwindled global oil prices and the abuse of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account by some officials of the past administration, Adeosun and his team were able to support the stability of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy through some pragmatic interventions.

From the effective management of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy to provision of incentives for economic diversification, Adeosun walked on all fours in ensuring the economy got sufficient oxygen to live.

The latest effort by the UK-educated chartered accountant in a bid to deepen Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial base is Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration

Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Truth in Foreign-trained Doctors and MDCNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fight?

Adeosun (VAID) which in synergy with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) headed by another excellent public administrator, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, is mooted to boost Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax revenue by offering amnesty to individuals

and companies who voluntarily declare their tax status.

Beyond this, the minister of finance has vowed to take the fight against tax defaulters to their secret addresses abroad and ensure that Nigerians who own secret properties abroad are compelled to pay what is due to Nigeria in tax remittances.

The highly driven minister disclosed at a public function recently that the federal government had identified and compiled the list of 500 Nigerian tax dodgers, some of whom are prominent and wealthy citizens who have homes abroad.

And she also confirmed that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;letters would soon be going out to these Nigerians, including a number of prominent ones, asking them to take advantage of the tax amnesty in order to avoid prosecution and fines by simply paying up their tax defaultsâ&#x20AC;?.

Hopefully, the identified Nigerians will jump at this opportunity to redeem themselves and avoid embarrassing consequences.

I

n case you missed it. Last November, a total of 680 doctors who got their medical trainings in countries such as China, UK, US, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine and the Caribbean, sat for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (MDCN) qualification examination for a license to practice in Nigeria, but only 240 passed while 440 of them failed according to the MDCN. But the affected 440 doctors will take none of that.

They claimed the MDCN produced examination questions that were out of sync with the curriculum, had no standardised syllabus and ran with a poor marking scheme amongst other shortcomings levelled against the examiner.

Therefore, the doctors along with their parents led a march to the Nigerian senate to press home their grievances and demand justice.

Meanwhile, MDCN on its part has denounced all the allegations by the doctors. The regulatory body states that the foreign-based doctors just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pass the standards of its qualification tests which it said was the reason behind the massive failure.

As such, the senate, which the distraught doctors took their matter to, mandated its committee on health to look into the matter with a view to ascertaining the facts of the accusations and counteraccusations from the doctors and the MDCN. But nothing has come out of this yet.

But frankly this critical matter shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just be treated by just the mere committee â&#x20AC;&#x153;lookâ&#x20AC;? that usually glances over many issues of national importance such as the case at hand.

Really, the presidency should rise up to this situation in order to reveal the truth of the matter.

Nigeria currently doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough doctors to sufficiently cater to the health needs across the country.

Therefore the government needs to double its efforts in improving infrastructure and human resources in the health sector. And this should be done essentially with a vision to increase the size of home-grown doctors, strengthen learning and regulatory capacity in the sector and boost the confidence of any certified foreign-trained doctor on the structure in place

What US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, Said About Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Comment on Nigeria

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ollowing the concern shown by the Nigerian government over an insensitive remark reportedly made by the US President, Mr. Donald Trump, about Nigeria, the US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, has stood up for his boss and given clarification on the controversial discourse.

Symington simply affirmed that the administration of Donald Trump has a high regard for Nigerians, and values the excellent cooperation between the

two countries. He added that there were contradicting statements on the substance of the controversial statements.

Mr. Trump may have raised much dust in the international community with his usually strong comments since assumption of office. His latest remark is however attracting far more global outrage than imagined.

In a meeting with congressional leaders in his office, Trump allegedly described immigrants from Haiti, Nigeria and other African countries as people from â&#x20AC;&#x153;shithole

countriesâ&#x20AC;?.

In reaction, the Nigerian government described the remark, if true, as hurtful and unacceptable; and summoned the US ambassaodor to Nigeria to give clarification on the matter.

Essentially, Nigeria needs to hold herself in higher regard by providing basic amenities for her citizens and building hope through good governance. This is the only way to reduce many Nigeriansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desire to migrate to America and other countries and avoid being a subject of ridicule the world over.

Symington

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DREGS OF A TRAUMATIC HISTORY One of Okwuosa's works

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS

DREGS OF A TRAUMATIC HI

Distant painful memories of a best forgotten past incarnate in Tobenna Okwuosa’s most recent featured last year at the inaugural African Culture and Design Festival in Lagos. Okechukwu Uw

D

isturbingly evocative, the works proclaim the artist’s real intent without much frills.

Yet, somewhere in the midst of the clutter of photorealistic images, words and motifs, an idea swirls up and hurls itself at the flustered viewer. Tobenna Okwuosa’s works have actually always seethed with arcane expressions. But they have in the past concerned themselves more with inscrutable motifs than they have with photorealistic images, which are more easily grasped by viewers.

“Before, You Mother Idoto Naked I Stand...”, proclaims the title of one of the works, a 2015 acrylic and marker on canvas offering. Borrowed from an iconic poem by Christopher Okigbo, this title corroborates the depiction of a naked, well-sculpted, muscular man backing the viewer with both arms stretched out. His form, which evokes a cross (is this a veiled allusion to the Christian crucifix?), is embossed in a triangle, whose tip points downwards and which is superimposed on a patterned backdrop featuring clusters of three circles. The tip of the triangle seems to point to a thumbnail replica of the naked man placed above more lines from this poem.

“Land of the Rising Sun”, another work, depicts a crouching Biafran soldier, clutching a rifle in his left arm and pointing towards a direction with his right hand. A Biafran two-penny postage stamp floats behind his head while the words, MILITARY ZONE, KEEP OFF, flare menacingly before him. Below it, the lyrics of the Biafran anthem beside a miniature photograph of Biafran soldiers in a war front, among other things, form horizontal strips. It is an oil, acrylic, photographs and marker on canvas work, which was produced in 2016.

The odd work among the lot, “The Coming and Going that Goes on Forever...”, is an apparent interpolation in both form and content. 2013-17. The mixed media on canvas four-panel, more conceptual and inscrutable in its presentation than the others, is an obvious allusion to the reality of reincarnation. Hence, its relation to the other works is not immediately obvious. But further reflection lifts the veil on not just on man’s repeated earth-lives, but also on the cycle of errors.

Still, Okwuosa’s From Historical Facts to Poetic Truths seethes with an obvious political message. And beneath this message, lurks secrets of a distant past... Detritus of this past, dredged up in the collective consciousness, unfurls the ghosts of Nigeria’s fratricidal war, which haunt it now and then with painful memories. Hence, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had immediately observed: “This is political.”

This was at the artist’s stand during the inaugural edition of the African Culture and Design Festival (ACDF) held last year from November 9 to 12 at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

“I responded in the affirmative, and further said that I was more interested in it as a historical subject,” Okwuosa recalls. “I said to him that I am not in support of the call for secession.

I emphasised that our diversity is a great advantage that we have not

Land of the rising sun...tobenna

Tobenna Okwuosa explored sufficiently.”

Nigeria’s civil war, in his opinion, is an issue that should not be swept under the carpet. Thus, grappling with it, unsavoury though it may be, becomes imperative.

For this reason, he remains grateful to Bisi Silva (the curator of the Modern and Contemporary African Arts Pavilion of the festival) for her invitation, which gave him the opportunity to show this body of works, he titled From Historical Facts to

The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny, tobenna

Poetic Truths. “The war incidences are the historical facts, while the poetic truths are works based on Christopher Okigbo’s poems,” he explains in his Artist Statement.

To produce this body of works, the Niger Delta University lecturer referenced Wole Soyinka’s civil war memoir, The Man Died, Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra, and Christopher Okigbo’s Labyrinths.

By embarking on this project, he had hoped to generate “critical and honest discourses on the war”.

As, he puts it: “I am aware that those who fail to know and remember their history, will not be able to deal with their present challenges, and will certainly have a more chaotic future. It is sad that we know a lot about Western history, but very little about ours. Our history must be taught in schools!”

Okwuosa’s offering at the ACDF was just one, among many efforts, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra, which was marked with public lectures, talks, and exhibition projects, in different parts of the world.

Perhaps, the most vociferous and significant among these commemorative activities was Olu Oguibe’s “Biafra Time Capsule”, an installation of books, magazines, documents and materials related to the Biafra Civil War, at the EMST–National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens as part of the build-up to Documenta XIV in Kassel, Germany. Oguibe was also the convener of “Biafra’s Children:

There was

A Survivors’ Gathering”, which brought together the likes of Faith Adiele, Phillip U. Effion, Okey Ndibe, Vivian Ogbonna and E.C. Osondu, among others, to share their stories of the war, which claimed three million lives.

There were also two other commemorative events – one in Toronto, Canada and the other in Abuja. The Toronto event, titled “50th anniversary of the Biafra Genocide”, held on June 9, 2017 and had Dr. Arua Oko Omaka as its keynote speaker. The Abuja conference, held about two weeks earlier on May May 25, was titled “Memory and Nation Building, Biafra: 50 Years After”.

Speakers at that event included the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Professor Yemi Osibanjo (who, at that time, was Acting President).

So, besides Oguibe’s art installation at the Documenta XIV, Okwuosa’s offering at the ACDF was the only visual arts project that thematised the NigeriaBiafra Civil War in commemoration to its 50th anniversary. The multiple award-winning artist attributes this to a general lack of interest in political and historical issues among his colleagues in the contemporary Nigerian art scene. He alludes to a similar observation made by the British-born artist and curator of Caribbean descent, Eddie Chambers.

Chambers was in Lagos in 2000 as a guest speaker of one of the Institute of Visual Arts and Culture (IVAC) lecture series. Bisi Silva, the IVAC lectures convener, documented Chambers’s opinion in a newspaper article, titled “The ‘New’ Face of Contemporary Nigerian Painting?”, which was published in the September 20, 2009

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž U Í°ÍŻË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

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ISTORY

Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019; ĂĄĂ?Ă&#x153;Ă? waezuoke reports

s a country, tobenna

edition of Next on Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eddie Chambers... had the opportunity to visit local galleries and interact with some artists,â&#x20AC;? she wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While he found the level of activity within the art sector considerably dynamic, he was nonetheless dismayed by the stasis of artistic output, considering it â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;apoliticalâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ahistoricalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, existing largely in a contextual and temporal vacuum.â&#x20AC;?

Still on the Biafran anniversary issues, Okwuosa argues:â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to talk about them in a very open and honest way, in order to at least, heal the psychological wounds of the victims of the civil war. Although the Nigerian federal government said at the end of the war that there was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no victor, and no vanquishedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; yet the side that surrendered believe that they have been treated in ways that show that they are the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vanquishedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.â&#x20AC;?

Curiously, so much blame has been heaped on what the artist called â&#x20AC;&#x153;unaddressed injustices and pogromsâ&#x20AC;? that preceded and trailed that war. They may indeed have inspired such recent secessionist groups as Ralph Uwazurikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Movement for the Actualization of Biafra (MASSOB) and its less pacifist alternative: Nnamdi Kanuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), among others. But they do not explain the incessant restiveness in the polity, which a school of thought curiously blames on the forced cobbling together of divergent ethnic nationalities by the British colonialists. Nor do they explain myriads of other problems plaguing the country.

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

CICERO

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

IN THE ARENA

Ranching Is It! To effectively contain the increasing herdsmen/farmers crisis, ranching is ultimately the way to go, writes Olawale Olaleye

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n a rare but shared interest, there seems to be an overwhelming consensus by a majority of Nigerians that the time to wholly address the constant herdsmen/ farmers crisis is now. No thanks to the recent attacks by herdsmen on some communities in Guma and Logo council areas of Benue State.

The about 75 victims of the attacks carried out on the first day of the New Year were penultimate Thursday, given a mass burial at a sober memorial attended by the state governor, Samuel Ortom, amongst other stakeholders in the state.

In an opinion mooted by the Minister of Agriculture, the federal government had proposed ‘cattle colony’as an idea that could help contain the herdsmen terrorism on villages and communities around the country. Unfortunately, some governors and many stakeholders have turned down the idea, first for improper communication of its functionality and second, for obviously jumping the gun.

Before seeking a genuine end to the crisis, it is imperative to properly understand the psychology of these herdsmen.

These are people not trained either in formal education or the Arabic. Much more disturbing is that many of them do not even practice any religion, the least Islam. It is often an assumption that because they are Fulani, the tendency is high that they are Muslims. But that is an erroneous belief.

Like a majority of the members of the Boko Haram sect, they are not Muslims and hardly could recite rudimentary Qur’anic doctrines. However, what is common and true about them is that they have lived all their lives with their animals and therefore when people with such background are attacked by rustlers, who steal their cows, harm them and sometimes kill them, they are naturally inclined to fight back.

It is a known fact that a quintessential Fulani always settles account whenever he feels offended. Much more instructive is that whenever their cows are stolen and are left with nothing, they resort to crimes, which is why kidnapping is rampant in the remotest parts of the north today.

Whilst nothing justifies their brazen encroachment on people’s farms, during which huge investments of the farmers must have been decimated, it is almost certain that the Fulani attacks are reprisals, not necessarily over the death of one of them but most probably their cows, which they will never give up for anything.

It is therefore clear from some of the prevailing narratives that governments at all levels had failed over time to constructively engage the stakeholders and persuade them to embrace ranching, which in the long run is cost effective, lucrative, healthier and of course, allows the herdsmen to savour other markers of good living like education and access to sound healthcare delivery, through orientation and re-orientation but not necessarily integration.

Curiously, the cattle colony sounds like an idea that suddenly stumbled on the initiators but with no clear cut modus operandi, thus giving an impression that a community or communities are being created or carved out of the existing ones solely for the herders, such that could further avail them access to lands that are not theirs in places, where they are already dreaded.

Nothing is tidy about it in the event that government decides to run with the colony idea, because ultimately, it does not holistically address the future of animal husbandry as practised in civilised societies around the world. Although the fundamentals of the crisis are largely about land ownership

An AK47-wielding herdsman on duty. This is the new normal in cattle grazing in certain areas in North and West Africa which, the cattle colony is believed would address, it is still not one to provide the country with the opportunity to distinguish amongst rustlers, terrorists and of course, genuine herdsmen.

Colony is not bad in itself, it is not just sufficient in addressing the inherent discontents.

But with proper ranching, supported by government and in some cases, backed by the private sector as a form of investment with long time projection, the society stands to gain the most and a lot.

This is because with such an idea, there would be the production of healthier animals, better and neater products, provision of employment to the teeming herders, who had been kept out of business by rustlers, an added value to the farm products, promotion of peaceful co-existence amongst the herders, farmers and other villagers and importantly it would help to sift the criminals amongst them from the real farmers doing their legit businesses.

For instance, the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Elrufai, is said to be working seriously on an ultra-modern ranch,

being modeled after the types in countries like Denmark and Britain, following his visit to their ranches, an idea believed to be coming after he had successfully met with the herdsmen and their leaders in Nigeria and sold the idea of ranching with conviction.

It is evident that the herdsmen too desire better lifestyle and would buy into any initiative that presents such in the best way possible. This is why governors must team up with the federal government and other stakeholders with investment interest to set up ranches in good locations, like Alhaji Aliko Dangote is currently doing, for a promising future of animal husbandry in the country.

The preference for cows over human lives can only be addressed through methodical and practicable solutions, acceptable to all the parties concerned without necessarily taking away from them that which they hold dear. The answer is ranching and not some impossible colonies that would further aggravate tensions and take away the peace of the land, just because the idea is abstract in this context.

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

A Rise in Kidnapping

T IGP Idris

he news of the recent attacks by herdsmen on some communities in Benue State almost took the shine off other equally critical issues in the country, particularly the rising incidences of kidnapping across the country. From the South to the North, there is always one case or two of kidnapping somewhere. It is a damning verdict on the security architecture of the country.

The news of the death of a member of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Hon. Hosea Ibi, whose body was found days after an undisclosed amount

of money was allegedly paid as ransom, was actually very disturbing. ––– And days after, four expatriates (two Americans and two Canadians) were reportedly abducted in a northern state.

This is a serious challenge to the security agencies in the country. It is not to say they are not working hard to get round the situation, perhaps, they are not doing enough. Should the situation continue, Nigeria may be declared very unsafe for investment by the international community and that would amount to failure on the part of government as an entity, the very reason security agencies should buckle up and rise up to this challenge. It is very worrisome!

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BRIEFINGNOTES Dramatic Denouement of Witch-hunt by Ekiti Panel Not a few were surprised about the outcome of an inquiry panel, set up by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to probe the administration of his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Victor Ogunje writes

T

he 10 years ban placed on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development from contesting political offices has elicited a lot of mixed reactions among Nigerians. Some pundits perceived the action as a vivid show of enmity between Governor Ayodele Fayose of the state and his predecessor, which they opined could have a pernicious effect on the peaceful co-existence among Ekiti indigenes across political divides.

In actual fact, Fayose has not hidden his hatred for Fayemi since he felt betrayed by the latter’s refusal to concede to him a senatorial ticket to contest in 2011 on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). It was a taken within Fayose’s political family that the ticket was part of the secret pact signed between Fayemi and the governor during the highly-pulsating rerun election of April 26, 2009 elections.

Fayose, who felt aggrieved with the PDP and the then governor, Chief Segun Oni over alleged alienation in the party worked with Fayemi during the rerun and he held an unwavering view that he ought to have been compensated with that senatorial ticket.

Many Fayose’s political cronies at that time were emotional about the treatment meted out to their principal and they were desperately searching for a payback time, which the 2014 governorship election gleefully availed them.

The widespread belief among the people had been that the outcome of the 2014 election, which Fayose won would have sufficed to end the hostility, but that seemed to be the beginning of an unending rivalry between the duo. The twosome had at various times shown to be arch enemies, both in actions and utterances.

Since Fayose ascended the governorship on October 16, 2014, he has always been hinging his inability to deliver democratic dividends on huge debt left behind by Fayemi’s government. This, he often does derisively to cast aspersion on his predecessor’s records.

Initially, the governor was hesitant to wield the big stick against his predecessor, because of his promise on the day of his inauguration not to probe the past administrations and that had restrained him until the 2018 succession plan came to the front burner, where contending forces have to struggle for survival using instruments available at their disposals.

The Panel as an Option Probably because of the rumour that Fayemi was interested in the gubernatorial race, Fayose swiftly mooted the idea of a judicial panel of enquiry to probe his administration.

To make the panel wear a toga of credibility and acceptability, he made the former Acting Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Silas Oyewole its chairman among other six members sworn in on May 7, 2017.

While inaugurating the panel, Fayose urged them to be fair by inviting the former governor, so that Ekiti and Nigerians could have clearer pictures of the state’s finances.

Terms of references included: Probe of the N825 Universal Basic Education Fund and how the N25 billion bond taken by that government was expended among other issues like the amount spent on the legacy projects, the state pavilion, governor’s lodge on Oke Ayoba and the civic centre.

“I want you to be diligent in your work. Be fair and don’t infuse personal grudges into the probe. Invite all those that are concerned and come up with recommendations that will be fair, just and credible”, Fayose advised.

However, citing cases of political bias against the panelists, Fayemi didn’t appear before it and he immediately approached the court to seek the disbandment of the commission. He said he had no confidence in the

Fayemi in a handshake with Fayose shortly after the latter won the 2014 governorship election chairman of the panel, whom he described as and seems to be more of a political vendetta a PDP dye-in-the-wool apologist. The goverthan a fact-finding mission. nor, in his deposition at the state High Court, To corroborate the widespread impresaverred that other members like Blessing sion that Fayose was out to nail Fayemi, the Oladele and Barrister Gbemiga Adaramola Minister, in his reaction said: “The attention had deep hatred for his personality, which he of the Media Office of the Minister of Mines said had vitiated the entire process. and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Thus, on Monday, January 15, the State has been drawn to the pre-meditated verdict Executive Council released the damning of the Ekiti State Government, as contained white paper report on the outcome of the in the white paper submitted by the panel set commission and banned Fayemi and his up by Governor Ayo Fayose to investigate the commissioner for Finance, Dapo Vincent finances of the state between 2010 and 2014.”

Kolawole from holding political office for 10 Fayemi’s reaction, which was signed by his years in Ekiti and anywhere in Nigeria due to Media Aide, Yinka Oyebode, said: “While we an indictment in alleged corruption, when he believe it is part of the responsibilities of the was a governor. state administration to look into the finances Addressing newsmen after the state of the state at any point in time, we are also executive council took delivery of the report, of the belief that such must be done in a very the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lanre responsible manner devoid of prejudice, Ogunsuyi, said: “Their disrespect to the witch-hunting and a calculated attempt to constituted authority and the undignified victimise a citizen. roles they played in the whole contracts saga “In this particular case, the entire process were obviously against the interest of the is discredited right from the beginning, as state they were supposed to protect. They are the only agenda of the panel was to rubbish banned from holding public office in Ekiti Dr. Fayemi’s public service record. One is and any part of Nigeria.” therefore not surprised at the recommendaOther highlights of the white paper tions of the White Paper. It only goes to mandated Fayemi and his Finance Comconfirm our initial position that the panel missioner to refund N2.7 billion allegedly was compromised right from inception and allocated for the execution of the contract for targeted against Dr. Fayemi.” ultra-modern market that was said not to The APC also perceived the sanction as have been executed. The government further a booby trap to either stop Fayemi from directed the Ministry of Justice to institute contesting or cast indelible dent on the image appropriate legal actions to this effect. of its leaders.

Reacting through its State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said Undertone of Political Vendetta The Minister and its party, All Progressives the Access Bank had appeared before the panel to exonerate Fayemi, explaining that Congress (APC) didn’t treat the white paper the minister never stole that but that it (the with kid’s gloves. They reacted swiftly to bank) took back the loan to its vault, when the the report, branding it as a political vendetta state government failed to firm up agreement against the former governor. It is no longer on loan repayment. news that Fayemi might be interested in “A situation where Fayose assembled PDP seeking re-election this year and what was members and pliable civil servants as a panel reverberating on the lips of many Ekiti residents has been that the timing was suspicious with a strict directive to indict Fayemi at

all costs and thereafter issue a White Paper banning him from holding public office cannot hold water in a society where the law works. With the way he is conducting himself desperately to stop Fayemi from holding public office, we are convinced that Fayose is seriously going through a political haemorrhage and therefore his resorting to political desperation and unconstitutional means to nail our leader and a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by any means possible.

“Neither Fayose nor Ekiti State Government has the power to bar or prevent Dr. Fayemi or any other citizen from holding public office but a competent court of law.

Such wishful thinking cannot stand judicial scrutiny and we advise Fayose and his pitiable undertakers to read the Supreme Court judgment and Atiku Abubakar in similar matter.”

Understanding the Propriety of the Ban Governor Fayose stoutly defended the government’s decision on the white paper, saying it has not violated any section of the law and claimed it has done what was right.

“We are doing what is right within the ambit of the law by appointing competent people for the assignment. We must be seen to be doing the right thing and it is not wrong to ask how the finances of the state have been appropriated within a given time and we are following due process.

“The APC government could probe this and that, even if you say they are biased, what can anyone do? I am not part of the panel that sat for the inquiry, they submitted the report to me and I presented it to appropriate organ and I will do the same with this document.

This is not personal in any way. We are only doing the right thing and following due process.

Continued on Pg.65

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CICERO/ISSUE/BRIEFING NOTES

As Senator Basheer Lado Joins APC… Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman

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recall that he belonged to the twelve original senators who were the pro-All Progressives Congress arrowheads that started the APC movement in the 7th Senate, clearly a tricky project at the period. Some of the Senators in that group of 12 include Senators: Bukola Saraki (current Senate President), Muhammad Bindow Jubrilla (now Adamawa State Governor), Shaba Lafiagi, Abdullahi Adamu, Aisha Alhassan (current Women Affairs Minister), Danjuma Goje, Ibrahim Musa, Ibrahim Gobir, Dahiru Tambuwal, Bello Tukur, one other Senator i cant readily recall and of course Basheer Garba Lado.

The then Senate leadership under Senator David Mark being not too comfortable with the idea of PDP Senators fronting the emergence of APC in the senate chamber dangled a subtle threat of declaring their seats vacant. This was aimed at dissuading them from pursuing their association with the new political party, APC. Prior to that time, there was an unwritten policy in APC to handover the party structures to defecting governors of those states. These states were Rivers, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kwara and Kano.

Indeed in Kano, the APC structure was handed over to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who was rounding up his tenure as Kano governor and had just lost in the APC presidential primaries clearly had his eyes set on the Kano Central Senate ticket. At this point, Senator Lado being a canny and discerning mind, held back in the PDP in order to be able to pursue his ambition of a return to the Senate.

Of course Senator Basheer Lado couldn’t have been accurately described as lacking ambition. He simply bid his time. This stern forbearance was inspired by the compelling vision and discipline of his political model, late Northern sage, Mallam Aminu Kano. This encapsulates the substance and measure of the man.

He simply demonstrated that in history, men are defined by how astutely they manage and direct the energy of ambition. Senator Basheer Lado, close friend, businessman,

Senator Lado

notable philanthropist and politician who ably represented Kano Central Senatorial District in the 7th Senate is indeed no less a child of providence as a man destiny has prepared for leadership and service. With 15 LGAs, Kano Central Senatorial Zone is the largest in the country and bigger than many states.

Basheer, following his reading of the nation’s and Kano State’s political barometers and after extensive, painstaking consultations with critical stakeholders in his turf as he is wont, he has come to the conclusion that the time for a strategic shift in his political station is now. This important decision has set the stage for his imminent declaration for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), from the opposition PDP. Folks who know him as close as I do, can easily confirm he does not change his positions on important issues lightly.

It’s then little wonder that in his home base

Kano, critical political stakeholders are sitting up and keenly following the developing trend.

A restrained excitement is building up in the politics of the whole city of Kano.

For those readers who may legitimately wonder where my insight on Senator Lado is coming from, it may interest them to know that although I hail from Okene, Kogi State and represented Kogi Central in the 7th National Assembly, I was actually born at the Nassarawa Hospital Kano. I attended St. Louis Primary School Kano, grew up in Fagge, Sani Ungogo Road, Kano and have spent most of my life in Kano.

As I write, some of my siblings are married and still live in Kano. Senator Lado has been a close friend over the years and my insight into his strength and vision of life derive from this close association. My family home is in Lado’s constituency of Kano. Besides my relationship with him in the Senate, I actually consider myself his constituent.

In Kano, a place where the level of political awareness and participation ranks highest in Northern Nigeria, political stakeholders and interestingly, the masses, recognize quality and pedigree. Almost in equal measure, they are impatient with mediocrity and incompetence.

The script that confers this outstanding status on Kano was largely inspired by the late Mallam Aminu Kano the formidable advocate of Talakawa politics and incidentally, Senator Lado’s political model.

As colleagues in the 7th Senate and as rookie Senators I readily recall asking him how he managed to influence and fund such a project as the N2.5billion Kano flyover, popularly known as Gadan Lado. For many who don’t know, to influence and fund a project of that scope is such a daunting task. Let alone influencing and funding the N14.5billion Kano-Katsina road dualisation as his constituency project. Then you begin to appreciate the capacity of the man.

I once took a phone call from Senator Lado where my cousin Mustapha who lives and works in Kano was present. On dropping the call he inquired which Lado I was talking to and he goes on to narrate to me how my friend Senator Lado earned himself several names for his philanthropic activities. Lado

Mai Tomatiri in the local lingo means the ‘grocery giver.’ He would take a casual excursion into any of the Kano markets and pay for all the grocery. When a local shopper is done with his or her shopping and wants to pay, they would be told not to bother because it has already been paid for by Senator Lado.

Some indeed call him Lado Mai Kayan Miya (giver of soup ingredients). Such actions and gestures indeed come from the heart and can hardly be contrived.

While vintage Senator Lado cannot be easily drawn on his clearly strategic move to the APC, on January 27, the ‘Young Turk’ of whom there are simply too few of them in the country will formally be declaring for the APC in Kano. What is more, he will be pulling in over 116,000 card-carrying PDP members into the APC. In a political arena where numbers represent its defining feature, to pull in over 116,000 followers from one party into any political family is no mean feat. This essentially will redefine the political equation significantly in Kano politics. But then Senator Lado has the pedigree and track record to deliver this powerful political statement and more.

A strong believer that folks blessed by providence should not live only for themselves, Lado who defeated former Reps Speaker, Hon. Ghali Umar Na’abba in the primaries that cleared the way for him to contest and win senatorial representation for Kano Central, founded the ‘Ladon Alheri Foundation.’

Through this platform, he has committed a lot of time and funds to impactful philanthropy which has touched and changed many lives - from quality interventions in the health arena to education and more.

As Kano awaits the January 27 date of Senator Lado’s declaration for APC with over 116,000 loyalists, the emerging consensus is that a major youthful force who believes in a just, united Nigeria has indeed emerged. This is hardly debatable. I want to use this opportunity to congratulate him in advance and welcome him to the progressives’ fold where I believe, he truly belongs. Welcome my friend and brother to the APC home.

–––Senator Abatemi-Usman is a member of the 7th National Assembly

t DRAMATIC DENOUEMENT OF AN WITCH-HUNGTING PANEL tContinued from Pg. 64 The Legal Crucible Prominent lawyers in Ekiti and beyond have spoken against the action taken by the state government. An Ilorin-based lawyer, Mr. Rahman Balogun, contended that the government action had further shown that the commission was orchestrated to tarnish the image of his client.

He stated that the commission lacked powers to issue such sanctions against any individual adding that it could only recommend any public figure for trial. Balogun, who described the whole scenario as laughable hinted that he has gotten the clearance from Fayemi to challenge the alleged arbitrariness.

I have written to Ekiti State Attorney General to get full details of the reports.

“The commission can only recommend them for trial in a competent court of law.

But my client was not given fair hearing on the matter. Although we have challenged the composition of the commission before, this is a new case and we are not resting on our oars.”

In the same vein, a Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana agreed that even though the commission lacked the powers to bar the two public officers, Fayemi and his erstwhile Commissioner have a duty to address some of the issues raised.

Falana reiterated that this has become imperative since Fayemi is serving under a government, whose cardinal objective is to fight corruption and corrupt officials.

Also, an Akure-based lawyer and rights activist, Morakinyo Ogele described the white paper as a ‘beautiful nonsense’ which would not hold water.

“I have not seen the beautiful nonsense

called White Paper but want to say that only competent court of law can bar or ban any individual from holding public office. I want to believe that the members of the commission are suffering from ignorance. “

The Waiting Game The people are now in suspense on whether or not Fayemi would go to court to challenge the report, the same way they expected the government to take further actions. People however hold these views because of the directive allegedly given

by Fayose to the Ministry of justice to take further actions on the white paper.

But how powerful could a judicial commission or administrative panel be to stop anyone from contesting? The fact of this may have been strongly established with some of the legal precedents.

For instance, former President Olusegun Obasanjo set up a panel against Atiku in 2007 and the Supreme Court quashed the indictment. There was an Ibrahim Shekarau arrangement against a Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano which failed too. The House of Representatives once said it banned the current Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-rufai, it turned out that such illegal ban could not stand any legal test. Even fayose himself was once a victim of such a politically motivated ban and it failed.

Other similar instances abound in different parts of the country, all of which could not stand legal scrutiny. That notwithstanding, Fayemi cannot also take chances.

Ekiti people are therefore patiently waiting on how this well contrived political trap set by Fayose against Fayemi would play out.

NOTES FOR FILE

That Attack on Ozekhome

Ozekhome

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and renowned rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, was recently attacked and embarrassed by some youths at the 14th Annual Chief Gani Fawenhimi Lecture in Ikeja, Lagos.

The youths booed Ozekhome, who was one of the discussants at the lecture.

They blocked his path as he arrived at the venue of the lecture, held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, insisting that the SAN would not be allowed into the lecture hall.

They called him unprintable names and abused him for allegedly defending suspected looters in courts. By so doing, they also disrupted the lecture which had

already commenced. It took the intervention of some personalities at the event before sanity could be restored.

That, unfortunately, was not how to honour the memory of Fawehinmi, who stood on the side of the helpless, the weak and the poor in the society, 14 years after his demise.

Sadly, these youths cannot continue to indulge in such excesses, hiding under the guise of the assumption that the late Fawehinmi was a radical. Nothing in their action showed they were prepared to lead their generation or that both education and exposure have any effect on them. The shame was clearly on them as they did not represent the future they seek to lead.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

CICERO/ISSUE

Ganduje (r) and Kwankwaso...a partnership completely gone awry

The Disturbing Signals from Kano Constant clashes between supporters of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, are disturbing trends that must be effectively contained by the security agencies before the next general election. Ibrahim Shuaibu reports

K

ano State’s political atmosphere ahead of the 2019 elections is getting really cloudy with the various gladiators now designing ways to market themselves to the electorate. But this is not so with people in the camps of former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and incumbent Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who have been clashing at every given opportunity, thus showing their brute strengths ahead of next year’s elections.

The on-going political face-off between Ganduje, and his former boss, Kwankwaso, is becoming a threat to a peaceful conduct of next year’s general election as they are bent on undoing each other at the polls.

Kwankwaso is the leader of the most populous camp in today’s Kano politics known as Kwankwasiyya, and their signature is the famous red cap for men, while women wear red wrapper and head tie to showcase their loyalty to the former governor, who is now senator representing Kano Central district in the senate.

On the other hand, Ganduje, too still wears redcap along with his Deputy Governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, having been a member of Kwankwasiyya and as a mark of loyalty to Kwankwaso.

Abubakar had recently raised the alarm over alleged marginalisation by the party that fixed some of the executive members in his Gwale ward without his knowing, a situation, which indicates that that deputy governor might likely leave the Ganduje camp soon to join Kwankwaso.

But Ganduje too had since named his group Gandujiyya and his people are currently struggling for his second term.

Unfortunately, his ambition appears questionable among the people of the state due to his seeming unpopularity.

There is a swirling belief that he is

being controlled by his family members and has therefore failed in sticking to his mandate.

This implies that the political misunderstanding between the two leaders may have gone beyond reconciliation and as it is, it appears they have made up their minds to work against each other in future elections in the state.

They are poised to deploy every means, including violence in an attempt to have upper hand in the state’s political equation.

It is a matter of public knowledge that Ganduje has indicated interest in reelection, and obviously as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On the other hand, Kwankwaso, who is believed to interested in the presidential ticket,, has vowed not to allow Ganduje win re-election.

Although Ganduje seems not to be very popular in Kano even as a sitting governor and for what some people in the state attributed chiefly to his alleged betrayal of Kwankwaso, there are indications that he is now trying to leverage on the strong political support which President Buhari seems to still enjoy in the state to actualise his reelection bid.

Political tension between supporters of the two leaders has continued to escalate in the state and one of the dominant issues fueling the escalation is the decision by Ganduje to organise local government elections in the 44 council areas of the state in February.

But the governor’s decision to organise the elections is being viewed by most of Kwankwaso’s supporters as a strategic move by Ganduje to put his men in power and by implication, consolidate his hold on the power levers of the state.

It was also learnt that the purported home-coming of Kwankwaso by the end of this month has continued to generate serious concern among the politically inclined people in the state,

who are loyalists of Ganduje. This is because of the fear that when Kwankwaso comes to town, the chances of Ganduje’s reelection might be affected as there is the possibility that some of Ganduje’s cabinet members might resign from office to join him.

Such fears were further accentuated last week, when there was a clash between the supporters of the two leaders at a wedding fatiha in Kano, after the state Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, in a video that went viral, called on residents to stone and attack the Kwankwasiyya group.

It was later learnt that Abbas’ two children, Sani Abdullahi and Abbas Abdulahi (Jnr), were among the attackers at the wedding, led by one of the commissioner’s boys popularly called Shawuya. The incident which occurred close to the late Galadima Kano House, left six people injured including one of Abbas’ step brothers, Walid Abbas Sunusi, who is one of Kwankwaso’s staunch supporters.

Reacting to the development, a supporter of the Kwankwasiyya group and former Organising Secretary of APC in Kano, Sunusi Surajo Kwankwaso attributed the situation to negligence on the part of security agents, considering the fact that Abbas, in a video released online, had confirmed that they orchestrated the attack in Minjibir and Hawan Daushe.

“It’s surprising that Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas has not been arrested or invited by the security agents over his comments calling for violence that was even reported in the media,” he said, adding that the situation might be calling on Kano residents to protect themselves if the law enforcement agents could not do that.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for Kano State Police Command, DSP Magaji Musa Majia, said the command had commenced investigation into the issue to ensure that perpetrators of the crisis

were brought to book and that the police had invited Abbas over a petition written by M.K. Umar & Co. He said the petition alleged that Abbas had made inciting statements against members of the Kwankwassiyya Movement, and that both parties had been invited and asked to go and provide the alleged video, in which Abbas had urged his supporters to attack members of the Kwankwasiyya group. He further promised that the police would make sure that anybody found wanting would face the full wrath of the law.

Already, he hinted that the police had arrested Abbas’ two sons and his house boy over the attacks, but added that they had been released on bail, while investigations into the matter continued.

As it is, most of the APC chieftains loyal to Kwankwaso have started to boast that nothing would stop the former governor from the planned home-coming by this month end.

A former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Honorable Isyaku Ali Danja told a large crowd on Wednesday that, “Nobody and nothing will stop our leader from coming to Kano by end of this month. We have made all necessary arrangements to ensure the success of his visit”.

THISDAY also observed that Kwankwasiyya loyalists had organised an appeal fund last Thursday to ensure that they have enough funds to cater to their needs during the Kwankwaso visit.

There is no doubting the fact that these two leaders would stop at nothing to undo each other from now till the time of the elections next year, with clear signs of increasing violence. It is no doubt a battle of ego and supremacy, which is very dangerous in politics.

Whilst the Kano leaders cannot give up now on the possibility of a reconciliation, the security agencies must not pretend not to be seeing the signs now and swing into action early enough with a view to containing the menace.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

CICERO/INTERVIEW

‘Bayelsa Civil Service Reform Will Not Lead to Job Loss’ Hon. Daniel Iworiso-Markson is Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Orientation. In this media chat in Lagos, he speaks on the achievements of the Governor Seriake Dickson administration ahead of its 6th year anniversary and its various challenges. Excepts:

B

ayelsa State Government would soon be marking its 6th year in office. What do you consider to be the significance of the anniversary?

Thank you. I think the basic significance would be a candid stock taking and informing the people what their government had done to improve their lives and hope for a better tomorrow. To that extent, then, we can confidently say that the Restoration administration has in the last six years changed our narrative as we used to know it so fundamentally. I think this is significant.

That, I think, is the issue, the important thing we should talk about. It is now incontrovertible because the achievements of this government ably led by the contriman governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, are now everywhere and good enough the people can relate with them in the various sectors.

Education, for instance, has received an unusual attention posterity will definitely remember Governor Dickson for. Now we have the best secondary schools in the whole country. Even in a recession, government started a revolutionary education programme that you cannot find in any other state. A programme where government is selecting boys and girls from their families and putting them through a competitive examination process in all local governments, putting them in model secondary schools built by government, feeding them, clothing them, providing books and computers for them. This is remarkable and as the governor has rightly noted, this is the foundation of the new Bayelsa. So much had really happened to education that’s creating a great hope for outstanding future development for the state. In a recession, government is also building tertiary schools, the University of Africa, the College of Health Technology in Otuogodi and making resources available for all their facilities and getting accreditation of all their courses. The same thing applies to the college of education, it will be a degree awarding college affiliated to the Niger Delta University, so that they can mentor it. That will increase their capacity to generate money. The administration is also supporting the Niger Delta University; supporting the take-off of the polytechnic, building science and technical colleges throughout our state this year.

If you go to the Ijaw National Academy, you will understand the point I am making here. That is the foundation Governor Dickson is inspiring, making us to believe in ourselves and establish a home grown development initiative which is already attracting interest from far and wide.

I think the establishment of the education development trust fund is also a thing we should commend regarding training and educating between 5000 and to 15000 young people at every given time. This has implication for rapid development because such huge investments in education as we are doing in Bayelsa will come with so much benefits in the future.

In the area of healthcare, I think the situation is getting better and better looking at solid investments now in the critical sector compared to the past. Before now we cannot in serious reckoning claim to have modern hospitals in the state but all that have now changed. In Brass we have a modern one there. We have completed the one for Ekeremor, ready for furnishing and take off; we have completed the one for Sagbama, ready for furnishing and take off. Same for Kolokuma/ Opokuma, Oporoma and now completing the one for Ogbia in spite of some initial delay.

Governor Dickson has also directed that another one be built in Nembe, making it two for use there. Then we have the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre in Yenagoa, a major facility of world class standard. People are beginning to use it, saving lives, hundreds and thousands of lives, with early diagnosis. That is a modern diagnostic

Iworiso-Markson

centre, one of the best in the country. People now come from Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and many other states to Bayelsa for diagnosis. It was built, equipped and handed over to American specialists to run it for efficiency. It is the same thing government did to the Specialist Hospital at the Government House. It used to be Government House clinic, but Governor Dickson felt what is good for the governor, deputy governor, and their families must be good enough for all Bayelsans. That was how it was expanded and built a public wing, fully equipped. You cannot find the equipment they have there, with the personnel anywhere else. They have installed telemedicine facilities, which means you can communicate with doctors from abroad right there, they can even direct an operation from where they are in America or London. That is the investment the Restoration government has made in Bayelsa State.

And to ensure that fake drugs do not compound the health situations of our people, government built the drug mart and Bayelsa pharmaceutical centre, ready for commissioning. It has already started working and there are not many states that have that. Everything we have put together, everything we have been working on, is targeted to cover an area of lack in our state. Now on top of these investments, we have introduced the health insurance programme.

But government is doing more… before the end of December 2018, every ward will have a functional health centre, equipped with quarters where nurses and doctors will stay. By the way, the health insurance scheme recorded over 300,000 people with the one man, wife and four children. The governor has also approved 5% of our IGR for “Dicksoncare”.

And this year, government is coming up with a policy for our pregnant women --from the month a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes government property.She will be registered and taken care of. We will have the health centres set, with computers so women who are pregnant can confirm their pregnancy

and put on a special allowance, we then register them to have their data so that we can monitor. If anyone has any challenge, we know and we can deal with it. This is one of the things Governor Dickson said he will like to leave behind, just like education; this rural healthcare. Both maternal and infant mortality will be drastically reduced in this regard and thus a welcome development.

Yet I think the infrastructural development like construction of road and bridges is one key area we cannot but praise the current administration in BayelsaState. Ditto for rural electrification. It’s been revealing, having to open up the state through roads in all the senatorial districts. I hope you all took notice that Governor Dickson last Christmas actually drove to Aleibiri and by December this year he will be driving straight to Ekeremor. For all those who are familiar with the stories behind such historic efforts, we should commend the contriman governor. What people thought were impossible are now possible and that speaks to leadership and vision.

There is the observation that the government has not given due attention to housing in its development initiatives.

Why is it so?

That may be true but the good news is that the state is about to witness major mass housing projects. The estates are about springing up in this state. The point to make is that Governor Dickson came into office with a plan. Although he cannot solve all the problems but certainly we have seen a burning desire to work and to solve problems. Things are moving on according to plan and prioritization of the huge task he’s been shouldering to fix the state, especially those foundation issues he has painstakingly addressed so far. So this year, you are going to see major investments in public housing and a lot of empowerment drive. Women and youths being put together, trained, in cooperatives and other ways and given money; bank loans, to start up. Government has set aside1billion naira for women and 1billion naira for youths. The

operational modality will follow a structure in the state-owned Izon-Ibe Micro Finance Bank which also has branches in all our local government areas. The whole money will be given to the Izon Ibe Micro-Finance bank to disburse.

Governor Dickson believes in private enterprise and has consistently supported such moves that can unleash the creativity of young Bayelsans and government is also building shops to support them in that area.

I think I should also brief you more on the housing deficit my friend raised earlier. I can confirm here that the housing programme for the elites has already started and in the next few weeks, allocation letters of about seven hundred to eight hundred plots in the GRA will be ready.

This is the New Yenagoa Governor Dickson has been talking about, it’s now established and ready. A lot of infrastructure are now being put in place to make the place exceptionally modern and beautiful. The island leading to River Nun is the new Yenagoa city. Every plot will be planned and it is very cheap to buy the forms. The plots there will be four million naira per plot because it is almost four plots in one. Government has also made a funding arrangement where one does not need to pay all, you will pay a percentage and then the bank gives a mortgage. Of course, government is also opening up a lower one for the low-income bracket. This category will have over a thousand plots in Agbura. Governor Dickson is about signing the compensation for land acquisition here as he will also do for another hundred hectares in Anyama. Those ones are medium and low.

Of course, government has made land acquisition very easy in Bayelsa State thorough liberalization of land certification… within thirty to sixty days, you can get your C of O in Bayelsa.

So thank you my brother for your question, the Restoration Government sees housing as a necessity for the people and so much will still be done to address the noted deficit.

My question is on the payment of salary.

There’s this back and forth argument on this between the state government and labour. What’s the true position of things?

Thank you. I think it is all about misinformation or deliberate misinformation perpetrated by the politicians who tried to mislead the media in their reportage. If you follow me, I released a statement on the true position recently. The point is that the local governments have had some problems paying their workers’ salary. It is not the state that does not pay salary, it’s the local councils due to obvious challenges in recent times. The state government only owe three months backlog, carried over when allocation went down so bad. But the good news is that the issue of any council owing salary will soon be over. As I talk with you here, Governor Dickson has given the councils marching order to find a way around the issue by paying their workers regularly.

On the part of the state government, it has now cleared one and half month just two weeks ago and soon the remaining part of the three months backlog will also be cleared.Please tell the public that Bayelsa State is not owing workers contrary to such misinformation. I think the people can tell you confidently that the contriman governor is a responsible leader, who, interestingly, came into office to serve the poor and vulnerable in the state.

Importantly, government is looking into the challenge of regularly paying teachers’ salaries at the local level even though it is the responsibility of the councils. You see the kind of enormous investment the state has made into education in the state has necessitated this latest development.

Initially government was paying 80% in this state but reduced to 60% occasioned by revenue shortfall. It actually worsened during the recession and government could no longer pay the primary school teachers.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

CICERO/REPORT

Saraki and Dogara at a joint session of the National Assembly

A Worried Parliament Reviews State of the Nation Disturbing situations across the country formed the fulcrum of discussions as the National Assembly resumed after its recess last week. Damilola Oyedele and James Emejo write

A

s Nigerians ushered in the New Year with fireworks and cheers, tears accompanied the birth of 2018 in parts of Benue and Rivers States.

In Rivers, about 21 persons were murdered in Omoku, on their way back from church, where they had gone to pray into the New Year as customary with many Christians.

In Guma and Logo Local government Areas of Benue State, anguish and unimaginable pain were their lot, when killer herdsmen attacked their villages and left at least 73 persons dead. Scores were injured with homes, properties and barns destroyed. The attacks left about 80,000 persons displaced, with about 60,000 of them now inhabiting in camps meant for Internally Displaced Persons.

The attacks, while not necessarily shocking in a country, where murders and other crimes have continued to rise and gone unresolved, the audacity and brazenness of the attacks, particularly in Benue, again called to question the capacity of the government to protect its citizens.

As expected, Nigerians rose in unison to condemn the killings and called for the arrest as well as prosecution of the killers of the Benue attacks (the alleged perpetrators of Omoku killings were killed by soldiers a week after). Of much more concern to citizens, however, is the fact that wanton killings, kidnappings, robberies and other vices are becoming a recurring decimal with the police seemingly becoming ineffectual in handling the situation.

In Benue and other states along the Middle Belt line, calls for the deployment of soldiers have been intensified, indicating a lack of confidence in the ability of the police to guarantee civil policing.

Expectedly, therefore, the security situation topped discourse at the National Assembly, when lawmakers resumed from their recess.

Before embarking on recess, the Senate already constituted an ad hoc committee on security to meet with stakeholders in the sector to review the current security architecture.

Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to the discussions where from submissions of lawmakers, it became apparent that the crises were being exacerbated along ethnic and religious lines. With the volatility and sentiments for which several have not been able to put on the bipartisan toga, Nigeria’s unity and national cohesion is gradually becoming threatened.

More worrisome is that the killings are increasing just ahead of the 2019 polls, with fears that existing tensions might be exploited by unscrupulous politicians to cause further mayhem in the land.

During senate plenary, many spoke boldly while some chose to remain bound by same primordial sentiments fanning the embers of discord. Some however stood out.

Senator Shehu Sani said the fear of not being re-elected has cowed many of his colleagues from speaking out in an unbiased manner. He faulted the references in the report of the ad hoc committee headed

by Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, who appears to be protecting the executive and its policies.

Sani observed that the report referred to the federal government seven times in its recommendations, instead of directly referring to President Muhammadu Buhari, who as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, is saddled with the responsibility of providing security.

“You see some form of cowardice, escapism, and people try to water down the truth. In the report that was presented before us, federal government was mentioned about seven times and we are all part of the federal government. The security of the country is under the control of the Commander-in-Chief. Why are you shying away?

We are calling on the President to wake up and stand up and protect this country.

“It has reached a point today that people have lost hope in the government. We are here trying to massage the ego than tell the truth.

We don’t want to confront the presidency and the president because people want to come back to the 9th Senate. They do not want to lose their ticket and people are killed in this country,” the lawmaker added.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in his contribution urged the government to declare a State of Emergency (SoE) in the country to allow for extraordinary measures to be taken to safeguard the country.

Ekweremadu pointed out that due to increased insecurity in the country, intelligence and international communities are of the view that war is ‘coming to Nigeria’ and therefore urged that SoE be invoked to temporarily close the borders, for about 12 months, to put the proper apparatus in place to address insecurity.

Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, in his contribution on the second day of the debate, said the new strategy adopted by fleeing Boko Haram insurgents was to attack communities under the guise of herdsmen.

“People are supporting them unknowingly, because they whip up primordial sentiments. When you say Fulani herdsmen, the average Fulani man is offended. Even in this chamber, people would get up to support them, because it is about their people,” he said.

Bwacha, however, warned that unless the situation is tackled decisively in a bipartisan manner, it would gradually consume Nigeria as the killer herdsmen are gradually decimating the country.

“When insurgents started, they said they wanted to kill Christians, they ended up killing more Muslims, “Bwacha said.

Senator Olusola Adeyeye’s warning that countries have never been disintegrated by external aggression but internal contradictions is enough word for a wise executive.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, in ruling that a security summit be conducted this week, said it was time to look for implementable solutions before the crisis consumes the nation.

The lawmakers also issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to apprehend the perpetrators of the killings in Benue State, and hand them over to the Attorney General of the state for prosecution.

At the Senate, the debate threw up calls for the declaration of killer herdsmen as terrorists, so they could be appropriately dealt with by

the armed forces, and also featured a sharp divide on the proposed establishment of cattle colonies for nomadic Fulani herdsman to resolve the constant clashes with farmers.

…Concerns from the House For the House of Representatives, so much had happened during the break. From the frustrating impact of the fuel scarcity, which sent pump price skyrocketing with the attendant untold hardship on commuters to the deadly attacks carried out by herdsmen across parts of the country particularly, Benue State, where about 80 people were murdered, the last few weeks have not been quite interesting.

There were also issues around the resurgence of the fuel subsidy regime, which appeared to have been undertaken without parliament’s approval, a development which lawmakers said was a clear breach of the constitution. The leadership of the House consequently vowed to investigate the new subsidy regime.

Dogara’s Reaction Reacting to the spate of killing in Benue and elsewhere, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, said there were no sanctuaries anywhere in the country for killers and other hardened criminals, who feed on the blood of people.

According to him, the solution to the mindless killings and bloodletting lies in the ability to shun buck-passing, while the government lives up to its responsibility of providing security for the lives of every Nigerian, irrespective of where they live. Dogara further warned of the consequences.

He said: “On behalf of the House of Representatives, I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to the governments, people, and especially families of those who have lost loved ones in these primitive, mindless and despicable rounds of bloodletting across our dear country.

“At these moments of intense outpouring of grief across the nation, it is important that we shun buck-passing and accept responsibility for these wanton killings without which we will never find a solution to this evil. We cannot afford to fold our hands and pretend that all is well with our country. We cannot throw up our hands in defeat.”

Dogara further promised to unravel the alleged reintroduction of fuel subsidy and scarcity of the product and charged the relevant committees of the House to determine the causes and claims, stressing that except the executive adduces compelling reasons why the reverse is the case, it would amount to a betrayal to still pay subsidies after they had been assured that it had been ended.

However, on Wednesday, the House passed a motion to set up a high-powered ad hoc committee to interface with security chiefs over the spate of deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen across the country.

While condemning the attacks and killings in all ramifications, particularly in Benue State, the lower chamber observed a minute silence in honour of the departed souls.

The committee is expected to call for a public hearing of stakeholders and even summon President Muhammadu Buhari to brief the

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National Assembly in session House on the deteriorating security situation in the country if deemed necessary. It would demand measures taken by the security agencies to forestall future attacks.

The resolution of the green chamber followed a motion by Hon. Babatunde Gabriel Kolawole (APC, Ondo) on the need for the federal government to declare a state of emergency on security over the spate of deadly attacks in the country by suspected herdsmen. He noted that the orgies of bloodletting were perpetrated in violation of section 33 (1) of the 1999 constitution, which guarantees right to life to every citizen and which shall not be deprived of any citizen save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty. The debate on the motion had commenced on a rather disturbing note before it was normalised as arguments appeared to be subjective and polarised rather than being objective.

Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye (APC, Lagos) had criticised the federal government for being insensitive to the attacks and wondered whether it’s compulsory to eat cows if that would resolve the issue.

Hon. Funke Adedoyin (APC, Kwara) noted that the killings and increased clashes were largely the consequences of migration, deforestation and land related tussles. She noted that the struggle to possess land had often led to communal wars, stressing that an ad hoc committee be set up to probe the root causes of the killings, which are on the rise.

On his part, Hon. Wale Raji (APC, Lagos) said he was saddened by the issues bordering on casualties resulting from herdsmen attacks would still be debated in 2018, when the lower chamber had last year passed a motion for the Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to establish cattle breeding reserves across the country, but noted that no action had been taken in that regard.

He decried a situation whereby the Inspector General of Police would have to await a presidential directive to intervene in some of the killings. He said the IG ought to have tendered his resignation for failing in his duties, reiterating that in other climes, the IGP would have resigned by now for failing in his duties. He added that there appeared to be more to the attacks as reports had hinted of tribal intolerance.

Hon. Afe Olowookere (APC, Lagos) said the fact that herdsmen needed to feed their cows doesn’t give them the right to take lives, stressing that President Buhari has to take rapid steps to arrest the situation.

He said the president hasn’t helped matters and should have addressed the nation and reassure the masses over the killings.

“We would be failing in our duties if we don’t

urge urgent action. Let’s set up a committee to investigate,” he said.

Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim (APC, Adamawa) said Herdsmen needed the pity of Nigerians, because they endanger their lives while other Nigerians live in their comfort. He said as long as federal government could not create an enabling environment for the herdsmen, sacrifices should be made by land owners – a reference to state governors – to volunteer grazing reserves for the animals. He said if grazing reserves had been created before now, the sad incident would have been averted.

On her part, Hon. Aisha Dukku (APC, Gombe) said questions were not being asked over the N100 billion approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan to governors for the creation of grazing reserves. She added that by default, the herdsman in fact, values the lives of the cows more than his own life, because “that’s how he’s created.”

But reacting to her submission, Hon. Hassan Saleh (APC, Benue) cautioned that there are certain things which ought not to be spoken in public especially as lawmakers.

According to him, not even 10 billion cows are worth a life, adding that some comments by his colleagues, particularly those from the northern part of the country, were rather insulting and demeaning to the people of Benue State.

His response followed repeated argument by some lawmakers, who suggested that the killings in Benue may largely have to do with tribal intolerance.

He said: “We shouldn’t inflate the polity. It’s failure on part of government. Security agencies can’t provide security. We expect Buhari to intervene because we don’t want war, otherwise, you’ll see anarchy as we move forward. Nobody is a coward and you can’t use people’s land for cow business for free.”

In his argument, Hon. Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) said it would be wrong to adhere to existing grazing laws, which are largely and in need of fine-tuning to current realities.

He argued that ranching appeared to be the only solution to the menace of herdsmen, noting that this practice is currently “done everywhere in the world.”

He insisted that the Buhari administration has failed the Benue people on security, adding that the sanctity of human life is not taken seriously.

He explained why the president could choose to commission rail project in Kaduna instead of being in Benue to mourn the victims.

Hon. Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno) said while herdsmen may not have the capacity to acquire ranches to rear their cattle, government should provide enabling environment for herders.

He added that the creation of cattle colonies was the right way forward.

Contributing, Hon. Oker-jev Emmanuel (APC,

Benue) said there’s no political will on the part of Buhari to tackle the issue.

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) said under no circumstance should a human being be killed, stressing that the ECOWAS treaty which allows for free migration needed to be revisited to ascertain whether it still favoured the country in the current circumstance. He said there’s also the need to address the issue of arms proliferation from Libya, as recent killings had been carried out with the use of guns.

According to him, the current effort by the federal government required that state governments donate lands for grazing activities, but noted that only 16 governors had so far complied.

He said the creation of cattle colonies might be preferable to ranches since existing ones have proven to be ineffective.

A Summon for Kachiku, Baru Barely 48 hours after Dogara vowed to investigate the resurgence of fuel subsidy payments by the federal government, the lower chamber, on Wednesday passed a motion mandating the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachiku and the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Maikanti Baru, to appear before the House Committee on Finance and Petroleum Downstream to explain the current subsidy payment by the corporation.

It further resolved that Kachiku and Baru as well as the Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency must appear before the committee to account for the monies spent on subsidy payment since January 2017 to date and the current petrol pricing regime.

The lower chamber, further urged the federal executive to make provision for subsidy payments in the 2018 Appropriation Bill, if it found it necessary to continue subsidy payment under any guise whatsoever.

The resolution of the House was consequent upon a motion sponsored by Hon. Sunday Karimi (PDP, Kogi) on the urgent need to investigate the fuel subsidy payment by NNPC. He said such payments constitute constitutional breaches and an impeachable offence. He pointed out that the executive could not choose which aspect of the constitution to obey.

Another Probe Awaits NNPC One of the high points of the plenary at the green chamber was the passage of a resolution to set up an ad hoc committee to among other things investigate the operations of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to determine reasons for the loss of an alleged $21 billion in oil

revenues to the latter.

It further tasked the proposed committee to review the PSC and the Joint Operating Agreement and other relevant agreements with a view to regularising all the anomalies that had led to loss of revenue and make its findings and recommendations to the House within six weeks.

The resolution was sequel to a motion sponsored

by Hon. Sunday Marshall Katung (PDP, Kaduna) on the urgent need for an investigation into the loss of $21 billion (about N7.6 trillion) crude oil revenue to IOCs. The House expressed concern over statements credited to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachiku, on December 17, 2017, while briefing reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the Corporation had lost about $21 billion to IOCs operating in the country due to non-implementation of PSC.

House Passes PIGB The House, on Wednesday, passed its version of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill passed last year by the Senate. It would now be harmonised with the House’s version. The Speaker said the new legislation would be transmitted to the President as soon as it is harmonised and explained that the House had to move on and pass its own version of the Bill following failure of the Executive to present a draft bill to the National Assembly In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, Dogara described the passage of the PIGB, as historic and landmark achievement by the 8th National Assembly after it was first introduced to the parliament by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2008.

He said with the passage of the bill, the petroleum industry would witness drastic improvement as it would attract investors and open up the sector as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would be unbundled with the creation of other bodies.

He noted that work would still continue on other aspects of the petroleum industry by the National Assembly in accordance with the 8th Assembly’s agenda.

The House of Representatives had passed the bill at the twilight of its tenure in 2011. The Bill was subsequently withdrawn by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 and a revised version was re-transmitted to the National Assembly in mid-2012.

The Report on Electoral Offences The green chamber also considered and adopted a report of the Committee on Electoral and Political Matters on a Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Electoral Offences Commission and for related matters as well as approved the recommendations therein.

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National Youth Corp members at a passing out parade

Re-organising NYSC: A Proposal Patrick Dele Cole

T

he original concept was to instill discipline among young graduates. The graduates would then do community work and pass on their acquired discipline to the youths and others they meet.

Our youths would be burning with the fever of national interest, espousing ideas which their training would foster. Like yeast to bread this nationalism would swell the bread of Nigeria, pushing the nation beyond self and tribe. This was why Youth Corpers were posted outside their states to learn about other cultures and impress on those cultures the overwhelming singularity of Nigerianess.

Our future leaders would be well grounded in the concept and life of Nigerianess over and above destructive ethnicity. I may be overstating the aims but I think that, by and large, my characterisation is true.

Many of the first corpers took on some of these characteristics and proudly tell you he served in Port Harcourt if he came from Borno.

Many others have wonderful stories serving outside their states â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Remi and Ayinla are full of stories about serving in Calabar etc. But what is the NYSC now? What will our youths do?

Graduate unemployment is approaching 60%; general unemployment in Nigeria must be around 80%. This is a toxic mixture in a Nation of 180 million of which 65% is under 30 years.

Something had to be done. It is a notorious fact that many of the Delta militants are

graduates: the leaders of Boko Haram when their compatriots tell us the truth may well be educated and even graduates.

The majority of graduates in Nigeria today who enter the National Youth Corp are women. The various military camps to which all Youth Corpers report are cesspools of corruption and influence peddling. The central concept of not serving in your state of origin is being bastardised. There is a price to pay if you want to go to any state of your choice: the orientation portion is no longer as vigorous as it used to be; discipline has broken down; most of the corpers, already ill-equipped by some spurious degree from some undistinguished university are sent out to teach in schools. If Governor El Rufai was unimpressed by the quality of the teachers in his schools in Kaduna State, he would be appalled by the magnitude of ignorance of some graduates who also end up teaching.

The problem of our youth has to be confronted. They certainly do not lack motivation.

If someone who cannot swim can pay over 1 million naira to cross the Sahara and then the Mediterranean Sea, such a person cannot be said to be unmotivated. These characteristics in other cultures would be regarded as bravery, ingenious, daring, but in Nigeria â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he is condemned as opportunistic, criminal, good material for slavery in a CNN documentary which goes on to paint us as criminals filling up the jails of Italy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one commentator saying over 50% of the inmates in Italian jails are Nigerians!! How this can be true in the home of the mafia beats me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; obviously, the Italians

cannot imprison the mafia and every Nigerian in Italy is presumed guilty until he can prove his innocence. Many of these migrant youths are also graduates.

So what can be done? The NYSC scheme was a good idea but its implementation is no longer fit for purpose. We have to think again.

Our youths believe that they are smart because they use smartphones. No. it is the phones that are smart not our youths. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yahoo boys and girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are so predictable it is pathetic. But as they say, the devil finds work for an idle mind.

I propose a radical rethinking of the NYSC. All graduates should go into the military for full military training for one year as part of the NYSC programme. That year they would learn discipline in a good healthy body. The military would have to re-organise itself to deal with the influx of new recruits. Some have argued that this full military training should be for only six months. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all right with me provided that the concept enunciated earlier viz discipline, virtue, Nigerianess, comradeshipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s etc. are imprinted in the minds of the youth. After the training the next year or six months is also for training; this time for streaming the corpers into specialised skills, intelligence, technology, communications, leadership and obedience, etc.

At the end of the period, the corpers would have also done considerable community work and they would be guaranteed a job or at least pay during which they look for work. I would also want to copy what the Swiss, Israeli and Cubans do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a return for three weeks refresher course periodically until age 40.

The Swiss and Israelis have national service

I propose a radical rethinking of the NYSC. All graduates should go into the military for full military training for one year as part of the NYSC programme.That year they would learn discipline in a good healthy body.

The military would have to re-organise itself to deal with the inďŹ&#x201A;ux of new recruits. Some have argued that this full military training should be for only six months.Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all right with me provided that the concept enunciated earlier viz discipline, virtue, Nigerianess, comradeshipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s etc. are imprinted in the minds of the youth

which has kept them strong and vigilant. In China, they had the foot doctors, which Cuba copied and today Cuba has more doctors per population than any country in the world. In Nigeria, businesses and governments would be obliged to employ corpers. A new generation of youth would be created ready to serve the country and thereby serve themselves.

There are downsides to this scheme. The first General I told about this wanted to know what grade or level of arms these corpers would be exposed to. I could see that he thought that the corpers may be able to form alternative military units and may even lead a coup. It is possible but such thoughts had not deterred Switzerland, Finland, the Scandinavian countries and Israel, who all have some form of national service. No one can lead Israel today who has not performed some sort of national service, although surprisingly as it may seem, there are several Israelis who are exempted from national service because they practice some sort of religious orthodoxy.

Of course, there are problems with this scheme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 years in a young womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life is long: she may want to marry. But the benefits would outweigh all the drawbacks. The Nigerian military is not perfect. It seems to lack a sense of purpose. This scheme may help in repositioning it. As for the nation, to have a pool of dependable disciplined youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the benefits are simply incalculable. Think what this scheme can achieve in 20 years and compare that to the havoc NYSC, which is over 30 years, has done to Nigeria.

Our youth should be visionaries, with inquisitive minds and national pride, eager to work and well trained for it. They would be destined for positions within an emerging new middle class.

The military would have to be prepared to take up this challenge. A massive infrastructure would have to be put in place; suitable accommodation; in-depth planning for instruction, studies, travel arrangements, training fields, manuals for teachers, and students. The programme has to be evaluated from point to point always keeping in view the aim to produce great youth with correct attitude to life and living. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole, OFR, is a former presidential aspirant

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Best Gift to Amosun at 60 Soyombo Opeyemi

â&#x20AC;&#x153;H

e was very articulate, very organised, diligent, hardworking, to the extent that all of his peers said he was out of this world because he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t within the realm of what people ordinarily expected from him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were looking through one of his things and we saw a picture he took in 1937. He recorded the time that the picture was taken, not just the date. If you asked within our community in Abeokuta to know something, they would tell you to go to him because he was amazing in his sense of organisation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we were growing up in the school, if you saw him 100 times, something must be wrong with you. It could be about your dressing or books and for every offence, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a penalty of six strokes of the cane. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was a perfectionist and a very religious man. Whatever he believed in, he was a stickler for it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growing up under his watch was a challenge; as children, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cherish those qualities but it was as if he should no longer die when we attained adulthood. If you see me as hard working, then you can understand. My dad would be the last to sleep. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have so many friends but he was very social. He had a record of everything, including the days he bought clothes, the price and the place of purchase. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be Amosun and be lazy; nobody would accept that from you.â&#x20AC;?

That was Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State speaking about his late father, Alhaji Abdul Lasisi Oyedemi Sanusi-Amosun, during the 20th remembrance event on January 21, 2017, exactly a year ago.

For those who regard the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;perfectionistâ&#x20AC;? as disapproving, here are excerpts of the meaning from some dictionaries.

Oxford Dictionaries: A perfectionist is a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection.

Cambridge Dictionary: A person who wants everything to be perfect and demands the highest standards possible: Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a perfectionist that she notices even the tiniest mistakes.

Collins English Dictionary : Someone who is a perfectionist refuses to do or accept anything that is not as good as it could possibly be. A person who strives for or demands the highest standards of excellence in work, etc.

Oxford Advanced Learnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dictionary: A person who likes to do things perfectly and is not satisfied with anything less. He

was a perfectionist in his art and could be difficult to work for.

Of all the authorities above, the definition that appeals to me most is that of Collins English Dictionary: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Someone who is a perfectionist refuses to do or accept anything that is not as good as it could possibly be.â&#x20AC;? OR â&#x20AC;&#x153;A person who strives for or demands the highest standards of excellence in work, etc.â&#x20AC;?

The governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, â&#x20AC;&#x153;strives for or demands the highest standards of excellence in work.â&#x20AC;? Little wonder he enunciated in early 2012 a concept called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ogun Standard,â&#x20AC;? which demands that every project executed or service rendered must comply with international best practices; it must be a model for others to emulate.

Amosun â&#x20AC;&#x153;refuses to do or accept anything that is not as good as it could possibly be.â&#x20AC;?

We were once in Ijebu Ode to inaugurate a project. The governor had to call it off because it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;not as good as it could possibly be.â&#x20AC;? At Ota, Amosun once shook his head in disapproval and muttered, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is not Ogun Standard!â&#x20AC;? On a number of times, brochures or pamphlets for events had to be reprinted at the last minute, into the early hours, because attention was not paid to details or some of the pages were defaced with ink or the entire booklets were not of excellent workmanship? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manage it like that,â&#x20AC;? the usual refrain in our clime - a product of mediocre mentality. And you expect Amosun to accept that, to manage it? No. He wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the problem. Here in Nigeria, we tend to accommodate anything but the ideal: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a minor mistake; letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manage it!â&#x20AC;? No, Amosun will not â&#x20AC;&#x153;manage itâ&#x20AC;? with you. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to correct the mistake. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a small error; nobody will see it!â&#x20AC;? No, Amosun will notice that error; he will see it. So, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better correct it.

As in the example above, Amosun is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a perfectionist in his art and could be difficult to work for.â&#x20AC;? Yes, he will be difficult to work for because he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept your mediocrity. He wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept anything second-rate from you. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s either we do it well or we dump it! That is why you see the governor almost everywhere inspecting projects all over the state, raising issues on work not done in line with the design or frowning at any attempt to shortchange the tax-payers through slap-dash jobs or structures of average workmanship. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just have to be there to see things for ourselves otherwise they may do rubbish!â&#x20AC;? he keeps charging. Here in Ogun, the fear of Amosun is the beginning of wisdom for any contractor. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better do it well else you will start all over again! Amosun will

Amosun

not accept any excuses from you.

Being a perfectionist does not mean you are perfect. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just that you strive for perfection in everything you do. Perfection is the goal and your eyes are fixed on its attainment in every aspect of your work.

Change is constant, yet it is usually difficult for people to accept change. To be more charitable, it also takes some time for people to imbibe new qualities or new ways of during things. During the 2015 electioneering, we passed through a road leading to a particular higher institution where the Amosun administration had invested a lot. The sign board was literally in tatters. Yet, inside the school were first class structures. I shook my head in amazement and soliloquy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is it the governor that will come here to teach this institution about Ogun Standard? Do they need a lecture to know that the image of the institution is reflected also in its sign board?â&#x20AC;?

At another time, I saw a very good poster of an event on a large billboard, somebody trying to impress the governor.

But the billboard had dents and undulating edges. The man had simply wasted his money. But I then empathized with the governor: â&#x20AC;&#x153;These people have not imbibed Amosunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture of excellence!â&#x20AC;?

The point is not lost on the governor himself - absolutely not. Sometimes he will shake his head over some â&#x20AC;&#x153;averageâ&#x20AC;? work

and then whisper, facing another direction or people: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ko get e!â&#x20AC;? (He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand!) He allows it to pass because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s human, hoping that next time, you will come with an excellent job. That is when nothing too serious is at stake.

Otherwise such is only excused once in a blue moon.

Of course, the governor cannot see everything. I reckoned that some people might not see anything really wrong either with the institution sign board or the billboard. Change is necessary. It also takes time for people to accept and practise the change.

The good news is this: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen more and more of Ogun Standard displayed every now and then. We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get everything right at the same time. But it is noble to be seen to aspire to the highest ideals, to strive for higher standards in our work - the Ogun Standard. Ă&#x; Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imbibe Amosunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sterling qualities of being industrious, meticulous, disciplined and highly organised. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imbibe the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture of excellence in every of our work.

This is the best gift we can give to Governor Amosun, the modernizer, as he turns 60 on Thursday, 25 January, 2018.

Congratulations sir. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Soyombo, media aide to Governor Amosun, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com

Fani-Kayode : Orji Kalu Not Owner of My Abuja House Jude Ndukwe

W Fani-Kayode

e read the story in your Lanre Alfredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;High Lifeâ&#x20AC;? column on page 84 and 85 of the Sunday 14th January edition of your newspaper.

In that story the author wrote that Chief Orji Kalu is the owner of Chief Fani-Kayodeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Abuja home and that he was described by Kalu as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;good tenantâ&#x20AC;? who â&#x20AC;&#x153;always pays his rent on timeâ&#x20AC;?.

We have been in touch with Chief Orji Kalu and he has categorically denied making such assertions to you. Whichever way it is needless to say that the assertion is false in its entirety and is a figment of the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fertile imagination.

He also wrote that â&#x20AC;&#x153;despite all the largess he (meaning Chief Fani-Kayode) got in President Goodluck Jonathanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government, he does not have a house to his nameâ&#x20AC;?.

This assertion is also false and factually

incorrect and it is unfortunate that the writer did not handle the matter with the usual level of professionalism that we have come to expect of THISDAY Newspaper, a newspaper that Chief Fani-Kayode holds in the highest esteem.

For the record Chief Orji Kalu is not the owner of Chief Fani-Kayodeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Abuja home and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and his family do indeed own numerous properties in various parts of Abuja and in Nigeria which predate the advent of the Jonathan government.

The writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s malicious and calculated attempt to demean and shame him and his family and paint him as a treasury looter who got â&#x20AC;&#x153;largesseâ&#x20AC;? from President Jonathan even though no court of law has ever found him guilty of being one or having done so is regrettable.

This letter is appropiate and necessary and we sincerely hope that you will use your good offices to set the record straight. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ndukwe is Special Assistant on Media to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

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Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Giant Strides Louis Amoke

R

ecently, the Enugu State Economic Advisory Committee, at a press briefing to assess the performance of the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the past two and a half years, described the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress report as tremendous and enduring. The committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chairman, Prof. Monsignor Obiora Ike, noted the steadfastness and multi-dimensional approach of the governor in addressing issues that affect the people of the state.

Ike said Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration had made remarkable impact on improving the living standard of the people, especially in the areas of provision of critical infrastructure, socio-economic development, workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; welfare, security, peace, empowerment, among others.

He disclosed that the committee, in line with its mandate, had been able to offer veritable advice that enabled the government take positive steps aimed at moving the state forward, revealing that its area of concentration is how to meaningfully engage more unemployed youths, through innovation and sustainable socio-economic development policies The chairman added that the committee was impressed that the peace and security in the state had continued to thrive, recalling the recent verdict by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, which listed Enugu as the state with the least criminal cases compared with other states of the federation. The erudite professor announced that the committee was reviewing the entire structure of the state, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, with a view to offering more advice for ease of business investments and engagements in the state.

Reiterating that â&#x20AC;&#x153;international partnership holds the pillar of our existenceâ&#x20AC;?, Ike stated that the committee was also looking at the

Ugwuanyi

area of agriculture to harness its potentials for sustainable food production, job creation and economic growth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do think that going forward to 2018, having looked at what happened in the past, Enugu State of Nigeria will be more determined to ensure that it sustains the tempo of peace and good governance with the meagre resources at its disposal,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The economic advisory committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assessment of Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration is in conformity with the standpoint of public opinion in the state.

On a broader perspective, a critical review

L-R: Vice-Chairman, Projects Kewalram Chanrai Group, Rotn Sanjeev Tandon, and former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen Oladipo Diya (rtd) when the former paid a courtesy call on the General at his Ikeja GRA residence in Lagos...recently

build and rehabilitate critical infrastructure of the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievements so far and both in urban and rural areas to enhance analysis of his vision for sustainable peace and business engagements in the state; promote good governance in 2018, in keeping with his agriculture to ensure food security; invest campaign promises to the people of the state, heavily on education; promote investment have become imperative. and private participation to revive the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A few days ago, the governor presented the economy and make Enugu the destination of 2018 budget proposal, christened: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Budget for choice for investment in the South-east.

Sustainable Economic Growthâ&#x20AC;?, to the House of Ugwuanyi stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will not stop until Assembly for consideration and approval. The we leave an indelible mark on our people.â&#x20AC;? interesting aspect of the 2018 budget estimate Regretting that the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic is that the proposal, which is 6.77 per cent less situation has had a negative impact on his than that of the 2017 that was over N105 billion, administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision, the governor mainis modest and tailored â&#x20AC;&#x153;to our expectation to the tained that the government would in 2018, in reality of the current economic circumstancesâ&#x20AC;?. line with the four-point agenda, enhance its While presenting the budget proposal, efforts at infrastructure upgrade, improve on Ugwuanyi explained that his administration will Visit Every Community (VEC) programme, gradually expand its subsequent annual budgets and Ease of Doing Business (EODB) in the in line with changes in the economic variables.

This visionary approach, no doubt, underscores state.

On the modest achievements of the the dexterity, potency and ingenuity of the government in economic development, one present administration in prudent management is impressed to note that the far-reaching of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lean resources and its economic reforms initiated by Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administraindices. It shows how realistic and sensitive the tion in the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Internal Revenue Service government is in responding to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s produced significant increase in the Internally precarious economic challenges, which require Generated Revenue (IGR) from N14 billion in strategic measures at any given time.

At the budget presentation Ugwuanyi thanked 2016 to N18.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2017. the people of the state for their goodwill and On infrastructure, which is the focal point massive support. of the government, it is pertinent to note that The governor reassured the people of his notwithstanding the bleak economic realities administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolve not to be deterred by the in the country, Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration current economic situation, but to create more has been able to execute massive road projects jobs and increase the tempo of development in both in the urban and rural areas across the the state to impact positively on the lives of the state in just two years, covering over 141 people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the true heroes of democracy.

The governor stated that the 2018 proposal was kilometres of intra and inter-state roads â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an unmatched feat in the annals of the state. carefully designed to build on the foundation It has also recorded tremendous feat in the already laid, stressing that the mid-term developmaintenance of infrastructure built by past ment plan was anchored on his administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrations, such as failed portions of four-point agenda for rapid and sustainable roads, street and traffic lights. economic growth.

Pointing out that the 2017 budget was â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Amoke Louis writes from Enugu, consistent with the four-point agenda, he Enugu State. maintained that the government through the (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com) budget was able to strengthen the institutions;

L-R:SpecialAdviseronCleanerLagosInitiative,Engr.AdebolaShabi;CommissionerforHealth,Dr.JideIdris;SpecialAdviseronEducationto the Governor and Chairman of the committee on the CLA, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh; Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, and Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan during a press conference on the restructuring of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja...yesterday

Former Assistant Director, Internal Audit, Nigeria Television Authority, Mr. Lanre Adewale Snr (in lightblue cap), flanked by his family members (from L) Adetunji Adewale, Mrs. Tolulope Fabiyi, Lanre Adewale Jnr; Mrs. Dolapo Oluteye, and Seyi Adewale, as the retired civil servant and accountant marked his 70th birthday at Owode Estate, Ibadan, Oyo State...recently

L-R: Account Manager, Young and Rubicam (Y&R) Lagos, Ms. Mercy Oghumu; Founder/CEO, Dr. Celey Okogun; and Head of Production, Mr. Chinenye G. John, during a press conference announcing a new identity for Novelpotta Y&R in Lagos...recently

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž JANUARY 21, 2018

IMAGES

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he annual Christian Feast of Tabernacles celebrated

by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kingdom Society (GKS), the Church of the Living God, took place in Warri recently.

Adherents of the GKS faith from across Nigeria as well as members from the United Kingdom and North America branches of the church thronged the oil city of Warri for the eight-day festival. The Feast featured several sermons, street processions and music presentations by no fewer than 40 choral groups and choirs. The President of GKS, Brother Godwin Ifeacho, who officiated throughout the event also delivered an address to the congregation titled Trust in Power and Wealth Rather than in God is Vanity. Here are some of the personalities at the event.

Photos: James Agori

L-R: Brother Felix Adedokun, Brother Godwin Ifeacho and Brother Michael Ekiseowei

L-R: Mr. Emmanuel Efeni and Mr. Love Ojakovo

L-R: Mr. Peter Oigbochie and Brother Emmanuel Ogidi

L-R: Brother Samuel Ayavoro and Brother Patrick Ekireghwo

L-R: Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Okoro and Hon. Josiah Bakpa

L-R: Mr. Gideon Agabaenwere and Mr. Victor Ezie

L-R: Prof. John Akpobi and Prof. Lawrence Bratte

L-R: Mr. Felix Oziwo and Mr. Bunmi Egberedu

L-R: Barrister Olusegun Olukowade and Mr. David Chiabuotu

L-R: Barrister Victor Edoh and Barrister John Legbedion

L-R: Mrs. Comfort Ikekwem, Mrs Helen Bazunu and Mrs. Sarah Oladiran

L-R: Mrs. Gbeke Ijevu and Mrs. Esther Adeoye

L-R: Mrs. Chinyere Dike and Ms. Salome Ojakovo

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ͺ͚Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Î&#x20AC;

NEWSXTRA â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Your 2018 Budget is a Non-Starterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Reps Tell IGP James Emejo in Abuja

and requested its immediate update, in consonance with the ever-changing security dynamics of the country.

This has been characterised in recent times by kidnappings, the Fulani herdsmen scourge and the attendant bloodletting, and a broad spectrum of criminality.

Indeed, in a year loaded with significant political activities and programmes preceding the 2019 election year, the Committee averred that these developments throw up multifaceted security challenges and the budget proposal as presented, falls grossly short of minimum expectations.

Police Inspector-General, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, last Wednesday, led the police top brass to the National Assembly, to make a submission of N332 billion, for the 2018 fiscal year.

than Asemota, an Edo-born Nigerian based in Qatar, who returned over N150 million wrongfully paid into his Qatari account to the bank...recently

If the subsisting budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Police Force is not significantly reviewed, the task of securing lives and property by the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary internal security apparatus may continue to be a mirage, THISDAY has learnt.

The situation might have warranted the decision by House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, to reject the 2018 budget proposals presented to it by the leadership of the NPF recently. It described the budget as thoroughly inadequate and grossly incapable of mitigating the hydra-headed security situation in the country.

The Committee, chaired

by Hon Haliru Dauda Jika, returned the submission to the Police top echelon the same way it was presented,

Quit Notice: Ohanaeze Disowns Youth Arm over Position on Herdsmen

Government Shutdown, Protests Blight Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Anniversary

t Expert warns against reprisal attacks, CSOs tasked on action

Demola Ojo with agency reports

Abimbola Akosile in Lagos, Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

US President Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first anniversary in office was yesterday marked by the turbulence that has defined his presidency, with protests across the country following a government shutdown.

Up to 800,000 federal workers were told to stay home after the White House and Congress failed to strike a compromise on a government spending bill.

Workers deemed essential and armed forces personnel were asked to stay at work. If the shutdown continues, they will likely work unpaid.

With crisis talks under way, Trump cancelled a trip to his Florida retreat at Mar-aLago, where he had hoped to celebrate his year in office at a gala dinner.

Instead, as protesters marked their own anniversary of major anti-Trump demonstrations outside the

HONEST CITIZEN L-R: Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign AďŹ&#x20AC;airs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, receiving Mr. Michael Jona-

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Saturday dissociated itself from its Youth arm, which recently banned activities of herdsmen in the entire five South-east states.

The organisation said her attention was drawn to a news publication credited to one Okechukwu Isiguzoro who parades himself as the President of the Youth Wing of Ohanaeze, in which he has asked Fulani herdsmen to vacate the South-east.

In a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President General

of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emeka Attamah, the organisation dissociated itself from the said ultimatum, saying no such thing was discussed at any given time.

The release stated that the national leadership of the Youth and Women Wings of Ohanaeze Ndigbo were dissolved by the Imeobi of Ohanaeze at its last meeting in September 2017 and therefore the two organs had ceased to exist.

It said any decision by Ohanaeze must be deliberated upon at different levels of consultation before being implemented, and added that at no time was it discussed to expel herdsmen from Igboland.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ohanaeze warned any irresponsible group intending to cause mischief to desist forthwith from using its name for its nefarious activities and called on governments and the public not to deal in any way with anybody parading himself as the President of the Youth or Women Wings of Ohanaeze Ndigboâ&#x20AC;?, the release added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Benue state indigenes resident in the South-east on Saturday asked President Muhammedu Buhari to without further delay declare the rampaging herdsmen as terrorists. They also demanded for the immediate arrest of leaders of Miyetti Allah for consistently threatening more bloodshed

in Benue State.

The group under the umbrella of the Tiv, Idoma and Igede forums made spoke during a protest rally in Enugu against continuous killing in Benue by herdsmen.

In a position letter made available to newsmen, signed

by President of Tiv community and the chief convener, Dr. David Wayas, David Achi, Co-convener and Andrew Tyonongo, Co-convener and President of Idoma community on behalf of all the traditional communities from Benue State resident in southeastern states, the group declared total support for the anti-grazing law by the Benue State Government.

UN Expresses Concern over Safety as Thousands Flee Cameroon into Nigeria t Says over 10,000 Cameroonian refugees registered in Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;River Abimbola Akosile in Lagos and Bassey Inyang in Calabar As more people flee Englishspeaking areas of Cameroon for Nigeria, the United Nations has expressed concern over the precarious situation of women and children, which make now up about 80 per cent of the approximately10,000registeredrefugeesin eastern Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross River state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of these are boys and girls who fled to Nigeria alone,â&#x20AC;? spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), William Spindler, told reporters at the regular press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland weekend, adding that unaccompanied and separated children are particularly vulnerable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;UNHCR has received numerous reports that children

have to work or beg to survive or to help their families,â&#x20AC;? he added, in a UN release.

Many reported that they were unable to attend school, for lack of time and money. Thousands more are among the population of unregistered Cameroonians in neighbouring states, where some of the children are unaccompanied and vulnerable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;UNHCR is working with the Nigerian authorities to assist with the reunification of separated children with their families, to provide unaccompanied children with protection services and to restore the basic right of all children to education,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Spindler said.

Some of the children fleeing to Nigeria told UNHCR that they had been out of school in Cameroon for all of 2017. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For women, the lack of

work combined with the overstretched reception facilities, creates a higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly from survival sex,â&#x20AC;? he continued.

While only a limited number of cases have been recorded, mainly in the Amana community of Cross River state, UNHCR is concerned that many more go unreported or are referred only to community elders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Incidents of domestic violence as well as cases of teenage pregnancies, involving girls as young as 14, have also been reported,â&#x20AC;? the spokesperson elaborated.

In Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Benue state, two school buildings are serving as temporary refugee accommodations, where women and their families sleep inside communal school halls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; deprived of private

space and the right to family dignity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For them, and for the rest of the population living in temporary tents hastily built next to local residences, sufficient and appropriate shelter is key to ensure adequate registration, systematic aid distribution and reduced protection risks,â&#x20AC;? Spindler underscored.

UNHCR and the Nigerian authorities are currently working to identify sites away from the border, where the refugees can live according to international standards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are also establishing offices in the towns of Calabar and Adikpo to better provide assistance and protection to the women and children,â&#x20AC;? he said, noting that support includes food, basic relief items, water and sanitation facilities.

White House and in other major cities, the president stayed in Washington, firing off angry tweets.

Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, claiming they were putting immigrants before other Americans, while Democrats in turn blamed Trump for walking away from a compromise over the future of young undocumented migrants known as Dreamers and for general recklessness over immigration.

They pointed out that the shutdown, the first since October 2013, was the first when one party controlled all three branches of government.

At a press conference, House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi alluded to a tweet Trump wrote in May 2017, saying a shutdown would be good for the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy anniversary Mr. President, your wish came true,â&#x20AC;? Pelosi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You won the shutdown. The shutdown is all yours.â&#x20AC;?

Group Hails Umahiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Developmental Strides A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Centre for Reform Education Initiative (CREI) has applauded what it termed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;excellent developmental stridesâ&#x20AC;? of Ebonyi state governor, Engr Dave Umahi, since assumption of office, especially in critical sectors as education, health, massive road network construction and agriculture.

The group, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Hon. Chinwe Ugwu, and made available newsmen in Enugu noted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Governor Umahi has within a short time turned Ebonyi state into a huge construction site, thereby placing the once â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;obscure state

on the world mapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Ugwu, who expressed satisfaction with Umahiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy of achieving positive results where others fail to make impact, added that the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trademark was setting targets and attaining within record time.

The statement read thus: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a developmental organisation, we have been following developments in Ebonyi state since May 29, 2015 and I must say we are not disappointed because Governor Dave Umahi has proven that he is an embodiment of knowledge and paragon of excellence by the massive infrastructural development in the state.â&#x20AC;?

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 21, 2018

SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

City Back on Track, As United Close on Sanchez

S

ergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as Manchester City restored their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win at home to Newcastle United yesterday.

City’s 30-match unbeaten run in the league, which spanned two seasons, came to a dramatic end with a 4-3 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield last week. But their return to winning ways here had manager Pep Guardiola proclaiming his side needed 10 more victories to be crowned champions.

Their advantage at the top of the table had been cut to single figures, for a few hours at least, when second-placed Manchester United beat Burnley 1-0 earlier yesterday.

Normal service resumed in the day’s late kickoff, though, with Aguero glancing in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross in the 34th minute to open the scoring at the Etihad.

The Argentina striker then converted a 63rdminute penalty awarded after Raheem Sterling tumbled in the box following a tug by Javier Manquillo.

But struggling Newcastle scored against the run of play four minutes later when a rare lapse saw Jacob Murphy sprint through and finish in composed fashion.

Aguero, however, put the result beyond doubt when City’s all-time leading goalscorer completed his 11th hat-trick for the club seven minutes from time following a superb run and pass from Leroy Sane.

“We needed it (this win) after last week,” Aguero told BT Sport. “It’s a long season though and we’ve not won anything yet.”

Guardiola added: “We need 10 more wins to be champions...It was important how we reacted at 2-1, we didn’t panic.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal showed there was plenty of life after Alexis Sanchez as they beat Crystal Palace 4-1 without the United-bound Chilean forward.

With Sanchez inching towards a £35 million (39.6 million euros, $48.5 million) transfer to United rather than City, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger left him out of his matchday squad.

Any fearsArsenal might falter up front without

Aguero (left) celebrating one of his three goals with Fernadinho yesterday

him proved groundless as they surged into a 4-0 lead inside 22 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.Arsenal remain outside the top four but heartened manager Wenger said: “We played our real game in the first half, real pace and real combination.”

At Turf Moor, United striker Anthony Martial scored a 54th-minute winner with his third

league goal in as many matches.

Jose Mourinho left midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the proposed makeweight in the Sanchez deal, out of his matchday squad and afterwards the United manager indicated the transfer saga was nearing an end.

“Expect soon or never,” he said. “So close, so close, so close...I know my people are doing

absolutely everything they can.”

Chelsea won 4-0 away to Brighton as the reigning English champions leapfrogged Liverpool, who play Swansea on Monday, into third place.

The Blues’ first win of 2018 saw Eden Hazard score twice with a goal in each half, while Willian and Victor Moses were also on target.

Mkhitaryan Agrees Aussie Open: Federer, Djokovic into Fourth Round to Sanchez Swap Deal, Set for Arsenal Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has agreed to joinArsenal, withAlexis Sanchez going in the opposite direction in a straight swap.

Armenia international Mkhitaryan, 28, will have a medical today and tomorrow after the paperwork for his transfer was completed yesterday.

The length of his contract atArsenal, and his salary, is undisclosed. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had said earlier that Sanchez would only join United if Mkhitaryan moved to Arsenal.

Sanchez missed Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace yesterday because he was travelling to Manchester. “He didn’t play because you cannot drive up north and play football at the same time,” said Wenger.

United boss Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, had confirmed a deal to sign Sanchez was “close” following his side’s 1-0 win at Burnley yesterday.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both reached round four of the Australian Open with straight-set wins - although the Serb suffered an injury scare. Switzerland’s five-time champion Federer beat Richard Gasquet 6-2 7-5 6-4 to progress to the last 16.

Six-time winner Djokovic had treatment on his lower back and leg but saw off Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2 6-3 6-3.

“It’s nothing major to be concerned about. It’s things that surface every day.

I guess it’s normal,” he said.

Djokovic, 30, is playing in his first event since Wimbledon last year after a six-month lay-off with an elbow injury.

Despite the convincing scoreline he was not at his best on Margaret Court Arena and was often frustrated on court.

However, he closed out the match in two hours, 23 minutes and progresses to face 21-year-old South Korean Hyeon Chung, who is making his first appear-

ance in the last 16 of a Grand Slam.

There were early opportunities on the Djokovic serve for Ramos-Vinolas, but the Spaniard was the first to be broken, in the fourth game, as the Serb took the first set.

At points it looked like a regulation match for Djokovic but concerns for his chances were raised when he called for the trainer with the score 2-1 in the second set. He continued to hobble and stretch his left leg following the treatment but fought off four break points for Vinolas-Ramos at 4-2 in the second set to maintain his advantage, after which the match always looked to be going in Djokovic’s favour.

“These kind of circumstances in which I’m in at the moment are quite different,” added Djokovic. “I’ve never faced a situation where I didn’t compete six months.

“That’s why I’m kind of forced to be very cautious of what happens day-

Kerber Crushes Sharapova in Straight Sets AngeliqueKerberproducedasuperbperformance to beat Maria Sharapova and confirm herself as a title contender at the Australian Open. The German 21st seed won 6-1 6-3 in the much-anticipated night-session clash between the only two former champions left in the draw. She needed just 64 minutes to see off Sharapova, breaking serve five times.

Kerber, the 2016 winner, will play Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, ranked 88th in the world, in the fourth round.

“I know Maria is always fighting,” said Kerber.

“After the first set, I was trying to not thinking about the score, just going for it, trying to be aggressive

and playing my game.

“And it works. It works from the beginning. I’m happy about how I played tonight.”

The 30-year-old is coached by Wim Fissette after the Belgian split with Johanna Konta at the end of last year, and she arrived in Melbourne having won the Sydney title.

Her speed of foot and ability to return Sharapova’s pace with interest left the Russian struggling from the outset.

A fizzing return at Sharapova’s feet brought an immediate break of serve and a roar of “Come on!” followed after a backhand winner took her 3-1 clear.

The harder and flatter Sharapova tried to hit the ball, the quicker it came back at her.

Kerber raced through six straight games, taking the first set in 29 minutes and breaking at the start of the second. Sharapova needed a helping hand and she got it when Kerber finally made a string of errors to hand the advantage back.

It was only the 21st seed’s brilliant defence that prevented her falling a break down at 3-3 as Sharapova threatened a sustained challenge.

A fist pump followed that crucial hold and Sharapova’s resistance was broken once and for all, a poor drop shot and a netted forehand giving

to-day, be dedicated to my body and training.”

Federer, 36, comfortably extended his record over Gasquet to 17-2, with the Frenchman only ever having beaten the 19-time Grand Slam champion on clay.

Gasquet, 31, was behind almost immediately in Saturday’s night session and failed to muster a single break point until late in the third set, when he clawed his way back to 4-4.

Federer slammed the door shut on any sustained comeback, however, clinching victory with a brilliant return game after one hour and 59 minutes with two backhand winners.

“I was able to maybe stay a little more on the offensive than he was,” said the Swiss. “The second set was tight, the match was close and the end could have gone to a tie-break.” The defending champion will face Hungarian world number 80 Marton Fucsovics in the last 16. up a fifth break of serve before Kerber closed it out on her second match point.

“I think she played extremely well,” said Sharapova. “She was the more aggressive player.

She took a lot more risks than I did.”

PREMIERSHIP RESULTS & FIXTURES Brighton 0-4 Chelsea Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace Burnley 0-1 Man United Everton 1-1 West Brom Leicester 2-0 Watford Stoke 2-0 Huddersfield West Ham 1–1 Bournemouth Man City 3-1 Newcastle Southampton vs Tottenham 5pm

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

High Life

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͎͎͜;ʹ͜͜ͳ;ͳͰ

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich and famous

The Song is Ended But the Melody Lingers on...As Obasanjo Visits Late Wife, Stella Obasanjoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family in Edo

Y

ears after the Grim Reaper visited the home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and left with his beloved wife, Stella, he has gone through the numbing gamut of grief, denial, anger and dejection. Stella died after a major surgery. If money were enough, he could have mustered the whole world to save her and fulďŹ l his vows that they would grow grey together but death had other tragic plans.

Of course, it was hard for him, like it would for anyone else who loses a loved one especially one of the hue of the adorable Stella, to accept that they would never see again or look into the loving eyes of each other as they have for the past almost three decades. The anger that he was helpless as his beloved surrendered to the cold hands of death and he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t salvage her dovetailed into understandable dejection. But time heals all wounds. Gradually, the former President has come to accept the reality of his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death as the permanent reality.

However, Obasanjo recently paid a visit to the family of his late wife, Stella, in Iruekpen, Edo state. The former president was received by the former ďŹ rst ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, her father Christopher Abebe, who is almost 100years, and her mother Theresa, who is almost 90, and other family members.

Stella married to Obasanjo in 1976 and their Union produced

Rachael Dickson

GOVERNOR DICKSON, WIFE THROW LAVISH PARTY TO MARK THEIR QUADRUPLETSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FIRST BIRTHDAY Being married to one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealthiest governors is by no means a criterion to throw gaudy parties at will, especially if you have a hubby that panders to such whims. Racheal

Olusegun Obasanjo (standing right) with the parents and other family members of his late wife, Stella

a son Muyiwa. She Succumbed to complications arising from a tummy tuck, a cosmetic surgery procedure, on October 23, 2005 in Malaga, Spain. But tragic as her demise is, her family, friends and other loved ones may seek consolation in the fact that even in death, the inďŹ nitely generous and compassionate woman has Dickson, the wife of Governor Dickson of Bayelsa State, is not a different kind of wife after all.

Some days ago a dinner party was held for the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, and his beautiful wife, Rachel, to celebrate the first birthday of their beautiful quadruplets; Alexander, Alaere, Ebierewarisuode and Edimere in Yenagoa, Bayelsa. The quadruplets were a year and three months old last Sunday and were welcomed in September, 2016. The family was blessed with the babies, a boy and three girls came after 15 years of childlessness. It can be recalled that the First Lady gave birth to the four babies through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) process. The spectacle may seem peculiar, but it actually reflected a deeply rooted culture of majesty and respect for the marital institution. While the couple played host to a stream of family, friends, business and political associates, their posh residence pulsated with pomp and glamour. The elaborate event, which paraded top politicians, respected technocrats, society big wigs and captains of industry, saw the guests shuffle and nod to

gone on to join the heavenly choir.

Described as a peace-loving, easy-going woman who did not allow her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immense wealth becloud her sense of humanity and compassion for the less privileged, she was the support beam in the overall architecture of his life which made those around him think he the liveliest and most delightful musical tunes. As the guests thrilled to delightful music, their hair stood on end and they tipped over in merriment - their joy spilling from their souls into the air and sky high into the blue firmament.

The Dicksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence exploded inwards and outwards in colorful bursts, the bass and treble guitars black strumming and buzzing to mesh with the cymbals and drums in a thunder clap. Enthralled, the guests moved in gaiety, tap dancing and swaying to the beat as if they meant to enact a beach rave or simulate an indoor Ibiza.

The melody reverberated through the halls and passageways of their posh apartments and spilled into the atmosphere, drawing excited and muted sighs of pleasure from their invited guests and neighbours.

would collapse. But providence oďŹ&#x20AC;ered him a supportive shoulder to cry on. And this he did without restraint. He loved his wife dearly. But the dead is gone and buried, with only the sweet memories of their beautiful time together to hold on to. Life has to go on. Life is indeed going on well for Baba.

Tokunbo Dinahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marriage, leaving her empty and disillusioned.

Contrary to her dreams of matrimony, the sweet, passionate love that endeared her and estranged husband, Seni Williams, to each other, suddenly turned sour. While she struggled to save

SECOND TIMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A TREAT...AGAIN, WEDDING BELLS TOLL FOR TOKUNBO DINAH Ëž

Like storms in a China shop, bitterness and distrust wracked

Tokunbo Dinah

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

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HIGHLIFE

A Billionaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret Deity...Why Femi Otedola Worships His Mom Ëž Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x161;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;ʨĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2122;ĂŁĂ?

I

f Femi Otedola, the billionaire chairman of Forte Oil, would define his mother, Lady Doja Otedola, he would claim that the walls of her heart is lined with gold and silver; he would say that she lives by a moral code that dwarfed old Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim to chivalry and honour. There are too many ways to describe Femiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parent, and even the best couched adjectives couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do justice to the task. There are folks who see their mothers as instruments to be used and abused. But Femi Otedola considers his mom a deity to be worshipped. The billionaire magnate and Forte Oil boss treats his mother like the proverbial goddess of verges by whose unwavering love and nourishment he grew up into the colossal man he has become. Notwithstanding his intimidating wealth and status, Otedola never shies from playing the dutiful, and doting son to his aged mom. Just recently, he was caught planting a kiss on his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lips, in a fit of filial love. Very few sons share such a rare bond with their mother. Otedola however, is remarkably different. The billionaire magnate is always ready to do the bidding of his mother it, it evaporated into thin air. In the highest boughs of her marriage, love rustled like branches of a dying oak with roots falling off and like several other couples whose passion and affection extinguished in the raging inferno of mid-life crises and love-gone-sour, Tokunbo and Seni Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; marriage died amid trials.

That was too much for Tokunbo; so disenchanted was she with marriage that she flinched whenever it was mentioned to her; anger curdled with regret leapt out of her distressed soul like knives from the sleeves of a medieval Samurai.

But rather than resort to vengefulness, Tokunbo strove to rediscover the magnanimity of love.

While friends, family and the high society in general struggled to come to terms with speculations about her alleged distaste for love, ex-Mrs. Williams pulled a fast one; she fell in love again, this time around to a Mr. Sokoya.

The latter reportedly proposed to her few days ago thus putting paid to her protracted period of grief and nights without the cozy companionship of a true friend, love and husband. Tokunbo allegedly said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yes!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hence in a few months, high society will reverberate with sonorous wedding bells and melody of Tokuboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new found love.

Femi Otedola and mum

and fulfill her yearnings.

He never denies her of any motherly right over him and his wards. Expectedly, grandma Otedola is revered and treated like a benevolent matriarch by her beloved son and his family. So deep is the love she shares with

her son that she earnestly blesses him and seeks Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infinite mercies upon him every passing second.

Otedola duly reciprocates his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unquantifiable love; he is always close to tears whenever he enthuses about the towering love,

It would be recalled that Tokunboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marriage to her exhusband crashed amid scandalous claims of infidelity few months into their matrimony. But all that is stale and forgotten news now.

Tokunbo has rediscovered her knight in shining armour in Mr. Sokoya and she is set to marry him in few months.

equanimity and devotion to beauty and truth. Predictably, his ascent to the top was never a walk in the park. It required paying his dues and shunning the frivolous. Hence you would never find Elumelu concentrating on anything beyond business and philanthropy. So committed is he to industry that so many observers believe that with his regular presence at high profile international business fora, and the

FOOTPRINTS OF A TITAN...

ON THE TRAIL OF TONY ELUMELU, MAVERICK BANKER, PHILANTHROPIST Ëž

It is often more convenient to possess the ashes of great men than to possess the men themselves in their lifetime. But in Tony Elumeluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, the reality is remarkably different; Nigeria is extremely lucky to possess Elumelu. This is because the maverick banker and chairman of United Bank of Africa (UBA) elevates fiscal management and entrepreneurship to an art form, for the benefit of the country.

The excellence of his art however, lies in its intensity; Elumelu is specially gifted at taming the odds and making all disagreeable evaporate like mountain dew on grains of sand. And he does not have to force it; he simply faces challenges with courage, matchless

Tony Elumelu

devotion and goodwill he enjoys from his mother. That perhaps explains why his daughter, DJ Cuppy, could not avoid capturing his blissful kiss with his mom in camera.

The picture predictably, generates a buzz on social media as you read. recognition he receives, Elumelu is fast becoming the most influential business ambassador for the country.

Just recently, the UBA head honcho who is also the chairman of Heirs Holding, became the first African to receive the Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Entrepreneurship Award in its 33 years of existence. The progenitor of the award, Dwight, was the 34th President of the United States of America.

The award was presented to the chairman of UBA at an award gala in New York by another former US President, George W. Bush. It was well attended by other recognised world leaders.

And last year, at the US â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Africa Business Forum (USABF) organised

by Bloomberg and the United States Department of Commerce alongside the United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce commended Elumelu for his pivotal role in US-Africa business relations.

Elumelu was host to over 200 global leaders with Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, as the guest of honour at the event. There is no limit to global acknowledgment of Elumeluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strides as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Indeed, Elumeluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exploits as leader-entrepreneur and mentor to budding African leaders resonate

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How Oil Magnate, Walter Wagbatsoma, Was Sentenced in UK

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t is often said in philosophical parlance that manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Karma travels with him, like his shadow. If most men were conscious of this fact, many a man wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand in his own shadow and wonder why it is dark. While it may not be too early to aver that Ontario Oil and Gas boss, Walter Wagbatsoma, is mired in the darkness of his own shadow, his recent arrest by the UK government forebode a dark cloud above the charmed life of the prominent oil magnate. Walter was arrested by security agents in connection with certain controversial deals or transactions in the past. It would be recalled that Walter enjoyed an illustrious and highly rewarding business and personal relationship with Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former petroleum minister who is currently the subject of an investigation and legal prosecution in the United Kingdom (UK) for charges ranging from money laundering to bribery.

Prior to his current predicament, Walter incurred the wrath of his very good friend, Diezani, sooner than anyone could imagine. However, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, he was convicted across the globe; in 2017, the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Forum brought together thousands of entrepreneurs from across Africa in Lagos. And entries are already pouring in from across the continent for the 2018 edition of the initiative.

It is no easy task hosting 1000 aspiring leaders from over 54 countries and prominent investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders and policy makers but Elumelu is up to the challenge. His passion to eradicate Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unemployment and poverty challenges overwhelm whatever logistical odds crop up in the course of the event.

AND AYO ADEDOYIN IS LOST ON SOCIAL RADAR Where is Ayo Adedoyin, the chairman of PeaceGate who rode the business terrain like a colossus?

No thanks to the power-that-be who sent him out of business not too long ago. He got caught, consumed and eventually subsumed in the abyss

Ayo Adedoyin

of conspiracy to launder money in an international fraud and money laundering investigation.

This investigation was conducted

by Lincolnshire Police Economic Crime Unit under Operation Tarlac, in which over ÂŁ12m was defrauded from public bodies including hospital trusts, housing associations and councils around the UK. Walter Wagbatsoma, 47, was originally detained on a European Arrest Warrant in June 2016 whilst travelling through Germany. He was extradited soon afterwards and charged with conspiring with others to launder the proceeds of fraud through his business interests in the UK. The Nigerian businessman was sentenced to three years and 6 months imprisonment for his part in the crime. He was also disqualiďŹ ed from being a company director for six years.

Fraudulently obtained funds in the UK were laundered through an account in Dubai under the control of a co-conspirator Oluwatoyin Allison, a UK national who was convicted in his absence at an earlier trial in April 2017 and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The funds were then transferred to Wagbatsomaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account in the UK. Wagbatsoma, an oil and gas of history. Corporate hara-kiri! Life and its transient nature! However, there is a huge gulf between the affluent and pretenders to wealth; Ayo occupied enviable spot in the league of the affluent back when his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth caused the rich to cower and the poor to aspire. Now he loiters at the desert end of the chasm, according to mischief makers.

The latter are responsible for the sad rumour about the alleged collapse of his business empire. He has suffered a sad descent into the pitiable gulch of has-beens in the aristocratic divide, they allege. Yes, Ayo has closed down his company that provides a wide range of services in oil & gas, maritime security, analytics & intelligence, marine surface operations, critical cargo transfer, vessel lease & brokerage, real estate, aviation operations, logistics services and trading. Simply put, mischief makers want everyone to believe that even though Ayo was born into money and grand opulence, he currently struggles to answer as a millionaire in high society circuit.

While it is an open secret that things have not been the same for him, life for Ayo is hardly as terrible as mischief makers paint it to be.

Sources close to the fun-loving dude disclosed that he is relatively rich and comfortable contrary to the uncomplimentary rumours being spread about him. Findings revealed that friends and associates of Ayo are solidly behind him and by his side come what may. They have never deserted him and this, we discovered, is due to his large heart and benevolence back when immense fortune was at his command.

He was extremely generous and supportive of friends and even mere acquaintances; this endeared him to so many of his childhood friends, business associates, high society cronies to mention a few. There is

Walter Wagbatsoma

businessman, was on trial in Nigeria at the time of his arrest for his part in a ÂŁ1.9 billion oil subsidy fraud for which he no gainsaying friends rally around him in his time of need. Rather than subject him to ridicule, they remember him for his goodness and generosity and thus devote their time and resources to helping him to stay afloat and relevant in the cutthroat world of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high society.

WELL DESERVED...OYIN ADEYEMI WINS AFRICAN LEADERSHIP AWARD Oyin Adeyemiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charm strikes at first sight, but it is her merit that wins the soul. Whether at work or at play, Oyin applies herself diligently like one who understands that the best prize life offers is the chance to work hard and excel at work worth doing. Spurred by untiring passion to assert herself and establish her ingenuity at work, she has won many souls over and has had even her most ardent critics eating from her palms. Little wonder the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of construction giant, Still Earth Limited, was recently honoured with the prestigious African Leader of Integrity Merit Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance and Service Delivery at the 14th Africa Leadership Development Conference and Awards holding in Ghana. In the letter announcing the honour, the awards panel and organisers describe it as â&#x20AC;&#x153;an outstanding recognition for high net-worth individuals who have distinguished themselves by their life time achievements in business and notable contributions to the society in general. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please, note that the international Award is bestowed on citizens of Africa especially those who have proven themselves as an embodiment of Integrity, Honesty, Transparency and Accountability.â&#x20AC;?

And there is no worthier recipient of this prestigious honour than the boss of Still Earth Limited.

was convicted and sentenced in his absence to 10-years imprisonment in January last year.

A self-driven entrepreneur, Oyin comes across as an enviable Amazon and achiever in a field erstwhile dominated by men and an era when everyone seems to understate the role and worth of a driven woman.

Notwithstanding, the Harvardtrained woman, who started off as a banker has evolved through the years to become a force to be reckoned with in a male-dominated field of endeavour. Her recent recognition as an African leader of excellent exploits further attests to the brilliance, integrity and character of the Still Earth boss.

But Oyin didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t evolve isolated from the odds. Rather she honed her passion and competencies amid a vortex of impediments and overwhelming happenstances but she persevered and forged on undaunted, until she attained self-actualisation.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only appropriate then that Africa and the world identifies with her success and inspiring spirit. It is what champions are made of.

Oyin Adeyemi

TR

Sunday January 21, 2018

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE Shehu Sani to Benue Elders â&#x20AC;&#x153;As regards to the crisis where over 73 lives were lost in Benue, it is enough for Aso Rock to travel to the scene of the crisis, not Benue elders coming to Aso Rock. To do what?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Senator Shehu Sani (APC/ Kaduna Central) rebuking Benue elders for visiting the Presidential Villa, Abuja instead of a presidential visit to the aďŹ&#x20AC;ected communities after the attacks that claimed lives.

OMADJEBAH GUEST COLUMNIST

Tenacious Trump and Terrific Tweets

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nited States President Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alleged racial slurs against Nigerians and Haitians which was treated to a screaming headline by the New York Times has expectedly opened the Pandoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s box. Despite the yelling, prompt and impressive rebuttal from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who in my opinion, has done an admirably excellent job as under Trump Presidency, the purported misinformation has taken the lid off a number of issues bordering on Presidential slips. Hence the denial has generally been taken with disbelief, no matter how well intentioned. That has hardly died down, then came Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alleged remarks about â&#x20AC;&#x153;immigrants from shitholesâ&#x20AC;?. And then his preference for Norway! Contextually, as a SIDA Scholar at the Universities of Orebro (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) almost two decades ago, I do know that both countries as top grade nations are miles ahead in terms of free healthcare, free education, high standard of living, among others and her citizens hardly immigrate from the Scandinavia. In most cases, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the reverse!

Back to basics. According to policy experts, Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communication style has reduced the elegance of presidential communication to Twitter! Consequently, to appraise the position of the current US President on key policy issues, as indeed with any other matter of state, you just simply need to check Twitter.

To illustrate this communication technique, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take the case of Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response to rogue North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasing threat and her debauchee dictator, Kim Jong-Un. In series of tweets in the wake of North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s September 3 underground nuclear test, Trump had reacted that if North Korea threatened the US or its allies, the US would have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; threatening â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;fire and furryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; againstâ&#x20AC;? rocket man.â&#x20AC;? Sadly, this rogue dictator called Jong-Un, hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stopped nor de-escalated the growing tension and his countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s threat to global peace.

While one certainly admires Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenacity, conviction and nerve to say things temerariously, that unfortunately doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t add up in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World of diplomacy and professional polish. For example, his customary tweets tend to undermine his own Secretary of State-Rex Tillerson, whose pragmatic position on the same subject is that the US should stick to its policy of rallying its allies to apply economic pressures and sanctions on North Korea which should be backed with a threat of military action.

This boils down to communications role which Trump hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accorded high priority.

His frequent tweets tend to contradict his Press Secretaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellent and most professional media briefings. He needs to grasp the fact that the ability of a president to communicate skilfully is an important component of that office. Presidents the world all over realize that their overall performance rests as much on what they say and how they say it, as

Trump

what they do.

Most of Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s predecessors-whether Democrats or Republicans- are known for admirable and first- class speeches that exemplify their communication skills.

Three speeches stand out. On June 26, 1963 President John F Kennedy made his famous â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ich bin ein Berlinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; speech in West Berlin in then divided Germany: â&#x20AC;&#x153; All free men, wherever they may live,

While one certainly admires Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenacity, conviction and nerve to say things temerariously, that unfortunately doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t add up in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World of diplomacy and professional polish

are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ich bin ein Berliner..â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. If Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Speech in West Berlin is internationally famous as a symbolic commitment to freedom, there was an equally important one that outlined US ambition in space race. On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the Moon. In his speech appropriately titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Urgent National Needsâ&#x20AC;?, Kennedy said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earthâ&#x20AC;?.

In 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong fulfilled Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream. Kennedy had made it clear in his speech that he had been moved to act by the surprise launching in October 1957 of Sputnik (Satellite in Space) by the Soviet Union. The launching of Sputnik by Soviet Union, now referred to in US public policy discourse as Sputnik moment, had a transforming effect on US scientific research and development, in general, and space technology, in particular Twenty four years after President Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Berlin Speech, on June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan made his famous â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tear down the Wallâ&#x20AC;? address which was most impactful globally. Reagan had said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: come here to this gate! Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!â&#x20AC;? Predictably, on November 9, 1989, Eastern Germans decreed free passage for all into West Germany. And by 1990, the Wall finally came down, signaling the triumph of liberalization and market forces. Both great leaders came on board with clear and noble vision which they communicated with elegance, poise, tact and sophistication.

The question then arises as to how President Trump should organize for this crucial task of communication? In most modern presidencies, the task of communication lies heavily on two persons-the press secretary and the Director of communications. The Director of Communications is the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;chief wordsmithâ&#x20AC;?, while his Press Secretary is his â&#x20AC;&#x153;chief spokesmanâ&#x20AC;?. The Director of communications writes or vets all speeches and statements of the President and cabinet members. Under Kennedy, his Press Secretary was Pierre Sallinger, while his Director of communications was Theodore Sorenson, who passed away some years back. During the Reagan Presidency, his Press Secretary was Larry Speakes, while his communications Director was Peggy Noonan. Sorenson and Noonan penned the awesome, breathtaking and memorable speeches of Kennedy and Reagan, respectively.

But for President Trump who appears to communicate policy decisions via conventional tweets, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most difficult, if not impossible, to vet such pronouncements by his Director of Communications! Worse still, statements emanating from his habitual tweets often tend to contradict his own press secretaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media briefings. In matters of communications, there is often the question of whether the elegance of prose matches action. Without a compelling vision, there can be no profound speeches because there is nothing to sell!

And vision is intrinsically linked to what a leader wants his or her legacy to be.

In this context, it is quite easy to argue that the reason President Trump has not had stunning, spectacular speeches that radiate populist chord among the vast majority is because he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t probably allowed either his Director of Communications to professionally vet his tweets or speeches.

Above all, he needs to accord high priority to communications role. To hark back to President Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address of 1961, when was the last time President Trump addressed the US on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Urgent National Needsâ&#x20AC;??

Djebah, a global journalist, public policy analyst, former Delta State Commissioner for Information and founder of The New Diplomat, holds advanced degrees in Global Journalism and International Law and Diplomacy and is on the Visiting Scholar Program at Johns Hopkins University, USA. email:djebahoma337@gmail.com

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