Wednesday 24th January 2018

Dambazau, Heads of Agencies Meet over Internal Security Challenges Benue groups warn of imminent attack on communities Herdsmen set 150-acre palm plantation ablaze in Ibadan George Okoh in Makurdi and Ademola Babalola in Ibadan with agency report The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman

Dambazau yesterday in Abuja held a crucial closeddoor meeting with heads of internal security agencies over the security challenges in the country.

Speaking before the meeting, Dambazau expressed concern over the current security situation in the country.

He said the meeting was a follow up to a meeting with

state governors two weeks ago over the violent conflicts between farmers and herders in Benue and other places.

“One of the issues that came up in the communiqué was

the issue of the proliferation of small arms and drug trafficking and abuse.

“We also found out that these two issues are triggers to the violence taking place

in this country,” he said.

He said without firearms and drugs, those perpetrating the violence would not have Continued on page 8

Sanusi, Mangal Can’t Stop Forensic Audit, Oando Shareholders Insist … Page 10 Wednesday 24 January, 2018 Vol 23. No 8315. Price: N250

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Saraki, Onnoghen, APC Mourn Passing of Former CJN, Musdapher… Page 9

Obasanjo Sets Polity on Fire, Says Buhari Deserves Dignified Exit Warns four more years of APC will be four years of imprisonment, calls for coalition to rescue nation Ruling party ruffled, ends NWC meeting abruptly PDP says it’s been vindicated as presidency keeps mum Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday set the polity ablaze when he passed a vote of no confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that the president lacks the capacity to govern Nigeria and therefore needs a dignified and honourable exit.

In a 13-page statement titled, “The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement,” Obasanjo advised the president not to seek re-election in the 2019 general election, saying Nigeria deserves and urgently needs better than what Buhari has given or what Nigerians know he is capable of giving.

Expectedly, reactions came Continued on page 8

…Govs, Lawmakers, Political Leaders Meet on How to Form New Party Tobi Soniyi As former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s bombshell to President Muhammadu Buhari, advising him not to re-contest the 2019 presidential election sent shock waves across the country yesterday, governors, legislators and political leaders cutting across the two major political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) – met last night at an undisclosed location to continue discussions on the formation of a new major political party.

Sources conversant with the move to form a third major political party to wrest power from the APC, informed THISDAY that the meeting last night was a follow up to previous meetings held by the Continued on page 11

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L-R: National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bola Tinubu; former National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande; and President Muhammadu Buhari, when the president met with the APC chieftains in the State House, Abuja... yesterday

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PAGE EIGHT OBASANJO SETS POLITY ON FIRE, SAYS BUHARI DESERVES DIGNIFIED EXIT hard and fast, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), like the presidency, electing not to comment on the statement.

However, the meeting of the ruling party’s National Working Committee (NWC), which took place yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, ended abruptly once the leadership of the APC got wind of Obasanjo’s bombshell.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on the other hand, described the advisory by the former president as courageous, timely and patriotic, while the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM) was jubilant and saluted the former president for his acumen and vision, and for calling on Nigerians to join forces with the movement to rescue the country from the impunity and inertia of the two dominant parties – PDP and APC. In the statement reminiscent of the letter he wrote to former President Goodluck Jonathan in the run up to the 2015 elections, Obasanjo said Buhari lacks the capacity to govern Nigeria.

Advising him not to seek re-election in the 2019 general election, he said Nigeria deserves and urgently needs better than what Buhari had given or what Nigerians know he is capable of giving.

On Buhari’s party, APC, Obasanjo added that to ask the party to give more would be unrealistic and would only sentence Nigeria to a prison term of four yearsm if not destroy it beyond the possibility of an early recovery and substantial growth.

In the last few months, Buhari’s many critics had wondered why the former president had refused or failed to write his “usual letter� to Buhari, in view of the prevailing

biting socio-political and economic crises in the country.

The former president, in his statement, said Buhari had performed far below expectations, advising him to with honour “dismount from the horse�--- not to seek re-election in 2019 general election, and join the league of the nation’s former leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach could be deployed on the sidelines for the good of the country.

According to Obasanjo, “Nigeria deserves and urgently needs better than what they (APC) have given or what we know they are capable of giving. To ask them to give more will be unrealistic and will only sentence Nigeria to a prison term of four years, if not destroy it beyond the possibility of an early recovery and substantial growth. “Einstein made it clear to us that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the height of folly. Already, Nigerians are committing suicide for the unbearable socio-economic situation they find themselves in. And yet Nigerians love life. “We must not continue to reinforce failure and hope that all will be well. It is self-deceit and self-defeat and another aspect of folly.�

For Africa to move forward, Obasanjo, who not only worked against Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election and his former party, PDP, noted that Nigeria must be one of the anchor countries, if not the leading anchor country, adding that Nigeria must be good at home to be good outside. “No doubt, our situation in the last decade or so had shown that we are not good enough at home; hence we are

invariably absent at the table that we should be abroad,� he stated. “All these led me to take the unusual step of going against my own political party, PDP, in the last general election to support the opposite side. I saw that action as the best option for Nigeria. “As it has been revealed in the last three years or so, that decision and the subsequent collective decision of Nigerians to vote for a change was the right decision for the nation.

For me, there was nothing personal, it was all in the best interest of Nigeria and, indeed, in the best interest of Africa and humanity at large. “Even the horse rider (Jonathan) then, with whom I maintain a very cordial, happy and social relationship today has come to realise his mistakes and regretted it publicly and I admire his courage and forthrightness in this regard. “He has a role to play on the sidelines for the good of Nigeria, Africa and humanity and I will see him as a partner in playing such a role nationally and internationally, but not as a horse rider in Nigeria again,� the former president stated.

Reminding Buhari of his decision not to support Jonathan in the 2015 general election, Obasanjo warned that the situation that made Nigerians to vote massively to get “my brother Jonathan� off the horse was playing itself out again.

He added: “First, I thought I knew the point where President Buhari is weak and I spoke and wrote about it even before Nigerians voted for him; and I also did vote for him because at that time it was a matter of any option but Jonathan (AOBJ). “But my letter to President Jonathan titled: Before It Is

Too Late, was meant for him to act before it was too late.

He ignored it and it was too late for him and those who goaded him into ignoring the voice of caution. “I know that praise singers and hired attackers may be raised up against me for verbal or even physical attacks but if I can withstand undeserved imprisonment and was ready to shed my blood by standing for Nigeria, I will consider no sacrifice too great to make for the good of Nigeria at any time.’’ While admitting that no human leader was expected to be personally strong or self-sufficient in all aspects of governance, Obasanjo said that he knew Buhari before he became president, adding that he was “weak in the knowledge and understanding of the economy,� but thought that he could make use of good Nigerians in that area that could help.

Obasanjo continued: “Although, I know that you cannot give what you don’t have and that the economy does not obey military order.

You have to give it what it takes in the short, medium- and long-term. Then, it would move. “I know his (Buhari) weakness in understanding and playing in the foreign affairs sector and again, there are many Nigerians that could be used in that area as well. They have knowledge and experience that could be deployed for the good of Nigeria. “There were serious allegations of round-tripping against some inner caucus of the presidency which would seem to have been condoned. “I wonder if such actions do not amount to corruption and financial crime, then what is

it? Culture of condonation and turning a blind eye will cover up rather than clean up. And going to justice must be with clean hands. “I thought President Buhari would fight corruption and insurgency and he must be given some credit for his achievement so far in these two areas although it is not yet uhuru!’’ Saying that Buhari has demonstrated huge incapacity to manage the frightening security crises in many parts of the country, Obasanjo pointed out that the herdsmen/crop farmers issue was being wittingly or unwittingly allowed to turn sour and messy.

Obasanjo, who said he was constrained to issue the special statement at this time -- considering the situation of the country, added that it was no credit to the federal government that the herdsmen rampage continues with careless abandon and without finding an effective solution to it.

He stressed that it was a “sad symptom of insensitivity and callousness� that some governors, a day after 73 victims were being buried in a mass grave in Benue State without condolence, were jubilantly endorsing Buhari for a second term.

The timing, the former president noted, was most “unfortunate�. “The issue of herdsmen/ crop farmers dichotomy should not be left on the political platform of blame game; the federal government must take the lead in bringing about solutions that protect lives and property of herdsmen and crop farmers alike and for them to live amicably in the same community.

Seven northern governors,

Abubakar Bello (Niger); Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa) and Simon Lalong (Plateau) had endorsed Buhari for a second term recently after visiting the president on the eve of the mass burial in Benue State, after suspected herdsmen had killed 73 persons.

Obasanjo went further to enumerate three other areas where Buhari had come out more glaringly than most Nigerians thought they knew about him. “One is nepotic deployment bordering on clannishness and inability to bring discipline to bear on errant members of his nepotic court. This has grave consequences on performance of his government to the detriment of the nation. “It would appear that the national interest was being sacrificed on the altar of nepotic interest. What does one make of a case like that of Maina: collusion, condonation, ineptitude, incompetence, dereliction of responsibility or kinship and friendship on the part of those who should have taken visible and deterrent disciplinary action? “How many similar cases are buried, ignored or covered up and not yet in the glare of the media and the public?� he asked.

The former president said the second was Buhari’s poor understanding of the dynamics of internal politics, noting that this has led to wittingly or unwittingly making the nation more divided and “inequality has widened and become more pronounced.�

It also has an effect on

farm to scamper for safety.

The burning of the plantation occurred two years after cattle herders were also suspected to have invaded a multimillion naira poultry in the same village, destroyed property valued at N100 million and injured six attendants.

Speaking in an emotionallyladen voice, the farm owner who was also a former secretary to the Oyo State Government, Mr. Dele Adigun, told journalists yesterday after inspecting the damage inflicted on his plantation that farmers may be forced to begin to take the law into their hands if this “stupidity and unguarded arson continue unabated�.

He explained that about 1,500 palm trees were destroyed with their value yet-to-be ascertained as of yesterday morning when he visited the place with a team of security guards. “They set my farm ablaze and destroyed about 1,500 palm trees. You recall that six of my attendants were maimed and property destroyed two years ago, precisely March, 2016. “We reported to the police and nothing has been done till date.

In the 2016 attack, we lost about N100 million. And we are yet to quantify this latest attack and that’s what we are contending with now. “We have reported to the police and till now they are yet to make any arrest. I am disturbed, I am concerned because we are talking about diversification of the economy but with these hoodlums now, there is a problem, as many people would not like to go and farm again. “It is as if the law enforcement agencies are helpless to tackle this menace. What are the DSS, police and other security agencies doing that they cannot make arrests? “They go to farms at night

and set them ablaze so that when it rains, their cattle can be fed with the new grass. How can you destroy someone’s property to feed your animals for your business to thrive? “If care is not taken, farmers may be forced to take the law into their hands. I hope we won’t get to such a situation. I am seriously disturbed,� he lamented.

Reacting to the arson, the Oyo State Police Command yesterday called for the peaceful coexistence between the herdsmen and farmers, stressing that there was no room for bloodshed in the state.

Reading the riot act to persons planning to cause disharmony in the state, the command ordered such troublemakers to either leave the state or be prepared to face the unpleasant consequences.

Continued on page 9

DAMBAZAU, HEADS OF AGENCIES MEET OVER INTERNAL SECURITY CHALLENGES the courage to do so with such magnitude as seen. “Without the firearms and drugs, those who partake in violence would not have the courage to carry out the kind of violence taking place in this country,� he said.

The minister said there was need to take urgent steps toward ensuring that the situation was dealt with accordingly. “As a follow up, I called for this meeting so that we can examine and analyse (the situation) to see how best we can deal with the situation,� he said.

Quoting the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament, Dambazau noted that there were approximately 500 million assorted firearms in West Africa and out of this figure, 350 million (representing 70 per cent) are in Nigeria.

He said a large consignment of weapons had been smuggled from North Africa (in particular Libya) as a consequence of the crises in that country. “The situation is worsened by the insurgency in the North-east because of the supply of weapons to the insurgents and terrorists there. “Likewise the supply of weapon to the militants in the Niger Delta through exchange of stolen crude oil and supply by politicians to deal with their opponents,� he said.

He noted that the issues required action especially as the 2019 elections draw nearer. “It is very necessary for us to secure our country and of course a more challenging aspect of that which facilitate the smuggling of weapons, is our porous borders and this is a major challenge to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Custom Service in particular but to all law enforcement agencies,� he said.

Dambazau informed his

audience that about 5,000 kilometres of the country’s borders were porous, hence the need to secure the country and its future, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Dambazau added that with the amount of weapons and drugs coming into Nigeria, “if we don’t do something now, I am afraid things would be worse than this�.

He said the farmers and herders’ conflicts, kidnappings, ethno-religious crises, terrorism, armed robbery, cultism and militancy all had something to do with weapons and drugs.

The minister said the meeting would come up with strategies on how best to handle the problems.

The meeting had in attendance representatives of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Directorate of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), among others.

Imminent Attacks in Benue But even as the security agencies met in Abuja yesterday over security concerns in the country, the leadership of the three sociocultural groups in Benue State, the Mdzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum, and the Omi Ny'Igede, yesterday warned of an eminent attack on some communities in the state by suspected Fulani militias.

The warnings came on the heels of herdsmen with thousands of cows invading Agatu Local Government Area of the state, despite the implementation of the anti-open grazing law of the

Benue State Government.

While briefing journalists in Makurdi, the state capital yesterday, the president general of Mdzough U Tiv Mr. Erdward Ujege, who spoke on behalf of the group said they had to draw the world’s attention to fresh threats of bloodshed in Benue by the vice president of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Herders Association, Mr. Husaini Yusuf Ahmadu and the president of the Fulani National Movement (FUNAM), Mr. Badu Salish Ahmadu.

He accused them of granting interviews to media houses while also justifying the recent killings in the state. “The leadership of Mdzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and Otmi Ny’lgede, the umbrella socio-cultural organisations of the Tiv, Idoma and Igede people, wish to react and draw the attention of the world to the fresh threats of bloodshed in Benue State by the vice-president, Miyetti Allah Cattle Herders Association Husaini Yusuf which was published in the Daily Sun newspaper of 13th January 2018 and the president, Fulani Nationality Movement, Badu Salisu, describing the killings in Benue particularly of Tiv people as ‘well deserved and a revenge attack’,� he said.

He said the horrendous and barbaric murder of over 2,000 Benue indigenes in the past seven years by herdsmen was of concern to the people of the state and Nigeria as a whole. “With over 70 innocent people killed on the 1st of January, 2018 as well as the wanton destruction of property, the Miyetti Allah and other Fulani groups such as the Fulani Nationality Movement are still sounding the gongs of genocide against our hapless people,� he warned.

Ujege alleged that Badu Ahmadu had asked Fulani herdsmen across West Africa

to raise money and arm themselves to revenge the killings of herdsmen in neighbouring Nasarawa State.

He said in the same vein, Husaini Yusuf as reported in the Daily Sun newspaper had warned that more blood will be shed in Benue State if the anti-open grazing law was not scrapped.

He stated that the Fulani herdsmen genocidal attacks and invasion of Benue State preceded the enactment and implementation of the anti-open grazing law, which in fact was motivated by the peoples’ desire to find an enduring solution to the incessant invasion by the herdsmen. “The law was only passed and assented to in May 2017 and came into force on the 15th of November, 2017 while in the past seven years, the Fulani herdsmen had carried out over 40 major and deadly attacks in 14 of the 23 local government areas of Benue State.�

The groups disclosed that the herdsmen have occupied Obihu, Olegoga, Olegeje and Igagihu communities in Agatu and were all armed with weapons They also rejected the VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo-led committee set by the National Economic Council (NEC) last week to find last solutions to the crises, insisting that the arrest of Miyatti Allah members will be the solution.

Palm Plantation Set Ablaze Just as the groups in Benue were warning of imminent attacks on communities in the state, suspected herders were again blamed for setting ablaze a 150acre palm plantation in Lagun village, Oyo State, on Monday night, forcing workers on the

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NEWS

Saraki, Onnoghen, APC Mourn Passing of Former CJN, Musdapher Tobi Soniyi in Lagos and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday mourned the passing of a former CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, who has died at the age of 75.

Family sources said he died in the early hours of yesterday at a London hospital.

His death was announced through Facebook by his younger brother, Muneer Musdapher. “My elder brother, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, former CJN, passed on last night,�

Munner said.

Another family member of the deceased, Hajiya Halima Sulaiman also confirmed Musdpaher’s death.

She said that Justice Musdapher died after battling with a kidney-related disease and had been on admission in a London hospital for the past five months.

The jurist left behind a wife and three children among whom are Hadiza Dahiru Mustapha,

a magistrate, and Kaloma Mustapha, a media aide to Jigawa State Governor, Badaru Abubakar.

The burial plan was yet to be announced.

He was appointed CJN on August 27, 2011 and sworn-in by former President Goodluck Jonathan, on August 29 of the same year.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a justice, he served as Chief Judge of Kano State between 1979 and 1985.

Musdapher also served as a member of the Court of Appeal between 1985 and 2003, and was later promoted to the Supreme Court.

He was born into the Bani Ya’muusa clan in Babura town in Babura, a local government area in the north of Jigawa State.

He will be remembered for the counsel he gave to former President Jonathan on the distinction between “stealing� and “corruption�, which the former president was later to misinterpret.

Reacting to his death, Saraki yesterday expressed sadness over the passing of the former CJN.

Musdapher He described him as a respected jurist who spent his life in the service of his state, country and humanity.

Saraki, in a statement by his media aide Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the passage of the legal giant was a monumental loss to the judiciary in particular and Nigeria in general.

He stated that Justice Musdapher would remain

an inspiration to the younger generation having traversed the judicial ranks first as a legal practitioner with a meritorious practice at the bar before he was appointed the Attorney General of old Kaduna State.

Saraki said: “His dedication and hard work paved the way for his eventual appointment as a judge in the Kano State Judiciary, where he rose to become the Chief Judge of the state before his elevation as a Justice of the Court of Appeal and later Justice of the Supreme Court, until he retired five years ago as the CJN. “He will be remembered for his immense contributions to the development of the judiciary in Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa States, in particular, and the country in general. He lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation. He shall be sorely missed.�

The Senate President commiserated with the wife, children and grand children of the deceased and urged them to be consoled by the good life the late jurist lived.

He also condoled with the CJN, Justice Onnoghen, the entire Nigerian judiciary, the people and government of Kaduna, Kano

and Jigawa States and urged them to see the loss as the will of Almighty Allah.

Also, the APC conveyed its condolences over Justice Musdapher’s death.

The party in a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the death of the jurist as “a sad and painful loss to the family, his state, Jigawa, the country’s judicial community and the nation at large�.

APC urged the nation to take solace In the fact that he lived impactful life. “Many who were close to the erudite jurist fondly described him as an avid reader who loved Nigeria and had a passion for the job. “Aside his distinguished service to the country as the 13th CJN, the party recalls his exemplary service as AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Kaduna State; Chief Judge of Kano State Judiciary and Justice, Court of Appeal, among other important appointments. “A staunch proponent for judicial reforms in the country, the late Musdapher was a frontline

bastion for the entrenchment of constitutional democracy in the country. Indeed, his transition marks the exit of a great legal icon and an astute adjudicator.�

The party prayed for Allah to grant his soul eternal rest and his family the strength to bear the loss.

In his message, Justice Onnoghen, has condoled with the immediate family of the late Musdapher.

The CJN’s media aide, Mr. Awassam Bassey, conveyed Justice Onnoghen’s message in a phone interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday.

Bassey said the CJN had directed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to officially send his (Onnoghen) condolences to the immediate family of the late Musdapher. “The CJN had visited the late Justice Musdapher while on admission in a London hospital. He has described his death as painful and a loss to the judiciary,� Bassey said.

Justice Onnoghen instructed that the flags at the Supreme Court and at the official residence of the CJN be flow at half-mast in honour of the late Musdapher.

Africa’s Jazz Maestro Hugh Masakela Dies, Aged 78 Hugh Masekela, South Africa’s trumpeter, jazz artist and music legend, is dead. He died of prolonged prostrate cancer.

He was aged 78.

His death was announced on

Twitter today by South Africa’s Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa. “A baobab tree has fallen, the nation has lost a one of a kind musician with the

passing of jazz legend, bra Hugh Masekela. We can safely say bra Hugh was one of the great architects of Afro-Jazz and he uplifted the soul of our nation through his timeless

music,� Mthethwa tweeted.

Masekela was introduced to the trumpet in 1954 when he got it as a gift from another Jazz legend, Louis Armstrong.

His classic, Grazing In The

Grass, topped the Billboard Hot 100.

He was the first African male Grammy nominee (1968). He won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the

CHOMVA, Ghana Music Awards, Jazz FM Awards and MAMAs. He was also a music icon of the anti-Apartheid movement in his country.

for non-performance. “Let us accept that the present administration has done what it can do to the limit of its ability, aptitude and understanding. Let the administration and its political party platform agree with the rest of us that what they have done and what they are capable of doing is not good enough for us. “We must not continue to reinforce failure and hope that all will be well. It is self-deceit and self-defeat and another aspect of folly. “What has emerged from the opposition (PDP) has shown no better promise from their antecedents. As the leader of that party for eight years as President of Nigeria, I can categorically say there is nothing to write home about in their new team. “We have only one choice left to take us out of Egypt to the promised land. And that is the coalition of the concerned and the willing - ready for positive and drastic change, progress and involvement,� he said.

Obasanjo was emphatic that the polity needs a Coalition for Nigeria (CN), saying such a movement at this juncture needs not be a political party but one to which all well-meaning Nigerians can belong.

That movement must be a coalition for democracy, good governance, social and economic well-being and progress. A coalition to salvage and redeem our country. “You can count me with such a movement. Last time, we asked, prayed and worked for change and God granted

our request. This time, we must ask, pray and work for change with unity, security and progress. And God will again grant us. “Of course, nothing should stop such a movement from satisfying conditions for fielding candidates for elections. But if at any stage the movement wishes to metamorphose into candidate-sponsoring movement for elections, I will bow out of the movement because I will continue to maintain my non-partisan position. “The Coalition for Nigeria must have its headquarters in Abuja. This Coalition for Nigeria will be a movement that will drive Nigeria up and forward. It must have a pride of place for all Nigerians, particularly for our youths and our women. “It is a coalition of hope for all Nigerians for speedy, quality and equal development, security, unity, prosperity and progress. It is a coalition to banish poverty, insecurity and despair. “Our country must not be oblivious to concomitant danger around, outside and ahead. The Coalition for Nigeria must be a movement to break new grounds in building a united country, a socially cohesive and moderately prosperous society with equity, equality of opportunity, justice and a dynamic and progressive economy that is self-reliant and takes active part in global division of labour and international decision-making.

OBASANJO SETS POLITY ON FIRE, SAYS BUHARI DESERVES DIGNIFIED EXIT general national security, Obasanjo added. “The third is passing the buck. For instance, blaming the governor of the central bank for devaluation of the naira by 70 per cent or so and blaming past governments for it, is to say the least, not accepting one’s own responsibility. “Let nobody deceive us, the economy feeds on politics and because our politics is depressing, our economy is even more depressing today. If things were good, President Buhari would not need to come in. “He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game. Our Constitution is very clear, one of the cardinal responsibilities of the president is the management of the economy of which the value of the naira forms an integral part. “Kinship and friendship that place responsibility for governance in the hands of the unelected can only be deleterious to good government and to the nation,� he said.

Not leaving out the president’s illness for much of last year, Obasanjo said this called for the sympathy, understanding, prayer and patience from every sane Nigerian. “It is part of our culture.

Most Nigerians prayed for him while he was away sick in London for over hundred days and he gave his deputy sufficient leeway to carry on in his absence. “We all thanked God for President Buhari for coming back reasonably hale and hearty and progressing well in his

recovery. But whatever may be the state of President Buhari’s health today, he should neither over-push his luck nor over-tax the patience and tolerance of Nigerians for him, no matter what his self-serving, so-called advisers, who would claim that they love him more than God loves him and that without him, there would be no Nigeria say. “President Buhari needs a dignified and honourable dismount from the horse. He needs to have time to reflect, refurbish physically and recoup and after appropriate rest, once again, join the stock of Nigerian leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the sidelines for the good of the country. “His place in history is already assured. Without impaired health and strain of age, running the affairs of Nigeria is a 25/7 affair, not 24/7,� Obasanjo counselled.

He appealed to Buhari to consider a deserved rest at this point in time and at this age, adding that he continues to wish him robust health to enjoy his retirement from active public service. “President Buhari does not necessarily need to heed my advice. But whether or not he heeds it, Nigeria needs to move on and move forward,� he noted.

On the two main political parties in the country, the former president recalled that he had occasion in the past to say that the APC and PDP were wobbling. “I must reiterate that nothing has happened to convince me otherwise. If anything, I am

reinforced in my conviction.

The recent show of PDP must give grave and great concern to lovers of Nigeria. “To claim, as has been credited to the chief kingmaker of PDP, that for procuring the Supreme Court judgement for his faction of the party, he must dictate the tune all the way and this is indeed fraught with danger. “If neither APC nor PDP is a worthy horse to ride to lead Nigeria at this crucial and critical time, what then do we do?�

He noted that Farooq Kperogi, an Associate Professor at the Kennesaw State University, Georgia, United States, called it “a cruel Hobson’s choice�. “It’s like a choice between six and half a dozen, between evil and evil. Any selection or deflection would be a distinction without a difference. We cannot just sit down lamenting and wringing our hands desperately and hopelessly. “I believe the situation we are in today is akin to what and where we were in at the beginning of this democratic dispensation in 1999. The nation was tottering. “People became hopeless and saw no bright future in the horizon. It was all a dark cloud politically, economically and socially. The price of oil at that time was nine dollars per barrel and we had a debt overhang of about $35 billion. “Most people were confused with lack of direction in the country. One of the factors that saved the situation was a near government of national

unity that was put in place to navigate us through the dark cloud. “We had almost all hands on deck. We used people at home and from the diaspora and we navigated through the dark cloud of those days. At that time, most people were hopelessly groping in the dark. “They saw no choice, neither in the left nor in the right, and yet we were not bereft of people at home and from the diaspora that could come together to make Nigeria truly a land flowing with milk and honey. “Where we are is a matter of choice but we can choose differently to make a necessary and desirable change, once again,� the former president sated.

Obasanjo observed that wherever he goes, he hears Nigerians complaining, murmuring in anguish and anger, but admonished that the anger should not be like the anger of the cripple. “We can collectively save ourselves from the position we find ourselves. It will not come through self-pity, fruitless complaint or protest but through constructive and positive engagement and collective action for the good of our nation and ourselves and our children and their children. “We need moral re-armament and engaging togetherness of people of like-mind and goodwill to come solidly together to lift Nigeria up.

This is no time for trading blames or embarking on futile argument and neither should we accept untenable excuses

Continued on page 11

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NEWS

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

Sanusi, Mangal Can’t Stop Forensic Audit, Oando Shareholders Insist Chika Amanze-Nwachuku The mediation by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, in the dispute between Oando Plc and one of its aggrieved shareholders, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, cannot stop the planned forensic audit of the Nigerian energy firm as directed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Oando Shareholders’ Solidarity Group (OSSG) has said.

OSSG coordinator, Clement Ebitimi, said in a statement yesterday that while the group was not against the “peace accord” reached by the management of Oando with Alhaji Mangal, as brokered

by Sanusi, the issue of the forensic audit has to do with financial mismanagement, insider dealings, abuse of corporate governance tenets and infractions with regards to the Investment and Securities Act (ISA).

Ebitimi said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the forensic audit of Oando ordered by SEC is not about Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. The audit is about the series of infractions of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2007 uncovered in the company by a preliminary investigation ordered by SEC.

“SEC’s preliminary findings established serious infractions to the existence of corporate governance, gross abuse of corporate governance, and a series of manipulations and financial mismanagement in Oando Plc. “The alleged infractions include breach of the SEC Code of Corporate Governance; breach of ISA 2007 on disposal of Oando Exploration & Production Limited (OEPL) by Oando Plc 2013; breach of ISA 2007: misstatements in the 2013 and 2014 audited financial statement of Oando Plc arising from the OEPL transaction; breach of ISA on misleading information contained in Oando Plc’s 2014 rights issue circular; breach of SEC rules and regulations on payment of dividends; and the auditor’s doubt over the ability of Oando to continue as a going concern.

“SEC’s preliminary investigation also unearthed suspected insider dealing, in which the commission observed that certain persons classified as insiders within the provisions of Section 315 of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2007 and who were in possession of confidential price sensitive information not generally available to the public, had between January and October 2015, traded on Oando

Plc shares prior to the release of the company’s 2014 financial statement, where the company reported a loss of N183 billion.”

According to Ebitimi, a letter written by SEC to Oando on October 17, 2017 also established instances of related party transactions where the commission identified certain related party transactions and observed that they were not conducted on an arm’s length basis as required by law.

“According to SEC’s findings, Oando also declared dividends in 2013 and 2014 from unrealised profits,” the OSSG coordinator said.

He noted that the allegations against the company were weighty and not about a shareholder.

“The House of Representatives has issued a clear directive to SEC to investigate these infractions.

“The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, in exonerating herself from attempts to stall the forensic audit, has also stated that the Oando management has a case to answer with regards to infractions of the ISA 2007.

“We hereby call on Emir Muhammadu Sanusi not to interfere in the legitimate process of instilling sanity in Oando and in the capital market.

“When he meted out severe disciplinary measures against some bank CEOs in the banking industry during his tenure as Central Bank of Nigeria governor in 2009, no

one interfered with his job,” the shareholders said.

Ebitimi further stated that SEC’s primary role as the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market is to regulate market participants and protect the investing public.

“This must not be compromised by any means,” the group added.

“The commission rightly noted that its earlier findings were weighty and therefore need to be further investigated to ascertain their veracity or otherwise; hence the forensic audit.

“Shareholders deserve to know the true state of affairs of their company. Investors are watching, the world is watching and we will not allow this matter to rest until

the right thing is done,” they said.

Oando on Monday said it had reached a peace accord with Mangal which was brokered by the Kano emir.

It said with the resolution of the disagreement, Mangal who alongside another shareholder – Ansbury Investments Inc – had written petitions to SEC over the mismanagement of the energy firm, would be given representation on the company’s board.

There was no mention of a resolution of the dispute with Ansbury whose shareholders lent Oando about $900 million to help the company in its acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ Nigerian upstream assets in 2014.

NNPC Board to Approve Firms to Fund Refineries’ Revamp Chineme Okafor in Abuja The board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will approve the final list of financiers selected to fund the revamp of NNPC’s refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt at its meeting this month, the corporation’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, has disclosed.

Baru in a statement from the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, yesterday in Abuja, said the corporation was inching closer to arriving at the choice of financiers for the revamp programme which he said will restore the production capacities of the refineries to 90 per cent.

He stated during a town hall meeting with NNPC’s workers, where he briefed them on the current situation with petrol supply in the country that the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC) and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC) were all up for revamp in the programme.

According to him, the programme was the corporation’s best bet at assuring steady petroleum products supply and distribution in Nigeria.

Baru explained that agreements on the potential financiers for the refineries were being fine-tuned for the board’s endorsement this month.

“We are pushing towards the final selection of our financiers and we expect that when that is done, we’ll get the agreements and present them to our board, meeting this month to secure their endorsement and once we have the funding, we would start the rehabilitation of the refineries towards a 90 per cent

capacity utilisation per stream day before the end of 2019,” he said.

The procedure for selecting the financiers, he noted was painstaking but necessary to ensure a desired closure on the subject.

The NNPC boss said the corporation was also encouraging new refining capacities to come on board, and that two consortia had indicated interest to co-locate refineries in Warri and Port Harcourt.

He said it would provide utility services such as power, processed steam, water and land to the firms and has agreed in broad terms on areas of collaboration to fast track the development.

“Am happy to inform you that progress has been made, up to the level of an acceptable detailed engineering design and we are in the process of mobilising some of the refineries already identified for installation in Nigeria,” he explained.

KRPC, he noted has also attracted the interest of the Kaduna State Government, which he said was championing a proposal to co-locate another refinery close to it.

He said Greenfield Refineries would also come up in Kano and Kaduna soon, and would use crude oil from Niger Republic.

Their designs, he added were equally ready.

On modular refineries, he said the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC were working to set up some in the Niger Delta.

“So far, about 35 interests for modular refineries have been declared and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has issued licenses to about 13 and I have been invited to the ground breaking ceremony of the first one in Bayelsa next month,” he stated.

WELCOME TO NIGERIA

President Muhammadu Buhari (right) leading members of his cabinet to welcome the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema on arrival during a visit at the State House in Abuja.....yesterday State House.

Oyo-Ita Explains Why No One Has Been Sanctioned over Maina’s Recall Berates FCSC for conducting illegal recruitment Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja with agency report The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, has spoken on why disciplinary actions have not been taken against those behind the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina into the service.

Maina, former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, was recalled and deployed to the ministry of interior, under controversial circumstances.

Amid the outcry of the news of his reinstatement, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his sack and asked Oyo-Ita to probe the embarrassing situation.

The Federal Civil Service Commission dismissed Maina in 2013, for absconding from duty, following a recommendation by the office of the head of service.

He was accused of being involved in pension fraud running into over N100 billion. After an investigation by the senate joint committee on public service and establishment and state and local government administration, a

warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Subsequently, the police declared him wanted and he went into hiding.

Speaking with journalists yesterday, Oyo-Ita, according to The Cable, said no one has been punished because investigations were still ongoing, both at the presidency and the national assembly.

She also traced the delay to the fact that the matter is before a court of “competent jurisdiction.”

“The Maina issue is a controversial one but I will also inform you that right now there is already an investigation exercise going on, both at the presidency level and at the National Assembly level,” she said.

“The Senate committee and the House of Representatives committee have set up an investigation on that. And recently there is a court case still on the issue.

“So, with all these investigative machineries in process, and a court case, which you know that once a matter is in court it becomes subjudice, there is really not much

one can say or do in terms of disciplinary action or whatever.

“The matter is already being investigated at the highest level both at the executive and the legislative level and now the judiciary.”

Oyo-Ita said the commission was working hard to tackle the issue of illegal recruitments into the service.

She also disclosed that approval had been granted for the restructuring of some offices for effective service.

She listed the affected offices to include the office of the head of the civil service of the federation, National Agency for Great Green Wall, Nigeria Immigration Service, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board, Nigeria Institute of Soil Science and Corporate Affairs Commission.

She, however, did not give details of the approved restructuring.

Meanwhile, Oyo-Ita while addressing the media on the

achievements of her office in the last one year, descended on the FCSC for conducting illegal recruitment into the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

She held FCSC liable for many cases of stealth and illegal staff recruitments, leading to alarming instances where some workers deployed to the MDAs, have not been enrolled on the integrated payroll since 2014.

“The FCSC is responsible for the reported illegal recruitments and it is due to some Nigerians who want to prove they are smart and are using it to do certain things,” Oyo-Ita said.

She stressed that some of the 285 workers undergoing staff authentication were found to be illegal, adding that only those that are genuine will only retained after the exercise.

It was gathered that 108 of the floating workers are from the Ministry of Health, while 75 are from the Ministry of Works and Housing. There are also some unspecified number from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

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Akande, Tinubu Hold Secret Talks with Buhari in State House Ex-Lagos gov denies visiting president over Obasanjo

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and then interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, yesterday held a secret meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House.

The leaders who arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 3.50p.m., barely a few hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo released a 13-page statement where he decried Buhari’s perceived non-performance and failure to act decisively on matters of national interest, headed straight to the president’s residence.

The two statesmen who left about an hour later, kept mum as they declined to speak with journalists who were eager to find out their mission in the villa.

About a forthright ago, Akande did not mince words to say that though Buhari is his friend, he had not done well.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has said his visit to President Buhari was not connected with the critical statement issued by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his presidency.

Mr. Tunde Rahman of Tinubu’s Media Office said the visit by Tinubu and Akande to the Presidential Villa was scheduled since last week. �President Buhari periodically

schedules talks with Tinubu and Akande, as he does with other Nigerians and APC figures, to discuss substantive issues pertaining to the governance of the country and matters concerning the party. �This visit was one of such meetings. As such, the meeting had nothing to do with the statement of former President Obasanjo. �It is totally unconnected.

At the time of the meeting, Tinubu and Akande were even unaware that President Obasanjo had released his statement,� Rahman said.

Obasanjo, in a statement released yesterday had urged President Buhari to abandon

the idea of seeking re-election in 2019.

In the diatribe, which he entitled, ‘The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement,’ Obasanjo claimed Buhari has performed far below expectation and should honourably “dismount from the horse.�

He urged the president to join the league of the country’s former leaders whose “experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country.�

Obasanjo, a two-term president on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he felt disappointed by

Buhari, whom he supported during the 2015 election over then incumbent and candidate of his former party, Goodluck Jonathan.

While thanking Buhari for the effort of his administration in rolling back the Boko Haram insurgency and his fight against corruption, Obasanjo said Buhari has ultimately failed in other areas where he had thought he would be efficient.

The octogenarian admitted he knew Buhari was weak in handling the economy, he went ahead and voted for him because at the time “it was a matter of ‘any option but Jonathan’� and because he thought Buhari would appoint

qualified Nigerians to help out in that area.

He slammed Buhari for turning a blind eye to corruption within his government saying it amounted to condonation and cover-up saying whoever is “going to justice must be with clean hands.�

He also berated Buhari for allowing the clashes between herdsmen and farmers to go “sour� and messy saying the endorsement of the President by some governors to seek reelection barely 24 hours after 73 people who were killed by herdsmen in Benue State were given mass burial was “a sad symptom of insensitivity and callousness.�

APC is already caught up with President Buhari, the PDP is open for a new engagement that will throw up the president, which our nation truly deserves at this crucial moment. “We therefore call on Nigerians, including all our leaders across board, to come together to rebuild our nation on PDP’s consolidated base rather than traversing on another learning curve,� It said.

But as the PDP cautioned against the so-called third force or Coalition for Nigeria movement as recommended

by Obasanjo, the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), a coalition of professionals, civil society groups and activists, who have formed a movement similar to what the former president described in his statement, lauded him for asking Nigerians to join forces with the coalition.

In a statement issued yesterday by its spokesman, Mr. Naseer Kura, NIM said: “The Nigeria Intervention Movement wishes to salute the political acumen and vision of former President of Nigeria and elder statesman, Olusegun Obasanjo, who today in a most decisive manner called on all Nigerians to immediately join forces to bring about a Coalition for Nigeria, a political Third Force movement that will rescue the country from the impunity and inertia of the two dominant parties in Nigeria – PDP and APC “By this statement today, the NIM asserts that the validity of the Third Force initiative of the Nigeria Intervention Movement has once again been proven

by the elder statesman and former president, who is not known to be associated with frivolity,�

NIM stated that Obasanjo in a most dramatic dimension charged Nigerians to henceforth seek for their political and economic salvation in the direction of a political third force outside the two dominant parties in Nigeria, which it quoted the former president as saying had both grossly disappointed the people of Nigeria “NIM affirms that Obasanjo’s historic clarion call to the nation at its formative stage has profoundly validated the initiative of NIM’s conveners to facilitate an all inclusive, non-partisan pan-Nigerian political third force to rescue the country from the impunity and lack lustre performance of traditional political elite in the PDP and APC, among others “While endorsing and applauding Obasanjo’s historic statement on the way forward for Nigeria in the march towards the 2019 elections, NIM wishes to clearly states its resolve to embrace the strategic counsel contained in the elder stateman’s treaties on how the emergent movement can rally and work with other movements in building a major Coalition for Nigeria to save Nigerians from an inert political leadership “To this end, the leadership of NIM shall be ready, in the succeeding weeks, to enter into strategic talks and alliance with more platforms sharing similar philosophy and ideology towards the consolidation of the much desired Coalition for Nigeria as advocated by the former president,� it stated.

to fester,� he said.

Furthermore, he disclosed that several APC leaders desirous of a new platform are also unhappy with the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who have been accused of taking over the Buhari political machinery, and have used divide and rule tactics to sideline many members of the ruling party.

He added that several APC politicians have read the writing on the wall and know that the party has eroded the goodwill on which it rode to win the 2015 elections. “As such, they are seeking a new platform which is not the PDP, because both the APC and PDP are not popular with the Nigerian people.�

Continuing, the source said the reason PDP was not considered as an option

stemmed from the fact that the opposition party had become too “toxic� and has been hijacked by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose. “Even Obasanjo alluded to their procurement of the Supreme Court judgment and how one of them is now dictating the tune in the PDP to do his bidding. “Also many familiar with the move to form the new party know that the South-west is a no-go area for the PDP because of the way it treated its South-west leaders at the last national convention of the party. “The PDP is a tainted brand and is deemed by millions of Nigerians as a corrupt party, so there is no way it can be factored as an alternative platform for aggrieved APC members,� he added.

OBASANJO SETS POLITY ON FIRE, SAYS BUHARI DESERVES DIGNIFIED EXIT “The movement must work out the path of development and the trajectory of development in speed, quality and equality in the short- medium- and long-term for Nigeria on the basis of sustainability, stability, predictability, credibility, security, cooperation and prosperity with diminishing inequality. “What is called for is love, commitment and interest in our country, not in self, friends and kinship alone but particularly love, compassion and interest in the poor, underprivileged and downtrodden. It is our human duty and responsibility so to do. “Failure to do this will amount to a sin against God and a crime against humanity.

Some may ask, what does Obasanjo want again? Obasanjo has wanted nothing other than the best for Nigeria and Nigerians and he will continue to want nothing less. “And if we have the best, we will be contented whether where we live is described as palaces or huts by others and we will always give thanks to God. “I, therefore, will gladly join such a movement when one is established as Coalition for Nigeria (CN) taking Nigeria to the height God has created it to be. “From now on, the Nigeria eagle must continue to soar and fly high. CN as a movement, will be new, green, transparent and must remain clean and always active, selflessly so. “Members must be ready to make sacrifices for the nation and pay the price of being pioneers and good Nigerians for our country to play the God-assigned role for itself, for its neighbours, for its

sub-region of West Africa, for its continent and for humanity in general. “For me, the strength and sustainable success of CN will derive largely from the strong commitment of a population that is constantly mobilised to the rallying platform of the fact that going forward together is our best option for building a nation that will occupy its deserved place in the global community,� he said.

APC Rufed, Aborts Meeting But once Obasanjo’s statement went viral, the leadership of the APC was immediately ruffled, as yesterday’s meeting of the NWC of the party, which was ongoing when information on the former president’s bombshell got to its members, altered the mood of the meeting.

THISDAY learnt that as soon as members of the NWC got wind of the position espoused

by Obasanjo, they immediately sought for the meeting to be adjourned.

At first, the party was not sure that the letter was actually authored by the former president, until calls started coming in from journalists who wanted to get the party’s reaction.

Eventually, the NWC meeting was brought to a close to reconvene today.

The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi whose telephone lines were inundated with calls from reporters tried to buy time by saying that the party “needed to be given an opportunity to study the statement�.

“We shall respond to it appropriately afterwards,� he said.

Also none of the NWC members accepted to respond to Obasanjo’s statement

PDP Says It’s Vindicated The PDP, however, described Obasanjo’s advisory to Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019, as courageous, timeous and patriotic.

The party said Obasanjo’s position had vindicated its position on Buhari and the ruling APC. The main opposition party, however, rejected the call by Obasanjo for the Coalition for Nigeria movement, saying that this would amount to repeating the same blunder that brought in the ideologically vacuous APC and the Buhari presidency, which has now wrecked havoc on the nation in almost three years of governance.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday, said the fact that Buhari and the APC had irredeemably failed the nation was obvious to all, adding that Nigerians had already taken an irrevocable position against them ahead of the 2019 elections.

According to the PDP, Obasanjo’s counsel further rekindled the fate of the people in the democratic process, stressing however that “the solution does not lie in creating another political quicksand in the form of a ‘third force’ but by consolidating on a rescue mission with the repositioned PDP which Nigerians have already embraced�.

PDP recalled that in the heat of the 2015 elections, many

citizens who claimed to have become tired of the PDP and its government, opted for a coalition of strange bedfellows with little or no experience in governance as a vehicle for electoral victory. “Expectedly, in their confusion, they have plunged us into this regrettable situation that has brought our nation to its knees,� it said.

PDP argued that repeating the old mistake of congregating political strangers cannot help the country at this time, more so, when the few concerns raised by the former president about the PDP no longer obtain under the refocused and rebranded PDP. “The PDP is now standing on a truly democratic ground that perfectly represents and reflects the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians, irrespective of their class, creed or tribe. “That is why our great party has now, more than ever before, become a centre of the new patriotic and broad-based engagements by well-meaning Nigerians and coalitions across board, including past leaders, in rekindling our democratic process that places priority on returning power to the people. “The fact is that Nigerians overrated President Buhari in 2015 but they have now seen that he never possessed the capacity and the required aptitude to effectively govern our great nation and pilot a healthy economy. “This accounts for the reason former President Obasanjo, just like most Nigerians today, are concerned about the quality of presidential candidates to be presented by various parties for the 2019 election. “The fact is that while the

NIM Salutes Obasanjo

‌GOVS, LAWMAKERS, POLITICAL LEADERS MEET ON HOW TO FORM NEW PARTY amorphous group of political leaders in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and London, with the objective of forming a “third forceâ€? that can meet the aspirations of its members.

One source who provided clarity on the coalescing of politicians that can trounce the APC and PDP in the next general election, explained that the concept of a third force in the political firmament has two strands. “One is the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM) that is not a political party but is trying to galvanise professionals, civil society groups and activists to support credible candidates in different parties. “The second is an amorphous group of political leaders, serving and former governors and National Assembly members of both parties, as well as retired military leaders

who have been meeting in places like Dubai, Saudi Arabia and London to fashion out a modus vivendi for the new party that will challenge both the APC and PDP,� he said.

The source, however, explained that even though the political leaders had bought into the formation of a third major party and were waiting in the wings to step out once it is formed, they are conscious of the fact that there may be insufficient time to get it registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the elections. “Since time is of the essence and most of the politicians who want to dump the APC and PDP for this new party know that there might not be enough time to get it registered, they are also on the hunt for one of the already registered political parties that they can use as a platform to actualise their

goals,� he said.

Providing more insight into what may have galvanised some politicians from the two main parties to push for the formation of another party, the source said those from the APC are unhappy with the trajectory of the ruling party and the fact that it has lost legitimacy, especially in the Middle Belt region of the country. “As you know the clashes between herdsmen and farmers, especially in Benue and Taraba States, and its mismanagement by the Buhari administration, has caused outrage and left many people in both states and the rest of the region bewildered. “Key supporters of Buhari in Benue, Taraba and other Middle Belt states like General T.Y. Danjuma are bewildered over the way these conflicts have been handled. They

believe the president could have intervened promptly, but he has failed to do so and has allowed the problem and killings to get out of control,� he said.

Another source further explained that Benue is the archetypical swing state in the North-central zone that has always voted with the winning party. “In 1979 to 1983, Benue people backed the then ruling party, National Party of Nigeria (NPN), and it formed the government; in the current Republic, the state also backed the PDP and it formed the government; it also voted for APC and it has formed the government. “But the killings in Benue State have caused its political leadership to reassess their support for the APC, because Buhari has been slow to act and has allowed the problem

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COMMENT

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

REMEMBERING OBY NWANKWO

Sonnie Ekwowusi pays tribute to Obiageli Nwankwo, women rights’ activist who died, aged 61

M

rs. Obiageli Theodora Nwankwo (fondly called Oby by her numerous admirers), who died on December 9, 2017, at age 61, ranked among the most distinguished women’s human rights in Africa in the last two decades. Oby’s name features prominently in gender rights and gender politics discourses in Africa and at the United Nations. Oby was elected as a member of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Expert Committee in January 2013. She was re-elected to serve another four years in 2016. Before death came calling, Oby was at the zenith of the campaign for the domestication of CEDAW and the African Union Protocol on The Rights of Women (Otherwise called “Maputo Protocol�) and the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill in Nigeria. She was, inter alia, a consultant to the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA). In fact, Oby’s sad demise is a reminder of the sad demise of another prominent Nigerian and a former Director-General of the UNFPA Prof. Babatunde Osetimehim on June 4, 2017.

With the death of Oby, a chapter, if you like, has been closed in women’s human rights advocacy in Nigeria. Oby knew where she stood on egregious women’s human rights issues. She was voice for the voiceless women and girls. She was the founder and chairperson of Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC), a non-governmental organisation based in Enugu which promotes women’s rights and access to justice. You will recall that in December last year the anti-NGO bill sponsored at the House of Representatives by Hon. Umar Buba Jibril suffered a disgraceful defeat on the floor of the Public Hearing Room of the House of Representatives. Why was the bill defeated? Because, contrary to Hon. Jibril’s understanding, NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria are not the enemies of government. But the NGOs and CSOs in Nigeria are indeed partners of the government in promoting the wellbeing of the Nigerian citizens. At the CIRDDOC, Oby proved that NGOs and CSOs in Nigeria are potent forces in the rebuilding and revitalisation of the social order.

Last Friday Enugu stood still for Oby. NGOs, CSOs, colleagues, acquaintances and friends of Oby gathered at the KOBB Civic Centre, Shoprite Complex, Enugu to pay glowing tributes to the lady who was clearly their heroine. This was no surprise. Oby’s contributions to the advancement of women’s human rights have been varied and impressive. A lawyer by profession and a former chief magistrate, Oby’s human rights advocacy especially in the areas of gender equality and affirmative action opened up a new vista and perspective in women’s human rights advocacy hitherto grossed over by many. Oby teamed up with like-minded women and NGOs in order to work to improve the health and welfare of women in Nigeria. She believed strongly that Nigerian women know what is good for them and should not be cajoled by die-hard patriarchs and misogynists to adopt warped and archaic ideas. Oby wielded a recognisable feminist

NGOS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS (CSOS) IN NIGERIA ARE NOT THE ENEMIES OF GOVERNMENT. BUT THE NGOS AND CSOS IN NIGERIA ARE INDEED PARTNERS OF THE GOVERNMENT IN PROMOTING THE WELLBEING OF THE NIGERIAN CITIZENS

influence in Nigeria. Affirmative action was central to her feminism.

I think that impelled by Oby’s affirmative action programmes, there are now hundreds of Nigeria women who are poised to prove that women are not inferior to men and therefore possess equal stake in the scheme of things. Oby was a prolific writer and author. Some of her books which focused on women’s human rights include marriage, divorce and succession in Nigeria; gender and politics in Nigeria. Through her writings, Oby called for the revaluation of some of the assumptions on women on which most of us have been raised and to consider what we stand to lose by turning our back to the feminist tide. Oby was a lovely, loving and caring mother of seven. She believed that womanhood and love for children were cherished African values. She was married to Victor Nwankwo. It is said that even though Oby exceedingly excelled in the promotion of women’s human rights, her greatest achievement in life was in raising and educating her seven children to stardom.

Oby was a convivialist per excellence. She was a trusted leader too. Nigerian women readily rallied round her to fight causes which they believed was dear to their hearts. For example, Oby was a part of the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations Convention on the Status of Women (CSW2017) which took place in New York, United States, last year. Evidently she joined the delegation much later. But no sooner had she joined than the spontaneous shouts of “Oby! Oby!! Oby!!!� erupted from the delegation. Of course, during the CSW2017 proceedings, Oby played a pivotal role in addressing many issues affecting African women. However as things turned out, not all Oby’s human rights proposals gained acceptance. For instance, the National Assembly, Abuja has severally refused to pass the controversial Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill into law because it deemed most of the articles of the bill as being antithetical to the cultural, religious, family, social and philosophical values and convictions of the people. In the same vein, several attempts to domesticate CEDAW at the National Assembly, Abuja have been met with stiff opposition especially from Nigeria’s religious and traditional rulers. Last year the House of Representatives wielded the big stick on the controversial Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) smuggled into the syllabi of some public secondary schools in Nigeria. The House was of the view that immoral textbooks such as The Precious Child, By Queen O. Okweshine and The Tears of a Bride, By Oyekunle Oyedeji used in some public secondary schools in Nigeria in order to sexualise secondary schools kids should be withdrawn from such public schools.

Nevertheless, Oby’s human rights legacy will continue to be a subject matter of discourse among thinkers, policymakers, legislators, NGO practitioners and the public in general. Oby will be missed by all as was witnessed last Friday in Enugu when tears of sorrow rolled down the cheeks of many as the torrents of tributes kept pouring in honour of the fallen heroine of Africa.

LET’S NOT RECOLONISE NIGERIA

Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku urges the authorities to go after the main causes of the grazing crisis

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ast year I travelled to Kano. It was actually my second time and the circumstances were a bit different.

In the first instance, I was passing through to another state in the North, and for anyone who has read T.S. Elliot’s Journey of the Magi, this journey was like a death: we had spent the whole of the day driving to Kano from Benin and only to arrive by dusk when the sights and sounds of this famous city were already being overtaken by the dark. My plan to get early to this famous city and perhaps to see something of the relics of this town: the dying cotton fields, the Kano City Walls and all other monuments which I read about in school faded into the horizon. My friends had told me that Kano is to Northerners what Lagos and Onitsha is to the South West and South East respectively.

But this second opportunity was not going to go the way of the first. It was the OGP Subnational meeting which sought to ‘domesticate’ the core principles of open government at the state level after Nigerian signed on in May 2016 at the UK Anti-Corruption conference. Apart from the fact that I was already in Abuja before I set forth, I was mindful that this journey could be another death for me if I did not set forth before dawn. And so that was what I did. As I rode on, I marvelled just as I did the first time I travelled up North, at the vast expanse of land Nigeria is blessed with, and which could translate to zillions and zillions of football fields. This time however, it was not the thought of football fields which took hold of me but the arableness of that vast landscape.

The Kano city I saw is a clean city with

a cosmopolitan muscle. And if I have any thoughts of going up North to live anytime soon, Kano it would be. But take it or leave it, the average Northerner is a farmer, and a very good one at that. Very good evidence for this assertion is the disappeared cotton fields and the groundnut pyramids of the early 50s and late 60s. And at this point, I crave your indulgence to relate my experience with my former principal in my place of primary assignment. It was the beginning of the planting season and just about when anyone with any modicum of self-respect was already planting – tomatoes and beans, I was lazing around. As I took in this agrarian activity one morning, my principal sidled up to me to ask why I was not planting beans like everyone else. I told him that where I come from, yam, rather than beans was a man’s crop. I had cause to regret in three months when I found out that find my youth corps members who heeded that call to farm around the premises harvested about two to three bags of beans.

I recall that as I got within the precincts of Kano, what was dry and very coarse landscape suddenly began to transform into fields and fields of sorghum, maize, millet, rice and corn. The only other place where I’d seen anything of this nature was in 2008 in the North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. For the North Rhine-Westphalia, I know something of the processes which the Germans put in place to be able to cultivate their seeds all year round and then roll up the hay or alfalfa hay with maize, sorghum or millet to be used for feeding livestock – cows, sheep and what have you – all year round. I also know of a fact that

that hay is a component of the mishmash of cow dung and genetically modified seeds fed into gigantic silos from where the gas residue sidles easily to most German homes.

But where or what system sustains agricultural production in the North up till the harvest and harmattan season? As I looked around, the answer struck me in the face: forgive me but I cannot remember the actual name of the massive EU funded irrigation project which drives the agricultural economy of the North.

But there is one as a matter of fact. And this is actually the crux of this discussion. After 73 Benuans were mowed down about two weeks ago allegedly by Fulani herdsmen, I have tried to make any meaning for the reasons for the killings. It is said that Fulani herdsmen are unable to graze their cattle because of the dwindling mangroves vegetation in the North on which they graze their cattle. Therefore, it is said that they have no choice but move to people’s farms and graze their cattle. But I find this theory to be specious and spurious and very difficult to accept and believe. Know why?

If the cows in Europe are no different from the cows in Nigeria, I see no reason why they cannot be fed on hay like the cows in Europe.

And as a matter of fact, fodder and roughage to feed cows is plenteous in the North from maize, millet, sorghum harvest residue to the extent that I believe that that chap asking us to import hay/grass to feed our cows is the most unserious Nigerian alive today.

Two things stand out therefore: one, if the Kano government has over 17 dams in place with respect to its irrigation programme, I do not see why all the other governments in the

North are not establishing dams and providing water and grazing fields for their cattle. If they are not doing so, it may therefore mean that certain aspects of the rumours making the rounds as to the true intent of the proposed grazing colonies may be true. Conspiracy theorists allege that this is a plot by the number one man and his cabal, to resuscitate the Dan Fodio mandate of dipping the Koran into the sea and turn Nigeria into a second Turkey.

Countries and peoples have fought wars over water holes and grazing fields. Yet, Nigeria does not need a war now or in the future and we do not need to be colonised a second time to know what to do. In a book I am reading now, The Anatomy of Resource Wars, Worldwatch Institute, 2002, the authors have said that many resource rich countries like Australia and Botswana, have not fallen prey to violence. Where conflict does break out, it is the result of a combination of factors – political, social, economic and military (note this last word), - that makes for weak, though typically repressive and undemocratic states and vulnerable economies. The cold-blooded murder of 73 persons in Benue State under the guise of grazing field or colonies therefore brings us to the question of climate change. It is real to the extent that we must now begin to realise that it is what is responsible for desert encroachment, desertification and droughts. If we have no plan in place to mitigate these climate change precursors, then we open ourselves up for unscrupulous individuals to cash in to prosecute a personal agenda and vendetta.

Etemiku is communications manager, ANEEJ

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EDITORIAL DEALING WITH THE BENUE CRISIS The authorities must ensure that criminals are brought to justice

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s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo leads yet another committee in a bid to address the crisis in Benue State, following recent killings by herdsmen, we must remind the federal government that Nigerians prefer practical solutions to this perplexing problem. That is essentially because many tribunals of enquiries and peace committees instituted to trace the causes of the several crises and propose sustainable solutions have been unsuccessful in that task largely because government, past and present, lacked the political will to implement their recommendations. That is aside the fact that the current administration has become notorious for establishing committees whose reports are never implemented.

What is more disturbing is that the ongoing violence, which has the imprimatur of savagery, shows no promise of abating as the combatants, the herdsmen and the authorities in Benue State, ďŹ nd no common ground for peace. Since the issue in contention remains the anti-grazing bill that was recently passed into law in the BOTH THE FEDERAL state, the killings have GOVERNMENT AND THE continued in some of AUTHORITIES IN THE the rural villages. But AFFECTED STATES MUST beyond the imDEMONSTRATE THE mediate challenge in CAPACITY TO BRING TO Benue State, the clash JUSTICE ALL THOSE WHO between herdsmen USE UNLAWFUL MEANS and farmers has TO SETTLE SCORES gone on for far too long in many of the states that a lasting solution has to be found before it consumes the nation.

Given the human and material costs of these crises, we think the federal and state governments that have primary and secondary responsibilities, respectively, for the security of lives and property of the people, need to be more decisive in the handling of this problem, which has become a virtual criminal enterprise. It is scandalous that since the escalation of the crises in 2011, and in spite of the rising body count

Letters to the Editor

in many of the states, not a single person has been arrested, prosecuted and convicted for the several murders that have traces of a pogrom. Bogged down by partisanship and leadership effectiveness, the police authorities that should ordinarily deal with this sort of crisis have become part of the problem.

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e think the failure of government to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of the heinous crimes in Benue State and elsewhere seem to encourage the propensity for violence as means of redressing perceived grievances. It is therefore our recommendation that both the federal government and the authorities in the affected states must demonstrate the capacity to bring to justice all those who use unlawful means to settle scores even as it strives to contain the fundamental basis of the strife. That is far more productive than the setting up of some meaningless committees just to be seen as doing something even when nothing is being done to address the problem.

However, the problems seem intractable because one of the major challenges facing Nigerian security agencies is the lack of public trust. This has led to a situation in which Nigerians who live in the affected communities refuse to volunteer information to the authorities, thereby denying them vital intelligence needed to effectively carry out their mandate of ridding the area of violent criminals. But the security agencies also need to up their ante by improving on their intelligence gathering capabilities to detect and nip in the bud disputes that may escalate into the mayhem that has been the lot of the people of states in the Nigerian Middle Belt in recent years.

For the umpteenth time, therefore, we reiterate that security agencies need to step up their acts and strengthen inter-agency coordination to checkmate the current descent into anarchy in several theatres across Nigeria. But in the instant case of Benue State, it is important that the entrepreneurs of violence in the area be ďŹ shed out and made to face the wrath of the law.

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

PROSCRIPTION OF BEAT ASSOCIATIONS OVERDUE

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statement credited to Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria [NPAN] and signed by the Executive Secretary Mr. Feyi Smith and published on November 23, which announced that beat associations formed and organised by hack journalists under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Journalists [NUJ] has been proscribed made interesting reading.

To those few discerning industry watchers, the action was long overdue for the immeasurable damage that these associations and other affiliated bodies, had successfully wrought on the journalism profession. No thanks to their antics, journalism had been turned to an all -comers affair, whereby every Tom, Dick and Harry who could cobble a sentence together could have a field day.

In particular, I’m happy and impressed that the cartel has been broken. For me, this is more understandable for the fact that from the inception, I never for once liked the idea one bit. This is because in the name of mushroom trade unions under the guise of line specialisation, these associations were constituted illegally and funded and formulated entirely outside the purveyor of NUJ with their own specially prepared and separate objectives and code of conduct, along with an assortment of other rules and regulations binding them as members, leading to the proliferation of a sundry and multiple trade unions under NUJ which ought not be.

The question is, we never can tell whether or not the NUJ constitution itself frowns at the practice, but what we do know for certain is that at no given time did the NUJ constitution

provide a clause in the document for that purpose implying that the attempt is null and void. On top of that, even all the reasons they gave as being behind their policy to form these association did not quite add up. But now it seems that all that will soon become a thing of the past. And it will never be business as usual for them again. Though it is long in coming, if truly the gist making the rounds that at last the Nigerian Press Organisation [NPO] had finally mustered the temerity to proscribe the hydra -headed monster constituted by the hideous beat associations operated by certain unscrupulous persons parading themselves as bona-fide journalists, whereas, they are indeed nothing else but charlatans and quacks in all the air spaces of the Nigerian media landscape like flotsams, it is not only a welcome development worthy to toast and clink glasses of wine over, but it also proved a signpost indicating that the NPO has just risen up from a very deep slumber into which it was previously induced.

Thus, if it is true that NPO found it expedient to proscribe beat associations among journalists, a cankerworm that had eaten deeply into the fabric of a once glamorous and noble profession of journalism in Nigeria, then apparently it revealed that the umbrella body or regulatory organ of media practitioners in the country as well as the Nigerian Guild of Editors are alive to their billings for once and therefore are no longer to be considered as toothless bulldogs that can bark but cannot bite. We just hope and believe that the beat associations will remain utterly dead and never to rise from their ashes .

Bekewei Lemmy, Apapa, Lagos

WHY ORTOM SHOULD DUMP APC

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here can be no greater way to show absolute disrespect to the grieving governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on the Friday that 73 victims of the brutal Fulani herdsmen’s attacks in that state were being laid to rest than to have a “G-7 Northern Governors Forum� visit President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock Villa to show solidarity for his non-feeling concerning these terror attacks and to endorse him for a second term. Contrary to the statement credited to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, that visit was not a coincidence because each of the seven governors should have observed the Armed Forces Remembrance Day mosque session in their states as per the norm. They were at Aso Rock to shore Buahri up and thus mocking Gov. Ortom at the same time. Does Gov. Ortom still need any persuading to dump the APC? Gov. Ortom should feel extremely betrayed by his “Christian� brother, Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau State, one of the G-7 Northern Governors.

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

T H I S D AY W E D N E S DAY JANUARY 24, 2018

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WHY DELTANS MUST NOW CLOSE RANKS TO SUPPORT GOVERNOR OKOWA FOR A SECOND TERM, COME 2019 Having left that accursed platform of serial political failures, bankrupt politicians, broom wielding night soil men, marauding herdsmen, bringers of hunger, harbingers of recession, devaluers of currency, increasers of fuel price, ruiners of national economies, apostles of nepotism, prophets of disunity, practitioners of hypocrisy, adherents of mediocrity and agents of hopelessness called the All Progressives Congress, APC, I now feel it is my responsibility to commit myself to telling fellow Deltans and indeed, fellow Nigerians the bitter truth in order for the electorate not to be hoodwinked by APC and its ragtag band of noisemakers, greedy hunters and fanatical liars into making costly political mistakes come 2019.

Of late, the newest game in town on the part of Delta APC, is to attempt to sell Deltans the ridiculous idea that they actually have a viable political program of action for unseating the People's Democratic Party, PDP, and consigning incumbent Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to one term in office.

While one flank of the party is increasingly buying into the idea that the best strategy for achieving this is to field a candidate from Delta North against Okowa, another flank continues to push the idea that it would be more politically feasible to field a candidate from Delta Central.

Unfortunately, both options, unknown to many, including supposed political mathematicians and seasoned tacticians in the state, are actually unviable and doomed to collapse spectacularly once implemented.

As a matter of fact, nothing could be more idiotic than both of these irretrievably nonsensical dummies the APC is currently trying to sell Deltans through, those I can only describe as practicing political witchcraft in broad daylight with ideas they have packaged in machiavellian deceit, knowing full well, they have no hope of upstaging the PDP. If I were Governor Okowa, nothing would be more alluring and altogether more electorally attractive than the prospect of contending with an APC candidate of Delta North extraction, come 2019.

If I may ask, which of the potential candidates from Delta North has the slightest hope of realistically defeating a shrewd political tactician like Okowa in 2019?

Yes the clueless, frustrated and disgruntled stalwarts of the APC can whip ourselves into a frenzy of confidence in Okowa's supposed political vulnerability at their meetings and rallies except that every authentic politician would immediately realise that Okowa is anything but a pushover; indeed, far from it!

Anyone convinced otherwise is a buffoon destined to harvest political disappointment for his or herself once again in 2019!

Despise and hate Okowa all you may, the man is a towering specimen of a political grandmaster. It can even be said of Okowa that the toil he underwent in becoming Governor of Delta State in 2015 is the most herculean gubernatorial effort witnessed in the state since 1999 if not ever.

The man just kept fighting tooth and nail against all odds, stubbornly refusing to give up, and ended up disgracing and humiliating his detractors and political foes at the polls while studiously refusing to be defeated in court!

It is, by any standard, and whether one likes him or not, a feat of truly impressive political achievement on his part.

Instead of pretending they have a weakling of a political gladiator to contend with in their kindergarten ambition to unseat him, the likes of Cairo Ojuogboh should stop telling their party men that they suddenly have found the magical formula for upsetting someone like Okowa, even in their own locality.

Just as the good people of Delta North would not be foolish enough to gamble on an APC candidate of Delta North extraction come 2019 when they are far safer with a Governor already from the zone, so also no sizable number of the Ikas are going to turn against one of their own.

At the end of the day, blood will be thicker than water and all the sugarcoated postulations of the likes of Ojuogboh will come to naught.

That the people of Delta North would turn out to be such political gamblers as to ditch Okowa for an untested candidate from their zone is nothing but a pipe dream, an old wives' tale and just another cock and bull story meant for the politically childish!

Is it Professor Pat Utomi, who has absolutely no political structure worth the name anywhere in this world, least of all in Delta, that any serious politician can convince us is in any position to give Okowa even as much as a semblance of a fight, much less stands the remotest chance of defeating him?

As for Olorogun O'tega Emerhor who is presently prancing about, pitiably trying to sell the utter fiction that he is a leader in Urhobo land when he cannot even command the political loyalty of his tiny Evwreni enclave, his claims of being capable of convincing the Urhobos to support an APC candidate from Delta North in 2019 is nothing but a rather poorly packaged political scam.

Or, is it Engr. Victor Ochei, who Okowa keeps politically humiliating in Delta North, right down to his Aniocha North enclave, that some rascally loudmouthed rabble-rouser out there is going to convince us is somehow going to give Okowa the political fight of his life and wrestle him to the ground?

O'tega is quite well known to me and while he may feel confident about taking others of lower intellectual capacity for a ride, he himself knows that he is not more intelligent than me and that I am not the sort of person he can make a fool of.

Name the potential candidate and he or she collapses into puniness when measured against Okowa.

The truth is that O'tega has come to the realisation that being incapable of winning even his Evwreni ward, much less winning Ughelli North, or Delta Central, he would only be fooling himself should he continue to tell himself he has any hope of ever becoming Governor of Delta State.

Which Okowa is anyone of these gentlemen even remotely likely to dent politically much less be deemed to be in a position to execute a technical knockout against?

Come to think of it, and with due respect to all of these gentlemen, even if they were all fused together into one, will any astute political pundit wager his money on their being able to defeat Okowa, of all people?

The simple truth is that the notion that some candidate from Delta North is the APC's joker against a shrewd political grandmaster like Okowa is a tall ambition incapable of coming to fruition!

In fact, while still in the APC, one of the most depressing trends I noticed was the tendency amongst the ever quarrelsome and quarrelling leaders of Delta APC to keep giving their party members the impression that defeating Okowa in 2019 is a victory already in the bag.

I often jokingly wondered whose bag and if I could take a peek at it!

Apparently, rather than continue fooling himself, he has decided that it will be much better for him to fool the rest of us.

Knowing full well that he cannot become Governor, he wickedly does not want another Urhobo man to be Governor, hence he came up with this utter crap of APC fielding a candidate from Delta North against Okowa in 2019!

Now, O'tega cannot tell me that he doesn't know that all Okowa needs to do against an APC candidate from Delta North is to simply go to the Urhobos and remind the good people of Delta Central that when it was their turn to produce a Governor, their son ruled for eight years.

Then he shifts base to Delta South to remind them that when it was their turn to produce a Governor, their son also ruled for eight years.

He then points out to them that if an APC candidate from Delta North

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T H I S D AY WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018

were to succeed in unseating him, there is no guarantee that such person will be satisfied with doing only one term of four years as O'tega and his irritating bunch of political neophytes would have us believe.

Should such person later insist on doing eight years, as would be expected of him as a typical Nigerian politician, we would then end up with a situation in which whereas both Delta Central and Delta South did just eight year stints, Delta North would be doing twelve years just because a group of grownup men and women calling themselves politicians woefully failed to see beyond their noses, all in the name of unseating Okowa!

Now the people of Delta Central and Delta South will surely then wonder what in the world could possibly entitle Delta North to have twelve straight years while they only got to do eight years each!

Detribalized as I am, I personally will never tolerate a situation in which my Urhobo ethnic nationality did only eight years only for Delta North to end up doing twelve and only God knows what after that!

It cannot possibly make sense for Delta Central, the most populous part of the state to do eight years only for Delta North to end up doing twelve!

That is certainly never going to happen.

By the same token, it is utter insanity that while Delta South, comprising the Itsekiris, Ijaws and Isokos, including a sizable number of Urhobos, gets to do just eight years, Delta North enjoys an unprecedented twelve year stretch.

Having thus laid the foundation, all Okowa needs to do is to entreat them that since constitutionally, all he can do is another term of four years, he should be allowed to, so that power finally shifts to Delta Central for the cycle to begin all over again!

The people of Delta Central and Delta South that I know and belong to will surely buy the idea and vote for him! Anyone who figures or claims otherwise is an ignoramus, a liar or a fool and should stop deceiving us even if he decides to continue deceiving himself!

After all, the people will simply come to the conclusion that it is better to allow Okowa another four years after which someone from Delta Central can takeover rather than to send him packing for another person from the same Delta North to come in and insisting on doing eight years with the effect of Delta North doing a total of an inequitable twelve years at the expense of the other two senatorial districts.

This is precisely how real politics works and if there's a politician out there that does not know this, he does not know anything.

Nobody should fool himself that there is any potential candidate from Delta North that will end up doing only four years. That is just the biggest lie of the century.

Nigerian politicians do not behave in that manner. They may solemnly promise to do just one term, even swear on the Bible, on their mother's grave and on their children's heads combined, and, when it is time to leave, they will insist with a straight face that they are going nowhere!

Nothing would annoy, infuriate and alienate the citizens of both Delta Central and Delta South more than the prospect of Delta North ruling for twelve years when they both did only eight years each.

So let everyone just forget about it for as far as I can project, no one from Delta North is defeating Okowa in 2019, which leaves the opposition with the option of fielding a candidate from Delta Central.

Unfortunately for all the Okowa haters, not even this option can take off and land safely without pitiably crashing midair with miserable consequences for all who had invested their political resources therein.

As we have already seen more than enough times now, no one senatorial district, including Delta Central can do it alone and achieve gubernatorial victory in the state on its own and there is absolutely no need to keep deceiving ourselves.

In order to win, other senatorial districts must buy into the ambition of any one district or the candidate from that district will fail.

Yet such cooperation across districts in itself evokes a consensus envisaging not only the equality of all three zones but also equity for

each and every one of them.

In such a situation it would be deemed to be highly unfair, unequal and inequitable for Delta Central to have done eight years, Delta South to have done another eight years only for Delta North to end up doing only four years.

For even Delta South to have the confidence that when it gets to its turn again in the future, power will be allowed to shift to it, it must have been seen to have equitably gone round the three senatorial zones of the state thus firmly establishing the political equality of all parts of the state.

If we of Central and indeed, Delta South, cannot imagine Delta North doing a total of twelve years while we each did only eight years, then we cannot at the same time proceed to deprive Delta North of a second term to complete its own eight years.

If Delta North cannot be allowed to take the turn of Delta Central come 2023 through an APC candidate from Delta North, then surely we cannot make a case for stealing the second term of Delta North in 2019 through an APC candidate from Delta Central!

In short, we are left with a straightforward political equation whereby since Delta North cannot rule for twelve years, we cannot at the same time prevent them from ruling for eight years.

Since, knowing Nigerian politicians for what they are, another candidate from Delta North, other than Okowa, is not likely to genuinely agree to do only one term of office and vacate the seat when the time comes, it turns out that a second term for Okowa is at the end of the day, not just the best option, but, in fact, the only viable option for everyone.

If we allow him his just second tenure of another four years in office, Delta North would thus have completed their just and equitable eight years like other parts of the state for power to then shift to Central for the process to start all over again.

It is time for all of us to do our political arithmetic well enough for our own good and the good of the state instead of allowing the perennial failures that have converged in APC to keep playing us like a guitar when it is the same Okowa they are deluding themselves they can defeat that remains everyone's best bet come 2019.

As is his custom, Chief Great Ogboru must be spreading wide somewhere, as usual, feeling like a general when he was never enlisted in any army, imperiously conning his pathetic rabble of supporters that he has finally found the secret of defeating Okowa and the PDP. Unfortunately, there is just no way Ogboru can build the consensus across the state to win and is only leading his pitiable “army� into another even more pitiable defeat at the hands of Okowa and the PDP, who, on their part, are warming up to defeat him as usual.

Going forward, I can find no tenable reason to either continue to deceive myself or allow myself to be deceived by political jokers any more.

Instead of making an enemy of Okowa when it is clear he is returning, it is my candid opinion that our better option in Delta Central, is to join hands with him, take ownership of his ambition and firmly plant ourselves in the position of stakeholders in his administration come 2019.

To those still painfully roaming in the wilderness of the opposition in Delta, my advice is that instead of continuing to deceive themselves, the bitter truth is that it is in supporting Okowa and ensuring they are part and parcel of those who return him come 2019 that their political credibility can be confirmed.

Needless to say, only thus can they avoid a situation in which they remain outsiders in his government for yet another four years of political misery.

Barr. JESUTEGA ONOKPASA, 178 Sapele/Warri Road, Sapele, Delta State.

07037212475 ekwetafia@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

THE NEWSMAKER

Against all Odds, Umeh Makes History The swearing in of a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh as the senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District is a dream come true for the APGA chieftain, writes David-Chyddy Eleke

H

is journey into the red chambers began in 2014, during the build up to the 2015 general election. It was Umeh’s birthday, and his friends and political allies ‘conspired’ and organised fo him a surprise birthday party in Awka. It turned out to be a political gathering as his friends and political followers left no stone unturned to impress their mentor, who was at that time the national chairman of the party and just getting prepared to leave office.

The venue of the event was decorated with all manner of banners, most of which bore inscriptions of who he was to different people, but inside the hall was a larger than life banner with the inscription; Chief Victor Umeh for senate, Anambra Central. Umeh was shocked when he entered the hall and was greeted with ‘a happy birthday’ chorus.

He was further taken aback when he looked up and saw the big banner. For one, the man who is good at laying ambush for political opponent was ambushed!

Speaker after speaker spoke and all pointed to one direction. They insisted that there was the need to send Umeh to the Senate as a voice for Ndigbo. It was all joy when Umeh finally spoke, stating that he would heed the call. That was how the journey to the National Assembly began for Umeh.

It took Umeh three years since after the 2015 election, which he claimed he won to get to the Senate. After such a tortuous journey, and after defeating 13 others candidates overwhelmingly defeat on 13th January, Last Thursday, 18th January, Umeh appeared at the Senate for his swearing in.

It was a historic event, especially for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, which will be having its first senator from the state. At 10:53 a.m. the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki led other principal officers into the hallowed chambers of the Senate for the days activities.

Shortly after, the Chief Whip took the floor and announced that there’s a swearing in ceremony and subsequently moved a motion to set aside the rules of the Senate to enable Chief Willie Obiano, the Governor of Anambra State, his Deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke, some members of the House of Representatives from Anambra State, some members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, all of who had accompanied Umeh and his wife, Prica, attend the swearing in.

At 10:55 a.m. Victor Umeh took the Bible in his right hand and took the official oath of allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and oath of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as prescribed by Oaths Act 1990, and in less than 10 minutes, the deal was over, and the long red cap was officially admitted into the red chambers as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It was a day that could be described as an unofficial public holiday for Anambra people. With the governor, deputy governor, top commissioners and aides of the governor away to witness the swearing in ceremony, the state workforce can as well be said to have been set at a pause mode that day. That however was not enough as the Anambra State House of Assembly, which was billed to sit on that day quickly shelved its sitting, with the speaker and a good number of members storming the National Assembly for Umeh.

This was not unexpected, as the house of assembly in Anambra is handsomely populated by members of Umeh’s APGA. THISDAY reporter who was at the assembly

Umeh

to cover its plenary, especially the defence of the 2018 budget proposal, which was presented to the house by the governor in December 2017 and billed to be defended by some ministries learnt that the sitting would not hold as a result of the swearing in of the former national chairman of APGA. It was learnt that most of the members of the house of assembly had gone to Abuja ro show solidarity to Umeh.

Obinna Emenaka, a member of the house of assembly who represents Anambra East constituency told our correspondent that he was not aware if Umeh’s swearing in ceremony was the reason for the refusal of the house to sit. He said, “I was already preparing for sitting today, but received a text message from the speaker to inform us that there will not be sitting today. I cannot tell you it was

I am well aware that I have limited time to spend before the end of the 8th Senate, but I will never be limited by time in the things I believe I can do

because of Umeh’s swearing in, but I can only say that we received a message to notify us there will not be sitting today.”

The chairman house committee on information, Kingsley Iruba could not speak with our correspondent despite repeated calls to his phone.

Meanwhile, the swearing-in of Umeh as senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District threw his constituents into instant jubilation at about midday, when the news broke. As soon as the news of the swearingin filtered into Awka the state capital city members of the constituency, APGA faithfuls, and Umeh’s well wishers fell into a bout of celebration.

Some members of the party who spoke to our correspondent said that they were happy that at last, Umeh made it to the Senate.

Chief Nnaemeka Orji, a stalwart of APGA in Idemili South Local Government said the rerun election and Umeh’s swearing in were the handiworks of God. He said, “It is the hand of God working for his people, we in Anambra Central have been without any senator representing us thereby losing our entitlements at the federal and some people who claim to love the zone were comfortable with it.

They (enemies of Umeh) kept jeopardizing every effort to conduct a rerun election for the zone for two years now until the creator of heaven and earth said enough is enough.”

For Chief Dan Ogbuefi, Umeh’s swearingin has brought peace to the zone, just as it has put a stop to unnecessary and unending

litigation. He said, “We have suffered for two years, do you know what that means? The empowerment that would have come to our people, the employments, at least personal staff and other favours that would have come our way, all these are what we have been suffering. We however thank God that today He has shown that he has the superior power over all of us no matter our wealth and connections.”

The newly sworn in senator, may have however shown the world what to expect in the less than two years that is left of his four years tenure. After his swearing in, Umeh took to the floor of the Senate to speak about the 2014 national conference report which is still lying unimplemented. He said the clamour for the restructuring of the country, structure and social responsibilities of government, have all been addressed by the conference of 2014. He called on the federal government to consider the report as it remains a landmark document which also addressed power sharing and political structure.

He said, “It is an encyclopedia for charting the path for a good Nigeria. Unfortunately it was not given the attention it deserves.

Restructuring has been misconstrued to mean the disintegration of Nigeria. Those holding that notion want the status quo to remain, there is no way you sustain a status quo that is full of disaffection. We need to go back to that report.” He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to work to preside over a peaceful and truly united nation saying, “It is easier to anchor our nation to the future by doing those things that are crucial to survival of the nation.”

Not willing to push his luck too far, especially as a new entrant, Umeh had told journalists shortly after he won the rerun election that; “I am well aware that I have limited time to spend before the end of the 8th Senate, but I will never be limited by time in the things I believe I can do. Lost time is lost. We look forward to the present and the future. I still have 18 months to work for my people. I have always said I am never limited with time.

“By the time I get there, I will do my utmost best to support the present leadership of the Senate. I will try to be ingenious in making my own contribution to the good of my people and the entire Nigerians. I will explore the possibility of receiving the needed attention from the leadership. They have to look at my constituency with pity for what has happened to us,” he added.

An Igbo titled chief, with over 50 traditional chieftaincy titles, Umeh who is popularly known as Ohamadike, which translates in English as; society knows who a warrior is, has carved a unique identity for himself, with his long red cap. In one of his numerous interviews, Umeh told journalists that his long red cap though portrays him as an ancient personality to some people, but is worn for easy identification.

A fan of Umeh, Mr Walter Ezechukwu who was among those who glowingly celebrated Umeh on the day of his swearing in said, “where are all those people who said Umeh will not be a senator? Did they not observe that a long red cap has appeared in the red chambers? What am telling you is that, with his clout, personality and intelligence, and above all, his long red cap, the presiding officer of the Senate can not look away or claim not to notice him when Ohamadike raises his hand on the floor of the senate. Go and tell them that despite their antics, the long red cap has finally appeared in the red chambers to give Ndigbo a voice.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

PERSPECTIVE

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

As Time Runs Out for Not Too Young to Run Bill With the release of a comprehensive timetable for the 2019 general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, time is running out for the passage of the Not Too Young to Run Bill into law, writes Moshood Isah

Saraki mobilized Senators to pass the bill

I

t is no more news that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the schedule of activities for the all-important 2019 general election and this basically means there is now a sacrosanct timeline which all electoral activities must fall within.

According to INEC, both the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 16, 2019 while governorship and state assembly elections will also hold same day on March 2, two weeks after the presidential election.

The dates for the election might not be as important as the timeline when the party primaries and submission of candidates form to INEC must take place as that will ultimately determine what candidate political parties will impose on Nigerians to choose. The conduct of party primaries including resolution of disputes arising from primaries for national and state elections according to the INEC time table has been slated for between August 18 and 2018 to October 7, 2018.

This basically means, young Nigerians have barely ten months to push for the #NotTooYoungToRun bill, make up our minds to run for political office and pull through the political parties’ bottle-neck.

Kudos to the National Assembly (the Senate and the House of Representatives) for playing its own part by passing the #NotTooYoungToRun bill since July last year. Although it took a bit of time for the bill to get transmitted to the state houses of assembly but its over a month since the bill has been with the state assemblies.

Dogara also ensured passage of the bill

Thus, it’s time to get the final push and see that at least 24 states if not all 36 states pass the age reduction bill along with the independent candidacy bill. This will not only give young Nigerians aspiring for political offices the opportunity to run in 2019 but will also give us ample time to navigate the political parties’ hassles and other conundrums ahead of the general elections.

More so, the independent candidacy bill is another bill on the table of the state houses of assembly which is also as important as the age reduction bill. The independent candidacy bill, if passed would also completely help young politicians to completely evade the intrigues in political party politics.

Its cheering to know that the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign, a citizen-led movement led by the Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) has been embraced not only in Nigeria but in sub-Africa region and other parts of the world. YIAGA, along with other youth friendly organizations, embarked on ferocious advocacy across Nigeria organising town-hall meetings,

It is time to get the final push and see that at least 24 states, if not all 36 states, pass the age reduction bill along with the independent candidacy bill

nationwide protests, engagement of lawmakers, dissemination of letters to lawmakers, social media campaigns and every other legitimate means to get the attention of Nigerians and indeed the world.

The massive presence of youth organizations, media outlets including broadcast, print, online and social media discussions on the #NotTooYoungToRun town hall meetings back in December 2017, coupled with unending conversations on the issue went a long way in showing that young Nigerians only needed a little push to actualize that necessity of taking over their own future. The need for inclusion of youths who make up about 70 per cent of African population is a no brainer and should not be up for debate.

Borne out of the NotTooYoungToRun campaign, is the ReadyToRun; a movement dedicated to inspiring young men and women to run for office. This is in a bid to make a statement that young people can demonstrate excellent public leadership with immense capacity to address Africa’s governance challenges.

Scrolling through the #ReadyToRun website reveals a whole lot that citizens are not only taking a giant stride towards leadership but also youths have been educated and sensitized enough to know the social resources they possess in their repertoire.

Within two months of launching the #ReadyToRun platform, over 160 young men and women have expressed interest to run for political offices at various levels. This is no doubt borne out of the urgent need for responsive, accountable and innovative leadership on the

African continent. The platform therefore after intense perusal looks like an avenue that will inspire young people to participate in and sanitize politics in Nigeria on the long run. Although, there is a general perception that Nigerian politics tends to be dirty, recent experience has showed that, only the players are dirty which makes preparation for the next phase of political dispensation inevitable.

Political campaigns and winning elections are a complex mix which require specialized skills and knowledge.

Undoubtedly, opportunities are plenty for young people to run for elective offices. However, such opportunities must be tapped into by persons with requisite capacity and competence. As we continue to generate knowledge on youth candidacy in Africa via monitoring trends on youth participation in politics, it is important to utilize any opportunity at hand like the #ReadyToRun platform which will profile and promote youth candidates with capacity, integrity, competence and creativity.

With the launch of the #ReadyToRun platform, young candidates can be located, mobilized and supported in a bid to eliminate any form of phobia and apprehension faced by youths when it comes to contesting and winning elections. This also comes with training opportunities via organizations to build leadership and organizing capacity. In 2019, young people are ‘ReadyToRun’.

But will they get the chance? t*TBI JT UIF .FEJB 0GGJDFS PG :PVUI *OJUJBUJWF GPS "EWPDBDZ (SPXUI BOE "EWBODFNFOU

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FEATURES

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

Doctors Cry for Help in C'River Medical doctors in Cross River State are now living in fear of kidnappers, writes Bassey Inyang

I

n the last one year, medical doctors living, and working in Cross River State have become endangered species due to the fact that they have become frequent targets of criminals.

Not even the hospitals and medical centres, which to some extent are considered sacred places, are safe haven for the healthcare providers. At least in one instance, a female medical doctor was reported to have been forcefully taken away from her duty post at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), and raped by the criminals.

The normal sense of security provided by the day light has proven inadequate to deter criminals from kidnapping doctors, who provide healthcare for citizens. A case in point was a broad day light armed robbery attack at the premises of the UCTH last year, where a staff of a bank was killed.

But, most worrisome to the medical doctors in the last one year is the introduction of the kidnapping of their members, in what the healthcare providers feel has assumed a dimension of targeted-kidnapping for ransom.

The situation which they have found themselves has driven fear of insecurity, and personal safety into their psyche to the extent that they fear being identified in public as medical doctors.

So, on Wednesday, January 10, this year, medical doctors in Cross River State under the aegis of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), took to the streets of Calabar in protest against the frequent kidnapping of their members operating in the state.

According to the protesting medical doctors, no fewer than seven of their members, and in some instances, relations of medical doctors practicing in the state were kidnapped in 2017 alone.

The doctors who marched through several streets in the morning took their protest to Government House at Diamond Hill, where they announced that they have downed their tools until their member, and Senior Registrar in Paediatrics, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Dr. Emem Udoh, who was kidnapped in the morning of Tuesday, January 9, was released.

What apparently irked the doctors to the extent of moving them into the streets was the audacious abduction of Udoh, barely 24 hours after, another medical doctor; Dr. Usang Ekanem was released on Sunday, January 7, having been kidnapped on December 26 last year.

Before Ekanem was released, the NMA had threatened to embark on total strike if he did not get his freedom unconditionally from the kidnappers' den.

When Ekanem was in captivity in the kidnappers’ den, the NMA addressed journalists on Friday after they had an emergency general meeting.

Chairman of the Association, Dr. Effiong Mkpanam, who delivered the address on behalf of the NMA lamented what he said was “an upsurge in the cases of targeted kidnapping of medical practitioners.�

Mkpanam said Ekanem, who was practicing with the College of Education Medical Centre in Akamkpa Local Government Area, was abducted on December 26, 2017, and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of N100 million. “The NMA Cross River State, hereby instructs all its members, both in Public and Private Medical Facilities, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Institutional Hospitals, General Hospitals, Medical Centres, Mission Hospitals and Private Clinics and Hospitals) within Cross River State, that as from 8.00a.m. of Monday 8th January, 2018, to observe a total, and indefinite withdrawal of services to members of the public, until such a time that our colleague is safely released by his captors, and measures taken to forestall future occurrences,� the chairman said. “As we address you today, it is with grief that we make public the fact that a very Senior Medical Practitioner, and a one-time Chairman

Doctors in Calabar protesting against incessant kidnapping of their members

Dr. Emem Udoh kidnapped and later released

of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has been in the kidnappers den for 10 days and counting, specifically from Tuesday 26th December, 2017, and the state government and various security agencies in the state seem unable to offer any meaningful assistance towards securing his release. “It is from the foregoing, that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Cross River State Branch arising from this emergency general meeting, and believing it has allowed enough time for constructive negotiations, hereby make bold to take the following measures until the

On Wednesday, January 10, this year, medical doctors in Cross River State under the aegis of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), took to the streets of Calabar in protest against the frequent kidnapping of their members operating in the state

safe release of our colleague from his captivity in the kidnappers' den is facilitated by those saddled with that responsibility. “We are hereby using this medium to call on the following persons, His Excellency Prof.

Benedict Ayade, the Chief Security Officer of Cross River State; the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris; the Assistant Inspector General Police (AIG) Zone 6, Abubakar Marafa; the Commissioner of Police Cross River State Command, Hafiz Inuwa; the Director General Department of State Services, Lawal Musa Daura; and the State Director, Department of State Services to immediately intervene as a matter of urgency, to ensure the immediate safe release of our colleague, and to forestall the unpleasant consequences that a total shut down of medical services will cause the good people of Cross River State. “We also enjoin the security agencies in the state, to heighten their intelligence gathering and service delivery to prevent future reoccurrence of “doctor- targeted� kidnappings in Cross River State. “The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State regrets any inconveniences this action taken may cause the general public

and wish to advice law-abiding members of the public requiring medical attention within this period, to seek services in neighbouring states of the federation. We cannot continue to safeguard the lives of others, while ours is under constant threat by kidnappers and armed bandits and those charged with the responsibility of offering protection simply watch us suffer physical and psychological trauma. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian Medical Association will withdraw clinical services without any notice, any time a doctor is taken captive in future. We cannot continue to save the lives of others while ours is not secured.�

But, the NMA suspended the planed strike as the kidnappers who seem to have taken the threat from the medical doctors seriously swiftly released Ekanem before the expiration of the deadline. THISDAY could not establish whether any ransom, in cash form, was paid before he was released.

However, the release of Ekanem may have been a gimmick deployed by the kidnappers to stop the medical doctors from withdrawing their services because, it was no sooner than he was released that the kidnappers abducted Udoh, a nursing mother, from her Calabar residence.

The abduction of Udoh can be described as the last straw that broke the camel's back.

To the medical doctors, the dimensions the kidnapping of their members, and the brazen manner the abductions were executed demanded swift, and decisive responses, so the medical doctors did not only down their tools. They took the fight against their insecurity to the streets, court of public opinion; and to the Government House, Calabar and the seat of power in the state.

At the Government House, Mkpanam who led his members declared that until Udoh was released unconditionally by her abductors, all public, private and missionary hospitals in the state will remain closed from Wednesday, January 10. “We are not safe and we want people to know that we cannot go to work because we are not safe. We want unconditional release of Dr. Emem Udoh who is a nursing mother and until she is released, all the doctors in Cross River State will sit at home. Anybody who wants medical treatment should go to the neighbouring states,� the NMA chairman said.

Mkpanam said the strike by the doctors, which is a sit-at-home action, would “last for the whole period that Dr. Emem Udoh will be held by the abductors. “We will not go back until government ensures the release of Udoh because it is the duty of government to protect the citizens.�

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FEATURES

Speaking in line with the chairman, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NMA in the state, Dr. Ernest Ochang, said that it was the decision of the association’s leadership to ensure that medical doctors downed their tools until Udoh was released unconditionally.

Ochang put the blame for the frequent and targeted abduction of medical doctors in the state on government. “The litmus test for any leader is security, and safety of its citizens. But, when we are not safe, we dare say that the government has failed the litmus test. “The government, however, has the litmus test of redeeming itself, which is to bring Dr. Emem Udoh back. If Dr. Emem is brought back today, we will resume work today. But, until then anyone seeking medical attention in Cross River State should go to neighbouring states. “If after today Dr. Emem Udoh is not released, we will occupy Government House, the Police Headquarters and the DSS office. We will sit there indefinitely until Dr. Emem is brought back�, Ochang said.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Tina Agbor, a lawyer, while responding to the demands, and comments of the medical doctors, said government was doing everything possible to secure the release of the abducted doctor. ]Agbor said Governor Ben Ayade, was unhappy with the security situation in the state. “It is unfortunate that soon after one of the doctors was released, another one was abducted, and this time, a woman. I am a woman. And right now, the State Security Adviser is on the streets trying to solve this problem. You did not need to come here to remind us of our duty because we are doing something about it,� the SSG said.

Before the Wednesday street protest, the NMA had issued a press statement on the evening of Tuesday, January 9, where they dropped the hint that they had downed their tools.

They also demanded that government should take some immediate actions including the immediate redeployment of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa.

The statement signed by Mkpanam, and the secretary of the NMA in the state, Dr. Ikechukwu Ukweh, read as in part: "Gentlemen of the press, you will recall that four days ago, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State Branch called a press conference in respect of the kidnap of a doctor in Akamkpa Local Government Area, Cross River State and we raised concerns that these kidnappings seemed to be targeted at doctors living in Cross River State.

"The Nigerian Medical Association Cross River State for the avoidance of doubts cannot continue to safeguard the lives of others while ours is under constant threat by armed bandits and kidnappers.

"It surprisingly will appear at this point, that the various security organisations in the state are either helpless or are complicit in this kidnapping racketeering in Cross River State.

Or how else will one explain the fact that a doctor is kidnapped just within three days of the release of another from kidnappers, and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are never identified and arrested. “From the foregoing, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Cross River State Branch therefore resolves as follows: members are to immediately withdraw all medical services in all hospitals; private and public, from the hills of Obanlikwu to the creeks of Bakassi LGA, until our colleague is released to us, safely without any conditions.

"We call for the immediate transfer of the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command out of this state, due to the upsurge in kidnapping, and violent crimes in the state.

"The Inspector General of Police (IGP) should as a matter of urgency send a carefully selected crack team of specially trained officers to save the lives of law abiding citizens of Cross River from the onslaught of these kidnappers. “We appeal to the Cross River State House of Assembly to as a matter of urgency pass a law prescribing capital punishment for those convicted of kidnapping in a competent court of law. “We demand the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators involved in the last two incidences of kidnapping of doctors by the crack team of specially trained officers from the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abuja.�

But, Inuwa has absolved the police of any

Doctors on the streets of Calabar demanding Dr. Emem Udoh's release

NMA oďŹƒcial addressing journalists at Government House, Calabar during the protest

Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade...should provide adequate security for doctors in the state

blame over the kidnapping saga. He said it was on record that the 2017 edition of the Carnival

For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian Medical Association will withdraw clinical services without any notice, any time a doctor is taken captive in future. We cannot continue to save the lives of others while ours is not secured

Calabar has been adjudged the best in terms of security provided by the police, as no death or serious crime was recorded. “Not knowing there was a press release by the NMA, they sat down here for two hours commending my own effort, and commending the efforts of the command. So, you can see the irony of it. I am telling you, to the extent that the PRO of NMA said when the police sent some officers to them, they (officers) told them who the police commissioner was. When they came here it was commendation, commendation, commendation,� the police commissioner said.

The commissioner said the police in the state was doing everything possible to arrest the kidnappers, just as they have arrested some kidnappers in the past.

He said compared to other states, especially in the South-south, and states in other geo-political regions in the country, the crime rate in Cross River State was low, and the police cannot be

isolated from the achievement of that feat.

Udoh was eventually released on Thursday afternoon by those who kidnapped her.

Though Udoh was released on Thursday afternoon, the medical doctors were yet to resume work as of Monday, January 15th.

The NMA said members in the state are now living in fear of being kidnapped due to incompetence and lack of understanding of the level of insecurity faced by medical doctors practicing in the state.

So, the doctors announced on Saturday morning that they were still on strike because Udoh was not released unconditionally as demanded by the NMA in the state.

In a press release signed by Ochang, the medical doctors said contrary to reports making the rounds, Udoh was not rescued by the police, but was released after her family paid ransom to the kidnappers. The press release entitled ‘Why we are still on sit at home’, read as follows: "Contrary to public perceptions, and information bandied around, which is anything but correct, no rescue was made.

The family of Dr. Emem Udoh paid a ransom to the kidnappers. So, she was not released unconditionally as demanded by doctors. Dr. Usang Ekanem also paid a ransom. Therefore, doctors feel they are still not safe as nothing has changed.

"Doctors feel the kidnappers will likely grab another person once they exhaust their booty.

The NMA is also irked that, at this moment, a Red Cross volunteer who is a primary school teacher in Akpabuyo is still in captivity, and his captors are demanding one million naira ransom.

"Some arrests were made by the DSS at the local community at Etankpini, Odukpani Local Government Area, where both Dr. Usang and Udoh were abandoned, but there is yet any information that they were connected to the kidnapping.

"The much we can say is that the ransom has not been recovered. The NMA also received a letter Signed by the Chief Security Adviser Mr. Jude Ngaji, which members felt was a clear demonstration of either incompetence or lack of understanding.�

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IMAGES

L-R: Group Managing Director, VIKO Nigeria, Mr. Chidi Lucky Kanu; Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Special Duties, Hon. Yakubu Gowon; Chief of Sta to the Governor, Chief Taiwo Akerele and the Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Aairs, Hon. Osazee Osemwegie-Ero, after the unveiling of the Tourism Information Desks, at the Benin Airport,..recently

L-R: Iyaloja of Tejuosho Market, Alhaja. Naimot Majek-Fademiluyi; President, Rotary Club of Iponri, Rotarian Shina Badaru and Chairman, Service Projects, Rotary Club of Iponri, Rotarian James Akintolu, during the free health and medical outreach and screening programme by the iponri branch of Rotary Club, at Tejuosho Market, in Lagos....recently

Speaker, Adamawa state House of Assembly, Rt Hon Kabiru Mijimyawa (L) and Senator Binta Garuba Massi representing Adamawa North during the presentation of ‘ICON OF DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIES’to the Senator by United Nations (UN) Women in Abuja...recently julius Atoi/thisday images

L-R: Author, Poet and Activist, Dr Alfred Mulade; Executive Director, National Point newspaper, Ms Ibiba DonPedro and Niger Delta activist and environmentalist, Ms Annkio Briggs at the presentation of the Golden Community Leadership Award to Chief Government Ekpemupolo at the 10th Anniversary celebration of National Point newspaper in Port Harcourt... recently

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L-R: Human Resources Manager, Nuts About Cakes, Lewa Koloko; CEO, Nike Majekodunmi, and, Executive Assistant, Deji Somoye during the opening of Nuts About Cakes at Akin Olugbade, Victoria Island, Lagos...recently

Osun State PDP Gubernatorial aspirant, Professor Adeolu Durotoye(left) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo during a coutesy visit by Durotoye to Obasanjo at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta...recently

L-R;Managing Director, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Adam Nuru; Group Chief Executive of Radisson West Africa, Mr. Andre McCan and Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, at the commissioning ceremony of Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos...recently

L-R; Human Resources and Admin Manager, Kewalram Chanrai Group, Mr. Gbenga Oguntusin;Group’s Vice President, Projects, Rotn Sanjeev Tandon and former Chief of General Sta/ Baba Ijo, United African Methodist Evangelical Church, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya (rtd) the during the visit by the kewalram’s team to Gen. Diya in Ikeja, Lagos..recently

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BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Chika Amanze-Nwachuku Email chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157

Íł Ëœ Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ Íś MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

REPO 18.33% 19%

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

17.83% 18.83% 19.83%

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

333.95% 0.71% 1.36%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

1.36% 1.36%

EXCHANGE RATE N305/1US DOLLAR* ĚŠ

Quick Takes Nigeria Pension Awards Hold March 29

SEALED AND SIGNED

LR: Chairman Senforce Insurance Brokers, Mr. Anirejuoritse Ojuyah; Executive Director, Wapic Insurance plc, Mr. Olufemi Obaleke; Managing Director, Wapic Insurance Plc, Mrs. Yinka Adekoya; Chairman Wapic Insurance Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede and President, Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick, at the oďŹƒcial signing ceremony of a partnership agreement appointing Wapic Insurance Plc as the OďŹƒcial Insurer and Co-sponsor of the NFF...recently

FG Urged to Focus on Inclusive Growth Obinna Chima The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has stressed the need for policymakers in the country to rethink the country’s growth model by placing priority on inclusiveness.

The NESG stated this in its 2018 macroeconomic outlook titled: “Growing Beyond Numbers: Will Nigeria’s Growth Be Inclusive in 2018 and Beyond?� obtained on Monday.

According to the group, making growth inclusive should not be a negotiable priority for the government. “The concern for the economy should go beyond the narrative of mere growth.

The emphasis should be on ensuring that more resources are

ECONOMY efficiently utilised; the benefits of growth are equitably distributed and resilience is built against downside risks,� it explained.

It noted that the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) prioritises job creation by deepening the existing job creation programmes as well as launching new ones. Also, the NESG report pointed out that the ERGP’sassumption on growth path is clear and with the help of supportive monetary policy, economic expansion could gain momentum.

This, it however stated was conditioned on a favourable outlook in the oil sector, stating that in the case of a decline in

oil revenue, the CentralBank of Nigeria would likely step down forex supply than empty the reserves in order to preserve sovereign creditworthiness, which essentially would starve the real sector. “Eventually, the return of policy uncertainty cannot be ruled out. However, efficient utilisation of resources in the production process could forestall a lot of downside risks as well as make growth resilient along its journey to a potential level “In addressing unemployment and poverty challenges, there is need to ensure high economic growth that creates jobs and economic opportunities,� it added.

According to the NESG,

since the year 2000, Nigeria’s economic growth has not delivered significant poverty and unemployment reduction. “Failure to achieve inclusiveness is largely as a result of the fact that economic growth was not broad-based. A major reason why GDP growth has not translated into improved living standards can be found in the pattern of economic growth over the last two decades. “Nigeria’s economic growth pattern can be simply explained by the phrase ‘service-led growth.’ From 2000 to 2015, the services sector contributed 61 to real GDP growth. “Key subsectors such as Continued on page 24

‘Embracing Digital Payments Can Save $710m for Govt Annually’ Goddy egene Using more of digital payments can make government to save close to $710 million a year in administrative costs. Also, using more digital payments can increase tax revenue for cities to an average $534 million a year, while a reduction in crime can save additional $53 million for cities in a year.

These were revealed by a unique study commissioned by Visa and conducted by Roubini ThoughtLab. According to the research, the use of cash is time-consuming, inefficient, and sometimes risky. The research explained why cities around the world should consider moving toward digital payments, and demonstrates the potential benefits of their increased adoption

ECONOMY to consumers, businesses, and governments across 100 cities worldwide.

In cities like Lagos, Nigeria, digital payment usage today is not very high. According to the research, 12 per cent of consumers are reportedly relying solely on digital payments in Lagos. In this city, which the report classifies as “cash centric,� consumers incur significant costs as a result of their dependence on cash. The report indicates that an average consumer in Lagos spends nearly 22 minutes per month on cash-related activities, whereas in Stockholm, Sweden, which is a world leader in digital payments usage, the average consumer spends less than half that amount of time.

Adults living in cash centric cities are spending on average nearly 3.5 hours managing cash over the course of a year, while those in digitally leading cities spend under an hour.

According to the report, businesses, on average, spend an equivalent of 2 percent of their monthly revenue accepting non-digital payments. Businesses spend an average of 68 hours per week managing cash, and lose about an equivalent of 4 percent (around nine per cent in Lagos) of their revenue per month to theft, counterfeit money, and cash register shortages. Labor cost savings and a strengthened bottom line are just two of the ways in which firms may stand to benefit from increased digital payments usage. Roubini ThoughtLab’s

research found revenues can increase an average of 17 per cent when businesses begin accepting digital payments. “For governments, tax evasion and crime are often the biggest costs of cash. The widespread adoption of digital payments may reduce crime and cut costs related to the handling of administrative tasks, running public transit and toll roads, and administering criminal justice.

Equally important, moving away from cash increases tax revenue thanks to a reduction in the informal economy. On average, governments of the cities the report studied could expect to save close to $710 million a year in administrative costs by making greater use of digital Continued on page 24

TheorganisersofNigeriaPensionAwardsandAfricaFinanceAwards have announced a new date of March 29, 2018 for the 5th edition of the awards. Previously scheduled to take place on January 18, 2018 in Lagos, the programme is designed to honour outstanding professionals and corporate organisations in the pension, ďŹ nance, insuranceandothersectors.Theeventdrawsattendancefromleaders anddecisionmakersacrossdierentsectorsinNigeria,Ghana,Kenya and South Africa. According to the organisers, the postponement was due a decision by the executive committee of the award to give participatingcompaniesfromGhana,KenyaandSouthAfricaawindow to participate at this year’s programme. Some of the winners for the 2017 include:KeystoneBankPlc; OrangeInsuranceBrokers; Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, (PTAD); First Registrar & InvestorServices;ZenithPensionCustodianLimited; ARMPensions, and Capricorn Marine &Technologies Plc. Some past winners of the coveted award are: Stanbic IBTC Pension; Global Outdoor Systems; Oak Pension; Fidelity Pension Managers; DKK & Associates; New Crystal Communications;Tequila Nigeria; First Pension Custodian; AIICO Pension Managers; Crusader Sterling Pensions; FUG Pension and UBA Pension Custodian. Some personalities that have won dierent categories of the award include Managing Director of AIICO Pensions Managers, Mr. Longe Eguarekhide, Mrs. Amaka Andy Azike of Fidelity Pensions and Mrs. Aderonke Adedeji of Leadway Pensure PFA among others.

Ghana Holds Rate at 20%

Ghana’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 20 percent on Monday, citing the need to keep ination within its medium-term target of 8 percent plus or minus two percentage points, governor Ernest Addison told a news conference in the capital Accra.

The major commodity exporter is in its ďŹ nal year of a $918 million credit deal with the International Monetary Fund to narrow deďŹ cit, debt and ination. The Central bank has eased rates by 550 basis points in the past year to foster growth. Addison said the central bank does not recognize bitcoin as a tradeable medium of exchange.

Reuters quoted him as saying: “It is not legal tender and it is not regulated�. But the bank will not clamp down on users, he said, adding that the bank would soon announce a policy on digital currencies.

Ghanaearned$5.78billionfromgoldexportslastyear,upfrom$4.91 billion in 2016 while cocoa revenue totalled $2.71 billion compared to $2.57 billion in 2016. Oil receipts amounted to $3 billion from $1.34 billion. Net international reserves stood at $4.52 billion, or 2.5 months of imports cover, compared to two months cover of $3.4 billion at the end of 2016. Total public debt stood at $31.4 billion, representing 68.7 percent of GDP as of November 2017 , compared to 73.3 percent at the end of 2016.

Concerns over Attacks on Ships

Although there have been no attacks on shipping in the southern PhilippinestokidnapcrewsinceApril2017,anti-piracybodyReCAAP InformationSharingCentrehassaidthesituationintheSulu-Celebes Sea area remains a cause for concern.

Between March 2016 and April 2017 attacks on merchant ships to abduct crew for ransom in the southern Philippines, claimed largely

by Abu Sayaaf, saw 59 seafarers abducted from 13 vessels in the region. While there have been no actual or attempted attacks in the area since April last year Masafumi Kuroki, executive director of ReCAAP, said at a media brieďŹ ng for the release of its annual report on Tuesday: “The concern and threat is not yet eliminated.â€?

Kurokisaidthethreelittoralstateshadmadeeortswithcoordinated patrolsandthePhilippinesgovernmentwasmakingalotofprogress on the issue. “But still I think that the perpetrators who conducted this abduction of crew, the Abu Sayaaf group is still there.They are not completely eliminated so there is still the potential that the Abu Sayaaf group make conduct other similar types of attacks against ships so I think more needs to be done by the Philippines authorities and the regional states to make sure for the shipping industry this area in the Sulu Celebes sea particularly for ship passage is safe for navigation for merchant ships,â€? he explained.

“I hope these positive economic successes will materialise into the much needed inclusive growth that generates jobs, creates improved living standards for our rapidly growing population�

Chairman, UBA Group

Tony Elumelu,

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FG URGED TO FOCUS ON INCLUSIVE GROWTH trade, telecoms, real estate and financial services contributed significantly to this growth. “On the other hand, the productive sectors such as manufacturing, construction and agro-processing only accounted for 15 per cent of overall growth during the same period,� it added.

The report stated that the growing services sector and rising unemployment rate suggests that value addition in the service sector was low, relative to the productive sector.

Because growth was driven by a few activity sectors, the number of jobs created in the formal sector did not match the number of entrants into the labour market, it added.

For instance, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), an average of two million people entered into the labour market between 2006 and 2011 while about 1.2 million jobs were created annually. ‘EMBRACING DIGITAL PAYMENTS CAN SAVE $710M FOR GOVT ANNUALLY’ payments. A reduction in crime can potentially save the cities studied an additional $53 million per year on average,� it stressed.

The research explained that as cities increase their use of digital payments, the positive impacts extend beyond financial benefits to consumers, businesses, and government. “The shift to digital payments also may have a catalytic effect on the city’s overall economic performance, including GDP, employment, wage, and productivity growth. The data suggests that combination of greater economic activity, lower crime and greater ease of living could make cities with increasing rates of digital payments more attractive to businesses, talent, and tourists,� it added.

Advising on what cities and national governments do to help usher in a cashless culture, the report highlighted five immediate and actionable steps they can consider taking to reduce cash reliance.

FSDH Foresees 3.16% GDP Growth for Nigeria in 2018 Obinna Chima Analysts at FSDH Merchant Bank have estimated a real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 3.16 per cent for Nigeria in 2018.

In addition, the Lagos-based firm also projected an ambitious growth rate of 4.09 per cent for the country in 2019.

FSDH Merchant Bank made the forecasts in its 2018 economic projection that was obtained on Monday.

Although the fourth quarter 2017 GDP figures are yet to be released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Nigerian economy had grown by 1.4 per cent in the third quarter (Q3) of 2017, effectively doubling the revised growth rate of 0.72 per cent recorded in the second quarter of the year.

The Q3 GDP figures was the second consecutive growth since the economy exited the recession in the second quarter of 2017. The growth rate then was 3.74 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2016 (-2.34 per cent) and higher by 0.68 percentage points than the GDP growth rate recorded in the preceding quarter (Q2 2017), having been revised by the statistical agency to 0.72 per cent, from 0.55 per cent.

The FSDH Merchant Bank forecast for 2018 was slightly higher than the forecast of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) of 2.5 per cent and 2.1 per cent

respectively.

However, the firm explained in its latest report that with the population growing at 2.75 per cent, the country requires growth rate in excess of five per cent to substantially improve the well-being of Nigerians. “Agriculture, Trade, and Mining & Quarrying sectors, with forecast growth rates of four per cent, two per cent and 3.2 per cent would drive the 3.16 per cent growth rate

in 2018. Other leading sectors of the economy that would contribute to the growth are: Information and Communication (I&C): 2.2 per cent; Real Estate: 2.5 per cent; Construction: four per cent and Manufacturing: one per cent. “Agriculture, with a growth of 3.06 per cent; Mining and Quarrying: 25.44 per cent and Other Services: 1.72 per cent were the three leading sectors that contributed to the growth

rate of 1.40 per cent recorded in Q3 2017,� it added.

It noted that the increase in the supply of foreign exchange has improved economic activities across other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

FSDH Research stated that it had observed increased activities in Agriculture, Mining and Quarrying (oil and gas), manufacturing, Trade, Real Estate and I&C in the last few months, adding that thegrowth

in the equity market has created additional wealth that would stimulate effective demand in the economy. “Some light manufacturing activities are also taking place – stimulating demand for raw materials from Agriculture. The current oil price will encourage investment activities in the oil and gas sector. Trade sector would also benefit from the increase in consumer purchasing power.

MEETING OF BANK AUDITORS

L-R: Second Vice Chairman, Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria (ACAEBIN), Uduak Udoh; Deputy Managing Director, Diamond Bank Plc, Caroline Anyanwu; ACAEBIN Chairman, Abiodun Aderoju; Chairman, Research & Publications Sub-Committee ACAEBIN, Chinwe Basil-Ezegbu; Chief Audit Executive, Diamond Bank Plc, Kabir Garba, and Chairman, Payment & Systems Sub-Committee, ACAEBIN, Bolaji Ajao, at the 38th quarterly general meeting of the association held in Lagos... recently

Lagos-Ibadan Rail May Suffer Setback over Right of Way The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed worry that a number of challenges are affecting the construction of a standard gauge railway line between Lagos and Ibadan.

The $1.5 billion project, whose groundbreaking ceremony was performed last year by the VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo, then acting president, was scheduled for completion in December this year.

But the project contractor, the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, has had to contend with a number of obstructions on the rail line’s right of way such as houses, companies, gas pipelines, water pipes and overhead bridges.

While the federal and Lagos State governments have agreed to demolish two obstructing bridges in Lagos, the Ministry of Transportation is said to be discussing with relevant

authorities to remove other obstructions on the right of way.

Briefing journalists after the monthly meeting of the Project Implementation Committee with the CCECC in Lagos, Amaechi said that they were “battling with time schedule.�

He said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had started the inspection of some of the gas pipelines on the right of way of the project in Ogun State,

saying the inspection would be completed in two weeks.

The inspection took the team, which included the senior officials of the ministry and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, to the project sites in Agbado, Ijoko, Itori, Papalanto and Abeokuta.

The minister said the government had settled property owners whose houses were affected in order to clear the

land for the smooth take off of the project.

Asked when the laying of tracks would commence, Amaechi said this would be determined when the issue of right of way had been addressed.

He said the ministry was collaborating with relevant stakeholders including the Lagos and Ogun state government officials to address the challenges.

PTAD CommencesVerification of 6000 NITEL/MTEL Pensioners Ebere Nwoji

Group Business Editor

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Pensioners of the defunct NITEL and MTEL will soon start receiving their pension benefits as the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has commenced their verification in different parts of the country.

The pensioners numbering 6,000 are those under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS. The exercise is being conducted in three centers across the country and will last for 12 days.

Some of the Pensioners who spoke to THISDAY at the Ketu verification ground, said that they had long waited for the payment of their retirement and pension benefits and almost lost hope of being paid when

suddenly PTAD stepped in to clear the payments beginning with the verification exercise to ascertain genuine pensioners.

Speaking on the verification, PTAD Executive Secretary Sharon Ikeazor , said the directive to take up responsibility of the pension liabilities of the privatised NITEL/MTEL, was communicated to the agency through an approval letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance sometimes in February 2017.

She said the on going exercise taking place in Lagos and Port Harcourt was the first phase, further adding that there will be a second phase at Abuja, Gombe and Kano.

She said in Lagos, the exercise is taking place in Ikeja and Ketu.

The PTAD boss explained

that the essence of the verification is to determine actual number of pensioners and next of kin of dead pensioners for proper calculation of their entitlement .

She said the pensioners were duly informed about the exercise and its requirements. “Recently the federal government approved that PTAD takes over the Pension liabilities of NITEL. At the time PTAD came to be, they were not existing so we didn’t take them over and that’s why government approved it. “There were adverts in prints and electronics, we had engagement with their representative and unions and even before the verification we have been engaging them so they knew about the verification exercise

and what is required.�

On challenges met in the exercise, Ikeazor, said so far, there was no challenge, except that everybody expects to be verified one day when they fully know it is a twelve day exercise so what we do is to do our daily estimated number and advice the other people to come back the next day.

On how the pensioners have responded to the exercise, she said: “So far, they have been very cooperative, we haven’t experienced any case of fraudulent people coming and we hope we don’t have any. After this process we will identify the actual pensioners and compute their actual entitlement and then request for the funds, provisions have been made for this in 2018

budget.�

Commenting on the exercise, one of the pensioners and leader of retired staff of NITEL/MTEL staff in Lagos zone Ketu centre, Comrade Austin Onokpisi, said that initially, payment of their pension was contracted out by government.

He said this lasted for only five years after which payment was suspended until the present time when government remembered them again.

On his feelings about the exercise, he said: “I am happy with the exercise because it is just like giving you back your right. We are thankful to the management of PTAD especially the Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, because she has done her job well.�

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NEWS

FG Partners Czech Republic on Skills Devt Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Nigeria and the Czech Republic are to collaborate on imparting vocational skills on Niger Delta youths with a view to curbing the rising rate of unemployment and youth restiveness in the region.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, who made the disclosure when the Ambassador of Czech Republic, Pavel Mikes, paid him a visit, was excited by Czech Republic’s feat of reducing unemployment rate to zero per cent, through vocational training, and subsequently, boosting its economic growth.

He said that Nigeria would embrace that country’s offer

to impart skills on Niger Delta youths.

A statement by the Director (Press), Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Marshall Gundu said that the minister disclosed that the federal government was interested in more proactive means of permanently curbing the rising restiveness in the Niger Delta region as well as improving the revenue base of Nigeria’s economy.

In his remarks, Ambassador Pavel Mikes said the visit was necessitated by the interest of Czech Republic in helping Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta region, develop the mental and vocational abilities of its youths, adding that his country was interested

in helping the Ministry utilise various skills acquisition centres it has put in place.

Mikes added that skilled resource persons and equipment would be brought from Czech Republic to facilitate the vocational training programmes.

A former Ambassador of Nigeria to Czech Republic, Ambassador Catherine Okon, who facilitated the partnership, urged the minister to utilise the partnership maximally to equip Niger Delta youths with employable skills as paying of grants and stipends to youths is not going to curb the menace of restiveness as they will spend the money and become restive again.

Auditor-General Seeks ICAN’s Support to Upscale Audit Institution’s Level Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Auditor-General for the Federation, Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, has solicited the support of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF)-Nigeria’s supreme audit institution, to enable it upgrade from its present level one to at least between levels three and four.

Ayine noted that although the institution had made tremendous progress over the years, it is regrettably placed at level 2 among other supreme audit institutions in Africa because it is still developing.

Ayine, who spoke when a delegation of ICAN, led by its President, Alhaji Muhammadu Zakari paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, weekend, noted that supreme audit

institutions are rated on the scale of between one and five.

He pointed out that he was desirous of ensuring the upscaling of OAuGF from the current level two to at least between three and four.

Describing the situation as one that called for support from organisations like ICAN, Ayine noted that the body of chartered accounts was equipped with well-developed faculties, which could be deployed in helping the OAuGF to upgrade skills.

The Auditor-General noted that his aspiration was to make the OAuGF join the league of the first ten supreme audit institutions globally.

While stating that capacity building was the key, he disclosed that plans were in progress to upgrade the skills of all the 1,700 personnel of the OAuGF, adding that about 400 had already undergone such trainings.

Ayine stressed that as Nigeria’s supreme audit institution, the OAuGF was charting a path for audit institutions at the state and local government levels across the country through e ff e c t i v e c o l l a b o r a t i o n .

He applauded ICAN for its e n t re n c h e d integrity and high s t a n d a rd s , a d d i n g t h a t no fewer than 120 ICAN m e m b e r s a re p e r s o n n e l o f t h e O A u G F. ICAN, he added, has contributed immensely to the Nigerian economy and beyond over the years, especially through the training of professional accountants.

Earlier in his remarks, the ICAN President had appealed to Ayine to continue to engage more members of the accountants’ body, “because they have the capacity to help the Auditor-General to succeed in his constitutional duties.�

Wapic Insurance Signs Partnership Agreement With NFF Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc, has signed a partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to undertake the comprehensive insurances of all its assets.

With this, Wapic insurance, has become the co -sponsor of NFF and the lead insurer of all assets of the group including the National football team the Super Eagles.

The MoU to this effect was signed at the corporate head office of Wapic Insurance Lagos by the NFF President Mr. Amaju Pinnick, and the Managing Director of Wapic, Mrs. Yinka Adekoya.

The deal was signed in the presence of other Football Federation dignitaries, which included the Independent Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), Ms. Aisha Falode, the Executive Director, Wapic

Insurance, Mr. Olufemi Obaleke, the Chairman, Senforce Insurance Brokers, Mr. Anirejuoritse Ojuyah,the first Vice-President of NFF, Seyi Akinwunmi, the 2nd Vice-President of NFF, Mr. Shehu Dikko and other guests.

At the signing of the MoU papers between the two groups Adekoya, said Wapic Insurance, will henceforth provide comprehensive insurance coverage for all national team players and officials of NFF for every match to be played as well as all other events and programs organised by the NFF. She said the insurance partnership, also covers all the assets of the NFF. the national representative football teams of Nigeria including the National Team (the Super Eagles), National U23Team (the Dream Team), National U20 Team (the Fly-

ing Eagles), National U17 Team (the Golden Eaglets), National U15 Team (the Future Eagles), National Beach Football Eagles (the Sand Eagles), the National Futsal Team, The National Women Team (the Super Falcons), National Female U20 Team (the Falconets), The National Women U17 Team (the Flamingoes) and any other national team to be created by NFF. She said the sponsorship is a five year deal with option of renewal.

She further said NFF, also appointed Senforce Insurance Brokers as the official Insurance Broker.

According to her, under the arrangement, Senforce will provide advisory services to NFF on the best insurance packages to procure and to ensure an effective insurance coverage for the NFF.

ELEVATING TO THE NEXT LEVEL Marie-Therese Phido

It Takes More Than Hard Work – Politics is Key When I read the quotation below from former astronaut and motivational speaker Leroy Chiao, who said he wished he knew that it takes more than just hard work to find success, I could relate to it and I am sure many of us can.

Leroy said: “My parents were both originally from China, so although I was born and raised in the US, I was instilled with the idea that the important thing in life was to work hard and that rewards would come from hard work.

It was not until later that I really started to believe that a big factor in one’s success has to do with relationships and politics. Throughout my young life and college days, I thought that hard work and commitment were the things that would get me ahead. I wish I knew then that it is what you know, but it is also about the politics of the situation. This is true no matter if very localised or between a few people, or a macro scale.�

What Leroy found out late in life was what I also found out very late in my life. For many years I thought politics did not exist but that my work would speak for me, and I tried hard to ensure that I put in all the required effort to ensure success. However, it got to a point that hard work no longer mattered, relationships and politics became paramount.

The truth is that in all situations where you have to deal with human beings relationships and politics will always come into play. It is also a fact that in your career or within a situation, your hard work will no longer be as important as your ability to build relationships and play the right politics. Many people could have done better in their careers or businesses but did not because they were not conscious of this factor.

Michelle Penelope King says, “succeeding in today’s workplace requires that you be a “team player� (be political). In other words, game on. The ability to negotiate, influence, engage, convince and persuade effectively to get things done is the essence of political skill — not backstabbing or manipulation, research reveals.

King goes on to tell us some of the signs we should look out for that will show that we are not politically savvy.

Excluding yourself from ofďŹ ce politics Politics at work does not occur in a vacuum, but rather through interactions with others. We have all seen or experienced not being part of an “in crowdâ€? or the boss’ favorite. If you accept social exclusion at the office, you’re likely to become apathetic about your work.

Choosing not to engage in office politics leads to further isolation. It also makes it more difficult to try and have any sort of influence down the road.

You’re only focused on getting the job done We care about what is achieved rather than how it is achieved? Being overly focused on results and outcomes at the expense of others is a sign of poor political skill. Many of us have this problem without being aware that we may be bruising egos and alienating people with our determination to do a great job.

The need for achievement can isolate people because they tend to focus on their individual contribution to tasks instead of engaging with others to collectively achieve outcomes.

You’re too concerned with being liked Being likable, sociable and easy to work with does not always result in a strong performance.

It doesn’t mean you know how to leverage your strengths to sell an idea or push an agenda. When being liked becomes the primary objective, it often leads to getting outmaneuvered at work.

You have to balance being liked by playing the right politics with strong performance. Otherwise, you are also out!

In view of the above, we must engage in office politics to succeed. Dr. Travis Bradberry in his post, “How To Win at Office Politics�, says, “stop wishing it will go away and start learning how to thrive in your workplace’s political environment,� he wrote. “You don’t have to dive right into the seedy underbelly of office politics to win the game; you win by playing smart and knowing when and how it’s worth getting involved.�

First, Bradberry advised: “You need to learn the lay of the land�. “Your office is full of allies and rivals, and, if you watch and listen closely, you can get a pretty good sense of who’s aligned with whom,� he wrote. That includes noticing who has lunch together, who gets invited to important meetings and who doesn’t, and who seems to be the first or the last to know about changes that are coming. “The answers to these questions define your political landscape,�

Bradberry wrote. But don’t choose a side yet. “It’s smart to understand the rules and the players and their strategies before you jump into the fray.�

After that, “you should build broad alliances�, he wrote. “If you accomplish this and show people across the board that they can rely on you, you’ll stand a good chance of coming out ahead, no matter which political camp is currently ‘winning’.�

As importantly, keep the goal of playing office politics in mind. “You’re not engaging in office politics for fun or to be one of ‘them’, you’re doing it for two reasons: career success and job fulfilment,� Bradberry wrote. “When you get caught up emotionally, you run the risk of making decisions you’ll regret down the road. Gossiping, backstabbing, manipulating and the rest are not needed to win at office politics.� Instead, think about how you and an your opponent can both get what you want.

Most importantly, “You must stick to your principles, without fail. Before taking any action that’s fuelled by office politics, ask yourself why you’re doing it,� Bradberry wrote. “If you’re motivated by fear, revenge, or jealousy, don’t do it. If it conflicts with your values and beliefs about fair behaviour, it’s better not to get involved.�

Start understanding that politics is necessary for success. Don’t be like me and Leroy who did not understand that politics and the right relationships were sometimes more important than hard work till late in our careers. Instead, be like those who have mastered the art of office politics as they seem to have more doors opened to them at work.

You try to make yourself look good Always try to make others look good, shine the light on them — not doing this, leads to low levels of trust. Being politically savvy will entail shifting from trying to make yourself look good to trying to make others look good.

.– Marie-Therese Phido is Sales & Market Strategist and Business Coach Email: mphido@elevato.com.ng tweeter handle @osat2012 TeL: 08090158156 (text only)

You’re not politically aware To engage effectively in office politics, you have to understand interpersonal dynamics and power plays at work. This includes being aware of others interactions and how your behavior is viewed.

A lack of political awareness is sometimes perceived as poor judgment. This alone can limit career advancement. For managers, the inability to see the cliques or factions within the workplace restricts effectiveness.

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Nigerian Bourse: Sustaining the Bull Run After recovering from a three-year decline to post a growth of 42.3 per cent last year, the Nigerian bourse is sustaining the momentum in the new year, writes Goddy Egene For three years, investors in the Nigerian stock market counted more losses than gains as the market declined. Specifically, the market fell in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Many investors, who could not stand the downward trend exited the market. However, the market made a significant rebound in 2017 and rose by 42.3 per cent.

Reviewing the performance of the market last week in Lagos, an elated Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema said: “Emerging from recession in the second quarter of 2017, Nigeria witnessed a rebound in investment activity which saw the NSE recover from the macroeconomic overhang of the commodity down-cycle, to become the third best performing market of 2017 globally.�

According to him, the market recovery was driven by several factors including: gradual economic recovery vis-Ă -vis improvement in global oil prices, domestic output and stronger foreign reserves engendering greater foreign portfolio investor (FPI) confidence; improvement in the ease of doing business (EOD) as Nigeria climbed 24 points in the World Bank EOD Rankings; and improvement in foreign exchange (FX) stability following favourable Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policies (e.g.

Investor & Exporter window, SME lending window among others). “Beginning in the first quarter of 2017, the CBN implemented a series of monetary policy actions and interventions to boost liquidity and drive convergence in the FX market. Newly created market segments helped ease demand pressures in the parallel market, resulting in a gradual reduction of the market spread from a peak of N217 (71.00 per cent) in February to N57 (18.63 per cent) as at December 2017.

Optimism over Nigeria’s economic recovery also contributed the MSCI’s decision to retain Nigeria in its Frontier Market Index at its June 2017 Index Review,� he said.

NSE equity market performance Looking at the equity market activity in 2017, it skyrocketed from 2016 levels, as market turnover increased by 121 per cent to N1.27 trillion, N575 billion in 2016. For the second consecutive year, domestic investment flows outweighed FPI flows, albeit marginally.

Overall, the domestic retail segment recorded the least growth during the year. As at November 2017, the value of domestic retail trade totaled N364 billion which represents a modest increment of 39 per cent from the previous year, compared with the triple-digit growth recorded in all other investor classes. “Reviewing FPI trends for the year, we note that foreign inflows outpaced outflows in 2017, with positive net flows sustaining from March 2017, and peaking in August 2017 on the back of positive economic data releases such as the second quarter GDP report and rising PMI readings,� Onyema explained.

However, initial public offering (IPO) activity in 2017 remained mute, although there were several other positive indicators including the revival of supplementary listings and the return of new issuances. “The market saw a nine fold increase in the value of new issuances, buoyed by Merger & Acquisition (M&A) transactions, listings by introduction, rights issues and others, bringing the total value of equity issues in 2017 to N408 billion,� the NSE boss said.

In terms of indices performance, the NSE Banking Index emerged as the NSE’s top performing index of 2017. Buoyed by strong corporate earnings reports by the sector’s key players, the index posted returns of 73.32 per cent. Coming in a close second with one-year returns of 70.33 per cent, was the NSE Pension Index, which tracks the performance of the NSE’s top 40 companies by market capitalisation and liquidity, in accordance with National Pension Commission (PENCOM) guidelines. The Premium Board continued to demonstrate the appeal of strong, transparent listed companies to global investors, closing as the third best performing

NSE trading oor

index of the year with 51.23 per cent returns.

The NSE Consumer Goods and Industrial indexes also delivered strong performances as the FX market gained momentum. All other NSE market indices recorded positive returns except the ASeM, which posted a decline of 8.90 per cent.

NSE bond market performance The NSE fixed income market recorded mixed performance. New bond issuances increased over the previous year; bond yields gradually moderated from 2016 levels amidst easing inflation and greater FX stability. Yields across various tenors declined between 0.4 per cent – 1.5 per cent and market turnover declined by 26 per cent in 2017, as investors sought higher returns in alternative product classes.

But bond raising activity was dominated by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), as it continued to leverage the capital market to finance the MTEF and rising fiscal deficits.

According to Onyema, “The year 2017 saw the listing of the $1.5 billion FGN Eurobond which was approximately eight times oversubscribed in international capital markets. Other pioneer issuances during the year included the: maiden five -year, $300 million FGN Diaspora Bond; N100 billion FGN Sukuk bond; and the recordsetting N10.69 billion FGN Green Bond, which is the first Green Bond issued by an African Sovereign and the first Climate Bonds Certified Sovereign Bond ever issued.�

Conversely, the domestic corporate bond market saw a slowdown in activity relative to 2016 with corporates raising N21.5 billion in three listings in 2017, representing a 75 per cent decline from N86.1 billion recorded in 2016.

NSE strategy execution in 2017 Although the growth recorded in 2017 was significantly influenced by external factors, most of the investors were equally attracted by the strategies introduced and executed by the NSE aimed at enhancing the market performance.

Onyema explained the Exchange made steady progress within its strategic focus areas set out at the beginning of the year. “Demutualisation remained a chief strategic focus for 2017. Through targeted engagement efforts with our members, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)EC, National Assembly and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other key stakeholders, we achieved the broad-based support required to secure approval for demutualisation from the exchange’s members and successfully progressed the Demutualisation Bill through the reading and public hearing stages of the law making process. As articulated in the Bill, it is anticipated that the demutualisation of the NSE will further catalyse the development of a dynamic, transparent and efficient capital market, which is critical to Nigeria’s socio-economic development,� he said.

The NSE boss added that they amplified our efforts to establish West Africa’s first exchange traded derivatives (ETD) market and achieved a number of key milestones during the year. “These include the: completion of draft rules; development of product specifications; and 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.

We believe that these efforts have positioned us past the most significant roadblocks on the path towards an ETD market,� he said.

Onyema disclosed that the exchange also recorded other achievements in 2017 such as the launching of the NSE’s educational institute in June 2017(X-Academy) to empower financial market professionals in Africa.

Others are: Continued phased implementation of SEC/NSE pricing recommendations.

NSE’s hosting of inaugural Sub-Saharan REITs conference; Green bond conference; market data workshop; and derivatives conference; ramped up engagement with key stakeholders (both public/private sectors and domestic/ international) to promote market-friendly policies and drive development of the capital market.

NSE 2018-2021 strategic plan Having recovered from the three-year decline and recorded a major leap in 2017, that performance has to be sustained. This means there must be strategies to ensure that is achieved. Onyema said in keeping with its object of taking a vigorous and adaptive approach to strategy execution, the NSE reassessed 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 period. In redefining its strategic ambitions, the NSE selected three key focus areas to pursue to enhance our global competitiveness and appeal to stakeholders.

They are based on: satisfying our customers; boosting our retail segment penetration and enhancing our organisational agility,� he said.

In area of enhancing customer focus, he said the NSE is taking a greater focus on “delighting� its customers across the value chain.

He said: “We are committed to better understanding and meeting our customers’ diverse needs by leveraging adaptive new technologies, and will be carrying out a series of activities aimed at supporting this objective.

Focusing on retail investors, the exchange will increase its focus on growing retail participation

as a key component of a well-functioning and resilient market. To this end, we will be partnering market stakeholders to deliver a number of financial literacy and investor outreach initiatives which align with existing plans (such as the Capital Market Master Plan and the National Financial Literacy Plan); as well as undertake new initiatives that can help drive a more radical change. At the crux of our efforts, is the establishment of a Retail Coverage Department, which will be dedicated to the development and publicity of simple, affordable and efficient investment products and services that can effectively support the Nigerian populace – at various stages of financial mobility – to create durable wealth.�

He added that the exchange is restructuring to drive its new corporate strategy. “There are a number of new departments that have emerged to support our evolving strategic ambitions, which are primarily geared towards innovation, emerging technologies and retail participation. We are optimistic that the new structure will support us to better execute on our 2018- 2021 Strategic Plan, enhance organisational dynamics and achieve new efficiencies as we demutualise,� he said.

Outlook for 2018 Looking ahead, Onyema said the outlook for the Nigerian capital market is encouraging.

He said although to some extent, political activities and currency movements will have an effect on the market, but they expect that such impacts will be short lived and the performance of the underlying business activities will ultimately determine market performance.

Onyema added: “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 on the process via regular engagement with all our valued stakeholders. We expect that the year ahead will also see the launch of exchange-traded derivative instruments. This will not only help us meet our objective of facilitating order flow across various asset classes; but will offer our ever-increasing community of domestic and global investors a greater array of products to diversify and manage risk. We will also continue to engage with the government on privatization and listing of state owned enterprises. We plan to maintain our role as an advocate for the adoption and implementation of market friendly policies required for sustainable economic growth.

X-Academy will continue to be at the forefront of driving capacity building across Nigeria and the rest of Africa. Given the growing demand for innovative products and solutions, the NSE will leverage on its network and knowledge to take Africa’s financial markets to greater heights.�

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Tackling Barriers to Financial Inclusion The barriers to financial inclusion must be tackled in order to enhance the adoption of banking services, reduce poverty and inequality, writes Obinna Chima The quest to reduce the population of adult Nigerians without access to financial services requires alignment of digital payment strategies with the nation’s financial inclusion goals.

While the nation has recorded some progress in the achievement of its National Financial Inclusion Strategy goal, which seeks to reduce the number of adult Nigerians without formal access to financial services to 20 percent by 2020, there are still 39 million adult Nigerians without access to any formal financial services.

Indeed, financial inclusion is a state where financial services are delivered by a range of providers, mostly the private sector, to reach everyone who could use them. Specifically, it means a financial system that serves as many people as possible in a country.

Clearly, the principle of financial inclusion has assumed greater level of importance in recent times due to its perceived importance as a driver of economic growth.

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), giving access to the hundreds of millions of men and women (all over the world) who are presently excluded from financial services would provide the possibilities for the creation of a large depository of savings, investable funds, investment and therefore global wealth generation.

In other words, access to financial services that are well suited for low-income earners promotes enormous capital accumulation, credit creation and investment boom. Usually, the low-income earners constitute the largest proportion of the population and so control enormous chunk of the idle fund in the economy albeit held in small amounts in the hands of each of the several million members of this group. Harnessing and accumulating these resources provides a huge source of cheap long-term investable capital.

However, experts have stressed the need to continue to ensure the adoption of innovative digital payments solutions that offer convenient, affordable and reliable financial services, driven by collaboration among stakeholders, as well as enabling regulatory framework that encourages competition and innovation.

These were the recommendations of financial experts led by the Deputy Governor, Operations, CBN, Mr. Bayo Adelabu, at the recently held annual retreat of the Committee of E-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) in Ogun state, with the theme: “Repositioning Digital Payments to Achieve the Financial Inclusion Goals of FSS 2020.�

The Chairman of CeBIH, Mr. Dele Adeyinka, noted that 39 million adult Nigerians were still without access to basic financial services, 10 years after the inauguration of the payment systems vision 20:2020 as a driver for financial inclusion.

He however noted that ensuring that this huge number of people has access to financial services by 2020, is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for the industry. “Meeting this demand and need is a huge challenge. But it also presents very big opportunities. It is with this back ground in mind that CEBIH decided to take a cursory look at this policy frame work at this 2017 retreat, particularly as we are only three years away from the magic year 2020 referred to by the policy,� Adeyinka said.

Opportunities for Financial Inclusion To Adelabu, the National Financial Inclusion Strategy places greater emphasis on availability of payments services for the extension of financial service. He pointed out that the expectation of the strategy was to have 70 per cent of adult Nigerians have access to payments services by the year 2020 in order to reduce the exclusion rate to 20 per cent by year 2020.“While this may appear daunting, it is not beyond your reach. In fact, it opens the industry up to opportunity of having more customers, diversifying its deposit base and increasing revenues,� he said.

The retreat also featured a video presentation featuring interviews with fishermen, farmers, artisans and other informal sector operators, explaining their difficulty in accessing financial

services vis-a-vis operating bank accounts and accessing loans from banks.

In his comment, Adelabu noted that the video among other things revealed that opportunities abound, saying there are lots of opportunities to drive financial inclusion.

He said the video also confirmed what is generally believed to be the solution to financial inclusion challenge.

He added: “The video makes a compelling case that electronic business is the only solution to grow our financial inclusion objectives. “Digital or electronic channel is the only solution to the frustration expressed by the people interviewed in the video because it is cheaper and no need for distance. We have the solution in our hands but how do we achieve this.�

On her part, Dr. Yinka Davis of the Lagos Business School, explained that digital financial services wouldhelp remove many of the barriers to financial inclusion encountered by the financially excluded.

Digital Financial Service (DFS) she noted is affordable and eliminates barriers of distance and access.

According to Davis, DFS among other things delivers lower transaction cost, ease of remittance, improved security and efficiency. “It results into employment opportunities, it enhances commerce and supports microfinance�, she said, adding, “The potential of DFS is enormous if well exploited. It is not about big value transactions but low value transactions

However, experts have stressed the need to continue to ensure the adoption of innovative digital payments solutions that offer convenient, affordable and reliable ďŹ nancial services, driven by collaboration among stakeholders, as well as enabling regulatory framework that encourages competition and innovation

that happen frequently�

According to her, research had shown that there is an informal equivalent for every financial service offered by banks, and hence the challenge for banks is how to get people in the informal sector to patronise them.

This, she stressed requires that banks build products and services based on understanding of who the people are and what really need.

Speaking on the use of mobile phones to deliver digital payments, Davis noted that there is need for increased awareness and home grown mobile payment solution that incorporates use of local languages for payment transactions.

Also, the Chairman of SecureID, Mr. Adedotun Sulaiman, made a case for digital payment products based on customers’ needs, stressing, this is one of the lessons the financial sector needs to learn from consumer goods and mobile services industries.

He said: “It is also pertinent to highlight the instructive lesson that the financial services sector needs to rapidly absorb very useful insights from the experiences of consumer goods and mobile services industries, which happen to have leapfrogged banking as far as achieving far greater outreach and penetration of their products and services, and herein lie the imperatives for industry players. “Specifically, these insights lie in the following areas: understanding consumer needs and staying connected as the needs evolve; designing products that adequately address those needs and create a customer pull;leveraging and riding on deep, broad, and resilient, third party distribution networks which are not necessarily part of their owned infrastructure; and effective branding, marketing, promotion and active consumer engagement and education�.

Furthermore, Sulaiman pointed out that tackling the nation’s financial inclusion challenge also requires a framework of incentives and disincentives to promote financial inclusion in the country.

He also cited the need for regulators and policy makers to encourage innovation around development and widespread mobile technologies and their integration with banking infrastructure, which he noted, “has increasingly enabled the delivery of convenient banking services to demographics and locations previously under-served, on the back of increasing access to data and devices by more people in emerging markets.�

The Big Data factor To Emeka Okoye of Cymantics, there is need for financial services to take advantage of the opportunitiesoffered by the explosion of digital data in their quest to extend financial services to more people.

In his presentation, Okoye stated that the high mobile phone penetration across the nation offers financial inclusion a huge opportunity to offer the unbanked with a “customer-centric� approach.

He added: “Every time these individuals make a phone call, send a text, browse the internet, engage social media, or top up their prepaid cards, they deepen the digital footprints they are leaving behind. “These digital footprints are helping to spark a new kind of revolution in lending. In the last few years, a cluster of fast-emerging and innovative firms, FINTECHs, has begun to use highly predictive technologies and algorithms to interrogate and generate insights from these footprints. Together, these consumer, data, and digital revolution trends are helping to change the landscape of inclusion and reach, offering the promise that billions of previously “invisible� consumers can be “visible� for the first time.�

He explained that among other things, big data can help financial institutions extend credit to consumers who previously had to rely on expensive and sometimes exploitative informal credit, if any, because they had no formal credit history; Identify customers who lack formal identification documents; Design new products to fit the actual needs and realities of consumers, based on their behaviour and demographic information; Enter new markets, increasing competition on price, quality and innovation.

However, in his concluding remarks, Adelabu called for increased investment in digital payments and cooperation especially between banks and financial technology firms. “The scale of transactions that we can drive through digital channels is therefore a compelling business case for you to increase investment in this segment of banking business. This business case, as you may have observed, is driving the interest of FinTechs into your terrain and failure to be agile in responding, not necessarily by stifling the space but by collaborating with the new entrants will impact you negatively,� he said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

INSURANCE

As NAICOM Wades into Operators’ Price War The perennial price war among insurance operators in Nigeria is a major source of concern to the industry regulator, the National Insurance Commission, which recently swung into action to stem the trend, writes Ebere Nwoji The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), recently released what it tagged, ‘Approved Premium Rates’ for all the compulsory insurance policies in the country. It directed all insurance operators to henceforth adhere and comply with the approved rates.

The compulsory insurance policies are statutory Group Life Insurance, Builders Liability Insurance, Occupiers Liability (Public Building ) Insurance, Healthcare Professional Indemnity Insurance, and Motor Third Party Insurance.

These classes of insurance policies have been made compulsory by various acts but lacked enforcement until 2009, when NAICOM launched its market Development and Restructuring Initiative(MDRI) in which it targeted to transform the insurance market to a trillion Naira market among other things through the enforcement of the above five compulsory insurances.

NAICOM, which launched these compulsory insurances in the six geopolitical zones of the country, collaborated with insurance operators in staging awareness campaigns on these compulsory insurance policies.

It also sensitised the various law enforcement agencies of government like the police and road safety commission to collaborate with them in enforcing and sensitising Nigerians to buy into these insurances.

However, the commission is confronted with many challenges among which are how to enforce the patronage of these compulsory insurance products on Nigerians; how to address the activities of fake insurance operators especially in third party motor insurance, as well as the problem of pricing in the area of getting operators adhere to the official premium rates in selling the products in order to be in best position to pay claims on them whenever risk occurs.

Indeed, among these compulsory insurances, Nigerians have up to the present time refused to comply with these compulsory insurances.

Only few Nigerians comply with third party motor insurance and group life insurance.

Those that suffer worst neglect among the compulsory insurances are Builders Liability Insurance, Occupiers Liability (Public Building ) Insurance and Healthcare Professional Indemnity Insurance.

This is despite cases of collapse buildings recorded in the country.

For the third party motor insurance, initially a major challenge was the activities of fakers of the certificate but thanks to the institution of the Nigerian insurance Industry Data base (NIID) by the Nigeria Insurers Association(NIA) which has in the past few years reduced activities of fake insurance operators.

A major problem currently facing these two most patronised compulsory insurances namely, Third party Motor Insurance and Group Life Insurance is unprofessional pricing .

Indeed, till date, price war still go on among insurers and their marketers in selling third party motor insurance and Group Life Insurance.

Officially, the rates for the business are as follows N5000 for private motor, N7,500for commercial motor (own goods)N7,500 for commercial motor( staff bus), N25,000 for commercial motor(trucks, general cartage),N5000 for motor trade (roads/premises risk),N5000 for special types (Ambulance, hearses) and N1,500 for motor cycles (power bike and official ride) and 6.8 percent for the Group Life Insurance.

But hardly do insurers adhere to these.

A marketing staff of one of the new generation insurance firms told THISDAY that virtually all insurance firms operating in Nigeria are guilty of price war, further adding that some marketers charge as low as N1000 for the third party motor insurance

against the official premium rate of N5000.

He said such marketers and their underwriting firms are taking advantage of the ignorance of the insuring public on the fact that they are entitled to claims on third party motor insurance to charge low rates bearing in mind at the point of signing of the policy that they were not going to pay the claim when it comes.

For Group Life Insurance, that is where there is highest level of price war as every insurer is eager to cut his own shrunk of the juicy business.

The result is that insurance operators, race for the business with each determined to win it by all means even at the expense of profitability.

Initially, they devised means of doing this by allying with government insurance agents not to pay the right premium and to repudiate the claim when it comes. This result is that many government properties involved in one form of risk or the other were abandoned without the least compensation.

But NAICOM, under the leadership of Mr. Fola Daniel, tried to address this by insisting that operators must charge right premium. He had insisted that any operator who fails to charge the right premium on the business must pay the claim when it comes.

On its part, the umbrella body of underwriters, the Nigeria insurers Association, (NIA) in its efforts to stem the challenge set up a market agreement which offered rates to be charged.

But this was not adhered to.

The then Commissioner for Insurance, Daniel, lamenting the situation stated: “The violation of a market agreement reached by all insurance companies following the Ijebu-Ode retreat was saddening as it resulted in the abortion of an excellent attempt to self -regulation and discipline by the operators. “Even before the ink with which the agreement was written had dried, a portfolio that a group of companies had underwritten and the cover running, was purportedly poached by another company, without just cause.�

Daniel lamented that the peak of the professional misconducts overtly displayed by operators were not hidden from inception of the group life account when practitioners threw ethical behaviours to the wind.

He said: “Much more serious acts of indiscipline were displayed with respect to the Group life cover. Right from the response to the invitation for bids, a lot of our members could not

demonstrate good corporate citizenship as they were unable to produce published accounts or valid tax clearance certificates. “Some brokers even applied without valid licenses, while others attempted to trade with only the CAC registration, but for the vigilance of the commission�

According to him, “as if this tendency to criminality was not enough, some of our colleagues did all they could to get appointed, their incapacities notwithstanding as if the Public Procurement Act should not be followed or did not apply to insurance contract in any way�.

He recalled that some insurance companies even resorted to destroying themselves by every means available including the media just to have their way. “Some resorted to blackmail, soliciting the help of politicians to frustrate government policy.

They wrote spurious petitions to intimidate government into appointing them to participate in the scheme. As if Newspaper publications were not enough, they got the legislature to conduct unnecessary public hearings in attempt to intimidate the executive branch of government�, he stressed.

The regrettable attitudes of insurance practitioners concerned, the commission said, had cost the entire industry some goodwill and confidence which took the sector some sweat to rebuild in recent years. “Suffice to say the cost of these misbehaviours to us is enormous – loss of business, diminished goodwill and confidence of the insuring public�.

Worst still, he said that insurance brokers that were supposed to arbitrate over the squabble between insurance companies were themselves fueling the commotion. “Group life insurance is typically offered as a piece of a larger employer or membership benefit package�, he observed.

Section 4 (5), of the Pension Reform Act, 2014 states that “Every employer shall maintain a group life insurance policy in favour of each employee for a minimum of three times the annual total emolument of the employee and premium shall be paid not later than the date of commencement of the cover�.

The need to address the price was in the government insurance business pushed the

present commissioner for insurance Mohammed Kari recently to release the premium rate for the government insurances.

NAICOM, in a recently released approved rates for compulsory insurances to the operators, pegged the rate at 6.8 per cent and urged every insurance operator to comply, stressing that it will strictly monitor and enforce compliance.

With the guidelines, it is expected that the price wars among the operators will come to an end .

But this calls for strict monitoring by both NAICOM and the Nigeria insurers Association whose chairman Mr. Eddie Efekoha has also expressed concern about the implications of the price wars going on among the insurers.

According to Efekoha, following the unhealthy competition in both the group life insurance and Motor Third Party policies, the association had in addition to the deployment of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID), considered other measures that will reduce unnecessary competition and inappropriate pricing .

He said that a Committee was set up to work out the process and that the implementation of the committee’s recommendation commenced in the second quarter 2017.

Now that the regulator is determined to see to the end of the price war which operators said is the bane of the industry’s growth, both the compliance team of the commission, the NIA’s committee should join efforts to compel operators to operate within the ambit of the law by adhering to the official rate.

The commission should also apply the same spirit of determination and effort it applied in enforcement of “no premium no cover� in January 2013 in order to win this war.

If the commission was able to make the “no premium no cover� regulation work, a policy which has been adopted by other West African country like Ghana, bringing the menace of price war in insurance policy pricing is also achievable.

On its part, the NIA should ensure that the price war committee put on eagle eye in probing operator’s’ pricing behaviour and bring to book the bad eggs who indulge in price war. Already some operators now operate below the stipulated capital base, because they are operating below profit margin due to inappropriate pricing of their products.

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

The Rise and Rise of Technology Startups Ugo Aliogo examines the role of technology startups in strengthening the technology ecosystem in Nigeria and beyond “We are a design agency with a mission to build a generation of designers from Africa for the future of global brands.� The above statement sufficiently captures one of the goals of Fourth Canvas, a brand communication startup company. The company was set up by two creative designers Victor Fatanmi and Bolaji Fawole. As a startup company, the firm is passionate about addressing the skills gap in brand identity development facing organisations in Nigeria.

Digital revolution remains one of the key highlights of the 21st century. Technology has helped in shaping the way things are done. It has brought innovations and inventions into service delivery. The world has gradually shifted to a technology driven age with everything fully computerised. Despite the remarkable pace technology is improving man’s daily activities; Africa has not fully measured up in the equation.

However, in Nigeria, technology startups are developing technology software solutions which companies and organisations are leveraging on to improve service delivery, and address societal challenges. On a large scale, these efforts are geared towards closing the technological divide between Africa and Europe. According to experts, the growth potential for technology in the continent is huge, judging from the remarkable breakthroughs these startups are making in addressing workplace issues and getting many youths actively engaged.

Technology innovation is seen as an option out of poverty, and most technology hubs are providing communities with infrastructures to support home-grown innovations. Start-ups require less infrastructures and financial risk for rapid growth than big industries. These hubs are not only providing start-ups with the technical support and access to fast internet, and free training. But also provide a network of both professional and social in which these technology entrepreneurs can thrive.

In Nigeria, the technology revolution is growing at a progressive pace, especially with the rise of technology hub centres such as the Co-Creation Hub (CCC) Yaba, (Lagos), Enspire hub, and blub hub (Kano), Stonebrick hub (Abuja) and others. These technology hub centres assist young startups with internet access and free training.

According to a report by social media week, regardless of the growth of internet usage in Africa since the year 2000, just a segment of the population about 7 percent have access to the internet. Even with the increase in access to technology globally, the divide in knowledge and skill limits the ability of developing countries to compete in the global market.

The report also stated that the digital divide is the gap in the access to information and communication technologies between developed and developing countries or among different social groups. The divide is not limited to internet access but also to mobile phones, computers, radio and television. Access to information and computer technology is crucial to sustainable economic and social development as well as environmental protection.

A particular report noted that Africa is at the start of technological renaissance. The report said seven out of the 10 of the world’s fastest growing internet populations are in Africa.

This trend is expected to re-shape the entire economies as new companies would leapfrog established technology, ideas, and infrastructure.

It also stated that internet penetration in the continent is just 29 percent which implied that the majority of growth and network effects are still to come.

Forbes Report According to Forbes report, technology start-ups in Africa raised $129 million in funding in 2016, which found a 16.8 percent increase in the number of successfully funded start-ups over 2015.

The report which referred to another report

by Disrupt Africa Tech startup noted that South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya remained the three most popular investment destinations on the

Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu

continent, accounting for 80.3 percent of funds realised. However, Egypt experienced over 100 percent growth in fundraising, making it the fourth ranked destination.

It also stated that the number of startups that have raised funds increased by 17 percent from 125 to 146. This demonstrated the increasing interest in African technology startups in a variety of sectors, while it is refreshing that a greater percentage of those startups came from outside the big five (South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and Ghana).

But, the report revealed that the total amount of funding fell, “more startups are raising smaller rounds. It is the end of irrational money, and an upturn in angel investment from home and overseas.�

The Co-Founder, Disrupt Africa, Gabriella Mulligan, in the report said: “2016 was another great year for African technology startups and investors. Our ecosystem progressed in leaps and bounds over the course of the year, which is evidenced by strong growth in the number of startups.�

Launchpad Accelerator Programme The Google Launchpad Accelerator programme is one of the platforms developed by Google to promote technology growth and digital penetration in emerging markets. It is a six month acceleration programme for growth-stage startups from emerging markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Through this programme, startups get the opportunity to collaborate with Google engineers, Silicon Valley experts and top mentors from around the world. The programme offers equity-free support, Google product credits, and an all expensive paid training in San Francisco, US. At the programme, startups work closely with Google for six months. They also receive a two weeks all-expensive paid training at Google headquarters in Silicon Valley, San Francesco. In 2017, Google released a list of 33 selected startups for the Launchpad accelerator programme, four were chosen from Nigeria; Delivery Science, Flutterwave, Gidi Mobile Limited and Paystack.

The programme was a great learning curve for the startups, judging for the mentorship sessions, and trainings received from Google engineers. One of the participants, Lanre Oyedotun, who is the Chief Executive Officer, Delivery Science, said Google Launchpad was intensive in a good way because it is a huge fire hole of information, knowledge, frameworks, and playbooks.

He also stated that through the programme, they have made significant network and friendship which they would not have made if they didn’t attend the launch programme.

Oyedotun further stated they have also realised that what they are solving in Africa

is also valid for Latin America, Central, Eastern Europe, and Asia, “we have met people who are going to help us into those markets in the next couple of months that we would have not met in a million years and it is invaluable.�

Growth and Challenges The growth of technology startups in Africa can be linked to what experts have described as the fourth industrial revolution period, which is the period humanity is currently living in.

The argument by the technology experts is that the world is going through global revolution which talks about knowledge driven economy.

Therefore, the emphasis is on how people can use their knowledge to innovate, an effort that is being driven by software applications to address the needs of individuals and society.

For Nigeria, the narrative was not the same until the rise of startups which began in groups between 2005 and 2010. Though they were initially in the background as funding was a major challenge. To understand in proper perspective the history of startups, THISDAY spoke to an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Expert, who pleaded anonymity.

He said after 2010, startups began to spring up in piecemeal.

He espoused that from 2012 to 2015, their numbers increased, which was a growth progression and the society began to recognise them based on the technology solutions which they were trying to drive, “then angel investors began to see the need why they should invest in some of these startups that have good solutions.�

He also stated that these startups have good technology solutions in the agriculture, health, banking, finance, and others areas which are present day challenges.

He also posited that despite the creativity inherent in software solution of these startups, angel investors have realised that some of them don’t have the business acumen required to drive their solutions, “what they have is the technical know-how, but they require a mentor that will bring them up to global standards.�

According to him, “The startups in the country have not made so much progress mainly because funding is a major challenge. Also, quality and standard is another huge challenge for them.

These twin factors to a large extent determine how an application can be marketable. “If you have a product is that of global standard, investors are ready to investor in order to get returns. In terms of startups, the future is bright for the country and we are beginning to see that benefits. This has led many telecommunications companies to fund and mentor startups to develop their own products.

They also assist to pitch with other startups in competitions. “A case in point is the National Information

Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Yearly, NITDA sponsors some startups to the GITEX Technology Expo which takes place in Dubai in order for them to pitch with other innovators in other countries. Also, to give these startups the platform to rob minds with others and improve on what they have done. “The future for startups in the country is very promising because the world is gradually becoming a technology driven world. Strong economies are driven by technologies and these technologies are driven by startups, who have solutions that can support economy and businesses. Government is aware that there is need to fund startups but they are shying away from it. Government is supposed to create a level playing ground in terms of infrastructure especially bandwidth. “These startups need bandwidth to drive their innovations. Internet and broad penetrations are still very low in the country. Government should come with the enabling infrastructure to ensure that these bandwidths are accessible to startups at a reduced price because at the moment it is very expensive in the country and they find it difficult to invest in bandwidth.

They are doing it based on their own personal resources, but there is a huge gap in terms of government attitude towards it. “Government understands clearly the place of these startups in the country, but they have not made frantic efforts to sponsor them. Private sector has been very supportive. These startups require funding for research and development to raise their quality to global standards. If their product quality becomes a global standard this will attract foreign investors. We need more technology hubs, improve the infrastructure deficit in the sector, improve the bandwidth generation and make it accessible to these startups.� The Chief Executive Officer of Delivery Science, Lanre Oyedotun, hinged his argument on the premises that the technology ecosystem is growing at a rapid rate because of the increasing influx of young vibrant entrepreneurs.

He posited that the rapid growth rate in the ecosystem has helped to increase the acceptance of technology in the country and made startups to become an acceptable enterprise.

Oyedotun said: “I think there is more of an enabling infrastructure that has come to place in the past five years. A center such as CCHub, Yaba which was setup in May 2011 has bought together technology startups. Today, the center is now a place for cross pollination of ideas.

This is very important for us. “There are also infrastructures such as fiber and high speed internet in Yaba cluster. May one and Lagos State Government came together to partner in an initiative which is aimed at providing fiber down to Yaba and the research Universities (Yaba College of Technology and University of Lagos). There is funding for startup businesses now compared to before where there was no funding. I think there is going to be an explosion of startups in Nigeria technology ecosystem. “Because of this explosion, there is going to be some good ones, consequently, more startups will spring up. These startups will make angel investments because they understand technology startups. A lot of technology companies are beginning to get interested in what is going on in Africa especially in the area of technology basically because of small wins.�

The Co-Founders of Paystack, Shola Akinlade, shed more light on the discourse from the angle of optimism and better future for the growth of the technology solutions. “There are huge growth potentials for financial technology startups. Nigerian businesses collected about $150billion 2016, most of which was collected offline,� he noted.

Akinlade’s argument is that the digital economy on the continent is growing fast, and the country alone currently sees 6 million new internet users yearly, adding that such a high proportion of payments are still conducted offline, but with more people coming online yearly. “The growth trajectory is staggering. It’s easy to say that there will be more digital transactions this year than last year, and this is a trend that will continue for a very long time,� he added.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Ogun to Earmark $1m Seed Capital for Tech Hub Emma Okonji The Ogun State government is to earmark $1million dollar seed capital to develop technology hub in support of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts in the state.

Declaring open the first

Technological Summit in the state, tagged TechSummitOgun, with the theme “Disruptive Innovation, Where are we?�, Amosun said that part of the fund would be used to bring to reality outstanding technological ideas of some of our gurus in the field.

This, according to him, is

to boost digital literacy and technology entrepreneurship in the state, adding that, it will not only improve on the efficiency of government, but also impact positively on real-time feedback between the government and the people.

He stated further that as the state continues to put in

place world-class Infrastructural facilities and the necessary ambience for businesses to thrive, it is also important to build up the youths to take advantage of business opportunities available in the state. The governor noted that the summit is a gateway to a vista of tech-driven innova-

tion and will further enhance socio-economic benefits for the state. His government, he said, supported the summit, because it has the potential for creating new economies along the ICT value chain.

The Team Lead of TechSummitOgun, Mr. Ayoola Olaniyi said the purpose of the summit

was to open Ogun State up to the world, through technology.

One of the resource persons, Mr. Bosun Tijani, enjoined the state government to explore the opportunity in the Agricultural sector, where the state has comparative advantage, saying that AgriTech should be the focus.

Business Re-alignment: Novelpotta Y&R Rebrands to Y&R Lagos Raheem Akingbolu A Lagos based integrated marketing communications firm, Novelpotta Y&R, has announced Y&R Lagos as its new identity. The announcement was made by the Founder/ Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Celey Okogun alongside some senior staff of the organisation at a press conference held recently in Lagos.

Novelpotta was founded in 2001, and in 2002 became Novelpotta Y&R which was as a result of its early affiliation to a global agency -Young & Rubicam worldwide. Within a short period of its existence, the agency became a household name, servicing businesses across different sectors of the economy on the strength of the creative prowess it brought into the industry. Ten years ago, the organisation extended its frontiers by becoming the first Nigerian advertising agency to establish a wholly owned (100%) office outside the shores of the country.

Today, Y&R Douala (formerly Novelpotta Y&R Cameroon) is the Francophone sub-hub for French territories in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and in the CEMAC region.

Addressing journalists on the rebranding, Okogun said: “Y&R Lagos is a demonstration of the considerable brand affinity between the network and us. The network has decided to play up our strengths and the values that bind us together.

That’s the Y&R brand. Thus,

affiliate offices andstrategic partners were migrated to become Y&R brands in their cities or countries. We are particularly delighted that Nigeria is one of such offices selected.

It is an opportunity for us to redouble our efforts therein adding value to the businesses of our various clients and the creative industry in Nigeria generally. We are, therefore, happy to announce that effective today the organisation formerly known as Novelpotta Y&R is now Y&R LAG or Y&R Lagos whichever you prefer.

Yes, the change has occurred but the values associated with us over the years remain. It’s L–R: Marketing Director Foods, Unilever Ghana Nigeria, Ogedi-Alakwe Nsima; Executive Governor, Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; deliberate. Take a look at the Executive Vice President, Unilever Ghana Nigeria, Yaw Nsarkoh and Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ogun state, Otunba Bimbo new logo: Novelpotta, our Ashiru, at the oďŹƒcial launch of the Blue Band Factory in Agbara, Ogun State... recently very first name by which some of you still refer to us is present. Y&R, our second name, which merged with the latter to become Novelpotta Y&R is alive and vivid. And of course, Lagos, the city we all love to call LAG comes Raheem Akingbolu Bottling Company especially The International Air Transport the cost of capital.â€?

Asia-Pacific airlines had the into full prominence in the the enabling environment Association (IATA) has said that new arrangement. I dare say, The management of non-alco- accorded it since it came worldwide air passenger traf- strongest pickup in international fic was up 8% year-over-year passenger traffic, rising 10.8% in a positive sense, the more holic beverage giant, Nigerian on board. things change, the more they Bottling Company Ltd (NBC) “We are indebted to you (YOY) in November last year, YOY, its fastest pace in seven remain the same and more has been commended for its for your intervention. Your the sector’s strongest rise in five months. European international engaging!� community investment and support to our business has months, according to IATA’s traffic was up 7.9%, with busiSpeaking at the occasion, the adhering to best practice in been very invaluable and it November Air Passenger Market ness confidence in the region having recently risen to its Head of Production at the firm, the running and operation is only fitting and proper for Analysis.

It said that for the first 11 highest level in seven years, Mr. Chinenye Godsproperty of its business. This was you to see what we do and John, added that the new contained in remarks delivered experience our process here months of 2017, passenger Oxley said. African airlines also identity places a premium on by the Edo State Governor, in our Benin plant� he said. traffic increased 7.7% over 2016, had a 7.9% rise in international Y&R with an uncompromis- Mr. Godwin Obaseki during The Governor was then considerably ahead of the 5.5% passenger traffic during the month, boosted by improving ing visual appeal and in turn a tour of NBC’s Benin plant conducted on a tour around ten-year average pace. “We expect another year of business confidence in Kenya places a responsibility on us in Edo state recently. the plant led by the plant as local affiliate to uphold the Obaseki, who expressed his manager, Irene Ugwoke and above-trend passenger growth and Nigeria (and despite deep connectedness of Y&R appreciation to the Board of accompanied by members of in 2018 as a whole, albeit at a falling economic activity in as a GlobalBoutique.

Directors and management, the Board of Directors and slower pace than seen in 2017,� South Africa). Latin American IATA senior economist David international traffic was up said he is gladdened that the staff.

Earlier in the day, the Oxley said, citing increases in 7.2%, as capacity in the region company is committed to expanding its operation in management team of NBC airline input costs such as fuel increased 7.2%, keeping its the state. He further lauded paid a royal visit to the Oba prices and labor costs in certain load factor flat at 81.9%. North the company for its decision of Benin in his palace to thank countries. “We are unlikely American international traffic to remain a long-term investor him for his leadership role in to see the same degree of was up 6.4%, with outbound managing the inhabitants and stimulation to demand from demand strong but incoming in Benin. lower airfares in 2018 than we traffic hampered by an increase 2.02 in the same month the “This new development businesses in the state. in imposed security measures.

In his remarks, theOba of have in recent years.� previous year. serves as a positive indicator Oxley noted that as of Jan. Middle East international traffic Breaking out the best and and underscores how impor- Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo worst airlines, DOT reported tant Edo State is in the scheme N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolok- 11, oil prices are their highest grew 4.2% during the month; Delta Air Lines as the top of things - economically. As a polor, Oba Ewuare II thanked level since May 2015, and over Oxley noted that the Middle performing US carrier for government, we aim to attract, NBC for the visit adding that 50% higher than in mid-2017. East market segment to and Global passenger capacity from North America was on-time arrivals with a 93.7 support and empower law he would continue to support percent success rate. Spirit abiding investors by creating any investor who consider increased 6.3% in November; the only main international the overall passenger load factor markettracked by IATA to came second with 89.8 percent, a peaceful, secure and safe indigenes as part of them. “We will continue to do our rose 1.2 points YOY to 80.2%, have not grown in annual just beating Hawaiian Airlines environment where any form terms in 2017. on 89.3 percent. of business can expand and best to ensure investors are a record high for the month.

In domestic traffic, India and “November’s strong demand not discouraged in the state. I At the other end of the chart thrive� he said. of the 12 airlines that report He therefore assured that want to thank the company and gives the industry momentum. China continued to show robust on-time performance to DOT, his administration would the management team present The number of unique city-pair double-digit growth (16.4% and Virgin America performed continue to support NBC here today for their desire to connections now tops 20,000. 14.1%, respectively), supported poorest with only 77.5 percent to ensure a smooth flow of continually engage with us Passengers not only have more by sustained increases in living of flights on-time, stablemate business activities with the and therefore charge them travel choices than ever, the cost standards and increased travel to carry on with business, of travel in real terms has never options for passengers, Oxley Alaska Airlines was second state. bottom on 83.2 percent, and Speaking during the visit, expand as much as possible been cheaper� IATA DG and said.

The US and Japan both SkyWest came third with 85.4 the Chairman, Board of Direc- and most importantly carry CEO Alexandre de Juniac said. percent of its flights on time. tors, NBC, Ambassador Segun the people and community “[With] airlines ‌ rewarding showed signs of recovery The Department of Trans- Apata thanked the governor in line with its activities.â€? their shareholders with normal from natural disasters that We want to see a sig- levels of profitability, we expect affected both countries between portation defines a flight as for honoring the invitation. on time if it arrives within Apata praised the Godwin nificant employment rate 2018 to be the fourth year in a August-Octoberwith a 4.9% and 15 minutes of its scheduled Obaseki led administration for of the people of the stateâ€? row where the industry’s return 6.7% rise in domestic passenger on invested capital will exceed traffic, respectively. gate arrival time. the support given to Nigerian he said.

US Airlines Post Improved On-time Performance US airlines had a good month in November for on-time performance and cancellations, with the on-time arrival rate the highest since the downturn following the global financial crisis in 2009.

The Department of Transportation reported the overall on-time arrival rate of 88.3 percent was up from November 2016’s 86.5 percent and came close to the highest rate ever reported, November 2009’s 88.6 percent.

Flight cancellations were equal lowest on record, with just 0.3 percent of flights cancelled during the month, matching September and November 2016, and down from the 0.7 percent rate reported for October 2017.

The number of mishandled bags also dropped, down to 1.83 per 1,000 passengers from

BUSINESS EXPANSION

Edo Governor, Obaseki, Lauds 2018 Passenger Growth to NBC on Best Practices Stay above Trend, Says IATA

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Gains of Enforcing Electricity Safety and Standards Ama Umoren, in this article, applauds the role of the Nigerian Electricity ManagementServices in the push for steady power supply in Nigeria

Geregu Power Station

From zero scratch to an efficient regulator of standard and electrical safety, NEMSA has proved that Nigeria can get a lot of things right with the right leadership. A president of discipline and integrity combined with a minister of efficiency and progress can only give rise a result-oriented regulator.

The push for incremental, steady and uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria is proceeding at a faster more coordinated pace than many Nigerians are acknowledging. The preoccupation has been with the (GTD) generation [G], transmission {T} and distribution [D]. But the sector under Babatunde Raji Fashola has raised to the center stage a critical section of the sector, electricity standard and safety of lives and property.

There is a renewed focus beyond the GTD, in enforcement of standard and safety of electrical equipment and installation across the country. Sector operators initially dismissed safety and standard as a major issue but over time the realization has dawned on all operators that the GTD is not enough.

Regulating installations and equipment for standard and quality is a serious component of every developed power sector.

That emphasis on safety may appear alien in a developing economy. This may however not be unconnected to the very low power generation, transmission crisis and distribution challenges. Many reason that if we are yet to generate, transmit, and distribute enough megawatts for households, how can we be preoccupied with safety issues. In reality however, safety standards is key to sustainable power supply. Any power sector that underplays standard is likely to be embroiled in systemic human and material losses as a consequence of such neglect.

The Nigerian government realized this early enough; hence the establishment of the Nigerian Electricity Management

Services [NEMSA] under the leadership of Engineer Peter O. Ewesor, a leading authority on electrical engineering in the country. Despite hiccups of establishment, NEMSA has taken off successfully and moving rapidly to catch up with any lost ground. Interesting thing is that infrastructure for electricity safety and standard are being set up across the country at a rate that astounds many.

Enforcement activities are progressing so swiftly with a touch of professionalism.

Certification of electrical contractors has been firmed up, Inspections and monitoring/surveillance of installations is progressing at maximum speed.

The cost of weak electricity safety standard is enormous. We can talk of the human cost. According to Ewesor,� from 2016 to date, we have recorded 366 deaths of largely members of the public and some electricity workers in 321

The agency has taken serious proactive measures. Gencos and Disocs have been sanctioned in many cases. The agency has directed DisCos to disconnect all houses, trading points, under high tension power lines. The agency has written to state governors on advocacy to stop building under high tension lines

electrical accidents. While 86.8% of the fatalities occurred among members of the public, 13.2% happened to electricity workers. The electrocutions took place across states, towns and villages. Injuries are even on the higher side “, the NEMSA boss said.

But the agency has taken serious proactive measures. Gencos and Disocs have been sanctioned in many cases. The agency has directed DisCos to disconnect all houses, trading points, under high tension power lines. The agency has written to state governors on advocacy to stop building under high tension lines. Reports indicated that most governments are acting on the agency appeal. As Ewesor himself put it, “we are seriously sanctioning those who flout the law and we are not going to relent�

Much more importantly the agency is strengthening the certification scheme in line with the law, no person irrespective of who he is will be allowed to handle electrical installation works in Nigeria without having that certification. This will checkmate bad electrical installations. On this Ewesor noted that his agency is going “to set up some taskforces to look at some network/ system we feel are not safe, and ensure that such networks do not get power supply until fixed�

It is refreshing that meter testing stations are now up and running across the country, certification of electrical contractors is institutionalized and certification of electricity installation is effected as a law. To cap it all, the agency has commenced a Nationwide Technical Monitoring and Evaluation of the primary 33KV feeder lines and associated 33/11KV injection substations with supply source from 330/132/33KV transmission substations.

The exigency of the exercise, the agency affirmed is to identify constraints militating against quick realization of the Federal Government’s policy and efforts

for sustainability of the incremental, steady and uninterrupted power supply.

This is so as such objective is only possible through the 33KV primary feeder lines to the 33/11KV injection substations and subsequently through the 11KV feeder lines and associated distribution transformers and finally to the consumers to identify the high risk and technical loss points along the 33KV feeder lines.

The Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, while on one of the inspections, said “the importance of the exercise cannot be overemphasized in light of the spate of the increasing number of electrical accidents and incidents, power failures/outages at the downstream of the power value chain (power distribution networks) even when there is a huge increase in power generation in the grid system�. “The exercise will identify high risk defective networks that pose serious threat and danger to operators’ operational staff and the general public and highlight these for immediate attention and correction/rectification by respective DisCos and TCN�, he noted in a recent statement Overall, the advances recorded within so short a period excite industry watchers. It is thus not surprising that NEMSA came first among all federal agencies and ministries in the ease of doing business ranking just released by the Presidential Committee on the Ease of Doing Business.

From zero scratch to an efficient regulator of standard and electrical safety, NEMSA has proved that Nigeria can get a lot of things right with the right leadership. A president of discipline and integrity combined with a minister of efficiency and progress can only give rise to a result-oriented regulator.

-Ama Umoren, is of Public Affairs and Communication, NEMSA, Abuja

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EDUCATION Saving the Environment through Education In line with its believe in sustaining the environment through continuous research, Chevron Nigeria Limited has since 2006, through the S.L Edu Research Grant, awarded scholarships to doctoral candidates whose research works are on environmental conservation and sustainable development in Nigeria. The company recently added two more scholars to the list of beneficiaries during the 16th Chief S.L Edu Memorial Lecture. Uchechukwu Nnaike reports The earth is being polluted on a daily basis as a result of the activities of man; sometimes these activities are carried out in ignorance.

Education is therefore vital in the campaign for a safe and sustainable environment.

With the S.L Edu Research Grant instituted

by Chevron Nigeria Limited, in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) for doctoral degree scholars, perhaps the outcome of such research would provide the public with the necessary information on how to care for the environment and make the world a better place.

Since its inception, the grant has produced 26 beneficiaries that conduct researches in fields related to nature conservation and sustainable livelihood. The company also works with the NCF to ensure that appropriate value is derived from the researches.

Through this grant, the company said it is supporting the NCF in pursuing the conservation of nature and its resources with the aim of improving the quality of human life both the present and the future by preserving the full range of Nigeria’s biodiversity which includes species, ecosystems and genetic Biodiversity. “CNL is also helping in promoting sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations; and advocating actions that minimize pollution and wasteful utilisation of renewable resources.�

This year’s beneficiaries of the grant worth N500,000 each are Mr. Chinedu Obieze from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and Mr. Olukayode Adelaja from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). Obieze’s research is on ‘Formulation of NPK-modelled Fertilizers from Agro and Industrial Wastes for Remediation of Crude Oil Polluted Soils’, while Adelaja is working on ‘Ethnobotanical Survey and Bioactivity of Botanicals against Haematophylus Insects in North Central Nigeria’.

They were honoured at the 16th Chief S.L Edu Memorial Lecture titled ‘Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade in West Africa: The Role of Environmental Law and Governance’, delivered by the Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun.

Presenting the grant to the recipients, the General Manager, Policy Government and Public Affairs, Chevron, Mr. Esimaje Brikinn noted that the topic is apt as it speaks to the activities that threaten the ecosystem. “Wildlife significantly contributes to the existence of man.

They are part of the biodiversity- the foundation of the ecosystems in which the human wellbeing is intimately linked.�

He stressed that the ecosystems serve humans because they provide natural functions. “The microbes in an ecosystem are vital in the breakdown of dead plant and animal remains and in the recycling of nutrients. Biodiversity also provides actual and potential material and economic benefits to people.

Thus the preservation of wildlife and by extension the biodiversity is very important to our existence and therefore we must take every step possible to conserve it.�

Brikinn stated that Chevron has enduring partnerships with different stakeholders such as the NCF in line with its vision to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance. “Our partnership has lasted for over 20 years because the foundation has proved to be a worthy partner. This partnership has produced commendable projects geared towards conserving our environment and building

L-R: The Executive Director, NCF, Mr. Adeniji Karunwi, the awardees: Chinedu Obieze and Olukayode Adelaja, with the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (PGPA), Chevon Nigeria Limited, Mr. Esimaje Brikinn, during the presentation of the grants in Lagos... recently Nigeria’s economy. “One of the projects is the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), built by Chevron in 1992. Today the LCC has become one of Africa’s most prominent and most diverse urban parks.

It attracts tourists from across the world. It has become known to be a safe habitat for several species of plants and animals going extinct and has attracted several educational researches.�

While calling on everyone to make a personal commitment to preserve the environment, he affirmed that with the right sensitisation and advocacy, “we can collectively protect the earth.�

In a chat with THISDAY, one of the awardees, Obieze said his research is centred on finding sustainable solution to the environmental problems in the Niger Delta with particular reference to crude oil pollution. He said he intends to use readily available waste materials which pose a problem a problem to the environment to formulate green fertilizers that will support sustainable agriculture and sustainable remediation of crude oil polluted soils within the Niger Delta.

Asked how he got the award, he said there was an opening for all PhD students that are conducting research in conservation and sustainability of the environment to apply online for the research grant. He said the applicants were expected to submit their proposals and he submitted his in November 2017 and they were informed that successful candidates will be contacted and he was contacted as a successful candidate.

Emphasising the role of education in conserving the environment, Obieze stated that researches in Nigeria are now solving the real problems faced by the society. “Education has a vital role to play, particularly sciences, as an environmental microbiologist,

there are so many microbial solutions to some of the environmental problems we face. There is this inter-play now between universities and societies where we try to create a forum to sensitise Nigerians on the importance of the environment, why we need to practice sustainability in whatever we are doing keeping in mind the future generation. We don’t need to pollute the environment; there needs to be development and the development should be sustainable.�

The other awardee, Adelaja said his research was based on the realisation that local plants could be used to fight insects so he set out to research on the use of botanicals in an environmentally safe way to protect humans from insects that bite.

He said he intends to produce an alternative to the use of synthetic insecticides to fight insects. According to him, if the research pulls through, it would be an alternative for the government to reduce cost trying to control mosquitoes by providing mosquito nets. “If this research can bring out compounds that are very effective, it will reduce the amount of money that is spent in trying to control insects and it will be beneficial not only to the government, but it will also lead to job creation and reduce mobility and mortality in humans because these insects cause a lot of mortality in Nigeria.�

While thanking Chevron for instituting the scholarship, Adelaja, who was raised by a single mother, said the fund would ease the burden of funding his research.

In his lecture, Fagbohun, a Professor of Environmental Law and Policy regretted that every year, hundreds of millions of plants and animals are removed or poached from the wild and then sold as ornamental plants food, pets, for zoos and breeding, or to be used as work of art, decoration, jewellery,

cosmetics, tourist curios and medicine.

He said wildlife trade is believed to be the world’s fourth most valuable illicit commerce after drugs, human trafficking and the arms trade. “...The problem however habitat loss and over exploitation have become direct threats to sustainability of many wild population and endangered species.�

According to him, overall, in the last 40 years alone, nearly 52 per cent of the world’s wildlife has been wiped out of existence.

The don said while it can be said that a lot has been done in meeting the challenges of illegal wildlife trade, the inescapable facts and realities show that the various laws have not been able to translate into effective governance in the management of wildlife.

He therefore stressed the need to enhance and strengthen legislative frameworks; incorporation of anti-corruption measures in work plans of national, regional and sub-regional wildlife enforcement networks; technical assistance and capacity building for relevant stakeholders; deployment of technology such as the use of genotype sequencing to trace elephant ivory origin in order to identify poaching hotspots.

Other recommendations are encouragement of multi-sectoral dialogue; raising awareness regarding illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products; eliminating fragmentation of governance institutions in favour of more comprehensive and co-ordinated response; encouraging multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional investigations; strict application of anti-corruption provisions of national and international law to corruption related to illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products; and regular monitoring and assessment of management strategies and regulatory initiatives.

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EDUCATION

Kaduna to Make Teaching Profession Attractive John Shiklam in Kaduna The Kaduna State government has concluded plans to review the remuneration and welfare package of teachers to make the profession attractive.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Ja’afaru Sani, who disclosed this at a news conference in Kaduna, said the state government would introduce attractive incentives for teachers in rural areas as part of ongoing reform to ensure quality education in the state.

Giving an update on the ongoing recruitment of 25,000 teachers for public primary schools in the state, he said it had become necessary to motivate and retain qualified and professional teachers posted to rural areas.

According to him, the State

Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) is working to ensure that the first batch of newly recruited teachers are a deployed to schools in February.

The commissioner said there would be no compromise on quality of teachers to be employed in the ongoing recruitment of the 25,000 teachers.

He said the 21,780 teachers sacked for failing competency test still have a chance to be reconsidered by reapplying, adding that about 12,000 of them have reapplied.

Sani commended parents and other relevant stakeholders in the education sector for supporting the government in its efforts to reform the sector for the benefit of over two million pupils in the state, adding that the sector will no longer be a dumping ground

for unqualified teachers. “Currently, we have more teachers in urban areas than we have in rural areas because the salary package is the same and so whenever teachers are posted to rural schools they redeploy to urban centres. “Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i has directed the ministry of

education and other relevant stakeholders to come up with juicy incentives that will keep quality teachers in rural areas. “We will also introduce a programme for identifying ‘super teachers’ and motivate them to encourage the clamour for excellence in the teaching profession,� the commissioner

said.

He added that the state government is determined to entrench quality and standard in teaching and learning in its schools. “The El-Rufa’i led-administration strongly believes that only access to affordable and quality education would

ensure social mobility for children of the poor to have improved standard of living. “This is because only quality education will equip them with the needed skills to be creative, inventive and be part of the social movement towards development and self-fulfilment.�

South Korea to Hand over $15m Model School to FCTA Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja South Korea will next month donate the Korea/Nigeria Model School built at the cost of $15 million to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The FCTA Education Secretary, Senator Isa Maina, who disclosed this recently at the opening ceremony of a sevenday training for 150 teachers and administrators to run the school built in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), lauded the school’s standard.

He said only few schools if any, can match the Nigeria/ Korea Model School in concept, design and construction as the quality of work is outstanding.

He urged all beneficiaries of the training and other stakeholders to take their responsibilities to the operation and maintenance of the school with utmost seriousness and professionalism, saying that South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. “Your training is very impor-

tant because you are going to form an elite crop of teachers.

You are hereby called to live up to your calling as imparters of knowledge and moulders of young minds. This fourth level training will further enhance and broaden your scope of knowledge and I urge you not to misuse this opportunity and even use it as a foundation for personal improvement.�

Maina who was represented by the Director, Administration and Finance, Mrs. Eunice Ugochukwu, said the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello has taken a personal interest in the school having visited it even during construction, adding that the minister has set up a committee, chaired by the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Christian Ohaa and supervised by the education secretary to maintain the aesthetics and academic integrity of the school for the foreseeable future.

The school, which will be handed over by the Korean government to the FCTA, will commence operation in September.

Dankwambo Approves N415m for Gombe State Varsity, Scholarships Segun Awofadeji in Gombe In his determination to ensure that Gombe State comes top in education, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has approved the N415 million for the payment of allowances of Gombe State University staff, as well as the purchase and distribution of JAMB-UTMEe-Pin for the 2018 examination.

The approved sum also includes payment of scholarship to Gombe State students in over 70 tertiary institutions across the country.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Malam Isa Muhammad Wade, who disclosed this weekend, explained that the governor ordered the immediate

release of the funds to clear the staff allowances and ensure that the JAMB-UTME forms have been distributed accordingly.

He said the governor’s gesture “is geared towards ensuring dedication and commitment to academic work to enhance motivation.�

According to him, out of the sum, N300 million would go to settling arrears of allowances of staff of the state university, while N15 milion is to cover the cost of purchase and distribution of JAMB-UTME, e-Pin for the 2018 examination across the state.

Wade also explained that N100 million is for the payment of scholarship to students in over 70 tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

50 HEARTY CHEERS

L-R: The Executive Director, NCF, Mr. Adeniji Karunwi, the awardees: Chinedu Obieze and Olukayode Adelaja, with the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Aairs (PGPA), Chevon Nigeria Limited, Mr. Esimaje Brikinn, during the presentation of the grants in Lagos... recently

UNILAG VC Bemoans N23m Earned Allowance Allocated to Non-academic Staff Funmi Ogundare The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Toyin Ogundipe has expressed dissatisfaction with the N23 million paid to nonacademic staff union of the institution for the 2009/2010 earned academic allowance, saying that the amount is not what should be given to a first generation university.

Ogundipe, who made this known recently during a media parley in Lagos, said UNILAG got the least compared to what other institutions got. “It is not fair on the nonteaching staff of UNILAG. What is the rationale for the sharing formula when other federal universities are getting much more?�

The non-academic staff in some state and federal universities had embarked on an indefinite strike since December 2017 to protest the sharing formula of the N23 billion released by the federal government to settle earned allowance thereby disrupting academic and administrative activities.

In the formula adopted by the federal government, non-academic staff were allocated 11 per cent of the 23 billion, as against the 89 per cent given to academic staff in the universities.

Ogundipe said his institution has been considerate in ensuring a stable academic calendar without anyone being attacked or molested

unlike what obtains in other universities.

The VC also reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to enhancing teaching and learning, as well as reviewing the quality of research being carried out, as part of plans to rebrand UNILAG. “We want to make sure that we are better than where we were and ensure that students have a conducive academic environment where research is being carried out,� he said, adding that the institution would be having access to research grant to meet the needs of funding agents. “We have the entrepreneurship too we want to make sure that our programmes are relevant, locally and globally competitive.

Our quality assurance department is looking at the quality of the teaching, including the quality of the research work. “The director of academic planning recently reviewed the programmes to put everything into focus so that we will have a standard in our academic programmes that will run through all faculties.

It will be such that one cannot come up one day and change the courses of first semester and second semester. “The registrar is also on top of the administrative side of running the university who will ensure that the decisions taken at the council meetings are reflected in the university; the librarian is working on

the availability of books and journals for students in the new library structure. “In the College of Medicine, we have full admission for Dental Sciences and Nursing.

We will be inviting the National Universities Commission (NUC) to come before the end of the session for us to be able to meet the requirements needed,� Ogundipe said.

St. Gregory’s College Celebrates 90th Anniversary Ugo Aliogo St. Gregory’s College, Lagos is 90. As part of activities to mark the 90th anniversary, series of programmes, including inauguration of the new science laboratories, football match by the students against Igbobi College, career day/lecture, speech and prize-giving day, charity visits, among others, have been lined up by the old boys association.

The programme will climax with a gala night and dinner on January 28 at the college premises.

The Chairman, Celebrations Planning Committee, Sir, Steve Omojafor, who briefed journalists on its plans, said the celebration is designed to recognise the progress the college has made in surviving difficult times, adding that it overcame the forceful take-over from government for almost 25 years.

He said the celebration would also mark their founding year crossover (1882-1928), which would be unveiled at the gala night. “The college has weathered the

storm of government forceful take-over for almost 25 years, some of us are still alive today to witness its glorious return and the re-establishment of its sacred values and cherished traditions.�

Omojafor described the college as the flagship of Roman Catholic Church education in Nigeria, saying, “the old boys have been helpful especially in the areas of providing funds for laboratory equipment, therefore helping the students who are prepared to study. It gladdens my heart to announce that a set of 12 ultra-modern laboratories was inaugurated recently by the proprietor of the college, the Archbishop of Lagos, Dr. Alfred Martins and named after Monsignor Pedro Martins (the oldest priest in Nigeria) alongside the blessing of the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima. “The college authorities went to work immediately with the old boys and extensive renovations were carried out.

The Catholic Mission was able to carefully select new, highly resourceful and committed teachers to see the realisation of the new take-over conditions.�

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EDUCATION

Diamond Bank’s Sponsorship Boosts WARIF Educational School Benneth Oghifo A group, Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) has officially announced the expansion of the WARIF Educational School Programme (WESP) through the recent partnership with Diamond Bank.

According to the Founder of WARIF, Dr. Kemi DaSilva Ibru, the bank’s vibrant Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department would collaborate with the WARIF Educational School Programme, one of WARIF’s projects targeted primarily at secondary school girls between the ages of 13 and 16.

She said 200 school girls from a selected school in Surulere would participate in the project on the prevention of gender-based violence and abuse through a specifically designed curriculum offered to the selected students, parents and teachers at the school.

The foundation, which recently marked its first anniversary at the WARIF Centre,

Yaba, has continued to serve as a relief centre for survivors of gender-based violence.

The foundation is also engaged in its preventive initiatives; strategically taking some of these to the grassroots and ensuring that all women regardless of geographical location are educated on the prevention of gender-based violence, as well as continued efforts targeting the most critical and yet vulnerable segment of the society; young children and teenagers.

DaSilva Ibru thanked the management of Diamond Bank, especially regarding its CSR drive targeted at improving the well-being and financial stability of women and children While lauding the bank’s efforts in supporting the foundation, she noted that the WESP initiative which was launched last year has been impactful, providing vital data critical to the successful reduction of gender-based violence in Nigeria. “We are extremely excited about our recent partnership

with Diamond Bank. With their support and sponsorship, we are going back to schools in the Lagos State District and will expand the WARIF Educational School Programme to include an additional number of affected adolescent school children. This will provide the necessary toolkit that is vital in educating and re-orienting the mind set of our future generation of young men and women and will put an end to gender-based violence in our society.�

The bank’s chief spokesperson, Chioma Afe, stated that “the partnership with WARIF is an important one, as it is an opportunity to re-orientate and educate women and students on issues around gender-based violence. “Women’s wealth and wellbeing form a core part of the bank’s approach towards corporate sustainability and WARIF’s efforts provide a good platform through which to empower not only Nigerian women but the younger generation.�

This she said is a step in

the right direction towards reducing the incidences of violence against women and girls in Nigeria.

In addition to the WARIF Educational School Programme, WARIF also implements preventive initiatives such as the on-going traditional birth attendants’ training, in collaboration with the ACT Foundation. The WARIF Centre, the foundation’s sexual assault referral centre has treated an average of 446 beneficiaries and offers free medical care, counselling, shelter and legal aid, as well as providing a 24-hour confidential helpline available to all young girls and women who are in need of these services.

In 2018, WARIF seeks to expand its on-going field initiatives to include tertiary institutions and other industries where women are marginalized and partner with organisations willing to take on the enormous task of changing the present narrative on gender-based violence in the larger society.

Students in WARIF educational school programme

Promasidor Increases Cowbellpedia Prizes to Mark 20th Anniversary To mark 20 years relationship of Cowbell and Mathematics, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk has announced an expansion to the Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show with improved prizes for winners. Briefing the media in Lagos recently to kick off the competition, the Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria, Mr. Anders Einarsson explained that this year’s prize money has been doubled as winners in both categories would receive N2 million with an all-expense paid educational excursion abroad, while the first and second runners-up will receive N1.5 million and N1 million respectively.

The teachers of the top prize winners will be awarded with N500,000, while those of the first and second runners-up will receive N400,000 and N300,000 respectively. Einarsson added that the company is launching

the Cowbellpedia Academy, a workshop for students and teachers in partnership with a foreign university aimed at exposing participants to new and up-to-date learning techniques required to achieve and improve academic excellence.

To further sustain the growing interest in Mathematics by the relevant groups, the MD disclosed that the company came up with the Cowbellpedia Compendium initiative, which was launched at the event, as part of the 20th anniversary.

The Cowbellpedia Compendium is a compilation of solved questions from the past Cowbellpedia editions for each category, to improve students’ proficiency in Mathematics. “This compendium is our 20th anniversary gift to all students across Nigeria and is available both in hard copy and electronic version,� he said.

Like previous editions, the Cowbellpedia Secondary

Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show is open to students in junior secondary three and senior secondary two from 10- 18 years attending fulltime secondary education in public and private schools across Nigeria, entry to the competition is free.

The competition is divided into two phases: stage one qualifying written examination and stage two, TV quiz show. “For the stage one, we are continuing with the initiative that we started in 2016 for mixed secondary schools to nominate a minimum of two girls for each category to represent such school.

This is our own little way of encouraging the girl child to take interest in education especially the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses.�

Einarsson also promised that the company would continue to stimulate the interest of

young Nigerians in the study of Mathematics as “Cowbellpedia is a demonstration of our commitment.�

In his remarks, Promasidor’s Marketing Manager, Abiodun Ayodeji said the journey of the past 20 years has been remarkable for the company and the students. He stressed that the registration for this year’s edition is strictly online and the portal is open for registration until February 11, 2018 when it would be closed, while qualifying examination nationwide will hold on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at various designated centres.

Also speaking, the Director of Quality Assurance, National Examinations Council (NECO), Dr. Ikechukwu Anyanwu commended Promasidor for the initiative, which he said has been of tremendous benefit to Mathematics education in Nigeria.

Don’t Drop Your Head I sat across the table from four ladies lunching the other day and soon found my interest engaged by their dissection of a post they were obviously dealing with there and then. Talk about girl-power- to say that they were gobsmacked at a young man’s remark is an understatement. All of their body language seemed thoroughly insulted by it; and they were delivering their judgement - pronto!

This young man had posted on social media something to the effect that he could not date a lady who wears wigs. Personal as his preference was, unfit for public knowledge - the general consensus was. Below is their conversation: Lady A: So who does he think he is?

Lady B: Hm, the son of a business mogul I think.

Lady C: ...and so?

Lady D: Great, (pulls back drops her glasses and critically assesses the photo) so what’s the name of his ‘game’?

Lady C: (says flatly) Girls without wigs.

Lady A: In this day, in this age?

Lady B: Hush...look (peers into her phone) loads of comments saying that lots of ladies are dejected already.

Lady: So this guy - he starts off or will start off or is currently with an estrogen-laden young chick who’s at her peak of hair volume, cellulite-free tummy, laps and arms, supple smooth skin...

Lady D: (cuts in) and he obviously is putting unspoken pressures in her to keep up the lasers and implants...

Lady B: That’s if his main chick is as depressible as the ones feeling ineligible already Lady A: ...she’s probably the type that’s given him over to his fantasies...

Lady D: (Suddenly flinches with distaste and say) Come to think of it, he wears glasses! Looks like thick lenses too!

Lady A: So what?

Lady D: ...So he’s got a defect needing some ‘packaging’ too; a glaring defect at that! Nothing natural about glasses! I wish I didn’t have to wear one.

Lady B: My dear you wait until he begins to bald.

Lady A: That’s if chemo or radiation has not knocked on the door of his hair follicles before then.

Lady C: Hang on ladies - in all of this, what gets me is the reaction of the crest-fallen ladies!

Lady D: Abi? Where’s pride and body-image gone amongst the vast majority of our young ladies today?

Lady A: Body-image and pride in the face of unemployment, hunger, poor accommodation plus the impatience and covetousness of the ‘oloshos’.

Lady B: ...exactly and these are the reasons why a bespectacled young man could so openly indirectly berate ladies spotting wigs.

Lady C: (putting her hand up to speak she says) Girls, let’s make a dismissive statement on this post and simply pronounce on behalf of today’s girl with self-pride, “wig is to head as glasses to face.�

Ladies A, B, C and D: We - women-choose not be so arrogantly dismissed. Can somebody tell this young man that wigs are saving the day for women in today’s world bedecked with: cancer management, boardroom meetings, women in employment juggling their jobs with home management, middle-age realities with its hormonal changes, hormone induced hair loss after childbirths, and the list goes on.

Omoru writes from the UK

City of Knowledge Academy Holds ICT Contest Funmi Ogundare The City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State is set to host the maiden edition of primary schools ICT competition, designed to enable pupils communicate effectively using technology.

The programme, which will hold on January 25 at the school premises, will attract primary schools pupils between the ages of nine and 11, drawn from 16 schools across the country, who will be tested on creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communica-

tion by an external assessor.

The Head of School, Mrs. Abiola Lamikanra, who briefed journalists recently in Ogun State, said the participating schools who have already registered online via the school website, have been sent a curriculum which will encourage them to have a greater depth of teaching in ICT. “We want to ensure that all technology aids will be deployed,� she said, adding that since the establishment of the school in 2013, it deployed technology to enhance teaching and learning.

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EDUCATION

Expedite Action on NOUN Graduates’ Admission into Law School, Alumni Tell FG Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The National Open University of Nigeria Alumni Association (NOUNAA) has called on the federal government, Council for Legal Education, as well as other stakeholders to expedite action on the admission of NOUN Law graduates into the Nigerian Law School as

a matter of urgency.

The President of the alumni, Mr. Fidelis Agunbiade , who made the appeal while briefing journalists in Abuja, said the newly elected NEC is determined to do all it can to reposition the association in order to achieve the aims and objectives as stipulated in its constitution. The association also

called on the federal government to increase the funding of the university to enable it cater for the problems of the teeming students’ enrolment pressure and infrastructural deficit.

Agunbiade also said recent developments at the institution have shown that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Abdalla is a man of vision and

zeal, stressing that the university would be galvanised into greater height under his tenure.

The alumni also commended the National Assembly for amending the relevant sections of the law that established NOUN, saying that the move would put an end to any form of discrimination against graduates of the institution.

Agunbiade congratulated former President Olusegun Obasanjo for bagging a PhD in Christian Theology at the institution, adding that the achievement of the former president is worthy of emulation and an uncommon fit by an octogenarian. He added that Obasanjo has laid a solid foundation for the future generation, telling them that it is never too late to acquire knowledge “We are using this opportunity

to congratulate the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who bagged his PhD in Christian Theology from our great alma mater on January 20, 2018. He is indeed a role model and a shining example of what the ‘animal called man’ can achieve in life. I am inspired by him.� He also congratulated all the graduands, especially the two inmates who performed credibly against all odds despite their incarceration.

FGGC Sagamu Turns 40, Opens Vocational Centre

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ON THEIR MINDS

L-R: The Vice-Principal, Special Duties, Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Sagamu, Ogun State, Mr. Olateju Balogun; acting Principal, FGGC, Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State, Mr. Adeyemi Adisa; Chief Sule Odu; alumna of 1990 set FGGC Sagamu/donor of OrekeBeau Empowernment Centre, Mrs. Abosede Sule Odu; and Principal, FGGC, Sagamu, Mrs. Agnes Owolabi, at the inauguration of the centre to mark the 40th anniversary of the school... recently ETOP UKUTT

Rector: 95% of ATAP’s Varsity Don Advocates Courses are Accredited, Declaration of Technology Days Now Mini-varsity Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Rector of Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic (ATAP), Bauchi State, Dr. Suleman Muhammad Lame has disclosed that over 95 per cent of all the courses being run by the polytechnic are duly accredited, just as he said the institution could be considered a mini university in view of the various programmes it runs.

Lame, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of the institution, restated the polytechnic’s commitment to providing quality education for its students. He added that three national supervisory agencies who visited the institution on many occasions, have expressed satisfaction with the level of development in the institution.

According to him, ATAP is the only polytechnic in the northern part of the country whose 19 NCE courses were duly accredited, while HND courses on Geo-Technology, Statistics, Mass Communication and Architecture will commence before the end of this month.

While commending the present administration in the state for its support, Lame disclosed that over 100 qualified relevant staff were transferred from their various ministries and agencies by the state government to the polytechnic in order to promote

and enhance its services.

On some of the newly completed projects at the institution, he said the most awaited Tourism Village which has a model guest house and standard restaurant has been completed for the commencement of Leisure and Tourism course in the institution; a new digital campus radio has also been completed with state-ofthe-art equipment.

On staff development, Lame disclosed that over 50 staff who had master’s degree have acquired their PhD, while more staff have been encouraged to further their education.

The rector, who stated that over 25,000 textbooks of various fields were purchased, said the polytechnic’s library has been equipped with latest textbooks as part of requirements by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and other supervisory agencies.

He recalled that the polytechnic established in 1988, had dilapidated structures with only courses accredited, stressing that immediately after he took over, Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar showed concern for the development of the institution with the renovation of all students’ hostel and classrooms, as well as the provision of furniture for staff and students.

James Sowole in Akure A Professor of Industrial and Production Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Buliaminu Kareem, has called on government and relevant agencies to declare some days as technology days in a bid to promote technological and industrial development in the country.

Kareem, who delivered the 90th inaugural lecture of the institution, said holidays being declared under religious or political platform should be extended to promote technological and industrial development, adding, “on this basis, days related to designs, material, manufacture, maintenance, invention and industrial products should be declared on quarterly or yearly basis.�

This according to the don will avail investors and consumers the opportunity of assessing the showcased technology produced by industries, technical colleges, polytechnics, universities and research institutions for possible investment or patronage.

He stressed that rewarding the best invention or innovation would create local competition among stakeholders. “Competition enhances

continued improvement which in nearest future will enable the realisation of global technology status. “Design industries will compete with design shops, production industries will strive for survival over production shops and maintenance industries will struggle to have an edge over maintenance shops. The presence of many small and medium scale capital goods shops producing the needs of the people is the only way out of the recession and economic instability that many nations are finding themselves today. “More goods will be available for local consumption thereby lowering importation.

Development in innovative and smart material production will be highly supportive to this arrangement.�

The don called for proper equipment maintenance culture for the country to become fully industrialized and attain its rightful position in the comity of technologically advanced nations by 2037.

He urged the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to enforce registration of illegal engineering design and maintenance outfits for easy monitoring and quality control of products.

It was a moment of appreciation and thanksgiving recently as staff, parents, former and present students of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Sagamu, Ogun State gathered at the school premises to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the school.

The thanksgiving ceremony, which was graced by traditional rulers, academic administrators, school principals from other girls’ government colleges across the country and friends of the school, was the culmination of a week-long events and colourful activities, which started on January 15.

Some of the activities and major events witnessed during the course of the week programme include tree planting by some dignitaries of the school led by the Head Girl, Alice Solanke. Others were the cultural event, a music concert, inter-house sports competition, inter school quiz, debate and drama presentation, the PTA/ old girls’ day and special Jumat service, the grand finale anniversary lecture, as well as launching of the anniversary magazine.

On the special occasion of the school’s anniversary praise and worship day, the atmosphere

was a mix of colourful appearances by past sets of the school and members of staff with musical rendition by selected students and procession which elicited excitement and joyous moments with feelings of nostalgia. ince its establishment in 1978, the college has produced enviable women in the society as academicians, doctors, lawyers, scientists, bankers, politicians, entrepreneurs and leaders in areas of their endeavours.

The Principal, Mrs. Agnes Owolabi enjoined the current students to emulate this upon graduation.

The highpoint of the ceremony was the presentation and unveiling of a fashion and beauty vocational centre erected by Mrs. Abosede Sule Odu of the 1990 alumni set. “The OrekeBeau Empowerment Centre is the first step to introduce the students to future job creation if they chose to tow the path of entrepreneurship. “The centre will deliver a one year course to students with creative flair to have the opportunity of learning fashion and design in the school as it is tailored in the mainstream - design, pattern cutting and sewing.�

UNIUYO VC Tasks FG on Funding of Varsities Okon Bassey in Uyo The Vice-Chancellor, University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State, Professor Enefiok Essien has called on the federal government to channel funds realised from the blocking of leakages in the country’s resources to the education sector.

He said the revitalisation of the sector through such funds will help increase the funding of education to UNESCO’s minimum benchmark of 26 per cent of annual budget. “It is my earnest desire and wish that Nigeria’s university education should be revived to a point where nationals of other countries would be coming here for learning as it was in the 1960s, 1970s and even up to the early 1980s�, he said.

He highlighted some of the issues confronting the operations and expansion of education in the country to include funding, security challenges, truncation of staff salaries and inadequate staff, among others, while expressing

concern about inadequate academic staff in the institution. “It is now a big challenge with the recent introduced policy which entails necessary joint-teaching of courses by lecturers in Nigerian universities.�

Despite these challenges and other unfriendly circumstances, Essien said within the two years of being in office, he has initiated and completed more than 14 physical infrastructures, while 13 more projects are ongoing.

Besides physical development of infrastructure at the institution, he said his tenure has witnessed harvest of prizes, honours, awards and ranking.

The Chancellor, Alhaji Abubakar Adamu Maje, acknowledged that with the achievement of the vicechancellor within two years in office, his critics have been proved wrong. Drawing the vice-chancellor’s attention to the economic situation in the country, Maje charged him to drive the university towards entrepreneurship in curricula studies.

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CITYSTRINGS

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Equipping the Marine Police Chiemelie Ezeobi writes on the move to boost the operational capabilities of the marine wing of the Nigeria Police in tackling pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, amongst others on the inland waterways

The Marine Police operatives on duty at sea

I

t was a surprise attack as some militants recently struck at the Igbokoda area of Ondo State and attacked the policemen deployed to man the waterways there.

They not only attacked the policemen but succeeded in disarming them.

But for the subsequent intervention by operatives of the Nigerian Navy (NN) it would have gone down the annals of history as a bad day for the police. Confirming this, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Slyvanus Abbah, said the naval personnel deployed to Igbokoda responded to the distress call that some militants had attacked and disarmed some policemen.

He said: "Our men at Igbokoda raced to a village called Aiyetoro after they got a signal that some hoodlums had attacked and disarmed some mobile policemen stationed there. Our men gave chase and disarmed them. They were able to recover two of the three arms from the militants. We are on top of the situation."

Thus, to erase situations like the above mentioned scenario, the Basic Marine Operation Course (BMOC) was borne out of the urgent need to equip the marine wing of the Nigerian Police Force.

Given that the maritime domain remains a strategic asset with its enormous resources and potential, the BMOC was inaugurated in March 2016, to boost the operational capability of the Marine Police to help patrol the waterways that has been persistently challenged by a myriad of threats that have impinged on Nigeria's economic well-being and national security.

With the knowledge that for the Marine Police to operate minimally, the police, partnered the Nigerian Navy to integrate maritime doctrines and interoperability for its personnel to counter maritime crimes like pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, among others.

Having seen the successes recorded by the

first tranche of policemen who were trained in 2016, the second tranche was increased to 50 as against the initial trained 39. While the first one took place at Nigerian Navy Ship QUORRA of The Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), the second training was moved to the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre (JMSTC) at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos.

Also, whilst the first training took a span of 13 weeks, the subsequent one was compiled to six weeks. Meanwhile, among the 50 trained personnel were assistant superintendents of police, inspectors, sergeants and corporals.

However, at the recent graduation of the second tranche at JMSTC, the 50 graduands who were trained to counter maritime crimes like pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, among others, were said to have also been trained towards developing their capacity for marine and riverine operations.

As a maritime nation endowed with enormous maritime resources, the need to protect these resources becomes very necessary. I am highly delighted that the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre has turned out this set of professionally trained and adept Marine Police OfďŹ cers

During the weeks of training, the course was tailored towards improving the Marine Police's ability in weapon handling and boat handling maintenance, as well as being introduced to the laws of the sea, search and rescue, as well as other elements of chart work and rules of the road.

The Navy's contribution The entire training was pioneered by the navy and in his speech, the NAVTRAC Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Obi Ofodile, said the graduation was a milestone for the navy and the police.

Speaking at the passing out ceremony of the BMOC Batch B, Ofodile said the course was aimed at developing the capacity of the Marine Police to conduct operations in support of the NN in internal waters to the harbour and port entrances of our littoral state.

He said, "The training you have just passed through inculcates the best global practices in Seamanship, Navigation and other specific areas of maritime operations. I am sure you have endured six weeks of training that would further enhance your professional competence in the Nigeria Police Force. “Let me also place on record that the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre is one of the best on the continent. I have no doubt that despite the rigours of the training, you have benefitted greatly from this citadel of learning.

"You should therefore use the privilege of this training to improve yourself in order to meet the challenges ahead. It is pertinent to state that the recent security challenges confronting the nation, especially in the maritime environment need the collaborative efforts of all security agencies, especially between the NN and the Nigeria Police.

"I will like to appreciate the CNS and IGP for working out this training arrangement, which has not only brought the two services closer

but has also enabled us to share knowledge with one another. The NN is ever ready to render necessary assistance to the Nigeria Police when called upon. I am sure that the converse will also be the case if NN requires anything from the Nigeria Police.

"As a maritime nation endowed with enormous maritime resources, the need to protect these resources becomes very necessary.

I am highly delighted that the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre has turned out this set of professionally trained and adept Marine Police Officers.

"You are now prepared to carry out your various duties as may be assigned to you in future, especially within the inland waterways of the country.

"While performing your duties, it has become necessary for us to work together as a team. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is there as per the roles of the different organisations and there is no scepticism on who the Scene Commander is.

"Despite these, the need to know and the need to share in order to further improve the inter-agency collaboration cannot be overemphasised. To win the war against crude oil thieves and illegal bunkerers as well as other enemies of the state, our services must be of one accord."

The trainer's charge As expected, the trainer took to the podium to address the graduands, charging them to put to use all the skills acquired in their day-to-day operations while patrolling their areas of responsibility (AOR).

The trainer, who also doubles as the JMSTC Commandant, Captain Noel Madugu, while speaking to the graduands said the trainings received were the start of their career in the Nigerian Marine Police operations.

He said: "The BMOC was developed in order to enhance the capability of the Marine

37

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

CITYSTRINGS

L-R: AIG Marine Police Command, Alkali Baba Usman; NAVTRAC Flag OďŹƒcer Commanding, Rear Admiral Obi Ofodile; JMSTC Commandant, Captain Noel Madugu and the Force Marine OďŹƒcer, SP Chinedu Iwuozo, at the graduation ceremony

A cross section of the graduands with senior naval and police oďŹƒcers

Department of the Nigerian Police for littoral and riverine operations so as to enable them carry out their duties in securing Nigeria’s Maritime environment particularly the inland waters, effectively and efficiently.

"Therefore, the objectives of the course was to improve the knowledge of the participants in seamanship and navigation in line with international best practices.

"Also to make the participants well versed in boat handling techniques and maintenance and to enhance the instructional capabilities of participants on boat handling techniques and maintenance.

"Also to improve on water survival/ search and rescue skills of the participants, to improve the participants’ weapon handling skills and to impart the participants with the necessary knowledge which they can teach their colleagues."

Taking up the gauntlet To whom much is given, much is also expected and in recognition of that fact, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Marine Command, Alkali Baba Usman, while commending the navy, pledged to sustain the tempo.

Also, the Force Marine Officer (FMO) SP Chinedu Iwuozo, in an earlier function had

harped on the need for such intensive trainings for their personnel. Speaking at the get together to felicitate with retired marine personnel at the Nigeria Police Marine Headquarters in Lagos, Iwuozo said such intensive trainings will enable the force combat challenges on the waterways across the country, which will aid them return to the mainstream of marine policing.

The BMOC was developed in order to enhance the capability of the Marine Department of the Nigerian Police for littoral and riverine operations so as to enable them carry out their duties in securing Nigeria’s maritime environment particularly the inland waters, effectively and efďŹ ciently

He said, "So many things are happening now that were not happening before - kidnapping, armed robbery, hijack even in the waterways, militancy and terrorism. These things are norms that were not there before. So now we have a lot of task springing up, which poses threats to national security. Therefore, we need to strategise.

"There are a lot of threats emanating from the waterways, just as a lot of interest is invested on the waterways especially in the Niger Delta and the Lagos axis because of the commercial activities and wealth of the nation that dwells within the waters.

"We have changing dynamics in criminality, hence there is need for us to position ourselves to get it better. Thus, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has introduced the idea of adequate training for Marine Police Officers. "Those are the aspects we really want to emphasise to ensure that we come back to the mainstream of things in terms of marine policing.�

Speaking at the ceremony, retired CSP Benjamin Emeofa commended the FMO and noted that such felicitation was worthy of emulation. “The occasion is the first of its kind for retired and serving members to interface.�

On the way forward for Force Marine

Police, he urged: "Just like the conventional policemen, the military armed forces, if you watch the security nature that Nigeria is faced with today, you will discover that what we are facing in Nigeria is huge. We need adequate training to meet up with what the Marine Police are meant to perform.�

About the basic maritime operations course The training covered areas like basic seamanship, introduction to basic communication, Rules of the Road (ROR), International Humanitarian Law and Law of Armed conflict, chart work, search and rescue.

The next phase was the 'Weapon Handling' where they were taught on weapon safety rules, marksmanship principles, basic loading and unloading drills as well as stripping and assembling of small arms. The participants were thereafter assessed.

The last phase was the 'Riverine Phase', it covered craft recognition and familiarisation, boat handling skills and outboard motor maintenance, water survival skills (life jacket and Man Over Board drills), boat formations, pacing drills, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) techniques for vessels, waterborne guard post and beaching.

38

T H I S D AY Ëž , JANUARY 24, 2018

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Afrinvest Harps on Structural Reforms in Nigeria Obinna Chima Afrinvest (West Africa) Limited has reiterated the need for structural reforms in Nigeria, in order to build long-term macroeconomic stability in the country. The research and financial advisory firm stated this in its 2018 economic outlook released yesterday.

According to the Group Managing Director of Afrinvest, Ike Chioke, structural reforms would also help to mitigate fault lines that could break the cycle and plunge the economy back into a vicious cycle of macroeconomic instability and weak capital market returns.

Chioke noted that owing to the upturn in commodity prices, impressive performance in the oil sector, and adoption of promarket foreign exchange reforms

by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian financial market has clearly become more attractive to foreign and local investors. He also highlighted macroeconomic conditions that have set the stage to consolidate on the growth the country started seeing in the second quarter began of 2017.

Chioke added: “2017 was indeed a year of recovery for the Nigerian economy. Through deliberate efforts from the government, we saw a rebound in economic activity, as well as strengthened investor confidence and business sentiments. It is against the backdrop of these improving macroeconomic conditions that we have taken a positive outlook for 2018, as we expect the economy to continue on its positive trajectory since its recovery.

“Akin to our last two-year bull run in 2012 and 2013, we have been ushered into a “virtuous cycle� marked by stability in external sector indicators and fiscal balance, declining inflationary pressures, improving growth profile, increasingly accommodative monetary policy and strong capital market returns. In these early days, we have seen market capitalisation and the NSE All Share Index at record highs, and we advocate a cautious, active trading strategy in the current bull market.�

The report also addressed the slow recovery of the non-oil sector and proffered strong prospects for growth in anticipation of expansion in fiscal spending, deceleration of inflation rate and increase in private investments.

NMRC Empowers 42 IDPs With Housing Construction Skills Ndubuisi Francis Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) has empowered 42 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with technical skills in different aspects of housing construction, including masonry/tiling, plumbing as well as electrical installations.

The 42 beneficiaries, who currently reside at the IDP Camp in New Kuchingoro, Abuja, Tuesday graduated from a two-month NMRC- sponsored vocational training programme which was facilitated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

The training was done using qualified building professionals and experts, even as NMRC also provided the graduates

with relevant start-up tool kits in their respective fields of training to enable them to ply their new skills. The training course commenced November under NMRC’s 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and was designed to empower lives as well as contribute to efforts to redress the skills gap in the building industry in Nigeria, often cited as one of the key constraints to a robust housing market growth.

Speaking at the closing ceremony to mark the graduation of the IDPs, NMRC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, Professor Charles Inyangete noted that the training programme is part of the company’s strategic community

outreach programme designed to impact lives and contribute to solving problems in the housing construction sector.

In his words: “Today is a day of delight for me. NMRC is proud to have initiated this program and happy to note that the first batch of beneficiaries have graduated. We believe that they are now empowered with the right skilld set to work as experts and earn a decent living for themselves and their families. “We also know that by this, we are helping to reduce the skill deficit in the housing sector.

It is our plan to sustain this effort as our contribution to improving technical skills in the construction industry,� he said.

FirstBank Partners MoneyGram on MoneyTransfer Jonathan Eze FirstBank of Nigeria Limited yesterday announced that sending money abroad through the bank just got more economical with MoneyGram ‘Naija Send,’ with charges now as low as N1,500.

The bank explained that it was committed to ensuring ease, convenience and affordability for its customers, saying the reduced fee would be helpful in bringing loved ones closer, “as they do not need to worry about high cost of sending

money to family and friends living abroad.�

The Group Head, Products & Marketing Support, FirstBank, Mr. Abiodun Famuyiwa, added in a statement: “Outbound money transfer through FirstBank is the way to go in sending money to loved ones abroad as the money sent can be picked up within minutes either as cash in the currencies of the destination countries or as a direct transfer to beneficiary’s bank account over there. “Also, there are no hidden charges as the beneficiaries get

the exact transfer equivalent in the destination country. For instance, when N355,000 is sent abroad, the beneficiary gets exactly $1,000. The money is received in the currency of the destination country. In addition, there is no risk of buying fake currencies.�

MoneyGram services are available at over 750 FirstBank branches nationwide. FirstBank also stated that it has dedicated money transfer branches that open every day of the year including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

ConnectNigeria Organises e-Business Fair Nume Ekeghe ConnectNigeria has said its fair for SMEs and start-ups is scheduled to hold February 3.

From its inception in 2011, the eBusiness Fair has helped SMEs with the information and platform they require to become competitors in a fast-changing world.

According to a statement, attendance at the fair has grown steadily, from about 500 participants at its first edition to over 5,000 registered attendees at last year’s event.

The organisers explained that this year’s edition, the seventh of its kind, is expected to be the biggest yet.

According to Managing Director of ConnectNigeria, Mr. Emeka Okafor, the eBusiness fair is a large scale, long term demonstration of ConnectNigeria’s target to aid the growth of SMEs in the country.

He added: “We hope to bring together stakeholders in industry to talk about how e-Business can help businesses. “We will talk about cashless banking, technologies and websites, and how you can utilize what you have to grow your business.�

This year’s edition of the eBusiness Fair will feature speakers from a wide range of sectors, representing long

standing industry giants, as well as pioneers and disruptors whose ideas have created new business niches.

They will be discussing different tried and tested ways through which SMEs can leverage technology to compete and scale.

There will also be an exhibition section, where brands from multiple sectors, including finance, ICT, engineering, agribusiness, education and fashion, will be showcasing their products and services to thousands of attendees.

The eBusiness Fair has received positive reviews from attendees, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors alike.

Buhari

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

AUGUST 2017 Broad Money (M2)

21,851,454.31

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,890,813.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,523,239.91

---- Demand Deposits

8,367,573.19

-- Quasi Money

11,960,641.22

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

9,732,990.89

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

12,118,463.42

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,821,446.81

---- Credit to Government (Net)

4,824,226.22

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

7,834,536.74

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

-3,010,310.52

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,997,220.59

--Other Assets Net

-14,702,983.39

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,486,804.65

--Currency in Circulation

1,868,735.07

--Banks Reserves

3,268,266.17 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

MANAGED FUNDS Month

AUGUST 2017

Inter-Bank Call Rate

22.63

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

13.35

Savings Deposit Rate

4.08

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.86

3 Months Deposit Rate

10.14

6 Months Deposit Rate

11.51

12 Months Deposit Rate

11.40

Prime Lending rate

17.69

Maximum Lending Rate

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT, MON, JAN 22,2018 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $66.89 a barrel on Monday, compared with $66.48 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

39

T H I S D AY Ëž , JANUARY 24, 2018

MARKET NEWS

NSE Market Capitalisation Sheds N187 bn on Continuing Profit Taking Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie

while market capitalisation shed N187 billion to close at N15.9 trillion. The market had recorded an unprecedented rally since the beginning of the year lifting share prices to new high before profit taking set in on Monday. The bears strengthened their hold on the market as more investors moved to lock in profits. Before now, analysts had said: “Although the market

Profit taking at the stock market continued yesterday as more stocks shed value under sell pressure. A total of 43 equities depreciated while only 14 appreciated. As a result, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 1.16 per cent to close at 44,389.85,

had sustained a three-week long bullish momentum on the back of increased investor participation following the uptrend in global oil prices and in expectation of improved earnings at the commencement of fourth quarter earnings season, we expect some slight profit taking in the coming week.�

The decline of yesterday partly resulted from deprecia-

tion recorded in the share prices of GTBank, FBN Holdings, Dangote Cement, Zenith Bank and Transcorp Plc. Commenting on the market, analysts at FSDH said: “There was sell pressure in the equity market, a combination of profit taking and price corrections predominantly in the banking sector stocks. The downward trend may likely continue till

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED AS OF

midweek.� Meanwhile, Fidelity Bank Plc led the price losers with 9.16 per cent, trailed by A.G Leventis Nigeria Plc with 9.0 per cent. Linkage Assurance Plc shed 8.7 per cent, while Transcorp Plc, FBN Holdings Plc and FCMB Group Plc went down by 5.7 per cent, 5.3 per cent and 5.2 per cent in that order. Diamond Bank Plc, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Redstar

Express Plc and University Press Plc closed 5.0 per cent lower apiece.

On the other side, Skye Bank Plc led the price gainers with 9.9 per cent, trailed by Caverton with 9.8 per cent. Unity Bank Plc garnered 9.2 per cent, just as UACN Property Development Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc and Cutix Plc chalked up 5.0 per cent each.

A S AT 1 7 / 0 1 / 2 0 1 8

Price List (Equities) PRICES FOR PREMIUM BOARD SECURITIES FINANCIAL SERVICES S/N 1

BANKING ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

31

1,020,386.05

32.50

-3.01

648

29,765,072

32

648

29,765,072

33 34

BANKING S/N 2 OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRIAL GOODS S/N 3 BUILDING MATERIALS INDUSTRIAL GOODS PREMIUM BOARD TOTALS Price List (Equities) PRICES FOR MAIN BOARD SECURITIES AGRICULTURE S/N 4 5 6 CROP PRODUCTION S/N 7 FISHING/HUNTING/TRAPPING S/N 8 LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES AGRICULTURE CONGLOMERATES S/N 9 10 11 12 13 DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES CONGLOMERATES CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE S/N 14 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION S/N 15 16 INFRASTRUCTURE/HEAVY CONSTRUCTION S/N 17 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT S/N 18 19 20 REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE CONSUMER GOODS S/N 21 AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS S/N 22 23 24 25 26 BEVERAGES--BREWERS/ DISTILLERS S/N 27 BEVERAGES--NON-ALCOHOLIC S/N 28 29 30

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FBN HOLDINGS PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm) 493,919.23

MARKET CAP(Nm) DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 4,652,058.52

BUILDING MATERIALS

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

13.76

7.08

621

63,689,956

621

63,689,956

35 FOOD PRODUCTS

1,269

93,455,028

S/N

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

273.00

5.00

126 126 126 1,395

11,066,185 11,066,185 11,066,185 104,521,213

36 37 FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED S/N 38 39 HOUSEHOLD DURABLES

CROP PRODUCTION

S/N

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

40

FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC

1,100.00

0.50

-

0

0

69,044.01 72,300.00

72.38 72.30

0.28 -

54 25 79

714,054 134,282 848,336

FISHING/HUNTING/TRAPPING ELLAH LAKES PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 511.20

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

4.26

-

0

0

0

0

42 43

LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 3,420.00

TRADES

VOLUME

44

34

2,222,893

34

2,222,893

113

3,071,229

45 46 47 48 49 50

DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. JOHN HOLT PLC. S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC.

PRICE 1.14

%CHANGE 4.59

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

1,826.63

0.69

-4.17

6

227,100

194.58 2,111.93

0.50 3.25

-

4 1

9,559 250

41 PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CONSUMER GOODS FINANCIAL SERVICES S/N

51 52 53 BANKING

103,652.38

2.55

9.91

232

140,613,483

S/N

34,575.56

18.00

-2.17

159 402 402

3,634,606 144,484,998 144,484,998

54 55 56

ARBICO PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 711.32

INFRASTRUCTURE/HEAVY CONSTRUCTION JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. ROADS NIG PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 42,240.00 165.00

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (REIT) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC

FOOD PRODUCTS DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC.

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

57

4.79

-

0 0

0 0

58

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

59

32.00 6.60

3.33 -

33 0

931,105 0

60 61

33

931,105

62 63

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

7,795.19

3.00

-3.23

44

4,851,933

65

44

4,851,933

66

TRADES

VOLUME

67

60

68

MARKET CAP(Nm) 2,000.00

PRICE 100.00

%CHANGE -

1

64

69

11,305.89

45.22

-

0

0

26,682.70

10.00

-

0

0

71

1

60

72

78

5,783,098

73

70

MARKET CAP(Nm) 2,386.33

BEVERAGES--BREWERS/ MARKET DISTILLERS CAP(Nm) CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 23,488.49 GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. 242.22 GUINNESS NIG PLC 262,188.82 INTERNATIONAL BREWER540,249.92 IES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 1,158,045.18 BEVERAGES--NONALCOHOLIC 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC.

PRICE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 65,321.00 MARKET CAP(Nm) 79,750.00

74 PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

0.50

-

2

3,020

75

2

3,020

76

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

77

3.00 0.89 119.70

1.67 5.00

82 0 88

6,600,713 0 388,640

78

62.85

-

20

46,672

146.05

-2.30

79 INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES

140

4,619,702

S/N

330

11,655,727

80 81

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

101.97

-

0

0

MICRO-FINANCE BANKS

0

0

S/N

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

15.95

-2.39

329

8,672,722

252,000.00

21.00

-1.45

149

2,488,942

78,727.12

30.00

0.03

318

10,597,175

82 83 84

HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC UNION DICON SALT PLC. FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC.

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. VITAFOAM NIG PLC. PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC.

26,169.65

3.30

0.30

1,861.25

0.50

-

0

0

1,015.74

5.70

-

11

159,439

55,638.21

21.00

-4.98

38

446,027

3,676.41

13.45

-

0 1,015

0 31,098,478

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

-4.97 -

82 53

2,353,443 206,032

MARKET PRICE CAP(Nm) 28,755.27 15.31 1,173,131.25 1,480.00

MICRO-FINANCE BANKS FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC MORTGAGE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC

8,734,173

135

2,559,475

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

1,766.22

23.23

-

0

0

3,283.47

3.15

-2.17

39 39

1,517,162 1,517,162

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

91,678.31

23.09

-0.99

32

451,380

270,130.15

47.02

-

51

350,914

83

802,294

1,604

47,636,156

MARKET BANKING CAP(Nm) ACCESS BANK PLC. 355,814.05 DIAMOND BANK PLC 73,186.83 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL 359,651.20 INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC 114,160.70 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 1,505,404.82 JAIZ BANK PLC 30,053.53 SKYE BANK PLC 14,990.73 STERLING BANK PLC. 69,672.81 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 255,680.21 UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA 444,592.48 PLC UNITY BANK PLC 11,923.12 WEMA BANK PLC. 37,802.98 INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC UNIC DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC

170

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

12.30 3.16

0.90 10.10

798 363

85,525,323 87,138,381

19.60

-1.75

107

1,678,255

3.94 51.15 1.02 1.08 2.42 8.78

9.75 0.29 8.51 9.09 10.00 4.90

319 412 23 112 249 84

41,872,780 36,874,616 865,423 17,759,123 104,339,151 1,386,549

13.00

3.17

603

69,720,108

1.02 0.98

8.51 8.89

43 190 3,303

4,489,925 95,464,662 547,114,296

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

10,292.50

0.50

-

0

0

4,296.73

0.62

3.33

57

2,320,078

29,400.00

2.80

4.87

30

965,132

3,000.00

0.50

-

0

0

15,766.57

1.52

-

14

350,130

7,364.75

0.50

-

0

0

7,000.00 2,411.47

0.50 0.53

-

0 0

0 0

1,913.74

0.50

-

0

0

3,070.00

0.50

-

2

2,000 0

642.04

0.50

-

0

3,661.72

0.50

-

0

0

3,780.77

0.88

4.76

11

1,920,398

6,960.00

0.87

1.16

26

3,521,583

4,000.00

0.50

-

1

7,700

8,976.85

1.70

4.94

31

718,255

3,869.74

0.50

-

0

0

2,759.15

0.50

-

0

0

3,334.38

0.50

-

1

687

4,170.41

0.50

-

0

0

6,455.52

0.50

-

0

0

4,670.54

0.50

-

0

0

1,291.15

0.50

-

0

0 3,512,000

6,933.33

0.50

-

4

8,000.00

0.50

-

0

0

6,959.02

0.52

-1.89

49

2,360,190

226

15,678,153

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

11,799.67

2.58

-

0

0

3,795.82

1.66

3.75

17

476,775

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE

%CHANGE

17

476,775

TRADES

VOLUME

5,460.00

1.30

-

0

0

7,370.87

0.50

-

0

0

6,005.46

1.44

-

0

0

˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

40

Nigeria Daily Stock Market Report: dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ^ŚĞĚƐ ϭ͘ϴй

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ŝŶĚĞdž ƐŚĞĚ ϭ͘ϴй LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϴϱϯ͘ϭϮ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;ͲϮ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϮ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;Ͳϭ͘ϱйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϰϮ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘ dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ŚĂƐ ƌĞƚƵƌŶĞĚ ϮϬ͘ϭй zĞĂƌͲƚŽͲ ĂƚĞ͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

^ĞůůͲKīƐ ƌĂŐ DĂƌŬĞƚ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͙ E^ ^/ ^ŚĞĚƐ ϭ͘Ϯй dŚĞ ĞƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĞdžƚĞŶĚĞĚ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ ƐŚĞĚ ϭ͘Ϯй ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϰϰ͕ϯϴϵ͘ϴϱ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϭϲ͘ϭй͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĨĞůů ƚŽ Eϭϱ͘ϵƚŶ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ůŽƐƚ Eϭϴϳ͘ϯďŶ͘ WƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌƐ Ͳ E' D ;Ͳϭ͘ϱйͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;ͲϮ͘ϴйͿ͕ & E, ;Ͳϱ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;ͲϮ͘ϯйͿ Ͳ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ŵŝĚ ĂŶĚ ƐŵĂůů ĐĂƉ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘ ůƐŽ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϴϯ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ ϱϭ͘ϴй ƚŽ ϳϯϳ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ Eϳ͘ϳďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ DŝdžĞĚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ϯ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ŶŽƌƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ůŽƐĞƌ͕ ĚŽǁŶ Ϯ͘ϲй ĂƐ 'h Z Edz ;ͲϮ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϮ͘ϯйͿ ĂŶĚ h ;Ͳϱ͘ϬйͿ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ EĞdžƚ ŝŶ ůŝŶĞ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ůŽƐƚ Ϯ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϳй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ D E^ Z ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ͕ >/E< ^^hZ ;Ͳϴ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;Ͳϭ͘ϱйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ŐĂŝŶĞƌ͕ ƵƉ Ϭ͘ϳй ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ W ;нϭ͘ϳйͿ͕ E ^ KE ;нϮ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ Ă ƌĞďŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ E ^d> ;нϴďƉƐͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ ^ W> d ;нϭ͘ϱйͿ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž Ϭ͘ϭй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ͘

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĞĂŬĞŶƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϯdž ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘Ϭdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ ĂƐ ϭϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ϰϯ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ dŽĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ^<z ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ s ZdKE ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ hE/dz ;нϵ͘ϮйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ &/ >/dz ;Ͳ ϵ͘ϮйͿ͕ '> s Ed ;Ͳϵ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ >/E< ^^hZ ;Ͳϴ͘ϳйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƐĞůůͲŽīƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ŝŶ ƐƵďƐĞƋƵĞŶƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ůŽŽŬ ƚŽ Ŭ ƉƌŽĮƚƐ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬƐ ŽĨ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŐĂŝŶƐ͘

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Current Price

Previous Current Price Weighting Change

1,853.12

-1.77% -2.8%

Price Change YTD

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

20.1%

85.3%

24.3%

7.6%

8.6x

1.2x

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

3.2%

9.7%

1

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

52.00

22.8%

27.6%

28.2%

26.0%

4.3%

10.8x

2.7x

3.9%

9.2%

2

Zenith Bank PLC

32.00

-2.3%

13.5%

24.8%

23.4%

21.7%

3.2%

6.3x

1.3x

6.3%

15.8%

3

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

2.8%

145.00

1.4%

8.1%

7.5%

7.4%

18.9%

8.6%

35.7x

6.5x

2.5%

1,471.11

0.1%

6.3%

-5.5%

-5.5%

78.4%

19.0%

38.3x

25.4x

1.7%

2.6%

269.00

-1.5%

6.1%

17.0%

17.0%

30.4%

15.7%

18.6x

5.3x

3.2%

5.4%

4

Nestle Nigeria PLC

5

Dangote Cement PLC

6

FBN Holdings Plc

13.02

-5.3%

6.8%

48.0%

48.1%

2.6%

0.3%

21.2x

0.7x

1.5%

4.7%

7

Access Bank PLC

12.70

-2.1%

4.6%

21.5%

19.8%

15.1%

2.0%

5.1x

0.7x

5.1%

19.4%

8

United Bank for Africa PLC

12.25

-5.0%

4.3%

18.9%

17.7%

17.2%

2.2%

5.4x

0.9x

6.1%

18.6%

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

20.20

3.3%

3.3%

18.8%

24.2%

-14.6%

-1.3%

0.7x

3.0%

-17.2%

10

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

685.00

1.5%

2.8%

9.4%

9.4%

-12.4%

-6.7%

46.00

0.0%

2.7%

10.8%

12.5%

28.7%

3.4%

10.6x

2.8x

1.3%

120.25

0.0%

2.5%

27.9%

27.9%

4.5%

1.4%

84.6x

4.2x

0.5%

1.2%

51.98

0.0%

1.6%

15.8%

15.8%

47.1%

9.8%

4.6x

7.9x

1.9%

21.5%

3.9%

32.1%

0.9x

-15.3%

11

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

12

Guinness Nigeria PLC

13

Lafarge Africa PLC

14

Fidelity Bank PLC

3.57

-9.2%

1.5%

45.1%

38.4%

8.0%

1.1%

3.1x

0.5x

15

Oando PLC

5.99

0.0%

1.1%

0.0%

0.0%

40.7%

4.2%

2.7x

0.6x

16

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

20.00

0.0%

1.0%

0.0%

-1.8%

23.8%

10.3%

7.8x

3.4x

2.5%

12.8%

17

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

71.62

0.0%

1.0%

5.8%

5.8%

37.4%

25.9%

9.6x

3.1x

2.1%

10.4%

18

Unilever Nigeria PLC

46.41

5.0%

1.0%

13.2%

15.4%

50.3%

8.4%

28.6x

10.9x

0.2%

3.5%

19

International Brew eries PLC

64.00

0.0%

0.8%

17.4%

16.4%

24.6%

7.4%

67.0x

15.2x

20

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

30.00

0.0%

0.6%

3.4%

3.4%

10.4%

2.6%

8.2x

0.8x

3.1%

12.1%

21

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

2.14

-5.7%

0.7%

46.6%

44.6%

19.6%

4.1%

8.6x

1.5x

-0.5%

0.5%

0.7%

0.7%

6.3%

2.2%

10.9x

0.7x

0.9%

115.3%

105.7%

2.5%

0.3%

13.0x

0.3x

0.5%

22

UAC of Nigeria PLC

17.01

23

Diamond Bank PLC

3.23

-5.0%

24

Total Nigeria PLC

231.00

0.0%

0.4%

25

FCMB Group Plc

3.40

-5.3%

0.9%

26

11 PLC

209.00

-3.2%

0.4%

-0.2%

9.4%

37.0%

1.5%

11.7% 5.8%

9.2% 7.7%

0.5%

37.3%

7.4%

8.6x

3.0x

2.6%

11.6%

115.2%

3.8%

0.6%

9.9x

0.4x

2.9%

10.1%

7.4%

7.4%

32.6%

12.0%

11.1x

3.1x

3.8%

9.0%

27

Forte Oil PLC

49.88

0.5%

14.7%

18.8%

44.3%

3.7%

12.6x

5.6x

28

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

23.50

1.7%

0.4%

14.1%

11.1%

10.7%

5.0%

22.3x

2.3x

29

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

15.99

0.0%

0.3%

2.0%

2.5%

4.5%

1.6%

45.6x

2.7x

30

Presco PLC

70.00

1.9%

0.3%

2.2%

2.2%

42.9%

25.9%

3.4x

53.4%

18.1%

11.3x

31

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

20.00

2.5%

0.3%

8.1%

4.1%

32

UPDC Real Estate Investment Tr

10.00

0.0%

0.3%

0.0%

0.0%

33

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

7.66

-4.3%

0.3%

-1.8%

2.0%

5.6%

1.2%

30.40

-5.0%

0.3%

8.6%

8.6%

-12.2%

-1.2%

2.14

-1.8%

0.4%

98.1%

89.4%

6.1%

0.3%

23.5%

23.5%

61.6%

7.9% 2.1%

4.5%

1.2x

2.1%

29.0%

5.2x

3.5%

8.9%

0.8x

6.8%

2.2%

9.8x

0.5x

10.2%

1.6x

-7.5%

0.6%

11.3x

0.6x

8.9%

15.8%

4.9x

2.1x

20.6%

34

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

35

Sterling Bank PLC

ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ŝŶ &ŽĐƵƐ͗ 'ƵĂƌĂŶƚLJ dƌƵƐƚ ĂŶŬ WůĐ ;'d ĂŶŬͿ

36

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

15.00

-2.6%

'ƵĂƌĂŶƚLJ dƌƵƐƚ WůĐ ;͞'d ĂŶŬ͟ Žƌ ͞ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ͟Ϳ ƌĂŶŬƐ ĂƐ Ă dŝĞƌͲ ϭ ĂŶŬ͕ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŽƚĂů ĂƐƐĞƚƐ ŽĨ Eϯ͘ϮƚŶ ĂƐ Ăƚ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ďLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĮĐĂƟŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ĂůƐŽ Ă ^LJƐƚĞŵŝĐĂůůLJ /ŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ĂŶŬ ;^/ ƐͿ ďLJ E͛Ɛ dĂdžŽŶŽŵLJ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬ ƌĞůĞĂƐĞĚ ŝƚƐ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ƵŶĂƵĚŝƚĞĚ ŐƌŽƵƉ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƐƚĂƚĞŵĞŶƚ ŽŶ ϭϴƚŚ KĐƚŽďĞƌ͕ϮϬϭϳ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ 'ƌŽƐƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ĨĞůů ďLJ ϱ͘ϵй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϯϬϵ͘ϵďŶ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ϯϲ͘ϱй ũƵŵƉ ŝŶ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ;ĨƌŽŵ Eϭϴϭ͘ϵďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ ƚŽ EϮϰϴ͘ϯďŶͿ ǁĂƐ ĐŽƵŶƚĞƌĞĚ ďLJ Ă ϱϴ͘Ϯй ĚƌĂŐ ŝŶ EŽŶͲ/ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ;ĨƌŽŵ Eϭϰϳ͘ϰďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ ƚŽ Eϲϭ͘ϲďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳͿ͘ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ /ŶĐŽŵĞ ǁĂƐ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ƌĂƚĞ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ ǁŚŝůĞ EŽŶͲŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ƐƵīĞƌĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ŚŝŐŚ ďĂƐĞ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ ŽŶ &y ŐĂŝŶƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ Ă ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ŝŶ ĞͲ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ͘ /ŵƉĂŝƌŵĞŶƚ ĐŚĂƌŐĞƐ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚůLJ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϴϱ͘ϰй ƚŽ Eϴ͘ϰďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϱϳ͘ϭďŶ͘ Ɛ Ă ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ ŽƐƚ ŽĨ ZŝƐŬ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϲй ĨƌŽŵ ϯ͘ϲй ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ W d ĐĂŵĞ ŝŶ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ Ăƚ EϭϮϱ͘ϲďŶ͕ ƵƉ ϳ͘ϯй zͲŽͲz͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞŵĞŶƚ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƉƌŽĮƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ZK ĂŶĚ ZK ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϯϱ͘ϵй ĂŶĚ ϰ͘ϰй ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ĨƌŽŵ ϯϭ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ ϱ͘ϭй ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ KƵƌ KƵƚůŽŽŬ ŽŶ 'd ĂŶŬ ƌĞŵĂŝŶƐ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ ŚĂƐ ƐŚŽǁŶ ƌĞƐŝůŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ĐĂƉĂďŝůŝƚLJ ŽǀĞƌ ƟŵĞ͘ tĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ͛Ɛ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ŝŶ Yϰ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ĐŽƐƚ ĞĸĐŝĞŶĐLJ͘ 'dďĂŶŬ ŝƐ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ Ăƚ Ă Wͬ s ŽĨ Ϯ͘ϴdž͕ ĂďŽǀĞ ƉĞĞƌ ĂǀĞƌĂŐĞ ŽĨ Ϭ͘ϵy ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐŝŐŶŝĮĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝĐŝŶŐ ƉƌĞŵŝƵŵ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƉůĂĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƚŽĐŬ

37

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

20.90

0.0%

0.2%

-3.3%

-3.3%

61.2%

23.6%

4.3x

1.6x

1.4%

38

Chemical and Allied Products P

38.86

0.0%

0.2%

14.3%

8.9%

84.3%

38.5%

17.0x

11.9x

5.7%

5.9%

39

Beta Glass PLC

59.38

0.0%

0.1%

15.7%

15.7%

18.4%

11.9%

8.4x

1.4x

1.7%

12.0%

40

Transcorp Hotels Plc

7.20

0.0%

0.1%

-0.1%

-0.1%

4.7%

2.8%

21.4x

1.0x

5.6%

4.7%

T o p 10 G a i n e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

1.55

9.9%

SKYEB A N K

150.4

9.9%

C A VER T ON

2.68

9.8%

FB NH

104.2

-5.3%

UN ILEVER

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

9.2%

WEM A B A N K

64.1

0.8%

5.0%

D IA M ON D B N K

44.4

-5.0%

2.31

5.0%

T R A N SC OR P

43.4

-5.7%

UA C -P R OP

3.15

5.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

43.3

-2.3%

ET I

20.20

3.3%

UN IT YB N K

40.9

9.2%

N A SC ON

20.00

2.5%

UB A

28.8

-5.0%

P R ESC O

70.00

1.9%

GUA R A N T Y

27.9

-2.8%

PZ

23.50

1.7%

A C C ESS

27.4

-2.1%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

F ID ELIT YB K

3.57

-9.2%

GUA R A N T Y

1442.1

-2.8%

A GLEVEN T

0.60

-9.1%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1390.2

-2.3%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.73

-8.7%

FB NH

1360.6

-5.3%

-5.7%

ST A N B IC

415.5

0.0%

356.6

-5.0%

T ic k er

T R A N SC OR P

2.14

P ric e C hg %

FB NH

13.02

-5.3%

UB A

FCM B

3.40

-5.3%

NB

346.2

1.4%

343.0

-2.1%

R ED ST A R EX

5.70

-5.0%

A C C ESS

D IA M ON D B N K

3.23

-5.0%

SKYEB A N K

226.8

9.9%

30.40

-5.0%

D IA M ON D B N K

144.8

-5.0%

2.28

-5.0%

N EST LE

143.3

0.1%

UP L

(A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

1.42 46.41

T ic k er

C UT IX

J B ER GER

Afrinvest Securities Limited (RC 603 315)

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

SKYEB A N K

UN IT YB N K

23.1%

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Omotola Abimbola | oabimbola@afrinvest.com

41

˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

MARKET NEWS

‘Consolidated Hallmark Insurance’s N500m Rights Issue Successful’ Goddy Egene Consolidated Hallmark Insurance (CHI) Plc has successfully raised the sum of N500 million from existing shareholders through a Rights Issue.

The company had late last year issued 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at 50 kobo per share to raise fresh capital.

The right issue was the first time CHI would access the market 10 years after listing on the

exchange. According to the results of the offer, about 173 applications were received for 1,000,912,962 shares, indicating that it was 100.09 per cent subscribed.

The Group Managing Director of CHI) Plc Mr. Eddie Efekoha, had called on shareholders to take advantage of the offer and continue to enjoy good returns on their investments in the future.

He had said the offer was made at

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

a high discount so as to compensate the shareholders who had been with them over the years.

According to him, the insurance firm has been paying dividend regularly over the years and would continue to reward shareholders. He said the company had grown its gross premium from N1 billion to N6 billion and had paid a total of N1.1 billion in dividends.

“As part of five year

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 22Jan-2018, unless otherwise stated.

strategic plan, we need to raise capital. The Rights Issue is being done at a very discounted rate. We are offing it at 50 kobo but valuation has put the worth of shares above that offering price. We are using the offer to say thank you to our existing investors for having remained with for the last 10 years. we need to say thank you by pricing it at par value,” Efekoha had said.

The GMD said the funds

would be used invest in opportunities they have identified.

“Apart from other areas, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is considering micro insurance, we believe as a company that has been given licence to do general business, we have equally applied for a licence to do micro life. So for a start, that will be one of ways to apply this money. We are inching to grow our retail business. As part of

our strategic plan, there are some businesses that are connected to what we do. We might talk about the life, there is equally health insurance, we are going into that as well,” the MD said.

Efekoha had expressed high optimism that as the country is getting out of recession, more people were being empowered and they would buy more insurance products which means more business for operators in the industry.

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 202.58 202.75 18.80% Nigeria International Debt Fund 242.46 242.63 4.67% 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 0.86 0.87 4.58% ACAP Income Funds 0.62 0.62 -4.43% 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 16.40% 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 20.63 21.25 12.90% ARM Discovery Fund 427.73 440.63 9.94% ARM Ethical Fund 28.45 29.31 4.13% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.58% 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 167.59 168.77 10.48% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.71% 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 13.04 13.37 5.47% Women's Investment Fund 101.79 104.40 1.15% 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 15.72% 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 1,169.53 1,170.69 1.89% FBN Heritage Fund 151.33 152.85 8.62% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.80% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $113.98 $114.45 0.91% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $113.90 $114.37 0.94% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 195.90 198.76 14.69% 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 2.91 2.91 0.89% 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 3,217.70 3,267.26 8.04% Coral Income Fund 2,489.37 2,489.37 1.77% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.10% 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 1.74% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,036.05 1,036.05 0.54% 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 17.48 17.65 24.05% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.51% 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 7.73% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.16 11.24 1.23% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.91% 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 151.97 154.65 18.00% 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 1.50 1.50 0.86% 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 2,377.39 2,395.93 5.96% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 179.92 179.92 1.97% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.10 1.12 9.90% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 223.98 224.11 1.72% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 185.97 188.25 3.89% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.86% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,639.04 10,780.67 10.01% 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 1.44 1.46 18.25% United Capital Bond Fund 1.58 1.58 21.09% United Capital Equity Fund 1.02 1.04 11.61% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 14.82% United Capital Eurobond Fund 103.30 103.30 25.55% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.12 7.29% 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 14.00 14.21 11.78% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.82 13.98 4.74% Zenith Income Fund 19.25 19.25 1.76%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

10.00 132.92

-11.35% 0.35%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.75 170.60 128.27

12.85 174.36 130.70

5.18% 19.49% 17.43%

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

6.11 10.23 20.65 23.28 153.01

6.15 10.31 20.75 23.48 155.01

28.78% 6.87% 16.23% 18.26% 2.97%

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.

42

T H I S D AY W E D N E S DAY JANUARY 24, 2018

T H I S D AY WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018

43

44

T H I S D AY W E D N E S DAY JANUARY 24, 2018

45

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Russia-Trump: Jeff Sessions Questioned in Mueller Inquiry U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned last week by the special counsel’s office investigating potential collusion between Russia

and President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Reuters reported a U.S. Justice Department spokesman as saying Tuesday.

PenceVisits Western Wall after Pro-Israel Speech US Vice President Mike Pence visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall on Tuesday while Palestinians held a general strike after denouncing his fervently pro-Israel speech the previous day as “messianic”, AFP reports.

The devout Christian’s speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday laden with biblical references was praised by Israelis as perhaps the best they could ever hope for from a US administration, but Palestinians saw it as confirming some of their worst fears.

Pence proudly reaffirmed US President Donald Trump’s December 6 declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and pledged to move the embassy to the disputed city by the end of 2019.

The vice president said “the

The interview marked the first time that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office is known to have interviewed a member of Trump’s Cabinet.

Sessions recused himself from

overseeing the Russia probe last March after media outlets reported he had failed to disclose several 2016 meetings with Russia’s ambassador.

His recusal paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod

Rosenstein to appoint Mueller as special counsel in May 2017.

Reuters could not immediately learn details about what kinds of questions Sessions faced during his

interview, which was first reported by the New York Times. But his involvement in Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey is likely to be one area of interest for Mueller’s team.

friendship between our peoples has never been deeper. And I am here to convey a simple message from the heart of the American people: America stands with Israel.”

On Tuesday, as he wrapped up his trip, Pence, who was boycotted by the Palestinians, visited one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Western Wall.

The site lies in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the sector the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, and many Israelis are likely to interpret it as Pence further backing their claim over the entire city.

“Very inspiring,” Pence said after the visit during which he was not accompanied by Israeli government officials.

Turkey in Deadly Kurdish Militia Clashes As US Sounds Alarm Sally Hawkins is up for best actress for The Shape of Water FOX. The Turkish army on Tuesday clashed with Kurdish militia in Syria in an operation that has already left two of its soldiers dead, as the United States voiced alarm the offensive could endanger attempts to end the Syrian civil war,according to AFP. Speaking at the funeral of the first of two Turkish soldiers to be killed so far in the four day cross-border campaign, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Ankara would emerge victorious.

Turkey on Saturday launched operation “Olive Branch” aimed at rooting out the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara sees as a terror group, from its Afrin enclave in northern Syria.

The campaign has caused ripples of concern among Turkey’s NATO allies, especially the United States which is still working closely with the YPG to defeat Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria.

In his strongest comments yet on the offensive, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called for Turkey to show “restraint” and warned it could harm the fight against the jihadists.

He warned the offensive “disrupts what was a relatively stable area in Syria and distracts from the international effort to defeat” IS, on a visit to Indonesia.

Turkish artillery on Tuesday pounded targets of the YPG inside Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Meanwhile, Turkish drones were also carrying out attacks, state television said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said fighting was “very violent” northeast, northwest and southwest of Afrin.

The Observatory said the offensive took control of two villages so far.

As well as the artillery and air strikes, Turkish ground troops and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels have punched over the border several kilometres (miles) into Syrian territory, taking several villages, according to state media.

After intense exchanges, Turkey’s forces took control of the hill of Barsaya, a key strategic point in the Afrin region.

The Shape of Water Leads Oscar Nominations The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards have been announced, with The Shape of Water leading the field, according to BBC. Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance received 13 nominations, including best picture.

World War Two drama Dunkirk follows with eight nominations, while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri received seven.

British stars shortlisted include Gary Oldman, Sally Hawkins and a pair of Daniels - Day-Lewis and Kaluuya.

Greta Gerwig gets a best director nomination for Lady Bird, one of nine films shortlisted for the best picture award.

Others include Steven Spielberg’s The Post, gay romance Call Me By Your Name and Winston Churchill drama Darkest Hour.

Oldman’s performance as Churchill has already won the British actor a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award.

To win the Oscar, though, he will have to beat three-time best actor winner Day-Lewis, nominated again for Phantom Thread.

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Legendary Jazz Trumpeter Hugh Masekela, a leading figure in the struggle to end apartheid and “the father of South African jazz”, has died aged 78, BBC reports.

In a statement, his family said he had “passed peacefully” in Johannesburg “after a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer”. Masekela gained global recognition with his distinctive Afro-Jazz sound and hits such as Soweto Blues.

The 1977 song became synonymous with the antiapartheid movement.

In a statement, South African

President Jacob Zuma said Masekela’s death was “an immeasurable loss to the music industry and to the country at large”.

Zuma continued: “His contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten.”

Born in the South African town of Witbank in 1939, Masekela was inspired to learn the trumpet after seeing Kirk Douglas play Bix Beiderbecke in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn.

He persuaded one of his

teachers - the anti-apartheid crusader Father Trevor Huddleston - to buy him an instrument, promising to stay out of trouble in return.

In 1960, aged 21, he left South Africa to begin what would be 30 years in exile from the land of his birth.

Under the tutelage of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, he was encouraged to develop his own unique style.

In 1967, he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival alongside Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar, The Who and Jimi

Hendrix.

The following year, his instrumental single Grazing in the Grass topped the charts in the US and became a worldwide hit.

Masekela returned to South Africa in 1990 following the release of Nelson Mandela, whose freedom he had called for in his 1986 anthem Bring Home Nelson Mandela.

In June 2010, he performed at both the opening concert of the Fifa World Cup and the tournament’s opening ceremony in Soweto’s Soccer City.

Modi Defends Open Trade Despite Globalisation’s Waning Allure Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Tuesday that globalisation is “losing its lustre” but warned that new trade walls are not the answer, opening a week of Davos meetings that will climax with a speech by the loudly protectionist US President Donald Trump, according to AFP. After spectacular snowfall that stranded some high-flying

delegates on their way to the Swiss ski resort, the World Economic Forum started in earnest basking in robust global growth but facing warnings that the world’s have-nots are missing out more than ever.

Modi told the forum that India should serve as an example as it opens up to foreign investment, in a speech that delved into Hindu scripture and echoed an anti-protectionist

clarion call issued in Davos a year ago by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Trump prepared to take office.

“It feels like the opposite of globalisation is happening. The negative impact of this kind of mindset and the wrong priorities cannot be considered less dangerous than climate change or terrorism,” Modi said, in the first appearance at Davos by an Indian prime

minister since 1997.

“In fact everyone is talking about an interconnected world but we will have to accept the fact that globalisation is slowly losing its lustre,” he said.

“The solution to this worrisome situation is not isolationism. Its solution is understanding and accepting change and formulating agile and flexible policies for these changing times.”

Netflix Shares Hit Record High After Blockbuster Results Netflix Inc’s (NFLX.O) shares rose 13 percent to a record high on Tuesday after the video streaming service trounced Wall Street targets for new subscribers in the fourth quarter, according to a Reuters report.

At least 16 brokerages raised their price targets for the company’s shares by as much as $72. Analysts at Bernstein were most bullish, setting targets of $302 compared to the $252 it traded at on Tuesday.

The video-streaming giant crossed $100 billion market value for the first time and was on track to add more than $10 billion if current prices hold.

In a statement after markets closed on Monday, Netflix said

it added 6.36 million subscribers in international markets in the fourth quarter, beating analysts’ expectations of 5.1 million, according to FactSet. It now has 117.58 million streaming subscribers globally.

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Total Achieves $603m Cost Savings on Egina Field Project Damilola Oyedele and Chineme Okafor in Abuja The 200,000 barrels per day Egina oil project which encompasses a 330 metre long Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform designed to process oil from the field from December 2018, would be completed with about $603 million below its original budget of $16.354 billion, the Managing Director of Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (TEPNG), Mr. Nicolas Terraz, has disclosed.

Terraz, who spoke during a public hearing of the Senate Adhoc Committee investigating the local content elements of Egina oil field project on Tuesday in Abuja, explained that the initial budget established in 2013 for the Egina project was $16.354 billion, but that after extensive cost optimisation by Total and its partners, this figure was revised downwards to $15.751 billion in May 2013.

He stated that a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 in the Niger Delta region was then made on the basis of this reduced budget figure.

Terraz’s disclosure was however contrary to allusions by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee led

by Senator Olamilekan Adeola, and with members like Senators Godswill Akpabio, Stella Odua, Kabiru Morafa and Tanimu Aduda among others, that the procurement processes for the project were unclear and needed to be audited to ensure that Nigeria was not shortchanged by the parties in it.

Going through the investigative drills of the committee, Terraz disclosed that being the first major deep-water development project launched after the enactment of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act otherwise known as the Local Content Law, the Egina project has recorded the highest level of local content of any such project so far.

He said there was no time the project cost was revised upwards since the FID was made in 2013, adding that what had happened instead was that parties had made concerted efforts to bring down the cost.

“Regarding the project cost, there

has been no upward review of the budgeted costs for the Egina project since the Final Investment Decision was made in 2013, rather, there were concerted efforts to deliver the project within the budget and even below it.

“Specifically, as we have earlier stated that the initial budget established in 2013 for the Egina project was $16,354 million and after extensive cost optimisation

by TUPNI and the project partners, this figure was revised downwards to $15,751 million in May 2013 and the Final Investment Decision was made on the basis of this reduced budget figure,” Terraz said.

He further stated: “In this respect, please be assured that it is the highest priority for TUPNI as operator to control the cost of the project during the execution phase and to deliver the project within budget.”

Listing the operational milestones recorded by the project, Terraz, said a workforce of 3,000 persons had worked on the project in the five years of its execution, while 60,000 tons of equipment used on the FPSO have been fabricated in Nigeria.

According to him, several large-scale industrial facilities were developed in Nigeria for the project, and over 560,000 man-hours of human capacity development training recorded so far.

“I am pleased to inform the ad-hoc Committee that the Egina FPSO will be arriving at SHlMCI yard in Lagos on January 24, 2018. This is a key milestone for the project, and will be the first time ever that an FPSO is berthed at quay side in Nigeria for the lifting and integration of locally fabricated modules.

“With the arrival of the Egina FPSO within the week, the Egina project is very much on course.

TUPNl and her partners are committed to the delivery of the project on schedule with first oil expected by December this year.

In doing so, we will be adding 200,000 barrels of oil to Nigeria’s oil production,” he added.

His claims were however buttressed by the Chief Operating Officer Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Rabiu Bello, who told

the senators that Egina would be completed at its budgeted cost.

Bello, who had a tough time clarifying the procurement processes and nature of the agreement the NNPC signed with Total for the Egina project, noted that so far, the total budget the corporation has approved for the project was $10.674 billion out of its original cost.

He said the project operator has

never requested for an approval of a cost variation since it began the project, adding that the expenditure made so far were documented.

Not satisfied with the explanations made by the NNPC and Total, the committee directed the NNPC to conduct a technical and financial audit on the project expenditure so far, and submit same to it.

Its Chairman, Adeola, said if the NNPC fails to conduct the audit using an independent auditor, the committee will advise the Senate not to engage it on request for approval of future deep-water projects like the Zabazaba and Bonga South West projects.

“We in the Senate will give you a directive to conduct a value for

money audit on the Egina project, and we expect to have this soon unless you want to be a clog in the wheel.

“Unless you bring the value for money audit on this project - the $16.3 Egina FPSO, until this is done, no other project of this nature will be going ahead until a value for money audit on this particular project is done,” Adeola declared.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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House Effects Amendments to Electoral Act, Reviews Order of 2019 General Election Proposes polls into legislature come first before presidential and governorship James Emejo in Abuja The House of Representatives yesterday voted for a change of order of the 2019 general election, reversing the initial schedule by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The House, which dissolved into the Committee of Whole, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yussuff Lasun, had considered the report submitted by the Committee onElectoralandPoliticalMatters,chaired

by Hon. Aishatu Dukku on the bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act, and for matters connected therewith.

In the amendment, the lower chamber is proposing that the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly elections be conducted first, followed by the governorship and presidential elections.

The lawmakers, however, said INEC should determine the dates for each election.

Specifically, Section 87 is amended by adding a new subsection 87(11), with a marginal note: “Time for primaries of political parties.”

The House said the primaries for political parties would follow the sequence of state House of Assembly, NationalAssembly, governorship and presidential.

Also, the dates for the primaries shall not be earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days before the date of elections to the offices.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had indicated that the Presidential and National Assembly elections are to hold on February 16, 2019, while the governorship and state legislative elections on March 2, 2019.

However, other amendments bothered on whether or not political party’s logo should be included on the nomination list carrying party and candidate’s names to be submitted to INEC. The amendments would further allow candidates willing to withdraw from the election race to do so not later than 30 days to the poll.

Other highlights of the amendment were the inclusion of a new subsection to Section 143-143(3), which reads that “where the nomination of an elected candidate is nullified by the court and notice of appeal against the decision is given within the stipulated period for appeal, the elected candidate shall notwithstanding the contrary decision of the court, remain in office pending the determination of the appeal. If the court, determines that the candidate was not validly nominated, the elected candidate shall notwithstanding the contrary decision of the court remain in office within the period an appeal may be filed; and shall not be sanctioned for the benefits he derived while in office pursuant to this section.”

The House considered and approved a total of 156 clauses as

recommended by its Committee on Electoral and Political Party Matters.

The approval requires the concurrence of the Senate before being sent to the president for

assent. President Muhammuadu Buhari, who is likely to seek reelection, may immediately assent to

the bill if it doesn’t conflict with his interest, which will be paramount for his approval.

Sokoto to Inaugurate W’Africa’s Largest Cattle Breeding Project in May The Sokoto State Cattle Breeding Project, the largest of its kind in the West African sub-region, will be inaugurated in May this year, Commissioner for Animal Health and Fisheries Development, Alhaji Tukur Alkali has said.

Conducting journalists round the project sites in Sokoto and Rabah LGA of the state, Alkali said the project will improve the genetics of local cattle breeds by ensuring higher milk and beef production

while at the same time empowering farmers with modern technique of livestock production.

“The government has spent N2.8 billion on the project which was inherited from the immediate past administration of Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko. Of the amount, N1.5 billion was spent on the supply of Argentinean cattle to be used for cross-breeding, construction, training of personnel, security and other logistics while another N1.3

billion was for the procurement of equipment for the project.

“The project is the most definite long-term strategy to end farmersherdsmen clashes as is being experienced across the federation, and in some neighboring West African countries. We hope to not only empower our farmers, but also impact new/modern knowledge on mechanized farming and cattle breeding techniques.

“About 13 cluster farms would

be established to be run by private entities. All the cattle breeds will graze in these fields. We will also provide research centre and laboratory, veterinary services among others,” he added.

The Sokoto state government had in 2010 signed a N2 billion contract with an Argentine firm, South American Breeding Technologies (SABT) for the establishment of a cattle breeding, milk and beef production factory.

Okorocha’s Bridges, Disasters Waiting to Happen, COREN Warns Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has warned that the bridges being constructed by the Imo State Government are disasters waiting to happen, as the projects are being executed without engineering

designs.

COREN President, Mr. Kashim Ali, speaking during a courtesy visit to the Senate yesterday, said the council has no statutory powers to stop the construction of infrastructure which do not have engineering designs.

The council’s delegation

was received on behalf of the Senate by immediate past Senate President, Senator David Mark, and Senators Ibrahim Gobir and Barnabas Gemade.

“Tragedy is about to happen in Imo State. Bridges are being built in Imo without design, it is a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.

Ali appealed to the lawmakers to urgently pass an amendment to the establishment Act of COREN, to empower the council to issue and enforce a stop work order on infrastructure that are being constructed without approved designs.

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Obasanjo Has Set Agenda for New Nigeria, Say ADP, ACPN APGA: Ex-president lacks moral justification The opposition Action Democratic Party (ADP) yesterday said Obasanjo was right in his advice to President Muhammadu Buhari not to run for re-election in 2019.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, James Okoroma, said the former president has set the stage for a new Nigeria.

“The damage caused by the Buhari government is enormous and we must endeavour to rebuild our country. The former president made it clear in his statement that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government is a monumental failure.

“Obasanjo’s description of Buhari as clannish and nepotistic is apt and appropriate. Buhari’s lopsided appointments in favour of his Fulani kinsmen, makes him unworthy of leading other Nigerians. Buhari remains a disappointment to the nation. His lack of capacity, vindictiveness, narrow mindedness and shallow understanding of global politics, make him a bad choice for the future of Nigeria.

“He has thrown the challenge to all Nigerians. He has even volunteered to be part of a coalition for a new Nigeria. This government is evil and must give way. In fact, the day I saw the stomach of a pregnant woman ripped open by Fulani herdsmen in Benue, was the day I knew that God had terminated Buhari’s government

spiritually. The physical termination of the life of this government has begun with the new activism championed by Obasanjo.”

On his part, the National Chairman of United Progressives Congress (UPP) Chekwas Okorie, in his reaction, described the special letter as timely, as he noted that the Buhari administration has done enormous danger to the unity of the country than any administration before it.

He said: “The fact remains that Buhari is non-performing, nepotic, sectional and very clueless.

He has put Nigeria in more danger than any president before him. He doesn’t behave like one who fought during the civil war.

Nigeria is more divisive under Buhari.’’

Okorie however hoped that the ruling party would field Buhari as its presidential candidate to make the defeat of the party very easy.

“He should be allowed to run. In fact, I am praying that APC should present him in 2019 to make its defeat easy. His not running will make it difficult to defeat APC.” Also reacting to the special letter, the National Chairman of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alhaji Galadima, said: “The advice of Obasanjo to President Buhari not to contest in 2019 is apt and sincere.

“Obasanjo is a former Nigerian

president known for his truth and bluntness. He is different from other partisan Nigerian leaders who engages in macabre dance of shame and insincerity. He says his own not minding whose ox is gored.

“He is a patriotic and a detribalised Nigeria and the advice given should be taken in good faith. Whether anybody likes it or not, the health of Buhari is an issue in 2019. The question is this, is he fit enough to be president again in 2019? If I am a family

of the president, I will advise him to retire on the ground of his deteriorating health so as to face his health challenge and be useful to his immediate family.

“Due to his Ill-health, president Buhari has been unable to grapple with the challenges of leadership.

People have taken the advantage of his health condition to commit political brigandage that has rubbished his reputation while the president couldn’t take action,” he said.

However, the National Chairman

of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Victor Oye, disagreed with the former president, saying that he is not in best position to advise President Buhari.

Oye said: “That is Obasanjo’s opinion and Nigerians opinions differ. People might have different opinion. What we need now in Nigeria is for us to remove unnecessary tension, even if Buhari is not going to run in 2019 we shouldn’t create unnecessary tension because the man himself knows what to do and he doesn’t

need Obasanjo’s letter to take such decision.

“It is Buhari’s entitlement to run for second term but if he is saying he cannot cope he knows what to do. When Obasanjo was president, what did he do? Was he a wonderful leader? Did he tar road in South-east? Enugu to Port-Hacourt road, he didn’t do it. Okigwe to Oga, he didn’t do it, and so on, and he is busy talking about nepotism. Obasanjo does not have moral justification to say such a thing,” Oye stated.

Melaye Accuses NNPC of Illegally Operating JVC Account No hidden govt funds in our custody, says Keystone Bank Damilola Oyedele in Abuja Senator Dino Melaye has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of unlawfully operating an account for one of its Joint Venture Companies partnership with Keystone Bank with a current balance of $137 million.

“A company named Brass LNG Limited, was registered for the JVC with the federal government owning 50 per cent controlling shares, with some Italians, Belgians and French firms as shareholders,” he said.

Melaye while raising a point of order at plenary yesterday, noted that any account for JVCs are statutorily

required to be domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“But in this case, that was not what happened. In private, the account was opened with Keystone Bank, this account has no BVN and there has been periodic withdrawals from it.

The last withdrawal from the account was to the tune of $4million. As I speak to you, the balance of that account as of today is $137million,” Melaye alleged.

He described the development as colossal and monumental corruption in the NNPC. “While some individuals and government appointees will continue to steal, we have decided

to continue to expose corruption in public life,” Melaye said.

In line with legislative practice, Melaye sought the leave of the Senate to present the matter as a motion on the next legislative day.

But Keystone Bank has denied having in its custody any illegally hidden money belonging to the federal ggovernment or any of its agencies.

A statement by the General Counsel and Company Secretary, Dr. Michael Agamah, said: “We wish to state categorically that Keystone Bank Limited has never illegally hidden or withdrawn any amount of money belonging to the federal government

or any of its agencies.

“Details of all federal government funds in custody of Keystone Bank had always been fully disclosed to all relevant federal government agencies and at no time did Keystone Bank collude or conspire with any official of the federal government to disobey the federal government directives on the TSA.” The statement also added: “The lender informed its stakeholders that it would not conduct itself in breach of the laws or policies of the government, including the TSA policy and had since been engaging with relevant agencies to remit all funds in the bank’s custody.”

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Atiku Condemns Burning of Falae’s Farm Another herdsmen attack may cause tribal crisis, Akure elders warn James Sowole in Akure Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the burning of a farm belonging to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae.

Falae’s farm was attacked last Sunday by some suspected Fulani herdsmen who allegedly burnt over five hectares of the farm where oil palm tress and some cash crops were planted.

Atiku said in a statement by his media office yesterday that arson is a punishable offence under the law and that when the crime is aimed at destroying a private investment, it adds the additional penalty of economic sabotage.

“It is a reprehensible act of economic sabotage to wilfully set ablaze any person’s property and investments.

“As a statesman who has worked tirelessly for this country, Falae deserves a quiet and peaceful retirement and not this lot that has been characterised by kidnapping and other vices including this arson.”

Atiku urged the police and other relevant security agencies in the country to launch an investigation into the crime and ensure that the culprits are brought to book to serve as deterrent.

Meanwhile, elders of Akureland yesterday warned that another attack by herdsmen on farmers and residents in the entire land might lead to tribal crisis between the people of the community and the herders.

The warning was issued yesterday at the palace of the paramount ruler of the kingdom, Oba Aladelujsi Aladetoyinbo, was sequel but not limited to the

incessant attacks on farmlands in the area.

The elders called on all security agencies in the state to protect the residents of the communities against the incessant attacks of the cattle herders on the farmers so that people would not be forced to resort to self help.

Reading the address of the elders to journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Asiwaju of Akureland and former Nigerian Ambassador to Australia, Prof. Olu Agbi, lamented the rate of attacks on the farms of many farmers in the state.

Agbi said there was a need for

the government to be proactive about the activities of the cattle herders before it degenerated to a full-blown ethnic crisis.

“Since his (Falae) release and the conviction of the suspects, the farm of the senior citizen has been subject of attack by herdsmen.

Apart from killing people in his farm, neighbouring farms have been subject of attack by these gun wielding herdsmen.

“The recent burning of Falae’s plantation by these same elements calls for worry. We call on the security agencies to protect the life and property of Falae.

“We are making this appeal not

only because he is an Akure chief but to prevent tribal war as the Olu of Ilu Abo’s stature transcends Akure and Yorubaland.

“We warn the herdsmen not to create an opportunity for a civil war because any further attack on Falae or his farm would be deemed as casus-belly,” he said.

The elders also kicked against the proposal by the federal government for he creation of cattle colony in all states of the federation.

The elders declared that there was no land in the Akure kingdom for such colony.

“The word colony has political connotation not economic. A

colony is a political entity which someone said he wants to create in the territory of another; that is a provocation; that is terrible thing for anybody to contemplate. I can tell you that Akure does not have land to be colonised.

“Akure kingdom welcome genuine farmers and agriculture entrepreneur who want to invest in any form of farming including animal husbandry. But we did not have land for colony.

“We did not find our father as slaves and let us say that we have the capacity to defend our lands against Fulani herdsmen invasion, the elders declared,” he said.

Police, BBOG Movement Differ over Arrest of Ezekwesili, Others Paul Obi in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command and the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement yesterday gave different account over the purported arrest of Coconvener of BBOG and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and other members of the group.

According to the FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, there was no iota of truth with regards to reports that members of the BBOG were arrested.

He said: “The police wish to clear the air and set the record straight that it did not arrest or detain Ezekwesili and some members of the Bring Back Our Girls group as being speculated on some social media platforms.

“It is pertinent to state that they were only brought to the command to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order as some members of the group reacted violently and broke down security barriers set up by the police to restrict their protest to Unity Fountain.

The members of the group were addressed by the Commissioner of Police FCT, Sadiq Abubakar Bello who reiterated the commitment of the command to protect lives and property, enjoined the Bring Back Our Girls group members to go about their lawful businesses,” Manzah stated.

But speaking to THISDAY, Co-convener of the group, Aisha Yesufu, explained that the BBOG members were mishandled by the Police during yesterday protest match to the Presidential Villa.

She stated that “the police didn’t give us the reasons why we were arrested, we asked them why we were arrested.

“Because, after they have arrested us and kept us, they came after a while and said we can go.

“We said how do you tell us to go; you harassed us, bundled us into the vehicle, brought us all here and locked the gate when we came in and you said we should go.

She also informed THISDAY that they were mishandled by the police,adding that “some of our members were dragged on

the floor.”

Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Festus Keyamo, has carpeted the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for the arrest of the members of the BBOG In a statement issued yesterday, Keyamo said he read the arrest with shock, bewilderment and disillusionment, describing the action of the Nigerian Police as insensitive and insensate.

He said the arrest was one too many, especially coming on the heels of the recent illegal arrest and detention of some on-line journalists by the same police, acting at the behest of Idris.

“I am still struggling to come to terms with the explanation given by the Police for the arrest, which is the absence of a permit by the members of the group.

This moronic excuse is not only inexcusable, it is laughable as Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association. The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has also re-iterated that a police permit is not required for such a gathering in the case of IGP V. ANPP & ORS (2007) 18 NWLR (PT. 1066) PG. 457,” Keyamo said.

“Though, I understand that the members of the group have been released from the police station to which they were taken, it does not detract from the fact that detention of a citizen, no matter how brief, so long as it is unjustified, is a violent violation of human rights. The law is very clear on this as stated by the Court of Appeal in the case of Duruaku V. Nwoke (2015) 15 NWLR (PT. 1483) PG. 417, particularly at 471 Par F-G,” Keyamo added.

He called on the Nigerian Police to iimediately apologise to the members of the group for this unwarranted, unjustified and provocative trespass on their persons and deprivation of their freedoms.

“I also re-iterate my call for the removal of the InspectorGeneral of Police from office for these unpardonable and inexplicable infractions of the fundamental rights of citizens of our country,” he said.

ECONOMIC EXPERTS

L-R: Head, Afrinvest Research, Mr. Robert Omotunde; Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo; Group Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa Limited, Mr. Ike Chioka; and Deputy Managing Director,Afrinvest, West Africa, Mr. Victor Ndukeaba, at the presentation of Nigerian economy and financial markets 2017 review/ 2018 outlook in Lagos .....yesterday Etop Ukutt

Equatorial Guinea PresidentVisits Buhari, Advocates Dialogue as Solution to African Problems Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Equatorial Guinea President, Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, yesterday visited President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House in Abuja where he advocated dialogue as the solution to the myriad of crises plaguing various countries in West African sub-region.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Mbasogo said he had opted to visit Buhari to know about the state of his health in view of the health crisis he went through for the better of last year.

Mbasogo who said his visit to Buhari was also in line with a maxim that when a fellow person is down, it is the responsibility of persons around him to seek his wellbeing, said he was glad to see the president looking hail and healthy, The president of the tiny West African country also said he congratulated Buhari in the meeting over his giant strides in the fight against Boko Haram, which he said had caused a great havoc

which had spread to some other West African countries including Chad and Cameroun.

According to him, through Buhari’s committed fight against Boko Haram, the insurgent group is almost eliminated but for pockets of attacks still being carried out by the insurgents.

“One of the salient issues in the meeting was that l congratulated our dear brother for the great fight against Boko Haram. We realised that Boko Haram had caused a great havoc that had been carried all over the sub-region including Chad and Cameroon. He is doing a great job. He’s almost eradicating the menace of Boko Haram apart from pockets of attacks here and there,” he said.

Mbasogo who spoke in Spanish, aided by an interpreter, said the meeting also discussed security concerns in the neighbouring West African countries, added that he and Buhari observed the need to work together with a view to securing a common ground for development and cooperation to achieve desired goals.

The president who also narrated

how his country had been a victim of varying security crises orchestrated by some terrorists from Chad and Sudan in collaboration with a group of deviants from France, disclosed that his decision to promptly reach out to Cameroon helped to put the situation under control.

Narrating how the country became a victim of the first coup d’etat in 2004, Mbasogo said through the cooperation of neighbouring countries, the coup plotters were apprehended and imprisoned for several years until the government opted to pardon and free them.

Answering questions from journalists on the plan of West African leaders on the crisis which broke out in Southern Cameroon and resulted in the influx of refugees into Nigeria, Mbasogo said there is no country without its own peculiar crisis.

According to him, it only behoves on parties concerned to put heads together and embrace dialogue as the platform for solution to the crisis.

“Cameroon is a big nation whose crisis requires the concern of all

forces. There is no nation without its own crisis. What is required is to seek solution through dialogue and use it to find a common axis.

Those seeking refuge in other lands need to sit down together and find solution through dialogue. It is only through that, they can find solution to the crisis,” he said.

On the challenge of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, Mbasogo who said the pirates were destroying and sabotaging Nigeria’s development effort in the area, also advocated dialogue as solution to the crisis.

“On piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the pirates are destroying and sabotaging the property of Nigeria. The government of Nigeria cannot develop the area. What is warming therefore is to expect the government of Nigeria to bring the parties to dialogue for a solution to the crisis.

“In Equatorial Guinea, we feel concerned. We all need to put our hands on deck to ensure that there is security in all regions. We have to develop our nations and we can only do so under peace and harmony,” he added.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Igbo Coalition Kicks against Cattle Colonies in S’East Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu The Igbo Civil Society Coalition (ICSCO), a coalition of civil society organisations, activists, human rights groups and the academia in Igboland yesterday accused the Nigerian Army of killing over 100 persons and injuring about 200 others during its military operation code-named ‘Python Dance 2’ in the South-east.

The group also reaffirmed its determination to resist the establishment of proposed cattle colony in any part of Igboland by the federal government.

In a communique released at the end of its meeting in Enugu and signed by Professor Obasi Igwe, National Cordinator and Mazi Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji, the Convener, the group described the activities of the military during the Python Dance operation as nothing but genocide.

It asked the government to place premium value on the lives of all Nigerians regardless of religious, ethnic or political differences since security is the primary responsibility of every responsible government.

The group further condemned the inaction being exhibited by the federal government with regards to the ongoing massacre of defenseless

citizens across the country especially in Benue and Taraba States by marauding Fulani “herdsmen” rated globally as the fourth most dangerous terrorist group.

“We call on the National Assembly to rise up to the occasion by prevailing on the president to give the IG marching orders to arrest and prosecute leaders of Miyetti Allah who are walking around freely after carrying out their threat of unleashing violence on Benue State for enacting the anti-grazing law.

“Also, we demand that a thorough census of lives and property lost in all the places where the herdsmen had wrecked havoc be articulated and adequate compensations paid to the victims by the federal government.

“We view the federal government’s Fulani cattle colony project as an attempt at achieving the Fulani Islamisation agenda. We totally reject this project in Igbo land and urge other nations in Nigeria to reject this illogical agenda being proposed by the Fulanis and their lackeys. By this resolution, we enjoin all the state governments of the Igbo nation, regardless of party affiliation to join their citizens in rejecting the Fulani cattle colony project.

“ICSCO states that the cattle business is a private business

Airline Operators Kick Against Open Skies for Africa Chinedu Eze Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) yesterday kicked against the plan to deregulate the African airspace as an endorsement of Yamoussoukro Decision, which was agreed on by African states in Yamoussoukro, Cote’Ivoire in 1988.

The open sky for Africa allows easy entry and exit of African airlines to the airspace of each country without immigration hindrances in order to enhance connectivity and trade among African countries, but since the policy was ratified in 1999, it has not been fully embraced by African states.

Nigerian airlines which rejected the policy said they were not carried along in the discussions leading to the endorsement of the implementation of the policy, and alleged that if embraced, it would shortchange the industry.

The airlines also argued that there is no level playing field where Nigeria can compete with other African carriers, which still enjoy some protectionism, lower interest rate on loans and waivers on import duty for aircraft and spares.

Speaking during a sensitisation workshop on the implementation of Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM), the President of AON, Captain Nogie Meggison, said before taking decisions, Nigeria’s technical team should have been carried along so that they could deliberate on how the policies would benefit Nigeria.

“We must put Nigeria first.

If we open the skies, what advantages does Nigeria stand to gain? The domestic airlines are not comfortable with the policy. Do we have visas to travel around Africa before we open the skies? Are the taxes in Nigeria and that of other countries uniform?”

Meggison queried.

He said in order to discourage competition, some African states particularly target Nigerian airlines and charge them outrageous

levies when they operate to those countries, including charging as much as $5,000 as landing fee, while Nigeria charges them about $200.

He recalled that when Air Peace wanted to operate to Abidjan, they charged it $5,000 per landing.

“Are they opening the sky on a level playing ground? African airlines easily access foreign exchange, but Nigerian airlines don’t. Rwanda Air is government owned. I borrow money at 28 per cent interest rate, while other African airlines borrow money at two per cent interest rate. As a result of policies on ground, over 50 airlines have gone under in Nigeria. Let us first address our own issues before implementing the open skies policy,” Meggison said.

However, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Fola Akinkuotu, said Nigeria is committed to the full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), which would be inaugurated next Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to him, Africa must leverage on the immense potential offered by SAATM and the Yamoussoukro decision to enhance traffic connectivity and significant growth in passengers volumes over the next few years.

He said: “We must all therefore strive to commit to the full implementation and operationalisation of SAATM; we need to leap forward so as to become an effective global competitor in aviation.

“In this regard, Nigeria being one of the pioneer member states signatories to YD, is one of the 23 states that have so far made solemn commitment to the implementation of SAATM by 2018.”

Also, the Director-General of the NCAA, Muhtar Usman, said the importance of SAATM to African aviation cannot be over-emphasised.

being run almost exclusively by the Fulanis just like Ndigbo and other Nigerian tribes have businesses that they predominate.

That notwithstanding, these other tribes do not carry out their businesses to the detriment of others. We are therefore at a loss on why the government is hell bent on confiscating other people’s lands for the Fulani’s cattle trade worth

trillions of naira annually, out of which they pay no tax to the government. Therefore, we will mobilise our people to resist any state governor’s attempt to allocate land for the project in Ala-Igbo.

“From our investigation, at least 100 lives were confirmed lost and at least 200 nursing various degrees of injury and permanent disabilities. The Nigerian

government must as a matter of conscience acknowledge that the Nigerian Army overstepped its bounds during the operation and culprits in the killing of civilians and other gross human right violations brought to book.

“We note that till date, the Nigerian Army has not taken any steps to punish the soldiers that invaded the Abia State NUJ

Secretariat and brutalised journalists during the operation despite pledging to do so.

“The arrest of two journalists –the Elombah brothers by the dreaded SARS on allegations of publishing libelous information about the IG of Police is another instance of human right violation that justifies the call by well meaning Nigerians for the scrapping of the anti robbery squad.”

ON THE FLOOR OF THE MARKET

L-R: Director, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Halima Dangote; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema; Chairperson, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Mrs ‘Yemisi Ayeni; Managing Director, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Paul Farrer; and Executive Director, Commercial, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Fatima Dangote, during the closing gong ceremony at the trading floor of the NSE..... recently

Ajimobi Files 11 Grounds of Appeal to Upturn Sack of 21 Obas Ademola Babalola in Ibadan Dissatisfied with last Friday’s judgment of Justice Olajumoke Aiki who sacked 21 Obas installed in Ibadan by the State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the latter has filed 11 grounds of appeal before the Appeal Court, seeking to quash the decision of the state high court.

The governor joined his predecessor, Chief Rashidi Ladoja; the Osi Olubadan of Ibadan land; Justice Akintunde Boade and other members of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Olubadan chieftaincy as respondents.

Ajimobi, in a seven-page suit No: M/317/2017 filed on his behalf, before the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, claimed that Ladoja who is the first respondent lacked the

locus standi to prosecute the case, adding that the suit discloses no reasonable or any cause of action at all, hence “the judge erred by refusing to follow decided authorities of the appellate court cited before him and thereby embarked on clustered justice against the appellant.”

The suit further stated that “the judge erred in law and gravely misdirected himself in holding that the case of the 1st respondent as constituted is not academic, hypothetical, and will serve no useful purpose.”

The governor held that Ibadan chieftaincy is a matter that affects all Ibadan indigenes both within and in the Diaspora and since the 1st respondent did not allege any infringement of his right or denial of any entitlement by the act of the appellant, the case should be dismissed, stressing that, “If at all the 1st respondent

has any right, which is denied, he has it in common with millions of Ibadan indigenes and was unable to show special interest to elevate his right to donate locus standi.”

The appeal further stressed that there was no provision in the Oyo State Chiefs Law that takes away the rights of the governor from instituting a commission of inquiry to look into issues on matters on which the House of Assembly could make law.

It therefore faulted the trial judge for resolving that the governor has no power to set up a commission of inquiry on the issue of beaded crown wearing Obas and coronet crown wearing Obas contrary to the provisions of the Chiefs law of Oyo State which donates such powers and authority to the governor.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for authentic Mogajis, Chief Wale Oladoja, in a telephone

interview, lauded the governor for appealing the judgment, adding that the governor and the sacked Obas know the consequences of the judgment if they refuse to approach the court.

According to him, “It is a victory for all the sons and daughters of Ibadan land both at home and Diaspora. We praise the governor for the courage to go to court. It is a welcome idea because he knows the consequence of the said court judgment. The sacked Obas also know the consequences too.

Reason is that any Oba sacked by a court and eventually losses the crown can no longer live in the same town with a reigning monarch. The right thing for such an Oba to do is to leave the city but we in authentic Mogajis are hopeful that before the appeal is decided, there would be fruitful reconciliation of the matter.”

Rochas Foundation Old Students Rescue Indigent Member With N1m, Holds South-west Confab Old students of Rochas Foundation Colleges weekend, has rallied support for one of their members, Ochiaga Chinonso, with one million naira to help boost her fledgling poultry business.

The amount, which was announced by the Director General of Rochas Foundation, Mrs. Uloma Rochas Nwosu, on behalf of the Rochas Foundation Old Students Association (ROFOSA) took many by surprise as it was totally unexpected, prompting demand by other members for financial assistance to help boost

their businesses.

Mrs. Nwosu’s announcement took place at the South-east Conference of ROFOSA which held in Owerri weekend, attracting members of the association from the five states in the zone with the theme “Reach, Leap Today” and had several motivational speakers in attendance.

Miss Ochiaga had attracted attention during an interactive session at the conference when she told participants that she was surviving on a 50 bird poultry business worth N105,000

with N25,000 profit every three months, making it difficult to meet her basic needs.

Moved by her sincerity, the ROFOSA President, Adamu Suleiman, and his executives, consulted with the DirectorGeneral and other directors at the conference after which it was agreed that the sum of one million be made available to help boost Ochiaga’s business, but on the condition that 35 per cent of profit made is paid back to the association.

In his remarks, the president thanked the DG and other

directors for accepting the plea of his executives for Ochiaga to be assisted and expressed the hope that members of the association would continue to imbibe the passion for giving as espoused by the Founder, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Hon. Lisa Asugha, Director of the foundation in charge of ROFOSA later told participants of the Southwest Conference taking place in Lagos on Thursday, January 25, 2018 and advised all old students in the affected zone to troop out en masse for the event.

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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TCN Denies Disbursement of N3.85bn to Fix Burnt Transmission Facilities Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday said it does not plan to spend N3.85 billion to repair or replace a number of electricity transmission facilities that were claimed to have been burnt and could result to continued power failure in Nigeria.

It also said claims that the transmission facilities, numbering seven, were burnt down completely in the last nine months since its interim management team led by Mr. Usman Mohammed, took over and would be needing that amount to fix were untrue.

A group called ‘Concerned Nigerians,’ has said the TCN under Mohammed had remained ineffective and that it planned to spend N3.85 billion on repair of seven high voltage transformers in its substations across the country. They also said it recorded about 30 system collapses since Mohammed took over.

Mohammed, was seconded from the African Development Bank (AfDB) reportedly on the request of the federal government to help revive the TCN. He was also given a one year tenure to do this, but the group alleged he got an initial three months tenure which was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, but illegally extended to one year.

Specifically, the group said TCN lost its 150 mega volt amp (MVA), 330/132Kv T1A Mitsubishi power transformer at Jos to a fire incidence and

would replace it with N850 million, a 30MVA, 132/33KV T2 Toshiba power transformer at Gusau substation also burnt and to be replaced with N300 million, as well as a 100MVA 132/33Kv SPECO power transformer at Ejigbo substation which would cost the TCN N700 million to replace.

They equally said another set of four 60MVA 132/33Kv transformers at TCN’s Katampe, Aja, Benin, and Okene substations were burnt and would be replaced by it at the cost of N500 million each.

The group alleged that Mohammed was imposed on the TCN and has since refused to show regards for the technical competency of TCN’s staff, thus relegating them to the background.

But in a comprehensive response to THISDAY’s request for details of the procurements it made in this respect, and other allegations, the TCN said it was only its 150 mega volt amp (MVA), 330/132Kv T1A Mitsubishi power transformer at Jos that was burnt n 2017, and not all that the group listed.

Its General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, explained that the TCN has rather cut down the cost of executing its projects to about 10 per cent of what external contractors charged it for such procurement and repair works before Mohammed took over, and also used more of its in-house engineers to do its works than contract them to external engineers now.

Mbah, noted that at its Aja

Boroh: Buhari will Not Forsake Ijaw Youths Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), has assured Ijaw youths that President Muhammadu Buhari will not abandon them.

Boroh’s assurance came when representatives of 25 Ijaw youth groups, including the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the National Association of Izon-Ebe Students held a rally at the gates of the Presidential Amnesty Office in Maitama, Abuja yesterday.

Boroh, who is also the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), said the rally was a demonstration of their support for the Buhari administration and assured of the government’s commitment to mass employment, sustainable peace and development of the Niger Delta.

“The president who is interested in your matter, who ensures your welfare by sustaining PAP and has plans for mass employment like the agriculture initiative and the modular refinery is a president you can trust.

“There is going to be mass inclusiveness of all of us in the Niger Delta development programmes. If you go to Gelegele today, the people are happy with the Quick Impact Project and the government

will do more,” Boron said in a statement issued by the Head, Media, PAP, Mr. Owei Lakemfa.

Responding to the apprehension by the youths that the Presidential Amnesty Programme may be shut down, he said this was not on the cards.

He explained that some aspects of the Programme are winding down, citing the offshore education programme in which he said 92 per cent of the beneficiaries had graduated from various universities especially in Europe and America.

The leader of the youths, Mr. Priye Ebizimo, who is also the Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Abuja Chapter expressed delight that the programme is not being shut down.

“While the Amnesty Programme cannot last forever, it is more of a journey than a destination,” he said, adding that the youths appreciate Boroh’s achievements in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Ebizimor said the youths at their Monday January 23, 2017 , meeting and press conference had passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of Boroh because of its “unprecedented progress in the peace-building” in the Niger Delta and “the resultant increases in production of oil and gas companies in the region and (he) should therefore be retained.”

substation, an old transformer was repaired by a contractor under a warranty which the TCN still enjoys. She said the transformer at its Ejigbo substation failed in 2016 and was replaced in 2017, while the Katampe substation had its transformer which was over 16 years old replaced in April 2017 with a new one sourced from an ongoing transmission project in Kano.

She also explained that in

May 2016, its transformer at the Okene substation tripped off from a technical fault she called ‘open circuit yellow phase of the 132kV windings’ and was replaced with a new one that was on plinth at the station in September 2016 at the cost of N1.99 million.

That of Benin, she noted, tripped off in September 2017 as a result of breakdown of the insulation on low voltage

(LV) side, and was replaced with a new 80MVA transformer in October 2017 at the cost of N3 million.

Mbah, said Gusau was not burnt but also replaced with a new one when it had a technical fault in July 2017, adding that all the replacements and repairs done did get anywhere close to the N3. 85 billion claimed.

On system collapses, she said the TCN recorded 15 system collapses in 2017 and not 30,

adding that before the system collapses that happened early in January 2018, the transmission network recorded zero collapses in November and December 2017, which according to her were indications it was cutting down on the frequency of collapses recorded by it.

According to her, Mohammed, has since he came on board expanded TCN’s operations to imbibe appropriate corporate governance.

WELCOME TO NIGERIA

President Muhammadu Buhari (right) leading members of his cabinet to welcome the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema on arrival during a visit at the State House in Abuja.....yesterday State House.

Turkish Nizamiye Hospital Celebrates 18 Successful Open Heart Surgeries The Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja has said its Open Heart Surgery Clinic has successfully carried out 18 open heart surgeries since inception in 2016.

This was contained in a statement issued by the hospital over the weekend in Abuja.

“The Turkish Nizamiye Hospital celebrates the success of its Open Heart Surgery Clinic in the last one year that saw it performed 18 open heart surgeries that consist of 16 coronary bypass and two valve replacement surgeries. We are delighted with this feat, which is a testament to the commitment of the hospital to provide world-class medical services to Nigerians,” the statement read.

“What stands us out is the fact

that our doctors are resident in Nigeria and reside within the hospital premises. Our team is led by a renowned cardiovascular surgeon with over 30 years experience and credited with well over 15,000 open heart surgeries in Turkey.”

The statement further added that the hospital management is delighted with this feat and pledges to do more to improve Medicare in Nigeria.

“We are proud of our modest achievements and pledge to continue to render quality services to Nigeria. We took the bold step to invest in a world-class medical facility in Nigeria, as a way of reducing the amount of monies spent on medical tourism in the country.”

The Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Mr. Muhammad Abubakar, stated that there is no need for Nigerians to travel abroad for medical treatment when in most cases some of the illnesses can be treated in Nigeria.

“We have some outstanding hospitals in Nigeria that can handle most of the medical cases that Nigerians travel abroad for.

The Nizamiye Hospital boasts of a functional Cathlab, an MRI machine, a CT scan machine and other advanced medical equipment. We also operate a 24 hours seven days a week emergency clinic. Also looking at the issues of open heart surgery, the aftermath of the surgery is as important as the surgery itself.

So why travel the long distance for follow up check when you can do all of that in Nigeria.”

He also added that the Nizamiye Hospital since inception has continued to provide quality medical care to Nigerians using the best technology available.

“We made sure to bring the medical standards of Europe and America to Nigeria, and this standard we have strived to maintain over time given the fact that it is estimated that Nigeria spends $1billion annually on medical tourism.”

The Nizamiye hospital was inaugurated in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan with a mandate to render quality medical services to Nigerians.

OOU Churns Out 15 First Class Degrees, 74 PhDs Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta In a rare landmark, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, will churn out no fewer than 74 PhD and 15 First Class graduands at its 27th convocation programme slated for, between yesterday and today.

Briefing journalists in connection with the one-week convocation ceremony at the

permanent campus, Ago-Iwoye, on yesterday, the Vice Chancellor, OOU, Prof Ganiyu Olatunde, said 5,137 graduands would participate in the convocation drawn from nine facilities and centre for continuing education centres and its affiliates. Out of the aggregate, Olatunde disclosed that 531 students made second class upper, 1,673 others graduated with second class lower, 1,159 students with third class, while 1,027 others

made pass, including 15 First Class and 74 PhD recipients, in nine faculties the institution operates.

The VC noted that the a week-long event will confer the awards of honourary degrees on four distinguished Nigerians, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland, Prof Toyin Falola, an erudite Professor of History at the University of Houston, United States of America (USA), Mrs. Ibukun

Awosika, the Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Plc and Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, a former President, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The convocation lecture titled: ‘States universities in Nigeria: problems, prospects and our common future,” the VC said, Prof Michael Faborode, Secretary General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC), would be the guest speaker.

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WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Court Adjourns Suit Seeking Forfeiture of $8.4m, N9.1bn Linked to Patience Jonathan A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday adjourned the hearing and determination of a suit filed by the Economic and Financial

Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking an interim forfeiture of the sum of $8. 435,789.84 million and N9.185, 327, 362 billion, linked to

Group Backs Senate over Security Summit, Seeks More Support for Military Sunday Okobi Concerned Professionals’ Congress (CPC) has expressed support for the resolution of the Senate to hold a national security summit following the spate of killings and violence across the country recently.

The group stated that the strategic needs of the Nigerian military should be urgently addressed as the country’s last line of defence.

The group Chief Media Strategist, Mr. Emeka Nwankpa, who spoke at the sidelines of a public appraisal by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, of the Operation Safe Corridor programme being implemented for repentant Boko Haram ex-fighters which took place recently at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, told journalists that the planned security summit could not have come at a better time when the Nigerian military has left none in doubt about its commitment to the security, stability, unity and peace of the country.

CPC noted that the CDS-driven de-radicalisation programme for repentant Boko Haram fighter had significantly shrunk the ranks of the terrorists in the North-east part of the country, contending that modern warfare principles as exhibited by the Defence Headquarters has successfully expanded the quest for peace and order in the country through the deliberate application of measures that do not bear the force of arms.

According to the group, “Now is the auspicious moment for the

entire Nigerian people to take full ownership of their conflicts thereby working assiduously towards creating the necessary climate for their resolution to sustain peace, engender growth and promote rapid development in every part of the country.”

Nwankpa, in his address, said: “Africa and in fact, the entire black race, has waited long enough for Nigeria as a sleeping giant to wake up and take its leading position.

The world can no longer wait for Nigeria. There is therefore no time other than now for Nigerians across board to quickly close rank and confront issues that threaten their collective survival and destiny as a people.

“Mutual intolerance is at the root of the current killings. We therefore support the Senate on the National Security Summit. The deliberations should cover all the grey areas. How come our people are no longer their brother’s keeper but their brother’s killers? This must stop! All through history, it is the people that built and worked for the greatness of nations.”

He further stated that “we need peace, growth and development but it takes the deliberate and determined efforts of the people to do it. Our history books are replete with stories of very strong and flourishing old empires and kingdoms whose influence stretched far beyond. How did they do it? We should be doing the same today if not more because the situation has become even more scaring.’’

USNC Appoints Former US Ambassador as Chairman The United States Nigeria Council (USNC), a business organisation dedicated to deepening commercial ties between the United States and Nigeria, has announced the appointment of Ambassador Terence McCulley as its new Chairman.

McCulley served as United States Smbassador to Nigeria from 2010 to 2013.

The US-Nigeria Council was launched in 2016. It acts as a convener, clearing house and catalyst for business and investment opportunities for US and Nigerian firms. From its offices in Washington, DC and Lagos, USNC develops targeted partnerships between members with an aim to catalyse a new wave of diversified investment and inclusive growth.

In addition to its continued work in agricultural supply chain development, the Council will focus on the ICT sector in 2018.

Speaking on the appointment, Eliot Pence, the Executive Director of USNC, said: “Ambassador McCulley has a proven track record in promoting businesses and diplomatic relations between the two countries. His leadership and experience will play a huge role as we forge a backbone of strong joint ventures between companies, funds and entrepreneurs.”

McCulley has a distinguished diplomatic career in Africa.

In addition to his posting in Nigeria, McCulley served as the US Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire from 2013 to 2016 and Mali from 2005 to 2008.

Reacting to his appointment, McCulley said: “As a former Ambassador to Nigeria, I understand the importance of the US-Nigeria Council in facilitating meaningful partnerships between Nigerian and American companies.” He added that “Nigeria is an indispensable destination for US investment; the country represents the largest market in Africa with over 180 million consumers and it is attracting an increasing number of US corporations. USNC is doing important work in focusing on deal execution and I am excited to be a part of the team.”

The Co-Chair of the council and Chairman of Flour Mills Nigeria, John Coumantaros, welcomed the appointment of Ambassador McCulley: “We are honored to have Ambassador McCulley as a leader in USNC efforts. He deeply understands the Nigerian operational context and has the diplomatic skills needed to strengthen commercial relationships between US and Nigerian companies.”

the former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, her five companies and one Esther Oba. The monies were said to be in the custody of Skye Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, and Stabic-IBTC and First Bank Plc. The court presided over by Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, adjourned the hearing and determination of the ex-parte application filed against Mrs. Jonathan and others at the instance of the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo.

The matter has been adjourned till February 12.

Other respondents in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1918/17, are: Globus Integrated Service Limited,

Finchley Top Homes Limited, AM-PM Global Network Limited, Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited, and Magel Resort Limited.

At the last hearing of the ex-parte application, Justice Olatoregun had ordered the EFCC to filed an affidavit showing that none of the properties was subject to litigation in any court.

However, at the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that his commission had filed an affidavit to show that all monies seeking to be forfeited to the federal government are not subject of litigation in any court.

Oyedepo stated that in line with

the court order, the EFCC at its Abuja office, had filed a notice of continuation in relation to the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/17, before Justice Binta Nyako.

He added that the judge had on December 5, 2017, granted an interim order, which stopped the banks warehousing the money to place post No Debit order on the account.

He, however, stated that in view of the current position, the commission had filed a notice of discontinuance to that suit.

Not convince enough, the presiding judge, ordered the EFCC lawyer to come back and expatiate further on current position of suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/17,

before further hearing on suit new ex-parte application.

Following the court’s position, the EFCC lawyer, Oyedepo, asked for short adjournment, to enable give the court an update in suit number FHC/ABJ/ CS/1342/17.

In between the case, lawyer to Mrs. Jonathan and other respondents, Ifedayo Adedipe and Chief Mike Ozekomeh, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), separately informed the court to stop the EFCC in fresh moves to seize funds in 15 bank accounts linked to Mrs. Jonathan.

The funds, which the EFCC is seeking to seize, include a total of $8,435,788.84 and over N7.35billion.

COURTESY VISIT

Managing Director, Kaduna Electric, Garba Haruna (left), receiving a gift from the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria when he paid him a courtesy visit to the institution in Zaria....Monday.

EFCC Asks Court to Revoke Metuh’s Bail Ex-PDP spokesman’s health critical, can’t speak or recognise guests Alex Enumah in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke inAwka The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to revoke the bail granted the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh.

Metuh and his company, Dextra Nigeria Limited, are being prosecuted by the EFCC on a sevencount charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and corruption as well as for money laundering offences.

They were alleged to have received the sum of N400 million from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Counsel to the EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir, who made the request following Metuh’s absence in court for the second day of trial, also urged the court to commit Metuh to prison custody until the conclusion of the criminal charge preferred against him by the federal government.

At the resumed trial yesterday, Counsel to Metuh, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), in an oral application, prayed the court to vacate the days left in the week

that were earlier slated for the trial, and to adjourn the matter to a date that will be convenient to the court, owing to the absence of Metuh for the second day running due to his health condition.

Ikpeazu, while supporting his oral application, drew the court’s attention to the letter written to the court by Dr. Ekwuogwu O. C, of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, explaining Metuh’s health condition, and that he is on admission at the hospital.

He said Ekwuogwu’s letter which is an official document and dated January 21, 2018, is already in the record of the court, and urged the court to grant his application.

Counsel to the EFCC, however, opposed to the oral application by Ikpeazu, stressing that the letter from the hospital has no reference to the pending suit before the court.

Tahir, therefore, asked the trial judge to revoke the bail it earlier granted Metuh, adding that “in view of the fact that the first defendant has been absent from court on Monday and Tuesday for inexplicable reason, he has taken steps which undermines or jeopardises the objectives and purpose of the bail granted him by the court.”

Tahir said the application for

the revocation of Metuh’s bail is pursuant to Sections 173 (b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and Section 169 of the same Act. In his response, Ikpeazu said the court has taken judicial notice that the letter came from the NAUTH and signed by Dr. Ekwuogwu O. C, adding that by virtue of Section 102 of the Evidence Act, the said letter is a public document that emanated from a government body.

Justice Abang, after listening to submissions of the parties, adjourned the matter till today to hear arguments on the oral application of Metuh’s counsel and that of the prosecution counsel, seeking the revocation of Metuh’s bail.

Meanwhile, it has gathered that Metuh is lying critically ill at NAUTH).

Metuh was said to have been rushed to the hospital last Saturday after tension heightened about his health.

A family source said the former PDP spokesman was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of NAUTH after he was rushed from Awka in ambulance following a sudden breakdown.

The source told THISDAY that Metuh’s health has gone so bad that he cannot speak or even recognise his visitors.

The Chief Medical Director

(CMD) of NAUTH, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe, who earlier confirmed Metuh’s admission to visiting journalists in the hospital, declined to speak on his health situation.

But a member of Metuh’s family who spoke with journalists, Mr. Luke Metuh, expressed worries over his deteriorating state of health. He appealed that he be made to access appropriate medical service.

He disclosed that the former PDP image maker came to Nnewi last Thursday to attend a burial of an in-law, and had after that gone to Umuahia before returning for a family meeting.

He further said: “After the meeting, he decided to go and sleep in Awka to make it easier for him to meet up with his return to Abuja on Saturday. I was surprised when I was called about 8.30a.m. that they were rushing him to NAUTH and I rushed to the hospital and about 20 minutes after they brought him in, in an ambulance.

“The doctor taking care of him has already referred him to UNTH, Enugu for further investigation and possible surgery but is waiting for him to be stable before the movement in order not to aggravate the situation.

“What we are appealing for is that he should be allowed to access the best of medical services.”

53

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

CRIME&PUNISHMENT One Killed, Two Policemen Injured as NURTW Members Clash in Lagos State govt bans union’s activities in Lagos Island Chiemelie Ezeobi At least one person was feared dead and two policemen severely injured in a fracas that erupted between factional members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos Island unit.

It was gathered that the fracas started when some gunmen invaded a meeting organised by the union leader and spilled over to Idumota, Tom Jones, Dosunmu, Iga-Idugaran and Idumagbo areas on the Lagos Island.

While the fracas lasted, banks and shops remained close despite the presence of armed mobile policemen and soldiers, who were deployed to ensure normalcy returns to the area.

According to police sources, the fracas started when the NURTW Lagos Island head, Kunle Folly, was having a meeting with members of the respective garages around midnight when trouble started.

Midway into the meeting, Folly reportedly stepped out to ease himself, accompanied by two policemen and his personal assistant identified simply as Pero, when sporadic gunshots were heard.

His police details were said to have returned fire but they were outnumbered, as they were hit by bullets in the legs, ribs and hand.

When the dust settled, the injured were rushed to the hospital where Pero was confirmed dead and he has since been buried according to Muslim rites.

As at yesterday, the entire area was still tensed and shops were under lock and keys, over fear of a reprisal attack.

The attack according to a member of the union was suspected to have been carried out by hoodlums from Agarawu.

As at press time, policemen comprising both conventional and Mobile policemen, those of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and military personnel, were patrolling the area.

The state Police Public Relations Officers, SP Chike Oti, promised to confirm if any arrests have been made yet.

Meanwhile, the state government yesterday ordered the immediate suspension of all

NURTW’s activities on the island indefinitely.

The state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who disclosed this shortly after the state security council meeting held at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja and chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the decision was to forestall any further breakdown of law and order and ensure that the peace in the area is not hampered.

Edgal, while urging members of the NURTW in Lagos Island to comply with the directive, said that government would not hesitate to totally proscribe all union activities if members continue to disturb the peace in the area.

He said: “In view of the crisis rocking the NURTW chapter of the Lagos Island and the insecurity it is creating on the Island, the Security Council meeting today chaired by the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has ordered that union activities be suspended on the island until further notice.

“We are also using the opportunity to call on NURTW leadership in the state that nobody or group of persons, organisations would be allowed to tamper with the peaceful security situation in Lagos State and that the government would not hesitate to proscribe completely all union activities in the State if their members do not obey the laws of the land and ensure that their activities do not amount to breaching the peace.”

While thanking Lagosians for their support in keeping the peace in the state last year, the Commissioner of Police said the command under his leadership has began series of town hall meetings across the state to set the tone for policing in 2018 and inform residents on the need to take interest in knowing what is happening in and around their neighbourhood.

“In all the town hall meetings, the message has been the same.

We have launched ‘Operation Know Your Neighbour.’ Knowing our neighbour is a vital aspect of community policing and community safety partnership and that aspect will improve neighbourhood security where at least we get to know what our neighbours do and we would

Three Shot, 13 Arrested as SARS Raid Jos Community Seriki Adinoyi in Jos At least three persons have been shot and are now are in critical condition following a late evening raid by men of the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) on Zawang community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The shooting, according to eyewitnesses, followed an attempt by the operatives to arrest a group of youths, whom the police described as “hoodlums” in a bar.

The three, Mr. Dung Chollom, Mr. Dung Chung and Mr. Henry Anthony Dokotri were among many others that were arrested.

Sources say they and others ambushed in the beer parlour had cooperated on the arrest but were shot while seated on the SARS

patrol van.

The owner of the bar, Mr. Japhet Nnadi, said the SARS operatives opened fire randomly when he tried inquiring what their mission was.

According to Nnadi, “They tied them all to one another by the shirts and started brutalising them, forcing them into the van like animals.

“I tried to ask what the offence was and they jumped on me too that I must follow them. I was just about stepping into the van when I heard gunshots everywhere.

“They kept shooting and I had to run for cover just as everyone else. The victims were shot; one on the head and leg, another was also brushed with a bullet on the head and the third on the hand.”

be able to report any wrong doing.

“We are expected that wherever we are, either in our homes, in

our churches, mosques, business premises, offices, we are expected to know who our neighbour is

and what our neighbour does and if there is anything suspicious or untoward, we are expected to pass

information quickly to the police in line with community policing,” Edgal said.

EQUIPPING THE POLICE

L-R: Board Chairman, Lagos State SecurityTrust Fund (LSSTF), Mr. Oye Hassan-Odukale; Secretary to the State Government, Mr.Tunji Bello; State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal; Commander, Nigeria Navy Beecroft Apapa, Commodore Murrice Ansa Eno; Commander, Nigeria 561 Base Service Group, Ikeja, Air Commodore Olumide Olatunji; and General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Wale Musa, during the handing over of Power Bikes to the police, RRS, LASTMA, and LASEMA at the Lagos House, Ikeja.... yesterday

Awka Cult War Claims 20 in One Month as Police Arrest 60 Suspects David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka No fewer than 20 persons have reportedly lost their lives in the last one month in Awka, Anambra State capital, following disagreement between two cult groups; Black Axe and Vikings.

THISDAY gathered that the feud between both groups started in December around the yuletide following the killing of a member of the Black Axe by persons suspected to be members of the Vikings cult.

Also, at least one suspected

cultist, Chukwujekwu Chinweuba, was killed on Monday, while about 10 people sustained various degrees of injuries following a reprisal on Chinweuba who is popularly known asAjie, and suspected to be a member of the black movement.

A source who spoke THISDAY on condition of anonymity stated that: “Since 24 December, there have been spates of killings and reprisal killings in Awka by these two cult groups.

No fewer than 20 people have lost their lives already to this feud.

“As I speak, some of the ‘strong men’ in Awka are all in hiding.

The problem started with small cult boys, but the big guys among the two groups are gradually getting involved, and the war is getting messy,” the source said.

Members of the Vikings cult who are suspected to have gunned Chinwuba down were said to have started shooting indiscriminately into the air upon arrival at his family house last Monday.

It was gathered that about 10 people who were scampering for safety on hearing gunshot sounds sustained various degrees of injuries.

The Commander of the Special Anti- Cultism Squad, SPACS, of the Anambra State Police Command, Mr. ChristopherBassey,whoconfirmed the incident, said about 60 suspects have so far been arrested over the incident.

He however, added that half of them have been released over non- involvement while those suspected to be involved would be charged to court.

Bassey added that the Black Axe’ kingpin who was killed by Vikings fraternity was a notorious cultist that has been on the police wanted list.

Four Cops Killed, Many Injured in Four Hour Shootout with Militants Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa At least four policemen were killed while several others were injured in the early hours of yesterday when suspected militants attacked a marine police base in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

It was gathered that though the target of the hoodlums was to forcibly take away the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in the base, the resistance by policemen on duty during the attack deterred them.

When the gunfight which took place from between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. subsided, the police said the bodies were recovered, while the injured were taken to the hospital.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Asuquo Amba, who confirmed the attack , however noted that only two policemen were killed, while one was injured.

He added that the attackers were pirates, maintaining that though the police could not ascertain the number of casualties on the part of the hoodlums, they were able to run away with several of their gang members who were killed or injured from their side.

He said: “At about 002 hours of the morning, some unknown suspected sea pirates that came in with two boats from different directions attacked our men that were anchored at marine base at Ogbia and obviously there was a lot of exchange of fire. We tried to be as defensive as possible.

“In the course of that, we lost two policemen who were shot in action and they were able to make away with two of our riffles and a 200 horsepower engine belonging to the Ogbia Local Government Area.”

According to him, the men on duty fought hard to repel the attack,

although they recorded casualties.

“To show you the extent of exchange of firing at the scene, we were able to recover a G3 magazine, which was used by them with 17 live ammunition and 18 expended ammunition. The firing was not from one direction.

“It was through separate direction. Prior to this time, we had secured our GPMG gun which I think was one of the main thing they were looking for. Their direction was seriously on that but we were able to secure that.

“So, they could not steal it and that was why we lost two police officers in action and the officer that led the team, an ASP was equally injured and is recovering.

That is the activities of the sea pirates. For a while we have been able to curtail but it is really rearing its head again. We have appealed to our sister agencies to help”, he added.

Asuquo vowed to ensure that the area of responsibility of the police remains secure, insisting that the criminals were fighting back because they were under severe heat.

“We are all out to ensure that these pirates are checked. We have intelligence report that they are trying to increase their activities to sabotage the efforts of the government to secure the highway.

“This is a recent development and it has given us a cause to sit up. We will re-strategise and secure our base and the water areas.

“I am sure they must have run away with their casualties.As at 2a.m., I, the DC OPS andAC OPS and other intelligence outfit were around the vicinity and we have spread our dragnets. We have informed other security agencies and all efforts are being made to apprehend the suspects,” he noted.

54

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

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

CHAN 2018... CHAN 2018... CHAN 2018...

EaglesTop Group C to Reach Q’finals Nigeria sailed into the last eight of the on-going 5th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco last night after coming from a goal down to thrash Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in Agadir.

The Home-based Eagles created a basketful of chances in each of their first two matches against Rwanda and Libya, but had only Sunday Faleye’s 79th minute winner against Libya to show for their marksmanship in the tournament before kick-off at the Stade d’Agadir.

The string of misses continued against the neighbours to the south as Faleye missed from inside the box after good work from Emeka Ogbuh on the right.

Osas Okoro’s shot from a 23-yard free kick in the 25th minute was simply wayward.

From a corner kick, Equatorial Guinea took the lead with five minutes to half time as Nsi Eyama’s powerful header flew past goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa and defender Daniel James into the net.

Faleye had a great opportunity to level up three minutes later as Anthony Okpotu chested down a pull out for him, but he fluffed it

with only the goalkeeper to beat.

In the second half, the Eagles bungled two further opportunities to level up within seven minutes, before Okpotu sneaked in –between two defenders to power home a header from Osas Okoro’s in –swinger for the leveller, in the 59th minute.

Three minutes later, veteran Rabiu Ali came in for Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, and it was the 2014 bronze medallist who made the second goal and scored the third.

From a loose ball, he found an on –rushing Dayo Ojo whose rocket from 25 yards flew past the Guinean goaltender and into the net on 69 minutes, and then scored from the penalty spot seven minutes from time after Okpotu was doubled –teamed in the box.

Substitute Mohammed Nur could have scored a fourth but he completely missed another Okoro in –swinger.

The result meant Nigeria finished as Group C winners, and will return to the more familiar Grand Stade Tanger for their quarter final against the second –placed team in Group D on Sunday.

Home-based Eagles’ players, Daniel James (No. 3) and Ekundayo Ojo (No 15) celebrating one of the goals in 3-1 win over Equatorial Guinea in Morocco … last night Victory in that game will mean another city movement, this time to Marrakech for the

semi finals on Wednesday next week.

In already –set quarter final

matches, hosts Morocco will take on Namibia in Casablanca on Saturday afternoon,

while Zambia play Sudan in Marrakech on Saturday evening.

NPFL…NPFL… NPFL… NFF Plans 90 Minutes Awards Night Next Month Katsina Utd Stand in Way of Rangers’ Successive Wins Femi Solaja In what is seen as a clear departure from ‘old order’ the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), yesterday revealed plans for a first-ever awards ceremony that will last just 90 minutes to recognise and reward excellence in the Nigerian game.

The narratives, according to NFF’s First Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, who is chairman of the project, will be a clear departure from endless hours of awards that Nigerians have annoyingly become attuned to in recent years.

Akinwunmi continued: “The NFF Awards, has become necessary as the stock of Nigerian football is on the upward trajectory.

We hope to have a night that will go for just 90 minutes (duration of a football match).

It will be devoid of extra time or penalty shoot-out,” stressed the NFF chief as he explained to dignitaries and media representatives at the unveiling presentation in Lagos yesterday.

“We decided it was the right time to launch a project to recognise and reward excellence in Nigerian Football.

Fortunately, we found a worthy partner in Lagos State and with a Chief Executive (Governor Akinwunmi Ambode) who is a lover of excellence.

The NFF Awards will be an annual event and the inaugural edition will hold at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Monday, 19th February 2018, and will be graced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, CAF President Ahmad and at

least 20 FA presidents who will be here for the FIFA Executive Football Summit also taking place in Lagos the following day.

“We have an opportunity to showcase Lagos State not only around the Awards, but also at the FIFA EFS meeting for which the state is also partnering the NFF,” he explained.

Akinwunmi disclosed that a screening committee that will have integrity, transparency and fairness as its watchwords would be empanelled in a few days, and that while some of the awards will be decided by the screening committee, others would be determined by voters online while the special awards would be the prerogative of the federation.

He also announced that SuperSport and Africa Independent Television (AIT), have teamed up with the NFF as broadcast partners of the event, and will take the event live as from 7pm on the evening.

In his response, the Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr. Kweku Adedayo Tandoh praised the NFF for laudable projects the federation has been undertaking recently and pledged that Lagos State will continue to support worthwhile endeavours.

“The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is determined to make Lagos State not just a hub of sports activities and events, but to prove that sports, tourism and entertainment can intermingle brilliantly to boost the economy of any society.

Seven-time NPFL champions Rangers International will look to sew up back-to-back wins for the first time in the league since August last year when they play hosts to Katsina United at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu this evening.

Reminiscence of last season, it was same Katsina United that Rangers defeated 2-1 after coming off a 1-0 win over Sunshine Stars before making it three wins in three with a 2-1 success at Remo Stars.

This time, the setting remains the same – the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium – but under a different guard of Gbenga Ogunbote who has brought quite a number of

new faces.

The Flying Antelopes put life into their campaign with a 1-0 win over Oriental rivals Heartland in Owerri after they were defeated by Akwa United and Lobi Stars in their opening two games of the season.

However Katsina United stand in their way to achieving their first back-to-back win of this season.

Both clubs even had an off-season mini kind of spat over striker Chinedu Udechukwu. Rangers thought they had their man despite Katsina United placing a N50 million buyout clause on the forward. Anyway all of that broke down and both clubs

have since moved on.

Last season in this same fixture, Rangers did just enough to edge past Katsina United. The Flying Antelopes won 2-1 but had to work for it.

It was an affair for the Madus, Chibuzor and Christian (who are no relatives), on that day as they scored a goal each while Timothy Danladi’s strike was sandwiched in between. angers head coach Ogunbote believes that the 1-0 success at Heartland over the weekend will lead to a run of wins starting with the contest against Katsina United.

“Yes, it was really a challenging time for the

team but with the victory in Owerri, I strongly believe that the difficult phase of our preparations for an appreciable finish at the end of the season has lapsed and it is now a period of winnings,” said Ogunbote.

MATCH-DAY 4 TODAY Kwara Utd vs Wikki Tornadoes vs Akwa Utd Yobe Stars vs Lobi Stars Go-Round vs Heartland Rangers vs Katsina Utd Enyimba vs Nassarawa Sunshine vs Rivers Utd K’ Pillars vs Abia Warriors Plateau Utd vs El kanemi MFM FC vs IfeanyiUbah

WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

Wike Says Rivers Ready to Host Africa Igali, others shower plaudits on governor for getting facilities ready Duro Ikhazuagbe With finishing touches going on at the Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Complex in Port Harcourt, River State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday restated the readiness of the state to host the African Wrestling Championship scheduled to hold between February 5 and 11.

Between 25 and 35 African countries are expected to converge on Port Harcourt next month to battle for wrestling honours as Rivers will be hosting the championship.

It will be the first time that such an event is taking place in Nigeria in the 44 years history of African wrestling.

But Wike who is very passionate about leaving a sports legacy for youths in the state, was very confident about a successful hosting of the continental wrestling fiesta.

“We don’t do things in half measures in Rivers and so we are going to show the world how serious we are in sports and hospitality.

“The venue is undergoing very serious renovation and

other arrangements are being handled professionally by the team we have in charge of the event. I am very sure that the participants will be happy to come here for the competition,” observed the governor.

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Felix Obuah, and the President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Honour Sirawoo, were at the Government House when the governor was speaking with newsmen on the readiness of the state for the event.

The Chairman of the

Local Organising Committee (LOC), Boma Iyaye, however commended the governor for providing the enabling environment to welcome Africa.

“We are all excited that this is coming up to further boost the good works of the governor of the state,” Iyaye said.

The President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, revealed that Wike has been paying the allowances of the athletes who are scattered in various training camps in the country.

55

WEDNES Ë&#x153; ͰͲË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś Ëž T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Winter Olympics: Serena Excited about Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bobsled Team Tennis superstar and new mother, Serena Williams has shown her support and excitement for the first Nigerian bobsled team to compete in the February 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Serena shared a video on Instagram of the Nigerian team training saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This video literally gave me chills. I am so excited to watch Nigeria compete in the winter Olympics bobsledding race, the first time an African country has ever competed in bobsledding.â&#x20AC;?

The video shows Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga training hard for their competition coming up in February.

Adigun, the team driver and leader, Omeoga and Onwumere will become the first ever Africans to compete in the sport of

bobsled.

They will also be the first Nigerians to compete at the Winter Olympics. But even before the tournament kicks off, the US-based trio have already garnered so much goodwill, they likely already feel like winners.

For starters, the trio have become one of the hottest items in winter sports, attracting interest from several major global brands.

Under Armour, the US sportswear manufacturer, will supply the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kits while Belgium-based Lazer SA, has signed on as the official helmet sponsor.

Global payments giant Visa added the bobsled trio to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team Visa,â&#x20AC;? a roster of sponsored athletes which consists of over 400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Visa backs these athletes with support for their training regimes.

Man Utd Retains Top Spot in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Money Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Manchester United narrowly edged out Real Madrid to remain the top revenuegenerating club in the world as Premier League sides underlined their growing financial clout, Deloitteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Money Leagueâ&#x20AC;? report said yesterday.

It is the 10th time United have topped Deloitteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list, with a revenue in 2016/17 of 676 million euros ($828 million, ÂŁ593 million) -- just 1.7 million euros ahead of the Spanish giants.

United on Monday confirmed the signing of Chile striker Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a deal which is expected to make him the Premier Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highestpaid player.

Barcelona - one of Sanchezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former clubs - are third in the 21st edition of the list compiled by the British-based business advisory firm, followed by Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Combined revenue for the top 20 Money League clubs in the 2016/17 season grew six percent to 7.9 billion euros, a new record.

Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Europa League victory was crucial to their financial performance, with Real Madridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s figures boosted by winning the Champions League and their Spanish league triumph.

A record 10 English clubs feature in the top 20, generating a total revenue of 3.8 billion euros, helped by income from the first season

of the current record Premier League broadcast rights deal.

Broadcast revenue is now the largest individual revenue stream for the Money League clubs, making up 45 percent of total revenue and there is increasing speculation that the likes of Amazon and Facebook could become serious players, potentially giving a fresh cash injection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Deloitte Football Money League has a particularly English feel this year and with the new broadcast deal and UEFA competition performance driving broadcast revenue growth of over half a billion pounds for those in the top 20, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come as a surprise,â&#x20AC;? said Tim Bridge, senior manager in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the Premier League is currently in the middle of its rights tender for the next cycle from 2019/20, the results of this will be crucial to determining the long-term composition of the Money League.â&#x20AC;?

A separate study released earlier this month showed Premier League leaders Manchester City have greater financial muscle than any other club in world football, with Arsenal second and United in seventh place.

The Soccerex Football Finance 100 ranked the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top teams based on both their playing and fixed assets, money in the bank, owner potential investment and debt.

Deloitte Football Money League â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2016-2017 Revenue Note: The first figure in brackets is the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position in 20152016 and the second is their revenue in that period.

1. (1) Manchester United 676.3 million euros (689 mln euros) 2. (3) Real Madrid 674.6 (620.1) 3. (2) FC Barcelona 648.3 (620.2) 4. (4) Bayern Munich 587.8 (592) 5. (5) Manchester City 527.7 (524.9) 6. (7) Arsenal 487.6 (468.5) 7. (6) Paris Saint-Germain 486.2 (520.9) 8. (8) Chelsea 428 (447.4) 9. (9) Liverpool 424.2 (403.8) 10. (10) Juventus 405.7 (338.9)

Serena Williams (left) and the Nigerian trio

Injured Nadal Out of Australia Open as Cilic Hit Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ďŹ nal Berth World number one Rafael Nadal retired hurt in the fifth set of an enthralling quarter-final against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.

The top seed was in visible pain on court and Cilic of Croatia will now face British number two Kyle Edmund in the semi-finals following his 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 2-0 victory.

It was only the second time in 264 Grand Slam matches that Spaniard Nadal has retired - the last being against Briton Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the 2010 Australian Open.

Speaking following the match, Nadal said he would provide an update on his injury after an MRI scan today. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now is not the moment to say whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on or whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going on because we really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know yet,â&#x20AC;? said Nadal.

He did, however, repeat his assertion that players are suffering injuries because of the surfaces they play on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somebody who is running the tour should think little bit about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Too many people are

getting injured. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if they have to think a little bit about the health of the players. Not for now that we are playing, but there is life after tennis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if we keep playing in this very, very hard surfaces whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to happen in the future with our lives.â&#x20AC;?

Nadal, 31, had looked in good form early in the match and took the first set 6-3 in a typically forceful manner.

Cilic, however, was a different player in the second as he channelled his frustration at being given a time violation by breaking back at Nadal with a stunning forehand winner.

The third set was much more evenly contested and went Nadalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way in a tiebreak.

Cilic was dominant on his first serve - firing down 20 aces to his opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three - but Nadal was able to draw the 29-year-old Croat to the net on numerous occasions - the most memorable ending in a delicate drop shot which left Cilic foundering.

Injured Nadal at the post match press conference yesterday

Nadalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s injury became apparent in the fourth set and despite lengthy delays for treatment, he was unable to continue - retiring at 2-0 in the deciding set. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was an unbelievable performance from both of us and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really unfortunate for Rafa,â&#x20AC;? said Cilic.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;He always gives his best and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unfortunate for him to end this way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was really paying attention to these first couple of games [in the final set] and trying to keep my intensity up. It was important for me to continue with my own game and not look across the net.â&#x20AC;?

DOAMF Charity Golf Gets Support

Google Honoures Keshi

As a show of support for the cause that the Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial (DOAM) Foundation is pursuing, corporate organisations are already signing up in support of the 2018 Charity Golf Tournament scheduled to hold on February 3, 2018 at the Golf Section of Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Diamond Bank Plc, ARM Pension Managers, Radial Circle Group, Zenith Bank Plc, SEPLAT Petroleum, Channels Television, Silverbird Television, Grand OAK, Cappa & Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Alberto, SPAR (Park Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Shop), Fidelity Bank Plc, Victoria Crown Plaza, Ikoyi Club 1938, Protea Hotel, WheatBaker Hotel, and many more, have confirmed their sponsorship

of the event.

This is in addition to a growing list of individuals who continue to affirm their sponsorship support.

According to the Coordinator of the DOAMF Charity Golf Tournament, Mr. Pat Bassey, the different levels of support offered by the sponsors will go a long way in helping the foundation achieve its goals of touching more lives.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are glad that the event has proven to be a trusted platform through which a lot of these organizations and individuals want to intervene positively in the society. The Foundation remains committed to maintaining the goodwill garnered through consistency and thoroughness in all its dealings till now.â&#x20AC;?

He further affirmed a commitment to deliver better value to every participant and partner of the event.

About 120 players have booked places in the final round after the Qualifying Round that was played on January 6, 2018. These players will now be joined by guest players to makeup the final list of players when the tournament tees-off on Saturday February 3, 2018 at the same venue.

Over 75,000 lives have been impacted from donations received by the foundation.

The DOAMF Charity Golf Tournament funds have been channeled to support social causes in specific areas of education, healthcare, and emergency intervention in the society.

Nigerian football icon Stephen â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Bossâ&#x20AC;? Keshi is being honoured by Google on what would have been his 56th birthday.

The search engine changed its logo in Nigeria on Tuesday to an illustration of the legendary sports star.

Keshi was one of only two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) observed a one-minute silence in honour of the late Nigeria captain and coach with First Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi noting that it was regrettable â&#x20AC;&#x153;such a great player and coach was never accorded deserved recognition at an awards ceremony organised by the NFF.â&#x20AC;?

Wednesday January 24, 2018

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MISSILE

Markafi to FG “The security situation is worse, there are security crises everywhere. Our economy is very bad. The activities of insurgents are becoming alarming” – Former caretaker chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Markafi lamenting the deplorable situation in the country and the opportunity for the PDP to wrest power from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE How Wide is Obasanjo’s Way Out? THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

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ny response that is less than charitable to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s yesterday’s “Special Statement” stands the grave risk of being misunderstood given the widespread mood of despair in the land. This is because of the complexity of the situation. In the statement entitled “The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement,” Obasanjo calls for a third political force having ruled out the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as forces capable of dealing with the problem at hand. Yet what the nation sorely needs is a critical engagement with the moment and its definitions from various perspectives.

The mood also calls for a sincere political introspection.

To start with, the former President deserves a salute for his courage of conviction.

His voice came yesterday when such a loud voice was needed from such quarters. The voice would doubtlessly resonate with many people who are legitimately displeased with the state of things. It was as someone put it, “Obasanjo said what the people want to hear and his statement is well timed.”

Now, the beauty of Obasanjo’s politics is that he has emerged as a historical figure that cannot be ignored in any circumstance.

Maybe, that is because he is the luckiest political figure ever in Nigeria despite his moments of tribulations. Yesterday’s statement again justifies a tribute often paid to Obasanjo of which even his harshest critic cannot deny him: in any situation Obasanjo would stand up for Nigeria. His entire career is a proof to this assertion.

Obasanjo is as constant as the northern start on the side of national unity. That cannot be said of many political figures in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari said this much in his contribution to a book of tributes published in 1995 to celebrate Obasanjo’s birthday while the General was imprisoned

by General Sanni Abacha, who probably was preventing this sort of statement being made by Obasanjo about his regime. The book edited by Hans’s d’Orville is entitled Leadership in Africa. That is the stuff for a statesman’s profile.

So the wise thing to do is for political actors and even observers is not to dismiss Obasanjo’s powerful intervention. The statement should reinvigorate the needed national conversation at this time. There should be a critical reflection on Obasanjo’s own definition of the moment and his prescription of what should be done to solve the problem.

It is salutary that even at his age Obasanjo has put himself in redoubtable position of being part of the solution. After all, historically he has been a central part of the problem. It is important to stress that Obasanjo’s narrative of how Nigeria got wet in the rain is not a complete picture. Well, self-criticism may not be one of the virtues of Obasanjo. While his sharp criticisms of APC and PDP as well as the administrations

Obasanjo

Buhari

that have come after him are quite valid, his answer to the question of where the rain began to beat this nation is not quite correct.

In order to tackle the crisis of governance bedevilling Nigeria, that question should be answered honestly and fully.

For instance, an uncritical reader of the statement might go away with the impression that 1999-2007 was the Golden Age of economic management and politics in Nigeria. That would be a blurred reading of the nation’s recent economic and political

history. In the statement, Obasanjo laments the state of underdevelopment and poverty in the land. No rational person can fault the grim picture he has painted. Who can deny the mass poverty, ignorance, disease, poor housing and hunger in the land? However, it is worth stressing that development is a process with stages. That is why in the developed capitalist world, contemporary leaders do not have to restart the stages of development already accomplished by their forebears. Perhaps, if certain development efforts were accomplished at the stage when Obasanjo was responsible for governance, the succeeding administrations would not have to be repeating the same steps.

Despite his best efforts at governance and the recorded achievements, Obasanjo’s economic management had its profound flaws. The Obasanjo administration only began to articulate an economic strategy during his second term. As a result, it was late in the day when he began to take the policy steps in some sectors and the programmes could not be consummated before his exit.

The most poignant monument to this late policy implementation was, perhaps, in the power sector. This legacy of failure is very conspicuous in the economy. Obasanjo came into office in 1999 in a Nigeria of poor electricity supply; by the time he left in 2007 there was hardly any improvement in the power sector. In 1999, Nigeria had the national shame of importing fuel; by the time Obasanjo left office the illogic of a crude-oil exporting country that is importing fuel continued. In his eight years, Obasanjo never took any remarkable step of infrastructural revamp. Even Obasanjo is on record to have admitted at the twilight of his administration that he was ashamed of the state of federal roads. The collapse of public education continued steadily during those eight years due poor funding and an

However, the way out of the problem that he has prescribed for Nigeria looks narrow.

A wider way out is what is needed at this time. It is also important to put the prescription in the context of the recent history of this country in order to understand it better and possibly predict its efficacy

ill-conceived market solution to the problems of the social sector. His administration had a running battle with university teachers with intermittent strikes with the resultant effects on the quality of education. Joblessness defined the Obasanjo years just as it did in the periods before it and as it has defined the periods following it. There was no appreciable poverty reduction during the period as Nigeria rated poor in the global Human Development Index. The story is the same in some other sectors. On the political front, the spectre of the allegation of a quest for a third term would continue to haunt his legacy. Above all, given his formidable political weight in 2007, if his management of the politics of succession had been imbued with the type of vision he now enunciates, maybe the post-Obasanjo political landscape would be different.

The historical opportunities of the eight years of Obasanjo as President and his huge political stature as a national rallying point placed him squarely at a vantage point to recast the political economy and enhance the polity. He failed in these respects.

For sure, the fact that Obasanjo failed to advance development in some areas does not disqualify him from making the sort of intervention he is making at the moment. Yes, Obasanjo is a positive force for national unity any day. On that note, his pronouncement could be as magisterial as much as possible. However, it is doubtful if he is suited to be the arrowhead of a third force for the type of change being canvassed in many serious quarters.

Obasanjo’s important statement would be read by many discernible minds with a lot of caveats. He is too prominent a figure in the old order for any fresh intervention to make him an exponent of change for the sake of progress. It is a contradiction that Obasanjo with his ideological mindset is now the symbol of a third force which hopes to draw on the demographic asset of the youth. In any case, his prescription is rather ambiguous. He says he is out of partisan politics, but the Coalition for Nigeria (CN) would aim at power employing the ballot. However, only registered political parties can field candidates for elections.

Apart from the APC and PDP there are dozens other political parties waiting with their virtually empty political sacks to be filled with contents so that they can stand in 2019. So shouldn’t the energy, time and resources be put on strengthening the existing parties for elections rather forming fresh ad hoc coalitions?

In sum, Obasanjo is entitled to his own diagnosis of the Nigerian condition. He has fulfilled a patriotic duty by making this intervention. However, the way out of the problem that he has prescribed for Nigeria looks narrow. A wider way out is what is needed at this time. It is also important to put the prescription in the context of the recent history of this country in order to understand it better and possibly predict its efficacy.

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