Friday 30th MARCH 2018

Seplat Resolves $20.5m Dispute With Canadian Firm over Oil Block Norwegian oil firm, Panoro in talks to sell stake in Aje field in Lagos Ejiofor Alike with agency report Newton Energy Limited, a subsidiary of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, a

leading Nigerian independent oil and gas company listed on both the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges, has reached a settlement with a Canadian firm, Crestar Natural

Resources Limited, following a protracted dispute over the acquisition of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 25 from Anglo-Dutch multinational, Shell.

This is just as Oslo-listed

international production and exploration company, Panoro Energy, was said to have entered discussions with third parties on selling its 16 per cent stake in the Aje oil, gas

and condensate field offshore Lagos, Nigeria.

Crestar, which is owned

by James Bay Resources Limited, together with its Nigerian partners, was the

winning bidder in May 2014 for Shell’s 45 per cent participating interest in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 25.

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With 2019 in Sight, Buhari, Tinubu Say They’re on a Rescue Mission Osinbajo: We will not stop talking about corruption under PDP Opposition party, APC leader bandy words over apology Tobi Soniyi and Gboyega Akinsanmi in Lagos with agency report The political romance between President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which has

been rekindled by the 2019 presidential election, waxed stronger yesterday when both men in separate speeches assured Nigerians that the country was being rescued from the wreckage of past administrations.

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Dark Days of Election Rigging, Manipulation Over, Says President Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Lagos tactically responded to an allegation made recently by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the ruling All Progressives Congress

(APC) was plotting to rig the forthcoming 2019 polls, saying the days of election rigging and manipulation by corrupt politicians were over.

The president, who made this remark in his Continued on page 10

CAMPBELL… READY TO STRUT HER STUFF ACF Distances Self from Groups MS British supermodel, Naomi Campbell (left) and her publicist, Vanessa Amadi Ogbonna, on arrival at the Murtala Muhammad Airport for the ARISE Fashion Week (AFW) 2018 taking place at the Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Criticising Northern Politicians… Page 47 International from March 30-April 2 abiodun ajala

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PAGE TEN S E PLAT RES OLVES $20.5 M DISPUT E WI T H CAN AD I AN F I R M OVER OI L B LOC K The settlement between Crestar and Newton relates to proceedings in the English High Court over the deposit of $20.5 million currently held in an escrow account.

Seplat had in January 2017, in a filing at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, announced that proceedings had commenced at the English High Court against its wholly-owned subsidiary, Newton Energy, by Crestar relating to the deposit of $20.5 million.

The escrowed money was for the purpose acquiring an interest in OML 25 by Crestar, which Newton had an option to invest in, but put in escrow in July 2015, pursuant to the agreement reached with Crestar and the vendor on the final terms of the potential transaction.

The potential acquisition of an interest in OML 25 was initially identified in 2014 at which time the group placed the sum of $453 million as a deposit towards the potential investment.

However, after material delays, $368 million was returned to the group in July 2015.

According to Seplat, certain events then led to renewed efforts by the consortium to secure the asset and to the group providing the escrowed funds.

Seplat had added that the group paid $11 million to Crestar for past costs while a $45 million deposit remained with the potential vendor of the asset.

The company vowed to defend the claim vigorously in an English court.

But when the case came up yesterday, the chief financial officer of Seplat, Mr. Roger Brown, told the court that the litigation had been substantially settled between the parties. “Under the terms of the settlement the escrow monies will be split as follows: $10.0 million to Seplat and $10.5 million to Crestar. A provision equal to the share of escrow monies due to Crestar was already provided for

in Seplat’s audited 2017 annual accounts,� Brown added.

After it won the bid for the acquisition of OML 25 from Shell and its partners, Crestar had deposited 100 per cent of the bid price into an escrow account with JP Morgan in London.

However, after NNPC attempted to block the sale and acquire the interest for itself under a 30-day contractual right of first refusal that had expired months earlier, Crestar commenced injunction proceedings in January 2015 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to prevent the Shell from effecting the transfer to NNPC or anyone else.

Shell sought to discharge the injunction, but the Abuja court dismissed its application on March 6, 2015.

Crestar had also delivered a 30-day pre-action notice to NNPC, as required by Nigerian law in advance of any legal proceedings against the stateowned oil firm.

The Canadian firm had argued that the wrongful exercise of an expired pre-emptive right by the NNPC was the corporation’s first-ever exercise of preemption rights in the history of Shell’s divestment programme in Nigeria.

In addition to this unprecedented attempt to exercise an expired pre-emptive right, Crestar also alleged that the NNPC was attempting to fund its own acquisition with monies obtained from private third parties in exchange for lucrative interests in OML 25, stressing that this arrangement would almost certainly violate several Nigerian laws regulating government borrowing.

Meanwhile, Panoro Energy is in discussions with third parties on the sale of its 16 per cent stake in the offshore Aje oil, gas and condensate field in Nigeria.

According to international oil and gas media, Upstream, Panoro Energy is planning on

selling its investment in the OML 113 oil field due to its high capital intensity, although the company remains objectively open to a farmout agreement.

Farmout is the assignment of part or all of an oil, natural gas or mineral interest to a third party for development.

The interest may be in any agreed-upon form, such as exploration blocks or drilling acreage.

Panoro partook in the initial Aje expansion which targeted the field’s oil resources, but as a small company, it was reluctant to invest in a future gas development that could cost about $400 million.

The proposed gas project could involve sending output to markets via the nearby West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP).

The Aje field was discovered in 1997 in water depths ranging from 100-1,500m.

Unlike the majority of Nigerian fields which are productive from tertiary age

sandstones, Aje has multiple oil, gas and gas condensate reservoirs in the Turonian, Cenomanian and Albian age sandstones.

Five wells have been drilled to date on the Aje Field. Aje-1 and Aje-2 tested oil and gas condensate at high rates from the Turonian and Cenomanian reservoirs and Aje-4 confirmed the productivity of these reservoirs and discovered an additional deeper Albian age reservoir. Aje-5 was drilled in 2015 as a development well for the Cenomanian oil reservoir.

In March 2014, the federal government approved the Aje Field Development Plan (FDP) while in October 2014, the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project was made.

Other than Nigeria, Londonbased Panoro holds high quality production, exploration and development assets in West Africa, namely the Dussafu Licensce offshore southern Gabon.

unwavering efforts to prevent the spread of conflicts in our communities; check wanton criminality and the taking of innocent lives; unite the country; and steer the ship of state to a steady path of economic growth, job creation and development. “While we enjoin law-abiding fellow compatriots to work for peace and social justice in our beloved country, let there be no doubt of our resolve to firmly resist others who may want to make cheap political capital out of current national security challenges. “Our programmes and policies in the last three years have resulted in bringing down the prices of staple crops; gradual improvement of the road, rail and electricity infrastructure; and making Nigeria the preferred destination for investors. “More than ever before, we are ready to consolidate on these gains and ensure that we improve the lot of our communities in the years ahead. “Thankfully, our Dapchi schoolgirls who were safely released recently after 30 agonising days in the hands of their abductors, have been reunited with their families. “I am very optimistic that all

others, including the Chibok girls who are still in captivity, will be safely released unconditionally to their families. I urge you to continue to pray for their safe return. “In the meantime, I have given clear instructions to our security agencies to prioritise safety in schools in areas where the humanitarian and security situation are still dire, in addition to ensuring adequate protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). “As we approach the period of campaigns, I appeal to our political actors and other stakeholders to resist any act that could mar the integrity of our electoral process. “I am optimistic that with God on our side, the dark days of Nigeria’s elections being manipulated by violence and rigging by corrupt politicians and their agents are over. “They are confined to the dustbin of history where they rightly belong. I remain committed to bequeathing a legacy of the supremacy of the people’s will through the ballot box. May this year’s Easter celebration brings us renewed hope and confidence as a great nation,� Buhari stated.

at the same time they want to continue to rule the people. “We as a party, as your government, must show the difference between us and the government and the party that impoverished our nation. Let me give you an example, in 2014 when oil was between $100 and $114 a barrel, the actual releases for capital expenditure to the three major Ministries of Power, Works and Housing – then they were three separate ministries – in total, was N99 billion. Transportation got N14 billion and agriculture N15 billion. “Now let us compare that with capital releases to the same ministries in 2017 when oil prices were between $50 and $60 per barrel – N415 billion for power, works and housing, N80 billion for transportation and N65 billion for agriculture, totalling N560 billion at a time when we were earning at least

50 per cent less,� he pointed out.

Osinbajo said it was possible to get this much money to spend on developmental projects

DA RK DAYS OF ELECT ION RIGGIN G, M AN I PU L AT I ON OVE R , SAYS PR E SI D E N T Easter message to the nation in commemoration of this year’s crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he personally signed, thanked God for another Easter season, stating that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ signified the triumph of good over evil and life over death.

Pointing out that this Easter season was a moment to show love, forgiveness, compassion and renewed faith in God’s grace, the president was also quick to warn that as the period of electioneering draws nearer, politicians and stakeholders should resist any temptation to malign the credibility of the nation’s electoral process.

He said he was optimistic that the days of violence, manipulation and election rigging by some unscrupulous politicians who hitherto thrived on the corruption of the nation’s electoral process had been consigned to the dustbin of history, pledging to entrench a legacy of free and fair polls. “As we approach the period of campaigns, I appeal to our political actors and other stakeholders to resist any act that could mar the integrity of our electoral process.

“I am optimistic that with God on our side, the dark days of Nigeria’s elections being manipulated by violence and rigging by corrupt politicians and their agents are over. They are confined to the dustbin of history where they rightly belong. I remain committed to bequeathing a legacy of the supremacy of the people’s will through the ballot box,� he promised.

The president who also implored Nigerians to exhibit the tenets of the teachings of Jesus Christ through deep reflections, made reference to the Holy Bible which he said stipulated that the life of a man was not in his riches and prosperity but in the sound and profound relationship with his Maker.

He enjoined Nigerians to prioritise the comfort and happiness of others above theirs, observing that doing so would go a long way in helping the nation to overcome bigotry, corruption, hate speech, terrorism and other forms of violence.

He appealed to citizens to acknowledge and support the efforts of his government to halt criminality, wanton

destruction of human lives and simultaneously propel the country to the path of growth and development.

Further appealing to Nigerians to promote peace and social justice, the president tasked citizens to rise against those who might choose to exploit the current wave of insecurity ravaging the country for political gains, even as he proceeded to reel out the achievements of his administration.

The president who also expressed gratitude for the return of the 105 Dapchi girls after 30 days in the captivity of Boko Haram, expressed optimism that others yet in captivity including the Chibok girls would be released unconditionally, disclosing that he had instructed the security forces to ensure adequate protection for schools as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the crisis-ridden North-east. “I am indeed delighted to join our Christian brothers and sisters to commemorate this year’s Easter celebration.

We thank the Almighty God for granting us the opportunity to celebrate another Easter at a time of great promise and hope

for our dear nation, despite the challenges we also have. “Easter, the season in which Christians mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, represents the triumph of good over evil; and life over death.

It is also a time to show love, forgiveness, compassion and renewed hope in the Grace of God. “The Holy Scripture affirms that happiness and fulfilment in life do not flow from acquiring the best things in life, but in being richer in a relationship with God and fellow human beings. “Let us use the opportunity of this special season to deeply reflect on how every one of us can imbibe the profound teachings of Jesus Christ with renewed vigour. “In so doing and by placing the joy, comfort and happiness of others above ours, we will make a statement that vices such as, hate speech, bigotry, corruption, banditry and terrorism have no place in our nation. “We must do all it takes to love our neighbours and display an increased spirit of tolerance and accommodation. “I commend those who recognise and support our

W I TH 2 0 19 IN SIGHT, BU HA R I, T INU BU SAY T H EY ’R E ON A R E SC U E M I SSI ON Buhari, who is in Lagos for a two-day official visit, spoke at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Nigeria’s commercial capital to mark the APC leader’s 66th birthday.

Buhari at the event, restated his commitment to implementing people-oriented programmes, saying: “Our goal is to bring everybody together for mutually beneficial ethnic, economic, social, religion, political and cultural relationships. “We are determined to invest in people because we depend on people to govern.�

Buhari, who also commissioned the Ikeja Bus Terminal in Lagos designed to handle 200,000 passengers daily, said his administration would continue to invest in social programmes, including school feeding and agriculture.

He said: “We have set Nigeria on an irreversible path

of growth and development.

We are resolute to uplift our people and make Nigeria a better place.�

The president described Tinubu as his friend saying, he was happy to be in Lagos “to celebrate the birthday of my friend and political partner�.

According to him, Tinubu is a well-known political strategist who has elevated politics above self.

He said: “I have come to see him as a man who cares about people, who is a fountain of ideas, for the common good of the common man and woman.

He has played an appreciative contribution to Nigeria and Africa’s progress. “We seek a change in the ways and means of our collective existence. We seek to construct a nation where people are no longer ruled by whims, but according to the law and for the betterment of the people.

“We seek to replace corruption with correctness, insecurity with safety, and poverty with prosperity.�

The president called on Nigerians to join him to celebrate “Asiwaju�, a man whom he said was widely known as a political strategist, a caregiver and a man with a vision.

Also speaking at the colloquium attended by several APC governors, party stalwarts, officials from the federal and Lagos State governments and captains of industry, VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo said the administration would not stop talking about the corruption perpetrated by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), wondering why the party does not want people to “talk about the monumental corruption it inflicted on Nigeria�.

According to him, “Upon all I had seen in government in the past three years, the corruption

of the five years of the Jonathan government is what destroyed the Nigerian economy.�

He insisted that the money withdrawn from the treasury before the election could have been used to develop infrastructure across the country.

Osinbajo said there was no country in the world that would allow its resources to be plundered in the way Nigeria’s resources were looted and shared and was still expected to be economically viable. “Every time we talk about corruption, our opponents say don’t talk about it. Just do your own. But we must talk about it.

The reason why we must talk about it is because we must let our people know that we can’t afford to go this way again. “Never again should we allow a system where people take the resources of this country and steal the resources, use the resources against the people and

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Lagosians Irate, Blast Buhari, Ambode over Lockdown Passengers stranded as airlines cancel flights Chinedu Eze with agency report Lagosians were irate yesterday and did not hesitate to show their anger over the decision by the state government to lockdown Nigeria’s largest commercial city of over 20 million people due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-day visit to the state.

The Lagos State Government also spared no thought for air passengers who were travelling for the Easter holidays, forcing domestic airlines to either delay or cancel their flights yesterday.

THISDAY investigations revealed that many passengers missed their flights because the roads leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, were blocked for the presidential visit, compelling airlines to adjust their flight schedules, cancel some of their morning flights and hoping to add additional flights today in order to accommodate those who were not airlifted yesterday.

Dana Air spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa who spoke to THISDAY said passengers who could not fly yesterday would be accommodated in other flights without payment for not turning up and missing their flights due to the closure

of the roads to the airport. “The airspace is not closed but scheduled operations were cancelled because the roads to the airport were closed. The roads were opened at some point, which enabled us to operate our first flight, although the flight was delayed. “We are in constant communication with our passengers, so we have been sending them messages and some of them said that with the delays they cannot make it again today (yesterday). “We informed them we can accommodate them in tomorrow’s (today) flights for free,� Ezenwa said.

The Executive Director, Technical, Medview Airline, Lukeman Animaseun also said there were flight disruptions due to the blockage of roads to the airports, which forced their 7 a.m. flight to leave at well after 8 a.m. but by midday the situation had normalised. “The road blockage affected our flight operations in the morning but we had to wait for passengers to get to the Lagos airport. But by afternoon the situation had normalised,�

Animaseun said.

THISDAY also learnt that airlines were hopeful that today’s flights would not be

affected, saying if the lockdown continued for a second day it would adversely affect their operations and leave a lot of their passengers who want to celebrate the Easter season with their loved ones stranded.

Many of the flights from Lagos destined for airports that operate only daylight service were cancelled because passengers were unable to get to the airport on time for the airlines to operate the flights before dusk.

It was not just air passengers that were affected, as airport workers could not get to their offices because of the closure of the roads.

Reacting to the needless lockdown in what is supposed to be a so-called cosmopolitan city, Lagos and several Nigerians condemned the state government for the ill-advised decision.

They also berated the Governor Akinwunmi Ambodeled government for shutting down the nation’s commercial hub.

Expectedly, Lagos was trending throughout yesterday on Twitter and other social media platforms, and most commentators had harsh words for Buhari, Ambode and the Nigerian system in general.

Ambode

Below were some of the reactions from online news sites: @MrTomide wrote: “Today is a terrible day to be a Buhari/ APC supporter. My good friend @stalyf challenged anyone to mention JUST ONE project initiated and completed in three years of the disastrous Buhari/APC administration and get 20k but NOBODY could rise up to the challenge.� @OlusosuD wrote: “If Ambode ever builds a light rail in Lagos, we will just have to leave Lagos for him at the time of commissioning. Because he will invite Jesus Christ.� @biolakazeem had one of the best tweets when he wrote:

“Lagos is shutdown because the president is in Lagos to commission a bus station. Not an underground train station. Or even a monorail. A bus station.

A state supposedly led by a lettered man. Folks, Nigeria is finished. We can pack & go home now. @DemolaRewaju was quite revealing: “Agents of the state are mobilising 10 people from each ward in Lagos with a promise of NGN3,000 to come and hail Buhari while the police has caged the NBA Ikeja Branch which wishes to protest against Ambode’s retrogressive policies.

Any crowd you see in Lagos today is rented.� @Chxta took a pointed shot at Ambode, saying: “Let’s focus.

The compulsory exercise that we are participating in in Lagos today isn’t because of the old man. He has not even brushed his teeth this morning. It’s the pot-bellied one that is doing eye service that we should direct our ire at.� @newscantell wrote on Wednesday: “Ambode declared tomorrow as work free because Buhari is coming to commission a bus stop in Lagos. Lagos is the 5th largest economy in Africa. The person that declared tomorrow work free, the person that will commission the bus

stop, and the people that will attend are all mad.� @akaebube wrote with an accompany photograph of the general aviation terminal in Lagos: “This New Airport Terminal in Lagos was built and commissioned by GEJ. No public holiday was declared for its commissioning. No road closures. No fanfare. Buhari is coming to Lagos to commission a “Bus stop� and we have a State of Emergency on our hands.� @gossyomega wrote: People booked their flights many weeks ago. So many people flying out of Lagos for Easter.

Yet you block roads leading to the airport with 24hrs notice.� @tolulopeab warned: “Lagos DON’T DO IT. Absolutely avoid VI if you can today. Entering via Bonny Camp thru CMS is a no, no. You are diverted inside Lagos Island. Many side roads close to Eko hotel are closed.

Drove around for 20 minutes trying to get to my office. @4eyedmonk in Abuja wondered: “I really don’t know why Lagos had to be shutdown for President Buhari’s visit. He lives here in Abuja and moves around amongst us on a regular basis, and we have never had to shutdown the city for one day.�

see that there are only very few people that can match his unquestionable thirst to invest in people. “His era as governor showed the depth of his governance capacity. That is why he is acknowledged for his role in the emergence of our great party.�

But in reaction to Tinubu’s remarks at the colloquium, the PDP asked him to stop playing God and assuming that Nigerians do not know what they want.

The main opposition party reminded the former Lagos governor that Nigerians have the faculty and freedom to determine the leadership that best suits their desires without any body’s control.

The party also advised Tinubu not to allow himself to be used for a second time, warning that he still bears a gross part of the blame for the enthronement of what the party termed as “this incompetent, divisive, nepotic and inherently corrupt administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, which has brought the nation to its knees in three years�.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday, said Tinubu’s speech at his colloquium, rather than causing damage for the PDP, ended up amplifying the admittance of failure of Buhari and the APC administration.

The opposition party said without listening to the prompting of any politician, Nigerians across board had taken the liberty of accepting PDP’s apology, which was made patriotically and in the overall interest of national healing, reconciliation, unity and cohesion. “PDP watched with

amusement as Asiwaju Tinubu struggled with words to appease President Buhari and give him assurances that he can win a second term election in the face of mass failure both in governance and in their discredited, rejected and troubled platform. “It was a direct admittance of failure and indictment on President Buhari’s administration, when Asiwaju pointedly told the president that the ship of the nation under his (Buhari’s) watch, still needs to be rescued, almost three years down the line. “It is tragic that Asiwaju had to tutor his visitor, who has had no policy direction since his election in 2015 by engaging in a revision of the programmes and policies of the PDP, such as the leasing system, the mortgage and pension schemes which boosted the economy and directly impacted on the lives of Nigerians,� PDP said.

The party said what was more “pathetic� was the fact that the APC leader presented the PDP programmes as if he was introducing novel ideas on the economy. “This clearly stood with our position that the APC government is incompetent and lacking in ideas on how to move the nation forward. “While we congratulate the Lagos Governor Emeritus on his birthday, the PDP considers it needful to forewarn him to study the current ambience of Nigerian politics as it relates to the failures of the Buhari presidency and the fact that the citizens have since rejected this presidency and the APC, so that Asiwaju will not find himself swimming against the tide,� it said.

W I T H 2 0 19 IN SIGHT, BUHAR I, T INU BU SAY T H E Y ’R E ON A R E SC U E M I SSI ON because the present government was not stealing public funds.

The vice-president thanked the president for giving him a free hand in the government’s social investment programme, noting that when the APC began its campaign in 2014, the party was determined to change the dominant narrative of Nigeria. “We were determined to change the narrative on the country which is rich in natural resources and even richer in human capital but was being destroyed daily by the grand corruption and impunity through the looting of public resources. “We saw a nation where a few had privatised the commonwealth while the majority of the people remained extremely poor. On one of our campaign trips to Zamfara State, Mr. President said look at the eyes of these people; of course, we saw poverty and desperation in their eyes. “Then he said, ‘They expect us to fix the problem of their poverty as soon as we get into office’.�

This, he said, informed the decision to put N500 billion into the social investment programme. “We have seen today the empirical evidence of that success story,� he added.

Osinbajo also said that when the government enforced the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), it discovered that there was a lot of money in the system.

He also expressed regret that the PDP government that refused to budget for infrastructure development suddenly released and spent N100 billion in cash during the 2015 election, promising that the Buhari administration would continue to defend the rights of the poor people.

Osinbajo also said that those who benefited from corruption were fighting back, but vowed: “This government will not give up. We will continue to fight corruption.�

He restated that $3 billion was lost to the Strategic Alliance Agreement between a local oil and gas firm, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the upstream subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), noting that the $3 billion was the equivalent of the money spent by this government on road construction across the country.

Supporting the position of the vice-president that the administration must continue to expose the magnitude of corruption under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government, Tinubu said the APC-led administration must continue to talk about corruption.

He said: “They said that we should not talk about it.

Seriously, what should we then talk about? After we came into office, we discovered the looting. “After assuming office, did you expect us to join you in the act and encourage such acts.

We are not just talking about the needs of Nigerians. “Please forget those parties.

They will not come back to power. There is no nation that is not facing challenges.

Even America is facing its own.

So, who are we? How many years of democracy have we practised? “We did not say that Nigerians would not enjoy.

But we have to report back to the millions of Nigerians that elected us into office that this is what we found when

we assumed office.�

Tinubu acknowledged that the task of running the country in the last three years has not been easy but enjoined Nigerians not to accept the apology tendered by the PDP for their past mistakes. “It is not an easy task at all, but dear Nigerians, do not take their apology. They lied, they falsified, they even changed figures. For 16 years, they made fake promises and gave us fake figures. “And they said we should not talk about it. It is like saying, ‘After all, they did wrong, so do not look at me. Just steal your own.’ But we have a nation to rescue. We have hope to build Nigeria. We have the lead. We have the people to invest in,� he said.

While acknowledging the challenges the APC has had to contend with, Tinubu said: “Life is not without challenges.

As a political party, we showed everyone our logo‌ Our logo with a united Nigeria, we focused on the fight against terrorism, corruption and the promotion of the economic revival of the country. “I can see what the government is doing with so little resources. But the idea and the fact that they are doing it with beneficiaries and the fact that it is demonstrated in practical terms is what we need to get our country from the tentacles of corrupt officials.â€?

He thanked Nigerians for their patience with the APC saying that there was a clear understanding in the difference between the APC and PDP, saying: “We are like night and day.�

Tinubu said he was happy that the president had changed the course of the ship of the country that was heading in

the wrong direction. “He has changed it from the wrong direction to steer the ship back before the final crash. We have started the journey and the voyage is on, the voyage of hope and the voyage that we are reclaiming Nigeria. We are retooling Nigeria, we are reinventing Nigeria and we are redirecting Nigeria,� he said, He urged the president to continue with the war against corruption and appealed to the banking sector to make credit available to the people.

According to him, “Once credit is available, this will play a role in stemming corruption. If we have good credit packages, people will not need to pay N4 million at once for a car. “Credit must be made available digitally. We can provide soft credit for this economy. We should encourage people with low incomes and extend hope that will stimulate this economy.�

While thanking dignitaries at the event, Tinubu urged Nigerians to move on without the PDP. He also called on the people not to vote for them because the party had yet to account for its 16 years of misrule.

In his welcome address, Lagos State governor Akinwumi Ambode showered encomiums on Tinubu and praised the president for his commitment to the progress of Lagos.

He said: “I am grateful to the president for his immense support for Lagos. We have flagged off the Lekki deep seaport project and the completion of the Ikeja Bus Terminal. It is important to invest in people because creating impactful programmes for our people is my priority. “As we celebrate Tinubu, if you look around, you will

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COMMENT

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

MELES ZENAWI AND DEMOCRACY ETHIOPIANA

Even with all his brilliance, Zenawi could not resolve the dilemma of the form of democracy that is suitable for Ethiopia, writes Okello Oculi

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eles Zenawi was called ‘’the African politicoeconomic genius’’, by a harsh critic. Susan Rice, President Bill Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations, celebrated him as a ‘’most brilliant African leader’’. She hated Robert Mugabe on that score.

Like Joaquin Chessano, before him, Zenawi left medical studies to go and fight against a more deadly disease plaguing Ethiopia, namely: the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariame.

From 1991 till his death in 2012, he headed the ‘’revolutionary’’ government of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, a coalition of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO) and Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). They all fought Mengistu.

Zenawi belonged to a generation that was deeply humiliated and infuriated by television pictures of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians gaunt, emaciated and dying from hunger following a long drought and the stupid pride of Emperor Haile Selassie and the aristocracy around him who refused to receive food sent by other African and non-African countries. In answer to a question about his dream for his government he listed the ‘’defeat of hunger through improved agriculture’’.

Emperor Haile Selassie’s grandeur rested on a people desperately poor, hungry and ruthlessly exploited by an indifferent, arrogant, visionless aristocracy and their bureaucracy. Zenawi, as a Tigray, was aware of access to education which their fellow ethnic kin in Eritrea enjoyed. This was reflected in his dream for Ethiopia, namely: he wished to ‘’expand the capacity of (our) youth in terms of technical skills’’; to ‘’expand tertiary education so that 70 per cent of students were encouraged to study engineering’’; to ‘’provide quality universal Primary education’’, and to ‘’ensure that all High School students who do not go to university have technical skills so that they can use their power to build the country’’. He would build roads and railways to carry that development forward.

Hunger had brought international shame to Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie’s grand robes failed to hide mass human degradation and shame festering under them. In response, Meles Zenawi was driven by a passion and vision of achieving an ‘’Ethiopian renaissance’’ combined with an ‘’African continental renaissance’’.

His intervention for ending the bloody civil war between South Sudan and Sudan won him African favour as a builder of peace.

His invasion of Somalia in favour of ‘’moderate’’ politicians and against the Islamic Courts anchored his strategic alliance with the United States and NATO powers whose interests were on secure access to oil in the Persian Gulf region.

At his death, he had become the chief negotiator for the African

MELES ZENAWI WAS DRIVEN BY A PASSION AND VISION OF ACHIEVING AN ‘ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE’ COMBINED WITH AN ‘AFRICAN CONTINENTAL RENAISSANCE’

Union over the politics and economics of climate change; winning for Africa a commitment by industrialised and polluter countries to provide Africa with three billion American dollars annually for mitigating predicted horrendous environmental disasters befalling Africa. This is one legacy of President Barack Obama’s diplomacy which President Donald Trump and his racist supporters deeply detest.

Zenawi and coalition team won power and the road to their socialist politico-socio-economic version of democracy through the barrel of the gun. Having inherited from Mengistu Haile Mariame the termination of an ancient Amhara imperial structure, they faced an ever-present threat of a ‘’counter-revolution’’.

With 27 per cent of a population of 100 million, the Tigray - with only six per cent - smelled vapours of a Rwandan-type genocide against them if the Amhara feudal class grabbed back power.

The 34 per cent Oromia who for centuries tilled land as serfs to the Amhara ruling class, had fought against Mengistu, and hugged a glimpse of ‘’a promised land’’ for themselves too.

Zenawi assured an Indian journalist that the smug and arrogant view by some Egyptian rulers that the waters of the Nile was a monopoly of their country had come to an end ‘’forever’’.

His office had planned the construction of a dam that would give Ethiopia a novel ‘’energy diplomatic outreach to Somalia, Kenya, Ugandan, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Sudan. Egypt would also share in the electricity feast.

Protecting power did not come easily while seeking to build a democratic polity with the arithmetic of numbers of votes of equal weight. In Britain the aristocracy had allowed only the rich to cast ballots. That protected them against being ruled by the ‘’great unwashed’’ masses. Zenawi expressed his coalition’s rejection of ‘ballot power’ by stating that the West could not impose their version of ‘’democracy’’ on Africa. Like the military-political ruling class in Algeria had said in 1992, their Islamist opponents were using this ritual of democracy to later kill democracy itself on coming to power.

Following the 2005 elections, supporters of opposition parties rejected and protested against Zenawi’s ‘democracy-throughthe-gun’. Over 193 protesters were killed, and seven police men were also killed. The political horizon of an Ethiopian renaissance justified - what Awol Allo described as – Zenawe’s use of ‘’torture, as freedoms, arbitrary killings, restrictions on freedom of the press and repression, denial of religious freedoms, and the politicised use of its notorious anti-terrorism legislation’’.

Meles Zenawi said that he was engaged in ‘’opening up possibilities for life’’ having won guerrilla war by ‘’ending life for a cause’’. For him ‘’development is about enhancing human capacity’’. He never solved the dilemma of the form of ‘’democracy’’ that is suitable as a tool for developing renascent Ethiopia, and Africa.

ATIKU AND NIGERIA’S AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS Louis Okoroma writes that Rico Gardo Animal Feed factory will make a lot of difference

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griculture plays a very important role in the life of every nation. In fact, agriculture is so important that most powerful nations on earth and throughout history have been strong agricultural nations. Those nations that did not have strong agriculture or food production capabilities were often at the mercy of their neighbours or adversaries who used the food weapon against them.

The importance of agriculture to the greatness of a nation lies in the fact that it provides food and raw materials which are indispensable in the life of nations. Nations whose agriculture can feed their population talk of having food security and if they can also export the surplus to needy countries or even donate to needy countries, their status in inter- state relations becomes very high. Second, if a nation with a thriving agriculture produces raw materials for export which most often does, these raw materials feeds agro- allied and other industries enabling the nation in question to produce a variety of products for export.

Thus a strong, sustainable and productive agricultural sector gives a nation a leverage in international affairs where it harnesses the respect and goodwill of other nations and the less endowed.

There was a time that Nigeria had a strong and productive agricultural sector. During the colonial and post- colonial years when the nation’s economy was healthy and depended in the main on a variety of agricultural products both for food and national revenue. Then Nigeria was a happy and confident country and was respected in the comity of nations as a middle income country. All that is now history.

Agriculture is a diverse sector with many subsectors. There is farming, forestry, livestock, horticulture and fishing. Livestock is also known as animal husbandry. It includes the rearing of cattle, goats,

rams as well as birds or poultry. While in the main, the nation’s agricultural sector has declined over the years leading to Nigeria acquiring the unenviable status of a food importing country, recent conflicts over space and right of way involving farmers in many parts of the country, and herdsmen who move from place to place in search of pasture for their cattle, has introduced veritable threats to the future of these sub- sectors.

The frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers all around the country in recent times are ill wind that portends only loss and regression for what is left of the agricultural sector in the country.

This would threaten not only peace and harmony but food production and food security in the long run reducing the ability of the nation to feed its people and hold its own in the comity of nations.

Also at a time when the nation’s economy is in the doldrums and all effort and attention is being directed to revitalising all aspects of agriculture and harnessing these for national development and growth, civil strife and violent confrontation between herdsmen and farmers will defeat the plan for economic diversification. Diversification is a must for the nation’s economy and even the international financial institutions have all applauded the Buhari administration urging him on in this regard.

Therefore the nation’s agriculture must come alive again and for good or else, Nigeria would become an awfully beggarly nation.

When the clashes between herdsmen and farmers reared their ugly heads in many parts of the country recently, the fear, bitterness and sense of permanent loss engendered by the loss of lives tended to introduce politics rather than clear thinking into the search for solutions. Happily, at the political level, the federal government has given firm instructions to the security forces to ensure that the clashes are halted while those apprehended fomenting trouble

or carrying dangerous weapons are brought to book.

Beyond the security approach of halting the clashes between farmers and herdsmen, is the urgency to address the need of both groups of agricultural workers for the good of the nation. While restraining and limiting the movement of herdsmen would safeguard farmlands and crops, the nutrition requirements of millions of cattle that move from mostly the Northern part of the country to the forest belt of the South of the country in search of pasture need to be addressed. The cattle need pasture on one hand, and unobstructive grazing areas on the other hand. The need for pasture is so great in view of the relentless match of desertification in the North, such that the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, has even toyed with the idea of importing and re- planting grazing grass from Brazil.

While the idea of grass from Brazil could be one of the long term solutions as part of the re- grassing and re- forestation efforts to check the march and advance of the desert, an immediate solution which could subsist for a long time with both local and foreign inputs, is the production of livestock or animal feed.

Animal feed produced in reasonable quantity in the country can go a long way in solving the pasture needs of the nation’s cattle population and at the same time reduce the need for herdsmen to move hundreds of miles across the length and breadth of the country in search of pasture. With animal feed taken care of, it would be possible to confine herdsmen and their cattle to a reasonable geographical space within the country, where they would cease to be a threat to farmers on whom we depend for food and cash crops. It would be possible to now carve out cattle ranches in the Northern and central parts of the country in such a way that no community of farmers would feel threatened.

The above situation has challenged one of

Nigeria’s leading entrepreneurs and businessman, Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President to float an animal feed factory in Abuja. This company, Rico Gardo Nutritional is a joint venture between Gesse Derdirabe farms, belonging to Atiku, a long time farming enthusiast, and now a presidential hopeful in the 2019 elections, and his foreign partners.

Rico Gardo already has in operation, a factory in Yola in Adamawa State, Atiku’s home state.

According to industry experts, the factory is already solving the animal feed needs of the North eastern part of Nigeria and surrounding areas. It produces 50,000 metric tonnes of high quality animal feed per annum. This means that with its operations, the company creates jobs for hundreds of Nigerians, earns foreign exchange, conserves foreign exchange and enables the government to obtain foreign exchange as the company pays its taxes.

Rico Gardo, depends to a large degree on the huge production of maize, sorghum and wheat from the Atiku Abubakar- owned Geese Derdirabe farms.

With the foundation laying ceremony of the Rico Gardo Animal Feed factory having been carried out on May 21, 2016 at Idu Industrial Estate in Abuja in the presence of top government officials, it can be said that Nigerian business people have commenced the much- talked about but hitherto elusive diversification programme in some sectors of the economy.

Rico Gardo Nutritional, when operational would have the capacity to produce 120, 000 metric tonnes of high quality animal feed per annum.

Nigerians are looking forward to more of such revenue and employment generating ventures to help the nation’s economy and produce wealth that will assuage some of the current conflicts across the country.

Okoroma wrote from Abuja

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EDITORIAL TRUCK DRIVERS AND APAPA BRIDGES As long as the authorities continue to dither, Apapa will remain a nightmare

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It is more worrisome that the owners of the tank farms and depots do not help matters by not allowing these trucks into their parking lots. This obviously helps to create an atmosphere of chaos, which makes life very difďŹ cult for Apapa’s residents and visitors. And hoodlums have often taken advantage of this state of confusion to unleash havoc on road users and businesses.

espite initial resistance, truck drivers on bridges around Apapa area of Lagos recently made U-turn after the Nigerian Navy commenced enforcement of its recent quit order. But while a measure of temporary sanity may have returned to some of the roads, nobody should be under any illusion that the situation would remain the same.

In the past few years, we have used this platform to draw the attention of the authorities in Nigeria to the imminence of what has now become a reality: access to the nation’s major port is virtually nonexistent. Rail and road transit to and from the port has remained paralysed while the current efforts to salvage the access road to the port through private sector initiative has come with avoidable gridlock.

The implications are that all businesses in the Apapa area have been crippled; residents have been forced to abandon their homes and relocated to other areas of the state.

For years, Apapa THE COST OF THE has been tormented BOISTEROUS, DISRUPTIVE by the foolish, rash BEHAVIOUR IS HIGH ON actions of tankers THE ECONOMY. APAPA IS A and haulage truck PRIME BUSINESS DISTRICT drivers. They have AND SHOULD ORDINARILY turned virtually all BE THE HEARTBEAT FOR the roads, bridges CORPORATE NIGERIA and highways in the nation’s busiest port town into parking lots. Nearly every company and organisation located in the troubled area is short-changed by the overindulgences of these truck drivers as well as their owners. For years, motorists using the two main access roads to the town spend unbearable long hours on the trafďŹ c before they could get to their various destinations. Besides the daily dreadfulness, the loss of productive man-hours is emphasised by craters and potholes on the roads, particularly during the raining season, and the raining season is here again.

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everal interventions initiated by the Lagos State Government have been fruitless, as the effort to instil discipline and orderliness among these truck owners and drivers through the allocation of parking lots elsewhere have been agrantly disregarded.

On several occasions, the drivers went on strike to blackmail the government and created simulated scarcity of petroleum products. Even an inter-ministerial committee on “Port Approach Roads� with members drawn from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and security agencies, including the navy and the police, could not resolve the criminal recklessness among the drivers and bring them on the path of sanity. For years, they have continued to operate with scant regard for road regulations but the latest intervention by the Navy seems to have brought some relief.

Yet, we believe the cost of this boisterous, disruptive behaviour is high on the economy. Apapa is a prime business district and should ordinarily be the heartbeat for corporate Nigeria as the seaports account for some 65 per cent of the cargo trafďŹ c and about the same percentage of total port revenue annually. Some billions of naira are lost daily due to the stubborn parking chaos, the indiscipline among truck drivers and the accompanying trafďŹ c gridlocks.

Although the current efforts by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dangote Group and others to reconstruct parts of the Apapa Road are laudable, we still believe that until both the federal and Lagos State authorities can come up with an enduring solution that will factor in the challenge of all critical stakeholders, including that of the truck drivers, Apapa will continue to be a nightmare to our collective shame.

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.

LAGOS FORENSIC CENTRE AND THE WHEEL OF JUSTICE

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very day society undergoes different transformation.

Nature has either endowed or placed demand on human beings to procreate. As humanity progresses in growth, internal and external influences play a major role in the character formation of people.

Development in most societies have come of age with so much security challenges where men cleverly manoeuvre their way out of criminal acts to evade justice. In countries like Nigeria, many have been convicted of offences they knew nothing about while real criminals walk free, and sometimes tall. In an attempt to consolidate their acts, criminals initiate and fund security support group to exploit the weakness of the system, with the intention of taking undue advantage of its deficiencies.

Historically, various approaches have been deployed towards fishing out criminals in different climes. In contemporary time, the search for error free, time tested and objective based crime investigation led to the discovery of forensic science as an application of broad range of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. Whether in relation to a crime or a civil action, forensic science utilises natural broad range of subsciences that exploit natural techniques to get relevant criminal and legal evidence to ensure justice is not subverted.

Forensic DNA analysis as developed by Sir Alec Jeffery was first used in 1985 to determine the person responsible for a murder of a 15-year- old girl, Lynda Mann who was raped to death in Narborough, Leicestershire, a small English town.

Semen sample obtained from the victim was eventually used by Jeffery to establish a strong case against the criminal. In Nigeria, effective investigation of crime has always been a complicated issue. Till date, high profile murder cases involving high-ranking personalities such as Pa Alfred Rewane, Chief Bola Ige, Mr Funsho Williams and many others remain unresolved largely due to the burden of proof.

It is in order to ensure that perpetrators of evil are identified and appropriately punished that the Lagos State government established a first state -owned forensic centre. The centre, driven by world class technology in forensic inquest, is expected to bring perpetrators of crime to book while ensuring quick justice.

The facility is capable of resolving all forms of crimes, paternity issues and others through modern technique of investigation which is now the trend across the world. It has the capacity to provide police, prosecutors, legal representatives and observers with crime scene processing; serological screening for blood and semen; DNA analysis of bone, teeth, hair, maternal and paternal DNA analysis. Other services include expert witness and case handling service; maternal and paternal ancestry DNA analysis; cold case file review and mass disaster human identification.

The Lagos DNA Centre, which conforms to international standard is the first of its kind in the country and the decision to allow members of the public, other states and neighbouring countries to have access to the use of the forensic centre in order to meet their DNA needs, makes it more profound. Fighting crime in a cosmopolitan state like Lagos is herculean if one fac-

tors in the huge population and their background, the defects in our judicial system and the attendant lack of scientific methods to apprehend criminals. With the forensic centre now in place, the fight against crime in Lagos has, no doubt, received a boost, and perpetrators of heinous crimes such as rape, assassination, armed robbery, etc., can easily be apprehended and brought to book even years after committing the crime.

This is possible because the Forensic laboratory will employ the use of DNA fingerprinting- a test to identify and evaluate the genetic information-called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in a person’s cells. This test would be conducted on suspects, criminals and results kept in a data base for future reference and analysis. The fact that DNA is contained in almost every cell makes it easy for any tiny part of a person’s body such as the hair, body fluid, tiny drop of blood, etc., to be used to identify them.

Being the first of its kind and the only one in the country, the laboratory will no doubt generate additional income into the coffers of the state government as other states; security agencies as well as other countries will have opportunity to access the services to be rendered. Specifically, the opportunity granted neighbouring countries to access the facility makes it a sort of medical tourism centre which will generate foreign exchange that government can utilise to maintain the laboratory and further develop infrastructure and facilities in the health sector.

Bolaji Odumade, Lagos Stare Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

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POLITICS

Group Politics Editor Tobi Soniyi Email tobi.soniyi@thisdaylive.com 07054786260 SMS ONLY

APC in Tenure Elongation Mess While President Muhammadu Buhari has obviously pacified some All Progressives Congress’ heavy weights by raising objections to the decision to extend the tenure of the party’s executives at all levels, he has nevertheless infuriated others, writes Tobi Soniyi

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or those opposed to extending the tenure of the All Progressives Congress’ executives at all levels,it is time to celebrate.

This is because they now have among them one man who wields enormous power: President Muhammadu Buhari. Although the National Executive Committee of the party has yet to act on the president’s directive no one is in doubt as to the fact that the party does not have a choice but to fall in line.

Buhari had last Tuesday asked the NEC to reverse its decision on the extension of the tenure of national and state officials of the party.

The president said the NEC decision should be reversed as it makes the party susceptible to litigations and was unconstitutional.

According to him, the decision violates the party’s constitution as well as the 1999 constitution.

The president said: “As we all know, a motion was moved at the last National Executive Committee meeting of February 27, 2018, to the effect that when the tenure of the current executives expire in June this year, they should be allowed to continue for one year.

“This motion was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last NEC Meeting, even though some of our party members have since spoken up very vehemently against it.

Others have even taken the matter to court.

“On my own part, I have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution.

And what I found is that it contravenes both our party Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Citing sections of the party’s constitution to back his point, Buhari called for the reversal of the decision and conduct of a fresh election.

The party’s NEC had last month extended the tenure of the officials by one year, a move that irked the likes of Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the party.

Other members of the party who were dissatisfied with the decision to extend the tenure of all the executives went to court. The cases have not yet been determined.

While Tinubu and his anti-extension cotravellers are celebrating the position taken by the president, others who stand to lose if a congress is held to appoint new leaders are already in sober mood.

From the way the coup to extend the executives’ tenure was planned and executed, it would appear that those who wanted the extension are in the majority while those opposed to it are in the minority. In the absence of an actual census, it is difficult to tell though.

As the president switched position, those who wanted the extension including the party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr Muiz Banire, Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the National Chairman of the party, Dr John Odigie-Oyegun to mention just a few, may have suffered some set back. However, nobody should expect them to go down without a fight.

Above all, the party remains divided. In fact the president has just raised the stakes. The warring factions will return to their bases and plan how to take the fight to the next level.

An elective congress before the next general election will be turbulent for the APC. The party has not demonstrated any dexterity in managing crisis and may find it difficult to resolve the disputes that will arise before, during and after the congress.

If nothing else, reversing the tenure elongation

already offered to the executives on a plater of gold will make the task of reconciling aggrieved members of the party which was entrusted into Tinubu’s hands a hard nut to crack.

For a party that was already swimming in trouble water, the idea of allowing all the executives to do another one year in violation of the party’s constitution should not have been allowed to fly at all.

Besides, why did it take the president over a month to discover that the decision violated both the party’s constitution and the 1999 constitution as amended? Was pressure brought to bear on the president before he changed his mind?

The party had thought that it was better to postpone the evil day by the extension but with the president’s sudden change of heart, time is a luxury the party does not have. The earlier it confronts and addresses its internal crisis the better. Given the level of acrimony that usually follows the conduct of an elective congress among political parties in Nigeria, those who fear that the APC may implode are not given up yet.

Nevertheless, the party still has a window of opportunity to take a decision that will not further widen the gulf between the losers and the winners. The technical committee set up to advise the party can make this happen.

Speaking at the end of the NEC meeting, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the NEC had set up a small technical committee to advise the party on the matter.

The biggest challenge for the party will be how to find a way to address the fear of those who will lose if the tenure elongation is set aside.

He said the committee was expected to submit its recommendations latest by last Wednesday meaning that the committee ought to have submitted the report.

Pending that time, however, he said the last decision to extend the tenure remains.

“Members of NEC thanked the president for his graciousness. Of course we had a situation because we recall that after the last NEC and this decision was taken some members felt aggrieved and they went to court.

“Of course you know that any issue that goes to court is sub-judicial. Then that also presented its own complications so the NEC decided to set up a small team that will advise the party on the way forward.

“At the moment there is no decision taken.

So the position of NEC still stands from the last meeting. There is a technical committee at the moment that is looking at it. That position may change tomorrow but as it is today that is the position of NEC.” The biggest challenge for the party will be how to find a way to address the fear of those who will lose if the tenure elongation is set aside.

While those who would lose are eerily quiet, the winners have already rolled out the drums.

For instance, the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani said APC had been in shambles since it won the general elections in 2015.

While commending Buhari for saving the party from an impending disaster, Sani warned that the aftermath would be ‘disastrous if the party fails to heed’ the president’s advice.

He said: “We can literally say that President Buhari saved the party from an ill-fated flight.

He was able to exorcise a demon that was planted and growing in the womb of the party by some persons for their own selfish interest. He was misinformed to have accepted the extension in the first instance and now he saw the light and reversed.

“If we go along with that extension and then someone from the opposition party goes to court after all the processes of congresses

and primaries have been done, we may end up without a presidential candidate, governorship candidates and without candidates at all legislative arms of government.”

He said the president was initially misled to believe that the tenure elongation was in consonance with the party’s constitution.

“What happened was that there were people who misled the president, the party and tried to use that extension to achieve their own ends.

The party has been in shambles in the last three years. Since the victory of 2015, it was clear that the party was no more united as it was.

“I can’t imagine that a party that has made promises to change, to restore things and to cleanse this country now regressed to extending illegally something that doesn’t exist within the constitution of the party.

“Most of the crises the PDP faced that led it to loss was as a result of this kind of internal wrangling and illegality, imposition of candidates, manipulation of party constitution, extension of tenure all others, now here we are deepening it.

“There are people within the party, particularly governors. You see them mostly every Fridays coming to the villa, they felt that the party belongs to them, they are closer to the president than any other person. They antagonise people who fought to see APC to be in power today.

“After 2015, the unity of the party ended.

They marginalised people like the senate president, they eliminated people like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as if nobody matters. It is not about washing our dirt in the public, but it’s a truth and we have to say it out.”

Tinubu also felt vindicated. He said Buhari had spoken in a clear, straightforward manner.

According to him, Buhari had confirmed that APC is a party that is based on the rule of law coupled with a firm adherence to internal democracy.

He said: “While it would have been easy to allow the ill-conceived motion of 27 February to stand, President Buhari showed principle and courage by steering the party back to its original and correct path.

“The president has spoken. Today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality.”

He said the action of the president would also serve to strengthen the party by allowing party members, including present incumbents, to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit.

He believed the president decision would also help in advancing the process of internal reconciliation that he said was underway in the APC. He said it was time for the party to move forward and begin to plan and organise the needed congresses according to the existing timetables.

He said: “After all, a party bearing the name All Progressives Congress should be the last party to resist holding congresses in which all its people have a fair say and fair chance to aspire to any position in the party for which they are qualified to hold.

“Again, this is a good day for the APC and democratic political practice in Nigeria. We shun the politics of old to move toward a new and better way of governing ourselves and this nation.”

Events in coming weeks will determine if other members of the party share Tinubu’s optimism.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

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RIGHT OF REPLY

Lagos Land Use Charge: Distilling Truth from Fiction The Lagos Land Use Charge is not meant to punish property owners but to facilitate the delivery of the greater good to all residents of the state, writes Kehinde Bamigbetan

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lusegun Adeniyi’s article, entitled “Between Ambode and Lagos Landlords”, published in THISDAY of March 22, was interesting. For the most part, it echoed many of the same sentiments that have been expressed by some of the most vocal critics of the land use charge regime, sentiments that are for the most part, based on hearsay rather than a proper study and understanding of the issues on the ground.

First, Land Use Charge as Mr. Adeniyi clearly shows is not new in Lagos. Land Use Charge is in fact, the consolidation of three different taxes/levies, namely tenement rate, ground rent and neighbourhood improvement levy, respectively. So rather than pay three different taxes or levies, the property owner only has to pay one. In an operating environment where government and the people jointly agree that there is indeed an unhealthy multiplicity of taxes, tax consolidation is clearly a development in the right direction. Tenement rate and ground rent are both enshrined in the constitution. Neighbourhood improvement levy was sequel to a law passed by the state’s house of assembly. Land use charge has been sequel to a joint agreement by the state government and the various local government councils.

The Land Use Charge Law was first passed in 2001. Despite its good intentions, it was constructively criticised by the Organised Private Sector which raised objections to some of its provisions. It is laudable and a plus for our democracy that the government accommodated some of the objections of the private sector in eventually settling for a mutually acceptable law.

The reality, therefore, was that by 2017, rates that were set as far back as 2001 were still prevailing in Lagos. Of course, by this time, those rates had become obsolete.

Another contention with the 2001 law was the issue of property valuation. Instructively, Mr. Adeniyi raises the same subject in his article. Property valuation was carried out in the old law, based on yardsticks that were not very clear to all. What this meant was that property valuation tended to be arbitrary in some instances, ultimately manifesting in bills that were sometimes inequitable and unfair on property owners. So while some property owners got exceptionally low bills there were those whose bills were exceptionally high.

These shortcomings of the Land Use Charge Law of 2001 must be assessed against the backdrop of the need by government to fund development.

Lagos is today, Nigeria’s most populous state.

It is a cosmopolitan state, a cultural melting pot in which every citizen feels welcome.

Indeed, even though some other state may claim that it is “home for all,” it is Lagos that most accurately encapsulates that epithet. It is the one state that millions of Nigerians, regardless of “state of origin”, lovingly regard as home. Not surprisingly, migration into Lagos is today estimated at 85 people per hour.

At its current rate of population growth, Lagos faces the arduous challenge of dearth, if not total collapse, of social and physical infrastructure. Many of the symptoms stare us in the face daily. We waste valuable manhours in traffic jams which worsen by the day. And should the rains descend upon us for three straight hours this moment, it is no secret what will become of Lagos thereafter.

The fact is that in the face of decades of under-investment coupled with rapid population growth, overall transportation infrastructure for instance has steadily worsened in its inadequacy to cope with the demands of today’s Lagos. This is despite the efforts of all the administrations since the return of democracy in 1999. Today, roads are being constructed – 181 inner city roads are billed to be constructed in our 2018 budget for instance, up from the over 140 of 2017, but even this is like the tip of an iceberg given the number of roads crying for attention across the state.

Elsewhere, major roads are being overhauled (the International Airport Road for instance),

Ambode

lay-byes (several across Lagos) and flyovers (Ajah, Abule-Egba, Agege) have either been constructed or are under construction. The rail projects are also under construction while the waterways need to be completely overhauled to make them amenable to reliable and efficient public transportation.

Housing is another area. In the face of our best efforts, Lagos continues to be burdened with a housing deficit in the region of two million homes. What about healthcare and education for instance? This year, Lagos will be deploying some 12 percent of the budget into education: building, refurbishment and equipping of educational institutions including vocational schools, teacher and instructor training among others. Yet we will continue to rely on the private sector to subsidize education for the state by way of provision of schools and facilities for our children.

I am sure that the improvement in security across Lagos is perceptible to many. Security ordinarily resides in the purview of the federal government, but it has been the lot of Lagos State Government to continuously drive efforts to enhance security across our state. We have made investments in ensuring that our streets are lit at night. In addition to enhancing security, this has helped to enhance economic activity, prolonging the commercial time-band across the state. Elsewhere the security trust fund, a joint investment of Lagos and the business community, is helping to provide equipment and manpower to complement the efforts of the federal government at providing security.

We are also investing heavily in our embedded power project, to help redress in a definitive manner our power problems in the state.

While the value of some of these investments may not be readily perceptible to some because of the seamless manner in which they have helped to resolve some of our day-to-day challenges, the fact remains that the infrastructure gap in Lagos is colossal.

To put matters in perspective, current physical infrastructure deficit in Lagos is put at some $50billion which is some fifteen times the value of our entire budget for 2018.

This scenario poses a dilemma for anyone in the role of governor of Lagos: Choosing between taking the leap that should enable the state commence the task of decisively redressing its infrastructure challenges once and for all or continuing in piecemeal palliative constructions and repair of infrastructure as we have done for many years in the face of our economic challenges. For the latter, while the risk to society is huge, the risk to the governor hardly exists. Infact,

on the back of the several infrastructure projects so far executed in record time by His Excellency, Governor Ambode, he has received sundry endorsements so far. The former, instructively, portends a greater and better future for Lagos State and huge political risk for the governor. It is instructive and the hallmark of the statesmanship of the Ambode phenomenon, that he would subordinate all other considerations to his vision of the future prosperity and overall good of the state in opting for the former.

It is this imperative to fund growth and development anchored on massive infrastructure renewal that has motivated a review of the overall taxation regime in the state, for more efficiency. The goal is to bring obsolete taxes up-to-date, expand the tax net and ensure that the burden of taxation is shared by many more Lagosians than the relative few who currently do and to consolidate as much as possible, the taxes being paid into a more manageable form.

The state was never under any illusion that this task was going to be a walk in the park.

Taxes are never willingly embraced anywhere in the world. When people talk about “deaths and taxes being the only certain things in the world,” they are only wittingly alluding to the morbidity with which the world in general views taxation. Afterall, night and day are also certain.

Contrary to Mr. Adeniyi’s assumptions, therefore, the repeal of the old land use charge law of 2001 and its replacement by the 2018 law has been underscored by considerable stakeholder engagement, a process that continues even this moment. Stakeholders from across the demographic spectrum have been engaged in the course of these developments.

The process, which entailed a public hearing at the Lagos House of Assembly, continues to entail inputs from professional estate valuers, lawyers, taxation consultants, civil society groups, local government chairmen and administrators, community development associations and many more.

We take the point, however, that for an issue of this level of sensitivity, engagement can never be enough. We will therefore continue to engage our stakeholders in the full understanding that they recognise that we do not take their support and encouragement for granted.

We also take the point that despite all of the engagement that may have gone into repealing the old land use charge law and enacting the new one, the law is still far from perfect. But as Governor Ambode has amply demonstrated in capitulating to the demands of many people regarding a review

of the charges, we are keen to see that it is as just and fair to as many Lagosians as is humanly possible.

This predilection to humaneness and fairness is exemplified even in the rates charged in the Land Use Charge regime.

Mr. Adeniyi seemed to base much of his argument on one Land Use Charge demand notice issued in 2001 but this is the exception and certainly not the rule. Majority of land use charge demand notices are accurate and a good number of property owners have long paid up.

75 out of every 100 properties in Lagos State are currently professionally valued at less than N10m. What this means therefore is that 75 out of every 100 hundred properties in Lagos will pay a Land Use Charge of N5,000 annually, equivalent to some N417 per month to the Lagos State Government. This is up from the N1,200 annually (equivalent of N100 monthly) which the old law stipulated.

Properties valued between N10m and just under N20m make up another 12 percent of the properties in Lagos, while those valued between N20m and just under N50m make up 9 percent. Collectively, therefore, 96 percent of properties in Lagos are valued below N50m.

By today’s rates, owners of properties valued at N45m for instance and who reside in such properties are required to pay a land use charge of N17,380 annually which translates to N1,454 monthly. Where the N45m property is partially owner-occupied while some other part of it is let out commercially, then the rate becomes N51,840 annually or N4,320 per month. And where the property is a fully commercial one, then the annual land use charge payable is N91,200 annually, the equivalent of N7,600 per month.

The rates for properties in the N10m to under N20m bracket are even much lower.

Only 2 percent of properties in Lagos are currently valued between N50m and N99million.

What this shows and what we encourage commentators like Mr. Adeniyi to investigate with more circumspection is that the Land Use Charge regime is nowhere as “punitive” as it has been depicted. Indeed, as we have repeatedly stated, it is a progressive form of taxation that affects the rich and the poor in an asymmetric fashion. Only a tiny fraction, less than one percent of the overall population of properties in Lagos for instance (0.3 percent actually), is currently valued at between N500m and N1billion or more.

We will continue to counsel that these bills are not cast in stone. Where property owners disagree with them, they can challenge them.

And there are several avenues for doing so.

We have a help desk at the Ministry of Finance dedicated to land use charge. Mediation is also an available option as is the tribunal where an agreement has been difficult to arrive at by either of the aforementioned approaches. A property owner may even choose to conduct the valuation of his property on his own, using professional estate valuers.

As may be inferred from all of the above, Lagos is steadily inching towards a future where citizens are empowered to pay their taxes on their volition without needing to receive demand notices or invoices first. This is one of the key objectives which the law seeks to achieve.

We apologize once again, for whatever pain we may have inflicted on Lagosians on account of the adjustments in the land use tax regime and trust that our dear citizens appreciate that this has certainly not been deliberate on our part. As His Excellency, Ambode has repeatedly stressed, the long run objective is to avert a collapse of infrastructure, while creating the foundation for a befitting future for all. We trust that the judgment of history will vindicate not only Ambode’s uncommon courage in the commitment to a vision of a better tomorrow for our offspring but also the treasured support in this regard, of the people of Lagos.

Bamigbetan is the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 10.67 % 12.08 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

12.50% 14.25 % 15%

M A R C H S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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

1 9 , 2 0 1 8 346.87% 0.14 % 1.24%

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

5.28 % 5.28 %

EXCHANGE RATE N305.85/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Community Holds Economic Summit

OUR SCORECARD

L-R: Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, Oluwatoyin Sanni; Chairman, Chika Mordi,and Company Secretary, Leo Okafor at the 2018 annual general meeting (AGM) of the company held in Lagos‌recently

Concern Grows over FG’s Plan to Arm Aviation Security Chinedu Eze

The announcement made by the federal government on Monday that Aviation Security (AVSEC) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would be allowed to carry arms, has elicited reactions from industry security experts.

Many of the stakeholders have expressed fear that some AVSEC officials may misuse the weapon by and that would be tragic for the industry.

Some of the experts, who spoke with THISDAY posited that the airport environment would become militarised, as personnel from the Nigeria Air Force and the Nigeria police who are part of the security apparatus at the airport carry guns.

According to ICAO Annex 17, which deals with airport security, only AVSEC personnel are recognised in civil aviation

AVIATION

regulation, although such regulations are usually domesticated by individual countries to suit their circumstances.

Chief Executive Officer of AVSCON Limited, Chief Adebayo Babatude told THISDAY that his company had earlier recommended that Aviation Security should not be under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for it to perfume its duties efficiently at the airports, noting that under such arrangement, AVSEC personnel could be considered whether they could be armed or not.

He recalled: “If you go back to the restructuring of airport security architecture, which our company, AVSCON handled for the federal government in 2005, part of the recommendations were, the separation of Avia-

tion security from the Airports Operations Department of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, the creation of an autonomous agency to operate like the TSA (Transport Security Administration) of the USA. “Our reasons included that one, the growing global practice of private sector involvement in airport management; two, the need for government to continue to perform its role of securing the international aviation and the travelling public even after the devolution of the facilities to the private sector and three, events of 9/11 which today remains a watershed for international aviation and the various standards and international best practices that have been issued by ICAO and subscribed to under the Geneva convention. All these point to a more robust aviation security in terms of funding, organisation and intelligence,

bearing in mind the importance of efficient passenger facilitation under a heightened security environment.�

Speaking in the same vein, the Managing Director of Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd) said arming AVSEC officials may give rise to possible crisis of operational conflicts among the government security agencies at the airports as all of them carry arms under different command and control. �The issue of FAAN AVSEC carrying arms needs serious evaluation of the operational command and control of the various government security agencies at the nation’s airports.

There is already inherent danger in the present setups and increase in the danger with the approval for FAAN AVSEC to carry arms.� “This is not what ICAO Annex Continued on page 20

West African Govts in Talks With LADOL for FPSO Fabrication Eromosele Abiodun Executive Chairman, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), Mr Ladipopo Jadesimi has revealed that governments in some West African countries are in talks with LADOL to assist them with their own FPSOs following the successful fabrication and integration of the Egina FPSO in Nigeria.

He stated this in Lagos when the Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mrs Patience Iferi paid a working visit to LADOL.

MARITIME LADOL is currently playing host to the fabrication of the $3.8billion oil and gas logistics service facility commonly known as the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to be deployed to the Egina project.

The project which has been applauded as first -of- its- kind in the sub-Saharan Africa is being handled by the Korea-based Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) on behalf of TOTAL Oil Exploration, with LADOL serving

as its local content partner.

While expressing optimism that LADOL expects to host other fabrications in the near future, he said it will be impossible for any other African country that has offshore oil and gas to be able to replicate the LADOL facility for a long time.

According to him, “I say so because it is a huge investment, this one cost over $300 million and that was a few years ago. If you are to start today it will cost to or three times more. So, I don’t see any other African country that can catch up with Nigeria in this regard. That was what

the founders of LADOL had in mind to capture for Nigeria the lion share of all offshore related fabrication, integration. “I can share with you publicly here that government in the region are already engaging us to see how we can assist them so that their own FPSOs will be done in Nigeria such that they will be able to bring their people to work and train. Otherwise, the whole expenditure-this FPSO is over $3 billion and until this, all of the expenditures on other FPSOs were made in South Korea Continued on page 20

The 2018 edition of Aramoko Socio-Economic Summit, will hold this Saturday, a statement issued in Lagos and signed by the convener of the summit, Mr. Akin Oluwadare Jnr. has stated.

The theme of the summit is; ‘Human Empowerment as Catalyst for Sustainable Development.’ According to the statement, the summit, which is in its 3rdedition, was initiated in 2012 to galvanise entrepreneurial spirit among indigenes of the community as well as boosting human capital development to enhance enduring and sustainable development. ‘’We tie our objective to the popular belief that human capital development is the joker for an enduring and sustainable development that Nigeria needs if truly we are projected to have the third largest population in the world by 2050 after China and India. That Nigeria has infrastructural deďŹ cit upon which economic development can rest is not in doubt, the hunger for an industrialised economy as an exit route from poverty is not in contention but any physical development that ignores the human factor is a quick ďŹ x solution to a problem deeply rooted’’ According to Oluwadare, his group decided in the year 2012 to take the bigger picture home and intervened in the area of education and entrepreneurship.The statement further stated that the event will hold at Aramoko Ekiti Civic Center under the chairmanship of a former Head of Service of Ekiti State, Mr. Femi Adewumi, while Professor Ayo Olajuyigbe of Federal University of Technology, Akure, will serve as moderator.

MMA2, CEO Honoured

The Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), a member of the Resort Group, has clinched the Most Functional Terminal of the Year 2017 Award organised by the Nigerian Aviation (NIGAV) Awards, the industry’s watchdog. MMA2 won the same award in 2016 and award is coming less than a month after the Chairman of the Resort Group, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) won Independent Newspapers’ the Most Outstanding Airport Terminal Operator of the Year Award at a colourful ceremony in Lagos.

Besides, the Chief Executive OďŹƒcer of BASL, Captain Jari Williams, also won the Best Administrator of the Year 2017 Award, organised

by National Crimewatch magazine.

While presenting the award to BASL represented by the Head, Corporate Communications, Chief Steve Omolale, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the Chief Promoter of NIGAV, Mr. Fortune Idu, described MMA2 as “the number one success story of transport infrastructure in Nigeria�.

Other awardees on the occasion are Aero Contractors, which clinched the Maintenance, Repair Organisation (MRO) Special Achievement Award; Med-View Airlines as the most Outstanding Indigenous Regional Carrier; Arik Air, the Best Air Crew of the Year Domestic Route and Dana Air’s CEO, Mr. Jacky Hathiramani as the Best CEO of the Year.

Air Peace Wins Leadership Award

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace has been selected as Leadership Company of the Year 2017 for maintaining quality ight operations and making bold investment decisions in the nation’s aviation industry.A three-member delegation comprising Leadership Newspapers’ Deputy Editor, Mr. Olajide Omojolomoju, Acting General Manager, Advert/Special Projects (Southern Operations), Mrs. Angela Tony-Iji and Senior Correspondent, Bukola Idowu was at the Corporate Headquarters of Air Peace in Lagos to notify the airline’s Chairman/Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Mr. Allen Onyema of the development.A letter signed by the Group Managing Director of Leadership, Mr. Abdul Gombe said the Board of Editors of the media outďŹ t voted Air Peace company of the year for “taking on the risks of expansion, maintaining high technical and service standard in the face of harsh economic climate, and giving hope to other investors that Nigeria is still an investment destination.â€?

Omojolomoju, who represented the managing director of Leadership at the visit to Air Peace, said the carrier got the award strictly on merit. The newspaper’s awards, he said, were not for sale.

“Our government has not seen the need to pay attention to our aviation industry; all promises made to revamp the industry is lip service�

President of National Association of NigerianTravel Agencies (NANTA),

Nick Fadugba

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BUSINESSWORLD CONCERN GROWS OVER FG’S PLAN TO ARM AVIATION SECURITY 17 envisaged for member states to establish a national aviation security committee as against the establishment of national civil aviation security committee which we have established by the National Civil Aviation Act 2006.�

He said in accordance to ICAO recommendations, only AVSEC personnel are recognised in civil aviation and in Nigeria there are other security operatives, who render auxiliary services at the airport but were not trained in civil aviation security. “With the new directive for FAAN AVSEC, we may begin to have crisis of operational conflicts more among the government security agencies at the airports; all of them carrying arms under different command and control of: police, military, Customs, Immigration, DSS (Department of State Security), NCDSC (Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corp), NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency) and now, FAAN AVSEC.�

WEST AFRICAN GOVTS IN TALKS WITH LADOL FOR FPSO FABRICATION or elsewhere and the FPSO then tolled only as far as the pint offshore where the FPSO will do its business.�

He added: “We are going to generate billions of naira in terms of duty and this FPSO when it eventually leaves, because it is going to remain in the Nigerian territory, the customs will assessed the duty and this duty I am sure will be in the billions of naira. So it is a win-win situation. In the immediate future all we have in our programme we are going to unfold, they will not only add significant value to the economy, in terms of employment and so on, it is going to generate a very substantial amount of customs revenue.�

He further stated that the ongoing FPSO integration is the only type in Africa stressing that the FPSO is the largest in the fleet of Total Nigeria Plc. “Why it took so long for Nigeria to achieve this is because of the kind of investment required to build the facility that can host an FPSO, do the fabrication and integration�.

Group Business Editor

NEWS

NIMASA Seeks National Policy to Actualise Maritime Strategy Eromosele Abiodun The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has called for the implementation of a National Maritime Policy in Nigeria to serve as a catalyst for the actualisation of the objectives of the Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050.

Peterside stated this while declaring open the meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Implementation of AIMS 2050, held in Lagos.

He noted that a maritime policy for Nigeria will provide a platform to implement the framework for the protection and sustainable exploitation of Africa’s Maritime Domain (AMD).

Speaking further, Peterside who was represented at the meeting by the Agency’s Executive Director, Operations, Rotimi Fashakin, urged the committee to take cognizance of the current maritime security architecture in Nigeria that has been structured in line with international best standards and practices.

He also stated that in order to realize the dream of a blue economy, strategies must be put in place, and that security and capacity building amongst other initiatives are key areas to unlocking the opportunities that abound in the blue economy.

In his words, “When you talk about the security issues, you talk about the actual and the perceived; and in the real sense of business, perception matters a lot. The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) is being perceived as not being quite safe because of few attempts we have in the GoG,

but I can assure you that the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA are working hand in hand to secure the Gulf of Guinea.�

The NIMASA boss also used the opportunity to applaud the Committee for involving Ship owners in the AIMS 2050 implementation process, noting that the blue economy cannot be realized without them as they are the major assets owners.

He also gave the assurance that the interest and concerns

of the ship owners will also be addressed. Earlier in her remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Amina Yusuf disclosed that the AIM Strategy was developed as a response to the high volume of illegal activities that have been in occurrence in Africa’s Maritime Domain (AMD), amounting to huge losses in revenue and lives amongst other issues militating against the development of the AMD. The Inter-Ministerial Com-

mittee for the Implementation of the AIMS 2050 came about as the outcome of the meeting of the African Union on AIMS 2050 which took place in Addis Ababa on 24th – 25th July, 2015.

Among the resolutions arrived at during the course of the meeting was the position that Nigeria should constitute an Inter-Ministerial Committee to enhance its efforts at fulfilling its obligation towards the adoption and implementation of the Strategy.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee constitutes of eleven members, drawn from NIMASA, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) amongst others, all with the sole aim of articulating positions towards the enhancement of AIMS 2050 and ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, EIMS activities for a robust maritime domain in Nigeria and by extension Africa.

MEDVIEW AIRLINE AGM

L-R: Representative of Chairman, Med-View Airline, Abdul Aziz Abdul-Mosheen Al-Thunayan; Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Muneer Bankole and Company Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Adam, at the Med-View Airline Plc 2017 annual general meeting held at Classique Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos ... recently

REDAN: Undefined Operating Environment Hurting Housing Sector Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) has expressed concern that the current undefined operating environment in housing sector has yielded too many casualties for the association to ignore.

The President, Rev. Ugochukwu Chime stated this in his acceptance speech and investiture as the president of the 5th REDAN National Executive Council 2018-2020 in Abuja.

He said the fifth exco which

he would preside over, would strive to position itself to ensure formidable discharge of its mundane responsibilities in areas of housing advocacy and standardisation of products and services.

Chime noted that the challenges hindering a seamless interface of and smooth transaction on the housing value chain had been identified and would be dealt with progressively.

He said: “Issues of data, finance, land administration, monitoring and compliance with the extant laws and best

practices e top of our priority list. “In doing so, we call on government arms- the executive and legislature to give us support in our course to bring succour to the Nigeria’s real estate sphere. The structure and enabling environment that will govern the interface and relationships among players must be clearly defined. “The current undefined and uncharted leap of faith operating environment has yielded too many casualties for us to ignore,� Chime said.

The president stressed that the data collation effort initiated

by REDAN/Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the auspices of National Real Estate Data Collation and Management Program (NREDMP) would be enhanced and sustained.

He stressed that the publication of the data on the outcome of the National land Administration Offtakers affordability; Business Survey and Household Condition Survey would be in April 2018. “We shall further the work we initiated with Federal

Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC) and other stakeholders to ensure ease of doing real estate business and make home ownership accessible and affordable, while expecting cooperation from policy makers and other agencies,� Chime said.

The president said the future of socio-economic development of the country is tied to how the country articulates, profound and propel strategies that would unlock the huge potentials in the real estate industry.

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

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Comms/e-Business Editor

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ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?

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NCS Seme Pleddges Commitment to FG’s Policy on Contraband Goods Eromosele Abiodun The Customs Area Controller, Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Mohammed, Aliyu, has re-stated his commitment to combating smuggling, which he said has assumed a threatening dimension to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

The comptroller while taking stocks of seizures made daily by the command, disclosed that he remains undaunted to accusations from different quarters that are ignorant or not knowledgeable about customs laws.

He reassured genuine stakeholders that they have no course to fear unless the non-compliant ones that have skeleton in their cupboard.

Aliyu who has been suddenly nick named as “Mr. do the right thing� for his onslaught against prohibited items insisted that he cannot stop seizing contrabands and non-compliant goods that refuse to adhere to the law of the land thereby undermining the policies of the federal government of Nigeria that the Nigeria Customs Service stand to enforce at the border.

He disclosed that the command seized over six hundred

(600x50kg) bags of rice with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N10 million on the 26th of March, 2018 after destroying a total of over 2800x50kg bags of expired rice the same day with a total DPV of over forty nine (49) million naira. Another seized truck with Reg. No XE-634-MUS disguised to be empty was arrested based on intelligence and discovered to be carrying about 1514 cartons of imported Tin-tomato with a DPV of N8,175,600.00 on the 24th March 2018.

Commenting on the daily seizures that have become a recurring decimal and a routine

in the command, the Customs Area Controller said that a visit to the warehouse of the command which is almost filled up to the bream attest to the fact that the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command is not resting in its oars and responsibility of generating revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, suppression of smuggling and protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria through due diligence in the use of the effective and operational fixed scanner machine at the border command.

Restating his resolute stand, he noted that he is not ready to shy away from his responsibility as far as deliberate perpetrators

remain recalcitrant violators of the federal government policies.

Aliyu warned that seizure will continue to be the hall mark of the command and his enforcement officers will continue to do the needful against the unrepentant smugglers.

He stressed that all his achievements is attributed to the mutual consultation and cooperation with the host communities who do share intelligence with the Command, and the cooperation of the sister security agencies who synergise and collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service for effective border management.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

CPC Seeks Collaboration with Aviation Agencies, Others The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) is seeking to improve its collaborative measures with the relevant agencies in the aviation industry and other sectors as a means of ensuring that the rights of consumers are not infringed upon arbitrarily by service providers.

The CPC said unless there is a robust enforcement mechanism, consumers right will not be respected adding that if companies know that they can violate the rights of consumers and get away with it, whether those consumers know or not, they won’t respect those rights.�

Director General, CPC, Babatunde Irukera who made this known stated that the aviation sector had the third highest num-

ber of complaints the Council received in 2017 followed by the electricity and banking sectors.

He said the last report of complaints received by the council had gone up to 40 percent while the resolution rate of the agency had gone up to over 78% within the same reporting period.

Irukera said: “Our benchmark is to be able to resolve at least 96% of complaints within the reporting period.�

The director general used the forum to clear the notion being held in some circles in the aviation sector that the agency might be usurping the powers of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority with its issuance of press release on incidents bordering on the sector.

He said: “There is nothing in the Consumer Protection Council Act that creates a conflict. There is nothing that that the consumer protection council is doing, intends to do with respect to consumer protection that conflicts with ICAO standards or recommended practices. “We are always communication with the relevant authorities in the aviation industry. Every statement that the CPC has made with respect to what happened in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Ghana, these statements were made after discussions with at least one person or the other in the NCAA. So I don’t see where the usurping is at all. I am the protector of consumers, I have a mandate.

Ugwuanyi: We’ve Introduced InvestorFriendly Policies in Enugu State Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state has reiterated his call on foreign and local investors to take advantage of the conducive business environment in the state by moving their investments to the Coal City State.

Ugwuanyi spoke as the International Hotel and Hospitality Management Group, Bon Hotels, which owns, manages and markets hotels throughout Africa, which has added Bon Hotel Sunshine Enugu to their Nigerian portfolio.

The launch of the hotel by Governor, Uguanyi in Enugu brought the number of properties managed in the region by Bon Hotels to 25 hotels across 14 Nigerian cities.

The governor while applauding the owners of the new hotel for their decision to invest in Enugu said his administration had introduced several investor-friendly policies in order to encourage massive investments across sectors in the state.

He said with the state as one of the safest in terms of security

in the country, investors would have value for their investments adding that before long so many renowned international entrepreneurs would move into the state. Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Bon Hotels International West Africa, Mr. Bernard Cassar said the group was excited to welcome Bon Hotel Sunshine into the Bon International fold.

According to him, the Bon Hotel Sunshine was a great fit for the group and in line with Bon Hotel’s International vision for establishing a trade route circuit and central hub linking important centres and communities across the region.

He further added that the hotel was positioned as an affordable, 4-star, international, boutique-style, full-service hotel, while explaining that Bon Hotel Sunshine is conveniently located just 12 minutes from the airport and in close proximity to the city center. “The new Bon Hotel Sunshine is primed for the corporate, business and leisure travelers, with facilities of an international standard. The dĂŠcor is stylish and understated in line with international trends and features 92 spacious rooms,

a modern gym, business center, 2 restaurants, a sky lounge and bar as well as a poolside bar. Wi-Fi is complimentary throughout the hotel�.

According to him, the conference center comprises 3 meeting rooms seating up to 300 delegates and provides spacious, innovative facilities for special events and celebrations, conferences, weddings, promotions, launches, workshops or small meetings and gatherings.

Pointing out that the group remains confident in the potential of the region and steadfast in their expansion plans, Casser said the group is committed towards providing ongoing support to local tourism and the hospitality industry, their guests, staff, suppliers and the local community. “Developing Africa by Africans remains front and center of our growth strategy and commitment to Africa.

On his part, Chairman of Bon Hotel Sunshine, Enugu, Mr. Emeka Nwandu said that he was humbled to see his dreams become a reality, adding the hotel will change the face of the industry in the region and in the country.

NigerianYouths Commend Air Peace Boss for US Training Arewa, Oodua and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) youths have commended the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema for funding their two-part nonviolence and peace training in Lagos and the United States of America, describing him as God’s gift to Nigeria.

The youths, who made the commendation at the end of their two-week nonviolence training at the Emory Center for Advancing Nonviolence, Emory University, USA, urged other well-to-do Nigerians to emulate Onyema’s patriotism and selflessness to guarantee peace, unity and development in the country.

Onyema’s non-governmental organisation, The Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in

Nigeria (FEHN) had mobilised about 50 youths from the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Arewa Youths and IPOB to Lagos for the Level 1 Nonviolence Training and Conflict Management Programme.

The one-week training conducted by a former aide of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Benard Lafayette and his team of nonviolence experts from America, held in September 2017 after the Air Peace boss embarked on a peace mission to IPOB and Arewa groups in the heat of the October 1 quit notice Arewa youths issued Igbo living in North.

Onyema had said the training was part of his contribution to the quest for unity and ethnic harmony in Nigeria, promising to send the participants for the Level 2 Nonviolence Pro-

gramme at the Emory Center for Advancing Nonviolence, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA to equip them with the necessary skills to campaign for peace in Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the participants at the end of their two-week training at Emory University in the US, leader of Arewa Transformation and Empowerment Initiative (ATEI), Mohammed Danjuma said: “In every generation there are a handful of people who are defined as a gift to their nation; people who positively impact their generation directly or indirectly through selfless acts of generosity and a magnanimous penchant for peace. Barr. Allen Onyema fits that particular set of gifted individuals for this current generation.�

AIR WATCH As Caverton Expands Operations

L-R: Chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Remi Makanjuola, Group Managing Director NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, former Group Managing Director, NNPC, King Edmond Dakoru and Mrs. Yoyinsola Makanjuoka at the Unveiling of II Brand New Fleet of Helicopters by Carveton Offshore Group held at the Executive Flight Facility Site on Murtala International Airport Ikeja‌onKwara Thursday.

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With the acquisition of new helicopters and winning the highly coveted contract as the preferred air shuttle provider for the NNPC/ Chevron Nigeria Limited Joint Venture, Caverton Helicopter has risen from the fringes to become dominant player in oil and gas services, eclipsing its rivals through efficient performance and enviable safety record.

The oil and gas air shuttle service was a terrain dominated by foreign organisations in the past, which only gave its Nigerian personnel nominal roles to play, but Caverton has spearheaded the local content policy in the sub-sector by recruiting and training indigenous personnel to become highly skilled in helicopter operation and sundry services.

Last week the company feted major stakeholders in the finance, oil and gas and aviation sectors as it unveiled its fleet of Bell Helicopters at its operational base at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

In his speech, the Chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Remi Makanjuola said the unveiling of Caverton fleet of helicopters is a feat that Nigerians should be proud of, describing the achievement as ground breaking event. “Over the past few years, we went through many phases of development as a company in less than favourable circumstances. Nevertheless, we have been able to operate existing contracts successfully, as well as secure a few new contracts.

He said the largest and most significant of these new contracts is the NNPC-Chevron Joint Venture Helicopter Services Contract. “It is of course the reason we are here today to unveil the helicopters that would be used for that activity. We are recording some success in our desire to be a financially strong and sustainable Group that puts all stakeholders at the heart of everything. Our safety record is something we are proud and thankful for, and credit must go to our professionalism at all levels. Given Chevron’s global reputation for safety and quality, it is safe to say that Caverton’s diligent attention to safety, quality and continuous improvement contributed in no small measure to the contract award. “The addition of these helicopters to our fleet will make Caverton Helicopters one of the largest operators of Bell products in sub-Saharan Africa.

As a fully indigenous player in the hitherto foreign interest dominated sector, Caverton has confirmed the mantra that Nigerians can excel and do Nigeria proud in all facets of the economy given the opportunity. Caverton is fast tracking the national content policy by ensuring that more Nigerians are trained and given the pride of place in recruitment into highly technical management positions�, he said.

Makanjuola explained that for Caverton to diversify its business activities, the management is building a maintenance, repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos, which would become operational in early 2019. “Once completed, all the helicopters in our fleet as well as aircraft from third party operators will be maintained in the country, thus saving time and foreign exchange. Showcasing

our newly acquired fleet of Bell Helicopters attests to proactive drive to successfully grow our business in the long term,� he said.

In his address, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru said Caverton achieved a milestone and credited it to the power of vision of the company’s Chairman Mr. Remi Makanjuola. “I have followed the company since inception, since Mr. Makanjuola conceived the idea of going into aviation logistics. I commend him for his foresight and tenacity for putting non-existent entity company to become a conglomerate and now become a global brand. The contribution of Caverton Helicopter’s to aviation cannot be over-emphasised as the company has filled a vacuum. I am proud of the company’s safety status even as an indigenous company. It has proven that commitment, tenacity of purpose has helped the oil and gas company through its services. We will continue to support local companies as Caverton continues to raise the bar to become a household name globally,�

Baru said.

In his speech, Director, NNPC/CNL JV, Mr. Monday Ovuede said Caverton’s launching of 11 Helicopters marked an expansion of the company in Nigeria, the manifestation of its resilience to ensure that aviation industry becomes highly rated.

In his address, Managing Director, Sales, Middle East and Africa, Bell Helicopters, David Sale thanked Caverton on behalf of 8,000 Bell employees of the company scattered all over the world, saying Caverton has given them the opportunity to provide this service to a Nigerian company.

Also in a speech, the Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe said he was happy to be part of success story of Caverton Helicopters. “I am proud to be part of this company from inception and watch it blossom. Before Caverton came in, the sector was dominated by foreign companies but Caverton came in and changed the airspace when no one believed that a Nigerian company could have the technical know-how.

And the success story is there for everyone to see. I am proud to partner with Caverton.

We are happy to change the narrative that Nigerians can provide a world class service company. We hope that in the next 50 years, we will continue to work with Caverton as it progresses because there is great future in this great enterprise.�

In his contribution, the United States Consul General, Mr. John Bray commended Caverton and Bell Helicopters for successfully launching the brand new fleet of helicopters, which he said is a reliable piece of equipment that could withstand any weather and climate. “I am happy to see US company blossom in Nigeria supporting local aviation industry. We are very proud of Caverton and particularly pleased with the local engineers.�

The CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said he was very pleased with the company since its partnership with the Exchange began in 2014 when it was listed.

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Improving Safety Regulations in Nigeria’s Aviation industry The recent incidents involving Nigerian airlines have raised fears that they may be an omen of a tragedy waiting to happen if left unchecked, Chinedu Eze writes Many major accidents that happened in the past in Nigeria were ushered in by incidents.

The most major tragic accident in recent time was that of Dana Air Flight 992, which crashed on June 3, 2012 in which 153 persons on board and 10 persons on the ground died. Before that accident, a Nigerian cargo aircraft operated

by Allied Air overshot the runway at the Katoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana on Saturday, while the Dana Air crash took place the following day in Lagos.

The Dana tragedy eclipsed the Allied Air accident, but it followed the gloomy pattern of the past accidents. The Nigerian freighter hit a minivan outside the perimeter fencing of the airport when it overshot the runway and 10 people died. It would have been a major accident if Dana Air crash did not happen because lives were lost.

Industry experts told THISDAY that this is always the pattern; that incidents would be building up until the big one happens. They explained that negligence in the area of regulation that may start today may have its result in a major crash in next two years. In the aviation industry, it is believed that accidents don’t just happen; it builds up over time.

Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has attributed many accidents that happened in Nigeria to avoidable human errors and dereliction of duty by public officials working in the aviation sector.

Recent Incidents Eyebrows were raised when the emergency door of Dana Air flight fell off on landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja recently. Then another flight of the airline overshot the runway at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. Fortunately nobody died in these incidents, but they conveyed a sense of fear and anxiety, especially “as the regulatory authority did not come out to address these incidents to allay the fears of the flying public�, said an industry observer who noted that Nigerians panic when such incidents happen because of the past tragic air accidents.

Recently one of the engines of Delta Air Line Flight 55 caught fire after takeoff from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos forcing it to make emergency landing back to the airport few minutes later.

AIB described it as serious incident. Five persons were injured during the efforts to evacuate the passengers. Although Delta is a US airline but some industry experts posit that ramp inspection by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) could have detected the problem that led to the incident. “When our aircraft goes to UK or US the team from the civil aviation authority of those countries and others will come and scrutinise our airplane in a fastidious manner; as if they are looking for a reason to stop us from flying to their country, but when they come here our inspectors from NCAA do not even get near their aircraft. It is as if everything is perfect with them,� said industry insider who insisted that NCAA should be carrying out ramp inspection of foreign airlines that operate into Nigeria.

Industry observers also noted that if not for the urgent action taken by the Commissioner of AIB to that the crew of the Delta Air Line flight must report to the Bureau otherwise the aircraft would not be accessed, the airline might have ignored Nigeria, as it immediately reported to US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and ignored Nigeria’s NCAA when the incident happened. But upon AIB’s insistence, Delta not only reported to the Bureau but also apologised.

A belated report from NCAA came to the media in a hurriedly written reaction almost 18 hours after the incident.

On March 6 Arik Air Flight W3 304 on its way to Accra from Lagos recorded an incident whereby smoke emitted and enveloped the passengers in the cabin of the new Bombardier Q400, known as Dash 8 aircraft, 35 minutes

DG, NCAA, Captian Muhtar Usman

into the 55 minutes flight.

According to eye witness account, until the passengers were disembarked from the aircraft which landed under emergency, none was informed about what caused the smoke and as at the time of filing this report, neither NCAA nor Arik Air has explained to the public what caused the smoke in the aircraft.

Bad Signs Many industry observers are of the view that these incidents are bad signs that may be a harbinger of worse things to come; unless the regulatory authority braces up on its responsibility to monitor the airlines which may have started cutting corners and compromising safety.

THISDAY learnt recently that the head of flight operations of a Nigerian carrier presented a budget for retraining (simulator training) of flight crew and that of the cabin crew to the owner of the airline and the owner cried out that the money was too much and refused to approve the budget, forcing the head of flight operations to resign. Some of the pilots also resigned along with their boss, leaving the airline with inadequate technical personnel; yet it continued to operate. It was not confirmed that NCAA intervened in the matter; possibly, it was not informed about it. The airline had to recruit more pilots to sustain its operation after operating for weeks without adequate manpower.

Since the last air crash in 2013 Nigeria has not recorded any accident. That is a good report, but industry observers say that such good report may be a lullaby to sleep and believe that everything is okay until another tragedy happens. According to a former senior official of NCAA, “Any of these incidents could have led to a bad accident and the regulator is being implicated in the events. The airlines don’t seem to be very safety conscious and the authority seems to be lacking in oversight activities.�

Also an industry insider, an aeronautical engineer and pilot told THISDAY, “Yes, I see these as a lapse in the NCAA safety oversight activities. These things don’t appear immediately until conditions line up for them to happen.�

Precautionary Measures There were three reported incidents in the last two weeks where a Medview Airline flight aborted flight as the pilot in command noticed reasons why he could not proceed with the flight and he returned the aircraft to the ramp.

The public was notified in a statement by the airline management. There was another similar incident where a Dana Air flight was delayed.

The pilot in command also noticed reasons why it could not proceed with a flight with the designated operational aircraft after the passengers had boarded and he notified the passengers who disembarked, waited until the airline management made another aircraft available. Then, there was Aero flight that was already airborne but when the pilot in command noticed issues with the aircraft he took precautionary measure and made air return.

These are precautionary measures taken by pilots to avert possible mishap, but airlines and pilots complain that whenever these precautionary actions were taken the media treat them as accidents averted, which tend to alarm the flying public and generally make air travel unstable in Nigeria.

Reacting to the reported incident on the precautionary action taken by Medview Airline pilot, the Managing Director of another airline noted, “It is a normal procedure if a pilot is not satisfied with parameters before flight. By publicising these things we are doing commercial damage to the industry as well as scare mongering our consumers,� he said.

Also reacting to the Aero flight that made air return as precautionary measure, which was erroneously reported as emergency landing, the CEO of the airline, Captain Ado Sanusi told THISDAY that it was to avert such negative reports that instead of taking precautionary measures some pilots may be tempted to risk a flight to its destination. “The way reporters and the way passengers react to air returns, ground returns is very, very important because it plays a key role in the accident chain. If the psyche of a pilot is, if I do an air return a reporter will say, 150 people

escape death he would rather not make that air return; he would rather try to manage that emergency to the next air field. Now, if in the process of managing he kills people it means that the reporters have contributed in the chain event of accident. That is why I said the way reporters report incident, the way passengers react to air return is key to the chain of accident. “I encourage pilots to do air return, to do ground return; to do anything safe because what we were taught is: first save lives, second save your aircraft, third save your job. So you must save lives, no matter the situation. If you are flying from Lagos to Abuja or Abuja to Lagos and you lose an engine, don’t say that you want to make it to Lagos. Land in Ilorin, land in Ibadan. If you cannot make the field, land in the swamp; at least you save the passengers. In Nigeria we look at air returns as something that is unsafe, you are encouraging pilots to ensure that they don’t do air return and they carry the problem to the next airport and if they cannot get there the next thing will be an accident,� Sanusi said.

NCAA Reacts

Reacting to the decision of Arik Air not to report the smoke incident in its Accra bound flight, the spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said: “Whenever an incident occurred in aviation, the operator is expected to report to us under the Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) system. After which it becomes our responsibility to analyse the report with a view to come up with an informed decision.�

On the recent incidents recorded by the airlines, Adurogboye said: “Our decisions are at all times based on fact as supported by law. Decisions are not taken out on sentiment, emotions and panic. This is because such doesn’t stop accidents. Accidents are prevented through informed decisions. However, we are always strengthening the inspectorate division of the Flight Standards Group (FSG) with experienced skilled manpower. We have the best of them. We presented them for our various international audits lately and we came out in flying colours. Nigeria just retained the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category One. We have had an airline with eight incidences of air returns in one week. We analysed them and they never had an accident not to talk of two occurrences by one operator in one month. NCAA has always been on top of its oversight functions. We will not relent.�

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Concerns over Rising Port Charges Eromosele Abiodun examines stakeholders’ call on the federal government to put in place measures to reduce port charges and improve the ease of doing business at the nation’s seaports Last year, Nigeria’s leading accounting firm, Akintola Williams Deloitte, in a report, blamed the high cost of doing business at the nation’s seaports on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other government agencies, claiming that Customs processes are responsible for not less than 82.1 per cent of the charges incurred by consignees.

The report was titled: “Public Private Partnership (PPP) as an anchor for diversifying the Nigeria economy: Lagos Container Terminals Concession as a Case Study.�

Akintola Williams Deloitte stated that its value chain analysis of a 20-foot container laden with cargo worth N36.42 million ($100,000) imported into Nigeria from China, revealed that about N6.5 million would be required to clear and transport the container out of the port.

Of this amount, it said about N5.3 million (representing 82.1 per cent) is paid to the NCS as Import Duty, Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS), ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), Port Development Surcharge and Value Added Tax (VAT).

According to the report, other actors in the value chain include: Shipping Companies, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Terminal Operators, Clearing Companies and Haulage Services providers.

It said shipping companies are responsible for 13.8 per cent of the port cost (N897,000); terminal operators 1.8 per cent (N117,000); Customs 82.1 per cent (N5.3million); transporters 1.1 per cent (N71,500) and clearing agents (N78,000).

According to the report, “The value chain of a typical container terminal operation begins with the shipment of the goods through a shipping line to the host country. The consignee pays the freight charges for the shipping as well as the container deposit fees. Demurrage charges may apply where the consignee fails to return the containers on time. “Upon arrival of the container at the Nigeria port, the Consignees pays terminal handling charges, storage charges, delivery charges and customs examination charges to the terminal operators. In addition, the consignees also pay the relevant customs import duty.

Consignees pay for logistics services to get the goods out of the terminal. Consignees pay for the services of the clearing agents (where applicable). Large companies are directly responsible for clearing their goods.�

Notwithstanding their huge investment and meager earnings, the report stated that terminal operators bear the burden of most of the challenges at the port. “Terminal operators face huge challenges in the area of storage as the terminals are used as “cheap storage warehouse alternatives� by cargo owners.

Meanwhile, there are many questions as to why or what is responsible for the high port charges across the nation’s sea ports. While some said shipping companies deliberately rip Nigerians off, others believe government over the years has failed to do what is necessary to avert unnecessary charges that drive business away from the ports.

Expert’s Views Experts believe the government is to blame because it has failed to put the right policies in place. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Cowry Asset, Mr. Johnson Chukwu said 65 per cent of the cargoes coming to West Africa are destined to Nigeria but only 30 per cent of the cargoes are discharged in Nigeria because of high import charges, bad port roads and rarity of port infrastructure to facility trade.

In his keynote address on ‘Port Charges: How Plausible,’ at the first national conference of Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), in Lagos, Chukwu wondered why Nigeria should allow Cote d’Ivoire to build the largest seaport in Africa when a

Rotimi Amaechi

Hadiza Bala-Usman

larger chunk of cargoes are destined to Nigeria.

According to him, right now, Nigeria is rated the largest supplier and manufacturer of cement but there is no singular effort to have facilities to export the product.

He warned that if the common ECOWAS tariff is fully implemented, Nigeria will lose business because the common ECOWAS tariff means that once a tariff is paid in one country, no other tariff will be paid in any other country in West Africa.

To this end, he absolved the shipping companies and terminal operators of the high charges because having faced a lot of infrastructural challenges which impact negatively on their business, it makes some business sense if they hike charges to recover their expenses. “We do not have enough infrastructure to handle the volume of cargoes we receive. Sixty per cent of the cargoes coming to West Africa are destined to Nigeria. But only 30 per cent of the cargoes are discharged in Nigeria. If 60 per cent cargoes are destined to Nigeria, why should we allow Cote d’Ă?voire to build the largest seaport? The shorter the value chain the lower the cost,â€? he said.

we should go to any length to ensure that we all benefit from the industry. We at NPA are working relentlessly to ensure that it is a win-win situation for all stakeholders,�

She urged the media to support the reforms in the industry and celebrate the innovations just as they highlight the challenges.

Why NIMASA Imposes Levies But the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said that the Federal Government of Nigeria official gazette no 158 Marine Environment Management (sea protection levy) Regulation 2012 empowers NIMASA to impose levies on all commercially operating vessels of 100 GT and above in Nigerian waters.

Peterside, who spoke through the Head Shipping Development, Mr. Ogadi Anthony, said that the agency introduced the Marine Environment Sea Protection Levy (SPL)via the Marine Notice dated August 9, 2012.

The Sea Protection Levy (SPL) is to be paid by all commercially operating vessels of 100 GT and above in Nigerian waters and also on all potential oil polluters, installations and pipelines. In her remarks, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, assured stakeholders that the authority is working hard to create a level playing ground for all operators, urging stakeholders that all hands must be on deck to improve port efficiency and competitiveness.

Bala-Usman, who was represented by the Manager, Audit, Sarah Oghomienor, said: “We have been working hard to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness at the ports. It is not only the port charges that is so depressive, it is the entire system, the infrastructure, the roads, the insurance, among others are culminating to the higher cost. I think the onus lies on all of us. Its our responsibility,

MAN Blames Shipping Companies However, local manufacturers and other industry operators decried the high cost of clearing cargoes at Nigerian seaports, describing it as a cankerworm that has forced so many companies into extinction.

The stakeholders, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACIMMA), Association Of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA) and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), among others who gathered at the maritime industry summit in Lagos, bemoaned the effect of high port charges on the survival of their businesses.

President, MAN, Frank Udemba Jacobs, said port charges are major source of worry for the manufacturers and it has contributed to high cost of production. Jacobs therefore called for reasonable ports charges.

Jacobs, who was represented by Niran Olajobi, bemoaned the deplorable of ports access roads and the gridlock, which has contributed to the charges, urging government to immediately fix the roads.

President, NACIMMA, Mrs. Alaba Lawson, however, commended the federal government on the initiatives of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) for its action plan aimed at creating enabling environment and easy movement of goods across borders, calling for full implementation of the action plan.

Speaking on the theme: “Port Charges: How Plausible?� she said: “Delay in clearance of cargoes at Nigerian ports still persist despite PEBEC’s intervention which is a far cry from what is practicable in other African ports such as Ghana and Benin republic. The ports have a low level automation, data base and integrated process system. We urge government to put in place more effectively strategies to improve the overall efficiency at the ports and reduce the cost of doing business at ports to make Nigerian ports a hub for international freights and trade.�

Vice President ANCLA, Kayode Farinto, said the high cost at the seaports is ridiculous, very high and it is killing the industry. “In fact we should commend the importers that are still bringing their cargoes through our ports. They deserve an award,� he said.

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello

He called on the NPA to facilitate the review of the concession agreement in other tackle the issue of arbitrary increase of prices by the terminal operators, due to foreign exchange and other bottlenecks.

Farinto said, while Nigerian charges are going up, the neighbouring countries are busy reducing their charges, hence, the lost of cargoes to those ports.

On his part, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, said there should be commensurable service to the costs and anything less is unacceptable.

Bello, who was represented by Ignatius Nweke, pledged that the NSC would continue to do its best to make Nigerian ports efficient, effective and attractive.

Stakeholders’ Resolve At the end of the summit, stakeholders agreed that charges in Nigerian port is ridiculous, very high, contributing to cost of production and it is killing the industries.

In a communiquĂŠ released at the end of the summit, they agreed that: “Government should put in place strategies to reduce the cost and improve on the ease of doing business at the nation’s seaports. That all hands must be on deck to improve on ports efficiency and competitiveness. That there should be a commensurate service to the costs, and anything less is unacceptable.â€?

They pointed out that so many factors are contributing to high cost of doing business at the ports, which includes, insurance, poor cargo clearing process and deplorable ports access roads among others.

They therefore, called on the government to immediately fix the port access roads, create alternative routes and adopt intermodal transport to ensure easy movement of cargoes in and out of the seaports. “The NPA should facilitate the review of Ports Concession Agreements, so as to be able to solve the foreign exchange and other bottlenecks hindering the operations of terminal operators. Neighbouring countries are reducing costs, while Nigerian costs keep rising and making it difficult to be competitive within the sub-region.

Lagos ports, the communiquĂŠ read, have remained the most viable port in Nigeria because, “we have refused to open up other ports in Calabar, Warri, Port Harcourt to decongest Lagos port. Government and stakeholders should facilitate the establishment and construction of new deep seaports across the country. “There is need for automation of cargo clearing process in other to reduce human interface and corrupt practices at seaports.

The capitalist system reigning at the ports should be immediately checked.�

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US Commercial Service, McAfee Host Cyber Security Forum Emma Okonji The United States (US) Commercial Service in Nigeria in collaboration with US cybersecurity company —McAfee Incorporated, recently hosted a breakfast seminar in Lagos for cyber security experts and corporate end-users.

At the programme, the American computer security software company also announced the launch of its Enhanced Unified Defense Architecture designed to empower organisations to more effectively protect today’s digital assets.

Commercial AttachÊ, US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Ms. Jennifer Woods, explained that the program aims to support Nigeria’s rapidly growing digital economy.

According to Woods, having effective and proven solution against growing cyberattacks is a critical aspect of any corporate IT infrastructure. “The U.S. Foreign Commercial Service is pleased to provide a unique opportunity for leaders of the Nigerian digital economy to hear first-hand from American computer security leaders about their cutting edge solutions for protecting corporate assets,� Ms. Woods said.

In his remarks, McAfee Senior Territory Manager for sub-

Saharan Africa, Mr. Will O’Shea, noted that cyber-criminals continue to put individual and corporate end-users on the defensive. “To effectively counteract cyber-criminals, we have to abandon old security playbooks and become more collaborative in making cyber-security a priority,� O’Shea added.

Over 130 representatives from the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies in Nigeria (ATCON), the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), and the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology attended the event.

Participants expressed keen interest in building the necessary knowledge-base and business relationship with the American cybersecurity leaders that will enable them stay one step ahead of the next wave of viruses, malware, and other online threats.

The Foreign Commercial Service of the US government works to promote the expansion of US trade and investment to Nigeria through support of business partnerships between American and Nigerian companies.

Clearline HMO Partners Glanville to Launch Flexicare Ugo Aliogo As part of efforts to improve medical health insurance in the country, Glanville Enthoven Insurance Brokers and Pensions Consultants Limited in partnership with Clearline HMO, has launched Flexicare.

Speaking at the official launch of flexicare in Lagos on Wednesday, the Managing Director, Glanville Enthoven, Mr. Supo Falana, said that the introduction of the product was sequel to the gap in the market, adding that the the product is slight different from the traditional health care services that are provided by other health providers.

He also stated that findings revealed that most medical

insurances in the market don’t cover accident cases as a result they decided to add medical insurance in partnership with Clearline HMO. According to Falana, Flexicare covers accident and medical insurance cases, stating that accident covers permanent disability, temporary disability, loss of income, which he noted are not conventional HMO medical insurance.

He explained: “We have realised this niche and we are trying to market this product to individuals, employees of organisations and multinationals to provide this type of cover to them.�

Falana stressed: “We realised a gap in the market.

What we found out is that

most medical insurances we have in the market don’t cover accident cases because of that we decided to add medical insurance in partnership with clearline Alliance HMO. Then we designed a personal accident insurance with some insurance companies in the market especially First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) and NICON insurance Plc combined together to provide services in that area of gap we have seen. “The gap is that most medical insurances provided by organisations for their employees don’t cover accident cases. There is a lot of gap in the health sector and government has not done enough in the area of primary health and as a result, people are dying.

Therefore the product has been made affordable to ensure that people make use of it. Every stakeholder must play a role in marketing the product.�

He explained that the partnership at the moment is between Glanville and Clearline HMO, stressing that clearline is the foremost indigenous HMO in the country with a proven track record and wide acceptance.

Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Director, HMO Clearline, Kolawole Oladapo, said that the partnership provides an opportunity to give Nigerians good health.

According to him, health insurance is the way to go thus the commitment to ensuring that Nigerians enjoy good health.

BUA Sugar Refinery Gets SON MANCAP Certification Eromosele Abiodun The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has presented a revalidated MANCAP Certificate and Logo for Refined White Sugar to the 2,000 Metric Tonnes per day BUA Sugar Refinery, Apapa, Lagos.

MANCAP was introduced by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria in January 2006 as a Mandatory Product Certification Scheme. MANCAP certification assessment involves both product conformity assessment and process conformity assessment with the objectives of ensuring that locally manufactured products conform to the relevant standards and protecting manufacturers against counterfeiting and unfair trade practices. It was also introduced to protect consumers against substandard and unsafe products, prevent dumping of unsafe and substandard products in Nigeria markets and to give consumers confidence that locally made goods are fit, safe to meet intended use.

Speaking in Lagos, the state coordinator, Lagos Office, SON, Joseph Ugbaja said BUA Sugar Refinery was awarded the SON prestigious quality mark because it has gone through the vigorous process of routine inspection, testing and has satisfied the SON stringent conditions for the award of the Quality Mark.

According to him, “The certificate we are about to present today is a re-validation and re-affirmation of your product

quality after our routine checks and test in the last 3 years. “We want to commend the efforts of the regulatory officer, quality assurance team and most importantly the management commitment towards this journey of quality which is an endless one.�

The SON boss however warned that the certificate can be withdrawn anytime the refinery deviate from standard or quality. “We want to equally remind you that the certificate can be withdrawn by SON at any time you deviate from the standards or your quality falls short of the minimum requirements. I Will equally advice the management to show further commitments towards the journey of quality which is an endless one and also purchasing the l-Check for vitamin A determination which is a quantitative analysis method in-Iine with the global trend.� “The Quality Assurance department should also be empowered for the greater role of ensuring good quality products by provision of equipment and independence of their operations.�

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of BUA Sugar Refinery, Ibrahim Yaro said the recertification was achieved through and work of staff members. “It is a remarkable event and the memory will linger for the next three year. It is not easy to have SON MANCAP Recertification because to have it one must have done extra work.�

DIGITAL JEWELS COLLOQUIUM

L-R: CIO/Group Head IT Chicason Group, Steve Obiago, ED SystemSpecs, ‘DeRemi Atanda; MD/CEO Digital Jewels, Adedoyin Odunfa; CIO UBA, Sam Okenye; and Chief Transformation OďŹƒcer MTN Nigeria, Olubayo Adekanmbi, at Digital Jewels’ 70th Information Value Chain Conference held in Lagos with the theme, ‘Governing the Disruptive Landscape’ ‌ recently

Expert Highlights Importance of 5G Testing Trials with Ericsson Emma Okonji The Chief Technology Officer at TIM, Giovanni Ferigo, has highlighted the importance 5G testing trials with Ericsson, insisting that 5G is the answer to the future.

High-definition immersive media examples included giving viewers an athlete’s eye-view of the action and being able to switch between multiple on-site cameras at venues in real time. In mass-start events, an ‘omniview’ option enabled viewers to follow particular athletes, rather than just the leading groups, or the editorial choice of national broadcasters.

The cross-country course was just one of the venues where Ericsson 5G network equipment helped to make it happen.

5G at a winter sporting event was one of the use cases highlighted at Insights from

5G early adopters Ericsson press seminar at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona.

Three renowned early technology movers addressed the audience: Korea Telecom, TIM, and Swisscom.

Aside from the immersive broadcast capabilities, VP Head of 5G Task Force at Convergence Institute of Technology, Korea Telecom, Jongsik Lee, highlighted self-driving and connected vehicles, and connected drones as successful 5G use cases during the event. “We were able to show augmented reality and virtual reality. We had more than 100 base stations inside and outside venues, including on the roads.�

Ferigo highlighted 5G testing trials with Ericsson and outlined some of the use cases TIM has investigated with industrial partners.

These include virtual reality

visits to parts of museums normally closed to the public, public safety, pollution monitoring, public safety wearables, cloud-enabled connected factories, smart parking and assisted driving.

TIM and Ericsson have also started to virtualise TIM’s nationwide radio access network as 5G preparations ramp up. “Ericsson is one of the most important partners for us,� Ferigo said.

Swisscom Chief Marketing Officer, Dirk Wierzbitzki, cited a 5G network slicing use case being demoed at MWC 2018 by Ericsson and Swisscom, showing how dedicated network slices can be configured for critical communications. The MWC demo focuses on the public transport sector.

Other use cases in Swisscom’s focus include consumer Internet of Things (IoT), wearables,

industry, and large-scale automation, real-time sensoring, enterprise IoT, and connected vehicles.

In addition to the focus on use cases, the discussion also spread to the enhanced mobile broadband business case. In his opening day MWC 2018 address, Ericsson President and CEO, BÜrje Ekholm, outlined the company’s belief that enhanced mobile broadband will be the first large-scale global 5G use case, driven by a need for more efficient networks and better user experience.

Wierzbitzki also highlighted the 5G enhanced mobile broadband case, pointing out that traffic in Swisscom’s network is currently doubling year-on-year, driven in part by a youth segment consuming an average 30 gigabyte-per-month, with more than 90 percent video traffic in peak hours.

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Chevron, Others Spend N2.2bn on Chest Clinics to Fight TB in Nigeria Chineme Okafor in Abuja Multinational oil company, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) said that it has with its business partners in the Agbami oil field, invested N2.2 billion in the development of infrastructure and supply of medical equipment in different hospitals across Nigeria to fight the menace of Tuberculosis (TB) and other communicable diseases across the country.

The oil firm said that it started making this funding commitment from 2008, and its concern about the spread of the disease has made it and its Agbami partners sustain their support to the fight against it.

Speaking at the Tuberculosis Roundtable organised by the Stop TB Nigeria in Abuja, the Occupational Health Physician, CNL, Dr. Femi Pitan, stated that Chevron companies in Nigeria were committed to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria through mutually-beneficial partnerships and supports for government’s efforts in health sector development.

Pitan, explained that from 2008, Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited, an affiliate of CNL and the parties to the Agbami field - Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Famfa Oil Limited, Statoil Nigeria Limited and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited, have built, equipped and donated 25 chest clinics with 25 GeneXpert machines to government-owned hospitals across the country as part of

their contribution to support the efforts to control, treat and eradicate TB from the country.

She stated that CNL and its Agbami parties’ strategic choice of intervention in TB was designed to achieve early detection and proper management of the disease, as well as other chest and lung diseases in Nigeria in alignment with Nigeria’s national strategy on this.

According to her, the TB intervention programme has generated more than 1,000 jobs and opportunities for people and local firms, in addition to organised practical training on molecular-genetic diagnostics of tuberculosis for over 100 laboratory attendants and supervisors from the chest clinics and Neighbouring hospitals in collaboration with the National TB Program as at 2014.

The National Coordinator of NTBLCP, Mrs. Adebola Lawanson, lamented that the current rate of financing for tuberculosis was very low, and need to be upgraded to enable the country prosecute the campaign against the disease.

Lawanson, explained that in 2017, the government declared that $336 million was needed to successfully prosecute the fight against the disease, but only nine per cent, about $31 million was contributed by it, while $90 million, representing 27 per cent of the total was contributed by international donor agencies, leaving a shortfall of $215 million.

Continental Re Grows Premium by 32% Ebere Nwoji Continental Reinsurance Plc, said it grew its group consolidated gross premium by 32 per cent, from N22.4billion in 2016 to N29.7billion in 2017 financial period.

The company said the increase was mainly driven by strong aggregated growth from its operations in Africa.

It noted that the underwriting profit, despite mixed performances at regional level, rose by 213 per cent to N1.3billion from N414million in 2016, adding that this was buoyed by the group’s increasing focus on underwriting discipline and benign claims experience in the principal Nigerian market.

Official statistics showed that throughout 2017, the African insurance market continued to experience the residual effects of prior years’ business turbulence, stemming from the sharp slowdown of key economies

impacted by the widespread foreign exchange crunch arising from low commodity prices.

The Group Managing Director, Continental Re, Dr. Femi Oyetunji, speaking on the activities of the company in the 2017 business year, explained that 2017 represented yet another year characterised by headwinds that emanated from the challenging economic environment.

Localised volatility and periodic downturns, according to him, formed an inherent feature of doing business in Africa.

He said: “Our performance reflects resilience deliberately imbued through a determined focus on portfolio diversification that broadens our revenue base and ultimately smoothens performance cycles. This strategy continues to pay off, and despite the group’s underwriting result being moderated by considerable reserve strengthening for our Eastern operations and unfavorable loss experience

impacting our yet to mature Southern operations, performance fundamentals were maintained at good levels.�

According to him, for the Continental Re Group during the year under review, profit before tax remained positive at N3.6bn though lower by 23 per cent than that for 2016 due to the non-recurrence of the substantial foreign currency revaluations that boosted the prior year result.

He said the group’s results were bolstered by a strong contribution of investment and other income which at N6.6billion reflects a healthy 37 per cent increase over 2016.

Oyetunji within the reporting period, A.M. Best affirmed the group’s rating of B+ (good).

He added that the rating report highlights Continental Re’s very strong balance sheet strength, adequate operating performance and neutral business profile as positive factors.

He said the company’s balance

sheet strength, was recently augmented by a capital injection of $10million late in 2017 to support its strategic initiatives, as having strong risk-adjusted capitalisation, which is expected to remain at very strong levels over the medium term.

In 2016, the management introduced new and enhanced strategic proposals meant to chart the future course for the company through to 2020. “Our bold transformation initiatives, building on the journey we began in 2011, are aimed at reinforcing the company’s growth and profitability objectives for years to come. We are well prepared to meet the inevitable challenges that are encountered due to the nature of reinsurance business. We continue to pursue lofty growth and profitability ambitions and are structuring and reconfiguring ourselves to adapt our business and operating model to tide us over and ride any rough patches.�

IEI-Anchor Pension Grows Assets to N75 Billion Ebere Nwoji The management of Anchor Pension Managers Ltd, said it has set the company on a more solid ground in the area of better customer service delivery that has resulted in very significant growth in its Assets Under Management from N47billion in 2015 to over N75 billion 2016.

The company said this is in preparation for the take-off of the long awaited window transfer exercise which will enable contributors into the Contributory Pension Scheme(CPS) migrate from one pension fund administrator (PFA) to another of their choice.

The company has expressed optimism that its level of service delivery will at the take -off of the window transfer exercise ensure that it retains its customers and win overs customers from other companies.

Managing Director and chief executive of the company, Mr. Glory Etaduovie in a recent chat with journalists in Lagos said the company has grown its Assets Under Management from 47 billion in 2015 to 0ver N75 billion in 2016. “We have wider clients outreach in most states. We have many corporate and government clients. We enjoy good relationship with them. “We entered the year 2017 with

a lot of hopes and enthusiasm.

Thus, we chose the - PRISM OF POSSIBILITIES. This was to further unlock our collective and individual potentials. We had great strides for the company, all stakeholders, but more so for our contributors - the tangibles and the intangible values,� he stated.

According to him, in 2017, IEIAnchor Pension bagged three awards for, one of the fastest growing PFAs, Innovative PFA of 2017 and the PFA of 2016.

He attributed this to the general overhaul of the company’s operational system and business sense, adding, consequently, the company’s complaint bureau received less and less complaints because of service turnaround time and renewed customers’ sensitivity through training and retraining of staff for excellence and bridging of knowledge gap.

On the security of the pension funds, Etaduovie said “Our customers’’fund are very secured for many reasons. “The regulator is up and doing in its monitoring exercise. There is a strong check system between PenCom, the PFAs and the fund custodians that triggers any anomaly.

He spoke on investment climate for pension funds saying the investment guidelines were clear and were mainly based on safety of fund first and fair returns.

2018 AFRICA FORUM

President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Mr. Ibrahim Jubril; Deputy President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Mr. Alban Igwe; and Business Executive, Abuja, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Ehianeta Ebhohimhen, at the 2018 Africa Forum organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Abuja ‌ recently

H. Pierson Partners Dutch Company on RiskBased Supervision Bonny Oriarehu The Netherland-based company, Second Floor SA, has joined forces with one of Nigeria’s foremost management consulting firms, H. Pierson Associates, to leverage on its Risk Practice to support the Nigerian insurance sector on Risk-based Supervision compliance and initiation of Solvency II. This is as the Nigeria Insurance Commission (NAICOM) sets to roll out the regulatory

requirement for insurance firms in Nigeria.

A statement quoted H. Pierson to have disclosed that the collaboration between the two firms, offers the Insurance sector Risk-based Supervisory Compliance Consulting, GRC and Capital Management Consulting, Own-Risk SelfAssessment (ORSA) Tools as well as GRC and Solvency II Tools.

Second Floor SA is a leading Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) and Solvency II

solutions provider in Europe.

The company serves about 20 percent of the European insurance market and supports over 500 solo entities.

H. Pierson on the other hand has spent a major part of its 28 years in committedly providing Strategy, end-to-end risk management consulting, capacity building and risk-culture transforming solutions in the Nigerian market. “On the partnership’s tools offered to clients which is said to be a low priced model with free

trial flexibility, this is believed to be key for Nigerian companies who are in a cost-conscious mode�, H. Pierson added.

The partnership was described as a welcome development as it was expected to change the face of the industry in Nigeria. “This partnership is a very welcome development as combining the joint expertise of H. Pierson and Second Floor will serve to further strengthen insurance companies, the regulatory landscape and the insurance sector in general,� it added.

FBNInsurance Stimulates Sales with Championships Trophies FBNInsurance has rewarded winners of its annual MD/CEO Ember Championship for last year.

The company, said this is part of its corporate drive to motivate outstanding staff and increase performance in terms of policy uptake, sales persistency and new business,

In a press statement released by the Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Elizabeth Agugoh, the company, said that the MD/CEO Ember Championships was designed to push new premiums and increase persistency between September and December every year. “We know how hard it is to

get people to buy insurance, especially as the year ends. So to encourage sales and get new businesses, this competition was set up to reward the Sales Area that meets certain sales criteria during this period,� she said.

At the recent award presentation by the company, the Benin sales area won the best

performing area for the period under review. The winning area was given a cash reward for its effort. Enugu and Aba areas came second and third respectively.

MD/CEO, FBNInsurance, Val Ojumah commended the winning area and charged them to do more so as to retain the trophy next year.

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The Role of Endowments and CSR in Research & Devt in the Petroleum Sector: The University of Port Harcourt Example The terms ‘endowment’ and corporate social responsibility are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not synonymous, hence the need to make the distinction between them from the get go.

Endowments refer to assets and /or funds that are invested in perpetuity by individuals, associations, or corporate bodies without a direct profit motive, unlike expendable funds that typically satisfy immediate needs. Endowments are fundamentally important to the financial stability of Colleges and Universities.

On the other hand, corporate social responsibility (CSR) relates to a continuous commitment by businesses and corporate bodies to behave ethically and to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life and training of their workforce and their families as well as of the local communities and society at large (World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

Research and development (R & D) is a systematic activity combining both basic and applied research and aimed at discovering new solutions to problems and in the process creating new products and generating novel ideas for the betterment of society.

BENEFITS OF ENDOWMENTS AND CSR CSR have numerous benefits for the benefactors and beneficiaries. Some of these are as follows: -Acts as additional source of income for beneficiaries -Relieves pressure on annual funds or budgets for beneficiaries, thereby boosting program and research expansion.

-Offers flexibility to management practices, thereby providing more independence for beneficiaries.

-Saves operating costs for beneficiaries.

The net benefits to the benefactors from sound CSR practices are: -Could lead to increase in customer retention.

-Promotes peace and security of operations among host communities.

-Helps to differentiate the benefactors brand from that of the competition.

Some of the benefits of endowments to the beneficiaries are: - Could create more funding opportunities for projects.

- Donation relieves financial expenditure pressures for beneficiaries.

-Donations enable beneficiaries to attract, retain, and maintain a healthy workforce.

Numerous benefits accrue to the donors also: -Donors could win new businesses due to enhanced public image.

-Donation could generate a cordial relationship between the donors and other stakeholders in the given industry.

- Donors could earn immortality, by so doing.

- Donation could lead to a perpetuation of donor’s values and priorities.

- Donors could attract positive media interest and attention, which could confer a good reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT EXAMPLE The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) is a typical example where endowments and sound CSR practices has helped transform the University into an entrepreneurial academic institution. Some of these endowments are: 1. Emerald Energy Institute (for Petroleum & Energy Economics, Policy and Strategic Studies) – endowed by Emerald Energy Resources Limited (EERL), under the chairmanship of Dr Emmanuel Egbogah, the former Presidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy.

2. Bioenergy Research Laboratory – equally endowed by EERL 3. ARET ADAMS Chair in Petroleum Engineering – endowed by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

4. Dr Emmanuel Egbogah Chair in Petroleum Engineering – endowed by the Chairman, EERL. 5. Centre for Gas Engineering – endowed

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

6. Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Chair in Oil Field Chemicals.

Some of the oil and gas industry CSR efforts that have benefitted UNIPORT are as listed: 1. Creation of the Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS) – a partnership between Total/ NNPC joint venture; Institute of Petroleum, France; and UNIPORT. 2. Establishment of the Center for Petroleum Geosciences (CPG) – by Mobil Petroleum / McArthur Foundation, USA; and UNIPORT. 3. Creation of the Center for Gas, Refining, and Petrochemicals (CGRP) – a partnership between the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd, and UNIPORT. 4. Creation of the Offshore Technology Center (OTI) – a partnership between FMC Technologies and UNIPORT. 5. Establishment of the African Center for Excellence in Oil Field Chemicals – a partnership between World Bank and UNIPORT. These Petroleum Institutes and Centers are regarded as the UNIPORT Petroleum Park and are directed by top professionals with a private sector mindset and perspectives.

Together, these endowments and CSR efforts have transformed UNIPORT into the first entrepreneurial University in Nigeria, if not in sub-Saharan Africa.

ROLE OF ENDOWMENTS & CSR in R & D - These provide platforms for partnership and innovative co-operation for mutual benefits to industry, the academia, and the larger society.

- Endowments enable the academia to engage in meaningful industry-relevant applied research.

- These facilitate the development of software packages that provide innovative solutions to oil field challenges, thereby enhancing

productivity and optimizing profitability.

- These efforts create opportunities for the academia and other research institutes to train and equip individuals with the right leadership and entrepreneurial skills to meet present and future challenges of the petroleum industry.

- These also create opportunities for the academia / research institutes to participate in collaborative R & D programmes that enhance real-time knowledge transfer that is relevant to the needs of the petroleum industry.

- Endowment and CSR efforts could facilitate the development of customized solutions that are relevant to specific operations in offshore engineering.

- These efforts could likely improve the corporate profile and reputation of both donors and beneficiaries based on enhanced local content and the prospects of sustainable development.

- The Institutes and Centers, as beneficiaries, provide a credible platform to advance frontier knowledge and develop cutting-edge local technology for the petroleum industry.

These could be replicated in other sectors of the economy – the IT, power, and agricultural sectors, etc.

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT Some of the government agencies could act as catalysts for enhanced R & D in the petroleum sector, e.g. the PTDF, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), NCDMB, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP).

Government efforts in funding R & D activities could ensure a steady and stable supply of industry professionals with science and engineering skills, which are important for promoting innovation.

Government should direct efforts towards creating an integrated national strategy that provide institutes, centers, and other research bodies with more reliable funding streams to

advance R & D activities.

NEED FOR MORE ENDOWMENTS Considering the Uniport example, there are fewer endowments compared to CSR efforts. This observation seems to reflect on the consumption pattern of the private sector ‘big boys’!

Acquiring palatial homes, private jets, and fancy automobiles are good for the pleasures of life. Paying fat tithes in Churches for spiritual redemption is all well and good. However, these cannot generate immortality (i.e. earning a deathless name).

There is a concept far higher than being successful, or being great. It is the concept of the ‘Life Triumphant’! The status of ‘life triumphant’ only accrues to those who give to humanity or society in creative expression far above what they enjoy of the creations of others.

It was quite exciting to see the Microsoft boss, Bill Gates visit Nigeria recently, all the way from the US to address Nigerian leaders on way forward for the Nigerian economy.

That is a voice of hope, a global benefactor, and surely a guy earning immortality. There goes a truly and undisputable modern-day life triumphant! Bill joins the elite group of ‘life triumphants’ from his country, the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jnr, Thomas Edison, Wright brothers, Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, Rockefeller Jnr, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, etc. t$POUSJCVUFE CZ 1SPG $IJKJPLF /XBP[V[V 'PSNFS #SJUJTI $IFWFOJOH 4DIPMBS 'PSNFS 15%' 1I% 4DIPMBS BOE %FQVUZ %JSFDUPS BU &NFSBME &OFSHZ *OTUJUVUF GPS &OFSHZ 1FUSPMFVN &DPOPNJDT 1PMJDZ 4USBUFHJD 4UVEJFT 6OJWFSTJUZ PG 1PSU )BSDPVSU &NBJM DOXBP[V[V!HNBJM DPN 5FM 4.4 0OMZ

WEEKLY PULLOUT

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

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COLLAGE | P36

‘WHY I LOVE TALKING TO PEOPLE’

THISLIFE | P37

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‘Why I Love Talking to People’ With a strong zeal for entrepreneurship, Ifunanya Igwe, a radio presenter and voiceover artiste popularly known for her show ‘The Midday Show with Ify’ on Lagos Talks 91.3, sheds light on her career in this exclusive interview with Sunday Ehigiator as well, to improve on the strength of my mind.

Who is Ifunanya Igwe?

I am from a disciplined family of four girls and one boy. I’m a fun-loving Anambra woman, who started-off from having a balance of both worlds; in the sense that, I have experienced life from both sides. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, though we were comfortable, but as we grow, thankfully through hard work and determination, my parents became successful and gave us the best of life. So to keep it simple, I am an On Air Personality, a motivator, also into fashion and a bit of modeling.

So how did it all start?

I always knew I had something with worth.

I always knew I like to talk to people. Because, I was that friend, other friends would always turn to and share their problems with and hoping for a solution. And, I just always have the right thing to say. I don’t know how, but it just always happens so. Hence, they come back for more words and counsel.

And people keep complimenting my wisdom but still, I didn’t really know what exactly I was going to do with the gift. Until I started watching a lot of Opera Winfrey’s videos and fell in love with what Winfrey was doing because, you know that she loves being in front of the camera and all of that, but it wasn’t just about the fame or popularity, but her genuine intentions to help people.

From the different guests she used to bring into the studio off different walks of life to treat diverse issues affecting humans, to her philanthropic actions and testimonies from members of the public whom have been touched in one way or the other by her; you would realise that the intentions to help was genuine. That was when I decided that, I want to do this sometime in future. I want to talk to people and want to know that, their lives are being changed. I want to be the reason why someone would wake up in the morning and say, today is going to be a better day, and life is going to be better for me. And from there, I also have passion for fashion. I was the last born, and I had some level of freedom. I could remember I spend my free times cutting up cloths; even though it sometimes comes out like rags, but the good thing is that, I still wear it like that, even though I wasted it by designs. So afterwards, I went to the University of Cape Coast, studied Psychology to improve on my God-given abilities, and that really prepared me in being who I am today. So after I was done in school, I returned to Nigeria for my compulsory one year of national service, afterwards, I returned to my dad and he asked me what I want to do. Then I told him I wanted to work on TV. And he was like, ‘okay, now that we can’t really see any TV’s opportunity around, won’t you want to start with radio?’ I actually had never thought of radio, but I embraced the idea since it’s still a means of speaking to the public, and that was how I started my career with radio. I started as an Intern for some months, and this is about my second year as a radio personality.

How have been able to handle the pressure associated with not having a media background while on the job so far?

To be honest, it hasn’t been so much of a pressure. Yes, I did study Psychology, but while I was in the university, I used to talk to people a whole lot, address crowds, and all of that. So, I was used to being in the public. So getting into radio, the university experience coupled with knowledge from my course, I was able to study, understand,and manage people I deal with on radio respectively.

What projects are currently working on?

Okay, I anchor a variety of programmes on radio. But I have a particular show of my own it’s called ‘Directions’. It is very dear to my heart. This is because it started with germane issues. Initially the name of the show was ‘Issues’, till it was renamed to be ‘Directions’.

Why do you think people would love you?

If they do, it’s only based on the difference I have made in their lives. I know that I have been able to impact on the people to an extent. And I want to keep that up, not really to solicit for their love, but for the sake of humanity and genuine love to put smile on people’s faces. And thank God for the complimentary emails and messages I usually get from unknown people, appreciating and confirming my impact on their lives; how much I have added a difference. And that’s one of my motivations and the best reward any human could ever get.

Do Nigerians really feel this emotional?

Yeah! They do. I think that is where we all do get it wrong. The stereotype that Nigerians are stronger emotionally than the Whites. We are humans, if that was the case, then we shouldn’t be having mental cases in Nigeria.

We also break down; we have feelings, limited level of endurance. Need someone to talk to, share grieves with; we need someone to just listen. And because we always feel we are tougher as a Nigerian that is one of the problems we have in this country. Why mental cases are on the rise day by day.

Igwe anchoring her show on Lagos Talks

people calling in to state their issues and us tackling it together. It now includes us, getting a topic and bringing in experts and different personalities to deal with it.

How did you become one of the presenters for the gospel concert The Experience?

The Experience is always a programme that I look forward to annually. First, I attend the church; House on the Rock, and I am part of their media team, hence I am part of the presenters that anchored for The Experience.

The first time that I did it and we went live was three years ago; you know what? That saying when its either you sink or swim that was what they did to me. It’s like they threw me into the deep end. For someone that has never don TV, and when I was eventually to do TV; the first thing I did was to go live on a programme of such magnitude as The Experience. I was like ‘God! You have brought me here, see me through’. And I ended up doing it and it was successful. I am so thankful to God. And then, I have mastered it. The experience of The Experience was beautiful and great. And people gave compliments and even asked how long I have been doing TV. They thought I have been doing it for a long time.

Igwe

It airs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 12:30p.m. to 1p.m. It initially used to be about tabling issues affecting members of the public to people of Lagos, and we come together to suggest ways in tackling it. But later on, as we grew, we went vast, by giving every issue a direction, bringing top professionals from different walks of life on every show, to tackle the issues, hence; the change of name. So, it now goes beyond

Are there any upcoming project?

Currently, I am working on doing a programme on the TV. I can’t really say much about that yet, but surely when it is at that stage I want it to be before I put it out to the public, I would inform you at THISDAY. I want to take things step by step. Not to get so carried away, and I am grateful to God that for the past two years I have been on radio, mastered it and remained calm and un-swayed by the excitements of gaining contacts and fans from the radio. My focus is intact which is to build my foundation and perform my duty as required by my employer, before other things. And I thank God I have been able to do that, so expect the next phase.

What is your strongest quality?

My mind, and my smiles, I don’t really read much but I feed my mind with a lot of Podcasts, from so many personalities, sermons

What has been your greatest challenge?

It’s getting better than I was yesterday. Not being stagnant or wanting your audience to be stagnant. That is one of my fears. I want my content to keep improving. And it takes a lot of sacrifices to achieve that. One of it could just be getting out of bed; of course, we are all human beings, we get tired as well.

Sometimes, I feel so weak and motionless, wanting more sleep; but there comes the mind alert, screaming get up! Or you will remain stagnant. Hence, I just got to push myself up, and keep doing the needful.

What was your most defining moment in your career?

It’s actually getting this job. Because it was my first experience with the media; even with no experience and media background beyond internship, I was considered. There were so many other people that were better qualified, so I keep thanking God for His favour.

What has been your driving force?

It’s simply God. I believe it’s Him that has brought me this far to be compassionate about people’s challenges. To be able to operate in this mental capacity only takes His grace. A lot of times, even when you are going through your own personal issues, you just have to carry on without it affecting your delivery; it’s just God that makes it possible. Also driven by the lives of people I am touching, the testimonies and encouragements, motivates me to be better than I currently am.

Tell me something I wouldn’t know mere from your portfolio?

I like food a lot, and I have an excellent culinary skills. Food is beautiful. It should be celebrated and enjoyed. One of my favorite meals is fried yam and pepper/egg sauce.

It’s like the coolest thing ever invented in this life.

How do you cool off?

I watch series. I love movies and traveling.

I love to explore the beauties of this world.

I have been to about five different countries inclusive of London and USA, but I am not stopping there.

What is your advice to aspiring young radio presenters?

Dream bigger than yourself; always know that other people’s lives are dependent on what you have to do. This mindset would motivate you better. So dream beyond yourself and keep building until you see it come to past.

29/XTRA

30.03.2018

Honour Well Deserved Okon Bassey writes on the recent reception organised by the Abak 5 for Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa State We saw it coming, but if anyone would claim he envisaged the carnival-like rally put up by the Abak 5 last Friday at the Abak Township Stadium to welcome their son- in-law and number one citizen of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Deacon Udom Emmanuel, then he may not be telling the whole truth.

Few weeks back, at a funeral service in Abak, in honour of the elder brother of Chief Moses Ekpo, deputy governor of the state - popularly called ‘Uncle Mo’ by teeming admirers – one of the speakers at the event had boasted while welcoming the governor; “This is Abak; we will not say much until the day comes.”

That day eventually came March 23; set aside by the Abak 5, comprising the five local government areas carved out of the old Abak Division namely Abak, Etim-Ekpo, Ika, Oruk-Anam and Ukanafun, to honour one of their own.

Speaking shortly after the arrival of the governor, Barrister Emmanuel Enoidem, National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who also served as the Chairman of the event, re-echoed the day’s agenda which had earlier been set by one Saviour Enyekere, Chairman Abak 5 Youth Board of Trustees. He said, the event was put together by the youths of the five local government areas to welcome one of their own, but more importantly, to endorse Governor Emmanuel as their sole candidate for the 2019 governorship election.

Emmanuel, as Enoidem and indeed, other speakers at the gathering confirmed, was born in Ukanafun, thus making him one of their own, but even more so, when the time came for Emmanuel to choose a wife, he again returned to Oruk-Anam – one of the Abak 5; to pick Martha who the crowd gladly re-christened “Martha of the moment”. As such, the Abak 5 had every legitimate right to claim Governor Emmanuel as their own. Consequently, they had decided to put together the event as a befitting reception for the governor and particularly the wife, who they see as a very good ambassador of the zone.

But if the Abak 5 had one thousand reasons to hold a reception for Governor Emmanuel and wife, they would tell you, they had even more reasons to endorse him as their preferred candidate for the state governorship, come 2019.

And indeed, all the speakers at the event were quick to reel out a long – almost endless – list of projects that the governor has embarked upon for the various communities within the Abak 5; ranging from new roads and rehabilitation of forgotten ones to renovation of schools, provision of healthcare facilities and several industrial projects, prominent among which is the fertiliser blending plant located right there in Abak; described as the only one of its kind in the whole of South-south Nigeria.

Before the Abak 5 endorsement rally last Friday, there had been several other similar rallies all endorsing the governor for a second term in office. They all appear to be singing the same chorus: Governor Emmanuel has done very well in office and deserves a second tenure.

Perhaps, as they would put it; “One good term deserves another”. His industrialisation programme towers above all else. This has seen moribund state-owned industries roar back to life such as the Peacock Paints in Etinan, and the establishment of new ones such as the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company and the Electric Metering Factory both located in Onna Local Government Area of the state, among others. Only last year the National Bureau of Statistics rated Akwa Ibom as second to Lagos in the attraction of Foreign Direct Investments among the 36 states of the federation.

Even in the area of agriculture and food sufficiency, Governor Emmanuel has equally done very well for himself. A recent tour of one of the star agric projects in the state, the ‘Green House’ was an eye opener. Located just before the entrance to the Ibom International Airport in Uyo, the state capital, the Green House technology has enabled the state produce otherwise seasonal vegetables like tomato and cucumber all round the year.

At a recent visit to the facility, literally everyone on the governor’s convoy was shocked to know that the seemingly white transparent structures which before then stood like canopies,

Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and his wife, Martha, at the reception organised by Abak 5...recently

were indeed, technology for producing such vegetables under controlled temperature and which actually enable such seasonal food items to be produced all through the year. The Managing Director of the Mexican Firm and managers of the project, San Carlos, Mr. Jose Luis Teran stunned the visitors even further when he explained that his firm was, through the technology, targeting 50 per cent of the tomato market in the whole of the Eastern part of Nigeria, including the South-south in the short term; while actually setting eyes on the export market in the long run.

What’s more? Even Governor Emmanuel’s infrastructure consolidation programme was changing the face of the state with road projects going on almost everywhere you turn. But nothing else could beat the governor’s massive investment in power infrastructure that, at a point, saw the electricity supply in parts of the state capital peaked at 18 hours per day; while Engr. Etido Inyang, Chairman of the board of Ibom Power Company (IPC), announced then that the areas in question were actually chosen to run as pilot for the eventual target of 24 hours of electricity per day across the entire state.

All these and perhaps many more were on the minds - and of course - agenda of all the speakers of the Abak 5 rally as indeed, they would have informed the organisers of the other endorsements rallies that had taken place in the state before the Abak 5.

Even the Minority Leader of the Senate and former governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio could not hold back emotion at the Abak 5 rally, as he burst into a song: Kini Obong Anamde Nkpo, Ntiense Odu - ooo; literally translated: ‘When God is behind it, there are always proofs’.

Translate from any perspective; it was a song pregnant with meanings. Those who see Governor Emmanuel as God-sent are legion.

The President of the Abak 5 youth, Prince Akpan Ikim, is one. He had told the crowd during his address that God sent Emmanuel to Akwa Ibom State at the time He did, for a purpose. And further; that God had foreseen the coming of economic recession to Nigeria and thus had sent Governor Emmanuel, a seasoned banker and a leading finance expert, ahead of it. Otherwise as Ikim asked, how else could you explain the governor’s giant strides in the face of a biting recession? Or, how do you explain that here is a governor who never fails to pay workers at the end of every month in the same country where several states are battling their governors for salary arrears?

For the Minority Leader, a man indisputably endowed with the proverbial ‘gift of the garb’, he was at his best and for the rest of it, prophetic. He even narrated an encounter with the Holy Spirit where God gave him a message to the people of the state: “Worship me (God) always, Live in Love and Unity and Share with the needy”. You could almost hear some people whisper in the crowd, Is Akpabio also among the prophets? The governor-turn

Senator speaking further said, he had come to the event with the sole aim of joining the crowd to honour Governor Emmanuel, only for his people to enforce on him the mandate for a second term in the Senate; adding he would not for anything reject the offer of his people to return to the Senate in 2019.

For the event that displayed all the theatrics of a carnival, one would have expected the climax to come with the formal endorsement of Governor Emmanuel for a second term in office, ably directed by the indefatigable Enoidem and, assisted by the political leaders of the Abak 5. This would be for those who watched the event as a normal political rally. For the rest of the crowd who rather saw a carnival in action, given the colours, the dances, the costumes, the displays, the climax came with the mounting of the podium by one Soni Udom accompanied by hundreds of broom-bearing fans, mainly youths. From his introduction, Udom turned out to be the former Akwa Ibom State Campaign Director of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His mission was simple; to lead his crowd of supporters to defect to the PDP. Addressing the mammoth crowd, the erstwhile APC chieftain said that he had come to the realisation that Akwa Ibom State was fully a PDP state and as such could not easily be outwitted by any other party. But more specifically Udom said, the APC was a party built around ‘lies, deceit and propaganda’. For instance, he said, he was lured into the APC because of the promise of change, only to discover that it was a change from the frying pan to fire; adding he would rather remain in the frying pan.

Udom, who repeatedly told the crowd that his experiences with the APC were full of disappointments, said the party cannot produce a governorship candidate in the state as it was running “á divided house”; even as he assured Governor Emmanuel that nothing could stop him from returning to the Hilltop Mansion come 2019.

His words; “I came from the APC. APC does not have a candidate. I was the Director General of their campaigns and I know that their house is not in order because they forgot people who worked and laboured to make the APC what it is.”

Not done, he hit back at one of his former party’s governorship hopefuls in the state.

His story sent the crowd reeling on the floor with laughter. His story: He was at a church recently when the frontline APC hopeful came to announce that he would open a small road for one small village in Oruk-Anam. He then knelt down to be prayed for by the congregation since he was nourishing the ambition of becoming the governor of the state in 2019. He said of the entire congregation, only himself and the deputy governor who also happened to be there, were the only persons who did not join in the prayers. According to him, “I did not join because I already knew who would be governor in 2019.”

Continuing he said, when the congregation finished praying, “I called on Jehovah seven times and He answered me, and I said please

Lord, Do not answer what these people just prayed. And I said please God have you heard what I said, and God said He has heard. He said accepted, I should consider it done…”

The decampee, afterwards, followed by his loyalists, threw away the brooms they were carrying saying the broom was a symbol of bad omen, while the umbrella represented shelter and protection for which they were seeking under the PDP. The elated state Chairman of the PDP, Paul Ekpo, then formally welcomed the decampees into the umbrella fold; assuring them of love and care and urging them to join hands in fulfilling God’s agenda for Akwa Ibom State.

After the frills and fun, came the endorsement where the leaders of the Abak 5, led by Enoidem, simply told the governor in company of his pearl, Martha; “We are here to enforce your endorsement as the returning governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2019.”

Earlier the Abak 5 leaders had pledged to deliver the entire 300,000 votes from the zone to boost the governor’s retention of the Hiltop Mansion (Uyo Government House) from 2019 to 2013.

Overwhelmed, Governor Emmanuel and wife thanked the organisers of the Abak 5 for their show of love and support even as he promised to make the zone an industrial hub. He equally promised improved healthcare facilities for the people of the area and quality education for their children. He singled out the youths for commendation particularly those from Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun for creating a peaceful atmosphere for the rally to hold.

The governor, only two weeks ago, had held a Town Hall meeting with the people of the two local government areas that have become hotspots of late; urging them to shun cultism and embrace peace.

A peace committee was set up to unravel the root causes of problems in the area and to also come up with recommendations/solutions that would restore lasting peace to the area.

Perhaps, to the governor, the conduct of the youths during the Abak 5 rally was indicative that the government was getting the listening ears of the targeted youths.

Going back home that evening, the organisers of the Abak 5 rally would have had over a thousand reasons to thank God. Otherwise, what would have become of the much advertised event, if the torrential downpour that morning had had its way? But the rains, attended by violent storms that had levelled whatever work that had been done at the venue before it started; calmed at just about the 11a.m. when the programme was billed to commence; allowing the vendors to set up the venue afresh.

Afterwards, the weather was friendly; no sun and no rain; just a friendly calm and cool weather, all through the day. To the Abak 5 therefore, these were obvious signs that even the heavens had accepted and honoured their reception. Is it any wonder that people still see the Abak 5 carnival-like rally as the ‘Mother of All (endorsement) Rallies’ that had so far been held in the state?

30/ NEWS

30.03.2018

Lagos Govt Committed to Revival of Cultural Values Ugo Aliogo The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has stated the desire of the administration to revive the cultural values and norms especially by placing importance on the continuous learning of Yoruba language in schools in the state.

Speaking at the weekend in Lagos at the launch of a book titled: ‘The Last Flight’ Ambode said the revival of the cultural values was very important for the administration of the state, stressing that the values have been eroded due to Western culture.

Ambode who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi, said the state government has passed a law which ensures that any individual who wants to register in any school in the state must learn how to speak Yoruba language.

He lamented that most parents are not training their kids to learn the right family values and

L-R: Mrs. Laide Akande, Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi, Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs, Lagos State, Dapo Akande, the author, Professor Kayode Makinde, immediate past Vice Chancellor of Babcock University, Mr. Gbenga Adebajo, Mrs. Essie Ibijoke Kukoyi and Pastor Wole Osinupebi, at the event

the realities of life, while calling on parents to go back to the basis of parenting.

Continuing, Ambode added: “Most of us are not training our kids to know and understand the realities of life and family values. Parents

should go back to the proper family values. A lot of our children have taken to drugs and bad vices, yet we are not concerned. The expectation is that this book will expose us to those family values we have forgotten and it will teach us

to train our children better. It will also help us rediscover those things that we need to build a better family. One of the electioneering commitments of this administration is to get the youths out of the street and it has lived up that promise.”

In his remarks, the author of the book, Dapo Akande, said in writing the book he realised that there was a need bring back the ideals of good morals, neighbourly love, discipline and success back to the success.

He also stated that the success which the book seeks to address was that which aims at impacting the lives of others, stating that there is need for people to be more society focused than self-focused.

Earlier in his remarks, the Book Reviewer, Prof.

Kayode Makinde, said the book sheds light on exemplary leadership and family values, adding that it is a book with a special focus on honesty, “the book also sheds light on the role of mothers in the home.”

Nestle Contributes to the Development of the Agriculture Value Chain Sunday Ehigiator Nestle Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to Ogun State at the Investors Forum held on the 20th of March 2018.

Speaking to journalists at the event, the MD/ CEO of Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Mauricio Alarcon, highlighted the pivotal role that Ogun State, host to two of the company’s three factories in Nigeria, plays in its business.

He said that Nestle continues to contribute to the development of the country through job creation, capacity building and community development, starting from Ogun State. He went on to state that in addition to these contributions to the state, the company continues to seek opportunities to increase local sourcing of raw materials from the state.

“Our collaboration with Ogun State does not end with job creation and community development.

Nestle has been working with the state through the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo to explore opportunities for increasing local sourcing of agricultural raw

L-R: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, MD/CEO of Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Mauricio Alarcon and MD, VON Automobile Nig. Ltd, Mr. Tokunbo Aromolaran , speaking on the topic: Feed Nigeria, Feed Africa: Completing the Value Chain. at the Ogun State Investors Forum in Abeokuta …recently

materials including cassava, from the state,” he said.

Nestle Nigeria was a sponsor of the 4th edition of Ogun State Investors’ Forum which focused on consolidating the gains of the present administration and accelerating growth. The

event brought together the government, leaders of industry and other stakeholders to discuss growth opportunities.

In his opening speech, the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun explained that his government has laid a solid foundation for

socio-economic development through exploration of various value chains including agriculture, industry and technology.

Governor Amosun reiterated his government's resolve to encourage backward integration and agricultural import substitution.

Speaking on the Feed Nigeria, Feed Africa: Completing the Value Chain panel, Mr. Alarcon highlighted areas of potential collaboration between government and industry to accelerate development of the agriculture value chain. “There are thousands of farmers in Nigeria, 360,000 in Ogun State alone, with relatively low output while the industry has a huge need. To achieve real success with connecting farmers to industry, the aggregators, processors, and logistics must also be considered within this value chain,” he said.

Alarcon went on to emphasise that grouping smallholder farmers into co-operatives or via Aggregators makes it easier to work with farmers.

Aggregation, he said, would facilitate the farming process from distribution of high quality seeds, to training farmers on good farming practices and post-harvest handling to improve crop quality and reduce losses.

Emerhor: Buhari is Committed to Turning Nigeria into a Medical Tourist Destination Sunday Ehigiator The Chairman of the management Board of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O'tega Emerhor, has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari's marching order to the Ministry of Health and by derivation, the UITH is to work committedly to transform the institution into a first class

teaching hospital that can complete with the very best anywhere in the world.

Emerhor asserted further that this is in line with President Buhari's vision and commitment to transform Nigeria into a medical tourism destination.

He stated this when he led the board members of UITH on a courtesy visit to the the governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdufattah Ahmed at the Government House, Ilorin.

Emerhor appreciated and congratulated the governor for his visible and giant development achievements in Kwara State and sought his continuing support as a critical stakeholder of the hospital in the commitment of the new board to upgrade and transform the teaching hospital.

Responding, Governor Ahmed congratulated Emerhor for his appointment and prayed that the Chairman will bring his rich private sector

experience to bear in his assignment and assured the new board of the continuing partnership of the state government with the UITH in its quest to continually raise the standard of healthcare delivery in Kwara State.

Emerhor who was accompanied by the Acting Chief Medical Director, Prof Yinka Buhari and other board members had earlier in the day, paid similar courtesy calls on the Emir of Ilorin and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin.

China Cultural Centre Fetes African Women Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The cultural heritage of China and African nations were displayed at a colourful event organised by the China Cultural Centre, Abuja, in commemoration of the 2018 International Women Day Celebration.

The vibrant gathering to showcase fashion, culture, creativity, gourmet and diversity was tagged ‘Women in Culture 2018’. It was hosted by the Deputy Director of China Cultural Centre in Abuja, Jia Xiaolong.

The centre was established in March 2012. It is the second of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and the 14th overseas cultural centre established

by China’s government.

Women from many African countries including Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana and Kenya wowed the audience with a colourful fashion show and catwalk on the runway, where the different costumes of their nations were exhibited.

They were joined by a Chinese Troupe, which displayed the exciting cultural heritage of South East Asian country and the FCT Social Development Centre Dance Troupe, who presented the Unity Dance.

In addition, makeup artist, Oghome Emebo, held a demonstration on how to tie head wrapper,

African countries showcasing their culture at the event

which is a strong part of the Nigerian cultural identity. Some the creations Emebo exhibited included Double Gele, All Back and the signature Take a Bow. Jia told THISDAY the show was organised to enable women to communicate with each other and have a greater understanding of each other

culture, the countries and the people.

She said the event gave the participants experiences they will take time to forget and which the organisers can draw from in the subsequent editions “Through this event, we learn the variegated cultures of the African countries. The fashion show

provided the women a window to showcase their individual creativity and the diversity of different countries, in terms of culture and indigenous foods.

This is a takeaway experience because as a Chinese, by tasting the food cooked by the women, I already have an idea of their culture, the people and what they do. That is what I want this event to be about in the future,” Jia, also known as Linda said.

Adis Okolie, an artist with the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAS), said both China and Nigeria share similarities in the arts especially in the fusion of colours.

“Most Chinese artists associate with the red colour, which generically is a very important part of the Chinese culture. They also like to don the black colour, which is popular in Nigeria, depending on the artist. And recently, I have been seeing so much red in Chinese paintings.

Red is a very attractive colour and it connotes love in the Chinese culture. Another similarity between the two arts is that Chinese, like Nigerian artists, like to use figures,” Okolie said.

She lauded the outfits displayed at the fashion show, saying she will like the cultural union between Nigeria and China to be built on that outing.

31/ LIVING

30.03.2018

With Sports, Chapelville Inculcates Values, Integrity, Discipline in Pupils Sunday Okobi In order to ensure that the spirit of fair play, hard work, values and integrity as well as discipline is returned to the Nigerian society, stakeholders have advocated that there is the need for these virtues to be instilled in the younger generation especially the school pupils at the early stage.

This was the focal point of sporting activities at the recent 2nd edition of the Inter-house sports competition of Chapelville Nursery and Primary School held at the Strong Tower Academy, Ikorodu, Lagos State. The event was aimed solely at creating team spirit among pupils and to encourage the spirit of sportsmanship, fair play value for hard work as well as to develop their social and kinetic skills.

In his address, the School Proprietor, Chapelville Nursery and Primary School, Pastor Femi Ogunsanya, expressed further the commitment of the school to continue to instill the culture of fair play, integrity discipline and values in the pupils through various sporting activities annually.

He cited lack of integrity, discipline and value for hard work as some of the challenges facing the country, noting that the situation have made many people struggle to attain success at all cost and abandon integrity, national values and ethnics.

The cleric noted that through sport competition, the pupils are taught to imbibe the values of the fair play in order for them not to involve in unhealthy competitions which he said can “lead them into corruption or to enrich themselves in an ungodly manner or wanting outdo others either in their place of work or home.”

Ogunsanya explained that for the school, sport is a means of developing the mental capacity of the pupils, stressing that the event encourages the spirit of bonding among the pupils, as “it enhances their physical ability especially you realise that they are young and youthful. Therefore, we are channeling these energies towards sports.”

He added that if their energies are channeled into sports, it would guide them from using it in wrong activities, noting that in the school, they take sports and childcare seriously, while calling on parents to create time for their children.

Ogunsanya, who is a former banker before taking solely the service of God, said: “The world has become a global village. A child can

The proprietor of Chapelville, Pastor Femi Ogunsanya, giving out medals and cup after the competition

learn how to shoot a gun from watching clips on the internet. What the children of this age require is guidance. Social media is not a bad thing, there are a lot of good stuffs which we can drive from it, and therefore we encourage our children to go on the internet to do research that will enhance them academically. Children of this age can perform very well if they are properly guided. Government have a role to play in reviving sports especially in addressing the decline in sporting activities because we don’t have enough schools that can cater for the population therefore you see a lot of schools springing up, but with no playground.”

Some of the sports which the pupils participated in included: chess, high jump, sprint, relay, tugof-war, calisthenics, march past, pick and drop, blind and search, filling the basket, big slippers race, filling the bottle, among others.

While all the houses-Sapphire (Blue) House, Emerald (Green) House, Salmon (Pink) House and Royal (purple) House- took part in the sporting event, in the overall result announced by one of the judges, Salmon came out third, Sapphire took second and Royal House came out victorious.

Declaring the competition open earlier, Chapelville proprietress/Head of the School, Olajumoke Ogunsanya, admonished the sports officials and judges to be fair and unbiased in their decisions, adding that the game should unite the school not divide them, “therefore, it is not a do-or-die affair.”

She expressed appreciation to some sponsors and corporate donors for their kind gestures toward making the day a huge success, stressing that their sacrificial contributions at this time are well appreciated.

Olajumoke, who is also the wife of the school Proprietor, said the management is committed to ensuring that the school becomes the best not only in Ikorodu, but in Lagos state, adding that they want to give the community the best education that is affordable.

She stated that the school is unique because they are not driven by profit, but value, noting that it is a virtue that is not common, “a lot of people are creating schools because of the profit and they want to compromise at all points.”

Maintaining that the game is aimed at encouraging team spirit, sportsmanship and fair

play, the head of the school added that it is also to encourage and demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship that gives the game the fun required.

According to her, “On the Inter-house sport event, we have done really well, we make sure all the pupils who participated in it are not left behind or neglected, and they are happy with the organising team.

“I think the competition is a fair game, there is no issue of disputes among the judges, no injuries have been recorded since the inception of this event. We have doctors around, to take care of any injured pupil, things have been working well and all necessary equipment’s are adequately provided."

Tanzanian Teacher Wins Sahara Group’s ThegreenestLoveofAll Photo Contest The winner and first runner up of Sahara Group’s #TheGreenestLoveofAll Instagram-based mobile photo contest have emerged amid fresh commitment by the leading African energy and infrastructure conglomerate to sustain conversations around environmental protection.

The winner, Irene Ishengoma, a teacher at St. Anne Marie Academy in Dar-Es-.Salaam, Tanzania submitted a compelling piece about community-led re-forestation aptly titled ‘Together We Can Overcome Environmental Destruction’.

Temitope Otubusin a resident of Lagos, Nigeria, came in second with an emotive submission titled ‘The Butterfly and The Eco-System’.

During a telephone interview, Ishengoma the winner who teaches at St. Anne Marie Academy in Da-Es-Salaam enthused: “I am so excited.

I really want to thank the Sahara Group for giving me this creative experience. I feel more connected to matters concerning my natural environment than I ever have before. I’m also looking forward to using my brand new phone to keep the conversation on climate action alive!”

Otubusin said the competition had inspired her to seek ways of championing the climate action cause through photography and advocacy. “I would like to commend Sahara Group for this initiative and believe that more private sector players, the government and civil society should also be part of this campaign. That is the only way we can deliver a sustainable and healthy environment to generations unborn,” she said.

Sahara Group harvested over 330 photos which

Tanzanian Teacher Wins Sahara Group’s ThegreenestLoveofAll Photo Contest Sunday Ehigiator The winner and first runner up of Sahara Group’s #TheGreenestLoveofAll Instagrambased mobile photo contest have emerged amid fresh commitment by the leading African energy and infrastructure conglomerate to sustain conversations around environmental protection.

The winner, Irene Ishengoma, a teacher at St. Anne Marie Academy in Dar-Es-.Salaam, Tanzania submitted a compelling piece about community-led re-forestation aptly titled ‘Together We Can Overcome Environmental Destruction’.

Temitope Otubusin a resident of Lagos, Nigeria, came in second with an emotive submission titled ‘The Butterfly and The Eco-System’.

During a telephone interview, Ishengoma the winner who teaches at St. Anne Marie Academy in Da-Es-Salaam enthused: “I am

The winner, Irene Ishengoma

so excited. I really want to thank the Sahara Group for giving me this creative experience. I feel more connected to matters concerning my natural environment than I ever have before.

I’m also looking forward to using my brand new phone to keep the conversation on climate

action alive!”

Otubusin said the competition had inspired her to seek ways of championing the climate action cause through photography and advocacy.

“I would like to commend Sahara Group for this initiative and believe that more private sector players, the government and civil society should also be part of this campaign. That is the only way we can deliver a sustainable and healthy environment to generations unborn,” she said.

Sahara Group harvested over 330 photos which were eventually shortlisted by top photographers to 10 of what were considered to be the most creative and thematically compelling entries. The top two pictures were selected after they garnered the most number of likes on @ iamsaharagroup – Sahara Group’s Instagram platform - following a Vote by Liking contest which was open to members of the public.

The top 10 entries accumulated a combination of over 8,500 in likes and comments on the

Sahara’s Instagram handle.

Bethel Obioma, Head of Corporate Communications said: “We could never have anticipated the level of enthusiasm that greeted the competition. We received entries from different countries and the independent assessors commended the quality of the entries and the depth of the messages in the captions.

Sahara Group is already exploring various initiatives to sustain global awareness and action.”

Obioma expressed delight at the unprecedented level of reach and engagement, which included a solidarity message from the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGF). “Our partner Sahara Group is bringing attention to #SDG13 on Climate Action across Africa with a photo contest.

You can put your creativity at the service of the #2030Agenda. You are invited to join the campaign,” the organisation tweeted from its handle, @SDGFund.

XXIV Karat, a Luxury Wine Brings Magic to Nigerians Lifestyle Mary Ekah Leading the way in revolutionising the sparkling wine space, which has been somewhat dry for decades and ready for a new twist that captures the attention of a new generation and the celebratory lifestyle, is a fresh and reviving shimmering wine infused with liberal gold leaf called, XXIV Karat.

Now available here in Nigeria, XXIV karat is an extraordinary blend of the finest ingredients that exude a euphoric taste and scent involvement of rich green apple, whitened almonds and toasty coconut, prompting you

to take the first sip. The premium wine is aesthetically embellished with real gold flakes formation which is certified okay for consumption which comes in two variants Grande Cuvee and Rose.

The Grand Cuvee, a fresh and reviving shimmering wine sourced from its prestigious vineyard in Mendocino, California, the XXIV karat bubbly experience is certain to bring exquisite taste and thrilling sensations by its brilliant fizzes.

The Grande Rose, a fresh and invigorating sparkling wine injected with liberal gold leaf that catches the energy of gutsy wine

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32 / XTRA

30.03.2018

AfA members on advocacy visit to INEC’s office in Owerri, Imo State

Alliance for Africa: Helping Women Attain Leadership Position Despite the odds, Alliances for Africa is working with the United Nations to help more women in the South-east get elected and appointed into political offices, writes Tobi Soniyi Even though it is becoming clearer that women have the ability to do well in leadership positions if given the opportunity, they continue to remain under-represented in politics especially in Africa and the Middle East.

In Nigeria, out of the 109 senators in the National Assembly, only nine are women. The House of Representatives has only 27 members out of 360. Of the 990 members of states' houses of assembly, only 54 are women.

Many factors are responsible for this. In Nigeria, obstacles to women attaining leadership positions are legion. Among these are cultures that treat women as inferior to men, electoral system skewed against women, men who could not understand why they should allow women to lead them and in some cases, women themselves have turned out to be obstacles to women emancipation.

As it is well known in political circle, democratic space is not usually conceded, women will have to fight for space. Helping women fight for this critical space is Alliances for Africa, a non for profit organisation based in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Using the five states in the South-east as pilot states, Alliances for Africa is pushing hard to change cultural perception that keeps women in perpetual bondage.

"Taking on these challenges is proving tougher, but we at Alliances for Africa believe that getting more women to hold political offices will not only benefit women but our country as a whole," said Blessing Duru, the Project Manager of the Alliances for Africa and United

Nations Entity for Gender Equality's progamme in South-eastern states.

The programme aims at supporting a full implementation of the 35 per cent affirmative action for women.

Despite promise by successive Nigerian leaders to ensure women hold 35 per cent of elective and appointive offices, there is no conscious effort to make sure that this lofty pledge becomes a reality. It is now left for women to find ways to break the barriers militating against their ambition.

Abia State's Commissioner for Special Duties and Vulnerable Groups, Precious Achumba, is one of the few women who have been on the field in a men-dominated race to get elected into public offices. She knows how difficulty this can be for women.

Speaking with THISDAY, she said: "Women have a lot of challenges. In this our area, our culture seriously dealt with women in that the women must be under the supervision of a man. That dealt with us seriously right from the birth.

"Women are finding it very difficult to rise from the family where they are born. From the olden days, they would say women you don’t have any plot and you don’t have any say and that when you get married you would find something to say in your husband’s place.

This thing has been happening and it is the cause of one of the biggest challenges women are facing in our society today."

Confirming some of the prejudices against women she said:"Right from our local govern-

ment and our wards they don’t see you as someone that can lead them. They don’t see you as somebody they can come and vote for.

They believe that women should stay in the kitchen and prepare food for them."

She however, acknowledged the changes that are taking place with the help of AfA and UN. "They have now found that women can become engineers, electricians, women are also performing very well in elective positions. But that has not been easy," she added.

As those engaged in helping women get empowered have discovered, women themselves are not helping matters. Many still don't believe that they have equal rights like men. A whole lot of women are ignorant of the 35 per cent affirmative action. In this regard, education and enlightenment campaign is key. The bad news, however, is that donors, mainly western institutions don't want to fund this. They simply cannot understand why in this age, many women still don't know or understand their rights. But that is the reality in Africa. It is tragic but it is the reality.”

Women will also be helping themselves by heeding the advice of the Abia State's Commissioner for Special Duties and Vulnerable Groups.

According to her, it now lies in the women to stand their ground, to prove to the society that they can perform. That they have the ability and that the only difference is just the gene.

She said: "God created you to be a man and the other person to be a woman. That the capacity, the strength, power and authority that men

possess, a woman also possesses it. And as for women who have been put in positions, some of them have performed very well, creditably well. Women are very honest when it comes to performance. They are very honest in what they are doing."

She also realises that no matter how hard they try, women still need men to help them climb up. “This is why she asked me to give women more chance. They should give them a level playing ground. Let them not have that notion because they are men, women should not go anywhere. No. Let them give the women a sense of belonging in terms of positions," she added.

In the South-east, Alliance for Africa, through its programmes, has been giving women a big enthusiasm towards getting positions for women and encouraging them to come out, to take their stand in the society. Through its programme, AfA has helped more women to appreciate the necessity for them to be in a position of authority.

The campaign in the South-east has shown early signs that women are getting the message.

There is therefore an urgent need not only to deepen the campaign in the five pilot states of Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states but to extend it to the states in the South-south which share some similarities with the Southeastern states.

But for civil society groups, funding is always a nightmare. AfA will need further help to ensure that women are not confined to 'the other room'.

33/ TRAVEL, LEISURE & TOURISM

30.03.2018

Arts and Culture: Beyond Dancing and Drumming Jonathan Eze likens the arts and culture sector to rough diamonds and urged government and the private sector to consider its economic imperatives with increased allocation and investments

Runsewe with Berom hunters in Plateau State

Many see arts and culture as simply nice-tohaves. They myopically consider the aesthetic values rather than looking beyond the pleasure and satisfactions that the sector provides.

But in reality, arts and culture are beyond dancing, drumming and painting or even weaving. They are just as important as well-maintained roads, bridges and other social infrastructure. Arts stimulates the minds with new ideas and experiences, they give the opportunity to become more creative. Arts and culture are infrastructure for the mind.

A vibrant arts and culture community is the easiest way to make money and re-bounce or consolidate any economy. A better reason why the economy needs a strong cultural scene is that it helps to attract and retain labour.

This is especially important for cities trying to draw smart professionals from around the world. The best and brightest workers are global citizens, and if they (or their families) are not pleased with the cultural amenities, they won't come.

It is therefore economically imperative for the Nigerian government, the National Assembly and private sector to invest in arts and culture.

Delightfully, the country has a ministry for same but most importantly is a dedicated government agency, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) that is adequately equipped with human resources that can help government spearhead this resurgence of a seemingly dormant sector.

If what was demonstrated in the last quarter of 2017 under the man many often refer to as Tourism and Culture doyen, Otunba Segun Runsewe, could be given proper interpretation, then proper funding of the arts and culture sector is the surest platform for yet another diversification of the country’s economy.

Between September and October last year, a spirited and welcomed effort was made by Runsewe-led National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC) to reposition the culture sector within the expected parameters of possible economic game changing efforts with platform of research and development (R&D) to help guide its bankable future.

His first enduring step to lift the sector out of penury and bleak future is through the provision of seed funding of about 300

million naira provided by Bank of Industry (BOI) which clearly changed long held perception that culture is about mere dancing and drumming. That critical intervention was not lost on the powers that appointed Runsewe to use culture to create jobs and empower the artistic community in Nigeria.

Though the business of NCAC is to forward and surety the names of individual or corporate organisations in the sector to process and use the BOI fund to generate more business and employ help hands, Runsewe’s message to government and Nigerians can only find meaning in the fact that Nigeria’s culture content needs good money to get good hands to propel a competitive arts and culture products and market same within and outside our shores.

For a long time, the media broke tradition placed this breakthrough on covers of most national newspapers and the World Cultural Council took note. Runsewe also listed a rebranded African Arts and Crafts Expo and the National Arts and Culture festival as key drives of a new full blown culture economy in 2018. That event with over 30 international countries presence cannot go unrated as one of the biggest event of 2017.

Nigeria can truly get it right with these prime NCAC culture events as next oil if this administration could go beyond rhetoric and support Runsewe’s effort to restructure NCAC. Indeed, herein lays positive insight into 2018 for culture and tourism revival for Nigeria.

Again, the grains of temptation is to see the NCAC effort rubbing off positively on rural economy, empowering arts and craft makers, sculptors and creating dance and drama entrepreneurs, thereby restoring our long lost moonlight gatherings at village squares and community based entertainment calendar.

Apart from providing the nation some commonsense lessons in ease of doing cultural business, the game plan finds sustainable bearing on providing jobs and empowering government presence at rural areas. Cultural festivals as business and to which NCAC wish to introduce into the Nigerian economic recovery plan do have a feature of research and documentation window which can be leveraged to coordinate sustainable Master

Plan for the sector.

Do we then begin to project what to come in terms of human capacity development, profit expectation and bankable investments if NCAC sticks to this vision statement? At a burst to grow population of about 180 million people with active workforce of about 60 per cent, the road to our economic recovery through culture and tourism activities looks attractive and interesting, very interesting in 2018.

The hospitality sector is another goldmine that can help the economy financially. As earlier stated, the pangs of suffocation in the hospitality sector largely encouraged by multiple taxation and absence of key drivers of the business such as security, regular power supply indeed add up to present a bleak future for the sector.

However, weak naira and a daring and never say die population with huge appetite and hunger to discover new things, will possibly lead investors to gradually reverse trends of investments in this sector.

There are hopes of emerging budget hotels, apartments and hostels with most rural communities as beneficiaries of this trend.

Herein lies future investments and presence of hospitality sector beyond 2018 as Nigerians in urban areas are gradually getting fed up with same, same hospitality services and pollution in city centres across Nigeria, I can bet on apartments and hostels competing with hotels for patronage in 2018. One lesson which the downturn of the economy has taught most homes and corporate organisations with limited budgets on travel and holiday is to cut down on luxury stays and bank on outfits and services that could provide middle line services and facilities without drying out the pocket. This pocket friendly expectation and projection will possibly influence the message to repackage our hospitality services and market same outside our shores. Is there anything here that Nigeria may teach the world of hospitality? 2018 is sure full with surprises on all legs and fronts.

To harness the potential of this sector, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has to imbibe the capacity to coordinate and empower new and old entrants to flourish in the tourism environment just the way Runsewe did when he sold Nigerian tourism

to the world. The extant law of NTDC even though was challenged in court in 2013 by the Lagos State Government, the drivers of that critical government tourism intervention organisation remains the major problem of tourism in Nigeria.

So the best way to go and what to expect is a strong presence of NCAC providing the needed platform for service providers in the industry to interact and share experiences. We can’t live in denial to the fact that government policies do one way or the other manifest to critically shape any aspect of the Nigerian economy. All the postulations that tourism is a private sector driven initiative has never received balanced appraisal of when and what empowers the private sector to be at the fore front of this expectation.

Until, stakeholders address this question with an open mind devoid of half- truths and deceptive manipulation of official instrument of national business engagement, this industry and the investors will continue to grope in darkness.

The industry outlook in 2018 sure gives something to cheer about but it will be modest achievement presenting Nigeria as a gift destination with potential to provide gains to government and investors if Nigeria could manage well the process of tourism rebound.

This fact can therefore not be overemphasised.

Nigeria can make a mountain out of the seemingly mole-like art and culture sector.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, should accord a prime place to NCAC. He should as a matter of urgency empower the agency with campaigns and opportunities that will enable Runsewe translate the successes he had at NTDC also to NCAC. In the same vein, the National Assembly should increase budgetary allocation to this arts and culture agency so they can roll out their plans and blueprint for the New Year. The recent and consistent campaign to be non-oil dependent can begin with this sector and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari would have reaped the benefits of investing and resurging the arts and culture sector.

Beyond rhetoric, the agency can tap from the wealth of experience of Runsewe and turn-around the seemingly comatose sector to a rejuvenated one.

34/XTRA

30.03.2018

French Embassy Partners LASG, UNILAG to Tackle Gender Inequality Peace Obi In the spirit of collective action in the campaign against gender inequality, the Afe Babalola Hall, University of Lagos on Thursday March 8, 2018, saw the convergence of diplomats, government officials, academics, Nollywood, students, men and women from all walks of life in commemoration of this year's International Women's Day (IWD). The panelists shared their views on the theme, ‘Gender Expectations and Unequal Power Relationships in the Nigerian Society’ and was moderate by Tabia Princewill.

Welcoming the participants to the 2018 IWD celebration, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, said that the institution of higher learning is committed to the course of women empowerment through quality education and training that ultimately weakens the forces that fan the embers of gender disparities around the world.

The Deputy VC, who was represented by Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy noted that given available statistics, Nigeria still has a long way to go in realising gender parity in the country.

According to her, "40 per cent of Nigerian

L-R: Administrative Secretary International Relation Partnership (IRP) UNILAG; Mr. Femi Keshinro, French Senator and Educationist; Senator Claudine Lepage, Nollywood actor, Rita Dominic; Lagos State Coordinator of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi; French Consul General, Laurent Polonceaux; Prof Sophie Oluwole of UNILAG, French Cooperation and Cultural attaché, Aurélien Sennacherib; Tabia Princewill and Dr.Ibrahim Ismail of IRP UNILAG, at the event in Lagos

women are said to be entrepreneurs, the highest in the world. Yet, most of them are small and medium business owners in an economy driven by men." Adding that the inequality between

men and women in Nigeria is further reflected in the lower number of women elected into the present National Assembly - a decline from what was achieved in 2011.

Ogunsola recommended that education be prioritised, especially for women and that Nigeria can learn from Rwanda's experience. "Rwanda has an improved number of women in positions of leadership. The country has made tremendous improvement. They prioritise education for women. Nigeria women can learn from this," Ogunsola said.

The French Consul General, Laurent Polonceaux speaking with THISDAY said that the French Embassy was deliberate in its partnership with the Lagos State Government and UNILAG. According to the diplomat, it is part of the country's efforts geared at changing the world's perception about women.

And to ensure that women all over the world are not denied their rights. "The target is just to change the vision of the woman in the society, be it in Nigeria or in French.

Around the world, 52 per cent of humanity are women. When you see the difference in jobs, treatment in education, in health that exist between men and women, you will realise that there is a long way to go. And even if there is progress, there is still a long way to change things," Polonceaux said.

VP Inspects KAZTEC Fabrication Yard, Optimistic About Job Creation Lawal Kehinde Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has expressed optimism that more jobs would be created through production of local contents in the engineering and construction industry.

Osinbanjo who made this known , recently during his inspection tour of Kaztec Engineering Limited projects in Snake Island, Lagos, expressed delight about the engineering facilities being developed in the area saying that there is need to integrate them to the oil industries.

Established in 2005, Kaztec is one of the fastestgrowing engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) companies in Nigeria.

The company which has already completed several projects, extended one of it fabrication yard to the Snake Island with Addax Petroleum Development Company as its technical partner.

It is the first fully owned indigenous fabrication yard in Nigeria.

Osinbajo who was represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, said he was impressed with such huge amount of project being carried out at the yard, noting that the tour to the site is to draw investors’ attention to the site, which will

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu (2nd right), Chairman KAZTAC Engineering Ltd Sir Emeka Ofor (4th right), Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Philip Shuaibu (5th right), Senator Ken Nnamani (3rd left), during the official tour of the minister to the KAZTEC facility at the Snake Island in Lagos

also create more jobs and business capacity for people.

According to him, “the project is massive, and there is capability towards the support the company will need. The whole work those in the local content are doing and that of the federal government has been decentralised.”

He noted that the local investments coming to

the industries with a four to five years projection, is close to N40 billion.

“The government is creating an enabling environment that will end delays in the country’s products and with such projects as the KAZTEC facilities yard, it will make the products of the country cheaper and that is why the government has been supporting local contents projects and

products.

The Chairman of Kaztec, Sir. Emeka Ofor told journalists that the new project after completion would be a one-stop-place for fabrication of offshore platforms, large offshore modules, FPSO refurbishment and new build jackets.

“It would also provide facilities like pipe mill, pipe coating, dry and floating dock, logistics, supply base and skills development and satisfaction of all the project delivery needs of oil and gas companies doing business in Nigeria and provide jobs for Nigerians.”

He said the project will need a full support from the federal government, as this will enable the company to create more jobs and attract more investors to the country.

Some of the dignitaries who attended the inauguration of the project include; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwummi Ambode who was represented by his Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olajide Idris.

The inauguration which emphasises the aim of the company in the fabrication of drilling and production platforms, as well as other specialised structures in the oil and gas industry, including provision of full range of design, construction and maintenance services.

I’m Impressed With the Quality of Work at British/Canadian School, Says Ayade Sunday Ehigiator Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade says he is impressed with the quality of work ongoing at the site of the British/Canadian International School in Obudu Local Government Area of the state.

Ayade, who said this at Kakum in Obudu shortly after inspecting the site, maintained that the idea of modelling a school of such standard emanated from the challenges of quality education.

"I am impressed with the quality of work and not too happy with the speed. The idea for establishing this school arose from the challenges of quality education. I do know that painting classrooms does not change the

quality of education neither does it improve the quality and learning, hence my zeal to make a difference.

‘We keep saying that education standard is falling. How do we change it? Not building more classes but if I take one classroom, let me do it properly so that when you are in United Kingdom and you come here, you will say, wooh, is this Nigeria?" Ayade said.

The governor who disclosed that he earlier took a tour of the best schools in Canada and Britain, as well as spent two weeks in the United Kingdom to participate in the design of the project, argued that "there is no way a child will grow and study under this condition that he will not be responsible."

Giving insight on the features of the school

which is being built in partnership with the British Academy, Ayade said, "it has an administrative block, refectory, 24/7 internet connectivity in the library, better laboratory furniture than those found in Nigeria universities and professionally inclined white teachers that will be mixed race.

So, this is like a mini university built for a junior secondary school.

"I don't expect any quality of teaching better than what we have here and I don't expect any junior secondary school to have the standard and quality of what I am building here because as a professor, it is my responsibility to make a difference."

Ayade explained that, "because of the sophistication of this institution, this will be one major school to beat in the entire state and it will

produce future technocrats, the ICT wizards and all the computer engineers will be trained here."

On whether the school will be affordable, the governor said, "if you are an indigene of Cross River, once you pass your entrance into this school, your tuition is fully prepared, so the poorest man child who is brilliant can come to this school but the entrance examination will be thorough. Once you attend a primary school, you write the entrance examination to the school and this will be done across Africa."

Project manager of the construction company charged with building the school, Phil-El Okoye, assured that the company will not compromise the approved standard of the school, adding that, "there exist cordial relationship between the workers and the community."

N'Delta Youths: Leadership Failure to Blame for Region’s Woes Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Niger Delta youths from the nine oil-producing states have blamed what they described as ‘perennial leadership failure' for the region's underdevelopment, despite the huge monies appropriated and expended by the federal and state governments as well as interventionist agencies.

The youths spoke during a meeting comprising Itsekiri, Urhobo and Ijaw youth leaderships, as part of what they said was the ongoing engagement with ethnic groups in the area.

While one of the groups, Pan Niger Delta Leadership Forum (PANDLEAF), was led by its President Richard Akinaka, the Itsekiri, Ijaw and Urhobo groups were led by Mr. Abateyiniro Weyinmi, Eric Omare and Festus Igherebuo

respectively.

Akinaka noted that after years of budgeting and purportedly spending trillions of naira, the region had nothing to show.

"For instance, after the first two to three years of the establishment the NDDC, the agency has perpetually become an instrument in the hands of those who control Abuja from the region to finance elections.

“Our region is not without resources or institutions but our region only lacks accountable leadership. The problem of the region is that of perennial leadership failure. We are embarking on this engagement with ethnic youth leaders to instil a renewed sense of responsibility,” the youth leader said.

Akinaka told the gathering that though militancy

in the past was intended to draw attention to the marginalisation of the region by the federal government and the multinationals, the phase caused more woes as it led to the relocation of economic activities to other areas.

“So, we must take deliberate steps to advance peace to cause these companies to relocate back to the region,” he added.

Akinaka explained that the ethnic youth leadership engagement exercise was not a political movement but the gathering of youths irrespective of political affiliation.

Also speaking, a member of the National Executive of PANDLEAF, Dr. Selekaye Victor-Ben, noted that the poor leadership problem identified was caused by the imposition of political leaders on the people of the region.

"Most of the young men imposed on us have failed because they listen to the dictates and old ideology of their sponsors.

"We must unite and stand up for peace and development in the region. The youths of the present Niger Delta must come together and uplift the unity and cohesive development of the region. " President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Omare, warned the youth leaders to be prepared for anything, stressing that those who benefited from the ills of the past will resist the new movement.

He expressed the need for peace and harmony among the ethnic groups, noting that they need to speak with one voice to be able to demand what is due the region from the Nigerian state.

35/ENTREPRENEUR

30.03.2018

I’m Very Passionate About Education Driven by a passion to impact positively on the education sector, Onyeka JaivboOjigbo, the administrator of Nemvas Schools and other like-minded fellows founded an advocacy platform, International Educational Management Network. In this interview with Mary Ekah, she reveals exactly the ills bedevilling the Nigerian educational system while outlining her personal motivation and objectives, as well as the thrust of her change-seeking educational organisation made those shoes. He spent some time to perfect his skills while schooling and now other people are learning from him. We are 180 million people. We need more of him to put shoes on our feet. That is what it means to have an edupreneur mind. You are educated and you have found out how to translate the education to a venture that will benefit everyone.

What exactly do you do?

I am an educational consultant. I was raised by my parents who were teachers and I am very passionate about education. At some point in my life, I knew I love knowledge and I want to impact the lives of people.

So, I decided to set up a school, a nursery and primary school, because I believe that is the foundation of education. That was how I came to running a school. In the process, I discovered a lot of issues in the sector.

Governments, too, are not regulating. They are not clear on what they want. We decided to have a platform, International Educational Management Network where we would get educators together people offering any kind of services in the education sector. We got together at a roundtable to ask ourselves what is going on and what can we do to save the situation. Obviously, the issues are beyond government. Everyone is a link in the chain teachers, students, parents. We talk about issues and we offer our own little solution, hopeful that we will be able to get to the decision-makers someday. We were able to get together professors from different universities, school owners, trained teachers as well as other educational consultants. Everybody volunteers his or her service. We publish our magazines.

Every year, we organise Education and Skills (EduSkill) Fair. We are currently working on getting a database of all the schools in each state, to know what their standards are and what is lacking.

Who is an educational consultant?

When you say you are a consultant in any sense, it means you have the expertise to look at problems in different dimensions.

Sometimes, we have simple things, compelling things, complicated things and chaotic things.

A consultant should be able to differentiate all of them. When things are simple, the solutions are there and everybody will get it; when things are complex, the solution may be there and nobody is seeing it; when they are complicated, there are so many solutions but you want to look for the best. To say you are an educational consultant, you must have that experience, you must have seen things in that sector. I cannot claim to be an educational consultant if I have not run a school before. I have run both primary and secondary schools. I have seen things.

I have had experience. I have also had the training. So I can counsel. I can advise on what school to go. I can look at a child and tell the learning problem the child is having.

You have to have those kinds of talents, then you are on your way to getting there.

There are a number of education fairs in the country. What makes yours unique?

Most education fairs are merely advertisements of schools. Ours is different because we are not telling you to go to any school, we are asking you to come and see that there is a vocation in education. There are a lot of manufacturing people involved in our EduSkills Fair. We do not just bring schools, we bring people with vocation they can add to education, such that when they come out of school, they don’t have to wait on the government for employment.

The first one we had last year was a resounding success. People came and were willing to offer their services. We had people from the fashion industry a massive industry now coming up and currently is employing a lot of Nigerians. We had people from catering, tourism and arts and culture. We teach people new skills.

You find that the way certain things are taught in this country is not proper. Children complain that Mathematics is too tough. This

As a professional, what are those professional ethics lacking in today’s teacher?

Teaching, as they say, is a no-thanks job. If you don’t have the mind of giving and just being dedicated, you are going to get frustrated when your salary is not paid. You are going to get frustrated when a child is not learning well. You must have that commitment. When I interview teachers, I always asked, why are you looking for this job? I frequently hear this statement: I just want to find something doing. That is wrong. My friends sometimes call me to say: My child has just finished national youth service. Can you employ him pending the time she would find something better? I don’t tell them my reason for saying no (You won’t want to offend your friend).

I simply tell them: I don’t have an opening now. You can’t come to a school with such mindset! It doesn’t go well with education at all. As a teacher, you need your total devotion.

Children are attached to their teachers than anyone else and they even look unto them as their role models. So, the commitment first, followed by proper training. That someone is a graduate doesn’t necessarily make him or her a teacher. If you employ such persons, you will need to spend money on training them.

Jaivbo-Ojigbo

is because it is not taught in a practical way.

Therefore, we are in alliance with a school in India, and as the country representatives, we have brought the AMA Abacus Academy here.

We showcased that in our last fair, teaching children that Mathematics is fun. There are several exciting ways of using the Abacus tools in ways that can be faster than the calculator. Things like that distinguish our EduSkill Fair. We have another one coming up in April.

How do you differentiate between someone that opened a school for business and someone who is passionate about education?

When you are doing something for business, you want to do so much at once to get your return on the investment. When you are doing something out of passion, money is not your driving force, but the result and where you are going. It is funny when I come to some schools found they are doing six different curriculums. They tell you they are doing LES, American curriculum and British curriculum.

You cannot be master of all and be using the same teachers to teach those different curriculums. They can’t possibly be having those three sets of teachers. Or did they really train them all? Those pieces of training are not cheap and you don’t get most of them in this country. These are little things you look for when you go school-hunting.

Who is an Edupreneur?

An edupreneur emphasises more on creativity.

As one, you begin to look at solutions. You see yourself as acquiring knowledge because there is a problem out there the knowledge will help solve. You find out that even simple repairs children are not able to do nowadays.

Children on holidays spend the whole time at the movies.

A child out of school on holiday should ideally go and learn computer, learn how to fix something. In my school, this is what we preach. We also encourage other members of the network who are school owners to make their students think differently. Let them think like entrepreneurs. People think that entrepreneurship is about owning a business. That you are an entrepreneur does not necessarily mean that you must have a business; you can be working somewhere and be adding values and be creating more opportunities in that place that is being entrepreneurial-minded.

Every child has got a skill, something he or she is good at without education. What education should do is to enhance that skill and make it productive. What we do instead is to neglect that and focus on education and white-collar jobs. The result is children cram to pass exams, and in the end, everybody is jobless.

In our last EduFair, we featured someone who makes shoes and people found it hard believing a Nigerian Engineering graduate

What do we need to do about it?

We keep sensitising the public like we are doing in the network. If we have everybody in every school, buying into what we are advocating, they will, at least, know what is right and what is expected of them. We are planning Teachers Awards for the end of the year. Schools would want their teachers to be part of the Best Teachers in Lagos State.

Therefore, they would have no choice other than to train them. If they keep hearing about a school that wins the Best Teacher Award, the public would want to take their children there. This is one of the strategies we are planning.

As for schools that are not keyed in yet, when they see that those best teachers are not coming from them, they would want to look at it what is it they are doing wrong.

What is your advice for teachers?

Teachers that are committed should just go on being committed. There is always a reward. It may not come in the form of money. Sometimes, the students you have taught could do very big things for you. For example, my mother was a teacher, and at some point had taught a lot of people who became influential. One of her pupils became a military administrator of a state and made her a board member of that states university. There is always a reward for committed teachers, even from the government. At some points, Babatunde Fashola, during his time as Lagos State governor, rewarded teachers with cars.

You don’t really know when your reward will come.

In the overall educational structure in Nigeria, where does your concern lie?

I have greater concern for the primary school - from early childhood education 0 to 8 years. The child’s brain is like a sponge.

Beyond 8, from 10 upward to 15, it is a bit of a struggle to put a value system in a child.

Primary school is the foundation.

36/COLLAGE

L-R: Mrs. Abibat Samsideen; Mrs. Olayemi Olajuwon; celebrant, Mrs. Oluwakemi Ganiyat Abalagada; Mrs. Oluwaseyi Mustapha and Mrs. Idowu Folashade Olasupo, during a birthday get-together party, in honour of Mrs. Abalagada, organised by her husband, in Otta, Ogun State....recently KOLA OLASUPO

30.03.2018

L-R: Head of Leaf, British American Tobacco (BAT), West Africa Area, Kayode Oshodi; Area Head, Corporate Affairs, West Africa, BAT, Abimbola Okoya; Chairman, Oyo State Steering Committee on Child Labour, Mr Biodun Ajibade; Director of Operations, BAT, West Africa, Charles Kyalo; and Chairman, Nigeria Independent Tobacco Association (NITA), Mr Rasheed Bakare, during the 2018 BAT Nigeria Farmers’ Awards Ceremony at the BATN factory recreation ground, Ibadan, Oyo State,..recently

L-R: Apostle Francis Oshundina; Pastor Adewale Giwa; Dr. Stephen Adenikan; Onigode of Igode, Oba Jamiu Sule-Onosipe; Chief Isola Ajenomo;. Apostle. Moses Rufai; and . Apostle. Yekinni Akinbanjo, during the visit by members of Imole Ayo Cherubim & Seraphim Modern Church, Bariga branch Lagos to Monarch Onigode of Igode in Ogun State...recently

Founder, lndependent Shareholder Association of Nigeria, Sir Sunny Nwosu flanked by his children and grand children as he celebrated his 65th birthday in Laagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

L-R: Head, Health Safety and Environment, Ikeja Electric, Jamiu Badmos; Chief Human Resource Officer , Ikeja Electric, Ibiene Okoleke; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Head , Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofolue; and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, UNILAG, Ben Oghojafor, during the presentation of Ikeja Electric's Power Play Board Game to University of Lagos at Akoka, Lagos...recently KOLA ALl

L-R: Executive Director, Services, Midwestern Oil and Gas, Chris Omoru; Managing Director, Midwestern Oil and Gas, Mr. Charles Odita; General Manager, Mart Resources, Okechukwu Emeh and Executive Director, Technical, Victor Okolo, during the unveiling of Mart's new brand identity and logo in Lagos, recently.

L-R Senior Official, Peak Milk Ltd, Ikeja, Lagos, Rotn Maroof Adeola; Public Relations and Media Consultant, Elder Aramide Tola Noib; President, Rotary Club of Lagos Island, District 9110 Rotary International, Rotn Sanjeev Tandon; Past Assistant. Governor, Rotn Steve Bossy; Tolarams Group Senior Executive, Mr Piyush Agarwal; Project Coordinator, Rotn Manoj Dhanusa, General Manager, Corporate Finance, Tolarams ISHK Group, Mrs. Bukola Bakare at the Free Blood Donation Camp Project sponsored by the Club in conjunction with the Tolarams ISHK Group Ltd Foundation in Lagos...recently.

37/ THISLIFE

30.03.2018

Ugwuanyi

Ugwuanyi: Celebrating the Peoples’ Governor at 54 Chinenye Ezeah On March 20, 1964, there was a birth of a bouncing baby boy in Ugwuanyi's family in Orba in the present Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. He was named Lawrence Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi. The name Ifeanyichukwu, which simply means Nothing Pass God started manifesting in his life early enough. He grew up an outstanding child, clothing himself with humility, reticence, honesty and diligence.

After his primary education, he proceeded to the prestigious St. Theresa’s College, Nsukka, from where he gained admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He obtained a B.Sc. degree in Finance and M.Sc. degree in Marketing (Public Relations). He also obtained MBA degree in Finance and another MBA degree in Accountancy from Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

After a prosperous career as the Chief Executive Officer of Premier Brokers Limited which was the prime Insurance broking firm in the South-east zone of the country and owned by the five states in the zone and ACB Bank, Ugwuanyi made a mark as a great manager both human and material resources.

His philanthropy and strong belief in human empowerment singled him out among his peers. It was as result of this, coupled with God’s special grace that he was lured into active politics by his people, who believed he would be a good leader and perfect representative of the people.

No wonder Ugwuanyi’s foray into active politics since 2003 has been without disappointment, but abundant blessings to mankind.

That was why after his election into the House of Representatives to represent Igbo Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency in 2003, he was re-elected twice, making him the longest serving member of National Assembly in Enugu North Senatorial zone.

While in the House for 12 years of three terms, Ugwuanyi proved his worth by making meaningful contributions on the floor of the House, sponsoring bills and holding

leadership positions in vital committees.

Within this era, Ugwuanyi positively and silently touched lives of many people within and outside his constituency; an action that made his people conferred on him the title of Dunu Gburugburu of Orba.

In 2015, while still in the House of Representatives as a member, divine circumstances and the people beckoned on him to offer himself to serve as governor of Enugu State on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This marked the beginning of new dawn in Ugwuanyi’s leadership role.

After little challenge during his party’s governorship primaries, God in line with Ugwuanyi’s name Ifeanyichukwu (Nothing Pass God) made it possible for him to emerge the authentic PDP governorship candidate with the massive support of the people. He won the election landslide.

On assumption of office, Ugwuanyi faced major challenges, which include the paucity of fund, due to the crash in oil price. This was enough to deter any leader, but Ugwuanyi faced it with stoicism and prudence. He quickly brought his managerial prowess and leadership acumen to bear by reforming and repositioning the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The result is that today apart from Rivers and Lagos, Enugu has the most improved IGR across the country.

His government has taken infrastructural developments to the rural areas to open it up for accessibility and even developments. The completed roads in the state include dualised Opi-Nsukka Road, Post Office Roundabout-Odenigbo RoundaboutOgurugu-Ikenga Hotel Junction Road and the Obechara Junction-Umuakashi-Mechanic Village-Ikenga Hotels Junction Road both in the University town of Nsukka. Others are: Amaeke-Ngwo-Nsude-9th Mile By-pass Road in Udi Local Government Area and the Airport Roundabout/Orie Emene Road in Enugu East Local Government Area. While the list is endless, lack of space here is a major constraint in outlining all of them.

Even now that most first term governors are obsessed with the politics of 2019, Ugwuanyi

is not distracted as he has continued to focus on developmental projects across the state.

His development strides cuts across all sector of the economy of the state.

Several new contracts that were awarded

by Ugwuanyi which include Obollo Eke Junction-Agala-Okpaligbo Junction, Ohom Orba-Amajioka-Umuikeoha-Agu Orba, and Okpu Agu Orba Road, both in Udenu Local Council. Others are Ogurute-MkpamuteIgogoro-Ikpamodo-Okpo-Amaja Road (phase 1), Ogurute-Umuogbo Ulo-Isiugwu-UmuopuEtte Road and others are being executed at a speed pace.

While most state governments and their workers are always at loggerhead over nonpayment of salaries and allowances, workers in Enugu State have continued to receive their salary 23th of every month since Ugwuanyi assumed office. The workers have not only endorsed Ugwuanyi for second term, they have fervently prayed for him and conferred several awards on him. One of the awards was ‘The Most Workers’ Friendly Governor in Nigeria’. Many communities, groups, associations including religious bodies and civil society organisations have endorsed Ugwuanyi for second term ahead of 2019. Saying that Ugwuanyi enjoys overwhelming support and followership of majority of the residents of Enugu State is an understatement.

One thing many Nigerians, especially those outside Enugu may have not observed or know is that Ugwuanyi is a home, grassroots and handy governor, who is always there and accessible by his people, when it matters most. He is not a ghost or Diaspora governor, who spends most of his time outside his state. While most of the governors are always globetrotting in the name of searching for investors, Ugwuanyi, without much noise or travels has made Enugu an investment destination through his achievements in office. It would be recalled that since he assumed office, he has only travelled abroad once. That is why the name Gburugburu is reverberating at all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Since his coming into office, Enugu has

witnessed absolute peace, security of lives and property. There is no cult clashes, political fights or security crisis. Ugwuanyi carries every stakeholder in the state along irrespective of party affiliation, religion, status or tribe. Even members of opposition in the state that are neither here nor there can testify Ugwuanyi’s massive popularity in the state, which is as result of his outstanding performance in office as governor.

Ugwuanyi’s actions and inactions have greatly endeared him to the people of Enugu.

His works speak for him. His style engenders peace and joy. At 54, Ugwuanyi has not only provided good governance, he has shown leadership. He has shown that leadership is not a rocket science, but about serving the people selflessly at all times.

That is why it is not surprising that from Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Senator Jim Nwobodo, Senator Ken Nnamani, Ex-IGP, Ogbonnia Onovo, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, workers, teachers, Okada riders, rural dwellers, traders to others in the state, testimonies and confessions about Gburugburu and his unprecedented good works in Enugu are the same. No wonder, the universal slogan in that state today is: “Enugu is in the hand of God.” So what else does Nigerians need to know that come 2019, Enugu State is up for Gburugburu without much ado? This is because Ugwuanyi has indeed done the needful to deserve his people’s massive support come 2019. Already the political atmosphere in the state does not indicate otherwise.

Meanwhile, there is nothing wrong saying that Ugwuanyi remains a case study for Nigeria’s present leaders, especially the state governors, who are finding it difficult to run the affairs of their states. A trip to Enugu for a leadership tutorial will make a difference. After all, there is no shame and limit to learning. Life and leadership is all about learning and not grabbing power for self-aggrandisement, material acquisition and intimidation of the people.

Ezeah, a public commentator wrote from Aku in Igbo-Etiti of Enugu State

38/OPINION

30.03.2018

ADEOLAAKINREMI HOME TRUTHS!

adeola.akinremi@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0811 675 9785

L-R: Tinubu and Oyegun

The Bourdillon’s Triumph and Humbling of Oyegun If the message this week about the illegitimacy of the tenure elongation for the All Progressives Congress chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, isn’t quite the end of Oyegun’s politics in APC, it is undoubtedly the beginning of the end.

President Muhammadu Buhari, asserting his authority over the party this week, technically ended Oyegun’s tenure with a subtle notice to him to prepare the party's national secretariat for a new landlord.

“I think if we deviate from the constitutional provisions, we might be endangering the fortunes of our party,” Buhari said. “If the tenure of our party executives can be legally faulted, then it means that any nominations and primary elections that they may conduct can also be faulted.”

It was a bigger blow to Oyegun’s aspiration to lead the party during this election cycle.

He didn’t see it coming.

To have the victory, Tinubu has said that “President Buhari showed principle and courage by steering the party back to its original and correct path. His action has saved the party from serious legal turmoil… such a predicament would constitute an unnecessary and mortal blow to the party and its role in promoting progressive governance to Nigeria.”

But one inescapable fact is that Buhari truly needs to sacrifice Oyegun to win in the next cycle of elections since he’s determined to run again against counsel.

To succeed in his re-election campaign, Buhari must win Lagos, where a national leader of APC and the custodian of its history, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu holds the fire power.

With the bullying tactics of politics, Tinubu has made it clear to those who understand his political style that APC cannot go into the next election with Oyegun as chairman of the party. The sins of Oyegun are many, clearly.

In September 2016, Tinubu said: “From the party’s inception, the principles of democratic fairness and justice were to guide APC internal deliberations… Chairman John Oyegun has breached these good pledges in a most overt and brazen display. In doing so, Oyegun

has dealt a heavy blow to the very party he professes to lead. It is an awful parent who suffocates his own child for the sake of a few naira. The party was supposed to buttress APC members elected to government at all levels. Because of Oyegun’s conduct of our affairs, the party is rapidly becoming an albatross to those it was meant to help.”

That statement came from Tinubu after humiliation he suffered in Ondo State, following the election of Rotimi Akeredolu, as party flag bearer in a controversial party primary for governorship election in the state.

In a “you’re undermining my presidential assignment,” letter to Oyegun in February, Tinubu said: “Instead of being a bulwark of support as promised, you positioned yourself in active opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of the APC. As a party, we have strived to be the best, present hope for the nation.

Yet, your goal appears to be something of a lesser pedigree."

These heavy words from a party leader who holds no particular executive position to the chairman of his own party could have been used to chase Tibubu out of APC, but the stake that Tinubu has in APC is much more than the position of any executive. He’s a de facto party leader and navigator.

Ostensibly, when Buhari sided with Tinubu this week to speak against tenure elongation for Oyegun, he was not just interested in political fairness or constitution of APC, he has his eyes on the ball: Lagos voters.

This is the arithmetic. The Independent National Electoral Commission’s statistics shows that the North-west geopolitical zone has the highest number of registered voters in the country with a total of 18,505,984 voters as of January 2018. The next region is the South-west zone, with a total number of 14,626,800 registered voters.

In these South-west votes is Tinubu’s fire power. This is what former President Goodluck Jonathan knew in 2011 that made him built an alliance with Tinubu to get Lagos votes and some states of the South-west, except Osun State, though they were in different

political parties.

The figure for Lagos voters today is in the region of 6,048,156, making the state the biggest in terms of voters’ power in the country. Kano comes second with 5,149,070 voters. INEC is expecting about 80 million voters across the country by December, the deadline set for registration of voters.

As it is, Buhari could pull off a win as long as there are no surprises in seven solidly APC states in the North-west, including Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and he clears Lagos votes.

The North-west has the largest registered voters with Kano—one of the North-west states— having second biggest voting power in the country.

Of course, it is important that Buhari gains at least 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states before he can be declared winner in the 2019 elections. That mathematics still favours him as long as he has Tinubu on his side. With overwhelming Lagos votes and the whole of North-west (his own region where his popularity is surging) for him, Buhari only needs to maintain leads in the rest of the country to win a re-election.

Sadly with the way we run our politics, key election issues such as security, education, economy, infrastructure building and corruption will not be major driver of the 2019 elections.

We are just 11 months to the elections with no sustained debates or street protests against certain poor policies of Buhari government, the Malabu malady, official sleaze that have been reported against people serving in this government and the herdsmen debacle.

Naturally, the world’s famous richest man and co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates doesn’t intervene in government affairs, though he’s a big funder of many of Nigeria’s social programmes, his hometruth to Buhari this week on his economic blueprint should energise Nigerians to demand for true progressive government on pressing social issues the same way young people trooped out in America last Saturday to demand action against gun violence.

I believe Gates’ statement on President Buhari’s Blueprint is the opposite of the mendacious tales that the president is aware of about his administration, though Gates is not saying anything new.

The present economic templates being used by the Muhammadu Buhari government according to Gates, is not cutting to the heart of the unique needs of Nigerians at present.

In essence, the philanthropist and founder of Microsoft Corporation seems to be reminding us of a wasted nearly three-year period of this government to achieve better life for Nigerians.

This is what Gates is saying in one breath: “Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.”

That quote is not Gates’. It is the preamble of the Goal 1 of the Sustainable Development Goal—end poverty in all its forms everywhere—which Nigeria pledged to achieve.

It is now highly unlikely that Buhari will be defeated, if he contests the next election, simply because of our dysfunctional political process that limits electorate power to seek revenge at the poll.

But Gates has chosen to bring his influence into political debates in Nigeria by telling Buhari to make Nigerians thrive. “If you invest in their health, education, and opportunities- the human capital we are talking about today, then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognise that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow,” he said.

He has re-echoed what many Nigerians have said that “People without roads, ports and factories can’t flourish. And roads, ports and factories without skilled workers to build and manage them can’t sustain an economy.”

Will Buhari listen?

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2018

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

40

CITYSTRINGS

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

Founder, Chelsea School, Mr. Dan Igbokwe, presenting the trophy to Green House at the 4th Biennial Inter-house Sports competition of Chelsea School, Satellite Town, Lagos... recently

A Thriller Sporting Fiesta The fourth biennial inter-house sports competition of Chelsea School in Lagos was fun packed and a day like no other. Peter Uzoho who covered the event, reports

T

he fourth biennial inter-house sports competition of Chelsea School also known as Kel-Chelsea School was held on Friday, February 9, 2018 with fun, glamour, intense contest for trophy and, with maximum spirit of sportsmanship. The school, a combination of nursery, primary and high school is reputed for its quality teaching and learning and ensuring mental, physical, psychological and moral development of a child.

Its inter-house sports festival which holds every two years is part of theschool’s extracurricular activities targeted at developing pupils andstudents physically, as well as discovering their talents and skillsin sports.

The theatre of games for this year’s edition was the First Bank of Nigeria’s Sports Complex, situated in Satellite Town, Lagos, where some of the spectacular activities at Olympics were replicated.

As early as 7a.m, exciting young school children dazzling in Red,Yellow, Blue and Green sports wears, representing Ekwulugo, Francis, Ogile and Yekwe respectively (the four house owners in the school),were brought into the venue in company of their parents, guardians and caregivers. They had been engaged in series of practices and heatswhere each house selected the best athletes for the showdown. With hardworking house masters and mistresses, each of the houses promisedto put up great fight to clinch the trophy.

The venue was well set for the show. The field of play had been markedinto visible tracks for convenient racing. High-table members, guests,parents and guardians were seated in a canopy close to the racetake-off point to enable them catch full glimpses of every bit of the

proceedings. House members and their officials settled in canopiespositioned directly opposite the high table members where the athletes were called up from. The medical team was also on ground to respond to injury cases. The DJ’s presence never lacked one bit as he provided the needed sounds and tunes while working in synergy with the Master of Ceremony. All finishing touches had been made, setting the stage ready for action.

To excite the guests and put them in warm mood, pop girls and dancersappeared on stage with their heart-warming dance steps and freestyles

We are keen on building our students’ intellect.

However, since that is not enough, we are also concerned about their character formation.

When it comes to the development of physical aptitudes, we work as a team to bring out the best in our students. Our school environment is conducive for teaching and learning

which left the guests smiling and returning applause to them. This wasfollowed by the match past competition where all houses tried to outshine the other and emerge winner as each paid great attention to the three grading systems – dressing, response to command and unity ofsalutation.To officially kick-start the occasion, the school’s Proprietress, Mrs.Adaoma Igbokwe, in her address, warmly welcome all the guests and theparticipating houses and officials to the event. She said sports is valued not just for entertainment and improvement of the physicalwell-being but, also for the exposure it gives and the enormous wealthit brings.

Igbokwe explained that sport is one of the three domains of education:cognitive, affective, and psychomotor, stressing that the highestfunction of education is to bring about an integrated individualcapable of dealing with life as a whole.

She stated that ChelseaSchool has interest in meeting the demands of the three domains.

“We are keen on building our students’ intellect. However, since that is not enough, we are also concerned about their character formation.When it comes to the development of physical aptitudes, we work as ateam to bring out the best in our students. Our school environment isconducive for teaching and learning,” Igbokwe said.

“Just as all play and no work makes students lazy, all work and noplay makes them dull. That is why we have filed out here this yearagain in pursuit of sporting excellence. It is therefore, our ferventhope that this edition will be an improvement on the last one,” theProprietress noted.

She called on the participating houses and all concerned in theactivities to approach the

game with the spirit of sportsmanship,pointing out that the event was intended to showcase talents and skillsand not for war.

In the same vein, the Chairman of the occasion, Rev. Paul Chikwem, who was represented by his wife, Favour, said the event shows the commitment everyone in the school has for sports.

“I’m sure we will witness athletic performance of the highest qualityover the course of this championship,” he said.

Chikwem advised the competitors to do their best and compete in thespirit of sportsmanship and fair-play, noting that the event wouldgive them the opportunity to come closer to each other.

“Certainly, each of you will put skills and talents against youropponents from other teams.

I encourage you all to also make the most out of this wonderful opportunity to showcase the best athletictalents and spirit of sportsmanship.

Sports makes you stronger andhealthier and, also teaches us to accept defeat and celebrate victory– these lessons later become building blocks for success in life,” hesaid.

To ensure that athletes, officials and all concerned in the racesplayed by the rules of the game and with high spirit of sportsmanship,the sports oath was administered on them.

However, before this finale show, some of the major events – the longdistance races, tyre race, high jump, shot put and javelin whereathletes from the High School featured prominently, had been decided.

Over 36 field and track events including side attractions werecompeted for. The side attractions featured such races like fillingthe basket, filling the bottle, catching the bus to school, slippersrace, bursting the balloon, sack

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

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CITYSTRINGS

Senior athletes running one of the long distance races for girls

Green and Yellow Houses battling it out in a tug of war during the sports competition

A cross section of the four competing houses in Chelsea School’s 4th Biennial Inter-house Sports competition held at the First Bank Sports field, satellite Town, Lagos...recently

Children competing in filling the bottle

race, tug of war, among others.

Meanwhile, as the events unfolded, and as it obtains in every contest,the competing houses and their supporters in their optimism alreadydeclared themselves winners of the competition, writing off theiropponents.

A parent, Mrs. Chioma Ekwulugo, owner of Red House, whose children also made up the house, said the programme was going on fine and that their house would carry the trophy.

“It’s going very fine. I hope we will carry the trophy at the end ofthe day. We have a great team; our athletes are good. So I’m confidentwe’ll win.

Green House won it last year and we intend to collect itfrom them this time,” Ekwulugo said.

An athlete in Blue House, Miss Praise Esom, said: “We’ll win and carrythe trophy. We’re wellprepared for it. We’re not afraid of any team.

Our leaders are behind us, so we’ll win.”

The House Mistress for Blue House, Mrs. Mary Ayinde, boasted: “Ofcourse, I expect that my house is coming first. We’re taking the lead.

If you watch our match past you will know that Blue House is comingfirst. And so far, our athletes have been doing their best to ensure that we win. Last time, we came second but now we want to take thefirst position. We’re fully-prepared for it. So far, we’ve won three gold, three silver, with a number of bronze.”

The House Master for Yellow House, Mr. Keke Emmanuel, did not sound any differently as his eye was firmly on the gold medal.

“Our team is doing very well. So far we’ve won more than four gold andwe’re still expecting more in the coming events. We won in the 200meters race for girls, 100 meters senior boys. We also won the 50 and75 meters races for junior. Our expectation is to win the firstposition and grab the coveted trophy and, we’re going all out for that. I believe in my athletes and I know they’re equal to the task.

They’re already doing it in the field as you can see them,” Emmanuelsaid.

Finally, with all events completed and the result declared, GreenHouse emerged the overall winner with 14 gold, 11 silver and 10bronze. The house retained the trophy it had been holding since thelast two editions – making it a three time winner in a row. Red Housecame 2nd with 13 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze. Yellow House took the3rd position garnering 9 gold, 9 silver and 18 bronze, leaving Blue House at the 4th with 7 gold, 11 silver and 7 gold.

Speaking to THISDAY after the programme, the Sports Coordinator of the school, Miss Chinyere Ukaogo, who was visibly tired and stressed

R-L: Founder, Chelsea School, Mr. Dan Igbokwe; his wife and Proprietress of Chelsea School, Adaoma; and wife/representative of the chairman of the occasion, Mrs. Favour Chikwem, at the 4th Biennial Inter-house Sports competition of the school in Lagos

up, thanked God for enabling them to hold the programme successfully.

She said sports has a lot to do in the academic development of a child,stressing that exercise is one of the things that help to build thebody.

“It gives the children the spirit of competition.

You know in life,one has to compete in order

The Sports Coordinator of the school, Miss Chinyere Ukaogo said that with the kind of athletes the school produces in all their inter-house sports competitions, Nigerians would soon be proud of having them as the country’s contingents in international sporting events

to succeed: both in the academics and i other aspects of life; and the spirit of competition is always towin,” Ukaogo said.

According to her, inter-house sports provides the opportunity offinding talents that have been hidden in children.

“Like today, we’ve discovered some talents among them. We know those that can run very well. That’s why platforms like the interhousesports are created to enable some of them showcase their God-given talents and skills which can then be developed.”

Ukaogo noted that with the kind of athletes the school produces in alltheir inter-house sports competitions, Nigerians would soon be proud of having them as the country’s contingents in international sportingevents.

She threw more light on the importance of the side attractionsfeatured in the events, saying apart from being a form ofentertainment, they were also intended to find out whether childrenpaid attentions to the things parents help them do at home.

“For example, in filling the basket, filling the bottle and stuffslike that, these are the things their parents do for them at home. Ittells us if the child is being attentive when the parents or maids aredoing them for him or her. Whether the child is actually watchingtheir parents do

that and, if the child can be able to repeat that asbeing done for him or her by the parent at home. You know their parentsfill their bottles with water when coming to school; they dress themto school. So we want to know if those children can be able to dothose things on their own.

“In filling in the basket, you know each child has his or her ownball. So we want to know if the child will be able to identify whatbelongs to him or her. If he picks somebody else’s ball, it then meanshe doesn’t know the things that belong to him,” she explained.

She noted that it was also a wake-up call for parents to begin to lettheir children start taking responsibilities at certain age.

“For those who couldn’t repeat those things as being done for them bytheir parents at home, it has given the parents a clear picture ofwhat they ought to be teaching their children at certain age. It’s noteverything the housemaids should do for them and it’s not everythingparents should do for them; there is an age they will get to thatrequires parents allowing them to take some responsibilities. Forinstance, you allow them to start dressing themselves while you watchto make corrections – you look at the collar, how they wear the shoeand things like that.”

Ëœ ÍťÍ¸Ëœ ͺ͸͚͜ Ëž T H I S D AY

42

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Interest Rate Would Come Down Gradually, CBN Assures Crownrise to issue N1bn bond for SME funding Nume Ekeghe In the light of the consistent decline in inflation, increase in oil prices and improved economic indicators, the Director, Other Financial Institution and Supervisory Department (OFISD), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Tokunbo Martins has said that the central bank has plan to reduce interest rates.

She said this at the Crownrise Finance Plc’s luncheon held in Lagos yesterday, where the company gathered stakeholders to propose the sale of its maiden N1 billion bond aimed at funding SMEs. Martins said: “The federal government and the central bank are doing everything possible to bring down interest rate. For instance, if you look at the yield for the 20-year

FGN bond it has come down from almost 20 per cent to 13 per cent. “Even the yields on treasury bills is coming down and the reason it is coming down is because the federal government is making a deliberate effort to reduce borrowing internally and increase borrowing internationally for two reasons - because they don’t want to crowd out borrowers here and because it is cheaper to borrow abroad.

So I think that is one step in the right direction.�

She further added: “Now the inflation rates have come down for 14 consecutive months currently at 14.33 per cent. So, I am sure those interest rates would come down gradually. I cannot promise it would come down immediately like we all want.�

Speaking further on the pro-

posed bond sale by Crownrise, she said: “I am very excited about this because this is the first feat of this nature in this sub sector of this issuance of N1 billion investment notes by Crownrise finance plc. “This is an exciting feat and would mark a turning point in this sector because it relates to funds mobilisation, financial intermediation and income generation.�

On his part, the Managing Director, Crownrise Finance, Mr. Babatunde Rufai-Lariba said: “We have decided to rise to the occasion by mobilising the resources that would enable us support the economic players committed to tap into the opportunities for growth of the Nigerian economy, employment generation and prosperity for individuals and family.

CBN building

Banks Urged to Adhere to Lending Rules Peter Uzoho Banks and other financial institutions have been advised to return to the fundamentals of lending in order to restore sanity and prevent incidences of bank distress.

The President and Chairman in-Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Professor Segun Ajibola, made the appeal in Lagos during the launch of his two books: “Lending and the Nigerian Banks: A Practitioner’s Experience,’ and Structure of Nigerian Economy: 1960-2017,� on Wednesday.

He said the book, ‘Lending and Nigerian Banks’ which reviewed the principles of bank lending in Nigeria,

discovered a total disregard of such rules resulting to one form of bank crisis to another.

Ajibola noted that the Nigerian environment was so permissive that lending bankers console themselves with huge interest and figures at the expense of shareholders and depositors’ fund. “For sanity to return to bank lending in Nigeria, we must return to the basics. The simple rules of credit and canons of lending can only be ignored at the lender’s failing.

So I’ve captured the major deviation between what it is and what it ought to be in this book,� Ajibola said.

He further said: “My findings showed clearly a near

total deviation from the basic rules of credit in our clime. I watched helplessly how risk management was relegated to the background. I made enemies out of the system by canvassing adherence to the rule of the game. “I listened with pains and anguish how preference for returns at the expense of capital was rationalsed. I listened to friends who have the same woes. “It is my considered opinion that whenever a bank or lending institution runs into crisis traceable to bank loans, everybody that played one role or the other in in that regard should be called to question whether or not such person still remains in the system.�

FCMB Capital Markets Lists Lapo MFBs N3.15bn Bond on FMDQ FCMB Capital Markets Limited, the investment banking subsidiary of FCMB Group Plc recently acted as financial adviser and Lead Issuing House on the fundraising and listing of Lapo Microfinance Bank Limited’s N3.15 billion bond on the FMDQ OTC platform.

According to a statement from the investment bank, the bond, the first ever by a microfinance bank to raise money in Nigeria’s debt capital market, was priced at 17.75 per cent and has a tenor of 5 years. The Issue was rated A- by Agusto & Co and BBB+

by GCR, which are investment

grade ratings.

FCMB Capital Markets acted as the Lead Issuing House on the transaction. As a financial adviser, FCMB Capital Markets was responsible for, amongst others, developing a robust transaction structure that ensures flexibility for the issuer and comfort for the investors, and assisting to obtain regulatory approvals.

According to the MFB, the proceeds would be used to deepen its business in the country, strengthen its capital base, expand its branchless banking solutions and enter new market segments, including the launch

of itsagency banking model and the deployment of e-business solutions, among others.

Speaking during the bond listing ceremony in Lagos, the Executive Director of FCMB Capital Markets Limited, Mr. Tolu Osinibi, said: ‘’We are excited and grateful at having been given the opportunity

by LAPO Microfinance Bank to have played a leading role on this landmark transaction, where FCMB Capital Markets acted as financial adviser and the Lead Issuing House on the first ever bond issuance by a microfinance Institution in Nigeria’s capital markets.

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Index Expands in March Obinna Chima The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in the month of March stood at 56.7 index points, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed yesterday.

According to the monthly report released yesterday, the expansion indicated a growth in the manufacturing sector for the 12th consecutive month.

The index however grew at a faster rate, when compared

to the index in the previous month. Of the 14 sub-sectors surveyed, 11 reported growth in the review month in the following order: electrical equipment; cement; petroleum & coal products; food, beverage & tobacco products; chemical & pharmaceutical products; fabricated metal products; paper products; transportation equipment; plastics & rubber products; textile, apparel, leather and footwear and primary metal.

The remaining three subsectors contracted in the following order: non-metallic mineral products; furniture & related products and printing & related support activities.

Also, the report stated that at 59.1 points, the production level index for the manufacturing sector grew for the 13thconsecutive month in March 2018.

The index indicated a faster growth in the current month, when compared to its level in the preceding month.

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

Ě‹Ě‹Ě‹Ě‹ Ă?Ă—Ă™Ë? ĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ“Ăž ÞÙ Ùà Þ˛ Ě™ Ă?Þ̚ Ă–Ă?Ă?Ă?

7,834,536.74

Ě‹Ě‹Ě‹Ě‹ Ă?Ă—Ă™Ë? Ă?ĂŽË› Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“ĂœĂœĂ™Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ě™ Ěš

-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 Inter-Bank Call Rate

AUGUST 2017 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, WED, MARCH 28, 2018 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $66.05 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $66.80 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

43

Ëž FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Capital Injection: Unity Bank Still Searching for New Investors Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie

this in a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) following recent reports that Milost has acquired 60 per cent stake in the bank.

According to the bank, pursuant to various regulators’ advice to the bank in recent times on the need to shore up its capital base, the bank with the mandate of its shareholders had engaged in series of discussions and engagement

The management of Unity Bank Plc yesterday restated that it is still discussing with prospective investors in efforts to shore up its capital base for better performance, stressing that Milost Globla Incorporated has not invested in the bank.

Unity Bank Plc restated

with prospective “value-plus investors�. “Milost Global Inc. is one of the prospective investors introduced to the Bank by a local entity called Mayo BV. It is not unusual that this introduction and expression of interests would involve some level of preliminary discussions and exchange of nonbinding documentary communications between the intending

parties towards establishing mutual foundation on which the transaction contemplated will be initiated,� it said.

Unity Bank explained that the “Term Sheet� dated September 4,2017 said to have been executed was a “proposal� submitted

by Milost Global Inc. “for discussion purposes only and not a commitment� by the parties. No definitive

documentation governing the proposed financing was executed.

The bank added that it is in relation to the preliminary discussions that courtesy visits were exchanged between representatives of Milost and the bank in 2017 and early 2018. “The Bank’s Managing Director/CEO was in New York in October 2017 for other engagements and decided to visit

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED AS OF

Milost and verify the firm’s address as well as put a face to the officers of Milost that have been engaging the bank via telephone and emails. There was no agreement whatsoever with Milost Global alluding to 60 per cent Unity Bank Plc shareholding. Also, there is no iota of truth in the allegation that the bank had executed a ‘’binding commitment agreement,� it said.

A S AT 2 8 / 0 3 / 2 0 1 8

Price List (Equities) PRICES FOR PREMIUM BOARD SECURITIES FINANCIAL SERVICES S/N

BANKING

MARKET

PRICE

%CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

29.80

-0.17

427

13,255,508

13

67

6,110,342

155

16,374,890

155

16,374,890

Ë›

53,303.99

18.50

-

CAP(Nm) 1

935,615.51

S/N

2

-

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

434,333.04

12.10

Ďą

-2.02

427

13,255,508

Ëš

S/N

372

28,509,452

14

372

28,509,452

799

41,764,960

S/N

-

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

Ë›

711.32

Ëš

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

15

Ë› Ë›

16

Ë›

Ďą

4.79

-

0

0

0

0

Ďą

34,188.00

25.90

-

10

11,035

165.00

6.60

-

0

0

10

11,035

S/N

MARKET

Ďą

CAP(Nm) 3

4,311,248.37

253.00

-0.78

59

618,216

Ëš

59

618,216

59

618,216

858

42,383,176

S/N

17

-

MARKET

MENT

CAP(Nm)

-

8,184.95

Ďą

3.15

-

11

47,868

11

47,868

Ë›

ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă?Ăž Ě™ Ă›Ă&#x;ÓÞÓĂ?Ă?Ěš

S/N

-

MARKET

Ě™ Ěš

CAP(Nm)

Ďą

2,000.00

100.00

-

1

10

11,300.89

45.20

-

0

0

26,682.70

10.00

-

0

0

1

10

22

58,913

18 S/N

MARKET

Ďą

0.20

-

6

48,500

CAP(Nm) 19 4

-

440.00

5

Ë›

Ě™ Ěš

68,681.52

72.00

-

17

41,329

20

6

72,000.00

72.00

-

14

181,049

37

270,878

Ě™ Ěš

Ëš

S/N

Ëš Ëš

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

Ë›

511.20

Ďą

4.26

-

0

0

0

0

7

S/N

Ëš Ëš

S/N

Ëš

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

Ë›

2,820.00

Ďą

0.94

-4.08

33

926,418

Ëš

33

926,418

70

1,197,296

21

Ëš

MARKET

PARTS

CAP(Nm)

Ęś

1,670.43

Ďą

0.35

-

0

0

0

0

Ëš 8

S/N

Ě‹Ě‹ Ëš

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

22

Ë› Ë›

23

Ë›

Ďą

20,200.10

2.58

-4.80

14

153,903,833

242.22

0.89

-

0

0

Ë› S/N

9

-

MARKET

CAP(Nm)

Ë› Ë›

1,773.68

0.67

Ďą

-

7

58,293

24

226,704.62

103.50

0.49

41

539,088

25

-

467,614.89

54.40

0.46

37

581,800

1,023,603.46

128.00

-0.08

68

1,074,294

160

156,099,015

Ë›

Ë›

10

Ë›

210.14

0.54

-

3

1,050

26

11

Ë› Ë›

2,111.93

3.25

-

0

0

Ě‹Ě‹ Ëš

-

Ë› Ë›

ERS 12

75,605.26

1.86

0.54

78

10,205,205 S/N

MARKET CAP(Nm)

Ďą

˜ ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸͹Ͷ ˾ T H I S D AY

44

Nigeria Daily Stock Market Report: dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž 'ĂŝŶƐ ϭ͘ϳй

Friday, March 30, 2018

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ŝŶĚĞdž ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ϭ͘ϳй LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϲϵϬ͘ϴϭ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ zd ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϵ͘ϲй͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJƐ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŵĂŝŶůLJ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƐ ŝŶ E' D ;нϮ͘ϴйͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;нϰ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ E ^d> ;нϯ͘ϬйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϯϰ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

Ticker

Current Price

ƋƵŝƟĞƐ DĂƌŬĞƚ ZĞǀĞƌƐĞƐ ϰͲ ĂLJ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ZƵŶ͘​͘​͘ E^ ^/ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϳй dŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ďŽƵƌƐĞ ƌĞǀĞƌƐĞĚ Ă ϰͲĚĂLJ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƌƵŶ ƚŽĚĂLJ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ϭ͘ϳй Ͳ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚĞƐƚ ƚŚŝƐ ŵŽŶƚŚ Ͳ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϰϭ͕ϱϬϰ͘ϱϭ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ĞdžƉĂŶĚĞĚ ƚŽ ϴ͘ϱй͘ dŽĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ ƵƉƟĐŬƐ ŝŶ E' D ;нϮ͘ϴйͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;нϰ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ E ^d> ;нϮ͘ϵйͿ͘ ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐůLJ͕ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ EϮϱϮ͘ϵďŶ ŝŶ ǀĂůƵĞ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Eϭϱ͘ϬƚŶ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϰϵ͘ϰй ƚŽ ϮϳϬ͘ϲŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ Eϯ͘ϳďŶ͘ E/d, ;ϰϱ͘ϯŵͿ͕ ^<z ;ϯϯ͘ϵŵͿ ĂŶĚ h ;ϮϮ͘ϱŵͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁŚŝůĞ E/d, ;Eϭ͘ϰďŶͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;Eϯϰϱ͘ϲŵͿ ĂŶĚ h ;EϮϲϯ͘ϱŵͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

ƵůůŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ ůĂƌŐĞůLJ ďƵůůŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϯ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƚƌĞŶĚĞĚ ŶŽƌƚŚǁĂƌĚƐ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͕ ŝŶĐŚŝŶŐ ϭ͘ϳй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;нϰ͘ϲйͿ͕ h ;нϮ͘ϮйͿ ĂŶĚ h E ;нϰ͘ϳйͿ͘ dŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĂůƐŽ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϲй͕ ďƵŽLJĞĚ ďLJ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ E ^d> ;нϯ͘ϬйͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;нϭ͘ϲйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ E'^h' Z ;нϯ͘ϲйͿ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ůŽƐĞůLJ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ Kŝů ĂŶĚ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝŶĐŚĞĚ ϭ͘ϱй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ dKd > ;нϰ͘ϱйͿ͕ DK /> ;нϱ͘ϬйͿ ĂŶĚ &KZd ;нϬ͘ϮйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŚĂŶĚ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚĞdž ůĞĚ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϭ͘ϱй ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ D E^ Z ;Ͳ ϰ͘ϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ // K ;Ͳϰ͘ϲйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ĨĞůů Ϭ͘Ϯй ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ t W K ;ͲϮ͘ϰйͿ ĂŶĚ EE ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ͘

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞͿ ƌĂƟŽ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϵdž ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϲdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞĐĞĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϯ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ Ϯϳ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ǁĞƌĞ h^dK / E ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ &/ >/dz ;нϴ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ t D ;нϲ͘ϱйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ /> ^/E' ;Ͳϵ͘ϱйͿ͕ : W h>K/> ;Ͳϵ͘ϮйͿ ĂŶĚ , DW/KE ;Ͳϳ͘ϬйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ůĞĂƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ͘ /Ŷ ůŝŶĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĂƟŽŶ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁĂƐ Ă ƌĞďŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ĐůŽƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ǁĞĞŬ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ŝŶ ďůƵĞ ĐŚŝƉ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂĚ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůLJ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ ,ĞŶĐĞ͕ ŽƵƌ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ďƵŽLJ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ ƌĞŵĂŝŶƐ͘

ŽŵƉĂŶLJ ŝŶ &ŽĐƵƐ͗ hŶŝŽŶ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ WůĐ ;͞hŶŝŽŶ͟Ϳ tĞŵĂ hŶŝŽŶ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ WůĐ ;͞hE/KEͿ ďĞŐĂŶ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ϭϵϭϳ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ĐĞůĞďƌĂƚĞĚ ŝƚƐ ϭϬϬƚŚ ĂŶŶŝǀĞƌƐĂƌLJ ǁŚŝůĞ ĂĚŽƉƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐůŽŐĂŶ ŽĨ ͞zŽƵƌ ^ŝŵƉůĞƌ ĂŶĚ ^ŵĂƌƚĞƌ ĂŶŬ͘͟ KŶ ƌĞĂĐŚŝŶŐ ŝƚƐ ϭϬϬƚŚ ĂŶŶŝǀĞƌƐĂƌLJ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ͛Ɛ ŵĂŝŶ ĨŽĐƵƐ ǁĂƐ ƚŽ ͞ ĞůĞďƌĂƚĞ͕ /ŵƉĂĐƚ ĂŶĚ >ĞĂĚ͟ ǁŚŝůĞ ĞdžƉĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŝƚƐ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ ƉŽƌƞŽůŝŽ /Ŷ ŝƚƐ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ƌĞƐƵůƚ ůĂƐƚ LJĞĂƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ͛Ɛ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ƵŶĚĞƌǁŚĞůŵŝŶŐ͘ 'ƌŽƐƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƌŽƐĞ ϭϱ͘ϲй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϭϬϵ͘ϱďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ͕ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ Ă ϮϮ͘ϰй zͲŽͲz ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ;ĨƌŽŵ EϳϮ͘ϯďŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ ƚŽ Eϴϴ͘ϱďŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳͿ͘ ŽŶƚƌĂƌLJ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ͕ ŶŽŶͲŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ƵŶĚĞƌƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞĚ͕ ĨĂůůŝŶŐ ϲ͘ϯй ƚŽ EϮϭ͘ϬďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ;ĨƌŽŵ EϮϮ͘ϱďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲͿ͘ dŚĞ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŝŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ǁĂƐ ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďLJ Ă Ϯϲ͘ϯй ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ ůŽĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ĂŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ĨƌŽŵ dƌĞĂƐƵƌLJ ŝůůƐ ;ƵƉ ϮϬ͘Ϭй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ EϮϭ͘ϵďŶͿ͘ DĞĂŶǁŚŝůĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬ͛Ɛ ŶŽŶͲŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ǁĂƐ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ďLJ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ŝŶ KƚŚĞƌ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŶŐ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ Ă ϵϴ͘Ϯй ĚŝƉ ŝŶ ĞͲďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĨĞůů ϲϭ͘ϱй ƚŽ EϬ͘ϳďŶ ĂƐ ĂƌĚ &y ŐĂŝŶ ƌĞĚƵĐĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ Eϭ͘ϰďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ ƚŽ EϮϱ͘Ϭŵ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŚĂŶĚ͕ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŶŐ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞƐ ŐƌĞǁ ϭϬ͘ϭй zͲŽͲz ƚŽ Eϰϵ͘ϬďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϰϰ͘ϲďŶ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϲ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ W d ĂŶĚ W d ĨĞůů Ϯ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ ϰ͘ϲй ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϬďŶ ĂŶĚ EϭϮ͘ϰďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŝŶ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ͘ KŶ Ă ƋƵĂƌƚĞƌ ŽŶ ƋƵĂƌƚĞƌ ďĂƐŝƐ͕ Yϯ͗ϮϬϭϳ ƐƚĂŶĚĂůŽŶĞ ƐŚŽǁĞĚ ĂŶ ĞƋƵĂůůLJ ǁĞĂŬ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘ 'ƌŽƐƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ĨĞůů ϭϵ͘ϰй YͲŽͲY ƚŽ EϮϬ͘ϯďŶ ;ĨƌŽŵ EϮϱ͘ϱďŶ ŝŶ YϮ͗ϮϬϭϳͿ͕ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ďLJ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƐ ŝŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ;ĚŽǁŶ Ϯ͘ϲй ƚŽ EϯϬ͘ϮďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϯϭ͘ϬďŶ ŝŶ YϮ͗ϮϬϭϳͿ ĂŶĚ ŶŽŶŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶĐŽŵĞ ;ĚŽǁŶ ϯϳ͘ϯй ƚŽ Eϱ͘ϮďŶ ĨƌŽŵ Eϴ͘ϯďŶ ŝŶ YϮ͗ϮϬϭϳͿ͘ ůƐŽ͕ W d ĂŶĚ W d ĨĞůů Ϯϳ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ ϯϭ͘ϵй ƚŽ Eϯ͘ϱďŶ ĂŶĚ Eϯ͘ϮďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ ŝƚƐ ƵŶĚĞƌǁŚĞůŵŝŶŐ ϵD͗ϮϬϭϳ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ďĂŶŬ ƚŽ ƚĂŬĞ ƐƚĞƉƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĚƵĐĞ ĐŽƐƚ ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŽŶ ƉƌŽĮƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ŝŶ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ Ɛƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĨŽƌ &z͗ϮϬϭϳ͘ /Ŷ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶ͕ ǁĞ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͛Ɛ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ Ɛƚ ŝƚƐ ƌĞƚĂŝů ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚ ďLJ ůĞǀĞƌĂŐŝŶŐ ŽŶ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ƚŽ ĚƌŝǀĞ ƉƌŽĮƚĂďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ďĂŶŬ ĂƐ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞůĞĂƐĞ ŽĨ &z ϮϬϭϳ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ͘

Afrinvest Securities Limited (RC 603 315) (A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

Previous Current Price Weighting Change

Price Change YTD

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1,690.81

1.68%

9.6%

69.1%

27.0%

8.3%

7.7x

1.0x

7.7%

12.9%

1

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

44.70

4.6%

21.4%

9.7%

10.2%

30.6%

5.2%

7.4x

2.1x

6.0%

13.5%

2

Zenith Bank PLC

29.30

-1.7%

13.6%

14.3%

13.0%

23.3%

3.4%

5.2x

1.1x

10.1%

19.3%

130.00

1.6%

7.9%

-3.6%

-3.7%

19.2%

8.8%

31.3x

5.8x

3.2%

3.2%

1,380.00

3.0%

6.5%

-11.3%

-11.3%

89.0%

21.3%

32.4x

24.4x

3.1%

3.1%

260.00

2.8%

6.4%

13.0%

13.0%

26.3%

12.4%

22.4x

5.8x

4.0%

4.5%

3

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

4

Nestle Nigeria PLC

5

Dangote Cement PLC

6

FBN Holdings Plc

12.50

3.3%

7.2%

42.0%

42.2%

2.6%

0.3%

20.4x

0.7x

1.6%

4.9%

7

Access Bank PLC

11.05

-0.9%

4.3%

5.7%

4.2%

15.1%

2.0%

4.5x

0.6x

5.9%

22.3%

8

United Bank for Africa PLC

11.75

2.2%

4.6%

14.1%

12.9%

16.1%

2.0%

5.3x

0.8x

7.2%

18.9%

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

16.35

0.0%

2.9%

-3.8%

0.5%

10.3%

0.8%

6.2x

0.6x

3.7%

16.2%

665.10

0.0%

3.0%

6.2%

6.2%

19.4%

11.1%

3.8x

0.7x

48.50

2.1%

3.1%

16.9%

18.6%

28.7%

3.4%

11.2x

2.9x

1.0%

104.00

0.5%

2.3%

10.6%

10.6%

14.6%

5.6%

19.5x

2.7x

0.6%

5.1%

45.30

-2.4%

1.5%

0.9%

0.9%

47.1%

9.8%

4.1x

6.8x

2.2%

24.7%

5.2%

42.8%

10

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

11

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

12

Guinness Nigeria PLC

13

Lafarge Africa PLC

14

Fidelity Bank PLC

2.68

8.1%

1.2%

8.9%

3.9%

8.0%

1.1%

2.3x

0.4x

15

Oando PLC

5.99

0.0%

1.2%

0.0%

0.0%

40.7%

4.2%

2.7x

0.6x

3.6%

26.0% 8.9%

37.0%

16

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

21.80

1.1%

9.0%

7.1%

43.2%

19.8%

8.5x

3.3x

2.3%

11.8%

17

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

72.70

1.0%

1.1%

7.4%

7.4%

37.4%

25.9%

7.6x

3.2x

4.1%

13.2%

18

Unilever Nigeria PLC

55.00

0.0%

1.4%

34.1%

36.8%

50.3%

8.4%

33.9x

12.9x

0.2%

3.0%

19

International Brew eries PLC

54.40

0.0%

0.7%

-0.2%

-1.1%

24.6%

7.4%

57.0x

13.0x

20

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

37.30

0.0%

0.8%

28.6%

28.6%

13.1%

3.0%

7.8x

0.9x

2.5%

12.8%

21

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

0.7%

26.7%

25.0%

19.6%

4.1%

7.4x

1.3x

108.1%

13.5%

5.3%

1.85

-0.5% -0.5%

0.6%

8.9%

8.9%

6.3%

2.2%

11.8x

0.8x

-2.1%

0.6%

24.0%

18.5%

2.5%

0.3%

7.5x

0.2x

8.3%

22

UAC of Nigeria PLC

18.40

23

Diamond Bank PLC

1.86

24

Total Nigeria PLC

249.00

4.5%

0.5%

2.38

-0.8%

0.7%

1.8%

8.5% 13.3%

8.3%

31.0%

6.5%

10.5x

3.0x

6.8%

9.5%

50.6%

3.8%

0.6%

6.9x

0.3x

4.2%

14.5%

-4.5%

-4.5%

32.6%

12.0%

9.3x

2.7x

4.3%

10.7%

-3.4%

0.0%

44.3%

3.7%

14.5x

4.7x

0.4%

13.8%

10.9%

10.7%

5.0%

22.2x

2.3x

2.1%

4.5%

0.0%

0.3%

-3.6%

-3.2%

2.6%

1.1%

59.4x

2.4x

1.1%

1.7%

0.0%

0.4%

5.1%

5.1%

42.9%

25.9%

3.5x

1.3x

2.1%

28.2%

0.0%

0.3%

13.5%

9.3%

54.6%

19.5%

10.4x

4.8x

7.1%

9.6%

0.0%

0.3%

0.0%

0.0%

0.8x

7.2%

6.70

4.7%

0.3%

-14.1%

-10.8%

5.6%

1.2%

8.6x

0.4x

25.90

0.0%

0.3%

-7.5%

-7.5%

17.3%

1.8%

7.2x

1.1x

25

FCMB Group Plc

26

11 PLC

185.80

5.0%

0.4%

27

Forte Oil PLC

42.00

0.2%

0.4%

28

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

23.45

2.0%

29

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

15.10

30

Presco PLC

72.00

31

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

21.00

32

UPDC Real Estate Investment Tr

10.00

33

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

34

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

35

Sterling Bank PLC

1.75

-3.3%

0.4%

62.0%

54.9%

6.1%

0.6%

9.2x

0.5x

10.9%

15.95

0.0%

0.3%

31.3%

31.3%

61.6%

15.8%

5.2x

2.2x

19.4%

6.9%

11.7% 3.9%

13.9%

36

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

37

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

34.00

0.0%

0.4%

57.3%

57.3%

61.2%

23.6%

7.0x

2.5x

22.1%

38

Chemical and Allied Products P

38.75

0.0%

0.2%

14.0%

8.5%

66.2%

30.2%

18.1x

12.1x

5.3%

5.5%

39

Beta Glass PLC

75.70

0.0%

0.2%

47.5%

47.5%

18.4%

11.9%

10.7x

1.8x

1.4%

9.4%

40

Transcorp Hotels Plc

7.45

0.0%

0.1%

3.3%

3.3%

4.7%

2.8%

21.2x

1.0x

1.8%

4.7%

T o p 10 G a ine r s T ic k er

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

C UST OD IA N

4.96

10.0%

F ID ELIT YB K

2.68

WEM A B A N K VIT A F OA M M OB IL

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

Z EN IT H B A N K

45.3

-1.7%

8.1%

SKYEB A N K

33.9

-1.3%

0.99

6.5%

UB A

22.5

2.2%

3.15

5.0%

F ID ELIT YB K

16.3

8.1%

185.80

5.0%

A C C ESS

15.7

-0.9%

C A VER T ON

2.67

4.7%

FB NH

12.9

3.3%

UB N

6.70

4.7%

T R A N SC OR P

11.6

-0.5%

10.0

-9.2%

44.70

4.6%

J A P A ULOIL

249.00

4.5%

A F R IN SUR E

9.4

0.0%

0.52

4.0%

LA SA C O

9.3

-2.9%

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

C ILEA SIN G

1.72

-9.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1351.5

-1.7%

J A P A ULOIL

0.59

-9.2%

GUA R A N T Y

345.6

4.6%

GUA R A N T Y T OT A L A B CTRA NS

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 T ic k er

14.2%

P ric e C hg %

C H A M P ION

2.40

-7.0%

UB A

263.5

2.2%

CCNN

18.70

-4.8%

D A N GC EM

227.0

2.8%

M A N SA R D

2.43

-4.7%

GUIN N ESS

177.4

0.5%

J A IZ B A N K

0.81

-4.7%

A C C ESS

175.6

-0.9% 3.3%

A IIC O

0.62

-4.6%

FB NH

156.6

M ULT IVER SE

0.22

-4.3%

ST A N B IC

148.5

2.1%

P R EST IGE

0.45

-4.3%

FO

130.8

0.2%

LIVEST OC K

0.90

-4.3%

NB

126.5

1.6%

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Omotola Abimbola | oabimbola@afrinvest.com

45

˾ FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Med-View Airline Gets Shareholders Nod to Raise Fresh Capital Shareholders of Med-View Airline Plc on Wednesday gave approval to the directors to raise fresh funds from the capital market to boost its operations. The approval for the new capital was given by the shareholders at the annual general meeting (AGM) in Lagos. Specifically, the shareholders authorised the board of directors to offer for subscription a total of 2,249,350,600 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at a price to be determined by the

directors acting in the best interests of the company.

It is believed that the funds would boost efforts by the airline to improved on its operations through the acquisition of new planes. The Chairman of the Med-View Airline, Sheik Abdul-Mosheen Al-Thunayan in his address to the shareholders said the company is in quest to compete with the best airlines around the world is in negotiations to acquire two modern aircrafts (B777-

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

200Er and B737-800) for its international/intercontinental flights operations.

“A combination of stable internal growth and increasing exposure to new investments opportunities gives the board confidence as to Med-View Airlines’s future prospects.

In am indeeded delighted at the milestones achieved in 2017 and I am sure you are also happy to be part of this company. I will like to thank you, my fellow shareholders, for your trust and continued

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 28-Mar-2018, unless otherwise stated.

support. I urge you not to relent in supporting us, as the board and management shall continue to work for the progress of your company,” the chairman said.

Speaking on the financial performance, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole said lack of adequate government support for the aviation sector and the slow recovery of the country’s economy from recession still an impediment

for the rapid gorwht of the aviation industry.

This, he said had its toll on the company’s operational activities.

However, Bankole said the challenges notwithstanding, Med-View Airline performed well.

He said revenue increased from N26.04 billion in 2016 to N36.91 billion in 2017.

“The profit before tax increased from N840 million in 2016 to N1.50 billion at the end of 2017.

The company is firmly on the path of improved performance, sustained growth, profitability and adequate returns to all stakeholders within the shortest possible period of time,” he said.

Looking ahead, Bankole said the company expect 2018 to be a year that will provide it with the opportunities for growth and investment and within which it shall consolidate on its past achievements.

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 N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 4.39% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 4.94% 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 15.52% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 19.54 20.13 6.93% ARM Discovery Fund 413.42 425.88 6.26% ARM Ethical Fund 28.55 29.41 4.51% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.14% 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 161.54 162.68 6.49% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.05% 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 14.95% Paramount Equity Fund 12.75 13.07 3.12% Women's Investment Fund 103.04 105.69 2.40% 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 15.26% 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 N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,195.58 1,196.79 4.16% FBN Heritage Fund 146.53 147.86 5.12% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 14.70% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $114.72 $115.23 1.59% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $114.73 $115.23 1.69% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 181.74 184.54 12.84% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 1.39 1.42 6.64% Legacy Debt Fund 2.98 2.98 3.28% 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 3,144.26 3,177.55 5.33% Coral Income Fund 2,555.64 2,555.64 4.46% 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 N/A N/A N/A 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 14.88% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.18 2.20 3.28% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 16.36% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 118.60 118.88 3.08%

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 1.53% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,063.85 1,063.85 3.16% 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 16.39 16.55 16.32% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.05% 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 N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 143.23 145.85 11.25% 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 1.54 1.54 3.68% 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 2,344.91 2,364.67 4.55% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 180.22 180.22 2.14% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.06 1.07 5.45% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 229.72 229.81 4.32% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 190.84 192.94 6.55% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 14.78% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,128.66 10,266.73 4.75% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.08 1.08 1.89% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.33 1.34 -0.63% United Capital Bond Fund 1.62 1.62 3.21% United Capital Equity Fund 1.01 1.03 9.80% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.41% United Capital Eurobond Fund 104.96 104.96 2.00% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.13 3.21% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 13.34 13.37 6.71% Zenith Ethical Fund 14.14 14.24 7.00% Zenith Income Fund 19.75 19.54 4.22% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 14.00%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

10.00 134.23

-11.35% 1.34%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.35 158.89 116.23

12.45 162.30 118.41

1.89% 11.25% 6.39%

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

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

46

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

In Tit-for-Tat Action, Russia Expels US Diplomats, Closes US Consulate in St Petersburg Yulia Skripal ‘improving rapidly Russia has expelled 60 US diplomats and closed down the country’s consulate in St Petersburg in tit-for-tat measures against all the nations that have expelled Russian diplomats over nerve agent attack in Salisbury, The Guardian UK reported the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

The British newspaper also reported Lavrov as saying

Moscow was calling a meeting of the Organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons on Tuesday in London.

More than 25 countries have announced plans to expel a total of more than 130 Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK over what has been described as the first chemical weapons attack on European soil since the second world

war.

Lavrov said US ambassador Jon Huntsman has been summoned to the foreign ministry, where he was given notice that Russia is responding quid pro quo to the US decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out.

Lavrov said Moscow will also retaliate to the US. decision to shut the Rus-

Egypt’s Sisi Wins Second Term with 92% of Vote –Egyptian State Media Moussa conceded his loss President Abdel Fattah said Sisi won 21.4 million votes, al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term with about 92 percent of the vote, AFP reported preliminary results as showing on Thursday, with just over 40 percent of voters casting ballots.

Twenty-five million of the 60 million registered voters, or some 41.5 percent, turned out during the three days of polling that ended Wednesday, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Twenty-three million voted for The Akhbar el-Youm newspaper did not report the full turnout but

and his rival Moussa Mostafa Moussa 721,000 votes, without mentioning the number of spoiled ballots.

According to Al-Ahram, in addition to 23 million who cast valid votes, two million spoiled their ballot papers.

Sisi’s sole challenger was the little-known Moussa, himself a supporter of the president, who registered immediately before the close date for applications, saving the election from being a one-horse race.

on Wednesday night, telling a television station he had hoped for 10 percent of the vote.

“But I know the immense popularity of President Sisi,”he said.

Other, more heavy-weight would-be challengers were all sidelined, detained or pulled out.

Sisi, who as army chief ousted Egypt’s first freely elected president -- Islamist Mohamed Morsi -- after mass street protests in 2013, won his first term in 2014 with 96.9 percent of the vote.

sian consulate in Seattle by closing the US. consulate in St Petersburg.

The same approach will be applied to other nations that expelled Russian diplomats this week, he added.

Earlier on Thursday the Russian foreign ministryaccused Britain of breaking international law by refusing to provide information on Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned along with her father, Sergei, a former spy, in Salisbury this month.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said Britain had declined to cooperate with Russia on the investigation into the poisoning and had not provided any updates on Yulia Skripal despite the fact she was a Russian citizen.

Britain accuses Russia of responsibility for the poisoning, something Moscow vehemently denies.

Zakharova said Britain’s behaviour ran counter to a 1968 consular agreement signed between the then Soviet Union and Britain under which Moscow was meant to have access to its nationals on British soil and to be able to give them advice.

Zakharova said nobody had cancelled the agreement, which she said still had force in international law. The UK is likely to argue that an agreement between the UK and the Soviet Union is not enforceable in court and there is no reason to give Russia access to a woman it apparently tried to kill.

Meanwhile, a BBC report said that Yulia Skripal is “improving rapidly” and no longer in a critical condition, four weeks

after the Salisbury poisoning.

The daughter of ex-spy Sergei Skripal was admitted after they came into contact with a nerve agent on 4 March.

“She has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day,” BBC quoted the hospital as saying.

Meanwhile, Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition.

“I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the staff of Salisbury District Hospital for delivering such high quality care to these patients over the last few weeks,” said Dr Christine Blanshard, Medical Director for Salisbury District Hospital.

“I am very proud both of our front-line staff and all those who support them.”

The police have placed cordons round a children’s play area at Montgomery Gardens near Mr Skripal’s home.

CHANGE OF NAME

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I, formerly known and addressed as KESIENA PETRA BULUKU now wish to be known and addressed as KESIENA PETRA JOHN. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AJIBOLA AJARA ARINOLA now wish to be known and addressed as AJIBOLA AJARA MOJISOLA . All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ANUJURULEM ONYEKACHI ANNOUCIATA now wish to be known and addressed as DZ^ DD ͳKZ h ONYEKACHI ANNOUCIATA. All former documents remain valid.

General public, please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKORIE IFEYINWA GLADYS now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AMAECHI IFEYINWA GLADYS. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as SUNDAY BABATUNDE ADEYEMI now wish to be known and addressed as OJELEYE BABATUNDE ADEYEMI. All former documents remain valid.

General public, please take note.

47

FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS

Ă?ĂĄĂ? Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Davidson Iriekpen Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013; davidson.iriekpen@thisdaylive.com, 08111813081

Gunmen Kill 69 in Zamfara, Southern Kaduna Mohammed Aminu Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; John Shiklam Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039; Gruesome attacks continued unabated in the country with the slaughter of 69 persons by unidentified gunmen in separate incidents in Zamfara and Kaduna States within a space of 72 hours.

In the North-western state of Zamfara, at least 63 people were reportedly killed in two separate attacks launched by gunmen believed to be cattle rustlers in Bawar Daji village in Anka Local Government Area of the state between Tuesday and Wednesday while six persons were killed by yet-tobe identified gunmen in Bakin Kogi, Kaninkon chiefdom in Jamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a Local Government Area of Kaduna State yesterday.

The violent attack in Kaduna took place less than 24 hours after Governor Nasir el-Rufai met with the heads of the Fulani community and urged them to embrace and foster peace in the state.

THISDAY gathered that the Zamfara incident occurred when members of a vigilante group from the affected village converged on Tuesday to hold a meeting with a view to ensuring a conducive environment for farming activities and keeping criminals at bay.

A resident of the village who survived the attack, told THISDAY on the condition of anonymity that a group of bandits invaded the area during the meeting and opened fire on the vigilantes, leaving 12 dead on the spot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They first attacked the village

on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 12 people after getting information that the vigilante group was meeting to discuss how to confront them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many people escaped with gunshots into the bush and to the neighbouring villages. Some of them later died,â&#x20AC;? the source said.

He said on Wednesday when they had gathered at the cemetery to bury those killed the day before they were attacked again by bandits who arrived on motorcycles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The next day, it was terrible as the same bandits in large numbers on motorbikes surrounded us at the cemetery during the burial of our brothers and opened fire on us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fact, they killed almost everybody there with the exception of two other persons,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He revealed that the attack was a reprisal, as some of the bandits were killed by the vigilante group which had foiled an attempted attack by the criminals a few weeks ago.

The police public relations officer of the Zamfara State Command, DSP Shehu Muhammad, who confirmed the incident, said only three people were killed in the attack.

He disclosed that normalcy had returned to the village, adding that the Joint Task Force was able to force the bandits to flee inside the forest with possible gunshot wounds.

At the time of filing this report, the state Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson and Governor Abdulaziz Yari were heading to the village for

ACF Distances Self from Groups Criticising Northern Politicians John Shiklam Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039; The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has distanced itself from a recent statement issued by leading northern groups at the end of their summit last Saturday.

The groups in their statement signed by the spokesmen of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Nafiu Baba-Ahmed of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN), Ambassador Ibrahim Mai Sule, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); Yerima Shettima of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and Rev. Bitrus Dangiwa of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), among several others, had berated the northern politicians including President Muhammadu Buhari for failing the North.

But in a statement yesterday, the ACF said it was never involved in the preparation nor participated in the said summit of the group neither did it mandate any of its members to represent it.

The statement which was signed by Muhammad Ibrahim spokesman of the forum said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The attention ACF has been

drawn to the Communique of the Northern Groups Summit held at the Arewa House, Kaduna, on Saturday, March 24, 2018Â where the ACF was said to be a signatory to the communique. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the avoidance of doubt, the ACF would want to state clearly that it was never involved in the preparation nor participated in the said summit of that group and did not mandate any of its members to represent it.â&#x20AC;?

Ibrahim said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;ACF acknowledges the right of the individuals or groups to freedom of association as enshrined in our constitution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Any member who claimed to have represented ACF or signed on behalf of the forum did so on his own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Furthermore, the views expressed in the said communique were that of the conveners and not that of ACF which is an umbrella body for all northerners irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious persuasions. ACF therefore dissociates itself from the communique in its entirety. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ACF will address the North and the nation on this and similar issues as it always does at the appropriate time.â&#x20AC;?

an on-the-spot assessment.

In Kaduna, six people were reportedly killed in separate attacks in Bakin Kogi, Kaninkon chiefdom in Jamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a Local Government Area.

The killings occurred barely one day after the state governor

held a meeting with Fulani leaders on forging lasting peace in the state.

The two attacks were said to have carried out at about 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. yesterday by gunmen suspected to be herders of cattle.

A member of the security committee in the community, Auta Maurice, who confirmed the attacks on the phone, said the gunmen numbering about 10 were wearing army and mobile police uniforms.

Maurice said three people

were killed in the bush when they went to cut wood to roof their houses while three others were killed at a local mining site on the hills around the area.

He said four people were

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on Pg 51

CELEBRATING LAGOSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GOVERNOR EMERITUS...

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode; his wife, Bolanle; President Muhammadu Buhari; celebrant and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu; his wife, Oluremi; Vice-President Yemi Osinbaji; and wife, Dolapo, cutting the birthday cake at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium Lecture, held to mark Tinubuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 66th birthday in Lagos... yesterday

Nigeria to Earn $200bn from Lekki Seaport as FG Earmarks N90bn for Economic Zones Eromosele Abiodun President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed commitment to a conducive business environment that would aid investments in the country even as it emerged that Nigeria is expected to rake in over $200 billion from the operations of the Lekki Deep seaport in Lagos State.

Speaking at the official commencement of the construction of the Lekki Deep seaport in Lagos yesterday, Buhari said the project is in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) whose aim is to support game-changing infrastructure projects.

The president, who was represented by  Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said when completed, the project would generate up to 170,000 direct and indirect jobs in the economy.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The promoters of this project are targeting about 1.5 million 20foot equivalent units container capacity annually, which we expect to grow to about 2.7 million and 4.7 million TEUs when the project operations commence. With this, the Lekki Deep seaport will become one of the largest deep water ports in our region and serve as a hub for port operations in West Africa. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;The promoters also planned to dredge the port channel to about 16 metres draft, which is not currently obtainable in any port in the country. This is an indication that ships of larger capacity, Panamax, Post Panamax ships and very large

crude carriers will now be able to visit the port, and greater efficiency and economies of scale will generate significant revenue for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy.â&#x20AC;?

Osinbajo, however, noted that the federal government had in the past two budgets provided an aggregate of N90 billion for the development of special economic zones, adding that the deep seaport project is in line with the objectives of creating such economic zones. Â In his speech, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Tolaram Engineering Company and China Harbour for the development of the landmark project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will be the first deep seaport in Nigeria. What we have had are river ports.

This will help to improve the capacity of Nigerian ports with modern procedure,â&#x20AC;? Amaechi said.

He added that the ports concession agreement cover 45 years on a build, own, operate and transfer basis.

On her part, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, stated that the NPA is committed to port development in Nigeria. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Funding for the Lekki Deep Sea Port project is structured at equity and debt ratio of 20:80 respectively. And in line with the commitment of the federal government to promote private sector investment, the NPA has a fully paid five per cent minimal investment, which is

enough to give it a stake; to give the investors comfort and enable it perform its oversight technical regulatory functions without being unduly hindered by commercial considerations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The other 95 per cent interest is owned in 18: 8 ratio by the Lagos State Government and the Tolaram Group respectively. Of the 75 per cent owned by the Tolaram Group, however, the federal government holds a further 15 per cent shareholding to the value of $107.78 million converted into shares from a pre-2002 government grant to promoters of Tolaram Group toward financing the Viva Methanol Project,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Usman said the vision of the NPA is to provide the enabling environment for Nigeria to have the best ports in Africa, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and the event here today gratefully moves us closer to that reality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As statutory regulators of ports in the country, the NPA is committed to providing the technical support and regulatory environment that would see to the timely completion of construction work and ensure efficient operations and management of the port upon commissioning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will work with all stakeholders to see the Lekki Deep Sea Port becomes a world class facility and an enviable edifice that can stand the test of time, become an institution that will be the pride of all stakeholders as well as encourage more of such investments in the country.

  â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we work toward revamping the decaying port infrastructure we inherited and encouraging new investments in the sector, we are confident that projects such as this foretell the renewal possible in our port infrastructure, the resurgence of our economy through the gateways that our ports are and the creation of a modern, agile, technically competent and competitive workforce that will make our country proud,â&#x20AC;? she said.

The Managing Director of Tolaram, Haresh Aswani, promised that the project would be completed within three years, and it woul generate over $200 billion revenue for Lagos state and federal government.

He said the project would support and enhance the growth of various free zones in the area.

Upon completion, the port facility will have three container berths, one dry bulk berth, three liquid berths, 16.5-metres draught, 600 metres turning cycle and a 2.7 million Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) per year.

Built over 90 hectares of land in the heart of the Lagos Free Trade Zone, Lekki Port is situated just 65 kilometres east of Lagos city, and slated to be completed in 2020.

Lekki Deep Sea Port will have significant positive impact estimated at $361 billion over the term of concession. It is expected to contribute more than $200 billion to the government exchequer and create close to 170,000 new jobs.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

48

NEWSXTRA

Sirika: Easter Break Delaying Payments of Defunct Nigerian Airways Workers’ Arrears Kasim Sumaina ÓØ ÌßÔË The federal government yesterday hinted that it had raised the N45 billion needed to clear the pension arrears of the defunct Nigerian Airways workers arrears.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on behalf of the federal government, disclosed this in Abuja at the fourth Aviation Stakeholders’

Forum.

According to him, “The delay in the payment is due to the Easter break that has halt the Senate from approving the payment till after the holiday.

“The House of Representatives has passed the payment, the Senate says it will pass it after the Easter break. So there is no need to close down the economy of the country.”

On March 19, 2018, unions in

Jega: 2019 Elections Will Be Better than 2015 A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, has expressed optimism that the 2019 elections would be better than that of 2015 elections giving the level of preparedness of the electoral body.

He said the current leadership of the commission has made significant and commendable progress since taking over in November 2015.

Jega disclosed this while delivering a keynote address at the National Judicial Institute in a paper titled: “Towards Elections with Integrity in 2019, Challenges and Prospect,” where he stressed that the country had the worst elections in 2007, and better improved elections in 2011 and 2015.

He noted that some of the reform measures put in place to ensure success of the 2019 election includes the retention and upgrading of the smart card readers to expand their current capabilities.

The former INEC chairman said it also includes initiation

for the first time of continuous voters registration to update the register, successful conduct of elections into 179 federal constituencies of which only four have so far been overturned by the Election Petition Tribunal and review of polling units, registration areas, electoral constituencies and diaspora voting.

According to him, “Since November 2015, when the current INEC was put in place, significant, commendable progress has been made to sustain, depeen, and defend the integrity of the Nigerian electoral process.”

“INEC has identified the following as outstanding challenges, money in politics, attitude and disposition of politicians, delay in the review and amendment of the electoral legal framework, funding, vote buying, election security and hate speech.”

He recommended that Nigerians must work hard for the elimination of electoral malpractice and fraud.

Senate Demands More Efforts Freeing Leah Sharibu Condemns attacks in Zamfara Damilola Oyedele ÓØ ÌßÔË The Senate yesterday called on the federal government to intensify efforts to ensure that Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl still in the custody of Boko Haram, is freed.

It also called for the release of the remaining schoolgirls from Chibok who were kidnapped in 2014.

This is as Senator Bukar Abba (Yobe APC) disclosed that there are serious negotiations ongoing to ensure Sharibu is released and returned home.

“I want to reassure the distinguished Senate that very serious negotiations are going on and I believe not far from now, she would also be released Insha Allah, the last Dapchi and the remaining Chibok girls,” he said.

He said this in a reaction to a point of order raised by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba PDP), who called for her release.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary, said it was necessary that Sharibu and others are not forgotten.

Sharibu who was kidnapped alongside the 105 schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, is allegedly being held for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. The other girls have been released.

The Senate yesterday also condemned the killings of at least 17 persons in some parts of Zamfara State.

This followed a point of order raised by Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara APC) who called for the imposition of a state of emergency in the state to address the state of insecurity.

He lamented that the local authorities do not want the killings by bandits to be reported.

“We need to revisit the therapy of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, because if these Governors know they can be removed, their behaviour would be different,” Marafa said.

Adopting the prayers of his motion, the Senate condemned the killings and called for efforts to secure lives and properties in the state.

Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned for Easter break, to resume plenary on April 10, 2018.

the aviation sector in partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) gave the federal government 14-day ultimatum to pay the pension arrears or face strike.

The unions decried the delay in the payment of N45 billion which they said was approved by the federal government 10 months ago for payment of pension and other entitlement of over 5,000 workers of the

defunct Nigeria Airways. The ultimatum is expected to expire on April 2, 2018.

The workers have also petitioned the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, pleading with him to intervene and quicken the release of N45billion approved

by President Muhammadu Buhari for the payment of their entitlements.

The federal government in September approved the payment of N45 billion severance packages to former staff of

the defunct Nigeria Airways and Sirika had disclosed that governments in the past decided just to liquidate Nigeria Airways without tending to the issue of the entitlements of the workers, adding that they have been struggling to get that paid.

Sirika, while speaking with journalists shortly after unveiling the transaction advisers for the industry, said: “We came in and took it very seriously. I’m happy to announce that the president has approved N45 billion which

has been confirmed to be the entitlements of these workers and Ministry of Finance has been instructed to pay the money.

“You don’t need to close the airspace in this hard times. We have been able to raise N45 billion to pay for the pension arrears own the workers, and that government was committed to the welfare of workers, immediately after the Easter break, we will begin the process of payment.”

SANITATION SOLUTION MANAGERS

L-R: CEO, Kwilismith Global & Partner, Olisa Smith; Visionscape Group Business Development Director, Nick Hamer; Visionscape Associate, Temitope Dosumu; CEO, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, John Irvine, at a presentation at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Office in Abuja....recently

Media Urged to Tread with Caution on National Security Omololu Ogunmade ÓØ ÌßÔË Security agencies in the country have urged the media not to allow the country to become a playground for terrorism and destabilisation.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the security agencies had given assurances that they would maintain a balance between openness and national security.

They have, however, called on the nation’s media owners and practitioners to walk the fine balance between openness on one hand and national security on the other.

Speaking at an interactive meeting with owners and decision makers in the media at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja last Tuesday, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Lawal Daura; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, gave assurances that the security situation in the country was within the control of the government and that this can be helped where the media reduced sensation from their daily coverage.

In their own assessment, “our

state of national security is not as bad as it is painted by the media.”

In seeking the support from the media towards the achievement of security for everyone, the heads of the agencies emphasised that sharing and coordination among security agencies and the media is essential to counter the ever-changing threats faced by the nation.

The security chieftains expressed the particular worry that there are groups in the country with evil designs to disrupt the processes leading to the 2019 general election in the hope of creating a stalemate.

They warned the media against the activities of some unregistered groups that have lately been active in trying to undermine critical institutions such the law-enforcement agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The security heads also called for closer cooperation from the media to prevent terrorists and radical ideologies directed from abroad from undermining the ongoing efforts to restore security in parts of the country facing the challenges of terrorism, economic sabotage, criminality, farmers-herdsmen clashes and the spread of illegal weapons.

In a special submission by the NIA, its Director-General recalled unsavoury developments of the last one year, which had put the agency in a negative limelight, but said such developments were not peculiar to the agency.

“Similar institutions across the world have passed through this phase. What is however important is for the right lessons to be learnt from these developments.

I see these challenges as impetus to reposition the agency for effective service delivery in realisation of its core mandate, as a critical component of our National Security Architecture,” he said.

Abubakar appealed for media support to enable the agency to reform and remain focused on tackling the challenges of international nature facing the nation which included terrorism and violent extremism manifested in activities of Boko Haram (BH), ISIS, AQIM, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Ansaru, among others.

He said the country also faced threats from the human trafficking and illegal migration, smuggling, slavery, forced labour, prostitutions, drugs trafficking, activities of drug cartels and their networks, as well as trafficking in small arms and light weapons (SALW).

According to the DG, “Financial Crimes, identification of financial resources and properties suspected to be obtained by corrupt means belonging to Nigerians especially Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs); herdsmen and farmers clashes, cattle rustling etc; piracy and militancy, particularly in the Niger Delta; oil theft, illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism; and cyber crimes/ cyber security: activities of online fraudsters, hacking among others. will henceforth receive priority attention.”

The intelligence and security chieftains also expressed the view that the Nigerian media has a role in securing Nigeria’s national interest.

This expected role of the press is in tandem with global best practices, particularly on issues that have bearing on national security.

They, therefore, invited the media “as partners to continue to be security conscious and exercise restraint in disseminating information that could expose the Services to ridicule or harm our national security,” stressing that, “Prior consultation with appropriate members of the intelligence community is the best way to go.”

FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

49

NEWSXTRA

PDP Mocks Buhari over Fake MLK Award Demands arrest of presidency officials Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the rebuttal of the claim by the presidency that the family of human rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr, conferred an award on President

Muhammadu Buhari as a national disgrace and embarrassment.

In a statement issued by National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday PDP said the lie by President Buhari’s handlers smacks of desperation by the All Progressives Congress

Factional APC Chairman in Kaduna Resigns John Shiklam ÓØ ËÎßØË Danladi Wada, the factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State loyal to Senator Suleiman, has reigned from his position.

At a press conference yesterday in Kaduna, Wada said his decision to quit was personal, adding that he took the decision after wide consultations with his family, friends and associates.

Wada was abducted last Saturday at gun point after the 5:30a.m. prayer in a mosque near his Angwan Rimi GRA Kaduna.

He was released by his abductors after 24 hours in Zaria and was brought home by an acquaintance.

Wada expressed gratitude to members of the APC in Kaduna and nationwide for their support during the turbulent moments.

“I’m still a member of APC in Kaduna State and I will continue to be a member of the party in the state.

“However, for peace to return in the state especially in APC Kaduna, I hereby on March 29, 2018, resign my position as Deputy Chairman and acting Chairman of APC Kaduna for personal reason.

“This is after due consultation with my family, friends and some members of the APC in the state.

“I thank everybody for the support. I wish everybody good

(APC)-led government to procure international endorsement ahead of the 2019 general election.

The main opposition party said the embarrassing act has again made our country a laughing stock before the international community.

The party said the country was jolted when the King Centre distanced itself from the award and noted that “the award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Centre, at the request of The King Centre or by the children of Martin Luther King jr.”

“It is now clear that this sinking, incompetent and

deceptive APC administration, in their desperation, can fabricate and stage-manage anything, including name-dropping of international figures and agencies, in their desperate attempt to delude Nigerians, once again, now that the 2019 general election is fast approaching.

“Nigerians have discovered that having failed to gain any endorsement from reputable international figures such as Bill Gates, the APC and the presidency have now cheapened the country by resorting to this despicable act of name-dropping of world-renowned human right activist, Dr. Martin Luther King

jr, further dragging down our once sterling image before the comity of nations.”

PDP said the fact remains that not many Nigerians believed in the authenticity of the award in the first place, as the Buhari-led administration, by its undemocratic and anti-people proclivities, including records of violations of rights of citizens, is not deserving of any form of recognition by any human rights group, let alone the family of the world-acclaimed Martin Luther King jr.

“Today, the PDP has been vindicated in its stand that the APC government is not only

hypocritical but overtly deceptive and must not be trusted.

“It would be recalled that we had issued a statement, earlier this year, cautioning Nigerians and the international community to be wary of information and claims coming from the APC and the Presidency, particularly on endorsements and performances indices.

“While we urge the presidency to shed its proclivity for lies, we demand the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of all the presidency officials involved in this messy scandal and crime against our nation.

luck in all their endeavours. I hope we will continue the struggle for APC to remain in Kaduna and beyond 2019,” he said.

On whether his decision to quit had to do with his recent abduction, Wada maintained that his decision was personal, stressing that he wants peace to reign.

“I want the party to succeed but with the kind of situation we have, I realised that there would be problems for the party.

So, I therefore decided to make this supreme sacrifice,” he said.

Meanwhile the state Organising Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Sa’adu Idris Kudan, has been appointed the factional chairman.

A statement issued yesterday

by Kudan maintained that to avert leadership vacuum, “the State Working Committee of APC” had appointed him as the acting state chairman of the party.

The statement said: “Wada and his family found it unbearable to continue to hold the position considering imminent threat to his life.”

The statement maintained further that the resignation of L-R: Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; Chief Executive Officer, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise, Navin Nahata; Vice President, Wada “does not validate or Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; and Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza legalised the unconstitutional Bala Usman, during the official flag-off ceremony of the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos....yesterday. hoisting of Shuaibu Idris Lauje as the state acting state Chairman of the party since he was never elected to the APC Kaduna State Executive Committee in the 2014 APC congresses.”

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY IN NIGERIA

House Approves N204.80bn Budget for NCC, Passes N’Assembly Research Office Bill Urges FG to implement Great Green Wall Initiative

James Emejo ÓØ ÌßÔË

Agency to provide necessary Protection and Care for the The House of Representatives Nigerian Children; and for yesterday considered and passed Related Matters; a Bill for the sum of N204.80 billion as an Act to Establish Federal 2017 Budget for the Nigerian Capital Territory Civil Service Paul Obi ÓØ ÌßÔË Communications Commission Commission charged with the Borno State.”

Chukwu explained that one (NCC).

Responsibility for Appointment, In continuation of its efforts of the “suspect is undergoing According to a breakdown, Promotion and Discipline of Staff to tame Boko Haram preliminary investigation with the sum of 27.063 billion and Employees in the Civil insurgency, military troops 23 Brigade Provost Company. is earmarked for recurrent Service of the FCT, Abuja; and under Operation Lafiya Dole “We commend patriotic expenditure while 13.61 billion for Related Matters; and a bill for yesterday arrested three Boko members of Civilian vigilante is for capital expenditure as well an Act to Repeal the Consumer Haram terrorists in Borno (Civilian JTF) for their as 4.45 billion for special projects. Protection Act, Cap. C25, Laws State.

Also, the sums of 145.74 of the Federation of Nigeria, resilience and continued According to Director of cooperation with troops, and billion and N13.92 billion will 2004, and Establish Federal Army Public Relations, Brig urge members of the public be transferred to the federal Competition and Consumer Gen Texas Chukwu, “the to emulate their vigilance government and the Universal Protection Commission and troops of 23 Brigade Nigerian and security consciousness Service Provision Fund (USPF) the Competition and Consumer Army under Operation Lafiya by reporting any suspicious respectively, Protection Tribunal for the Dole, acting on a tip off persons or objects to the The sum of N9.751 million Development and Promotion of arrested three suspected Boko nearest military location. is earmarked for the budget of Fair, Efficient and Competitive Haram terrorists at Ngurore.

“We wish to remind the Universal Service Provision Markets in the Nigerian “The suspects, Adam Yagga, repentant Boko Haram Fund for the period ending on Economy, Facilitate Access by Musa Kamsulum and Abba fighters that the window of June 30, 2018. all Citizens to Safe Products, Djidoum are all from Darajimal opportunity to embrace the Also, a bill for an Act to Secure the Protection of Rights in Bama Local Government federal government Amnesty establish National Assembly for all Consumers in Nigeria Area of Borno State. program is still open to them Budget and Research Office and for Related Matters.

“One of the suspects, to surrender and lay down which provides it with objective, Others are a bill for an Abba Djidoum, with series their weapons. timely and non-partisan analysis Act to Amend the Industrial of Gunshot wounds on his “It is also gratifying to report needed for economic and budget Development (Income Tax thigh, confessed to have that the troops’ morale remains decisions; and for related matters. Relief) Act, Cap.I,7 Laws of operated with the Boko Haram high as they dominate the The lower chamber further the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; terrorists at fringes of Izza, general area with a robust passed a bill for an Act to and for Related Matters.

Wudula and Blakule in Bama fighting patrol in continuation Establish National Child Also yesterday, the House Local Government Area of with the clearance operations.” Protection and Enforcement passed a motion urging the

Troops Arrest Three Boko Haram Terrorists

federal government to make adequate budgetary allocation to the National Agency for the Great Green Wall in order to enable it achieve its objectives and asked the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources to fast track the implementation of policies, projects and programmes in line with the Great Green Wall Initiative.

It further mandated the Committee on Environment and Habitat to investigate the non-implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Nigerian and report back in eight weeks for further legislative action.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Hon. Beni Lar on the need to implement the Great Green Wall Initiative Programme in Nigeria.

She said desertification is one of the major environmental challenges threatening the livelihood of millions of Nigerians as it is adversely affecting agricultural practices, especially in the area of livestock production and the worst affected states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina,

Sokoto and Yobe; She noted that as a result of desertification, herdsmen from the affected areas are forced to migrate to other parts of the country in search of pasture resulting in incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

The lawmaker recalled that the Great Green Wall Initiative was launched in 2007 by the African Union (AU) with the aim of tackling detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the Sahel and Sahara, boost food security and support local Communities to adapt to climate change.

She however, expressed concern that the initiative exists only in name, as, instead of reclamation of desert, it is rather expanding and gaining more territories, adding that if nothing is done to forestall further desert encroachment by implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative, clashes between herdsmen and farmers will be on the increase.

Meanwhile, the House yesterday adjourned sitting till April 10 to enable members mark the Easter holidays.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

GOOD FRIDAY FELICITATIONS…

GOOD FRIDAY FELICITATIONS…

Saraki, Obaseki, Bello Ask Nigerians to Emulate Virtues of Christ Our correspondents

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, have called on Christians and Nigerians across the nation to work towards emulating the virtues of Jesus Christ as epitomized by his passion, persecution, death and resurrection during Easter.

Saraki in a message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, also stated that all Nigerians must remain constant in their efforts to promote unity across all lines.

He noted that it was imperative for all Nigerians to come together in order to build a country that both present and future generations can take pride in just like the work of Christ which has endured for over 2000 years and has continued to inspire generations.

Saraki stated: “This weekend, we join our Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria and across the world to celebrate the Easter festivities. This commemoration is a time for deep reflection as it marks the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his victory over death. It is a time to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.

“It is also a time for all of us — regardless of faith, or ethnicity — to come together to pray for the peace of our nation. We must all remain constant in our efforts to promote unity — across all lines — because united, our nation remains stronger and we thrive as a people.

“As we do this, we must all collectively work towards playing our part in the development of our nation and its economy,” Saraki stated.

In the vain, Obaseki called on Christians to imbibe the virtue of selfless service in commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

He noted: “As Christian faithful celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary, I urge everyone to take this opportunity to reflect on the significance of this day, the solemnity of selfless service and the passion for the downtrodden.

“As we go about our activities to mark this day, we should not forget to make sacrifices for the development of our nation. This is necessary to set Nigeria on the path of progress.”

Obaseki added: “Good Friday brings to the fore, the love of Christ for mankind, for which he gave his life.

So also should we remember to be our brother’s keeper, upholding the spirit of togetherness and sacrifice for the greater good of all.

“The spirit of sacrifice as exemplified by Jesus Christ who offered himself for mankind on the cross of Calvary should be a lesson for all Christians. Genuine love for humanity can only be expressed when we take the teachings and examples of Christ to heart.”

Obaseki urged Christians to use the occasion of Good Friday to pray for peace and progress of the country, noting, “It is only when there is peacethat meaningful progress can be achieved. We must all work towards ensuring peace in our neighbourhoods, state and country.”

On his part, Bello enjoined FCT residents, especially the Christian faithful, to use the occasion of the Easter celebrations to rededicate themselves to the virtues of love and service to our fatherland.

He stated that the season offers the residents an opportunity to reflect on the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a pathway for peaceful coexistence and service to humanity.

The FCT minister, made this call in his message to FCT residents on the occasion of the Easter season commencing with the Good Friday.

He underscored the ideals of national unity and oneness on which the FCT was founded and urged residents to strive to demonstrate these values in their interaction with one another.

Bello assured FCT residents that the Administration has put in place measures to ensure the security of lives and property both during and after the Easter season.

He enjoined them to be alert to the happenings around them in order to thwart any efforts by miscreants to take advantage of the festive season to cause any breach of the peace the territory has been enjoying.

He further thanked the residents for their contributions and support to the administration as it works to implement projects that are designed to improve the living standards of the residents.

He disclosed that efforts are ongoing to improve facilities in the FCT educational sector with the recent release of N600 million as counterpart funding to access over N1.2 billion Universal Basic Education grant.

He said that 12 generators have been procured and installed so far to ensure steady streetlights during power outage, while the administration is on course to improve the outlook of major highways by stemming illegal trading, dumping of refuse and vehicular recklessness. Similarly, procurement of the major coaches required for the full operation

EMINENT PERSONS AT TINUBU’S COLLOQUIUM

L-R: Former Governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; former Ogun State Governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba; and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, during the 10th Bola Tinubu annual colloquium, to mark his 66th birthday in Lagos....yesterday

of the Abuja Light Rail is underway while the trial phase will soon commence with the three test coaches which are already on ground.

The minister praised the residents for their support and contributions towards the realisation of the Abuja project while calling on them to continue to shun the antics of those who beat the drums of disunity.

He prayed for a very spiritually refreshing and hitch-free Easter celebrations while charging residents to stay safe, both now and after the Easter season.

Police Order Massive Deployment Nationwide As Nigerians celebrate Easter, the Nigerian police yesterday said they have deployed personnel across the country to checkmate any break down of law and order.

Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, explained that “the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim K. Idris, and the entire personnel of the Nigeria Police Force felicitates with Christian faithful throughout the country on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebration.

According to him, “Consequently, the IG has directed Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIG) in charge of zonal commands and Commissioners of Police nationwide to be on ground throughout the celebration to supervise and implement the robust security arrangements and massive deployment of police personnel throughout the country for crime prevention and control, so as to ensure crime and hitch-free celebration.

“The deployment of the police personnel for crime prevention and crowd control will cover places of worships, recreation centres and venues of celebration as well as other public and private places and facilities.

“Consistent surveillance, intelligence gathering and continuous raid of criminal hideouts, black spots, flash/ vulnerable points are already ongoing and will be sustained throughout the period. Vehicular and foot patrols and adequate visibility policing will also be embarked upon to guarantee safety of lives and property throughout the period.

Moshood said: “Members of the public are hereby implored to cooperate with the personnel of the police highway patrol teams, the Special Anti-robbery Squads and other police units deployed to prevent crime on the highways and major roads across the country as they are under instructions to be civil, polite but firm in ensuring the security and safety of travellers and other road users throughout the country.

“The Nigeria Police Force is therefore assuring all Nigerians of its renewed commitment to ensure adequate safety of lives and property during this period and beyond.

“The IG, while wishing all Christians across the country a happy Easter celebration, enjoins them to extol the virtues of Jesus Christ by propagating peace, demonstrating love with their fellow citizens, irrespective of religious, ethnic or political inclination.”

Secuity Agencies Brace up in Niger The police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State have braced up to provide security for lives and property during the Easter celebration.

While the police said it had put its men on alert in the 25 local government areas of the state, the NSCDC on its part said it had mobilised 1,500 men for the period.

Police Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna yesterday said that “all the black spots in the state will be monitored by plain clothe and uniformed security men.

“The Niger State police command has mapped out strategies and put in place measures to provide adequate security in the state particularly at churches and recreational centres to ensure hitch-free celebration.”

Abubakar charged the people of the state “to exhibit high level of security consciousness by reporting any suspicious person or group of persons to the police and other security agencies for necessary action.”

The state commandant of the NSCDC, Mr. Philip Ayuba, who announced the deployment, said his men would be sent to all strategic places in the state and its environs including motor parks, eateries, churches and recreational centres.”

Ayuba also directed all the Area Commanders in the state “to fully take charge of their jurisdictions,” adding that unit heads should also be in charge of officers and men deployed across the state.

Ayuba said the deployment commenced March 29 to be stood down by the state commandant on April 3, 2018 depending on the threat analysis.

The commandant warned all miscreants to “stay clear of the state and its environs because all the divisions have been fully fortified with personnel.”

Continue to Pray for Peace, Unity, Glo Charges Nigerians at Easter Telecommunications giant, Globacom, has admonished Nigerians to supplicate to God for the peace and unity of the nation on the occasion of the 2018 Easter celebrations.

“Easter period is the culmination of Lent and a vivid reminder to Christian faithful to deepen acts of sacrifice, peace and love for one another as well as the nation during the season and beyond.

Let us all continue to pray for peace and economic prosperity that will thwart the efforts of all centrifugal forces in the country”, the company said in a press statement issued from its Lagos head office recently.

Globacom disclosed that Easter, a celebration marking the watershed crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a veritable demonstration of divine selfless love which should be emulated by all and sundry to make Nigeria, nay, the world a better place to live in.

While calling on Christians to externalise the virtues of Easter in all their undertakings by dwelling in love, unity and good neighbourliness that will propel Nigeria to the heights of her dreams, the network assured its esteemed subscribers of q u a l i t y experiences on voice and data services throughout the holiday p e r i o d a n d b e y o n d

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11 Soldiers Killed by Bandits Buried in Kaduna El-Rufai donates N5.5million to bereaved families John Shiklam ÓØ ËÎßØË The remains of the 11 soldiers killed by bandits in Kompanin Doka village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State were laid to rest yesterday in Kaduna with full military honours.

The state government also donated N500,000 to each family of the deceased soldiers during their burial ceremony which was held at the Commonwealth Cemetery, Kaduna.

The soldiers were part of the special security operation code named, Ayem Akpatuma and deployed to the Birnin Gwari area to check the activities of armed robbers, kidnappers and cattle rustlers terrorising the area.

They were killed by the bandits who were said to have invaded the soldiers’ camp on March 20, 2018, between 8p.m. and 9p.m.

Presenting a cheque of N5.5 million to the General Officer Commanding (GOC),1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Muhammad, during the burial for onward delivery to the families of the

soldiers, the state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, described the killings as tragic and sad.

The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Balarabe Abbas, said the state government was pained by the incident.

“It is with heavy heart and regrets that I stand in your midst to express our heartfelt condolences to the families of 11 soldiers who lost their lives in action at Kompani Doka.

“These soldiers were part of the operation Ayem Akpatuma which commenced on February 5, 2018, to combat the security situation in Kamuku forest and its environs as well as curtail the activities of kidnappers and other criminal elements on major highways in the state,” the governor said.

He further said: “These soldiers fought gallantly in securing our lives; they paid the supreme price in the process while three others were also wounded during the attack by the bandits.”

El-Rufai prayed to God to grant the families of the

deceased and the Nigerian army the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

He assured them that the state government would not relent in efforts to work with security agencies to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.

The governor commended members of the armed forces and other security agencies for the support they have been giving to Kaduna State Government in tackling security challenges.

Speaking earlier, GOC, Maj. Gen. Muhammad said the army would not relent in fishing out the bandits and bringing them to justice.

He lamented that the deceased soldiers, who were between the ages of 19 to 23, joined the army barely a year ago, full of life

and were ready to serve the country.

According to the GOC, the soldiers were even yet to meet their families to show them their military uniform when they were cut down.

“This is a solemn occasion not much speech would be made.

Like Muslims say, from God we came and to Him we shall return.

“If we shed tears today, it is because we hold these gentlemen in high esteem.

Morning of 20 March, 2018, very able men stood out to assist this country, they came into this job barely a year ago full of life to give their service to this country.

“They told their relations that they had joined the Nigerian army. Most of them were yet

to go back to their relations to show them the uniforms they were given in the army.

“That is the sad thing about this occasion. Now they have paid the supreme sacrifice to defend the territorial integrity of this country.

“They shed their blood in the community of Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.”

Apparently reacting to recent allegations by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) that the military was colluding with bandits who kill Nigerians, Muhammad wondered how the army could aide those killing soldiers.

“How then can we tell them that they are aiding those who kill them? As such, when we are responsible enough to make statements, we should

not trivialise,” the GOC said.

Speaking further Muhammad said: “The soldiers were trained for about six months and were taken for further training to add value to them, only to be cut short of the dreams they had for this country, which they defended with their blood...”

The deceased soldiers were Ahmed Olabode, Bamidele Adekunle, Christian Ogochukwu, Adamu Mohammed and Lamara Ahmed.

Others were Suleiman Mubarak, Bashir Sani, Usman Abubakar, Nafiu Iliyasu, Safiyanu Ahmed and Alhassan Ibrahim.

The burial was attended by top military officers as well as the police and other security heads in the state.

Saraki Commends Colleagues for Passing 201 Bills in 33 Months As the eighth Senate passed its 201st Bill yesterday, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has commended his colleagues for their support and hard work that allowed the upper legislative chamber to reach that milestone.

In a tweet on his personal handle (@Bukolasaraki), the Senate President said: “As of today, the Senate has passed 201 bills. We still have 15 months

to go, yet, we have reached this milestone. I would like to thank my distinguished colleagues for their hard work and cooperation over the last 33 months.’’

Recall that the fifth Senate (2003 to 2007) passed 129 bills in all; the sixth Senate (2007 to 2011) passed 72 bills and the seventh Senate (2011 to 2015) had a total of 129 bills respectively.

UNODC: We Did Not Urge Nigeria to Legalise Cannabis Bennett Oghifo The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has distanced itself from the news making the rounds that it called for the decriminalisation of cannabis in Nigeria.

In a statement recently in Abuja, the UNODC denied that it said it was okay to legalise cannabis in the country during its visit to Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Abuja at which it made a presentation at the public hearing on ‘The need to check the rising menace of pharmaceutical drugs abuse among youth in Nigeria’.

UNODC stated that it never said what was reported in the media.

According to the Outreach and Communications Officer, Mr. Sylvester Atere, the news totally misquoted UNODC’s views and warned that this could jeopardise the long existing relationship with Nigeria.

“To keep the record straight, on invitation by the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, UNODC made a presentation at the public hearing and reiterated the

following recommendations contained in 2017 International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report, where the board urges all governments to: Gather data on prevalence of drug-use disorders and the accessibility and utilisation of treatment; invest in making treatment and rehabilitation evidence-based; allocate sufficient resources to treatment and rehabilitation, the two major components of demand reduction; pay particular attention to special population groups; share, nationally and internationally, best practices and build capacity; and stimulate research into new interventions.

On being asked specifically on cannabis, he said: “Our representative clearly stated that legalisation of cannabis is not supported by the three UN international drug conventions (Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol; Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971; UN convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988). The UNODC did not urge Nigeria to legalise cannabis.”

UNVEILING BAYELSA FOR INVESTMENT

Bayela State Governor, Seriake Dickson (right), and President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah, unveiling Bayelsa as world’s Best Kept Investment secret at the sixth African CEO Forum in Abidjan.... recently.

Musical Explosion Kits Ikorodu Today Ebenezer Obey, Tope Alabi, Chioma Jesus, others on the bill The sprawling city of Ikorodu, near Lagos, will today be locked down with a gospel music festival, tagged: ‘Embrace.’

It is the 11th edition of the yearly musical crusade that draws about half a million Christians and non-Christians to the city. It is themed: Embrac 11 As he has done most of the past 11 years, juju music legend and gospel music maestro, Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, leads the pack of top gospel artistes that will rock the city from dusk till dawn on Good Friday.

Other topflight artistes on

the bill are Tope Alabi, Chioma Jesus, Tim Godfrey, Tolu David, Battle Axe, Vickel, Olori Oladapo, The Spirit and Life Choir, and Olubukola.

The programme holds at the sprawling grounds of Ikorodu Town Hall.

Speaking to journalists at a parley, Pastor Isaac Adeyemi, Senior Pastor of Embrace International Assembly, Ikorodu, mastermind of the musical crusade, said that the music extravaganza would be preceded, in the morning, by a health outreach in which

scores of people would be given free medical examination and treatment.

In the evening, the hundreds of thousands of people expected at the flagship event will be serenaded with rapturous gospel music never before seen or experienced in Lagos State.

Adeyemi also hinted that over the past 11 years, the Embrace musical crusade has induced several developmental projects in and around the town, as well as Lagos State. The projects are executed and solely financed by the church.

Bro. Segun Onakoya, chairman, organising committee of Embrace, corroborated Adeyemi, disclosing that this year’s musical crusade will be phenomenal in every ramification. “Like we have been doing over the years,” Onakoya assures, “Embrace will bring down God’s glory to Ikorodu, Lagos and Nigeria in a manner never before experienced. God will visit Nigeria through this programme, and revive millions of souls languishing in economic, social and spiritual in recession.”

GUNMEN KILL 69 IN ZAMFARA, SOUTHERN KADUNA injured and were taken to the hospital in Kafanchan.

According to him, “The attacks occurred in the bush at different locations and at different times.

“The first attack occurred at about 10 a.m. when some members of our community went to the bush to cut wood for roofing their houses.

“All of a sudden, the herdsmen opened fire at them and three people were killed while others managed to escape.

“The second attack happened at about 11 a.m. at a local mining site. Three people were also killed there, while four others were injured.”

He added that the suspected herdsmen were dressed in army

camouflage and mobile police uniforms.

Maurice said the distances between the village and the places where the attacks took place are between 5 and 6 kilometres, but by the time the soldiers deployed to the community got to the locations the bandits had disappeared.

“We reported the case to the soldiers maintaining security in

our community and we went to the bush with them to hunt them down, but the bandits had fled,” he said.

However, the police could not confirm the attacks, as Aliyu Mukhtar, spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command did not respond to phone calls and a text message sent to him on the matter.

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SERAP Seeks Voluntary Return of ‘Illegal’ Running Costs, Allowances by N’Assembly Davidson Iriekpen The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to persuade their members to voluntarily return running costs and other allowances so far collected.

It asked the leadership of the National Assembly to use any returned funds to establish a trust fund to improve investment in education and health.

The RMAFC yesterday declared as illegal the N13.5 million each senator reportedly collects monthly as running cost. Each member of the House of Representatives also reportedly collects N10 million monthly as running cost. According to the commission, the payment is not covered by the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendments) Act 2008 governing emoluments of political office holders in the country.

Reacting, SERAP in a statement by its Deputy Director, Timothy Adewale, said: “Under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the National Assembly cannot use its appropriation power for personal gain of lawmakers. The revelation that the National Assembly unilaterally increased their own allowances and running costs without any regard to due process of law constitutes a flagrant abuse of governmental powers for personal gain.”

According to the organisation, “The National Assembly would never be able to check abuses of power by the executive or perform important oversight functions

if the lawmakers are looking after themselves rather than standing up for the citizens.”

The statement read in part: “A trust fund can supply health aid, educational support, economic empowerment, dignity and overall improved social welfare of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors of the population. This proposed trust fund can serve as one of the strategies for addressing the escalating crisis in our educational and health sectors, something which Bill Gates has discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

“Legislative powers are a means; the end is the liberty and prosperity of the citizens.

The leadership of the National Assembly should therefore ensure that our lawmakers are more sensitive to the needs of Nigerians in the exercise of their legislative powers and that the powers are used to improve opportunities for the citizens, and access to quality education and adequate health for all Nigerians regardless of socio-economic status.

“To check against corruption, the leadership of the National Assembly should also urgently put in place a system of publishing an account of receipts and expenditures of members including on constituency projects, running costs and other allowances.

Nigerians who pay the lawmakers ought to know in what manner the funds for the operation of the National Assembly are expended.

“Saraki and Dogara should take immediate steps to ensure the recovery and voluntary return of the ‘dirty money’, if they are to ensure that the constitution’s integrity is not undermined by the evasion of political and legal accountability by the National Assembly. The trust funds would contribute to the efforts to improve investment

Oba of Benin Places Libya Returnees on Three Months Salary Adibe Emenyonu ÓØ ÏØÓØ ÓÞã The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku-Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, has placed returnees from Libya on a three months salaries each.

The royal father said apart from the allowances, his foundation Oba Ewuare Foundation would immediately provide the necessary tools/ facilities for those who have gone through various special skills acquisition training Oba Ewuare announced this when he played host to Libya returnees in his palace in Benin City yesterday.

He expressed disappointment with the mentality of Nigerian youths of making quicker money without legitimate means, insisting that youths must embrace agriculture and other legal businesses to excel in the country.

The monarch who also frowned at the attitudes of some parents towards illegal migration via sea and desert, maintained that the palace would employ all traditional means to eradicate the scourge.

Oba Ewuare who was full of praises to God and the ancestors for steps taken so far to curb the menace of human trafficking and wave of crime in the state, called for the concerted efforts of all to win the fight against the ignoble act Earlier, the leader of the returnees, Mr. Vincent David, told the Oba that they were at the palace to seek assistance in the area of tools to start up lives after acquiring the necessary skills from the government.

The returnees commended Oba Ewuare for deploying traditional means to rescue trafficked victims from their slave masters.

in education and health for the greatest happiness of the greatest number.

“Without accountability of our lawmakers, the country’s democratic project cannot function according to its constitutional design. By limiting the potential for the abuse of governmental power, the Nigerian Constitution

protects individual liberty and requires all branches of government including the National Assembly to strive to improve their welfare and economic and social development and opportunities.”

“The framers of the constitution deemed this information essential if

Nigerians are to exercise any control over their representatives and meet their growing responsibilities as citizens. Publication of statement of accounts of public expenditures would enhance the responsibility of the National Assembly by informing the public about the purposes and authority

for certain expenditures.”

It would be recalled that RMAFC said only the National Assembly Service Commission could explain how the senators came to be paid such an unapproved allowance. The commission’s clarification was contained in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed.

WALK AGAINST CANCER

L-R: Head, Human Resources/Admin, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Mrs Fola Wiltshire (left); Managing Director/CEO, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Mrs Hamda Ambah (right), with members of staff of the bank during a walk, tagged: ‘Fight Against Cervical Cancer’ in Lagos... recently.

Nigeria Unlikely to Remain a Net Oil Exporter in 10 Years, Warns NNRC Chineme Okafor ÓØ ÌßÔË Nigeria may cease to be a net exporter of crude oil in the next 10 years if real reforms that would engender proper business practices in its oil and gas industry are not implemented soon, the Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) has warned.

According to the NNRC, the country had in the last 20 years continued to aspire to grow her oil reserves to 40 billion barrels, as well as her daily output to four million barrel per day (mbpd) with both plans yet to materialise while her population and energy need continued to rise.

It said the expected rise in domestic demand for oil in line with the population growth within 10 years could affect her oil export and reduce the volume of oil available for export.

NNRC also warned that the return of subsidy on petrol in any form, either as under-recovery or loses to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was not sustainable and should be done away with.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on ‘assessing petroleum sector wealth: NNPC’s contributions to the economy,’ yesterday in Lagos, the Chairman of NNRC’s expert advisory

panel and former minister of state for petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, explained that Indonesia had such challenges in 2008 when its rising domestic consumption forced it to stop being a net oil exporter and it subsequently applied to leave the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Country (OPEC. Ajumogobia, equally raised a query on the relevance and accuracy of data available in the country’s oil industry. He said they frequently fluctuated and could be hardly trusted.

“In its yet to be excised role as policy maker and regulator, it has been NNPC’s aspiration for close to 20 years - since the inauguration in 2000 of the Oil and Gas Implementation Committee (OGIC), to grow the country’s crude oil reserves to at least 40 billion barrels and to increase production to 4mbpd, in order to sustain the economic contribution of the petroleum sector, as energy demand inevitably increases with population growth.

“Towards the end of 2008, I was Nigeria’s representative at OPEC when l witnessed Indonesia leaving OPEC because it had ceased to be a net exporter of crude oil on account of its domestic consumption of refined products. This could indeed be an inevitable consequence for

Nigeria, with a population estimated to be in excess of 250 million within 10 years without proper planning especially if we do not succeed in eliminating the payment of unaffordable fuel subsidies,” said Ajumogobia.

He further asked: “In the meantime, is the existing uneconomic process even transparent? Can we rely on the figures we routinely reel out about reserves or about fuel consumption that once went from 30 million litres a day to 45 million litres a day within a period of one year between 2011 and 2012?

“As we speak another almost $2 billion is claimed to be owed to marketers. Yet by 1974 Nigeria had already attained production of 2.4mbpd from onshore and shallow water fields exclusively.”

He noted that there was a massive decline in joint venture oil production going by indications that the deep offshore fields which were developed more than 20 years ago currently contribute about half of the 2mbpd oil output the country has.

“By way of contrast, Angola doubled its oil production within the last 15 years - from 750,000bpd in 2004 to a peak of 2mbpd in 2014.

“But beyond increased reserves and production

volumes, value addition in refining and other processing and distillation ventures and ancillary activities that would lead to real sector GDP growth has not been successful,” he explained.

According to him, there was a need to again re-evaluate Nigeria’s aspirations for her oil industry which he said was still key to her economic growth and diversification plan.

“We literally have to drill our way out of our current economic predicament. Thus NNPC, if the existing structure remains, has a critical role to play in furthering a sustainable economic growth trajectory for Nigeria,” he added.

On the current financial subsidy claimed by the NNPC for importing and supplying petrol in the country, Ajumogobia said: “We want a higher oil price because it implies huge revenues but it also means higher cost of the derivatives. We can’t eat our cake and have it, it is not possible.

“As long as we do so, the idea that subsidy has been removed is simply not true whether it is paid directly through the PPPRA by the government or by the NNPC through its cost deductions, it is still a subsidy.”

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Senate Rejects Kaduna’s $350m Foreign Loan Request Damilola Oyedele ÓØ ÌßÔË The Senate yesterday rejected the request for a $350 million World Bank facility for Kaduna State, on grounds that the state is already highly indebted to the tune of $232 million.

The Senate also said the state government did not follow the pre-conditions listed for such loans, and was not clear on the purposes for which the loan was being sought.

The position of the Senate was based on the recommendations of its Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, which said to approve the loan, would constitute a huge debt profile on the state, which would burden the finances.

The loan request captured in the 2016 – 2018 federal government external borrowing plan, has a low financing rate of 1.25 per cent interest, moratorium of five years and a 25 year maturity tenor.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Shehu Sani said the $232 million was accrued from loans obtained by the state from 1960.

Sani, who incidentally is from Kaduna State, has been in a running battle with the state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

He, however, dispelled any political colouration to the rejection of the loan, explaining that Kaduna is the second most indebted state in Nigeria, after Lagos State.

Approving the loan, would put Kaduna’s total debt profile at $582.1 million, which would be unsustainable and attract unnecessary huge financial burden on the meagre federal allocation to the state, Sani cautioned.

“With the high total debt stock of Kaduna State at the moment, the new borrowing sought, will make the debt service to revenue ratio high,

thereby worsening the state government’s ability to meet its other basic obligations to the people and further erode the economic viability of the state,” Sani said.

He also wondered why the state government wants to obtain a facility that is almost twice the volume of the existing debt portfolio.

Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi also from Kaduna expressed opposition to the loan request, noting that the state government was not clear as to what the loan is required for.

He explained that the application of the loan as indicated in the details obtained from the World Bank, is completely different from what the governor said the loan would be deployed to.

Hunyuyi, whose building was recently demolished in Kaduna allegedly on the orders of el-Rufai, said the $350 million facility is supposed to bedrawn over a period of four to five years.

The state government however indicated that it wishes to access $170 million from the funds in 2018 alone, Hunkuyi said adding that the loan is to be utilised by three agencies affliated to the Governor’s office.

One of the agencies is the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects. Why the rush, why the hurry?” he added.

“As a representative of my people, I’ll like to say that the application of that loan is a misplaced priority. I strongly stand behind the prayers of the chairman of the committee, that this very important chamber do reject that request for the loan,” he said.

Senator Danjuma Lar also from Kaduna joined his colleagues to oppose the request.

“I met with the representatives of Kaduna

State and asked what the loan was all about? What project is this loan meant for? I should know from zone one, two and three, who are the contractors responsible for the project?

Where will the projects be sited? But these questions were not answered,” “I realised that the money received in Kaduna State is much and there is nothing happening in the state lately.

They are busy retiring and sacking people and asking for a loan. To do what with the loan? I don’t understand.

If you are collecting a loan without giving a reason, I am not in support of such loan, my people are also not in support of it. Please, this loan should not be granted,” Lar said.

Presiding, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu said Debt Management Act has provided that the National Assembly must thoroughly interrogate loan requests to ensure there is a need for the loan, and that due process is followed.

“Also, to ensure that existing loan portfolio for the state or federal government, would be able to accommodate such further request, so as not to put so much pressure on that state or the federal government,” Ekweremadu said.

The request was put to a voice vote, and was rejected by the majority of the lawmakers.

Meanwhile Sani, speaking at a press conference after plenary, warned the federal government against circumventing the National Assembly to obtain the facility for the state.

The Debt Management Act, he said, clearly provides that any application for a loan by a state must be submitted by the president, to the National Assembly, and must be approved by both legislative chambers.

Court Discharges Wife of Jonathan’s Cousin, Stella Aziboala of Criminal Charges Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË Mrs Stella Aziboala, wife to a cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was yesterday discharged of all the nine-count charge levelled against her by the federal government.

Her husband, Robert Aziboala was however not as lucky as the Federal High Court, Abuja trying them over corruption allegations ordered that he open his defence in two of the 9 count charge.

Trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, in discharging Stella, in respect of counts 2 and 3, held that, “Just because Mr. Azibola is a spouse of the 2nd defendant, is not enough to charge her. criminal liability is personal; it is not vicarious”.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2016, preferred a sevencount charge against Aziboala, his wife, Stella and their company, One Plus Holding

Ltd, over an allegation that they received $40m contract from the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki.

The prosecution closed its case, after calling 10 witnesses who testified against the defendants.

But the defendants, responding through their counsel Chris Uche, SAN filed a no-case-submission, insisting that the federal government had failed to establish a prima-facie case that would warrant them to enter defence.

Justice Dimgba, ruling on the no-case-submission, yesterday, held that Aziboala (1st defendant) and his company, One Plus Holding Ltd (3rd defendant) have explanation to make in respect of counts two and three and subsequently ordered them to respond to the charges.

In count two and three, Robert Aziboala and his company, One Plus Holding Limited were

accused of being in possession and conversion of the sum of $40m received from Dasuki into personal use.

It was claimed that the $40m released from the office of the former NSA to Aziboala and One Plus Holding Ltd was meant for the procurement of tactical communication kits.

“By the exhibits, the sum of $40m was sent to the 3rd defendant purportedly for the supply of tactical communication kits for Special Forces on the instruction of former NSA, Dasuki.

“But there was no evidence that any such thing was supplied even though there were some suggestions in exhibits that the sum was for some other security assignments.

The matter has been adjourned till June 4, for Robert to open his defence.

54

FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Akala Swells APC Gubernatorial Aspirants’ Camp in Oyo Ademola Babalola ÓØ

ÌËÎËØ With just a few months to the gubernatorial primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, was asked to run again in 2019 by political associates in the party and from across other political divides in the state.

Several hundreds of such people under the umbrella of Akala Support Group (ASG) yesterday stormed the Banquet Hall of the Premier Hotel in Ibadan and

rose in unison that “only the former governor has solutions to the excruciating poverty ravaging the land.”

They have therefore called on him, to with immediate effect, declare his intention to contest the governorship election in the state without further delay.

The group in a communique issued shortly after its public discourse under the chairmanship of a renowned educationist, Dr. Fola Akinosun, declared that the need to pressurise the ex-governor to come out again in 2019 was to satisfy the yearnings of the people of the state so that “the humane and

infrastructural development that the people witnessed during his tenure in the first term could be repeated again.”

Those who spoke at the discourse included Adekunle Adebowale who said the political arena has been saturated with a large number of aspirants, “hence it has become expedient to chart a course for the way forward and take a united position to further the course of the group.”

Others were a veteran labour leader and former Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Olu Abiala; one time Chairman of the Nigeria

Union of Teachers (NUT), Amuda Babatunde; Oloye Agbo Adeyemo; a former Commissioner for Industry in the state, Mrs. Kemi Jayeoba Olorunsogo; exCommissioner for Health, Dr. Gbola Adetunji, a women leader, Mrs. Falilat Adeyemo and a host of others across the five geopolitical zones of the state.

The group in the communique, urged Ajimobi of the state and the APC to present Alao-Akala for the election, stressing that the only joker for any political party in the state is to present him (Alao-Akala) in the 2019 elections.

The communique read: “That to satisfy the yearnings of the people in the state, it is imperative to make a clarion call on Alao-Akala to contest in the governorship election of Oyo State in 2019, so that the succour, humane posture, economic activities, infrastructural development that was once entrenched in governance of the state during his past tenure could be repeated with renewed vigour. The earlier mentioned criteria suits him best.

“That the joker to winning the 2019 Oyo governorship by any political platform is to present Alao-Akala because of serious yearnings for him by the generality of people

in state.

“That there is need to locate the right person for Oyo governorship election in 2019. Someone who can increase the pacesetting bar of the state, someone who will sustain, equally re-order both social and political development of the state.

“That for a way forward in Oyo State in 2019 governorship election, there is a need to separate the chiff from the chaff out of the gubernatorial aspirants as it is presently an all comers affairs, where political lilliputians are gladiating without individuals who have high pedigree in governance.”

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2018

55

FRIDAYSPORTS

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

LEBRON EQUALS JORDAN’S FEAT…

LeBron James has equalled Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s all-time record of scoring at least 10 points in 866 consecutive regular season NBA games. The 33-year-old yesterday tied the record in the first half of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 118-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets, who are owned by Jordan.

Rohr Clears ‘Stylish’ Iwobi of Complacency As Babayaro calls for calm in goalkeeping department Femi Solaja with agency report Technical Adviser of Nigeria senior national team, Gernot Rohr, has thrown his weight solidly behind Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi’s style of play as long it is for the collective good of the team.

The young Super Eagles’ forward was roundly criticised by ball fans for been too individualistic almost like his uncle and former Nigerian Captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha in his early days in the senior national team.

Former Nigerian Manager, Clemens Westerhof, in 1993 fell out with Okocha for similar behaviour in his style of play.

Despite the showboating of the Arsenal player in Nigeria’s 2-0 friendly loss to Serbia in London on Tuesday night, Rohr insisted Iwobi is a good player with quality. ‘’With us (Super Eagles) all the time, he’s very good. He was good against Poland and he was fantastic against Serbia,” Rohr told UK’s Evening Standard.

“Perhaps some times (he did) a little too much individually, he wanted to make a show. We prefer collective football. ‘’But when he can eliminate

his opponent it’s very good. He’s with us all the time in confidence.

He’s free when he has the ball.

“I don’t know what the tactical options of Arsene Wenger are when he’s with Arsenal but with us he’s free offensively and he can show all his qualities,” the Franco-German coach affirmed.

Meanwhile, Atlanta 96 Olympic gold medallist, Emmanuel Babayaro, has said that clamour for a very good goalkeeper for the team to the World Cup in Russia is one issue that has been over-emphasised.

The former national team reserve goalkeeper told Goal. com yesterday that the team should be looking at strengthening other areas and not necessarily the goalkeeping department.

The duo of Francis Odinaka Uzoho of Deportivo La Coruna and Ikechukwu Ezenwa of Enyimba are in the running to man the post for Nigeria, no thanks to the ailment suffered by first choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.

Babayaro downplayed the need for a fantastic goalkeeper at the World Cup, insisting that if other areas of the team are properly stocked, an average goalkeeper can do the job for the Eagles.

“Vincent Enyeama has done well for us in the last two World Cups, and the best his display has given us is to reduce the score line as other departments didn’t do what was expected of them.

“As a country we presently can’t boast of a goalkeeper of

Enyeama’s quality but it’s not a necessity as being mentioned by many.

“For instance with all due respect to Dosu Joseph, the reason behind our triumph at the Olympics wasn’t because he was a fantastic goalkeeper.

“We won gold at the 1996

Olympics because other departments of the team made up for our short comings elsewhere. First of all we need a very good defence set up to provide cover for whoever is picked to man the post by coach Gernot Rohr. That should be our priority now,” he concluded.

Oshoala Left out of Falcons’ High-profile Friendly with France Chikwelu, Oparanozie to lead eight-time African champions Super Falcons have left out top star Asisat Oshoala, but Desire Oparanozie and Rita Chikwelu, who led the team to win the last women’s AFCON, have been picked for next month’s high-profile friendly against France.

The eight –time African champions are up against their French counterparts at the Stade MMArena in the city of Le Mans, France on Friday, April 6, 2018.

Coach Thomas Dennerby, whose maidens composed entirely

of home-based professionals took third place at the WAFU Women Cup of Nations in Abidjan in February following penalty shoot-out defeat by Ghana in the semi finals, will have the complement of foreign –based gladiators as well when they pitch battle with France as from 9pm on Friday next week.

Nigeria’s 17-woman list includes Rita Chikwelu, who captained the team to win an eighth continental title in Cameroon in December 2016,

as well as big forward Desire Oparanozie, the effervescent Francisca Ordega, nimble –footed midfielder Ngozi Okobi and home-based goalkeepers Onyinyechukwu Okeke and Chiamaka Nnadozie.

U.S-based forward Courtney Dike and Ordega would be first arrivals in Le Mans on Tuesday, 3rd April – the same day the delegation from Nigeria will depart from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The Super Falcons will lodge at the

Mercure Le Mans Centre.

THE FULL LIST Goalkeepers: Onyinyechukwu Okeke; Chiamaka Nnadozie Defenders: Josephine Chukwunonye; Ngozi Ebere; Faith Ikidi; Ugo Njoku; Osinachi Ohale; Glory Ogbonna Midfielders: Rita Chikwelu; Ngozi Okobi; Ini-Abasi Umotong; Ogonna Chukwudi Forwards: Francisca Ordega; Desire Oparanozie; Courtney Dike; Esther Sunday; Anam Imo.

Oboh Makes Ladies European Tour History Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Teenage golfer, Georgia Oboh is set to shatter the glass ceiling as the first Nigerian female professional golfer to play in the Ladies European Tour (LET).

The feat followed her invitation the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar. to the Lalla Meryem Cup in Rabat, Despite going down to 10 men Morocco, to join a field of notable for over half an hour following lady professionals, which includes the sending off of defender Isiaka Trish Johnson and Lydia Hall of the Oladuntoye, the seven-time league UK and the American rookie, Casie champions held on to their first-half Danielson, who recently won the advantage to the very end. In so Lalla Meryem 2018 Qualifying doing, the People’s Elephant recorded School.

The LET invitation is a reward for a first-ever win in this league fixture.

There were two changes made to Oboh, who impressed the organisers the side which drew last weekend in at the last All Africa Junior Challenge Damaturu against Yobe Desert Stars. in Morocco, where she captained Winger and top scorer Stanley Dimgba the Nigerian girls’ team.

The ‘A’ list tournament, billed returned to the starting line-up, as for the prestigious Dar es Salaam did defender Nelson Ogbonnaya.

It was the latter who would have Blue Course in Rabat, will develop a decisive impact on proceedings, and prepare the 17-year -old for opening the scoring in the 12th the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) minute. Abdulrahman Bashir had, as the first Nigerian golfer, male or only minutes earlier, come close to female to feature in any Olympics.

However, as an amateur, she will turning in the opener from a corner; this time, he turned provider, lobbing not be eligible for a share of the a perfect delivery for Ogbonnaya to 450,000 Euros prize purse at the attack at the far post and power past LET event that holds from April 19 to 22.

MFM’s Ospino Egbe.

Akwa Utd Misses Chance to Move to Summit of NPFL Akwa United were stunned 2-0 away to Katsina United yesterday in a rescheduled Match-day 11 fixture of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.

The defeat costs the Promise Keepers the chance to leapfrog Lobi Stars to the summit of the Nigerian topflight.

The win preserved Katsina United’s unbeaten home run in the NPFL this season.

Akwa United remains in the second position despite the defeat, while Katsina United moved from 13th to eighth in the table. The Changi Boys have now won six home games in a row following their opening day 2-2 home draw against Kano Pillars.

Martins Usule headed the hosts in front in the eighth minute after he was set up by Sani Faisal.

Earlier on Wednesday, Enyimba defeated visiting MFM FC 2-0 at

“The reason why Nigerians are clamouring for a very good goalkeeper is because of the amount of goal scoring opportunities we give opponents during games.

Which is directly a fault of the defenders and not the goalkeeper “, he observed.

The Lalla Meryem Cup is a women’s professional golf tournament in Morocco under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI. The tournament alternated between Rabat and Agadir until it was moved back to Rabat in 2016.

It has been played annually since 1993 and is held alongside the Hassan II Golf Trophy. In 2010, it was added to the LET schedule and upgraded to a full field tournament having previously been limited to around 12 players.

Oboh, who also attended the 3 e Actuaries Equatorial Guinea Open in Mongomo last year, said her primary goal is to learn a thing or two from the lady professionals whilst honing her own skills.

But she is not certain how the trip will be funded, as she is banking on sponsors to rally in her support.

“It will be a shame to miss out on my biggest invite as funding is an issue. I am appealing for support from corporate Nigerians to support my quest for honour at the LET tournament. I hope I can get the support that I need and put Nigeria once again on the golfing map,” Oboh said.

Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe (left) and President General, Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo exchanging pleasantries during an NCAC event in Abuja aimed at raising Three million supporters for the Super Eagles ahead the World Cup in Russia…recently

Friday, March 30, 2018

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MISSILE Atiku to APC “I have never seen Nigeria so divided along religious, ethnic and regional lines. This division is as a result of the mismanagement by the APC.” – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of creating division in the country as well as mismanaging the economy.

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All Progressives Congress at Five

F

ive years ago, February 6 2013 to be precise, a strange realignment of political forces gave birth to a yahoo-yahoo contraption called the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was the first time an amalgam of existing parties in Nigeria had successfully fused into one big party. Amidst the challenge of different ideological leanings, and against considerable odds, the leaders managed to pull off one of the greatest and most dramatic accomplishments in the history of party politics: a realignment of a variety of interests, grouses and grudges, to form a party that eventually succeeded in wresting power from an incumbent party. That’s not a mean feat by any standard.

We have to give them some credit.

To win the election, the party deployed a powerful mantra of a single, positive and captivating slogan – “Change” as its rallying call. Laced with a massive dose of propaganda, misinformation and outright lies, the party was able to lure many gullible Nigerians with sweet nothings. Let’s not forget that the Goodluck Jonathan government had exhibited weakness in tackling some of the issues bordering on corruption, insecurity and general malaise. So the APC capitalised on this to mount a frenzied propaganda against it.

Hitherto, Nigerians had never seen anything close to that level of misinformation in the pursuit of power.

It is remarkable that the 5th anniversary of the founding of the APC came and passed without any fanfare. It is not because the party deemed it inappropriate to celebrate in deference to the mood of the nation because it does not respect Nigerians’ sensibilities. Nearly everyone probably did not even remember because they were all preoccupied with the internecine war going on amongst its aggrieved founding members.

But was there anything concrete to celebrate?

However, going by the pedigree of this particular party, if the war within wasn’t so fierce, and despite their evidently poor performance in the last three years, they would still have gathered, in open defiance of the national mood, to arrogantly beat their chest in celebratory fanfare that they have brought progress and stability where there was disorder. Of course, that has been their stock-in-trade since their rise to power despite evidence to the contrary.

Clearly from the very beginning, the party demonstrated an arm’s-length relationship with the truth and has continued to propagate itself on that core message of “if you repeat a lie many times over, it will begin to look and sound like

Oyegun the truth”. The problem with that is that it has a very short life span. For five whole years, the sloganeering party of “change” was able to hoodwink the majority of Nigerians with its lies and mouth-watering promises, which it immediately began to disown on assumption of office to the consternation of all, and now the chickens have come home to roost.

Many are realising now that this party is a poison to our politics. It has poisoned the airwaves, poisoned the rivers with dangerous levels of radiation, and that sunshine of hope and promise of a new positive dawn it assured Nigerians in 2015 is nothing but ruin, bloodletting and grief. It was a deception to obtain by false pretence on a grand scale now requiring a rootand-branch removal from our psyche; the fruit of the poisonous tree is poison. The APC is an inferno searing down the country.

It will be an understatement to say that the APC has taken Nigeria in a calamitous direction and things are falling apart for a once promising nation. The country was clearly under a very weak leadership when the then opposition party was being stitched together. The APC wasted no time in taking advantage of any opportunity no matter how sacrilegious to advance its political interest. Alas, the poor manner the Jonathan government prosecuted the terror war became the biggest opening for a very desperate crop of power seekers. They took advantage of every attack

by Boko Haram to score cheap political points including making utterances that undermined the then government’s effort to deal with what had

become a national security crisis. It politicised the security crisis such that the then government became paralysed with fear of the APC and its propaganda machine. Its then spokesman, Lai Mohammed, it appeared, was constantly with his laptop ready to issue condemnatory statements against the government at a moment’s notice each time the terrorists struck. He rarely condemned the terrorists.

The truth is that the APC rode to power on the back of Boko Haram and has sustained its support from some Nigerians with its continued politicisation of the terror war to its own advantage.

It has used the piecemeal release of Chibok girls to advance its political ends. While it has falsely claimed defeat of the sect, it is actually working with the sect as the next presidential election approaches when it is likely the next batch of Chibok girls would be released to possibly sway the outcome of the 2019 elections. If anyone thinks this APC-led government is serious and committed to ending the terror war, then that person is guilty of extreme naivety.

Who knows what discussion is going on through the “back channels” at the moment? And before we forget, Boko Haram once nominated thenaspiring candidate Muhammadu Buhari as its chief negotiator with the Jonathan government.

The same Buhari had earlier declared that the war against Boko Haram was a war against the North. The truth is that Boko Haram helped to bring Buhari and his party to power. The façade of fighting the terror war is what it is – to help to sustain its narrative of being strong on terror.

Never mind the false claim that the terrorists have been defeated. The truth also is that the party’s desperation for power will make it do anything and forge any alliance to remain in power. The Dapchi abduction? Well, there are too many questions begging for answers. It is looking increasingly suspicious and if the suspicions were proven to be true, it would further reinforce the party’s modus operandi of holding on to power at any cost, reinforcing its philosophy of the end justifies the means. Until more facts are known, I reserve my comments on this.

Before Dapchi abductions, there had been reports alleging sightings of arms drop-off to Boko Haram in remote parts of the North-east by helicopters. Only recently, the Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku raised the alarm that a helicopter suspected to be loaded with arms and ammunition landed in a village called Jibu, located along River Benue near Ibi, in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. The

arms, he alleged were meant for a militia group planning attacks on innocent people.

I had regarded all these as rumours. I am persuaded now not to be so dismissive of them offhand because it appears there is more to the Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen attacks than meets the eye.

Who will forget how in March 2013, the party’s governors marched through major streets and markets of Maiduguri, in purported solidarity with the host community shortly after holding a meeting there? It was nothing but a cheap political stunt. Interestingly, nothing on the agenda of that meeting talked about how to defeat the terrorists or finding solutions to the refugee crisis it had generated. Rather, it was purely a photo op to score a propaganda point.

I dare say it worked.

But since they came to power at the federal level, have we seen such solidarity with the APC-controlled states held hostage by violence?

In that same March 2013, at the height of Boko Haram’s senseless killings and destruction of properties, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of the national leaders of the APC, did the unthinkable. He called for amnesty for members of the killer sect.

The call was ill-conceived and ill-timed as it was made when he paid a condolence visit to the victims of Kano bombing whose lives had been changed forever by the mortal wounds inflicted on them by the terrorists. But for the victims of the senseless killings and their families, Tinubu was sadly silent. It was the public condemnation that trailed his “political” call that made him to modify his position and spare a thought for the victims. His new position was amnesty for “those with no blood on their hands”.

It is instructive that Tinubu has not paid any visit to the victims of Boko Haram attacks or those slaughtered by terrorist herdsmen under Buhari.

He has not even spoken on the raging security crisis in the country since his party assumed power. Why has he now kept quiet when the situation has progressively gone from bad to worse? Maybe, it’s because there is no political point to score anymore. Perhaps, he fears for his own freedom and political future. Should he speak honestly about what is going on, the forces that have forced him to the fringes of the party would say he is undermining Buhari and that would provide them the perfect excuse to finally kick him out of the party.

NOTE: This piece is concluded in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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