Sunday 20th May 2018

Royal Wedding of Different Colours Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha History was made yesterday as Prince Harry, now Duke of Sussex, married his American beau, actress Meghan Markle at a very emotional and unconventional wedding in St

George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The ceremony capped a week-long frenzy that engulfed the whole of England and the rest of world. Thousands of people, who travelled from far and near, camped on the open grounds of the Long Walk, the Carriage Procession route, out-

side the Windsor Castle ahead of the Big Day, just to catch a glimpse of their beloved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The mixed multitude had white faces, blacks and Hispanics who wanted to be part of the history making ceremony, particularly at a time when the terms of diversity and inclusion

have a very strong social voice.

On the eve of the wedding, Prince Harry in company of his older brother, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge stepped outside to greet wellwishers. Following the footsteps of her husband, Markle did same, even hugging some members of the crowd, a ges-

ture that was frowned at by the conservative English establishment, who do not appreciate that owing to her being in the spotlight, the gesture was natural.

Rewriting History In more ways than one, Prince Harry who is the sixth in line to the throne has expressed

his intention to modernize the British monarchy, and his wedding to a woman who is biracial, older and an American with no blue blood provided the antecedent to stir such an evolution.

Read the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com

Gencos: TCN Ignoring Request for Dispatch of Power to National Grid ... Page 77 Sunday 20 May, 2018 Vol 23. No 8431

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Ebola Scare: Airports on High Alert, Screen Passengers FAAN establishes airside clinics Chinedu Eze in Lagos and Paul Obi in Abuja Airport facilities and medical

structures that served Nigeria in the aftermath of the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak are being reactivated as the country tries

Saraki's wife urges sensitisation of citizens to be on the alert for possible reoccurrence following the confirmation of several EVD cases in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo.

THISDAY learnt at the weekend that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had ac-

tivated its Ebola preventive programme. The programme had been put in place after the late Liberian-American lawyer,

Patrick Sawyer, introduced the Ebola virus into Nigeria in July 2014, when he flew into Lagos Cosntinued on page 8

APC Crisis Deepens as 10 States Hold Parallel Congresses Abdullahi: we won’t recognise illegal exercises

Our Correspondents The crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) showed no sign of receding as violence marred the state congresses of the party held yesterday nationwide, with 10 states hosting parallel congresses.

The states where factions of the party worked at cross-purposes were Lagos, Kwara, Delta, Rivers, Ondo, Enugu, Kogi, Bayelsa, Oyo, and Ebonyi.

However, APC has said any congress not conducted by the committee appointed by the party is illegal and whatever result it generated is null and void. Speaking in reference to the controversies being generated by conduct of parallel congresses by aggrieved stakeholders in some states during the congress, the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdulahi, said as far the APC was concerned there was nothing like parallel congress.

Abdulahi, who responded to THISDAY's enquiry through text message last night, said, “There is no such thing as parallel congress. The only recognised congresses are those organised by the congress committees charged by the party to organise

such congresses.”

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party had seemed to foresee the trend of parallel voting and attempted to prevent it by extending, for one year, the tenure of its members from the ward to the national level.

But an uprising against the move forced President Muhammadu Buhari to compel the NEC to shelve the idea and conduct elective congresses.

However, it has been like a Tower of Babel since the exercise started from the wards three weeks ago, through the local governments last week, and the states yesterday.

The APC in Kwara State yesterday returned 34 members of its state executive committee by consensus, with Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani retaining his chairmanship position. However, an opposing group in the party held another state congress coordinated by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at Arca Event Centre in Ilorin.

A similar thing happened in Delta State, where a group in APC loyal to Senator Ovie OmoAgege held a state congress to Continued on page 8

YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE… Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the solemnisation of their marriage at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, London… yesterday

FG Plans Massive Clampdown on Opposition, Says PDP ... Page 8

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FG Plans Massive Clampdown on Opposition, Says PDP Alleges Secondus’ life threatened Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government has perfected plans to clamp down all opposition groups.

The party particularly mentioned the travails of its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, whom it said had been receiving threats from government quarters since the PDP filed a petition with the United Nations.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the clampdown was tailored to silence opposition as well as those who refused to join or support the APC in their alleged design to emasculate other

political parties, undermine the law and electoral system and foist a one-party state.

He said the National Working Committee of the PDP, after due consideration of the state of the nation decided to alert Nigerians and the international community to know those to hold responsible should anything untoward begin to happen to opposition members.

He said, "PDP alerts all Nigerians that the APC and its federal government have commenced a vicious and direct clampdown of major opposition leaders, perceived political opponents and individuals with interests and views that are divergent to those of their presidential aspirant, perhaps, candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Lawmakers risk gun-running frame up "Our National Chairman, Uche Secondus, has been receiving threats since the party filed a petition to the United Nations over gross human rights violations."

The PDP spokesman said apart from threats, there were plot to rope members of the New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP), especially those in the National Assembly, into gunrunning and murder charges just because they came out to voice their opposition to the APC government’s constitutional violations.

He said the reason for the alert was for the international community to know who to hold responsible if opposition elements begin to fall victims of untoward incidents and framed up charges.

Among the various human

rights abuses PDP was alleging were wanton arrests, manhandling and detention of opposition leaders on trumpedup charges, as well as illegal invasion of their homes and businesses by agents of the state.

Apart from allegations of corruption, Ologbondiyan said there were also plots to clampdown and detain opposition leaders for charges bordering on treason.

He said the party was also aware that some compromised judicial officers had been enlisted to convict and jail members of the opposition as well as dissenting voices, on flimsy grounds.

He said, “The PDP is aware of clandestine plots against key opposition leaders, particularly, members of the PDP National Working Committee, some

dissenting members of the APC, members of the civil society, opinion leaders, journalists and bloggers, who refuse to succumb to intimidation and that such persons have already been listed and currently being trailed by agents of the state.

"The PDP wants Nigerians and the international community to know those to hold responsible should PDP leaders, as well as other members of the opposition start falling victims of untoward situations like assassinations, unexplained accidents, inexplicable "armed robbery� attacks, high profile abduction and sudden disappearances," Ologbondiyan further said that the APC was fixated with the PDP because of the renewed popularity of the party among Nigerians, as the inevitable vehicle to return power to the

people, restore democracy, national cohesion and safeguard the territorial integrity of Nigeria in 2019.

According to him, "The PDP’s response to all these plots is that we are not cowed. Nigeria belongs to all of us and our laws on political engagements are very clear. The PDP, as a party committed to democracy and freedom, will continue to uphold the inalienable rights of our citizens to free speech, political association and to politically aspire to any position in the land, including the presidency.

"Our party, therefore, urges all Nigerians to be alert, united and remain resolute in their decision to collectively defend our democracy and its tenets, constitutionally guaranteed personal freedom and the rule of law in our nation."

confirm that they had been vaccinated against the disease.

She said this time, the medical workers who screened travellers did not operate with hand-held equipment because thermal scanners had been installed unobtrusively to monitor passengers as they move to the arrival halls.

Similarly, speaking in Abuja yesterday during the “Health for All Challenge Walk,� WHO Country Representative, Dr Wondi Alemu, said, “WHO is working hand-in-hand with the Federal Ministry of Health and National Centre for Disease Control to take necessary precautions at the ports.�

Wife of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Mrs Toyin Saraki, who is the founder of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and also Special Adviser to WHO, disclosed

during the walk that WHO had released 5, 000 doses of vaccine to curtail the spread of Ebola in DR Congo.

Saraki said there was need to sensitise Nigerians on hygienic measures to adopt to prevent the spread of the disease.

Yakubu told THISDAY, “We installed thermal scanners and we never removed them. They were mounted in the arrival hall. The thermal scanners have been there, but we have activated them now that there is threat of Ebola. When the Ebola virus started, we were using thermometer, handheld, to detect those who might have the disease. But now we have gone way beyond that. People pass through scanners everyday but they don’t know the thermal scanners are there and as they walk past, it checks their temperature. “The scanners are monitored, but as a passenger, you will pass through them without knowing that you are being watched.

But if your temperature is 38 degrees or above, an alarm will sound like a whistle, and you will be held back. This will alert port health officials who are monitoring. They will excuse the passenger. We have isolation clinics at the airside. This is to ensure that passengers are checked from the aircraft into the terminal building before they come to the arrival hall.

From the airside they will be tested and if they are positive they will be put in the isolation clinic that we have created, where further screenings will be conducted on them.�

Yakubu added, “Our medical personnel at the offices have been pulled out. This was mainly due to the health workers strike, as port health medical personnel embarked on solidarity strike. But the port health officials are at the airports now working in collaboration with our medical personnel. Our medical personnel are complementing the staff of port health.

We have the medical personnel at all the major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu that operate international flights and we want to ensure that nobody with the disease can enter the country without being detected.�

On the 2014 Ebola experience, Yakubu stated, “The processes we put on ground then were globally commended by WHO and IATA. It is the same processes that are on ground now. In fact, I spoke with the airport managers and they assured me we have hand sanitisers. Officials who have contact with the passengers have been given hand gloves and we have the sanitisers at rest rooms and

information desks. “We have also started implementing the policy on vaccination certificate. Those coming from the routes where there is presence of Ebola must show their vaccination certificates.

Our port health officials scrutinise the certificates,�

Saraki said in Abuja that disease surveillance officials in Congo spotted the Ebola virus and, “The leadership of WHO reacted promptly within three days with 5, 000 doses of vaccine.�

She said, “Nigeria must not rest on her oars, we need to sensitise the citizenry on personal hygiene within and around them. Hand washing with soap must be taken seriously.�

Saraki added regarding the walk, “The walk is going on all over the WHO country offices.

We in the Wellbeing Foundation are happy to be a part of this and we are happy that the maiden edition was a success with about 2, 000 participants and by next year we hope that about 20,000 will participate.�

Following the outbreak of the Ebola disease in Congo, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had issued a warning to airlines, especially the ones that operate regional and international flights, urging them to screen passengers before boarding them. NCAA gave the directive in a circular. It informed the domestic operators of the outbreak of EVD in Congo on May 8, 2018.

NCAA noted, however, that WHO was yet to declare the outbreak of EVD in DRC a Public Health Event of International Concern, but said the authority, the Federal Ministry of Health, and other relevant agencies had taken concerted steps to ensure the virus did not enter Nigeria.

Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, told THISDAY that of port health officials as well as officials of FAAN and NCAA had conducted mock drills on how to handle any Ebola carrier identified at the airports.

Adurogboye said, “We already have an existing system on checking Ebola at the airports. What we did was to activate it. We have also put in place a system that will alert concerned officials when any airline that operates to the affected destinations arrives Nigeria. “From the flight plan we would know even before the flight takes off to Nigeria and when it will arrive so we just alert everyone concerned. We are not taking any chances and we are being careful with flights arriving from that part of the continent. We are being very, very careful.�

EBOLA SCARE: AIRPORTS ON HIGH ALERT, SCREEN PASSENGERS en route Calabar for a conference.

The World Health Organisation warned on Friday that the Ebola virus could spread exponentially, after about 45 cases and 25 deaths were recorded in DR Congo, with several more cases reported in the busy Congolese port city of Mbandaka.

WHO said, “The risk of international spread is particularly high since the city of Mbandaka is in proximity to the Congo River, which has significant regional traffic across porous borders.�

It said nine countries bordering Congo, including CongoBrazzaville and Central African Republic, were at high risk of Ebola spread and had been supported with equipment and personnel.

Nigeria shares borders with

Cameroon, which has boundaries with the Central African Republic and Congo Brazzaville, both of which have common borders with DR Congo.

THISDAY gathered that FAAN had gone further to establish clinics at the airsides of the international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu to ensure that passengers suspected of having the disease are not allowed to come into the arrival halls.

FAAN said suspected passengers would be quarantined at the airsides of the airports.

Though WHO said the EVD was not yet an international emergency, airport workers told THISDAY that there was a high risk of Ebola spread to Nigeria because Nigerians were among the most travelled indigenous people in the continent. Many

travel for business while some move as tourists across Africa.

Investigation reveals that many Nigerians live in Congo, and an estimated 10, 000 of them trade across West and Central Africa and travel back to Nigeria through mainly Kenya Airways, since the Arik Air flight experiment to the country a few years ago failed. But Nigeria does not have direct flights to Congo.

General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said all the medical equipment that were installed to detect passengers with Ebola were still intact and had been activated for the screening of inbound passengers.

Yakubu said passengers coming from Central and some parts of West Africa were to present their Ebola vaccination cards to

APC CRISIS DEEPENS AS 10 STATES HOLD PARALLEL CONGRESSES elect a state working committee, despite the postponement of the exercise to May 21 by the national leadership of the party. One Olugbenga presided over the congress held at Saint Mulumba Primary/Secondary School, Okpanam, adjoining Asaba.

In Rivers State, APC members loyal to Senator Magnus Abe shunned the rescheduled congress, citing a court injunction.

The national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, announced the cancellation of the two previously held congresses in the state and announced new dates for the exercise as May 19 for ward congress, May 20 for local government congress, and May 21 for state congress.

In Ebonyi State, Chief Sylvester Nwambe emerged Ebonyi APC chairman amid allegations that policemen from the state police command barred delegates from a faction of the party loyal to the former APC governorship candidate, Senator Julius Ucha, from gaining entrance to the venue of the state congress. Ucha's group, however, relocated to the APC party secretariat to hold its own congress where Dr. Sylvester Nwambe emerged as the state chairman.

There was fracas during the state congress in Enugu State, which ended in the election of two parallel executive committees. Notable chieftains of APC in the state, including former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former Governor Sullivan Chime, National Vice Chairman, Emma Eneukwu, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, and former Gombe State military administrator,

Joe Orji, escaped mob attack at the congress.

Some party members invaded the Indoor Sports Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, venue of the congress about 2:30pm, when accreditation of delegates was about to commence and started destroying chairs, tables and everything in sight. The mob overpowered security agents at the venue. They had surged into the hall at the same time when foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Justice Reforms, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku, and a former Secretary to the Government of Enugu State, Chief Onyemauche Nnamani, arrived the venue.

They claimed that the congress committee led by Mr. Charles Brown had mapped out strategies to disenfranchise some delegates who emerged from the parallel ward and local government congresses.

The election of state executive committee members of APC yesterday in Bayelsa State was largely peaceful, though, a faction of the party held a separate congress where it elected its own executive.

The congress by the mainstream members under the leader of the party in the state, former Governor Timipre Sylva, held in a fully packed venue at the state APC secretariat in Yenagoa. It was supervised by chairman of the state congress committee Col. Ahmed Usman, a former military administrator of Ondo and Oyo states, and witnessed by officials of INEC. At the end of the exercise, Jothan Amos, who was unopposed, emerged chairman.

Ogeibiri Orubebe was elected vice chairman, and Martin Alabo emerged secretary. Journalist,

political activist, and media aide to Sylva, Mr Doifie Buokoribo, was voted as state publicity secretary, in what members said was an attempt to reposition APC in Bayelsa State.

The other gathering took place at the Azikoro Primary School, Azikoro Village, in Yenagoa, and was sponsored by an ex-acting governor of the state, Nestor Binabo, and supervised by secretary of the state congress committee, Ambassador Soni Abang. Joseph Fafi was elected chairman by the group.

In Ondo State, there was factional voting amid fighting.

While Mr Ade Adetimehin and Alaye Adesina emerged as the chairman and secretary, respectively, of a faction, Mr Idowu Otetubi emerged the chairman of another faction while Mr Gani Mohammed emerged as his secretary. At the end of the exercise, which had delegates from the 18 local government areas of the state, all the new state officers were returned unopposed through affirmation, except for the position of the state chairman. Apart from the voice vote, delegates were given ballot to officially endorse the chairman.

Oyo State also witnessed two congresses, which elected parallel executive committees at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Stadium and Obafemi Awolowo stadium (formerly Liberty stadium), both in Ibadan.

While loyalists of the state governor, including former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and the former Senate leader, Teslim Folarin, held theirs at Adamasingba, the breakaway group under the banner of Oyo APC Unity Forum, comprising Minister for Communications, Adebayo Shittu, Senator Mon-

surat Sunmonu, nine House of Representatives members, and two gubernatorial aspirants, Prof Adeolu Akande and Dr. Yunus Akintunde, converged on Liberty Stadium. Both congresses were attended by INEC officials and delegations from Abuja.

Kogi State also had two state congresses. The Alhaji Hadi Ametuo faction held its congress at St Peter's Primary School, Felele, Lokoja, and was observed by officials of INEC, while the faction loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello held its congress at the Confluence Stadium, in Lokoja. While Ametuo emerged as chairman from his group, the faction of the governor elected Abdullahi Bello as state chairman.

The congress at St. Peter's Primary School Felele had aggrieved members of the state APC who are supporters of the Audu/Faleke political group.

APC in Lagos State equally produced two chairmen from two parallel congresses. While the Senator Uche Ekwunife-led APC state congress committee and officials of INEC witnessed and approved the congress held at the Acme Road, Ikeja party secretariat, a faction of led by Alhaji Fouad Oki conducted another primary at the Lagos Airport Hotel, where he emerged chairman.

The congress held at the party secretariat produced Alhaji Tunde Balogun as the state chairman; deputy chairman, Chief Sunny Ajose; secretary, Mr. Wale Ahmed; women leader, Mrs. Jumoke Okoya; vice chairman, Lagos Central, Hon. Bamgbola Hakeem; vice chairman, Lagos East, Ashipa Kaoli Olusanya, and vice chairman, Lagos West, Hon. Funsho Ologunde, among others.

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

THE APC TROUBLED CONGRESSES The All Progressives Congress’ efforts to elect some of its leaders are embarrassing

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he conduct of the ward, local government and state congresses by the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country was not only another bad omen for our troubled democracy, it also reinforced the growing perception that the ruling party at the centre is not in any way better than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) it dislodged from power three years ago. In various parts of the country, the congresses were characterised by wideranged violence, hijack of the process by desperate party members and several forms of malpractices.

The case of Delta State was particularly tragic as Jeremiah Oghoveta, one of the chairmanship aspirants in the ill-fated congress, was stabbed to death.

It is indeed instructive that in our editorial on August 4, 2013, following the successful merger of political parties that led to the formation of the APC, we highlighted some of the contradictions that now manifest in the party in these words: “Presently, the democratic credentials of the principal promoters of the APC are thin, as nearly all the coalition partners have demonstrated a crass poverty of internal democracy in the management of their defunct political parties.

Not only was the imposition of candidates routine with them, but so was the total lack of one essential ingredient of democracy: the spirit of sportsmanship. Specifically, some of the APC leading lights have shown in the states they control that they lack the ability to concede victory and accept defeat in those rare occasions when they lost in a free and fair manner, especially at the local government level.”

Almost five years after, and with three years in power as the ruling party at the centre, the leaders of APC have yet to show Nigerians that their party is a serious political platform driven by the core value of promoting the common good. Yet when the APC was seeking power in 2015, it did not only promise Nigerians change in governance but also boasted of its preparedness to generally change the way of doing things in Nigeria. It is easy to conclude that the party has failed on that score.

F

WhentheAPC wasseekingpower in2015,itdidnot onlypromise Nigerianschange ingovernancebut alsoboastedofits preparednessto generallychange thewayofdoing thingsinNigeria.It iseasytoconclude thatthepartyhas failedonthatscore

Letters to the Editor

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

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

rom Lagos where there were two parallel state congresses yesterday, to Bauchi State where the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has already dragged the party leadership to court, to Imo State where the sitting Governor Rochas Okorocha seemed to have been overpowered by other party leaders, to Rivers State where it has been a drama of killings and brigandage, what ordinarily ought to serve as a vehicle for internal democracy has become in the ruling party a tool for personal aggrandisement by unscrupulous politicians whose main goal is to use the system to achieve their self-serving objectives.

Here, we are not interested in which faction of the APC won or lost in the so-called congresses concluded yesterday. Our concern is why people could resort to killing in the name of politics, especially when there is really no evidence that the interest of the downtrodden (often used as cannon fodder in this violence) is being served.

Besides, it this “end justifies the means” approach to politics that has over the years provided the incentive and motivation for politicians and power seekers to believe that all is fair and acceptable in electoral politics including the prevalent electoral manipulation and cold-blooded murder of their opponents.

However, it is very clear that with eyes to the enormous spoils of office attached to the nation’s political positions, from the Presidency to local government councillorship, many politicians can do anything, (including killing their opponents) in order to ensure easy ride at the polls. What this therefore calls for is a review of the remunerations and other perks of public office holders in Nigeria. Perhaps we will begin to see a reduction in these desperate struggles for power the moment all the fat allowances attached to elective offices are slashed considerably.

Meanwhile, the APC must begin to demonstrate its commitment to democratic values not in a manner that advances only the personal interests of their leaders but also in the promotion of common good. Until that is done, our democracy will remain imperilled.

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

Appraising Lagos Wealth Creation Strides

lthough living in Lagos State is challenging for a lot of people because of the comparative high cost of housing, transportation and other living expenses, it remains where every Nigerians want to reside due to abundance of opportunities and pace of development. It is where many see hope in the midst of deep rooted unemployment in the country.

Lagos is exceptional in its provision of the legal and much of the physical and social infrastructure on which private production and commerce thrive. Of course the current administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had from the onset “focus like a laser beam” on improving the state economy and establishing his administration’s capacity to work

and end with an excellent grade.

Rather than lamenting and giving excuses, Ambode challenged failure to a duel by given top priority to wealth creation and poverty eradication. No doubt, the influx of people from other states into Lagos impacted on unemployment rate in the state.

For this reason, one of the very first tasks performed by Governor Ambode upon his inauguration was the creation of a Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment with the sole aim of solving the unemployment quandary in the state. Three years down the line, the soundness of the ministry is unquestionable going by account of the achievements it has reeled out by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf on May

10, 2018.

Arrowheads of the job creation initiatives of the Ambode administration undoubtedly is the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (“LSETF” or “the Fund”), established by The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Law 2016 to provide financial support to residents of Lagos State, for job, wealth creation and to tackle unemployment. LSETF serves as an instrument to inspire the creative and innovative energies of all Lagos residents and reduce unemployment across the state.

The fund has the mandate to directly invest N25 billion in helping Lagos residents grow and scale their Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (“MSMEs”) or acquire skills to get better jobs.

The fund has now disbursed N5.22 billion loan to 6, 462 beneficiaries of its entrepreneur-

ial scheme in fulfilment of one of the pivotal promises of Governor Ambode to promote and sustain entrepreneurship and employment. Through the loan programmes, additional 8,797 new taxpayers have been added to the Lagos State tax register. .

In addition to the loan scheme, LSETF’s employability programme is currently equipping thousands of unemployed youths with the skills that would make them globally competitive and employable. The target is to train 10,000 unemployed youths through vocational trainings that would prepare them for employments in the construction, manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment, and hospitality and tourism industries. The fund will thereafter help the trainees to secure job placements opportunities within the identified industries.

The United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) has thrown its weight behind this programme through the

Lagos State Employability Support Project, which plans to increase the pool of skilled manpower to alleviate the acute shortages of employable labour in Lagos State.

An important segment of the job and wealth creation programmes is the planned Mindset Re-orientation programme for 2,000 unemployed youths in the state. The training will include, employability skills training, career counseling, effective CV writing, developing effective interview skills and job hunting strategy for the invited interns and job fair. This will go a long way in making mass of unemployable youth to be employable and secure job.

Besides the graduates, the government also recognises the potential role of the artisans in wealth creation.

––Rasak Musbau, Lagos State Ministry of Information & strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

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SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08114495306 (sms only)

Ehanire: Nigeria Loses Over $1bn Annually to Medical Tourism t Over 2,300 under-five children die daily in Nigeria, says Saraki Senator IroegbuinAbuja

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has revealed that Nigeria loses about $1 billion every year as a result of medical tourism.

This is even as the FounderPresident of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) Mrs.

Toyin Saraki, disclosed that over 2,300 under-five children and 145 women of children bearing age die every day in Nigeria Ehanire’s revelation is coming at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent medical trips abroad are causing discomfort among Nigerians, especially in the face of ongoing industrial action

by the health workers.

The Minister, in a statement yesterday by the Media Aide to the Wife of the Senate President, Ms. Veronica, made the remarks while being interviewed, following Mrs. Saraki’s keynote speech at the recent high-level Future of Health Summit, organised by Forbes and CNBC Africa.

“Nigeria loses up to $1bn every year to medical tourism, as a result of the loss of faith in our medical system, at various levels. We must foster an enabling environment where knowledge reparation in health is promoted and Nigerian Health workers in diaspora can return home,” Ehanire said.

In the same vein, the former

Kwara State First Lady drew attention to the challenging condition of mother and infant health outcomes in Nigeria.

She stated: “Around 20,000 babies will be born in Nigeria today; each one of them a blessing. Today, however, we will also lose about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of child-bearing age.

COURTESY CALL ON THE LEADER National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, with newly-elected executives of the party in Lagos State who visited him… yesterday

UNICEF rightly points out that although the rate of newborn deaths has improved, to 37 per 1000 births, this national average hides the differences between our 36 states and the slow progress in some of them.

“While these figures are already startling and should constitute a national emergency, Nigeria’s growth rate of 3.2 per cent annually means that our nation will, according to USAID, reach a population of 440 million people by 2040. As a nation which is currently unable to keep its mothers and children safe and healthy, we must urgently seek solutions to the scale of the challenge we are about to face.”

In her keynote speech titled ‘The Role of Technology in Improving Mother and Child Healthcare in Nigeria - Raising Quality Standards For Health Care, Putting People First’, Mrs. Saraki called for more widespread use and digitization of Personal Health Records (PHR).

The Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) said digital technology can, at its best, ensure quality and standards of care are improved and maintained - the ability to track, trigger actions and provide accountability empowers midwives and other health workers to lead the way with quality care, adapting to their own situational awareness.

2017 Budget: Net Oil Revenue Dropped by N401bn in Q3 Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The actual net oil revenue into the Federation Account in the third quarter (Q3) of 2017 stood at 692.40 billion, indicating a drop of 401.51 billion or 36.7 per cent decline in the quarterly estimated budget of 1.093 trillion, the draft third quarter 2017 Budget implementation report has shown.

Despite the decline, the net oil revenue inflow in Q3 quarter of

2017 was still higher than the net revenueof 456.89billionreported in the second quarter of 2017 by 235.51 billion (or 51.55 per cent).

According to the report released by the Budget Office of the Federation (BoF), the poor oil revenue performance in the third quarter of 2017, when compared with the quarterly projection, could be attributed to supply challenges as some of the facilities affected by crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and

destructionofpipelinesremained inactive.

A total of 2.858.31 trillion was collectedasgrossoilrevenueduring the three quarters of the year period as against the 4.000.84 trillion projected for the same period.

This depicts a shortfall of 1.142.52 trillion or 28.56 per cent drop below the three-quarter of theyearprojectionbut 816.98billion (or 40.02 per cent) above the 2.041.33 trillion realised within

the same period of 2016.

A breakdown of the revenue by sub-head indicated that only crude oil sales of 1.547 trillion and other oil and gas revenue of 11.82 billion surpassed their three-quarter of the year projectionsof 1.262.47trillionand 4.39 trillionby 284.75billion(or22.55 percent)and 7.42billion(or169.03 per cent) respectively.

The performance of crude oil sales reflects the gains of oil price over its 2017 budget benchmark.

All other remaining oil revenue items fell below their respective three-quarter of the year projections.

Gas Sales of 160.38 billion, Royalties (Oil & Gas) of 348.90 billion, Rent of 0.24 billion, Gas FlaredPenaltyof 3.39billionand Petroleum Profit & Gas Taxes of 786.37 billion fell below their three-quarteroftheyearestimates of 408.35 billion, 674.87 billion, 1.26 billion, 3.55 billion and 936.62 billion by 247.97 billion

(or 60.72 per cent), 325.97 billion (or 48.3 per cent), 1.02 billion (or 80.73percent), 0.16billion(or4.42 per cent) and 150.25 billion (or 16.04 per cent) respectively.

On the other hand, Licenses and Early License Renewal yielded nothing in the three quarter of the year period.

The low performances were attributed to the dynamics in the price and demand of oil at the international market during the period.

Suspected Herdsmen Kill Six in Deadly Benue Attack

Magu Emerges Chair Commonwealth Buhari Greets Femi Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa Falana at 60

George Okoh in Makurdi

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The bodies of six persons, among them, some teachers of Makurdi Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) suspected to have been killed by FulaniherdsmennearIkpayongo, Gwer local government area of BenueState,havebeendiscovered by residents of the area.

The bodies were discovered after the teachers went missing since last Wednesday.

The victims, according to a source, went to inspect their farmland for rice cultivation under the umbrella of a cooperative society but were ambushed by the armed herdsmen who immediatelyopenedfireonthem.

Four of the teachers managed to escape with wounds while six others were not so lucky as they

were said to have been killed and their bodies dismembered by the herdsmen.

The mangled remains of the deceased victims remained missing until they were recovered on Thursday with the assistance of some security operatives.

Sources from the area gave the names of some of the deceased victims as Mr. Stephen Tavaku, the Head Teacher of St. Mary’s Primary School, North Bank, Makurdi and Mr. Christian Anankpa, a PhD student of ABU, Zaria who was the Basic Science Teacher, St Mary’s UBE Junior Secondary School, North Bank, Makurdi.

One of Tavaku’s close associates, Hon. Emerald Anyaogu lamented that he was with him a short while before he undertook that journey of no return.

The Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa (ACA) have the appointed the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,Mr.IbrahimMagu,asitsnew chairman.

Magu’s emergence came weekend at the end of ACA’s 8th Regional Conference in Abuja, with a resolve to strengthen cooperationandcollaborationamong membercountriesforthepurpose of facilitating assets recovery and return.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 5-day conference with the theme ‘Partnering Towards Assets Recovery and Return’.

The ACA among other things, expressed concern “about the

heavy losses that Africa suffers as a result of illegal transfers of proceeds of corruption and crime out of Africa” and stressed the need for synergy among member countriestocombatillicitfinancial flows.

Itcalledon“Africancountriesto strengthen cooperation and partnershipinthetracing,recoveryand returnofassetsinaccordancewith Article 54 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption andArticle16oftheAfricanUnion Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption”.

While recognising the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption, asset recovery and return; the meeting urged African countries to enact

strong whistleblowing legislation and provide protection to whistleblowers.

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday sent his warm greetings to erudite lawyer and rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana on today’s occasion of his 60th birthday.

In a statement, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president’s media adviser, he said his principal joined family members, friends and professional colleagues of the cerebral lawyer in celebrating this milestone.

According to him, Falana’s 60-year sojourn on earth has been marked by honours and awards for his forthrightness and advocacy for the good of

every Nigerian.

According to him, Buhari commended Falana’s sense of patriotism over the years, and what he described as his advisory roles to leaders, institutions and governments, especially on the value of good governance.

“As the legal luminary turns 60, the president believes his antecedents have been most exemplary and commendable in advocating for a better life for the poor and underprivileged.

“President Buhari prays that the almighty God will grant the human rights lawyer longer life, good health and more wisdom to keep serving the country,” the statement added.

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018

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OPINION Nigeria And The Debt Trap All the indices reinforce some major problems ahead, argues Sam Nwokoro

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n recent time, the issue of Nigeria’s current debt stock has attracted both local and international attention. One of the latest causes of renewed debate over Nigeria’s debt portfolio is the recent decision of the Senate of the Federal Republic to deny the loan request of Kaduna State Government as prepared by governor Nasir el-Rufai.

The senate was concerned that Nigeria’s debt stock was becoming unsustainable and that most states in the country have borrowed heavily abroad, increasing the national debt stock, even as virtually all of them have no full-proof repayment structure in place to hedge those loans against default.

Coming shortly after recent disclosures that national debt stock has hit some N7 trillion, roughly about $20 billion dollars and more than 50 per cent of them incurred by the states, the anxiety over the size of the debt is understandable and justified.

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, Christie Lagarde and the World Bank, after analysing Nigeria’s developmental pattern, her domestic problems and revenue-generating capability raised the alarm over the sustainability of Nigeria’s debt and cautioned that borrowed funds be properly utilised for programmes capable of generating enough returns to repay them. It was not only Lagarde that had made comments over the matter.

Before her, immediate past US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson had advised the Nigerian government about the type of loans and type of places she obtains such financial grants. Tillerson worried that most of the grants Nigeria receive from China especially were not so much in the long term interest of Nigeria, and in due time Nigeria risks losing those upscale PPP projects being undertaken with Chinese loans in the event of default if due diligence is not paid about which projects to spend the grants on.

Last March, former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Moghalu raised similar alarm weeks before Tillerson’s. Implicit in Moghalu’s concern is that the policy behaviour of the government of today, is not-so-fantastic public finance management profile, the size of revenue stream and the size of revenue lost through corruption and mis-prioritisation, her seemingly unabating security challenges and the cost implications- talkless solution timelines for them - when juxtaposed alongside Nigeria’s debt redemption capability puts the government moody, not cheery.

However, Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun along with CBN

Governor, Mr Godwin Emiefiele keeps mesmerising Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm, that the foreign reserves are picking up, as well as the excess crude account, the liquidity ratio and other fundamentals.

But they all know that they are talking in the manner public officials speak when they are in positions—to impress both internal and external stakeholders. But deep down, they know that all is not well, and their panic is reflected in the desperation with which they do all kinds of internal fire-brigade: stepping up tax drives, even creating new windows, hunting for looted funds-even if with arbitrary rights abuse-prone methods and other gimmicks. But the question informed people are asking is: are these panic steps durable, sustainable and tangible bulwarks when those debts mature? There is obvious hyper-optimism in all of this not-to-worry posture of the government.

One: just like the recently rejected Kaduna State loan request by NASS, nothing on the ground shows that both the FG and the states have projects capable of generating even up to 30% of the value of the loan amount they have expended on publicly funded projects in the past three years since May 2015 to date compared to the foreign loan components.

Two: the optimism overlooks the current and unfolding scenarios likely to upgrade the vulnerability of repayment preparedness or structure if government has or is conjuring one. Recent reports indicate that USA crude oil exports to some of Nigeria’s main crude oil market hubs in Europe and Asia are gradually climbing up. S uch US hunt for crude and shale gas markets may very well extend farther into China, some Middle East countries, or even North Korea as Washington steps up diplomatic offensives aimed at hedging in

Nothing on the ground shows that both the federal government and the states have projects capable of generating even up to 30% of the value of the loan amount they have expended on publicly funded projects in the past three years to date compared to the foreign loan components

unfriendly regimes in the troubled fundamentalist-infested Middle East countries like Syria, Jordan, Iran; even North Korea, Poland, Philippines, Nicaragua, Vietnam and some of the current crisis flash points. For a Trump regime that has made “America First� its cardinal objective till the next seven years, obviously creating more markets for America’s now surplus shale gas and crude from both US shores and outside would be the direct result of Washington’s present bellicose attitudes both in commerce and geopolitics in global stage today.

The present US Government is not minding if Washington is perceived less as an economic power for as long as she under Trump is succeeding in pushing US produce and services to as many off-shore markets as possible to close what Trump perceives as trade gaps against America. With this scenario Nigeria can well see that she is gearing for fiercer competitive environment in courting offshore markets, investments, capital and even development partners in the myriad PPP projects she has initiated or is still initiating - in the days ahead.

Thirdly, for all the hues and cry about loot recovery and generating internal revenue, in actual terms, there cannot be seen enough tangible projects capable of generating substantial cash which it is capable of finishing up by 2019 when it would seek for re-election. How come for whole three years no single tollable federal highway has been successfully completed by this administration-well after four consecutive annual budgets - 2015(partly), 2016, 2017 and 2018? And we are hearing about a whopping N98 billion being voted for just an alleged repair of just a city-link bridge that would not be tolled while other trans-continental and inter-state highways received little or no mention in the 2017 appropriations that would soon round off in less than two months. Talk of priority. If this is not poor record of performance, then what is? At least when it comes to internal revenue generation, toll-gate source is one simplest and less cumbersome approach.

Another factor discernible in Nigeria’s public expenditure pattern which aggravates the fear of debt default is the over-dependence of the component states - the largest borrowers on the federal government for all kinds of allocation, bailouts, loan guarantees, et al—without the federal government’s corresponding leverages and compliance enforcement capability over how the states manage and spend these loans, allocations and bailouts. Thus debt repayment default is a fait accompli. – Nwokoro is a Lagos-based journalist

On Becoming An Elder Toyin Falola pays tribute to Ayo Olukotun, an academic and a social critic, at age 65 Ayo, Like the compact pastiche of the rainbow Your name heralds joys and glad tidings And so your majestic presence of industry It is the child’s to clean the home: Your youthful ebullience is spent Dusting off cobwebs on this wall Turning our nightmares into sweet dreams It is the elder’s to put the town orderly: Now in your lock of grey, Your words are a heritage to infant tongues And your moves mend our broken fence Son of Dada Aina, Like the stealthy scamper of the moon Every breath of yours is a trace of success A signage of more fulfilments to come

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mong the Yoruba, to be described as an Ă gbĂ (an elder) is not either a mere function of advanced age or being close to senility, which is simply a biological clock function as well as consequence.

Instead, it is rather a dignified social status that one accrues over the years through one’s dint of both acumen and hard work. As one advances in sterling age (with true or natural grey hair), and one’s perceptive abilities, acumen and acuity sharpen, one becomes positioned to play the role of the à gbà in the social and communal sphere. To be an à gbà among the Yoruba people in Africa and the world, is to have acquired the intellectual insight as well as the rhetorical resources, genial personality, moral capital, shrewdness, and astute judgment to intervene in social and political discourses; to have the personal integrity, maturity, and courage to speak the truth to power; to synchronise and synthesise issues, all of which cumulatively empower the à gbà to offer critiques that advance received knowledge; to manage conflicts and arbitrate them with prudence; to guide younger generations through the maze of life with the sagacity that time and experience confer on one; and to know the times and demands of the society in which one lives.

In brief, to be an à gbà , according to the Yoruba cultural worldview, is to be an institution to oneself, coupled with becoming both a living legend and a respected one at that. Àgbà is an intellectual position as much as it is a socio-cultural tall order that is not very easy to attain. However, the position of an à gbà can,

as well, be a precarious one; that is indeed why the Yoruba pray that one will not go from being an à gbà lagbà to an à gbà yà , with the latter denoting or becoming a worthless elder, a veritable oxymoron. Above all, a status of an à gbà is never earned like academic credentials once and for all—instead, one keeps earning à gbà status through one’s contributions to the society in general.

My classmate and friend since our Ife days in the 1970s, Ayodele Samuel Olukotun, by his sterling qualities and acts over the years, embodies the expectations of Yoruba people in their conceptualisation of who an à gbà should be. On this occasion of his 65th birthday, a retirement age in Western norm, I note that my friend—the dedicated husband of Mosunmola—is an à gbà who is becoming an à gbà lagbà , while fastly laying the foundation to the status of an agbalagbi, in itself the preface to an arúgbó, that very long jump from adolescence to obsolescence. As he is growing in years (with a distinguished shiny hair), he is also increasing in wisdom, insight, and equally, crucially, expanding his social roles as a public father, and a true elder.

As all of you must know, Olukotun (aka “Possible Baiyeâ€?) is an academic and a public intellectual. In 2016, in recognition of his multiple roles in our expansive national society, he was made the pioneer occupant of the Oba Sir Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance at the Olabisi Onabanjo University at Ago-Iwoye. Attaining the distinguished position was certainly not a mean achievement; after all, as all of us know, to be honored with a professorial-cum-named chair is the apex of an academic career, while the objectives of the position are congruent with his Ă gbĂ status in contemporary national life. This is a position that Oba Adetona, a very progressive and visionary King, thoughtfully created for gifted academics, who would clear new spaces to enable the birthing of a better global scholarly ethos. The spaces are to serve as a philosophical estate, whereby habitual thinkers and transformative agents like Olukotun can generate ideas that will breed new kinds of national subjects. These subjects will promote and develop new ethics of collective national transformation, public orientation, and civil behaviour. Ă€gbĂ Olukotun’s second professorial lecture on “Civil Society and Governance in Nigeria’s Evolving Democracy, 1999 to 2018â€? was delivered on May 10, 2018. As I took the time to peruse a copy, I promptly remembered his speeches in the 1970s, which were in relation to the statement by Winston

Churchill: “Any man, under 30, who is not a liberal has no heart, and any man over 30, who is not a conservative has no brains.� In that profound lecture, Olutokun’s sentences and their structures have not developed the inflammation of age and fatigue; and the paragraphs are not hardened to stand in the way of mature reflections.

As a professor, with a named chairship, Olukotun has an office that grants him a unique position to perform the role of an Ă gbĂ , with an intellectual flourish: to conceive, execute, and build upon studies that are capable of yielding meaningful discernments regarding the seemingly intractable challenges as well as issues of governance that Nigeria faces at both local and global levels. With his educational background up to the Ph.D. level in the distinct but interlocked fields of History/ Sociology/International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University, Olukotun has marshalled the energies of different disciplines to create intellectual paradigms which point us to critical and reasonable interventions.

The foregoing mediations on the part of Olukotun deepen our comprehensions on the intertwined ways in which our socio-cultural and socio-political forms of education can be stimulated to produce better results in our political and social development. Since he entered this recent position, he has worked assiduously to generate the scholarship and other research activities that facilitate the “town and gown� interactions. He has been bringing together scholars, institutions, and abstract thoughts to collaborate on producing varied critical analyses that will impact our governance systems.

Olukotun, Baba Temitope, is also a columnist, and an award-winning one too. In all the 20 years or so that he has been writing for various media (and in the past eight years, exclusively for PUNCH newspapers), he has shown himself to be a savvy and seasoned analyst who understands the imbrication of politics, governance, democracy, and institutions. The same Yoruba people, who saw fit to create the concept of à gbà , also note that an elder cannot be in the marketplace to see a child’s neck bent on its mother’s back. Instead, they believe that elders are supposed to play the role of interventionists in public social situations. ––Falola is a professor of African Studies and currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

LETTERS LESSONS FROM GOV. DANKWAMBO’S LECTURE AT UI

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s part of the activities marking the 60th anniversary of University of Ibadan Alumni Association (UIAA), which came up recently at the University of Ibadan (UI), Gombe State governor, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo was invited to deliver the Fifth National Public Service and the 60th anniversary lecture. The title of his lecture was, “Survival of the states: How Transparency and Accountability Help Revenues and Expenditure Management in States: Success story from Gombe State.”

Although some of those in attendance at the lecture had never been to Gombe State, the facts and figures presented by the governor, coupled with his profile as a chartered accountant who was the Accountant- General of the Federation in 2005, made the audience to feel comfortable to listen to governor’s homily on accountability and transparency.

Again, there are testimonies in the media that he is really performing wonders in his state, turning lemons into lemonade!

Indeed, at the end of his 90-minute lecture, it was glaring that Gov. Dankwambo was not only an expert on the theme, but a true practitioner of his own preaching whose transparent and accountable leadership, has since 2011, taken Gombe State to a level

Dankwambo

that is almost beyond belief.

Gombe which was 36th in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010, according to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), is today achieving so much with so little. This is as a result of the leadership of a man who initiated the electronic-payment system during the Obasanjo administration while serving as accountant-general of the federation.

Speaking on the subject, however, Gov. Dankwambo who adopted a scholarly approach to dissect the issue unequivocally declared that

fiscal sustainability was a challenge in most states in Nigeria, adding “most state governors inherited a system where transparency and accountability were known only as mere words, devoid of any inherent reality .Gombe is no exception “. Clearly, the governor is sincere here. Corruption is a major problem in Nigeria.

Describing accountability and transparency as relevant to Nigeria’s current economic circumstances, the 1985 Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) graduate who situated his position in the Darwinist postulation, argued that for

states to survive “we have to work individually as states and collectively as a nation in developing our “sociable habits” in order to secure the maintenance of our species, our extension, and our further progressive evolution in order to survive or “doomed to decay”.

Dankwambo who is believed to be nursing a presidential ambition on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisted that the survival of state governments in Nigeria “is a function of ability of the leaders to plan and execute projects and programmes effectively and efficiently, pointing out that transparency and accountability are the functional media for achieving this.

While condemning the widespread corruption in the country, he submitted that state governors must live a life of service and sacrifice for the betterment of their people. “In 2011, I was bequeathed with a population that was 8.5 poorer than when my predecessor took over in 2003. I make bold to say that today, Gombe state has evolved to the level that it has propelled itself on the path of growth and progress, in addition to which it holds even greater potential.

With unpretentious confidence, Talban Gombe, who appeared highly cerebral in thinking, radical in orientation and courageous in conviction maintained that for states to survive the current economic

Katowice And A House Divided Against Itself

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n December, the world will convene in Katowice, Poland for the 24th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) to discuss climate change, commitments to reduce emissions to 1.5 degrees below pre-industrial levels, to further the Talanoa dialogue, and to finalise on the Paris rulebook and implementation.

This meeting will bring together government leaders, industry practitioners from the private sector, and nonprofit players. One thing this anticipated COP seems to do is foist a deja vu of COP 19, the UNFCCC Conference of Parties held in 2013 in the same country, Poland, in its capital Warsaw, a country which at the same time was playing host to the global coal summit. Poland has been listed as one of the EU’s most inefficient economies, with its carbon dioxide emissions per capita above the EU’s average emissions. In fact around 90 per cent of the country’s electricity is derived from burning coal.

According to a Greenpeace recent report, the coal-powered plants are responsible for almost 5,400 deaths a year and the massive Belchatow coal-powered station in Poland is the single largest polluter in the entire EU. COP 19 was not particularly successful, as we did not see

any major progress on the Loss and Damage agenda, which was meant to be the one of the highlights of the summit.

On the contrary, in the last few weeks before the COP in Warsaw, members of the Polish government in several official statements clearly stressed the role and the importance of continued coal use for the Polish economy and its competitiveness. Poland is also known for blocking any more ambitious climate policy instruments in the EU. Most alarming was the fact that the sponsors of the climate talks in Warsaw were big polluters; coal and crude oil companies, whose interests indeed came to fore at the negotiations.

One would have hoped that after the summit in Warsaw in 2013, the country will adopt a more progressive approach, cut down on the use of coal and make for a climate-friendly economy, yet the coal capital still continues to be that- a coal capital. It makes one wonder why for the second time in five years, they have offered to host the COP. Indeed the agenda pushed at the COP 19, and at the coal summit that held concurrently during the second week of the COP in Poland was that of clean coal technologies and the future of Poland’s coal. Clearly, the coal capital was bringing everyone to its country to convince them that they would not drop their coal, but would try to make it clean.

The question on everyone’s

mind remains the same as what it was in 2013- what happens at the COP in Poland? The presidency of the COP 24 has been announced- Polish minister of Energy of a country where energy is dominated by the coal industry. Michal Kurtyka will be taking up the most critical role since the Paris Agreement in 2015 and will be playing a huge part in the furtherance of the Paris rulebook. What remains unspoken here is whether the politics and power play of coal and his role within the Polish government will determine his disposition during the talks, as the climate politics of Poland is at the lower end of ambition.

It is even more disturbing because the role of the presidency is critical; as critical, if not even more than the seat of the climate talks because the president steers the conferences and brokers deals when there are deadlocks. At COP 19 President, then Poland’s environment minister got fired because fracking was not happening fast enough. In other words, he was not pushing the country’s agenda fast enough. We await to see what will happen in December in the Silesian city of Katowice.

The hosting of the COP 24 climate talks by Poland is akin to an unrepentant sinner playing priest, taking confessions of sinners from behind the confessional, and offering reprieve for their sins.

Apart from it being antitheti-

cal that a coal-powered city is hosting the climate talks, it is simply the case of a house divided against itself, and usually such cannot stand.

Either the country will take the heat from this negotiation or the negotiations will. Yet, some have argued that the climate summit happening in Poland might just be a harbinger of good things, as it may mean that the coal-powered country is ready to truly commit to curbing emissions and driving a climate-friendly economy.

We cannot forget too early however, that the Polish government has continued to iterate that it will continue to depend on coal as its major source of energy. Understandably, it is not an easy process to shift from the mainstay of a country’s economy, as it will affect jobs, energy supply and the economy in general, yet the demand is for countries like Poland to make conscious efforts towards reducing gradually their fossil fuel emissions by finding more low carbon and renewable energy options and giving them pre-eminence in the energy mix. More especially because coal is a much dirtier fuel than other fossil fuels, and apart from the environmental hazards, it places heavy demands on water resources, causes grave health hazards and emits more greenhouse gases than any other fuel.

–––––––Caleb Adebayo is a lawyer and environmentalist working in Lagos

situation, “the answer could be found in the thinking of Charles Darwin as states must adapt to the changing circumstances or risk possible extermination, which could come in any form, including violent revolution, like Arab Spring.

According to him, “accountability and transparency are the main ingredients for successful public finance management. This holds true both at national and sub national levels”.

With an intermittent applause and singing from UI students who thronged the venue to listen to the governor, Dankwambo who holds a Ph.D degree in accountancy believed that accountability and transparency would encourage public participation in governance, citing his experiences in Gombe to buttress his points. His words, “in Gombe, our deliberate attempt at putting transparent policies and accountable process help us in achieving more with less. Education is our topmost priority. We reconstructed 1,160 classrooms, constructed 784 new ones in various schools across the state and built more than 70 new schools across the state. We have thus greatly increased access to education.”

In business, he said, “in spite of the location of Gombe State close to the hotbed of terrorism, our state was able to provide attraction to investments due to the confidence and incentives we provide for economic activities as

many companies have found Gombe attractive. I wish to assure you that any state governor that adheres strictly to the principles of transparency and accountability as enunciated in this lecture can proudly stand the storm as we did during Buhari Tsunami in Gombe State in 2015”, he boasted. Dr. Dankwambo is the only PDP governor in the Northeast of Nigeria.

The soft-spoken politician who later inaugurated the 54-suite Post Graduate hall of residence built by UIAA promised to assist in furnishing the hall, just as he donated handsomely to the activities of the association.

However, there are some lessons to be taken away from the Gombe governor’s lecture.

One of the inherent lessons in this lecture is that leaders should be transparent and accountable. State governors are not expected to personalise the common resources and recklessly fritter away the scarce resources. State affairs should be conducted transparently. Another lesson from this lecture is that, whoever must be elected into the public office must be sufficiently educated. Poor leadership has been variously cited as one of Nigeria’s problems, predicated on inadequate intellectualism. Some of those who are in political positions don’t read. We need enlightened minds in leadership positions.

––Sunday Saanu, Media Assistant to the ViceChancellor, University of Ibadan.

RELISHING A COLONIAL LEGACY IN 2018

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hese days I am regular visitor to Zaria in Kaduna State and each time I stepped foot on the grounds of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) I just would not be able to help push that feeling away that I had been transported back in time some 50 or 55 years ago when Nigeria must have been some place of reckoning amongst the nations of the earth.

Depending on how one sees it, ABU Zaria appears to be frozen in time and this feeling of nostalgia is so gripping especially when I spy the architecture, the old brick-wall décor of the block adjoining the present Senate Building, the old brick-wall quality of the front parapet of the Department of Physics, Department of Geology, etc., and the general tree-lined arboreal ambience of this institution of higher learning.

When I was told the watersupply system at the Samaru Campus is independent of the Zaria central waterworks and that sewage processing exist and this system is recycling-based, I could not help it but decried the day in 1960 that Nigeria was granted independence.

In hindsight, our “independence” was a terrible judgment

in error especially now in 2018 that there is no hospital in Nigeria fit enough to treat President Muhammadu Buhari.

When I walk the paved pathways of the Samaru Campus under dense foliage I usually pretend I am some very old academic, an Oxford don type, who is out to contemplate some vexing academic issue; the ABU campus is a true “inside world” that sharply contrasts with the fly-infested “outside world” where everything is in disarray and the government is AWOL, apparently.

The brash, young Nigerians of the 1950s in the mould of Anthony Enahoro were too much in a hurry to send the British packing; the Brits did not come to enslave or exploit us, they came to enlighten us and we would have done well to let them do the administering until the time the local folks would have been sufficiently educated to take over the civil service but we wanted “independence.” Today, we are more mentally enslaved than at any time in our history that we erroneously thought we were slaves.

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

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INTERNATIONAL

Challenges of ‘America First’ and Relocation of US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

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he thrust of the United States foreign policy under President Donald Trump is ‘America First.’ As a foreign policy thrust, ‘America First’ simply means that the priority of priorities must always be the protection of American interest in all cultural, political, economic and militaro-strategic calculations. Thus, ‘America First’ necessarily means an objective, but it can also be synonymous with a tactic or technique of attaining the objectives and other goals. Because ‘America First’ can have many meanings, the understanding of US foreign policy under Donald Trump becomes complex, especially in terms of how to interpret US actions in international relations, and particularly also in terms of how best to react to them, since all Member States of the international community also have their own interests to protect.

From the empirical foreign policy behaviour of the United States under Donald Trump so far, the true objective and technique of the thrust is clear and not far-fetched: restore and sustain the global status of the United States as the only existing superpower that should be second to none; adopt a manu militari, if not outright use of force, in achieving the objective; and impose whatever is in the American interest regardless of whose ox is gored. United States’ arbitrary withdrawal from the Climate change agreement, US withdrawal from various international agreements validly contracted by the Washingtonian authorities, the most recent of which is the withdrawal from the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action or the Iran nuclear deal, are cases in point.

Additionally, last week Thursday, ‘America First’ was given a special fillip, not only in terms of the United States being the first to relocate its diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but also the first of the signatories to the Iran Deal to breach the agreement.

And true enough, in recent times, the United States has been leading in the breaching of diplomatic principles as universally espoused by civilised nations of the world.

In light of this, US foreign policy is not only raising questions of concern but particularly seriously threatening the maintenance of global peace and security, and by so doing, strengthening other major powers to respond either in the spirit of reciprocity or legitimate self-defence. It is within the context of this observation that we will now explicate the manifestations and challenges of ‘America First,’ before interrogating the Relocation of US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and its implications.

America First: Manifestations and Challenges The origin of ‘America First,’ as Donald trump’s foreign policy thrust, is traceable to January 20, 2017 when he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. As declared by Donald Trump by then, ‘from this day forward, it’s going to be “America First.�

But what does this mean? It has political, economic, and security dimensions.

For instance, at the level of security, it is predicated on ‘principled realism’ which is to be guided ‘by outcomes and not by ideology.’ In this regard, Donald Trump’s military doctrine, which has been described as ‘overmatch doctrine,’ has it that the United States must maintain ‘a combination of capabilities in sufficient scale to prevent enemy success’ and to ensure that America’s sons and daughters will never be in a fair fight.

Economically, ‘America First’ policy assumes that economic security is also national security and that US trade deficits are not only deepening but also require the renegotiation of the country’s external relationships in order to reduce the deficits, as well as eliminate unfair trade practices inherent in the US trade relationships: dumping, non-tariff barriers, industrial subsidies, etc.

Politically, ‘America First’ policy identifies some rogue states or arch enemies of the United States. They include China which is

Trump

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considered as a strategic rival, challenging American power, influence and interests, and by so doing, seeking to ‘erode American security and prosperity.’ Iran and North Korea are other enemy states requiring a special drastic attention. Relationship with these countries requires a review along a hard line policy.

As good as the pillars of the ‘America First’ policy may be, Roncevert Ganan Almond has drawn attention to some myopic aspects of the policy. As he put it, it ‘fails to capture the full measure of international relations or offer to American leaders. What is lost in the Trump doctrine is the critical importance of diplomacy, in building alliances, forming multilateral coalitions, and developing international institutions. In short, the art of persuasion - underlying collective action and the intangible quality of legitimacy is absent’ (see his one year review of “US Foreign Policy in the Trump Era: a Narrative of Power without Persuasion,� posted on January 18, 2018.

What is particularly noteworthy about the policy is its manifestation in international politics and the development of and increasing hostility towards the government and people of the United States to which the proponents of ‘America First’ currently give little consideration most unfortunately.

As noted earlier, the case of US withdrawal from the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action (Iran Deal) is a good illustration of how the protection of ‘America First’ is also undermining US foreign policy interest in a faster manner than in its protection. In this regard, US foreign policy interest is claiming to be pursuing global peace, while the situational reality is showing the contrary.

How do we explain the fact that, with the exception of the United States, all the other signatories (five in number: Germany, France, Great Britain, China, Russia, otherwise the P5+1) have eyes that can no longer see? How do we explain the fact that the United States individual knowledge on the Iran Nuclear Deal is greater or better than the collective sagacious of other signatory states?

The truth of the matter as at today is that many EU members have been negotiating the replacement of the use of the dollar with the euro in their trade relationships with Iran. Perhaps a more disturbing manifestation of the ‘America First’ policy is the relocation and implication of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Relocation and Implications of US Embassy In late February 2018, the US State Department announced that ‘in May, the United States plans to open a new US Embassy in Jerusalem. The opening will coincide with Israel’s 70th Anniversary... we are excited about taking this historic step, and look forward with anticipation to the May opening.’ More important, the State Department also had it that the embassy would initially be located temporarily in the Arnona neighbourhood (current location of the US Consulate General) until a more suitable location is found.

And true enough, the United States acted as announced, on

Netanyahu

May 14, 2018, which technically speaking, is Israel’s Independence Day. The State of Israel was created on May 14, 1948. On that very day, the United States was the first country to recognise the state and its government about five minutes after the official proclamation of the State of Israel. The date is calculated on the basis of Hebrew date (the fifth day of Iyar).

Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Donald Trump said ‘it was the right thing to do... we have to do it,’ even though many people, Donald Trump claimed, ‘were begging’ him not to do so.

Three points are noteworthy about the announcement and effective relocation of the US Embassy. First, Guatemala was the first country to move its embassy on May 1, 2018 to Jerusalem but preferred to wait for that of relocation of the US Embassy on May 14 before its own official inauguration. What prevents Guatemala from being the first country to relocate its embassy? Is it to ensure that the action is taken by the US first? Is there not a sort of agreement between the United States and Guatemala who planned to open its own new mission on May 16, 2018?

Secondly, no American president has tried to implement the US Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 until the advent of the Donald Trump administration. It is useful to recall here that the US 104th Congress passed on October 23, 1995 the Jerusalem Embassy Act (JEA), which entered into force on November 8, 1995 without presidential signature, because President Bill Clinton consciously left it unsigned. The Act was enacted ‘to provide for the relocation of the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and for other purposes.’ In this regard, the Act, the originating bill of which was introduced in the Senate by Bob Dole, a Republican from KS, considered Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel which should not be divided and to which the US Embassy in Tel Aviv should not only be relocated by May 31 1999, but also for which 50% of appropriated funds for the ‘Acquisition and Maintenance of Buildings Abroad’ by the State Department was set side.

One more important point about the Act is that the law enables the President of the United States to invoke a six-month waiver of the application of the Act and to reissue the waiver every six months for reasons of national security. It was on this basis that presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama invoked it before Donald Trump signed a waiver in June 2017, while the US Senate called on the government of Donald Trump to promptly implement the Jerusalem Embassy Act. And without jot of doubt and consistent with his electoral promise, Donald Trump first recognised Jerusalem as capital of Israel on December 6, 2017 and therefore directed the immediate preparation for the relocation of the US Embassy. Second, President Trump made it known on February 23rd, 2018 that relocation of the embassy would begin at the Arnona consular services site of the then US Consulate-General in Jerusalem. On Monday, 14th May, 2018, partly in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, the Embassy of the United States in Jerusalem was officially opened.

Expectedly, there cannot but be consequences, because the US Act and its implementation directly conflicted with the spirit of Resolution 181 of the United Nations General Assembly, adopted on 29th November, 1947. The resolution considered Jerusalem as a Corpus Separatum, that is, as a special international regime which was not to be placed under the sovereign jurisdiction of Israel or Palestine.

What is particularly noteworthy about Jerusalem as a special regime is that it was meant to be a neutral territory to be internationally administered by the United Nations. This largely explains why all the diplomatic missions in Israel are currently located in Tel Aviv in compliance with the UN General Assembly’s Resolution 181. Besides, international law requires all accredited diplomatic missions to locate their chanceries in the political capital where their host government is seated.

It should be remembered here that the Arabs, ab initio, never accepted the idea of establishment of a State of Israel in Palestine.

In fact, The Arabs resolved to push the Israelis to the sea or seaside.

This development led to war, the defeat of the Arabs in the war, and to the partitioning of Jerusalem into two: East and West Jerusalem. The eastern part was left for Jordan to administer, while Israel was given Western Jerusalem to control. Many countries opened their missions in Jerusalem but the United Kingdom never did because of the 1947 UN Plan for partitioning.

Put differently, the Government of Israel declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 5, 1949. The declaration was given concrete expression following the second defeat of the Arabs in the 1967 Six-day War, after which Israel also took control of the Jordanian-controlled Eastern Jerusalem. The Knesset (Parliament) later proclaimed that ‘Jerusalem was, and had always been, the capital of Israel.’ But perhaps more importantly, Israel promulgated a law in 1980, unifying Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but the international community kicked against it with the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 478 of 20 August, 1980, which required all diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to relocate. This explains why the main Israeli government institutions are in Jerusalem and the accredited diplomatic missions are in Tel Aviv, a situation that is inconsistent with international diplomatic practice.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

BUSINESS

Editor Vincent Obia 08054681757 Email vincent. obia @thisdaylive.com

LAST WEEK Budget

TheNationalAssemblypassedthe2018 budgetonWednesday,sixmonthsafter PresidentMuhammaduBuharisubmitted the estimates to both chambers of the legislature. The president had on November7,2017submittedaproposal of N8.612 trillion for the 2018 fiscal year, but lawmakers on Wednesday passed N9.12trillion,afterincreasingitbyN508 billion. From the passed budget, the federal government will spend N2.2 trillion to service debts, with N1.75 trillion to be spent on domestic debts, and N254.07 billion on foreign debt service, while N190 billion is appropriated as “sinking fund for retiring maturing debts.” In 2017, debt servicing gulped N2.014 trillion.

MSMEs

Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan, said the lender had openeddiscussionswiththeSmalland Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria and the Nigeria Export and Import Bank to de-risk its loanportfoliostosmall-scalebusinesses.

Pitan stated that the BoI was working closely with the agencies to embark on SMEs’ rating and how to ensure easier credit lending to those that met risk-acceptance criteria for loan access.

He said these when he met officials of thesecretariatofthePresidentialCouncil on the Ease of Doing Business inAbuja.

Barrels of crude oil

2018 Budget: FG won’t Meet 2.3 mbpd Production Target Due to Sabotage, Says FBN ‘CBN’s FX policies have exceeded expectations’ Kunle Aderinokun

The crude production target of 2.3 million barrels per day proposed in the 2018 budget will not be achieved because of acts of sabotage in the lead-up to the 2019 elections, FBNQuest Capital has predicted. FBNQuest, which made this assertion in its newly-released Economic Outlook, projected that oil output will average 2.07mbpd this year, as against 1.90 mbpd of 2017, due to expected disruption in production as activities towards the 2019 elections rev up.

It, however, acknowledged that production had been in the upswing since mid-2017 with the federal government’s fruitful effort to settle volatile issues in the Niger Delta.

“We see average output (including condensates) this year at 2.07 mbpd, compared with 1.90 mbpd in 2017 and the assumption of 2.30 mbpd in the 2018 budget proposals,” FBNQuest, which is an arm of FBN Holdings Plc., stated. “We have made allowances for some acts of sabotage in the run-up to elections. However, the broad trend in production has been upwards since mid-2017, and the FGN is maintaining its conciliatory approach in the delta. Also, Total’s deep offshore Egina oilfield is due to start production in Q4 at 200,000 b/d.”

It stressed, “There is metering of production in operation but it is carried out at export terminals by several agencies employing different methodologies. Consequently, there is no single unified official data source for production. This makes Nigeria unique among large-scale oil producers.

It also places question marks around

the value of all official planning and budget activity.

“We have, therefore, to choose from a number of data sources, including the NNPC, the CBN, Reuters, Bloomberg, the EIA in the US, and OPEC. Our favourite is the data series in the corporation’s monthly Financial and Operations Report.”

FBNQuest emphasised that on the basis of the expected further rise in crude output, to an average of 2.07mbpd, from the previous year’s 1.90 mbpd, it predicted a GDP growth of 2.4 per cent this year. Besides, the investment banking firm stated that it saw the non-oil economy in “better shape” in the second half of this year, marked by less restricted household budgets.

Stating that its call for 2018 would not be complete without a view on the naira exchange rate, FBNQuest stated, “The CBN’s unorthodox FX policies, which were first outlined in a circular in February 2017, have exceeded expectations (including its own).”

According to the firm, “On the parallel market, the naira has appreciated from south of N500 per US dollar at the start of 2017 and has settled at about N362 for nine months. It is now rarely quoted in the local media. FX is widely available for manufacturers, services sector operators and retail.

There is a spring in the collective step of the CBN and we do not expect an adjustment/unification ahead of the elections. It suits the authorities to have a rate for priority transactions and the internal, and much of the external pressure for unification of rates has eased.”

On the plans for the industry bill,

FBNQuest said, “We have argued that the institutional agenda of the assembly acts as a brake on development. This was made in the context of the budget process but applies to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) (formerly the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)) equally. Vested interests in the industry have played their part in the delays in its passage. The current administration is opposed to an ‘omnibus’ bill for the industry on the grounds that it

The CBN’s unorthodox FX policies, which were first outlined in a circular in February 2017, have exceeded expectations has proved too contentious, and so has favoured the passage of the bill in smaller components. In January, both houses of the assembly passed a governance bill, which awaits the signoff of the president.

“The Senate president said earlier this month that he hoped the three remaining components (covering fiscal and administrative issues, and host communities) would be passed before the start of the assembly’s long summer recess in July. This strikes us as an optimistic timeline. The administration has its clear plans for the industry.”

FBQuest argued, “The administration will be judged on its fiscal performance because it has pushed an expansionary agenda with ambitious capital spending plans (when governments

in Ghana, Angola and elsewhere in similar circumstances have opted for austerity). The expansionary budgets are the FGN’s contribution to returning Nigeria to solid per caput growth. The aim is to boost capital expenditure on the infrastructure and so remove many of the well-documented roadblocks to inclusive growth and job creation. “ It recalled, “The robust GDP growth through to 2014 was based in expenditure terms on robust household demand. Consumption growth has slowed dramatically as a result of the direct and indirect impact of the slide in the oil price, insecurity in the North-east, and currency devaluations (in November 2014, February 2015 and June 2016).”

FGNQuest believed, “The FGN’s reforms have been diluted by institutional and other vested interests as well as overly centralised decision-taking.

Several ministries, notably power, works and housing, have fallen short of the high expectations placed upon them, for which we hold bureaucracy and political oversight from above to be responsible.

“We might add the ill-health of the president but acknowledge the argument that ‘more got done’ during his extended absences in 2016 and last year.

There are some achievements to note since the formal handover of power to Buhari in May 2015. These include the recapture of territory held by Boko Haram, changes at the NNPC, its planned experiment with self-financing JVs, the launch of the treasury single account (TSA), the fuel price reform in May 2016, some recoveries and, arguably, the CBN’s FX reforms in March/April 2017.”

GDP

The Economic Community of West African States predicted a growth rate of 2.1 per cent for Nigeria in 2018, as against1.6percentinthepreviousyear.

The regional body also said it would put everything necessary in place to ensure that the 2019 general election in Nigeria was peaceful and credible.

PresidentoftheECOWASCommission, Jean Kassi Brou, stated this on Tuesday, while presenting the report on the implementationofthecommunitywork programme at the 2018 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja. The presentation is in line with the provisions ofArticle 32 of the ECOWASSupplementaryAct,relating to the enhancement of the powers of the ECOWAS Parliament.

Lafarge

Lafarge Plc approved plans to issue a N100 billion bond this year. The company made the decision at its annual general meeting in Lagos. It said the proceeds of the bond would be used to refinance the company’s debts. The companyraisedN131.6billionthrough Rights Issue last year. Chairman of the LafargeAfrica Plc, Mr. Mobolaji Balogun, said the company had a debt of $600billionin2016.“Inordertoaddress the impact on the business, $300 million was hedged via non-deliverable forward FX contracts provided by the CentralBankofNigeria,”Balogunsaid.

Road

The Federal Executive Council approved $995 million and N15.45 billion fortworoads.MinisterofPower,Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of themeetingpresidedoverbyPresident MuhammaduBuhari.Financeminister, Mrs KemiAdeosun, also said FEC approvedaFrenchDevelopmentAgency creditof$60millionforthescalingupof the Second RuralAccess and Mobility Project to include Imo State.Adeosun recalledthattheNationalAssemblyhad in the 2010 External Borrowing Plan of the federal government approved AFD’s credit facility of $60 million to implement RAMP in Imo State.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Nigerians Groan Despite Inflation Drops Though Nigeria’s Consumer Price Index recorded its 15th month of deceleration in April, from 18.97 per cent in January 2017 to 12.48 per cent in April 2018, cost of food still remains high. Bamidele Famoofo reports

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or the 15th month running, Consumer Price Index, an index which tracks inflation, has recorded a deceleration in Nigeria. Kudos to the economic team of the most populous country in Africa, which did a good job of restoring the economy to the path of growth after its worst recession in two decades.

Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product of $594.257 billion, ahead of South Africa at $314.216 billion as of 2018, exited recession in the second quarter of 2017, barely a year ago.

According to available data from the office of the National Bureau of Statistics, headline inflation for April 2018 stood at 12.48 per cent (year-on-year), a drop of 0.86 per cent, compared to 13.38 per cent in March 2018. The figure was the lowest since February 2016. It would be recalled that prior to its exit from recession in the second quarter of 2017, headline inflation figure in January 2017 was a staggering at 18.97 per cent.

High Cost of Living But while the headline inflation has recorded progressive improvement in the last 15 months, according to figures provided by the nation’s statistics office, cost of living has remained high.

Ordinary Nigerians, a good number of them unemployed, battle to make ends meet as a result of high food inflation. Though food inflation declined to 14.8 per cent in April, from 16.08 per cent in March, while core inflation also dropped from 11.2 per cent in March, to 10.9 per cent in April, the figures were considered sticky by economic pundits.

“Noteworthy, we find the marginal decline in the month-on-month headline inflation rate contentious, as it clearly conflicts the simultaneous month-on-month increases in both food and core inflation rates,” analysts at Cordros Securities Limited said. Similar to the previous month, the highest increase was recorded in the prices of bread and cereals, fruits and vegetables, oil and fats, coffee, tea and cocoa, milk, cheese and eggs, fish, and potatoes, yam and other tubers.

Meanwhile, on month-on-month basis, food inflation increased at a faster pace of 0.91 per cent, compared to the 0.90 per cent recorded in the previous month.

Experts also expressed worry over the impact of Foreign Exchange stability on imported food inflation, which at 1.16 per cent in April, is 0.06 per cent month-on-month lower than March’s 1.23 per cent. From a year-on-year perspective,

A Local food market

however, the average price of imported food was 0.32 per cent higher at 16.17 per cent (March 2018:15.85%), consistent with reported 4.6 per cent year-on-year expansion in the FAO food price index to 173.5 points in April.

“All in all, we note the sustained stickiness in general price levels, highlighted by month-onmonth headline CPI ranging between 0.80 per cent and 0.83 per cent since the turn of the year,” economic experts at Cordros Securities noted.

Time Lag Speaking in the same vein, economics lecturer at the Lagos Business School (Pan African University), Dr. Bongo Adi, said food inflation will continue to remain high in the meantime, as a time lag of about 18 months exists between the periods when inflation begins to decelerate and when consumers begin to feel the impact.

Adi said, “The fact remains that inflation is dropping.

The deceleration has been consistent for a period

of 15 months, and that is really commendable, as it is good for the economy. But the fact remains that the impact is not immediately felt by consumers, as there is a lag that naturally exists.”

While Adi was optimistic that Nigerians will shortly begin to witness a drop in prices of commodities in the market, he cautioned that the lingering crisis between herdsmen and crop farmers in the food belt region of the country had the potential to continue to drive up food inflation. Another economist, Dr. Boniface Chizea, told THISDAY that Nigerians were expected to exercise more patience before they begin to reap the benefits of the current Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the federal government.

Chizea explained that a time lag existed between the start of positive economic change and when the citizens would begin to reap the benefits.

Interest Rate Besides the effect of high food inflation on the living standard of Nigerians, the cost of

fund (interest rate) may continue to remain high in the foreseeable future, as experts have expressed doubt that a further drop in inflation in April would influence the Monetary Policy Committee to review down interest rate when it meets next week.

Experts at Cordros Securities said, “While we share consensus view of a compelling case for a rate cut at next week’s MPC meeting, amid positively evolving macroeconomic fundamentals, we think the MPC won’t cut rate just yet. Besides, giving the MPC the benefit of doubt of pursuing a proactive policy stance, our view is that the committee may find it difficult to aggressively ease its policy stance, considering a number of risk factors.”

The analysts argued that MPC might be comfortable with a 100 basis points (50 bps apiece over H2) rate cut this year, to be augmented by implicit easing (or otherwise) anchored on market rates in the fixed income space – as is currently the case.

Caverton Group Rewards Shareholders with 15k Dividend Bamidele Famoofo

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igeria’s foremost indigenous offshore logistic services provider, Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, has declared a dividend of 15 kobo per ordinary share of 50 kobo each for its shareholders during its 9th Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

Caverton, which was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange four years ago, grew profit after tax by 328 per cent, from N612.28 million in the financial year ended December 31, 2016 to N2.62 billion in the review financial year ended December 31, 2017. Profit before tax increased by N2.81 billion or 256 per cent, from N1.10 billion in 2016 to N3.91 billion in 2017.

The Caverton executives were shrewd in cost management in the review financial year to achieve a robust bottom-line, as revenue only grew marginally by 6.4 per cent to N20.54 billion in 2017 compared to N19.31 billion recorded in 2016.

Over the years, the group has positively impacted the socio-economic development of the country through various stakeholders, client, employees and communities alike. Its global workforce has equally grown remarkably

with just below 700 employees in West Africa.

With its rapid expanding fleet of aircraft and vessels coupled with its acquisition of key offshore assets and strategic partners, the group is able to provide a diverse range of services to its clients ensuring objectives are completely fulfilled, offshore to land.

COSG also takes pride in putting safety and quality at the core of its business and has been rewarded for this by its growing customer base.

In September 2014, Shell Petroleum Development Company awarded the company the Shell “Safety Conscious Award”, in recognition of its safety conscious effort.

Welcoming stakeholders to this year’s meeting, the chairman of Caverton Group, Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola, said the impressive record of the company’s increase in revenue was due to stability of the exchange rate, Nigerian economic growth due to massive government intervention in the agriculture sector, and a ramp up in oil production.

Makanjuola also gave a pass mark to the company’s financial performance, in spite of enormous challenge of economic environment in 2017. He attributed this to continued effective execution of his team’s strategy as they innovate and break barriers to boost bottom line in building a client-centric group and generate

sustainable long-term value of shareholders.

As he professes a prosperous business future in 2018 and beyond, Makanjuola seized the opportunity to thank the Cavertonians for their value contributions and deep commitment to the company.

Thanking the shareholders for their continued support, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Bode Makanjuola, assured them that the company would continue to wax strong. “In 2017, throughout a period of profound political and economic change around the world, our company remained steadfast in dedication to our clients in the host communities we serve while earning a fair return for our stakeholders. Also, our financial results for year ended 2017 displays positive performance, confirming our company’s ethos to deliver a cost effective and efficient service to our customers,” he said.

The CEO added, “Our desire is to continue to be a strong and financially sustainable group that puts our stakeholders at the heart of everything we do.”

Though shareholders of Caverton Offshore Support Group believed their company could do better in the years ahead, they applauded the Board of Directors of the group for paying a dividend of 15 kobo per share in the review

financial year.

A shareholder affiliated to the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Moses Ogundeji, at the Annual General Meeting of the group held at the Civic Centre in Lagos penultimate Tuesday, praised the company for paying 15 kobo per share as dividend, but urged the Board of Directors to make the largesse better subsequently. Another shareholder, Mr. Patrick Ajugo, however, said the company must come up with a transparent dividend policy. But Ajugo commended the company for the excellent performance of its marine business, which he said must be given a greater attention.

One of the shareholders, Mr. Nona Awoh, had a reservation on the ability of the company to sustain the dividend declared. Awoh said the business the group was capital intensive and needed all the capital available to grow its businesses at the moment.

Meanwhile, Makanjuola is confident that Caverton will improve on its revenue as well as bottom-line. He said more contractors signed by the company in 2017 will boost revenue, and revealed that Caverton Offshore Support Group was able to add 11 new helicopters to its fleet by April 2018, which would further boost its revenue base.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

INTERVIEW Yusuf: Accenture Driving National Development through Human Capacity Building Mr. Niyi Yusuf is Country Managing Director of Accenture Nigeria, a software company dedicated to the provision of consulting and outsourcing services to industries. Yusuf tells Funke Olaode what Accenture is doing to empower and equip Nigerians for business in the 21st century and how its intervention programmes, targeted at the youth, small and medium scale enterprises, and rural communities, have positively impacted many citizens. Excerpts:

Y

ou have been with Accenture for over 23 years, though the company began operation about 40 years ago. How has Accenture impacted the country and its people?

are working with Fate Foundation free of charge to put digital system called “Sky is the Limit” that would be used to enable Fate Foundation to access more and monitor their entrepreneurs or students who have passed through them. Also, some of these entrepreneurs have progressed to becoming credible businesses that we are proud of.

The company has done well, as we are going beyond being commercial to nation building and helping improve the nation through our services. Accenture has been around since 1978.

Basically, we deal with government and corporate organisations, but having realised that we operate in an environment, we believe that we need to contribute our quota. About eight years ago, Accenture started a programme called “Skill to succeed”, which is our own way of helping to improve the readiness of individuals to either get a job or improve their business. For us, it is our own way of working with non-commercial clients and giving back. So in the last eight years we have been able to help well over half a million Nigerians who have been impacted by our various Skill to Succeed programmes.

Why are you coming out now, after 40 years y of existence?

We have supported various causes over the past three decades. It was only eight years ago that we decided to formalise it and to also streamline it, so that instead of supporting millions of organisations, we focus on one thing, which is providing skills that will make people to be successful. Junior Achievement is 19 years and we have been working with them for over a decade. And for affordability of health care, there are two things: accessibility and affordability.

What we are doing is to create the access and manage the affordability. Accessibility is a major problem because the facility is not readily available and so they (patients) don’t have accessibility, while affordability can be managed from health insurance perspective. We have also worked on a model that will aid affordability through family, society, donors, etc. What the accessibility does is to reduce medical tourism, particularly, the $1 billion spent on health annually.

Do you have partner organisations?

Typically, we work with partner agencies, which we do in three ways: by financial grant, our employee volunteering their time and by pro bono consulting, where we consult free of charge for our partner organisations. Our partner organisations are Fate Foundation, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and every year we support the mentoring of 50 small and medium enterprises through LCCI. I have been a mentor in the last four years.

We work with LEAP Africa, which focuses on leadership empowerment, and the former MD of Accenture, Omobola Johnson, is one of the co-founder of WIMBIZ. Today, we have Accenture women who are volunteering as mentors. We also support WIMBIZ with financial grant. We also work with Junior Achievement Nigeria, an international NGO where the focus is on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.

Accenture sponsors pilot schemes of about 30 out of school programmes on how to start business, keep an account to ensure that their businesses thrive. Accenture was part of the formation of Nigerian Economic Summit, which again is our own way of improving partnership between private sector and the public sector. Today, we are providing mentoring services to eight of the starts-up that won at the last Nigerian Economic Summit in 2017. Over the last five years, in the course of building human capacities through various programmes, we have spent more than 10,000 hours free, supporting not-for-profit organisations and using them to impact Nigerians and small businesses.

Apart from empowerment programmes, what other areas is your company involved in?

In the last two years, we changed the model a bit. We brought to Nigeria the Accenture Development Partnership. Mr. Osato Noah, a staff of Accenture, is saddled with that responsibility of driving that vision. ADP is just our own way of working with multilateral donors to make significant impact because Nigeria is a population of about 190 million and the youth constitute about 70 per cent. If what we impact is just half a million we feel we need to do more. So we bring ADP to help us do more.

The ADP brings the vision of Accenture to life and what we do is to leverage on the capabilities in Accenture; the tools and the resources that Accenture has to serve the development sector.

And who are these people? International NGOs,

How do you select sponsors for your CSR projects?

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Save the Children, Society for Family Health, Dangote Foundation, Danjuma Foundation, MTN Foundation, and UBA Foundation, etc.

At the same time, we provide services for private sector organisations that fall within. Besides the bilateral and multilateral organisations, like the Department for International Development as well as US Agencies for International development, the services that we do are cost effective and sustainable. We focus on areas, such as agriculture, energy, livelihoods, humanitarian services as well as health.

What specific initiatives have you supported?

We have supported a lot of initiatives by working with a leading global philanthropy to digitalise the process for social investment programmes, which is aimed at enhancing financial services to the poor in a public private partnership model. The essence of the initiative is to ensure that everybody is included. Today, financial inclusion in Nigeria is about 42 per cent and the plan is that by 2020, with the support of this programme, we would probably have the number of people who are financially excluded.

We are targeting about 10 million people under this initiative, which cuts across women, youths, urban and rural poor. We have also supported an organisation to set up a medical facility, which focuses on treatment and management of non-communicable diseases. Today, every year, Nigerians spend over $1 billion on medical tourism and if these medical facilities are well established, it will definitely help to curtail those going out in terms of medical care. That facility will also help reduce mortality rate from some of these diseases. Also, it improves the

survival rate because the challenge in this part of the world is that most people present late diagnosis and as a result most people die. But when the facilities are available, there would be early detection and early treatment will save lives. We have also worked with Pan African Foundation that is focused on entrepreneurship that provides some form of acceleration and incubation programme to enhance and empower entrepreneurs. For instance, through its incubation programme, the organisation teaches and empowers entrepreneurs on how they can run a successful business and through its acceleration programmes it affords them some seed capital to either start-up programmes or to scale up whichever area they are in the group. We have also supported an organisation focusing on nutrition in helping to develop the country’s strategy that would help them focus on reducing some of the malnutrition with children under five years as well as pregnant women in the rural areas. We have worked with a Nigerian state to develop ST Cluster, which is aimed at enhancing the economic potential of a state by helping to create an enabling environment for starts-up in technology and innovation such that they are able to contribute significantly to the economy of the state.

What are your criteria for getting involved in a partnership? And how do you monitor and follow up the partners?

We are working with partners that are credible and reputable to carry out these services. They equally have an evaluation and monitoring team that monitors during and after the programme. So we get reports on annual basis that tell us who is doing what and the challenges. For instance, we

The projects being sponsored are projects that answer certain questions. For instance, would they help improve skills? And skills can be in different forms: technical or vocational, etc. Also, would those projects enhance the probability of recipients becoming more successful in their own ventures? If you can answer those two, I think the next question is, who are we partnering with? Do the organisations have a track record?

Do our values align with them? So when we find the right partner who submits a proposal of ideas and we choose from the ideas. So far, we have committed more than 10,000 hours in providing services in the last five years. Every year, we have a budget and because we are committed to making a difference we sometimes overshoot our budget.

How do you ensure sustainability in your various projects?

The key thing for sustainability is choice of partner. The organisations that I have mentioned earlier are credible and that gives us a platform to maintain sustainability. Again, we have integrated technology in our services. So we are automating, which means less manual input and more technology driven. The third one is the involvement of our volunteers, who are both Accenture staff and Accenture Alumni and because our people are involved also gives us assurance that we have come to stay. And lastly, the monitoring and evaluation system that has been put in place gives us impact assessment study annually that tells us how much we spent, the impact we have and the challenges. The challenges actually form the base of our focus for the following year. I am happy today that the photographer for Accenture events is one of the participants under our SMEs skills. The video and recorder passed through us, likewise, the guy that does Accenture corporate items branding is one of the students that passed through this scheme, which tells us that we are making impact.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE

Africa: Satellite TV, Not IPTV Remains Viable Viewing Option Paul Omogbai-Musa

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round the African continent, the digital age has spun almost everyone giddy. Understandably. The internet, as we know, offers users almost limitless possibilities for whatever use they choose to put it and is available on various devices: computers, smartphones, tablets etc.

With the internet, television viewing and video content consumption in general have changed radically, especially through the impact of the millennial generation. As such, the arrival of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) on the African continent has created a new content distribution paradigm, which offers television viewing anytime and anywhere and has bred the hugely optimistic view that satellite television on the continent is endangered.

The basic difference between IPTV and satellite television is that instead of receiving television programmes as broadcast signals via antenna or satellite dish, they are streamed through internet connection. IPTV, therefore, enables users to watch television as though they were browsing the web, implying that they could pick and choose what programmes to watch and when to watch them. It is essentially an on-demand service. That IPTV offers the freedom to choose what and when to watch is widely advertised as the death knell for satellite television in Africa, where the mobile phone boom, which has led to widespread adoption of smartphones.

Those possessed of this view reckon that satellite television, which operates a monthly contract model and offers channels in bundles for which subscribers must pay whether or not they watch all, does not offer freedom of choice.

The freedom of choice has equally fed the belief that IPTV is cheaper as the user pays only for what is watched. I would kill to have those freedoms, which many in the Western world and some parts of Asia currently enjoy with IPTV. Africa, however, is a different kettle of fish.

According to 2017 International Telecommunications Union (ITU) data, the proportion of internet users in Arab states was 43.7 per cent compared to 21.8 per cent in Africa, which has one of the world’s lowest fixed broadband subscriptions rates at 0.5 per 100 inhabitants.

Nigeria’s broadband penetration level, according to the National Communications Commission (NCC), stands at 26 percent.

Satellite Dishes

As seductive as its promises are to Africans, IPTV is no great viewing option in most parts of the continent, where the infrastructure for long-form content streaming is unavailable.

What is required for IPTV is not the spotty and slothful kind of connection, which can only handle 1 to 10Mbps, but a broadband line with about 10 times higher information carrying capacity or bandwidth of between 10 and 100Mbps.

Network latency or “buffering” is another disincentive. Since content is transmitted via the internet, the chances of transmission delays for the IPTVuser are high.

This is because video content must go through the uplink process (uploaded on the IPTV servers) first before getting to the viewer via the downlink process. As a result, there is always an interval between

the simulation and response of signals and video links, a situation that latency limits the maximum rate at which information can be transmitted. There is often a limit on the amount of information being delivered at a given time.

With the kind of internet connection available in most parts of Africa, content streaming is close to an ordeal. As a subscriber continuously struggles to connect his device to the internet, data is being consumed, even when not effectively used.

Can IPTV be considered cheaper? No chance.

To get IPTV running, a subscriber is required to have a set-top box and an active internet router on which he/she pays a monthly subscription. To stream content in long form, copious data volumes, in excess of 50GB monthly are required. Various predictions

about data costs crashing on the African continent, so far, have amounted to fantasy.

Average cost of 50 GB in Nigeria is N20,000 monthly.

Therefore, heavy data usage at back-breaking costs, unreliability of internet signals, which affect audio-visual quality in IPTV, are issues the satellite television subscriber does not have to deal with.

Then, there is the not exactly small matter of privacy breach in IPTV usage. While IPTV service providers continue to assure users that their privacy is protected, cases of third parties hacking into providers’ databases and stealing personal information are well documented, worry satellite TV subscribers do not have.

– Omogbai-Musa, an engineer, writes from Benin.

Banking: EdoJobs Partners First Bank, Interswitch to train 42 Employees

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s part of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s drive to create jobs and improve financial inclusion, the Edo State Government has through Edo Jobs, employed 42 persons as enumerators and partnered with Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services to train the new employees from the three senatorial districts of the state on agency banking.

The exercise is the first in a series of activities that will roll out over 500 agency bankers in partnership with Firstbank Nigeria and Interswitch.

The skills development program equips beneficiaries with skills and expertise to become third party agents for the processing of cash deposits, withdrawals and payment of utility bills.

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Skills Development and Jobs, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said that the training is in part, a fulfilment of the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration’s promise to create 200,000 jobs in the state.

She added that the trainees will also serve as enumerators for the EdoJobs programme, as they have been deployed to provide

assisted registrations on the EdoJobs portal from all LGAs in Edo. Noting that the state government is determined to empower youths to become self-reliant, she said, “At Edo Jobs, we want to address the issue of job creation wholistically.

So, we are leaving no stone unturned.

Much as we are training people on how to be the best in the workplace, we are also empowering them to be self-reliant with bespoke training packages.”

On the partnership for agency banking with FirstBank, she said, “As part of its commitment towards the development of Edo State, First Bank of Nigeria is partnering with EdoJobs on training and equipping of 500 small business owners on Agency Banking across all Local Government Areas.”

She said, “Agent banking is the provision of financial services to customers by a third party (agent) such as cash deposits and withdrawals, payment of utility bills and other banking services.

The partner will be branding the business location as well as providing necessary tools to help drive publicity and business profitability.

Obaseki at a press conference

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE

NANTS: Nigeria-China Currency Swap, Commendable, But Requires Caution Ken Ukaoha

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he National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) has examined the recent Nigeria-China currency swap deal, which has been in the pipeline since 2016 and was finally consummated on April 27, 2018. We recall specifically that that on April 13, 2016, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) signed a currency swap deal on behalf of both Countries. NANTS believes that the final signing the deal worth $2.5 billion by the Federal Government of Nigeria is a significant exhibition of wisdom, high political will, and courage on the part of the current administration to advance trade as a vehicle for economic growth and development in Nigeria, and must therefore be commended.

NANTS further believes that the secured agreement would help in providing adequate local currency liquidity to Nigerian and Chinese industrialists and other businesses, thereby reducing the demand for dollar and the attendant difficulties encountered in the search for third currencies. This smart move, which is long overdue, in NANTS estimation, would ease the lingering exchange rate crisis which has been heightened by the country’s high volume of imports. We, therefore, see the deal as a strategic move that would gradually strengthen the Naira against the US dollar and, certainly, reduce attention to and/or the unwitting dollarisation of the nation’s economy.

While we do not have anything against the US dollar, we however note that its scarcity has remained a nightmare and punishment to the average Nigerian trader.

Statistically, we note that in 2015, Nigeria’s trade volume with China rose to $14.94 billion, representing 22.2 per cent of the $78.56 billion it traded with her eight biggest partners. At present, about 78.1 per cent of the nation’s import of consumables comes from the Asian Tiger, and these are items that flow into the market space in large volumes and turnover.

As the umbrella body of Nigerian traders, it is worthy of note that in our calculation close to 68 per cent of traders regularly leaving the shores of the country at the various airports for imports on daily basis are heading towards the Chinese market. It, therefore, makes a lot of sense to tie the nuts with the Chinese currency, not only to facilitate seamless transactions, but also to reduce the multiple jeopardy faced by traders and importers who would exchange the local Naira to Dollar and from Dollar back to Chinese Yuan, thereby losing currency value at two poles. More so, the currency swap implies that Chinese Yuan is free to flow among different financial institutions in Nigeria just as is the case with the US dollar, Euro and Pounds Sterling, and to that end, Nigerian businesses could transfer funds to China in the local currency without the hassles of passing through bureau de change or creating unnecessary stress for the CBN. Furthermore, this deal, which makes Nigeria become the third African country to have such an agreement in place with China, will make it easier for Chinese manufacturers seeking to buy raw materials from Nigeria to obtain enough Naira from banks in China to pay for their imports from Nigeria. In summary, the Naira is expected to appreciate against the US dollar in the short-term, as the demand for dollar eases. It will encourage Nigerian importers to open Letters of Credit (L/Cs) in Yuan for the importation of raw materials, equipment, and machinery from China. It will facilitate greater foreign exchange transactions and promote bilateral trade relations between Nigeria and China, eliminate the cost of exchange rate differential caused by dollar exchange conversion and scarcity, ease the pressure on Naira and potentially stabilise Nigeria’s forex market, help to conserve Nigeria’s forex reserves, and shore up the value of the Naira in the foreign exchange market. It is hopeful that the deal as an instrument of bilateral relationship could encourage China to increase their imports from

Naira-notes

Chinese Yuan

Nigeria, especially in crude oil, solid minerals, and other raw materials, thereby closing the huge trade gaps between the two countries.

While we commend the vision of the federal government in this direction, NANTS, however, wishes to sound the following notes of caution. r 5IF DVSSFODZ TXBQ EFBM XJUI JUT VOSFTUSJDUFE access to the Yuan, at an overvalued Naira exchange rate, N30/Yuan) has the propensity to trigger increased volume of imports to

the country. The surge in Chinese imports if unchecked, especially given the history of appetite of Nigerians for imported goods, would negate the federal government’s import substitution agenda, stifle domestic production and place local industries in a pitiable and vulnerable condition with attendant effects that would defeat government’s efforts at job creation.

Against this backdrop, NANTS calls on the government’s agencies and, in particular, the

The currency swap deal (with its unrestricted access to the Yuan, at an overvalued Naira exchange rate, N30/Yuan) has the propensity to trigger increased volume of imports to the country. The surge in Chinese imports, if unchecked, would place local industries in vulnerable condition

Nigeria Customs Service, to rise up to its billing in order to guard the nation against unbridled influx of goods. r 5IF $#/ NVTU FOTVSF UIBU DPOTUBOU PWFSTJHIU and regulation is at its peak so that the rise in demand for the Yuan will not result in a possible depreciation of the Naira against the Chinese currency and further widen the gaps in trade balance and balance of payments in favour of China. r /"/54 DBMMT PO HPWFSONFOU BHFODJFT such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), to be alert and ready for combat to ensure that the currency swap deal and its possible attendant surge in imports does not turn the country into a dumping ground for inferior/ substandard Chinese products. The existing trade deal between Nigeria and China must be revisited and retooled at this moment to strengthen control and sanction mechanism against irregular and sub-standard exports from China targeting the Nigerian market. r /JHFSJBO CVTJOFTT BDUPST BOE UIF /JHFSJBO Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in particular, have an urgent call to duty against the realisation that the currency deal not only opens the vista for imports from China but also throws open the window of opportunities for Nigerian exports to China that must be explored. In practical terms, NEPC must, therefore, step up the collaboration with Nigerian traders and the Nigerian representative/diplomatic offices in China to identify such local commodities and items that could be exported to the Asian Tiger.

NANTS believes that Nigeria’s recent increase in agricultural productivity should dynamise efforts towards exportable agro-commodities, which would further trigger proportionate increase in productivity that will benefit farmers as well as industrialists. In addition, government must sit up and aggressively pursue export-based economic policies (including a predictable/secured business environment and reliable trade policy enactment) as well as technology transfer agenda capable of attracting and receiving Chinese and other investors to confidently engage the nation’s economy for the expansion of their business interests.

– Ukaoha is secretariat president of NANTS.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

TRAVEL

Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Takeaways from Jos Carnival Demola Ojo

I

n continuation of efforts to once again make Jos a tourist hotspot while also preaching its One People message, the Plateau State government hosted the second edition of Jos Carnival over a few days culminating in performances at the Rwang Pam Stadium and the Solomon Lar Amusement Park last weekend.

Described by tourism practitioners as the cradle of Nigerian tourism, Jos is making a long overdue comeback with the Commissioner of Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, Mrs Tamwakat Wali, at the forefront of fresh initiatives to take advantage of the Plateau’s clement weather and natural wonders to put the city back on the tourism map.

This is in line with Governor Simon Lalong’s twin –pronged plan of bringing lasting peace and prosperity to the state through tourism and agriculture, with the state on course to start exporting potatoes in commercial quantities next year.

Governor Lalong led the cheerleading at the stadium and expressed his pleasant surprise and appreciation at the turnout in spite the rain which, thankfully, abated in time for proceedings to kick off. Performers across local governments in the state were however bent on entertaining an appreciative audience comprised of youths predominantly, in defiance of the thunderstorm.

Plateau State is famed for being home to as many as 50 different ethnic nationalities which translates to wide ranging cultural expressions, with many of these on show at the Jos Carnival. The street parade which culminated at the stadium started about an hour before schedule due to the rain but still ended on schedule at sundown.

The headliner of concerts held at the stadium and Solomon Lar Park a day after, was local hero and international star, Ice Prince, who performed a medley of hits over the two days.

He it was who had led the applause for the pilots that navigated bumpy conditions and landed the plane (coming from Lagos) in the midst of a downpour, insisting that they deserved accolades.

Not so long after, he was the one being hailed and applauded at every turn by fans, from the stadium to the park. While he was the main attraction, there were many other budding artistes in the lineup; a few will probably become household names in future as Jos is known for churning out acts that have gone on to gain national and international prominence.

Gov Simon Lalong in the carnival spirit

A costumed reveller at the Jos Carnival

To put on a show worthy of attracting tourists from around the country and beyond takes a lot of planning, collaboration and expertise. To this end, representatives of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) were present in an observatory and advisory role. Part of NATOP’s mandate is to identify and break grounds for new products to be marketed by members adept at selling destination packages.

Led by its BOT chairman, Nkewerem

Onung of Remlords Tours, the NATOP team also included another BOT member in Gabe Onah, the chairman of the Carnival Calabar Commission, who was accompanied by the Commission’s executive secretary, Austin Cobhams.

The visitation by the NATOP team was a follow up to a presentation at the last NATOP AGM held in Jos to collaborate and look into the tourism product offerings in Jos in particular

and Plateau State in general.

According to Onah, the Jos Carnival will definitely compliment the efforts of Carnival Calabar in sustainable tourism product development if they follow the frameworks of responsible tourism through the buy-in of local communities. In the spirit of collaboration, cultural troupes from Jos have been invited to partake in the 2018 edition of Carnival Calabar.

At one of the postmortem meetings convened at the instance of the Tourism Commissioner, Onah stated that partnership is the way to go since carnivals – if well planned and executed - are avenues to keep the youths productively engaged while helping local communities across the country economically.

Cobhams further asserted that there was no basis for competition between Jos and Calabar as Nigeria’s population needs more carnivals and festivals to help boost domestic tourism and its attendant benefits.

The postmortem was an opportunity for the Carnival Calabar team to share knowledge garnered from more than one decade of hosting Africa’s biggest street party, with the organisers of Jos Carnival who are looking forward to a bigger and better event next year. It was also a chance for the NATOP BOT Chairman to thank the state for hosting its AGM about a month ago. Onung also used the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the city’s traditional ruler, the Gbong Gwom of Jos on behalf of NATOP. Mrs. Weli made sure that members of the NATOP team - with this reporter in tow – experienced the hospitality part of her portfolio firsthand, ensuring that numerous homemade delicacies native to Jos and its environs were served for guests to savour and yearn for more, as the countdown to the next Jos Carnival commences in earnest.

NCAC Leads African Delegation to China US, UAE Strike Open The diplomatic relationship between China and Sub-Saharan Africa received a significant boost recently with the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, leading a 22 man delegation from eight African countries to a creative design programme in Shenzhen, China.

The event, which was organized by the Bureau of External Cultural Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism was aimed at advancing the development of the creative design industry in Africa and fostering greater collaboration between China and Africa.

Receiving the Runsewe-led African delegation at the opening session on behalf of the Chinese Government, Ms. Yang, Deputy Director – General of Shenzhen Administration of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the third

African Creative Design Training workshop was intended to strengthen the cooperation between Shenzhen and Africa in culture and creative industries.

According to herf, African countries have a lot to learn from Shenzhen which is the first special economic zone to be established in China. She added that since the establishment of Shenzhen in 1979, its cultural industries have grown steadily to become one of the seven pillars of the Chinese economy, with 40,000 enterprises creating more than 900,000 jobs.

She called on the delegates from Africa to take advantage of the training to understudy the Chinese culture and creative design industry with a view to enhancing their knowledge and capacity.

In his response, Runsewe expressed apprecia-

tion to the Chinese government for availing the delegates the opportunity to learn from the Chinese experience. He called for greater collaboration between China and African countries in the areas of culture, tourism, creative arts and design, among others.

On the specific case of Nigeria, Runsewe said that there were a lot of similarities between China and Nigeria in terms of population and cultural diversity, adding that a closer working relationship between China and Nigeria would be highly rewarding to the two countries.

The third Creative Design Training for Africa which ended last week had representation from Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Seychelles.

Kenyans to get Visa-on-Arrival in South Africa Kenyans are among citizens from selected African countries that are set to be issued with Visas upon arrival in South Africa as the country revises its immigration policy. The review in visa issuance is aimed at increasing intra-Africa travel and was announced by South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Derek Hanekom.

Kenya and South Africa have in the past been embroiled in a visa requirement stalemate that

almost resulted in a diplomatic row. Kenya had at one point threatened to introduce a new travel rule making it mandatory for South African passport holders to first apply for a visa before traveling or transiting through the country after the latter refused to reciprocate.

However, speaking on the periphery of the Africa Travel Indaba Conference in Durban, Hanekom said the country was in the process

of revising its visa regime.

The Minister said Kenya was among the countries that would benefit from the changes, with those traveling to South Africa being issued with visas on landing.

Henkom said the move was purely informed on the prevailing relations between his country and specific African nations, especially the accruing trade benefits.

Skies Agreement

The United States and the UAE have struck a deal in which they “strongly reaffirmed the 2002 UAE-US Air Transport Agreement and the fundamental principles of Open Skies”, following years of dispute between the regions’ carriers.

According to USA Today, Emirates – accused of unfair competition by rivals Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines – has agreed to “voluntarily open up their accounting books by publishing annual financial statements ‘consistent with internationally recognized accounting standards’”.

The report also states that Emirates currently has no plans to launch direct “Fifth Freedom” flights between the US and destinations other than the United Arab Emirates, the airline’s home country.

The Associated Press reported that an agreement was signed between US Assistant Secretary of State Manisha Singh and Emirati ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, after extended negotiations. The financial disclosures are an attempt to assuage concerns among US airlines that Emirates received substantial subsidies from the UAE government, resulting in unfair competition.

The US airlines also objected to Emirates launching so-called “Fifth Freedom” flights, which would take passengers from the US to other countries without a stop in the UAE. The deal does not mean an end to government subsidies of Emirates; rather it both acknowledges that such payments can hurt competition and are “neither uncommon nor necessarily problematic.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍşÍ¸Ëœ ͺ͸͚΀

MARKET NEWS

SEC Restates Commitment to Master Plan Implementation Goddy  Egene Acting Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms. Mary Uduk has reiterated the determination of the management of the commission to the full implementation  of the 10year  Capital Market Master Plan.

Uduk stated this in Abuja when she was honoured by the West African Student Union Parliament (WASUP) for exemplary leadership.

She disclosed that as the head

of the apex regulatory body of the Nigerian capital market, she would work with   team continue with implementation of policies that will deepen the market and boost the Nigerian economy “The master plan will continue to be our working document and we shall continue to implement initiatives that will promote investors’ confidence such as e-Dividend registration, direct cash settlement, dematerialisation, complaint management framework, financial literacy

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

and investors’ protection fund, among others,� Uduk said.

The SEC boss, therefore enjoined investors who are yet to register for e-dividend and those that have not yet regularised their multiple accounts to do so. “Forbearance window for shareholders with multiple accounts has now been extended to September 2018. Registrars have acknowledged that investors have started coming forward but there are still some challenges in the process. We are working hard to address those challenges

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 17-May-2018, unless otherwise stated.

and that is why we encourage all affected investors to come forward and take advantage of the window before the new deadline� she said.

Speaking earlier, representative of the chairman of the union, Kobehi Kossa commended the Uduk on her efforts so far in restoring investors’ confidence in the market thereby leading to economic growth.

Kossa said the aim of the union is to promote the welfare of African students  in serving as a school for the training of

political cadres and leaders, in raising the political and national consciousness of the West African people.

He  pleaded with the   DG to use her good office and position to assist the union to realise its dream in sensitizing the public especially the youth to engage them in activities that will not only contribute to the development of the economy but also empower them.

According to Kossa, the WASUP Exemplary Leadership Award is an honour for the contributions

of individuals as ‘Icon of Nation Building and Development’ in Nigeria. However, the union said Uduk’s recognition is in her outstanding strides in championing effective service delivery, immense contributions to nation building, administrative prudence, societal development, staff/workers welfares, self & dedicated services to civil service profession and her contributions to the Nigerian capital market which immensely contributes to the development of the Nigerian economy amongst others.

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 192.97 194.00 8.66% Nigeria International Debt Fund 245.62 246.96 6.45% 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 0.66 0.66 -20.51% ACAP Income Funds 0.66 0.66 9.05% 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 13.40% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.31 20.93 11.18% ARM Discovery Fund 424.37 437.16 9.07% ARM Ethical Fund 29.35 30.24 7.42% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.71% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 159.90 161.02 5.41% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.36% 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 13.03% Paramount Equity Fund 12.09 12.40 9.04% Women's Investment Fund 103.46 106.12 2.82% 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 13.48% CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.31% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.14 1.17 8.82% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.12 1.15 7.71% 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 1,152.93 1,153.63 0.42% FBN Heritage Fund 151.26 152.58 8.50% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.48% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 113.10 113.57 0.14% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 112.94 113.41 0.09% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 181.52 184.26 12.69% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 1.40 1.43 7.34% Legacy Debt Fund 3.03 3.03 5.07% 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 3,190.35 3,223.33 6.86% Coral Income Fund 2,604.95 2,604.95 6.45% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.63% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 102.78 103.65 2.75% 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 13.49% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.23 2.25 5.62% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.65% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.21 120.61 4.53%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ďŹ ncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.19 1.21 3.87% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,065.82 1,065.82 5.73% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 14.24 14.37 8.11% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.50% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.36 11.89% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.67 11.73 5.74% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.39% 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 130.00 132.47 1.01% 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 1.58 1.58 6.09% 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 2,416.99 2,437.44 7.76% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 183.33 183.33 3.90% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.09 1.10 8.42% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 234.55 234.61 6.51% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 186.99 188.94 4.37% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.15% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,384.44 10,523.85 7.38% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.09 1.09 2.85% 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 1.35 1.36 1.01% United Capital Bond Fund 1.65 1.65 5.12% United Capital Equity Fund 0.98 1.00 7.37% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.79% United Capital Eurobond Fund 105.80 105.80 2.82% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 4.93% 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 13.44 13.64 7.45% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.97 14.13 2.75% Zenith Income Fund 20.13 20.13 6.39% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.90%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

10.00 135.24 51.22

-11.35% 2.10% 0.77%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.82 158.92 119.09

12.92 162.25 121.27

5.74% 11.25% 8.99%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva GrifďŹ n 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

5.13 9.74 18.85 20.55 145.96

5.17 9.82 18.95 20.75 147.96

8.12% 1.79% 7.53% 4.46% 6.61%

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.

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

TEMITOPE ABODERIN-ALAO PLUS-SIZE AND LOVING IT Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that Temitope Aboderin-Alao whose late father founded a popular newspaper has overcome the negativity of her weight and transformed it to a growing concern

20.05.2018

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few ground rules were established before the interview began. This became necessary when someone unwittingly called another ‘orobo’, a Lagos lingo describing fat persons.

Such a language is a taboo around Temitope Aboderin-Alao, daughter of the later founder of Punch Newspapers, James Olubunmi Aboderin. She is very sensitive to wisecracks centred on people who are fat or overweight.

Regardless of what anybody thinks, Temi, as she is fondly called, by friends and associates is proudly from a lineage of ‘big’ people and she is unapologetic about it.

“I’ve always grown up being plus-size. And my father used to call us princess,” she said, explaining how she came about her initial brand name, James Princess Kingdom. Her clarification also touches on another domestic factor fired her fashion imagination. “My mother has also been quite fashionable so I’ve always had that stylish feel. Obviously, growing older and becoming a mother, I haven’t really kept up with the way I used to

Continued on Pg. 25

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TEMITOPE ABODERIN-ALAO

PLUS-SIZE AND LOVING IT be. But I’ve always had that love for fashion.�

Temi looked every inch like she was very prepared for the meeting with journalists. She answered every question sincerely and even displayed some naivety handling issues around the history of plussize fashion initiative that became a bit controversial in recent times.

Though she was not tip-toeing, controversy was not her game.

And even now, she was contented to state in the most simple, but persuasive manner. “When I started in 2012, there was almost nothing about plus-size. We kept going, even when we got laughed at. At shows, you’ll hear people saying, ‘what are these people going to do?’, ‘they’re going to fall’.�

The fact that some of those comments were mischievous or bullish did not deter her. She concentrated on the issue at hand, which was to change public perception about plus-sized women. As she hinted in her reply, “When we started, there was the hostility because people will think ‘oh, you’re promoting obesity’.

That’s the primary thing you will always hear. Or ‘can these fat girls walk?’ or ‘will the runway break?’ Over the years it has improved because of our persistence in doing plus-size.�

You can never predict Temi’s emotion when she is discussing plus-sized issues. For instance, there was a heated moment when she let her guard down and lashed out at those who are trying to re-write the history of plus-sized fashion in Nigeria, “Around 2015, everybody and their grandmother started doing plus-size. By 2016, it was everywhere and then other people decided that’s what they wanted to do and they now want to say they are the ones that started it, which is not the case.�

She may not want to challenge those who are making a claim to pioneering plus-sized fashion.

Confident that her track record and scores of friends who are willing to testify will validate her status, she recalled an instance. “It was one of my friends in England that told me, back when we were still there, that ‘you need to show people that they can be stylish and plus-size’.

That was what gave birth to the JP Kingdom. I was still very much UK-based then. So 2012 was when we did a physical launch over here. The truth is when we started, nothing like that was around.

When I was in secondary school in Nigeria, I remember that I could never buy anything from here. I would have to find something from abroad and even then, it was still limited. It really isn’t the case now.

Now, it’s everywhere. Almost every high street store abroad has a plussize section now.�

Temi is learning, rather late in the day, that the game she is in is not for recluse. Coming from a background where professionalism spoke volumes, she has been forced to reconsider her approach. “I’m an introvert. I’m not a person that goes out and networks. I’m also very reserved. Permit me to say, in Nigeria, we brag a lot. People brag a lot and even those that don’t have brag. I don’t believe in that.

I believe that substance is quiet.

I’ve been in England all my life, and having that upbringing is very different to how things are here.

In the UK, nine out of 10 times, your work will speak for itself; end of story. But in Nigeria, one out of 10 times, your work speaks

for itself. The rest of it is noise and plagiarism. I believe that what I do speaks for itself but I can see in this environment, it is not enough.�

Temi’s deliberate campaign to make a mark in the plussixe fashion world began when established the platform called, Plus-size Fashion Week Africa.

She said it a place where all plussize designers can showcase their work. “Both designers here and even the ones internationally that want to expand their brand can come and showcase. So it is for both international and designers who would not be known if they didn’t have this platform. That’s the aim of the platform and it has also inspired a new generation of plus-size designers and another thing I liked about our show is that designers who do normal standard sizes — when they saw Plus-size Fashion Week Africa — were excited and they extended their range to the plus-size market.

It is important because it is not just about my brand it is about the plus-size community. “ It is pertinent to note here that there were days when she was so downcast, she felt like throwing in the towel. “It was like I wasn’t getting any recognition for what I’ve been doing. That was when I felt like ‘oh I don’t even live here, this is not my country’. It was very bad last year. It was a lot of work to put the show together. It wasn’t smooth sailing. The fact that the event happened and it happened successfully was by God’s grace.

I was confused as to how people were easily manipulated to absorb the negative as opposed to the positive. I also felt like I had wasted my time coming back to Lagos. I think that was the breaking point for me.� However, when the anger subsided, she cleared her head and began to think straight. That was when she began to see other things that were not too clear because she allowed emotion to overwhelm her. “I found out when I came back to Lagos is everybody was saying ‘oh yeah if you’re not on the island then it’s not happening’. That kind of mentality also shocked me a bit.

Because as a kid, people lived on the mainland, island and it wasn’t a problem. And then certain people will send spies to come here to try and understand what our training program is like and our to copy our designs. Then I thought to myself that if they keep sending people here, it means there is some value here that even I am not seeing.�

She then took a major decision. “I have no other choice but to keep to keep going because there must be something here. Instead of backing away, we’re now standing our ground so I’m practising what I preach!�

Now she is ready to address her evolving contribution to the plus-size fashion scene. “A lot of standard size designers are also opening their doorway into the plus-size market. Another standard size designer who just travelled was saying that someone in the US ordered her piece off the runway at Plus-Size Fashion Week Africa.�

She made a self-convincing summation saying, “So the truth is; it is working. Even if some plussize people want to be petty and do whatever they are doing, the truth is, it’s going to open the doorway for all the standard size people who want to expand.�

One of her proud influences to plus-size fashion is training

Temitope

models. She challenges anyone who has done better. “I’ll try and say this with all humility nobody trains plus size models like me.

That is a fact. Take it and pay into an account I am the best when it comes to training plus size models because it was something I wanted to do myself and because I’m a perfectionist there’s a way that I have mastered that craft. I don’t shy away from any challenges. At a recent plus-size fashion show, it was only the models trained by my agency that the crowd clapped for on the runway. Not my show, this is another show. There is a difference in how we train our models and how other people do.�

Regarding her background in fashion, Temi disclosed that she went to the London College of Fashion for courses in couture and how to put pieces together.

Her designs which were neatly arranged in her showroom at IkejaLagos were largely flamboyant and shiny. She explained her inspiration. “I like things being shiny. This is like my hobby.

I’m not actually looking at what is in demand. When it comes to JP Kouture, for me it’s living vicariously through fashion. It’s just me doing what I like. I can turn around and keep doing Ankara which I tried to do but as you can see, I still threw shiny stuff on it.

I’ve been told that I need to think like other people but like I said, it’s a hobby. If I was thinking along the lines of it being wearable, then maybe I would do the other stuff that people want to wear. But for me, it’s just having fun.�

She signed off on the issue of intellectual property. “I trademark everything. I’m British. Everything is trademarked and copyrighted.

You can’t do it for every single piece that you have. It will be too expensive. That is not my primary focus and that is the British person in me talking. It is for me to have fun. Even though people are telling me I need to re-programme my thinking when it comes to fashion but what I see as the business is this Plus-size Fashion Week Africa.�

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Freedom Foundation Offers Refuge to Drug Addicts Vanessa Obioha

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efore the Lagos State government took the onerous responsibility of clearing the under-bridges of Lagos of undesirable elements, Marine Bridge-a neighbourhood straddling Apapa and Ajegunlewas notorious for crime and drug abuse. Some called it the headquarters of drug trafficking.

All manner of hard substances from cocaine to heroin were sold there under the full glare of children whose parents were either drug addicts or homeless. Thieves, touts, all manner of vagrants sought refuge under the busy bridge. There they lived, eat, smoke and fight as well. Benches, chairs, tables and sometimes the cold, untarred ground served as their bed while condemned refrigerators took a new function as wardrobes. Crime was very rife in this part of Lagos. The major offices and warehouses in Apapa became easy targets for the criminal elements in Marine Beach who routinely burgled and vandalized them.

Whatever monies they made were channeled back into purchase of cocaine and heroin. It was a gloried lifestyle that provided a sort of escapism from the harsh realities on ground.

Some of them under the influence of the hard drugs believed that Marine Beach was their own Shangri-la.

It was during those notorious days of Marine Beach that Dr. Tony Rapu and his Freedom Foundation team reached out to some of the drug addicts. He took along with him veteran comedians Ali Baba and Julius Agwu who tried to interact with them but some turned their backs. Only few like a young man who identified himself as Ndubuisi was willing to go through the painstaking rehabilitation process. ‘I started smoking cigarettes but at a point, I didn’t derive pleasure from it. A friend introduced me to cocaine and ever since, I never looked back. It gives me the ultimate high. I’m a heavy cocaine smoker,� he told the crew.

Having ran away from home and left his parents in total despair, Ndubuisi was reluctant

Dr. Tony Rapu

at first to accept the help from the faith-based non-profit organisation. There was no genuine reason at the time to abandon the reckless lifestyle which he had been living for over 10 years. Nicknamed Lion, he was the man in control of the drug and other lootings carried out by the gang. As his nickname implied, he always got the lion share and most of his peers revered him. Nevertheless, after much coercion, he decided to give the organisation a try.

The first process was detoxification.

It wasn’t an easy one. Depending on the level of consumption of these substances, the victim can suffer intense discomfort and withdrawal syndromes. However, the goal of any detox program is physiological healing after long-term drug addiction – first through stabilization, then through a period of detoxification. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), after stabilization, the focus of detox shifts to

the monitoring and support of the various processes of the body as it rids itself of the drug, and to managing the often unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that result.

Ndubuisi was resilient to conquer this first stage of recovery. Understanding the need to nip in the bud the root cause of drug addiction in order to avoid relapse, Freedom Foundation moved Ndubuisi to its rehabilitation center for men, House of Refuge. There, he went through counseling and skill acquisition programmes.

The foundation took a step further by reuniting him with his aged parents. His parents were overjoyed seeing Ndubuisi again who looked nothing like the scarecrow he was before. “I couldn’t believe he can be this robust because before he looked so skinny like the letter ‘I’,� his mother enthused.

After a year, Ndubuisi was free to leave the House of Refuge. He got a job at one of the ports in Apapa. Unfortunately, an ugly incident will lead him back to the dangerous lifestyle

of drug abuse. He was unlucky to be at the wrong place at a wrong time. He was on his way home from work when he and a colleague were arrested as suspects of a robbery that took place at a spot close to a Naval Barrack. He was sent to Ikoyi Prison and spent 40 days there before he was finally sentenced to jail with a bail option despite his innocence. The Freedom Foundation on hearing of his latest ordeal paid the fine and he was released.

That singular trauma triggered a relapse.

The next time his parents learnt about their son, it was tragic. Someone spotted him at Marine Beach in tattered clothes roaming around like a mad man. His panicked parents brought a chain to capture him. But Ndubuisi was too strong for the shackles. Few days after he was brought home in chains, he escaped. By now, his parents had lost all hope.

Relapse is a regular occurrence in the drug rehabilitation process, particularly if the individual suffers a trauma. Study shows that over 60 percent of drug users relapse when they do not receive professional treatment for a long while.

Ndubuisi was lucky to have the Freedom Foundation come to his rescue. Again, he went through the recovery process, this time very successful.

Ndubuisi and others like him have benefited from Freedom Foundation’s sustained effort to rehabilitate drug addicts and keep them off the streets. The heart-rending stories of their transformation are captured in a 13- series documentary titled ‘My Lagos Diaries’ which started airing last month.

Viewers get to see the dramatic conversion of the victims and their heart-breaking lifestyles as a result of peer pressure, indiscipline, financial struggles and depression. There is no age limit as both the young and old are caught up in this world of crime and drug abuse. What the Freedom Foundation, however, does is to bring hope to victims of such harsh situations by providing medical, financial, and emotional support.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

Design is Her Game Omolola Itayemi

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he has spent the past few days with software engineers and system administrators working on re-launching her website and Essential Interiors magazine. A perfectionist, Titi Ogufere sees to every little detail involved. She’s definitely earned her stripes in the industry as president of IDAN and one of the top 100 women in Interior Designs in the African continent. She understands the power of the internet and that is why she is inviting visitors to explore this new website and Online Store. The new website has been designed to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout.

She took me on a visual tour of it and I was impressed, she’s definitely taking no prisoners.

She read my expression and offered to enlighten me more. “The website is an extension of the quality content Essential interiors Magazine has been known to curate. I find that Africa is not properly represented globally when it comes to Architecture, Interior design, luxury living and lifestyle, that was what birthed the magazine and with this website we are reaching out to the world on a larger platform to show what we have in the African design, art, luxury, hospitality and lifestyle landscape and we are telling our story ourselves�. The website was launched March 17, 2018 and has garnered amazing response especially with people in the diaspora. “The website also have an online store which is also an exciting feature for interior design enthusiasts and clients; the store will curate

Ogunfere

select pieces from top suppliers/manufacturers in the interior design industry and this will connect clients directly to the best suppliers/ manufacturers for quality product designs. You see‌ oftentimes we have this misconception, especially for the Interior design industry; that in order to create beautiful interior designs for our homes/commercial properties we more often than not have to travel abroad and go through the stress of shipping‌because we believe these products cannot be easily sourced locally. So the store is an offshoot of the Magazine blog, and the idea is to connect buyers to top suppliers and dealers of premium product design in the interior design industry. To tap into the large market share

and forge a formidable synergy between key players in the industry supply chain and their clientele locally and internationally. The store will be integrated in the website and this will enable and foster easy navigation and access for potential buyers from anywhere in the world. The blog will offer rich contents in Architecture, Interior design, Art, Travel, Hospitality and Fine dining through carefully edited selections with striking visuals and elegant prose that will fascinate our readers with treats and wonders from African living inside Africa.� she further revealed.

IDAN has achieved so much under her stewardship such as Made by Design, IDEA and The Buyer’s Guide initiative. And all these will be incorporated in the website. “The IDEA conference and awards was launched in 2012 by Essential Interiors Magazine to recognize excellence and push the standards for consciousness in design trends in the architecture, products and interior design industry, under the frame work of sustainable designs. Although brought to a hold briefly in 2015 due to the quality of submissions we received, but with the development of the industry and new projects of repute coming up we have decided to proceed with the 5thedition of the awards for the coming month of May in 2019.The Made by Design exhibition is an annual expo crafted specifically for industry practitioners and interior design enthusiasts; with an aim to bring together the nation’s most prized and unique collection of products, services and experiences for the world’s most discerning clientele. Now in its third edition, the event has garnered international recognition alongside the likes of Salon de mobile, Design

Indaba, Design expo etc on the global scene. The event is tailor designed to attract a community of interior design practitioners and enthusiasts alike for authentic peer group collaboration and networking experience. The event is backed by the powerful legacy of Essential Interiors Magazine, our gold standard events and years in interior design business ensures that this experience fills the particular needs relevant to the growing industry in a most eloquent and powerful way.�

The Interior Design Buyers Guide Nigeria is the essential business listing for the entire real estate and building industry in Nigeria, detailing over 5,000 listed companies from architects through designers, decorators, suppliers, builders, building consultants, real estate developers, structural engineers, construction firms, product manufacturers, project managers and contract administrators to asset managers including key contact information and direct line. With over 350 pages of endorsed professional service providers of the real estate industry in Nigeria the interior design buyers guide is an essential comprehensive source book for use by professional and aspirant designers, decorators and home owners.

As key players in the new media, the Essential Interiors website will be synchronized across our different social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube to keep our readers easily updated with our contents. The Essential Media team has worked so hard on this project with one thing in mind.

She concluded with this, “Our readers deserve the best.�

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018

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with Ě“

ÍŽÍśÍŻÍŻÍ˛Í˛ÍˇÍłÍąÍ°Í˛Ëœ nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Unlocking a Night of Fun and Glamour Nseobong Okon-Ekong

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ays after the excitement of the Castle Lite ‘Unlocked’ subsided, housekeepers at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos were still trying to rid the venue of all appearances of the product with which the venue was branded. The Castle Lite concert must go down as one of the most anticipated events of this year. Before D-Day, organizers of the event took over a sizeable portion of the hotel and cordoned it off in order to have unhindered concentration for its artisans and professionals who were transforming the location into an enticing fun spot.

Everywhere you turned it looked like Eko Hotel was bathed with tons of snowflakes!

The Castle Lite Unlocks musical concert headlined by multi-platinum selling American rapper, J Cole and a host of Nigerian international stars led by Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, among other artists, thrilled the audience with so much energy on an extra cold stage. It was indeed a night of glitz, glamour and great music, combined with ice-cold Castle Lite beer.

The show hosted by Do2dtun and South Africa’s Pearl Thusi opened with a deejay battle amongst DJ Obi, DJ Xclusive, DJ Neptune and Cool DJ Jimmy Jatt, delivering performances that thrilled the audience. Each one of them had 10 minutes to prove his mettle. Floundering with his equipment, Obi could not even play three songs successfully before his time was up. Jatt showed an excellent of the crowd and appeared to be the only one who understood what he had to do, therefore maximizing the time available to him. Exclusive came on stage with his own song (a technique which was lost on his colleagues like Jatt and Neptune who have also recorded their own songs), but quickly switched to audience favourite tunes. He ended his segment well. Neptune did not appear to seize the moment. His session was lack-lustre.

Ycee may not have understood that the organizers were serious about time management. Wasting his allotted time on irrelevant stuff, he made an effort to impress when he was being asked to leave the stage. Falz Tha Bahd Guy hit the stage with the largest number of performers. He was well-received. Equally applauded for his performance which was galvanized by DJ Lambo was MI who ended on a glorious note walking away to the sound of his hit, ‘Africa Rapper No. 1’. DJ Big N stimulated the performance of Tiwa Savage. On a night that Tiwa appeared tired, her dancers were very engaging. Leaving the stage when the ovation was loudest, she still had about three or four minutes left.

Wizkid who performed with a band took off with a complaint. He didn’t seem to like the sound. And he said it loud and clear. The inclusion of world-class percussionist, Samson Iroko in his line-up of instrumentalists shows

NOSTALGIC MOMENTS AT REAL DEAL EXPERIENCE Music fans who gathered at the latest edition of Legend Real Deal Experience in Onitsha, Anambra State, took home memorable moments from the music festival. The fete brought back lovely memories of when the bustling city used to be home to most of the country’s highlife maestros. “This event transported me to the good old days when the big names in highlife music used

Obiligbo brothers

DJ Xclusive and DJ Obi (l)

how seriously he takes his act and what he is willing to pay to get the best. He also had DJ Spinall as part of his team. Always energetic on stage, Davido was primed for a jawdropping appearance on stage. Many did not see him coming from a devise that popped him up suddenly. He worked with DJ ECool.

He left the stage at 1.10am.

A trapeze act preceded the arrival of the headline artiste, German-American star of Rap music, Jermaine Cole. Swinging, spinning and performing all kinds of stunts from an amazing height, she held the audience spellbound. A stream of confetti and a thick screen of smoke flooded the stage after her performance. When the thick smoke cleared, Cole was on stage, looking around like he was lost. If it was orchestrated that he should don a top with the Nigerian colours of green and white, many did not take note.

The audience was restive with chants of “J Cole�, “J Cole� rending the air and the dread locked rap god, soaking in all the love from the audience.

And he said, “What’s up Lagos, and the crowd went wild. The rapper apologized for not coming to Nigeria sooner,� he said.

J Cole captivated the hearts of the audience by performing songs off his latest album, KOD, which was released on the 20th of April, 2018, for the very first time ever anywhere. And to the surprise of J Cole and many, the audience knew the lyrics of the songs and sang along to every song he performed.

The excitement in the air was palpable as fans rushed towards the stage dancing to the tunes. One fan climbed the stage to hug him, but the security men were ready and blocked him before he could distract the performer.

“Castle Lite breaks boundaries and music is a natural fit with the brand’s DNA. We also appreciate the fact that it represents the biggest passion point for our consumers lives, hence we are always committed to unlocking memorable fan experiences and creating shared value for all our consumers with concerts like this�, Franscoe Bouwer, Castle Lite Marketing Manager, said.

Performing for the first time in Nigeria, the Dreamville top dog, Jermaine Lamarr Cole,charmed the audience by performinghit tracks from his rich repertoire that include,Can’t Get Enough (from his studio debut album,Cole World), as well as Role Modelz, Apparently, Wet Dream (from his

to do regular weekend shows in this same city.

Those days we used to look forward to, the likes of Osita Osadebe, Ali Chukwuma, Oliver De Coque and many others every weekend. I commend Legend Extra Stout for this nostalgic event which memory would last a long time,� recalled a veteran music lover, Ifediora Azubuike.

Indeed, the event was worth reliving as reigning stars of Highlife music in the southeast region, Obiligbo Brothers took to stage and

rendered melodic tunes and pulsating beats to the enthusiastic crowd who gathered at Shoprite, Park Road, G.R.A. Onitsha. The duo whose real names are Ifeanyi and Chukwuebuka Obiligbo , have had major successes over the years having churned out four massively accepted and successful studio albums including ‘Ife Di Mma’ and ‘Udo Ga Di’, which they sang to the hearts of the merrymakers and all who attended the show.

Adding flair to the event, former Big Brother Naija housemate Ifu Ennada who also co-hosted the show rocked the staged as usual, as well as the role-plays from the DJ. Lucky members in the audience got to go home with exciting gifts like refrigerators, generators, televisions, face caps, t-shirts, and free drinks from the Taste, Tell and Win competition.

In its usual tradition of celebrating legends, Legend Extra Stout celebrated Chairman/CEO of G.U. Okeke and Sons Ltd, Chief Godwin Okeke. The businessman who was presented the brand’s torch of greatness was honoured for being tenacious in his dreams despite his humble beginning. “Honesty is the key to a successful business, if you are not honest to yourself you can’t be honest to your business partners. Onitsha business community, I salute the Legend in you,� remarked the business stalwart.

Already held in different Nigerian cities including Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Abakaliki, Owerri and Umuahia among others, Legend’s Real Deal Experience has featured some of Nigeria’s biggest

recent platinum-selling album 2014,Forest Hills Drive),Deja Vu, Immortal, Crooked Smile, Power Trip, Neighbors, and Work Out, during the show anchored by popular OAP, Do2dTun, and one of South Africa’s finest entertainment personalities, Pearl Thusi.

Speaking to journalists at the once-in-alifetime Extra Cold experience, Marketing Director, AB InBev Nigeria, Arne Rust said, “Innovation is what drives Castle Lite as the brand is always at the forefront of technology, making beer drinking easier and fun in every space. As a result, our innovation approach is geared at unlocking new spaces for consumers to enjoy Castle Lite. Also, Nigerian music has over the years showcased its innovative, progressive and extremely expressive streak. This explains why we have this rich assemblage of Nigerian music stars who push boundaries and do things differently like Castle Lite.�

Very interestingly, J Colefurther captivated the hearts of the audience by performing all the songs from his latest album,KOD, for the very first time in Nigeria.

It would be recalled that the rapper dropped his fifth studio album KOD last week Friday (April 20), which spans 11 tracks, including titles like 1985, “ATM�, “Brackets�, and “Motiv8�.

According to Consumer Connections Manager Jumoke Okikiolu, “It has been an unbelievable evening with the best of Nigerian hip-hop on display. This is what happens when Castle Lite joins forces with progressive artistes who are currently game changers. All our consumers here today have had an extraordinary experience and we are proud to have provided a platform for this incredible mix of music to flourish.�

Castle Lite has since 2011 been renowned for bringing music heavyweights that include Drake, Kanye West, Timbaland, Bryson Tiller,Travis Scott, Wiz Khalifa, Nas & Chance the Rapper to the continent, allowing them to share the spotlight with local artistes on the Unlocks platform.

J Cole at the Castle Lite Unlocks concert

entertainers including Timaya, Kcee, Oritsefemi, Small Doctor, 9ice and numerous other stars.

WHO WINS MISS INTELLIGENT PAGEANT TODAY? The battle for Miss Intelligent crown will come to a climax today as Kody and The Kids hosts its 2018 edition. Over 40 children aged between 8 and 12 years old auditioned last weekend out of which 15 were selected for the finals. The children were drilled on their eloquence, beauty, costume, intelligence, poise and confidence.

Much attention was however paid to their intelligence and confidence as part of the show’s efforts to impact on their academic brilliance and intelligence. “The pageant is more educational-driven than fashion. We are focused on developing the intellects of these kids. They should be able to speak intelligently and boldly irrespective of the setting they find themselves in. This is a pageant with a difference and the difference lies in their mental capability and cognitive skills,� said the convener, Chikodinaka Onu Etim.

The on-air personality who is popularly known as Kody on Wazobia FM introduced the pageant four years ago to complement her annual children show which features comedy, music entertainment, games, and other interesting themes.

This year, the organisers decided to increase the cash prize which was formerly N100,000.

The lucky child who wears the crown today will go home with N150,000.

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Ëž MAY 20, 2018

Overscenes

with LEKAN FATODU 08060140882

‌Happenings Around the Diaspora

UK Court Sentences Two Nigerian Students Who Attacked Friend over Whose Father is Richest Lekan Fatodu

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all it absurdity of the highest order, and you won’t be out of order. There’s actually no need searching for a better word to describe the stupid acts of two Nigerian students, from a country where millions of their mates live in despondence in terms of access to quality education, who attacked a friend for bragging that his father was the richest.

Elvis Ilonze, an engineering student at the University of Sussex and Daniel Oluyemi, an accounting student from the same university, were handed a one-year prison sentence each by a UK court after both offenders admitted to two counts of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Trouble began when a childhood friend of Ilonze named Prince Nnaji bragged that his father was richer than Ilonze’s father, a remark which Ilonze deemed untrue and insulting to his well-heeled father and family. So to correct the supposed insult and disrespect, Ilonze, along with Oluyemi, chased Nnaji down the street and battered him with a shisha pipe and

Oluyemi

Ilonze

a bottle of wine.

It’s not surprising that this matter has generated serious debate particularly amongst Nigerians living in diaspora with many saying that the shameful acts of the two students over such a frivolous argument is an indication of how low moral has sunk in Nigeria with young people copying and fighting over irrelevancies as shown by many leaders in Nigeria.

Though some reports have suggested that the reckless youngsters are children of top Nigerian politicians, no recognisable name in the country’s political sphere has come out to speak on their conducts.

In handing down the judgement, Judge Christine Laing QC said, “Unlike many of the people who pass through the courts, you both come from, effectively, backgrounds of privilege. “It couldn’t be more childish, effectively an insult on somebody’s parents – who’s got the richer dad – that started this fight. You both appear to be incredibly immature, perhaps as a result of being cosseted in your upbringing.�

The two students are also said to face possibility of deportation and criminal records to boot, obviously a tortuous journey to learn and imbibe good behaviour.

Girl Power ! 22-Year-Old British-NigerianWomen Emerge Youngest Councillors in the UK

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t’s gratifying to see that despite the misconduct of some Nigerians abroad, many are still striving to represent the country well through their endeavours.

Amongst those who are making this tremendous impact and upholding the glory of Nigeria overseas are two young British-Nigerian women, Elizabeth Bright and Ramota Tele Lawal, both 22 years old.

Bright, a student, was elected councillor to represent Eastbrook ward in Dagenham, during the UK’s local council election held early May. Similarly, Lawal, was elected to represent the London Borough of Havering Council, representing residents in Heaton Ward, Harold Hill.

Fascinatingly, by winning the elections as councillor in their respective boroughs, the two women have set records as the youngest councillors to emerge in the country.

Little wonder that, to many, the BritishNigerians have become the realities of the Girl Power mantra in the UK, a famous term that

Bright

Lawal

seeks to promote the need for empowerment and more opportunities for women, young and old.

For Bright, politics is a strong passion that

runs in the family. Her mother, Afolasade Bright, also a UK-based politician, just got re-elected as a councillor in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Afolasade is also a

former speaker and civic mayor in London Borough of Hackney.

The evidently excited little Bright wrote after her victory at the polls, “Today 4th May 2018, God did it- He turned my setback into a comeback. I WON. “Officially been elected as the youngest Labour Councillor in my Borough, representing the fantastic Eastbrook Ward at the tender age of 22, alongside two amazing people- Mick McCarthy and Tony Ramsay.

We have worked so hard in this election, with one of the most target wards, but all the hardwork, commitment and tears have finally paid off. “Would like to say massive thank you to all who have supported Eastbrook in this campaign. From the CLP to the Borough-wide councillors, my amazing MP, Jon Cruddas, who canvassed with me till the last hour, volunteers and friends and, of course, to the most supportive parents, Afolasade Bright and Pastor Gbolahan Bright.�

So Far on Prof Abass’ Overseas Duty in Lagos

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uring his campaign for governorship of Lagos state in 2015, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode promised to create a government entity that will effectively oversee and vigorously unravel potential foreign investments and opportunities for the state to boost revenue and infrastructural development.

So upon his successful election and assumption of office in May 2015, the governor announced the creation of the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment fondly called “Lagos Global� to undertake the aforementioned functions amongst other lofty foreign-focused goals.

And in choosing a good hand to

manage the new government organ, Ambode went for a proven and tested expert in international affairs and global partnership in the person of Prof. Ademola Abass.

Abass is an accomplished scholar and administrator who has proven his worth in a globally renowned body like the United Nations amongst other meritorious engagements. He had his education at the Universities of Lagos, Nottingham and Cambridge, where he obtained a PhD in International Law. Thus, in Abass, Ambode found a fitting round peg for a round hole. And the outcomes of Abass’ service in Lagos state so far have been tremendous.

Recently at a diplomatic function

in Lagos, a senior diplomat from a top Western nation spoke glowingly about Lagos’ commitment to extract huge gains through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), especially amongst Nigeria’s vast diaspora population and the state’s dedication to ease of doing business in the state which he alluded to the amazing undertakings of Abass’ office of Overseas Affairs and Investment.

Meanwhile, as it’s been said that considerable share of the $22 billion diaspora remittances to Nigeria in 2017 went to Lagos, it’s to be hoped that Abass’ office will deepen its diasporacalling initiatives that will draw more international projects to Lagos.

Prof. Abass

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High Life

͎͎͜;ʹ͜͜ͳ;ͳͰ

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Pop Culture‌Femi Otedola’s New Indulgence

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here’s a new trend among the wealthiest people in the world: joining social media, especially Instagram. Upon his launch in 2010, Instagram became that buzzing social media hub for millennials to post selďŹ es and view photos of their friends and family. Not too long after, celebrities and socialites jumped on the train. And lately, the wealthiest of the wealthy are starting to pop up on the platform, which was acquired by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012.

Bill Gates joined Instagram few weeks after billionaire owner of Amazon, Je Bezos.

Richard Branson, Michael Bloomberg, Mark Cuban, Elon Musk, to mention a few, have embraced this new trend. Aside the global rave reviews generated, their joining conferred a new status on the application, which number of likes per day stands at 4.2 billion.

Here in Nigeria, owner and Chairman of Forte Group, Femi Otedola, has caught the bug and is leading the pack. His reason for joining Instagram was to ward o fake accounts opened in his name, the downto-heart billionaire has gone ahead to make the platform his oyster; and from all indications, the business mogul does not appear he would be piping down anytime soon. His activities on Instagram have portrayed a man at peace with himself, who is ready to shatter the myth of seclusion normally associated with men of wealthy means like him. He seems to have burst the bubble of limiting engagement that ordinarily conďŹ nes many billionaires of his ilk to their heavily walled fortresses and inner shells. In one post, Otedola could show a fun loving dancer showing his superiority to a Nigerian pop-star, Lil Kesh, in a ‘Shaku-Shaku’ dance competition at the wedding party of Aliko Dangote’s daughter;

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY...

MOHAMMED INDIMI’S WARDS ESTABLISH TIES WITH NIGERIA’S SUPERMEN

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ËŞ

Some people’s money is merited.

Other people’s money is inherited.

But Mohammed Indimi bridges both divides. The billionaire magnate currently enjoys the best of a charmed life. Besides being rich, he recently became an in-law to the most powerful person in Nigeria,

in another, he is pushing the cultural frontiers by prostrating in obeisance to Oba of Lagos, His Highness, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, while he is also show-casing his Indian experience with his friend, Aliko Dangote. A picture depicting his adoration for and strong connection to his mother has once gone viral while others showing the dotting father he has been to his daughters have also emerged. There is one post which shows how he consummated his foray into philanthropy and charity when he assumed control of his late dad, Sir Michael Otedola Scholarship Scheme, with the then governor of Lagos, Senator Bola Tinubu, as chairman of the occasion. What about the post reminiscent of those days as a toddler when he had his â€œďŹ rst automobile.â€?

For Otedola, it has been fun galore, and he is catching it in measured cadence.

In less than a quarter of his presence on Instagram, he has garnered over 208,000 followers and still counting. On Wednesday, he shared a video of himself on a ‘Molue’ bus. The billionaire oil magnate says he boarded the commercial bus from Sango Ota to Agege in Lagos. “Recently took a ride on the Molue from Sango to Agege,� he wrote on his Instagram page where he shared the video, which has no audio.

In the video, Otedola can be seen sitting comfortably while a passenger/ trader is seen selling áť?pĂĄ eyin, a traditional medication which aids strong erection and combats watery sperm.

Just last month, Otedola also shared on Instagram a video where he boarded a bus in London. He just joined Twitter and in less than 24 hours, he already has over 13,000 followers. Now that he has extended his social media presence to Twitter, it certainly is not going to be about President Muhammadu Buhari.

Indimi certainly has a knack for pitching his tent with Nigeria’s ruling class. It would be recalled that he became ex-military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB)’s in-law, soon after the latter made him a billionaire. And while he struggles to accept the sad fate of his daughter ’s broken marriage with IBB’s son, Mohammed Babangida, his son, providentially made him anlaw to President Buhari by marrying the latter ’s daughter. Indimi founded Oriental Energy in 1990 and has since expanded the company’s assets across international boundaries. These assets include the Ebok Field (OML 67), Okwok Field (OML 67, and OML 115). In the year 2014, Forbes listed Mohammed Indimi as the Africa’s number 37th richest man. He is happily married to Hajiya Samsu Samara Indimi and blessed with children, popular among them are Jibrilla Indimi, Yakolo Indimi-Babangida(Mrs), Ibrahim Indimi, Ahmed Indimi, Mustafa Indimi, Amina IndimiFodio, Adanma Indimi.

MD ABUBAKAR’S NEW PORTRAIT

Mohammed Indimi

Bet if you run into the former Inspector General of Police MD Abubakar, these days, you won’t recognize him again. Not that the super cop has gone for plastic surgery, far from that. He has totally changed his looks! The in-law and

Femi Otedola

fun only. It is hoped that Otedola, known for his equanimity, would be able to bring their belligerence under control. So far, a very close friend of Alhaji Aliko Dangote currently spots full beard, which now gives him more air of affluence and prosperity. The new appearance looks so funny that you wouldn’t be wrong to wonder if he is being groomed to play the part of an ascetic monk in a medieval eastern flick. However, a closer look revealed that the humbly man decided to change to a more funky looks. If there were going to be new synonyms for immense wealth and success, Abubakar whose son, Jamil, married Dangote’s daughter, Fatima, would fit just fine. Because honour is like a match, you can only use it once; but many a man in flagrant disregard covets mere existence to honour thus squandering their only shot at nobility. MD is no such man; among other things, he knows how conceited it is for the sake of life to lose the reasons for living hence his insistent choice of virtue over life’s innumerable vanities. Such is the essence of Abubakar that makes him the quintessential poster icon to the rank and file of the Police Force.

Femi Otedola’s foray into social media has shown he is grounded and in touch with today’s realities. eternal delight. Thanks to sweet heavenly grace, Gbenga has rediscovered bliss in ravishing belle, Yetunde Olufosoye; hardly anyone believed that Gbenga would find another love of his life so soon. To high society trolls, it is unbelievable, but to Gbenga, it’s simply ethereal.

To Gbenga, finding Yetunde is akin to beaming light through the surface of a brushwood that light never penetrated.

However, the ceremonies have ended. The husband has taken his wife home, savouring without

LOVE ACTUALLY‌ WHEN GTBANK MANAGING DIRECTOR, UK, REMARRIES Again, Gbenga Alade, the managing director of GT Bank, UK, has ventured into the mysterious overland; that peculiar haven bordered by esplanades of secret treasures and colourful spokes of

Gbenga Alade

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HIGHLIFE

The Governor’s Wife! If Every Gov Had A Wife Like Bolanle Ambode... Ëž Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă?ÞÙĂ&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă&#x;×ÓÖÓÞã Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? Ę¨ĂœĂ?Ăž Ă–Ă‹ĂŽĂŁ

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olanle Ambode, like her husband, is dignified. The dutiful First Lady and wife of the governor of good and law –abiding citizens of Lagos State, Dr. Akinwunmi Ambode, affects the moon’s modest nature.

This makes her entrancing to behold and relate with. Her splendour is never fully displayed for long for mortal eyes to indulge. Bolanle is unpretentious in humility. Her unabashed modesty offers valuable lessons on what wantonness should be scorned and what values to court. She looks to simplicity, embraces purity, lessens the self and diminishes desire. Her modesty encrusts light in a sombre sky of darkness that characterises affluence and the bulk of high society.

It was so heart-warming to see the beautiful wife of the hardworking governor, at an event recently- where she interacted amiably with both affluent and middling segments of the Lagos citizenry. She is no doubt one of the very few wives of governors who don’t make a song and dance of their fortune and privileges. Yes, Bolanle is easy-going and indifferent to the frills and thrills, vanities and shenanigans of high society. Not even her husband’s position and power have changed her outlook on life. Perhaps the tedious his wife home, savouring without restraints or inhibitions each other ’s warmth and company, as the process of increasing Nigeria’s population is intensified. The wedding is still the talk of the town in Ibadan, even as you read. Like the early dew which moistens blooming bougainvillea, Yetunde rocks Nigeria’s high society with uncharacteristic verve and aplomb. Being married to one of Nigeria’s rising bankers is by no means a criterion to throw gaudy wedding party, especially if you have a hubby that panders to such whims. At reception, for the first dance, the groom, Gbenga, stared into the eyes of his bride, Yetunde, as if he meant to rediscover a familiar treasure trove. He stared into her eyes wondering how many wonders subsist in the two shiny orbs and windows into her soul.

It was a charming, corny, overthe-top moment at an event most noteworthy, perhaps, for how it drew the crème of Nigeria and London’s high societies to celebrate with the new couple. Their wedding was classy!

BETWEEN OONI OGUNWUSI AND OBA SAHEED ELEGUSHI Ëž

Fate decides filial ties but every man enjoys the rare privilege to choose his friends. When friendship gets so keen it arouses awe and suspicions of the hidden hand of fate, amity fades into fable and history makes remarkable inscriptions on the timeless tablet of providence and truth. Hence it could be sheer chance or fate that cast the lots of His Royal Majesty (HRM), Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife; and

caucuses of rich, spoilt, garrulous wives of Nigerian powerful politicians would emulate Bolanle and desist from throwing their tiresome weights in people’s faces.

Beneficiaries of her friendliness testify that she honours all invitations to events and high-octane parties.

Interestingly, there is a certain tinge of spirituality attached to the loveliness of Bolanle; it’s reminiscent of that far-fetched beauty characteristic of the fabled goddess of verges, whose transcendence and methodical tenderness nurtures the dreams and efforts of the vagrant croppers as it fosters the gawky raspberry refugees from gardens and the sloe, juniper, blackberry, among other tenants of nomadic farmlands. It is however, instructive to note that since she came out of her shell as the First Lady, unlike most high society women of her ilk, has been known to court no scandal or controversy and that is a testament of maturity and good breeding. Daisy was as usual, in her element as she radiated faultless beauty and delight that has kept her husband persistently head over heels in love with her through the years. They are role model to several young couples. Theirs is a relationship seemingly made in heaven and consummated here in Nigeria.

Oba Saheed Elegushi of Ikate land, Lagos, together like flipsides of a double-headed coin. Besides sharing kindred spirit, the two monarchs epitomise a rare bond of friendship to their personal delight and amazement of their closest family, friends, business associates and kingdoms. More significantly, they share dashing similarities that attest to the likelihood of fate’s hidden hand in the aces that characterise their lives.

First, they are both young and in the same age group; Ooni Ogunwusi is over 40 years old while Oba Elegushi is equally over 40 years.

Second, Ooni Ogunwusi has a big brother, Tunji who he beat to the throne while Oba Elegushi also beat his elder brother, Adedeji, to the much coveted stool of Ikate land.

Third, they are both into property and real estate business; prior to their ascendance of the throne, they both ran separate and profitable business enterprises.

Fourth, Ooni Ogunwusi loves very fair ladies while Oba Saheed Elegushi appreciates elegant ladies.

They both love to have fun; they are unrepentant rocker fellas and socialites. And their friendship goes way back into time.

More importantly, both monarchs share a hassle-free view of life. Prior to their ascension to the throne, they conducted themselves as men who understood that it was time’s glory to crown contending kings and hasten their ascension to the throne even as familiar challengers and pretenders to power, stirred up strife within their clans; ultimately, they paid no heed to the resonant songs of mischief chanted by their opposition to the throne. And even

Bolanle Ambode

after they ascended the throne, Oba Elegushi and Ooni Ogunwusi carry on as monarchs and men with unimpeachable equanimity of spirit and grace.

They have parted the dark pall of pandemonium that marked their jostle for the royal stool, to let in candid streams of light. So doing, the world gets to know and see of the two monarchs, bosom friends and men, the glory, the jest and riddle of power. And of all the contenders, his path to the throne looks garlanded with hope and the patronage of beneficent time.

PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME’S EX WIFE CHANGES NAME TO ANITA EBHODAGHE-SCHAFER Miracles were unable to save her marriage from the ravages of betrayal and an unfair world. Like a sea worn vessel crashing against

the trunk of an iceberg, Pastor Anita’s marriage to Christ Embassy Founding Pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, steadily disintegrated to her dismay and consternation of church members. But through her sadness, Anita has seen a rare opportunity, a second chance to make her personal and romantic life more worthwhile. She understands that second chances are rarely given thus her eagerness to take it before time runs out. As you read, Anita has quietly remarried. Her new name on her website is Anita EbhodagheSchafer thus exciting speculations that she probably got married to a German. You couldn’t have forgotten so soon how her marriage to Chris crashed and was well celebrated in the media. Few months ago, in 2014 to be precise, the traditional and new media portals ran amok with news of the celebrity couple and pastors marital crisis. Anita filed for divorce at Central Family Court, High Holborn, London, UK, citing her husband’s “unreasonable behaviour� and inappropriate relationships with members of staff, an intonation of “adultery.� Anita has finally moved on after their messy divorce reverting to her maiden name: again, Pastor or Ms. Anita Ebhodaghe. But since her divorce from Chris, she had never been short of male attention. Her recent name change however, suggests that she has been able to distinguish between noble suitors and typical horn-dogs lusting to get in between her thighs.

BENEATH THE MASK...THE RISE AND FALL OF FAROUK LAWAN Anita Ebhodaghe-Schafer

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The art of deception is indeed, a strenuous exercise, for those who are

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HIGHLIFE

Crucial Royal Decision... Who Becomes Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland?

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or the towering magnate, the path to honour doesn’t lay out in flat miles, it’s riddled with trials of fortune and intrigues of commerce.

Eventually, it’s the imagination with which he perceives industry and the gestures by which he honours it that stands him out from his peer. Armed with this ageless wisdom, notable sons of Ijebu land sought their niche in the world of commerce. And having attained acclaim and global deference in the cutthroat world of industry, they silently seek good graces of their kingdom’s paramount ruler, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu. As you read, illustrious sons of Ijebu are being considered for the kingdom’s highest honour for merchants and a son of the soil. The title: Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu land (Leader of Commerce and Industry in Ijebu) is currently in contention and Oba Adetona is no doubt having a hard time deciding who, among his subjects, is worthy of the much coveted honour.

The title, which is one of the biggest titles in Ijebu is bestowed on recipients according to the prerogative of the Awujale. It is usually given to a very successful businessman who is

poor at it in particular. The latter are extremely poor at keeping up with their lies. When the truth finally catches up with them, it leaves a bitter taste for those who had to eat their words. Ask Farouk Lawan, he knows better. Until he was caught in the controversy of the bribe money he allegedly demanded from popular oil magnate, Femi Otedola, Lawan was popularly known as Mr. Integrity in the House of Representatives.

He had championed the removal of Nigeria’s first female Speaker, Patricia Etteh, over an allegation that she misappropriated public funds. With such honest posturing and anti-corruption and stance, Lawan effortlessly inspired the fear of his corrupt peers and admiration of a large segment of the electorate.

But all that faded into thin air immediately the lid got blown off his dirty secret; even the Honourable Farouk Lawan was corrupt. Thus there was no hiding place for the lawmaker when he was fingered in a bribery scandal involving Otedola during an oil subsidy probe.

Times have indeed changed for the diminutive lawmaker. His enviable fortune has morphed into misfortune. From being a high

Farouk Lawan

accomplished in his chosen career. In recent history, the two men who have held the title were accomplished men of immense means. The first Ogbeni Oja was late Chief Adeola Odutola, an Ijebu icon who in his lifetime was easily one of the most successful industrialists in Yorubaland. When he died, the Awujale made Otunba Bayo Kuku, the next Ogbeni Oja. And he again was a very rich and successful businessman. He died a few years ago.

Since then, that seat has been vacant.

Then there is the Fototek boss, Chief Adegunwa. He is also very rich and close to the Awujale. He is from Ososa. Could it also be Oba Otudeko?

The latter, a successful industrialist, is close to the Awujale as well.

Another likely contender for the title is Chief Sonny Kuku. Kuku is currently the Olorogun of Ijebuland. He is an accomplished Medical Doctor and businessman. But while Ijebu’s royal circuit mull over the likely recipient of the esteemed title, not a few people are wondering if the Awujale would risk making the title one family’s birth right by replacing a Kuku with Kuku as the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu land. Only time will tell.

Oba Sikiru Adetona

ranking member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Ad Hoc House Committee on Oil Subsidy Probe, Lawan’s reputation and political career suffered rapid decline. Soon after he was accused of taking bribe by Otedola, Lawan who was being wooed to contest for the Kano governorship seat in 2015 by the political powerbrokers in the state was deserted and left out of the state’s power equation. In addition to the misfortune that has befallen him lately, Lawan lost the 2015 House of Representatives contest.

daughter. The two friends became sworn enemies thereafter but were reconciled long before death came calling. Before he decided to take by the hand Bianca, the woman who would spend his twilight years with him, the Oxford-trained silver spoon who became a warlord had been married to Njideka and later, Stella Onyeador, both of who died in 2010.

CRADLE SNATCHER‌EMEKA ODUMEGWU OJUKWU JNR. AND SECOND WIFE

There is a sphinx-like quality to Olusegun Runsewe. His genius burns with electricity that that no earthly contrivance could tame.

Wherever he finds himself, Runsewe parades his smarts at astounding depths. As the new DirectorGeneral of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Runsewe is transforming the culture and arts industry into a globally acclaimed treasure trove.

In a manner reminiscent of his exploits as the National Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) boss, Runsewe has taken significant steps to reposition the cultural industries as the nation’s next cash cow. However, Runsewe has emerged as the president of World Craft Council (WCC), African Region.

Runsewe emerged during the meeting of the Executive Board in London on April 19 to 20, 2018.

His emergence was formally conveyed to him via a letter from Rosy Greenless, the international president of the Council, dated 14th May, 2018.

The World Craft Council is a Non-Governmental Professional Organization affiliated with UNESCO, category A, which has responsibility for the regulation and development and promotion of the handcrafts in the world.

It has five Regional Chapters: Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and America.

Each region is headed by a president who oversees the affairs of

Like the saying goes, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Apart from the striking resemblance between father and son, Emeka Odumegwu Jnr, scion of the late Biafra warlord, Ikemba Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, is taking after his legendary father ’s prodigious propensity and appetite for women.

Hitherto married to one of the daughters of late novelist and author of children’s books, Cyprian Ekwensi, the couple separated over a decade ago due to what sources described as their inability to have kids. Emeka’s estranged wife is now based in the United States. Recently, the younger Ojukwu married a much younger Otito Valerie Egbuchiem in a wellattended ceremony in Anambra State. The guests-only ceremony had in attendance many political and industrial heavyweights, many of who still hold Emeka’s father, the late Ikemba, in awe. In her early 20s, Otito attended Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha and graduated from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Otito is friends with Ada Ufondu, also in her 20s, who became one of the wives of billionaire oil magnate, Emeka Offor.

Emeka and Otito’s wedding brings back memories of Ojukwu’s marriage to beauty queen, Bianca Onoh, who was his friend, the former Anambra Governor, Christian Onoh’s

GLOBAL SWEETHEART‌ RUNSEWE EMERGES PRESIDENT OF WORLD CRAFT COUNCIL

Ëž Ě“

the council; coordinates the activities of all countries within the region.

Hardly anyone would forget his successful tenure as NTDC boss.

There is no gainsaying Runsewe supervised the positive turnaround of the corporation from a moribund national agency into a global tourist attraction and revenue earner.

In the same vein, Runsewe has revealed his intention to re-organise the programmes and activities of the NCAC along an entrepreneurial perspective with a view to exploring the merchandising opportunities associated with them. He intends to establish mechanisms that would transform the sector by empowering local artists, craftsmen and women, to take control of this industry and make the best of its interminable opportunities.

No doubt the NCAC is set to experience a radical but positive transformation under the leadership of Runsewe, its new boss. As Nigeria waits with baited breath for the changes to kick in, stakeholders in the culture industries are experiencing a resurgence of hope and progressive dreams that synergize with the vision of the new arts and culture council boss.

Olusegun Runsewe

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

AT 25, MYDRIM GALLERY HOLDS A MASTERS’ FEAST PAGE 60

20.05.2018

WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, MICHEL PUCHERCOS EXPLORES AFRICA...

A photograph of the Lagos Lagoon at sunrise by Puchercos

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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MAY Ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\ART PERSONALITY

WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, MICHEL PUCHERCOS EXPLORES AFRICA...

Frenchman Michel Puchercos captures the colours and emotions of people he photographed in Nigeria and Kenya and draws invaluable life’s lessons from their sanguine acceptance of daily existential challenges. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

"I

t is all in the eyes!”

For Michel Puchercos, it takes years of chasing after emotions to arrive at this conclusion.

These emotions, strangely enough, seem rarely expressed as despondency but almost always as joyful.

Take the photograph before the viewer, for instance. Surprise, excitement and childlike warmth gleam through the eyes of the smiling boy. His attempt to duck from the camera’s field of view seems half-hearted. Meanwhile, a natter with his companion, who seems oblivious of the camera, is momentarily put on hold.

More photographs emerge, as Puchercos flips through the touch screen of his smartphone.

He enlarges one and zooms into the eyes of another boy, who is Kenyan. Through the glint in the pupils, the viewer gets a hint of what has gripped the boy’s attention.

“If you enlarge it, you’ll see what he’s looking at,” the 61-year-old Frenchman says. “Is this photo exotic? No!” “Exotic”, one word which dogs every step of the typical European photographer of African scenes, is definitely not Puchercos’ main interest.

Indeed, he animatedly denies being fixated on the word. Those spontaneous moments captured in each of the photographs transcend the subjects’ nationalities. They are the moments he shares with his audience at the exhibition, Carnet de Route, which roughly translates as Traveller’s Notebook, but actually means Travelogue, and holds at Omenka Gallery in the upscale Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos.

For this early Friday afternoon interview, the decorous ambience of the Ikoyi-based The Wheatbaker hotel’s ground floor bar seems just right.

Back to the photographs. Not even one of them is Photoshopped. Nor was any of the subjects ever asked to pose for the camera. These are just simple shots depicting emotions and beauty, he explains. They are about things and people the locals are so used to that they don’t see any more. A little boy, in another photograph, stands beside a weather-beaten canoe in a beach.

He looks so thoughtful, yet so young. “What I like is the way he is standing,” Puchercos muses.

“He looks so small beside the canoe. What can he be thinking about? What is he dreaming about? Maybe, one second later, he’ll be looking at a crab or at something else...”

Really, it is just that one moment that interests the photographer. That one moment embedded among a series of others. That moment when the subject’s real humanity peers out from out of his smothering inhospitable conditions.

This is what makes the photograph of a Kenyan boy sporting nothing more than a loin cloth fascinating. The boy, who is from the semi-nomadic pastoralist Samburu sub-tribe, is carrying a baby camel on his back and running with it to safety. A smile lights up his face as the camera captures the moment for posterity. This is a story of an unexpected meeting, which lasted just a few seconds.

“I’m fascinated by the smile of African people,” Puchercos confesses. “They smile even when life is tough for them. This is a lesson of life.”

Indeed, the 1981 Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (France) graduate draws his life’s lessons from the myriads of circumstances he captures through his photographs. Is it the fisherman holding a net, on whose face glows contentment? Or, is it the hearty laughter of the Makoko waterfront slumdwelling woman? They all have one thing in common: they never allowed their circumstances define them.

Puchercos is also as fascinated by the wellsculpted body of the struggling fisherman, which

Puchercos

Another photograph by Puchercos

puts Michaelangelo’s famous sculpture “David” to shame, as he is with the beautifully-braided hair of the pretty and proud female canoe-paddler. All attributes of humanity, he discovers, can be found at all levels of existence. So what if the well-dressed woman lives in Makoko? Or, so what if life seems tough?

“Of course, people can call these photograph exotic,” he adds. “But the colours add to the magic of the pictures.”

Colours… They, indeed, imbue most of his photographs with warmth and unique local flavours.

Their vibrancy belie the gloomy circumstances in which some his subjects find themselves.

There is also the beauty in the colours of those durbar scenes he photographed while visiting the northern Nigerian commercial city, Kano. In one photograph, the viewer sees the back view of a father and son sporting similarly-coloured regal caftans and matching embroidered fez-like caps. In another, an all-white-clad turbaned horseman contrasts sharply with his red-clad courtiers. Then, there is the crowd of spectators all dressed in blue...

Flashback to his first encounter with the Kenyan Samburi people. It was obviously the colours of these pastoralist people that inspired an exhibition he held on October 2015 in the South Korean capital Seoul, which he titled Couleurs et Lumières d’ Afrique (Colours and Lights of Africa).

For Puchercos, it all began when he received his first camera from his father. He was about 9 years old, he recalls. The camera, which was very basic

A Kenyan Samburi boy with a baby camel

A Nigerian boy beside a canoe

with a 6cm x 9cm film, was a company gift for employees’ children. “Sadly I don’t know where my first artwork is, having moved all my life from Iran to Algeria, from the south to east of France, from France to East Africa and to Asia, eventually ending up in Nigeria.”

But when he turned 19, he bought himself a Minolta with his first savings. Equipped with the camera, he stuck to taking portraits and snapshots of sports events. He also recalled the sleepless nights he spent developing black and white photographs. Then, there was the time when, as a university student, he was in charge of the photography association. That was a period that saw him participating in photography competitions and wining one.

With the proceeds, he had bought more Minoltas (one for black and white, one for colour and 24-70 zoom and another for colour and 70-200 zoom).

Then, the era of digital photography crept in and dampened his enthusiasm. Besides the fact that the quality of films and their development nose-dived, the costs also went up. These circumstances forced him to abandon photography for 10 years.

A Lumix he got as a gift while he was in Kenya reignited his interest. “For a while, I also used a Hasselblad Xpan, as it was – at that time – the only way to take panoramas. Perfect for so many occasions.”

Then, the exhibition Lights and Colours of Africa reenergised him, albeit slowly. Indeed, it took his eventual relocation to South Korea for his passion for photography to be restored to what it used to be. “I am so happy to see full frame finally available: back to the 24×36!” he enthuses.

Photography for Puchercos, who serves as chief executive of officer and group managing director of Lafarge Africa PLC, is one way to strike what he calls the work-life balance. “It also helps me as a businessman and helps me develop my EQ (emotional quotient).”

Since his resumption as Lafarge’s CEO/GMD in Nigeria in 2016, Puchercos have come to respect Nigerians as a remarkable people. He likens the energy pulsating through Lagos to atomic energy and observes that virtually everyone in the city is a businessman. “Overall, every Nigerian wants to be a successful businessman,” he says. “This is despite the fact that life is hard, what with Boko Haram, [militancy in the] Niger Delta and infrastructural challenges...”

Curiously, most of his photographs are focused on people rather than on landscapes. For this reason, he wishes to honour the people in his photographs through donating the proceeds from the sales to the charity organisation Casa Alba.

The exhibition Carnet de Route, which opened on Friday, May 18 at Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos, ends today (Sunday, May 20).

59

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 20, 2018

ʜ ˺˺ 8

PROFILES ATTHE LAGOONTO IMMORTALISETUTUOLA

W

ith its successful book convention in Abuja, where it celebrated the late Northern novelist Abubakar Gimba in February, behind it, the Enugu-based Delta Publications (Nigeria) Limited is set to celebrate the memory of the late Yoruba author Amos Tutuola, who was the first African novelist to be published in the English language outside Africa with his 1952 novel classic The Palm-Wine Drinkard in Lagos come Wednesday, May30.

The literary event, tagged Profiles at the Lagoon, will be the maiden edition of what is planned to be an annual celebration of the literary and creative arts. It will be an all-day celebration of Nigerian artistes who have recorded outstanding achievements in their chosen disciplines, which the organisers hail as a major contribution to “the aesthetics of ‘Poetry’�. These are celebrated stage actress Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Dutch-born, Ibadan-based publishing guru Joop Berkhout, and legal luminary-turned author Akin Ajose-Adeogun. The three celebrants will be conferred with the award The Tutuola Palm for Poetry.

Dillibe Onyeama, President of The Delta Book Club, the company’s subsidiary group that organises their annual book conventions, said: “Amos Tutuola has never been accorded his proper place on the horizon of Nigeria’s great poets, if because few people understand the true meaning of ‘Poetry’. This humble attempt to immortalise him with ‘The Tutuola Palm for Poetry’ is an overdue apology for our misguided mindset in regard to the proper perspective of his hallowed status of poet extraordinaire. “Poetry is essentially all about innate beauty, the splendour of God’s handiwork across the heavens and the universe, a phenomenon that transcends even modern science with the mystique of the intangible.

Tutuola wrote richly inventive fantasies of his native Yoruba folktales. He sat down and scribbled his fantastic images in almost illegible long-hand on ordinary exercise book.

He submitted the work to Britain’s leading book-publishing group Faber & Faber, who went through it, were mesmerised, and immediately sent him back a cheque for ÂŁ200. The book subsequently became one of Africa’s biggest all-time best-sellers, followed by several more of his fictional works in the same unique story-telling innovation. So it was never all about good English grammar or good English diction. It was all about the magic of ‘Poetry’ – a truism divined by celebrated English poet Dylan Thomas in his review of Tutuola’s book with the words ‘this strange poetic nightmare’.â€?

Profiles at the Lagoon will take place at the Kongi Harvest Art Gallery in the Freedom Park, under the chairmanship of Communications Consultant Akin Fatunke. Eminent guests expected to attend the event include Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and former Governor Segun Osoba.

Literary activities will involve readings of new modern poetry and short-stories from the latest edition of THE WRITER magazine, which will include the citations of the profiles of the celebrants before their being presented with golden plaques and asked to “perform� with trips down memory lane to reminisce on their careers, followed by the unveiling of Akin Ajose-Adeogun’s biography of the late eminent jurist J. I. C. Taylor APassion for Justice, described by the publishers as “a monument to superb writing and outstanding research� and upon which the author is being conferred with The Tutuola Palm for Poetry. Activities will take on a literary tone proper towards the evening hours with the celebration of a technocrat-turned-children’s novelist, London-based British-Nigerian Frederick Nwokedi, whose revered father Francis Nwokedi was Nigeria’s first Federal Permanent Secretary. Nwokedi will breeze in from his London base after some 12 years since he left to seek better pastures off-shore to share in the euphoria of the celebration of the Tutuola legend with the presentation of his first work Cascaders in their Wonderland.

Blithely, in his so-English voice, Nwokedi describes his first literary effort in these terms: “It’s all about the children. They come into

this world in differing circumstances, replete with their own challenges and advantages.

Each child faces their own lot with individually unique qualities, spirits and behaviours. Yet, at least one thing is common to them during these youthful years: their spirits are typically like springs of water – even waterfalls. Life flows or gushes in a continuous tumble of discoveries and emotions; pure, unabashed and vulnerable to unchecked passions. Events and reactions cascade with boundless and unbridled intensity, at times bordering on chaos. For the child, typically, each new experience is momentous, deep-felt and, wondrous. Through these touching stories, one appreciates that sometimes the smallest things are the most valuable, and can make occasions so magical.�

Nwokedi is not your run-of-the-mill character by any consideration. He was the first, and for most of his years there, the only black pupil at Oundle School, an elite English high school for boarders. It was one of a select number of schools where officers and civil servants were trained to emerge leaders of the establishment, most notably for the great work of ruling the British Empire. Born in the Cameroons, the first years of his life were spent there. Subsequent years have seen him mainly in America and in London, with just a few years in Nigeria.

An appetite for adventure took him from

Taiwo Ajai-Lycett

Ajose-Adeogun

London, in the heart of Europe, to the vast cornfields (and snowfields!) of Iowa, in the American mid-west. That was the base of The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, which is a powerhouse in the world of literary creativity. But, ironically, his focus had not yet rested on that specialism.

Instead Freddie left the University of Iowa with a degree in financial economics. Then, in another climate shift, he completed his Master of Business

Administration (MBA) in tropical Texas, at the University of Dallas.

Finally, the writing on the wall has come to pass – as it always must. Nwokedi assures us that more works are at different stages of evolution. These presently include a full-blown adventure novel for young adults; also, there are nascent elements of short stories for children.

Indeed, the genie is out of the bottle.

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

60

MAY Ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͯͶ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\EXHIBITION

AT 25, MYDRIM GALLERY HOLDS A MASTERS’ FEAST Stories by Yinka Olatunbosun

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launting over 70 art exhibitions and events, Mydrim Gallery towers above its Lagos-based peers in art marketing and management. Most memorable among these are the Living Masters exhibition, which was held in 2007 and opened by the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka; Nigeria at 50 photography exhibition at the instance of the Lagos State Government and the Institute of Visual Arts and Culture (IVAC) lectures in collaboration with the renowned international Nigerian-born curator Bisi Silva, among others.

More recently, in 2015, the gallery represented the continent at the modern art section of the International Art Dubai Fair in recognition of its involvement with art in Nigeria. It also collaborates annually with the Victoria Island-based gallery Terra Kulture as TKMG to organise art auctions and only last year, curated the Lagos State Government’s Eko Art Expo.

Being in this business for 25 years is something worth crowing about. Hence, to celebrate this milestone, an august gathering of art writers was held at the Ikoyi-based gallery recently to announce a two-day exhibition, featuring the works of some of the acknowledged masters in Nigerian art scene, some of whom started their shows at the art space.

According to the gallery’s curator Sinmidele Adesanya, “A Nigerian proverb says ‘A river that does not know its source will soon run dry.’ This exhibition is a display of the works of 12 of Nigeria’s masters such that art lovers, artists and art students know the source, that is, some of the artists who steered the course and remained committed and focused to developing the visual arts in Nigeria in the face of monumental challenges.”

Because these masters of Nigerian art scene made sacrifices for the younger generation of artists, they deserve to be acknowledged for paving the way for others.

Featured in this exhibition, which should really be a sequel of the Living Masters, are: Jimoh Akolo, El Anatsui, Abayomi Barber, Jimoh Buraimoh, David Dale, Nike Davies-

Deliverance by Yusuf Grillo Okundaye, Bisi Fakeye, Yusuf Grillo, Gani Odutokun, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Kolade Oshinowo and Muraina Oyelami.

Essentially, these masters represent the leading art movements/schools in Nigeria namely, Zaria School, Osun Oshogbo Art tradition, Yaba School and Nsukka School.

The show is set for two days, Sunday June 3

and Monday June 4 at Desiderata, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Established in December 1992 by Mrs. Adesanya, a lawyer by training, this gallery preens itself on its integrity in gallery-artist relationship. That reputation was earned over the years beginning from the period when just a handful of Lagosians appreciated visual art.

That was a period when art as a profession was generally not acknowledged as a noble profession. With a passion for the fine arts and recognising the incredible talent of the Nigerian artist, Adesanya was very optimistic when she started the business.

As clients, the gallery was frequented by mainly expatriates, who formed the collector-base.

Yet, the journey was replete with such challenges as breach of contract by artists or even deaths of artists in contract with the gallery. “The promulgation of art as a great store of value has been established and artists are now held in high esteem,” the gallery’s press statement added. “The works of Nigerian artists are now sought after all over the world.”

Looking back at the milestone reached in building an enduring art gallery in Africa’s most populous city, Mrs Adesanya explained the reason for selecting the masters for the show which is sponsored by the law firm, Templars.

TEMPLEMUSECLOCKS10,LAUNCHESNEWSOLO

T

all about Onadipe’s interpretation of universal themes whilst appropriating every day materials. From plastic bags to juice packs, Onadipe’s thirst for recycling technique runs from form to content.

This graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka presents a collection that speaks of his hard work, resilience and deep thinking, using bold colours. His choice of materials clearly hinges on his perspective on our social realities.

“The materials I explore, polythene bags, newspapers, jute and cement bags, electrical cables, ink, paint, wood and metal reflect ordinary Nigerian life and question our consumerism.

A continent that supports the economy of the rest of the world now has need for support and a people of earliest inventors and inventions have Installation Shots - Connecting the dots by Olumide Onadipe (10)

he luxury store and the hub of contemporary arts in Nigeria, Temple Muse is 10. To celebrate this anniversary, it is showcasing a new collection of works by Olumide Onadipe, an experimental visual artist. Titled Connecting the Dots, the show is curated by SMO Contemporary Art with support from Veuve Clicquot.

The show which opened on May 14 bares

become consumers,” he said.

As soon as Onadipe discovered his interest in melting plastics, his ingenuity in making visual statement was born. He never liked clay though he finished up at art school as a sculptor. In this show, he manipulated several found materials to articulate his views on migration, development and other global topics.

For him, every artist should continue to explore irrespective of one’s age. To do the bidding of Migo’s Walk it Talk it hip-hop anthem, Onadipe inadvertently paints a series of human forms with leaf motifs to explore a least discussed subject in art circles- agriculture.

For instance, with the painting titled “Muscle Economy”, Onadipe issues a commentary on the need for Nigeria to invest in mechanised farming in order for the agricultural sector to be saved from muscle pulls in form of low productivity and decline in man power.

Other attention-grabbing pieces at the show are “Brexit Fullstop”, “Pyramid Scheme”, “Ball Man” and “We Are Not the Same But the Same”. While fielding questions from journalists at the preview on his use of colours, Onadipe expressed the philosophical view: you can’t paint the colour of the mind.

...AND A SOLO SHOW IN MOOR HOUSE

A

mong other solo exhibitions in Lagos, another recently opened at the Moor House, Ikoyi. Titled New Possibilities, this show by Uchenna Uhagwu is the latest of solo shows in Lagos. It is a research-based project by an artist who has spent most of his career in an advertising firm as a graphic artist.

“I have missed painting. I learn from friends who exhibit their works,” he said as he introduced a few of the 30 works carefully selected

for the show. Having developed ideas into forms for story board productions, Uhagwu kept close to his creative muse. In a regimented field like advertising with deadlines and competition, finding time to do studio work can be daunting.

Still, Uhagwu worked with lines and symbols, using them to create a new set of codes for interpreting the nature of man and his sojourn through life.

“My painting is a pointer to life,’’ he said and he displayed a large canvas which is a part of

the Beat Series. Some of the elements of his career as a graphic artist seeped into his fresh paintings.

He explained that the lines in his paintings are significant. They represent the discordance in our society, the highs and lows in people’s lives. In spite of the disparities in the human society, there still exists a sense of order in the disorder. Uhagwu promised that this show will serve as a precursor to his subsequent shows in terms of techniques and themes.

EXHIBITION ...At Alexis Galleries, a Travelling Exhibition Kicks off Yinka Olatunbosun TRIAD, a travelling exhibition which features three contemporary artists, has kicked off at the Alexis Galleries in Victoria Island, Lagos. Suraj Adekola, Monsur Awotunde and Olorunfemi Kinrin are lecturers at Kogi State Polytechnic and have their studio outside Lagos.

They share common interests and decidedly put together this group show which highlights their individual techniques in painting.

Kinrin, on his part revealed during a preview of the works aspects of Nigerian soci0-political life that is captured in his body of works. Predominantly, he paints human skulls. He explained his reason for such an unusual subject.

“One of the problems with Nigeria is that we make decisions along ethnic lines. We should make our decisions objectively. When you look at the skull, you don’t see ethnicity or religion,’’ he pointed out. Some of Kinrin’s 13 paintings include “Ice Cream Mask” and “Negative Positive”.

Adekola, based in Ota, Ogun State has been practicing art professionally for ten years. His body of works titled “Purity Series’’ draws upon the notion that associates white colour with purity.

Hence, some of his paintings have a white background to resonate that line of thought. As an artist, Adekola is also concerned about the relationship of man and his society. In this exhibition, he presents seven paintings including “Talking Eyes” and “Beautiful Face”.

“Home Affairs’’ is the title of Awotunde’s body of works. The UK-trained drawing and painting teacher is preoccupied with abstract painting using colours that had largely been influenced by his cultural experience in the United Kingdom. Another experience also came in handy for Awotunde as he worked on the piece titled, “Fancy Peninsula”.

“One day, I was with my friend at a waterfront and he was wishing to buy a large piece of land and build a house where only he would live. Later, he changed his mind about living alone in a peninsula,’’ he recounted.

He sees the episode in a larger picture: if only the ruling class can create wealth for all citizens and not just themselves.

The peninsula is thus a visual metaphor for national wealth.

This exhibition which runs till June 3 is sponsored by Pepsi, Cool FM Family, Chocolate Royal, The Avenue Suites, Art Café, Amarula, Neberburg,Cobranet, Avenue Suites, Delta Airline and The Homestores Limited.

POETRY PLATFORM

Rohingya Dirt Do notputRohingya dirton her dress.

Her Impeccable-nessearned her flawless Gaitfrom thefurnaceoftime.

So Her Impeccable-nesswascanonized

By Nobel’swizardswhen whitesmoke Shutthrough thechimney oneOctober.

After a while,theGeneralsofMyanmar Cleared thepath for her worshippers To rolloutthered carpetatnoon.

Today,to avoid themessy detailsofdirt And death,shehasoutsourced allworry And blameto theGeneralsofMyanmar.

Do notputRohingya dirton her credentials.

Shetreasuresher saintlinessbeyond Thelivesofa statelesspeople.

Rohingya isa batatnight;neither Burmese Nor Bangladesh.Why stain a lovely saint With theblood ofa statelesspeople?

TrusttheGeneralsofMyanmar to deal With Rohingya dirt;to shootand to burn, To bury and to cleansetherepublic.

-ObariGomba ––Dr Gombateachesliteratureandcreative writingattheUniversityofPortHarcourt

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž 20, 2018

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ʜ ˺˺

ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY OF GIANT POTS IN KANO Kunle Timothy Oyeyele

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n 2016, two Archaeological sites were discovered in Kano.

These sites are in Rumawa ward, Rangaza district of Ungogo Local Government Area and Zangon Bare- bari in Kano municipal area of Kano State. These sites were accidentally discovered during the course of digging the foundation of a building and an underground store, respectively.

These sites, where giant pots were discovered, were reported and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments took up the challenge by sending a team of archaeologists and a team of ethnographers to carry out immediate rescue excavation. But it was discovered that the giant pots had been vandalised before the arrival of the team at the site. This is as a result of the news going around that the pots possessed the ability to cure any type of ailments. It was also rumoured that the pots contained gold. This attracted large crowd to the site, which led to the vandalisation of the pots.

Rumawa is a village located in Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State. It was an ancient settlement established during the Habe period, probably during the reign of King Abdullahi Barja in the 15th century. But the generation has been wiped out due to the internecine wars between Kano and other neighbouring states.

The site at Rumawa where these giant pots were discovered was believed to have been abandoned over 400 years ago. The main traditional occupation of the people was farming, cloth-dyeing and cattle rearing. During the reign of Emir Mohammed Abbas (1903 – 1919) Kwalrangan Kano awarded a piece of land to the great grandfather of the present chief Imam of Rumawa, Mallam Ali Ahmadu (Mal Damagaran) to settle with his family. They named the place Rumawa.

The settlement started as a nuclear family; from there it grew to the present settlement with more than 1000 people.

The descendant of the original settler (Mallam Ali) inherited the piece of land where the giant pots were discovered, from his great grandfather, Mallam Mai Damagaran. After his death, it fell under the control of Mohamadu Tukur down to Isan Kwari while the son sold the land in question to different people to build houses.

It was in the process of digging the foundation of one of these houses that these giant pots were accidentally discovered. The rescue excavation

Plate 1 & 2; photographs of pots before and after the vandalisation started at the first site Rumawa. Here, four giant pots were uncovered but had been vandalised before our arrival and parts of the pots carted away for ritual purposes. Nevertheless the remaining parts had to be rescued. Associated finds at this site include potsherds, and ash.

On the third day of the excavation we had to abandon the work to rush down to the site at Zangon Barebari because from the news reaching us. The site was being vandalised for the same reason. This was discovered during the course of digging for the construction of an underground store. The pots here numbering three were in complete state initially, the site was cordoned of by a fence to prevent people from entering the site. But unfortunately people came in the night, scaled the fence, broke the pots, and made away with parts of the pots making it incomplete.

Associated finds at the site include grinding stones, bones and potsherds.

The pots excavated at Rumawa site is similar in terms of waves, characteristics, surface finish, decoration, and vessel form to that excavation at Zango Barebari. And going by the associated finds and the size of the of the pots, it

was concluded that the site must have been an industrial site. This was probably used for dyeing. But when and how long the site was occupied is not known. These questions can be answered by direct dating of finds from the site. This is due to the scanty information we got because even the oldest man in the area could not tell us anything about the site.

Also due to the size and weight of the pots we also concluded that the pots must have been moulded right there on the site. There is no way the pots could have been moved to the site without breaking them.

RECOMMENDATION During the course of the excavation we encountered series of challenges, most especially in controlling the crowd at the site who came to verify the claim that the pots possess the power to cure any type of ailment and also that the pots are full of gold. These rumours led to the vandalisation of the site. So in view of this, r "EFRVBUF TFDVSJUZ TIPVME CF provided immediately any accidental discovery is made to forestall any act that could lead to damage to any of these

finds. r 5IF GFEFSBM HPWFSONFOU TIPVME be encouraged to organise outreach programmes in order to enlighten the masses on the need to preserve our cultural heritage and to report any accidental discovery to the appropriate authority. Such programmes should be conducted at the rural and urban areas. r 6SHFOU TUFQT TIPVME CF UBLFO UP rescue such archaeological materials. r $POTFSWBUPST TIPVME CF NBEF UP visit the site for professional advice and conservation on the site before the removal of such objects to save these materials from serious damage.

CONCLUSION The rescue excavation at Rumawa and Zangon Barebari has been done, but a lot still need to be done to ascertain in greater details, the history, and the people of the area. Hence, there is the need for further research work in the metropolis to prevent or reduce further destruction of these cultural materials. ––Oyeleye is the chief archaeologist, National Museum of Unity, Ibadan

DRAMA

Ë&#x;

Yinka Olatunbosun

A

Edgar

theatrical narrative on Lagos, Isale Eko, which thrilled theatre audience last year is set to return to the stage for its second season in June. This bit was revealed by the play’s executive director, Edgar Joseph as he, alongside his team, gears up for the show at the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

Co-produced by veteran broadcaster, Olisa Adibua, Isale Eko is an unconventional play, orally scripted. Joseph reveals why the play appeals to both the young and old. “Isale Eko takes us back to our origins as a people. Isale Eko is the bowel of our civilization as it was the melting pot of trade and commerce. It is very important that we continue to relive our past so as to better understand our present and prepare for our future,’’ he said.

Joseph added that the play offers lessons in nation building, values of co-habitation using drama, song and dance. “The play evolves as we build it scene by

scene. It follows a slow but very methodical floating sequence which does not even tell the director its direction,’’ he said.

Joseph, an investment banker and columnist with THISDAY, veered into theatre productions with the projection of making theatre business bankable. With Isale Eko, he is turning his passion for theatre into portfolio. “Last year, we hit 6,000 spectators and secured the attention of His Excellency, Akinwunmi Ambode. This year, we are projecting 9,000. We are already working with Wema Bank, Century Group amongst other such brilliant brands to bring such joy and laughter to our people,� he remarked.

With support from Century Group, Isale Eko play production engages 100 youths as cast and crew and another 100 in the area of support services such as digital media support, graphics, printing, catering, hospitality amongst others. It also enjoys the support of brands such as Wema Bank, FCMB, Jobtaska, Cordross Capital, ARM and more. The play reportedly has a N20 million budget which is likely to stretch in this new season.

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MAY 20, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

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

IN THE ARENA

Drug Abuse is the New Terror!

The increasing culture of drug abuse is clearly beyond government alone, writes Abimbola Akosile

A

professor of French and English Semantics, Ayo Adegoke-Craig, 65, once described the effect of drug abuse in such a picture that could leave even the hardest of criminals shivering long after listening to him.

“Hard drugs,” he said in an interview with THISDAY, “can reduce a professor or president of a country to the level of a mechanic, who is also on drugs. It does not discriminate; it will reduce you to its level until you become a scum to the society.”

Clearly from the words of this former drug addict, he clearly has learnt his lessons, perhaps, the hardest way even though he may not be proud of it.

The growing culture of drug abuse among many Nigerian youths dates back many years. As often argued, some of the causes are believed to derive from peer pressure, parental negligence and of course, government’s inability to stem the tide through potent legislation, control, and enforcement.

Sadly and over the years, the list of drugs susceptible to abuse has increased, thus transcending the control, reach and even the understanding of the orthodox medicine. The common names that many are familiar with include Tramadol, Codeine, Rohypnol, cocaine, crack and of course, the famous marijuana or weed.

But, how much do you know of these ones: storm, cloud, skonk, molly, ecstasy, soda, gum, gutter dust, colorado, soakaway sniffing, monkey tail, dongoyaro et al? The list is eternally endless, therefore, complicating the fight against substance abuse and making it a lot easier for the recruitment of new intakes. Generally, substance abuse is known to induce social vices, civil disturbances and other forms of criminalities. It is indeed the very reason many youths have landed in different prisons across the land and abroad, even as the number of youths so far incarcerated in various prisons across the country has increased exponentially over the last few decades.

Apart from being a major source of crime, the health complications arising from substance abuse Substance abuse through the intravenous are equally not quantifiable. As a matter of fact, many A professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and university don, of these youths are daily being arrested for drug-related offences Nelson Ochekpe, disclosed that recent research suggests that over or those with substance abuse problems are being remanded in 60 per cent of substance abuse occurs in the Northern part of the different rehabilitation homes. country with Kano State as its hub.

Basically, two factors have been identified as majorly responsible It was no wonder, that when the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, for the increasing substance abuse, although there are many more visited Kano State recently, she raised the alarm over the level of factors likely to contribute in no small measure. The two main substance abuse going on in the state. According to her, Northern factors are peer pressure and depression. youths, including women, were wasting their lives with drug abuse There is also the factor of unemployment, which though shares and therefore urged political and religious leaders in the region to closely with peer pressure. There is yet another form of drug abuse, urgently find a lasting solution to the menace. which is not commonly talked about but applicable to a majority The alarm by the First Lady was however believed to have of people, age and status regardless. This happens when people informed a recent market raid by the Kano State government, don’t adhere to dosage prescription but continue with the use of a during which it reportedly discovered hard drugs worth millions of particular drug for a much longer time without doctor’s approval. naira. In similar breath, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, But this form of abuse is associated more with soft drugs. recently confirmed the seizure of more than five tons of Benilyn However, whether soft or hard substance abuse, they both cough product this year alone, noting that a major seizure was from come with their ugly effects on the human anatomy. For instance, a warehouse, whose owner alleged that he got his supplies from substance abuse is wont to deaden the nervous system; increases Onitsha Market in Anambra State. the heartbeat; causes the blood vessel to dilate; causes bad digestion It is also public knowledge that there is a rise in substance abuse especially of Vitamin B more so when taken on an empty stomach. in South-west. And like other parts of the country, the problem Particularly disturbing is that drug abuse interferes with the power of drug abuse in the South-west was believed to have assumed a of judgment of the individual and poisons the higher brain and disturbing dimension at the end of the Second World War following nerve centre, amongst others. the return of some Nigerian soldiers from countries like Burma and Unfortunately, some of the factors believed to be responsible for India, where they had fought. And since then, substance abuse had why substance abuse has continued to grow include self-denial by taken a steady rise, spreading to as many parts of the country as parents, weak legislation and enforcement and the poor regulation possible. of the pharmaceutical industry, amongst others.

As it is in today’s Nigeria, everyday, over a 500,000 bottles of

codeine are reportedly consumed by the youths across the country, same with the intake of tramadol, rohypnol, marijuana, and other like substances. The scourge has been able to penetrate the Nigerian fabric as a result of affordability, which is made possible by children of all classes, most especially kids of the rich and powerful.

Whilst it is not impossible to effectively tame the growth of substance abuse in all parts of the country as well as eradicate it, it however requires the genuine commitment and determination of the government, in solidarity with parents, religious and nongovernmental bodies to make this happen.

One of the ways to get this done is by aggressively destroying all the sources of the drugs, including (if possible) the farms where they are planted, using combined security forces. This is where stakeholders think parents too come in. In assisting government, parents must start to properly monitor their wards and the kinds of company they keep.

As a matter of urgency, government must enforce the teaching of the causes and effects of hard drugs in schools, starting from the primary schools, whilst recovery programmes should be introduced to those already in it.

To complement these, there must be continuous and sustained campaign against substance abuse by government at all levels.

Government must also get the buy-in of medical practitioners across the country to help enforce the culture of drug prescriptions, at least, to halt and stabilise the abuse, which is now a pastime. Above all, there should be rigorous sanctions for anyone found abusing substance, soft or hard. That way, there is measured deterrence.

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

IGP Idris’ Disrespect for the Senate

F

IGP Ibrahim Idris

or many weeks, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, ignored the Senate, which invited him to come and clarify some security concerns. His disdain and sheer arrogance had also propelled some rational minds to explain away the implications of his brazen disregard for that critical arm of government, which further exacerbated the alleged resentment of the administration of Muhammadu Buhari for the National Assembly.

And when he finally spoke, apart from the part, where he dismissed alleged disrespect for the Senate, his reason for not honouring the invitation was clearly beneath him. That the case for which he was invited

was already in court and as such didn’t see the need to honour the invitation. But who told him Dino Melaye was the only reason the Senate asked to see him?

That’s how sad some Nigerian government officials place individuals against critical institutions of state.

It is unfortunate that the like of the IGP, at his level, had to be explained to that the place of the parliament is not to be disrespected or undermined by any individual under whatever cover. It is the one arm of government that not only creates the balance of power through the many checks entrusted to it constitutionally, it also represents the people through its members.

Therefore, disrespecting the parliament is the same as disrespecting the people. It should not be condoned.

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BRIEFINGNOTES

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; President Muhammadu Buhari; APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; and Senate President Bukola Saraki

APC’s Undulating Road to National Convention With the outcomes of its congresses so far, the proposed national convention of the All Progressives Congress proves a major challenge. Onyebuchi Ezigbo writes

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) began the conduct of its congresses a fortnight ago in preparation for the national convention scheduled for June 2. The exercise has so far taken place in all the wards, and local government areas in about 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.

But the outcomes have been a mix bag of the good, the bad and the ugly.

While the exercise went well in some states, it was tale of crisis and violence in many other states. In states like Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Oyo, Lagos, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Enugu, Imo and Anambra, there were disputes during the congresses leading to parallel congresses being held in some of these states.

Crisis in the Kaduna State chapter of the APC continued and even got deepened with the conduct of the ward and local government congresses. The tussle for the control of party structure got even messier as the faction led by the governor of the state, Nasiru El-Rufai had a field day positioning its loyalists while the group led by Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Hunkuyi boycotted the exercise, protesting lack of fairness.

Similarly, in Kano State, it was a revival of the war of attrition between the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. As reports had it, the governor’s men took charge and participated in the congresses with the exclusion of the Senator Kwakwanso loyalists, who stayed away in protest.

The situation in Rivers State was rather worrisome as the exercise turned violentas supporters of the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi clashed with those backing Senator Magnus Abe. There was also an ugly incident in which some party thugs and hoodlums attempted to shut down the entire judicial system in Rivers State in order to prevent the court from ruling against the conduct of the local government congress slated for last Saturday, May 10.

Some aggrieved members of party believed to loyal to Senator Abe had gone to the court to request an order stopping the local government congress but in the bid to forestall any injunction that could stop the congress, the APC leadership allegedly mobilised supporters to lock down all the courts.

In fact, protests over the congress in Rivers State have gone

beyond the level of the appeal panel set up by the party or it National Working Committee to handle. The disagreement between Amaechi and Abe has been taken to President Muhammadu Buhari for resolution.

For the Enugu State stakeholders, it was a nightmare as two political gladiators, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu organised parallel congresses leading to the emergence of two sets of party executives at the Ward and local government levels.

The experience in Anambra and Lagos, the exercise was said to have turned bloody in one of the venues for the congress with one person reportedly dead during clash between rival party supporters. It was a different story in Cross River State, where some concerned party stakeholders seized materials for the local government congress and deposited same with the police on suspicion that the congress committee had been comprised.

From all indications, the party is presently beset with serious challenges, which might threaten its unity and oneness as the date for the national convention approached.

Apart from the dispute arising from the congresses, there is the resurgent issue of complaint about marginalisation by the defunct new Peoples Democratic Party bloc in the APC. The group, last week, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the APC and met with the national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun at the national headquarters in Abuja, demanding that the party addressed their grievances.

In the letter jointly signed by the chairman of group, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje and Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, they alleged that of all the various entities that came together to form the APC coalition, it is only the nPDP bloc that has been so marginalised, oppressed and neglected by the APC-led administration.

In the letter, the group said: “We, the members of the APC, who moved over from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form the APC before the 2015 general election in Nigeria are desirous of strengthening our party especially now that new party congresses have commenced and the convention and another round of general election is imminent. Obviously, this cannot be achieved without addressing fundamental issues which we wish to raise in

this letter.

“We, therefore, wish with due respect, to re-state our expectation then and now that the APC we all laboured to build would be one united, inclusive, cohesive and progressive party devoid of divisions, factions, cleavages and tendencies. We envisioned a political party promoting equal rights for all Nigerians and ensuring rapid and even development across the country. Of course, there is no gainsaying the fact that the lofty ideals enumerated above cannot be attained without ensuring justice for party faithful and citizens”.

So far, the out-going National Working Committee have not yet made any noticeable move to negotiate with the leadership of the nPDP on their demands and their ultimatum has expired. The threat by this group is potent and cannot be wished away.

Although the situation may not be exactly similar to what it was when the group almost caused stir in the country’s political atmosphere by defecting en mass to the APC, an opposition party, the ruling party is not enjoying a healthy ride presently to warrant any form of mass exodus from its fold.

All the indices point to the fact that if the APC failed to manage the present crisis well, it could lead to an implosion in the party similar to what happened to the PDP prior to the 2015 general election.

Perhaps, it is an opportunity for all those, who had canvassed for some kind of tenure extension for party executives till after the 2019 election to grin with smile and to push the blame of the present predicament on the other stakeholders that supported congresses and elective convention.

But the two persons on whose shoulder the whole situation seemed to rest is the president and a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The duo played a key role in seeing that the party was pulled from the brink when crisis over elongation raged.

Tinubu appeared to be disappointed in what happened during the congresses of the party. The former Lagos governor, who was recently appointed by the President to take charge of reconciling warring groups in the party, was reported to have blamed the crisis rocking the party on greed, selfishness and desperation by some members.

However, now that the crisis predicted by the pro-elongation group appeared to be rearing its ugly heads, it behooves these leaders to rise to the occasion and resolve the issues in such a manner that it would not lead to an implosion.

NOTES FOR FILE

Taming the Madness in Rivers

Amaechi

It was three consecutive weeks yesterday since the All Progressives Congress (APC) commenced the process to its national convention, starting with the ward, local government and state congresses. Although the turn of events in many of the states has been disappointing to say the least, what has so far played out in Rivers State appears the most ugly across the states.

With the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, on the one hand, and Senator Magnus Abe on the other hand, Rivers has started walking its way to a gruesomely violent election in 2019.

Whilst it may be too early to apportion blames, both sides of the divide must roll back their propensity for

violence, otherwise, state intervention might be necessary.

Unfortunately, the national leadership of the APC has maintained an unfortunate silence on the situation in Rivers, a development that has further encouraged the current brigandage and by extension, aggravating the already deteriorating atmosphere of insecurity in the state as well as creating needless anxiety in the countdown to 2019. What is going on in Rivers APC is irresponsible and condemnable by all standards.

The trend of events in the state is consistent with the disposition of its politicians to power.Yet, it portends huge threat to democracy and should be condemned.

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Gowon

Magu

As Gowon Stirs New Debate on Corruption...

Former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, recently sparked an interesting debate on corruption, when he said corruption started after his administration. But the kinds of commentaries that have since trailed his statement say more about the endemic nature of corruption in Nigeria, writes Shola Oyeyipo

F

ormer military leader, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, recently stoked a new debate in the country, when he attempted to exonerate his leadership from corruption, since debates on corruption seem to share a very long history in the country.

The widespread belief is that successive political leaderships are most culpable hence Gowon got nearly spontaneous reactions, when he told participants at the Eighth Annual General Meeting and Conference for Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa that he did involve himself in corruption.

He said, “It is sad to read reports that all former Heads of State are thieves. During our time, we did not know anything like corruption. Some of my ministers were accused of corruption but we did not allow it to get into the public service. After I left office, apart from my salary, it was the staff that contributed their estacode so that I have something to live on.

“During our time, we did not know that thing (corruption). We were afraid of being exposed.”

Some Nigerians, however think otherwise. For instance, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay, thinks since fighting corruption was the fulcrum of the General Murtala Mohammed take-over, it was an indication of the misdemeanour in the system. Worst still, 10 of the 12 military governors during his regime, were found guilty of corruption.

The likes of second republic governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; former senator, Mr. Femi Okurounmu; Founder of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun and many others corroborated Sagay’s position. They argued that there were issues of corruption in Nigeria under Gowon.

The takeaway from the trending debate is that corruption has been a recurring decimal in the political evolution of Nigeria. Though successive administrations and their arrowheads may nurture a genuine intention to curb it, hardly has any government really succeeded.

Records have it that between 1960 and 1966, under Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa’s tenure, and 1966, under Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi, while there were allegations, there were little concrete evidence of corruption, but between 1966 and 1975, when Gowon was at the helm of affairs, corruption started becoming an issue of public concern.

However, from 1975 through 1976, when Muhammed was in the saddle, there was noticeable zero tolerance for corruption and indiscipline. It is believed that his assassination was not unconnected with his fight against the growing scourge.

But by the time Obasanjo came on board between 1976 and 1979, corruption started taking a place of prominence in the scheme of things. Leadership among some

started meaning owning multi-million dollar property around the world.

Matters came to a head between 1979 and 1983 under President Shehu Shagari, considered one of the weakest leaders, whose tenure permitted so much loopholes that allowed government functionaries to loot public funds and properties.

During his first coming as military ruler between 1984 and 1985, President Muhammadu Buhari had zero tolerance for corruption, indolence and indiscipline. Corrupt politicians were jailed a minimum of 100 years in prison, beneficiaries of corruption still lurked in the corner.

From then on, till date, it’s been stories of woe for Nigeria and Nigerians. Under General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, corruption gained freedom. He freed all the corrupt politicians jailed by Buhari. Public servants had field days looting. At a point, about $12 billion mysteriously disappeared.

General Sani Abacha’s era was worse. Several billions of dollars were taken from the nation’s treasury in his five-year rule. His successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar fared no better as the foreign reserves under him plummeted rapidly a few days to his hand-over to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Obasanjo’s second tenure had its share of corruption or alleged mismanagement of public funds, even though his administration as a civilian took more conscious effort than any before and after it to contain corruption.

But his government spent about $16 billion dollars on power projects without much improvement on electricity supply to the country. Another N300 billion earmarked for road projects did not translate to good roads across the nation.

Late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s ill-health did not allow him enough time and energy to fight corruption, but his successor, former President Goodluck Jonathan, has been under massive scrutiny that is revealing a lot of corrupt acts were allegedly committed under his watch.

In what ranked as the highest disappearance of public funds in Nigeria’s history, in the build-up to the 2015 election, about N2.6 trillion were allegedly moved from the public purse. His former aides are regular visitors at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) offices nationwide.

While that has been the summary of corruption outlook in Nigeria, a chronological ordering of ‘Corruption in Nigeria: A Historical Perspective (1947-2002) by Rina Okonkwo, based on the work of George Ayittey as presented by Emeka Okafor, noted that “Africans in the public service seeks to further their own financial interest,” and that as early as 1947, commissions of inquiry were held to investigate cases of corruption.

The discovery of rampant corruption in affairs of the Igbo-Etiti district council in May 1954, just seventeen months after it was set up, attests to the long presence of corruption in Nigeria.

Appalled by the discoveries, the colonial officer, who conducted the inquiry, FP Cobb, said back then that “public indignation was widespread and strong.” He was obviously outraged at the corrupt behaviour of their representatives.

The report on Igbo-Etiti district council revealed that there was “systematic corruption” in the appointment and promotion of staff and in the awarding of contracts.

Bribes of L80 to L100 were demanded for unnecessary appointments.

The brother of the Secretary to the District Council was hired above a more qualified applicant. In one case, a man paid a L400 bribe to secure a post and was never refunded his money when he did not get the job.

Contractors routinely paid ten per cent of the value of the contract as bribe. The contracts were not awarded to the lowest bidder or to the most experienced or competent persons.

At the end of its first seventeen months of existence, the Igbo-Etiti District Council was L6000 in debt. There was great wasting of public money due to “gross dishonesty in handling council affairs.”

Even where Gowon did not make adequate ‘retirement plan’ for himself by eschewing corruption, boasting that there was no corruption under him is simply ‘holier than thou’ taken too far. Judging from the above scenario in 1954, would he say all those responsible for the Etiti council mismanagement have all been dealt with? Are there no more corrupt elements in the system? The answer is that the scourge of corruption has been in Nigeria since a long time.

Words of the 47th Vice-President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, Joe Biden, “Corruption is a cancer: a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity; already-tight national budgets, crowding out important national investments. It wastes the talent of entire generations. It scares away investments and jobs,” aptly capture where Nigeria stands today.

There have been series of suggestions on how best Nigeria can address this major problem setting it back.

Part of it is that the anti-corruption and other security institutions should be strengthened to effectively carry out their functions, devoid of petty politics of affiliation and nepotism. Also, the legal framework should be fashioned in a way that guarantees justice delivery.

Another suggestion is that those apprehended for corruption-related offences should be strictly punished as deterrence to others.

Though the present leadership under President Buhari has continued to talk about its interest in combating corruption, the inbuilt corrupt system, weak institutional framework, less than active legal system and the structural imbalance in Nigeria have all combined to slow down the gains hence government would have to do more to ensure a corruption-free Nigeria.

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Fayemi

Olusola

ForEkiti,It’saTwo-horseRace!

Although there are a few other candidates from other political parties, who are equally on the ballot for the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, the battle is unarguably between Peoples Democratic Party’s Kolapo Olusola and All Progressives Congress’ Kayode Fayemi. Victor Ogunje reports

O

n July 14, 2018, the Ekiti electorate will file out to elect a leader that will determine and manage their collective destiny for the next four years. The clash is going to be a game of ego and it will be highly exhilarating and intriguing, because many factors will come to play in shaping the outcome of the election.

The incumbent governor, Ayodele Fayose, will be fighting two battles in this election. He will be grappling to make the People Democratic Party (PDP) exert its stranglehold on Ekiti under his continuity agenda. He would also fight to prevent a colossal crash into political oblivion after his eventful reign.

In a brisk manner, which suggests that Fayose was ready for the electoral rumble, he had seen his deputy, Prof Kolapo Olusola, through the throes of primary and his continuity agenda seems to have enjoyed a boost. The governor will also be striving hard to remain relevant after his exit from the exalted governorship seat, since his party is no longer in charge at the centre.

The aggregate of the foregoing makes the impending poll looks titanic and a must-win for Fayose, who had posed as the most vociferous critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

Again, the APC will also be fighting for reckoning.

Former governor and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, sees the poll as a veritable window to fight for space and relevance at home. By his body language, the minister may also take a pound of flesh, having suffered hypnotising defeat in his political trajectory in Fayose’s hands in 2014.

Most importantly, the outcome of the 2014 elicited dissenting views. Fayose was of the opinion that his electrifying popularity brought him the resounding triumph. On the other hand, Fayemi and his backers alleged that the PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan deployed federal might to rout the former governor in the election.

The APC had been resolute in its accusation that military and police were used to perpetrate electoral fraud. All these are issues that are waiting for resolution and the final verdict is being awaited with the results that will be declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, whichever way one perceives the election, it is going to be a two-horse race. It is going to be a straight

fight between Fayemi of the APC and Olusola of the PDP. Though other parties are going to parade heavyweights for the polls, structures, people’s perspectives and antecedents of candidates as well as that of parties, are strong denominators in where the pendulum will swing this July.

The Labour Party is fielding a former deputy governor, Dr. Sikiru Lawal; the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may end up fielding former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Dare Bejide, while the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) has Rev. Tunde Afe as its candidate.

These three candidates are grassroots politicians with sound records that can attract electoral fortunes. But the mind-set of Ekiti electorate, which records showed, were only attached to the two dominant parties since the advent of democracy in 1999, may impede them from making remarkable showings in this contest.

The manner in which Fayemi and Olusola emerged gave potent indications that no one can be underrated in politics.

Putting it succinctly, the duo didn’t get their tickets on a platter. Fayemi as a serving minister controls APC structures in all the 177 wards being the major financier since 2014.

Olusola, on the other hand, enjoys the backing of Fayose, an avowed grassroots politician with staggering retail attraction.

In spite of these factors, the twosome worked very tirelessly before they could get their tickets. While Fayemi found a strong runner up in former governor Segun Oni, ex- Minister of Works, Dayo Adeyeye, was a hard nut to crack for Olusola and his godfather, Fayose. All these attested to the fact that the next election seems unpredictable as of now.

The two sides have something good going for them and they also have their weaknesses. Fayemi, a scholar with overwhelming carriage and charisma, is a former governor, who performed creditably well while in the saddle of governance in Ekiti. During his years in Ekiti, he executed landmark projects that touched the lives of every citizen directly and this might put him in a vantage position.

Without exaggerating his prowess for exemplary leadership, the minister executed at least two projects in each of the 133 towns in the state. That was why it took many by surprise, when he failed in getting the much sought after second term. But he could bank on these projects to ease his re-election this time round.

Fayemi’s operation renovate all schools, where over 800 public schools were face-lifted, the social security scheme, where 25,000 indigent elderly were put in monthly safety

net of N5,000 stipend, urban renewal in Ado Ekiti, 12,000 capacity state pavilion, five kilometre roads in all the 16 councils, the new governor’s lodge on Oke Ayoba Hill, the food bank programme, Youth in Agriculture (YCAD), Peace Corps and many others numerous to mention are still fresh in people’s memories and may be of immense help in marketing him for another term.

During Fayemi’s reign in Ekiti, he enjoyed good working relationship with international organisations like the African Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, British Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rockley Feller Foundation, United Nations Educational and Socio Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and many others.

At various times, these organisations collaborated with the state government in the execution of multi-million dollar projects in the areas of agriculture, health, tourism and road constructions.

Despite being an opposition figure, Fayemi worked seamlessly with the Jonathan government. It was during his period that many federal projects like the ongoing Federal Secretariat Complex, the Federal High Court, Central Bank of Nigeria and many others were approved for Ekiti. He didn’t perceive governance from the prism of politics alone and that accounted for his legacy performance in the state.

Fayemi also networked with his friends within and outside Nigeria to expose several opportunities that were abound in Ekiti to the global scene. More than two occasions, Fayemi brought the then Ghanaian President, Dr. John Mahama, to deliver lectures at convocation ceremonies organised by Ekiti State University (EKSU).

This, according to him, was targeted at making the university to sign Memorandum of Understanding with other great ivory towers beyond the chores of the country for academic breakthrough. He also had hitch-free relationships with some Kenyan and Cuban experts in exposing the Ikogosi Warm Spring to global reckoning.

Also going for him is the fact that APC, which seems divided by the primary are gradually closing ranks. APC bigwigs and aspirants like Segun Oni, Opeyemi Bamidele, Bimbo Daramola, Kayode Ojo, Gbenga Aluko, Bamidele Faparusi, Femi Bamisile and other influential persons like Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu, Chief Jide Awe, Mrs. Kemi Olaleye, Hon Ife Arowosoge, Senator Tony Adeniyi, Hon Karounwi Oladapo and other top party hierarchy are already drumming supports for Fayemi.

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CICERO/REPORT t‘FOR EKITI, IT’S A TWO-HORSE RACE! Continued from Pg. 66 However, the support might not have come naturally, because the primary created serious cleavages in APC. But Fayemi walked his talk that he was not as arrogant as they portrayed him, by visiting all other contenders at their homes barely 12 hours after the primary to crave their supports and this seems to be working for him. His campaign will also be buoyed by federal government’s backing and strong financial war chest.

As lofty as his achievements seemed, Fayemi was perceived by many, particularly the grassroots and middle class as too elitist and aloof to operate in a closed and agrarian society like Ekiti. Sadly enough, the minister’s acceptability was too abysmal within these strata, which represented over 75 per cent of the voters. This is believed to have accounted for why his re-election was rejected in 2014.

Another stump Fayemi would have to scale is how to convince the civil servants, teachers and local government staff that he was not on a vengeance mission. Though in his acceptance speech, he was categorical that the mission was to reclaim the state from the claws of those he described as plunderers, he needed more than ordinary speech to make the message percolate deeper into their minds. The fact that Fayemi introduced rural and core subjects’ allowances for teachers have not aligned the teachers’ perceptions to the reality that he was their friend.

The teachers, who operate cult-like in terms of voting, are still nursing the fear that the minister may reintroduce the controversial Teachers’ Development Needs Assessment (TDNA), which generated furore in his first term.

Many of them believed they will be shoved out of the system with this appraisal test, though Fayemi had vehemently denied this. Despite this denial, it remains an element of suspicion the former governor would have to defuse to shore up his acceptability. But his shortcomings regardless and in spite of the fact that he lost in 2014, Fayemi is still generally regarded as the best governor the state has ever produced.

On his part, however, Olusola is a newcomer in politics. He was drafted into the game in 2014 due to his father’s closeness to Fayose. He was with the thinking that he would leave Oke Bareke Government House with his boss on October 16, 2018, before the clarion call came and he was ready to answer it. He may not be popular but he has the backing of the governor, who remains an overwhelming politician in today’s Ekiti. The fact that Fayose had succeeded in defeating two incumbent governors attests to his importance on the turf.

Fayose, being a smart politician had promptly realised that the fight was between him and Fayemi and he never relented in ensuring that his much touted continuity mantra scales the hurdles. In the first instance, the two-term governor played a crafty game by picking Olusola as the governorship candidate from Ikere Ekiti, the second most populous town.

Again, he dexterously picked the deputy, Kazeem Ogunsakin, from Ado Ekiti. Ogunsakin, former Chairman of Ado Local Government, is a Muslim. In actual fact, the Muslims now see the contest as theirs and consider this chance as one that should not slip off their fingers.

Ekiti is presently financially challenged.

In spite of this, Fayose has been able to execute some projects that will be of advantage to him in his campaign. He has done dualisation projects in 10 local government headquarters. The flagship of his programmes is the flyover he built in the capital city.

He also constructed a new Judiciary Complex, the Funmilayo Olayinka Women’s Development Centre, a new governor’s office and his much patronised stomach infrastructure policy is operational. These may be a good campaign points for the PDP in this election.

The governor has always been a clever person. Few months to the election, he set up a judicial panel to probe his predecessor and part of the recommendations was

Bejide

Lawal

Fayose

Afe

that Fayemi should be barred for 10 years from holding public office. He had also consistently scandalised the minister of leaving behind huge debts and this he said has been a burden on the state and form part of his inability to pay salaries, even when he has borrowed more than Fayemi.

The six local governments from the Ekiti south senatorial districts perceive Fayose as having hearkened to their agitations and that time was ripe for them to produce the governor. He had enlisted some traditional rulers to preach the gospel, which they are doing with vigour. Olusola is from the region while Fayemi is from the North.

The votes from that zone may sway victory for the deputy governor, if proper counter

moves were not made from the APC. As politically savvy as Fayose is, he would have herculean task in convincing the Ekiti electorate why he has failed to pay salaries. As of now, the civil servants, local government and pensioners were owed between four and eight month arrears.

The 2016 leave bonuses were just paid recently. And Ekiti being a monolithic civil service economy relies on the civil service structure for survival. This problem has affected every facet of the state and people are groaning on daily basis as a result of the fallout of this snag. So, Fayemi may catch in on this to wreak serious havoc on the PDP. No one can claim that there is no

crisis in APC; that of the PDP looks more convoluted. Adeyeye, after losing the PDP primary had resigned membership of the party. He was poised on contesting the election on another platform and if this fails, he may want to return to APC, being a former Publicity Secretary of Afenifere. This may be a fatal blow to Fayose.

As things stand today, no one can predict where the pendulum will swing and the two sides are determined to go the whole hog to win the election.

How judicious they are in applying those favourable parameters and prevent their areas of disadvantages from taking a toll will help in determining who wins the diadem in the end.

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CICERO/REPORT

Refocusing the Debate on Restructuring of Nigeria The recent Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Lecture offers a political economist and entrepreneur, Obiora Okonkwo, an opportunity to offer fresh perspectives on restructuring, writes Iyobosa Uwugiaren

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enue: Princess Alexandra Auditorium, the 2,000-capacity hall at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The hall was chock-full to capacity, with 20 professors, senior academic/ non-academic staff members and students in attendance.

And by the time the lecture, which lasted over one hour, was over, the Guest Lecturer, an entrepreneur and political economist, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, received a thundering standing ovation from the huge audience.

With a military-drum-rolling-voice, Dr. Okonkwo held his audience down with insightful analysis of the topic: “The Value of Diversity: Restructuring to Save Nigeria’’ throughout the lecture. And taking all-inclusive look at the unfolding socio-political and economic happenings in Nigeria, he submitted that until the country is restructured -- in way that delivers the best services to the citizens, it will not make any evocative progress.

The holder of Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Political Economic blamed the nation’s woes on inability to manage its diversity, saying the Nigerian diversity is such a huge pool of talent waiting to be unleashed in an environment that recognises and rewards talent and know-how.

Apparently making reference to the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and others, he said in the past, some political parties promised restructuring and even had it in their manifesto stating that the ‘’fear of the unknown’’ forced them to drop them.

“We cannot continue to live in fear of the unknown. Even the leviathan can, and should, be confronted. Nigerians must henceforth demand, and hold those they elect, accountable for the progress made, Okonkwo or not made, towards restructuring the country in a way that delivers the best services to them’’, the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stated.

“My fears however, is that if we fail to do this, we shall still operate a system where leadership is for the fittest and mightiest. If we allow that to remain, we would gradually walk back into the Hobbesian state of nature where life is brutish, nasty and short.’’

He added, “None of us want to bequeath such a country to our children. We look forward to handing over a country where, like Hegel said, citizens are happy even to sacrifice their lives for the state. This must be a state where their rights are respected and defended and where they fulfil their obligations because they have found love within the borders.’’

Attracting thundering-ovation from the active audience, Dr. Okonkwo added that failure to restructure will mean ‘’annihilation’’, saying not restructuring will be akin to pressing down a spring, explaining further that the spring will remain down so long as you stay down with it.

Hear his anecdote: “If you let your hands slip, it springs up with such a force that may even blind you. If we fail to restructure therefore, we may have inadvertently worked for the eclipse of Nigeria by the next millennium. Like they say, a stitch in time saves nine.’’

Rather than a curse – as argued by some political experts, he stated that the ‘’Nigerian diversity’’ is such a huge pool of talent waiting to be unleashed in an environment that recognises and rewards talent and know-how, further explaining that failure to do these fuel the call for restructuring behind, which is the veiled call for appreciation of talents and unbundling of the systems that operate to free Nigeria and make her grow.

Amidst huge fear by some political leaders in the northern part of the country that restructuring would break up the country, the Anambra State-born politician argued that when Nigerians call for restructuring, they are in essence telling themselves that they do not understand why their country is not developing at the speed at which others are developing.

He added: “The 1960s is not the 2018s. In the 60s, the number of Nigerians travelling abroad was limited to a privileged few.

In fact, going abroad then was seen as a huge achievement.

Today, Nigerians just hop into a plane and fly out to foreign lands. What they see when they travel challenge them to ask

why their country is not catching up.

“They come back home to ask questions and get no answers. How would any one explain the fact that the Dubai we all know today was a desert in the 1980s? Yet, the Lagos which experienced developmental touch much earlier is nothing near it? ‘’How does anyone explain to Nigerians that the good things of life that they enjoy abroad are not yet possible in their country? How do you tell younger Nigerians that governmental systems elsewhere work but their own cant?’’

He further argued that until the country unbundle the governmental system and unleash the powers of its diversity on development, the nation might not really achieve its collective dreams, while it will continue to struggle until it agrees to unbundle the federation and allows the component units, whatever it is called, to tap into their local talents and endowments to grow.

He said the country should remain a third-world nation if it does not appreciate the value that its diversity adds to the development and growth.

As a businessman, the guest lecturer further agued that restructuring is a process of ‘’rejigging a failing enterprise to bring it back to profitability.’’

Stressing that restructuring had become a national appeal whose time has come, he advised Nigerians to ensure that it is made a major campaign issue in the 2019 election.

“In this regard, our advance toward the next general elections must take into cognisance the need to restructure our polity and make it work effectively for the people. This is where the people, me and you, who desire to live as members of this State, should begin to demand from their political leaders, strong commitment towards restructuring’’, he further submitted.

“This should now be the battle the people must undertake to create the sort of society that they desire. We must now demand that from our politicians as condition for being voted.”

Raising posers to guide those for and against restructuring, Dr. Oknokwo, like many other Nigerians, wants to know why the southeast for instance, has only five States, while the northwest has seven and all others have six each.

Worrying that a few people may all not be convinced about the import of his poser, he argued that in a representative democracy, it means a lot: five states for the south east translate to 15 Senators for the southeast. On the other hand, seven states for the northwest means 21 senators for the northwest, while other geopolitical zones have 18 each.

He stated, ‘’Is this the meaning of equity and balance? Do not forget that States are the basic units for sharing national revenue.’’

Going further a bit, Dr. Okonkwo added he was at a loss as to why of the 774 constitutionally approved local government areas in Nigeria, the southeast has a total of 95, while the northwest has 186 local government areas; the northeast has 113 while the south-south region has 125 and the south-west has 137 and the north-central region comes in with 112 local councils. ‘’Thus far, no one has explained to the southeast people why this sort of structure exists. Also, no one has been able to justify this reality. The pain of this situation comes home when one realizes that revenue allocation and development planning are often times, based on population’’, he explained. ‘’The simple explanation for the skewed revenue allocation that we currently have will be that the population is more in places where there are more local governments. It therefore means that if each local government in Nigeria were to get a primary school, the Southeast will get one that is not proportional to what the northwest zone gets. ‘’Yet, our constitution opens with the statement “we the people of Nigeria having agreed to… I ask, did the southeast agree to subjugate itself in this manner or some people agreed to subjugate it?’’

Bringing his argument home further, he said that in a recent recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Police Force, each local government in Nigeria was allowed only 10 recruits, saying the implication of this is that while Bayelsa State had only 90 recruits, Kano had 440 recruits.

His worry: ‘’If the numbers are pruned every year at 10 persons from each state, in nine years, Bayelsa State will have no person in the Police while Kano will still have some 350 persons. Why wouldn’t Kano have more candidates for consideration as IGP than Bayelsa? Do you see why we must restructure?’’

Speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Chukwuma Ozumba, saluted the insightful academic paper of the guest lecturer, saying the university had always intermarried social interactions with academics.

He thanked the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences for reminding them through the lecture series “the days of Profs Ikenna Nzimiro, Eteng, and Miriam Ikejiani-Clarke, when we used to abandon our lectures to go to listen to lectures delivered by outsiders here. At a point, they even brought Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.”

Represented by Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof Charles Igwe, he emphasised that in UNN they interface the town and gown to enhance everything about intellectualism.

The profile the guest lecturer shows that Okonkwo holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Political Science, with distinction, from the Russian Academy of Science, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Moscow.

He earned a Master of Science Degree in Economics, also with distinction, from the Russian Peoples Friendship University in Moscow. He made first class in economics from the Russian Peoples Friendship University in Moscow.

His thesis on The Role of Nigeria Civil Society in Transition to Civil Rule earned him his doctorate in 1999 and became a reference study at the Russian Academy of Science, Institute of World Economy and International Relations while his Master’s Degree thesis was on Corporate Strategic Planning and Methods. It was published in Moscow in 1994. He published Engaging the Nigerian Diaspora for National Development in New York, USA in 2005, with another work titled Turning the Nigerian Brain Drain into Brain Gain, which was published in Accra, Ghana in 2007. In 2013, he published yet another work titled Citizen Election and Expectation: The Role of Religious Groups in Politics.

An entrepreneur of repute, Okonkwo is the Chairman of The Dome Entertainment Center, Nigeria’s iconic entertainment and hospitality hub, among several other businesses in Nigeria and overseas with over 600 persons on his employ.

He also sits on the board of several other blue chip companies.

Okonkwo is widely travelled and honoured including the Knight of the Order of King Leopold, bestowed on him by the Kingdom of Belgium, Ugegbe Igbo, Dikeora Idemili and Inwele Ogidi Inwele amongst others.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Ucha: APC Congresses, a Coup against Buhari Senator Julius Ali Ucha was a two-term senator for Ebonyi Central zone between 2003 and 2011 and later the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in 2015. In this interview with Benjamin Nworie, he said the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress led by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, lacks the constitutional right to coordinate and superintend over the party’s congresses. Excerpts:

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our party, the All Progressives Congress, last week, conducted ward congresses across the states. How did you see the exercise?

Our great party, the APC slated our party ward congress all over the country. This is what we had expected over the years and it came eventually, last Saturday in Ebonyi State. We were expecting an unbiased state congress committee. Fundamentally, congressional election is anchored on quick sand. I say this because when you give your trust on illegality, it is a tendency that trust founded on illegality will eventually collapse.

What is happening today is like a civilian coup against the teeming supporters of APC in Nigeria and also against the leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari. I say this and I’m serious about it. We have an NWC that expires in June, 2018 and these members of NWC want to contest. The national convention committee was put in place, and members of the NWC, who are also going to contest for their various offices, are now driving the process, to jettison the convention. That is why I call it a civilian coup against the system.

These party officials at the national secretariat are now judges in their own course. They are the people who have put in place the structures that are called congress committees that will elect delegates that will elect them. It is in contravention of the Electoral Act, party constitution and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It’s only in animal kingdom that a situation like that can arise, not in a civil society, Ucha not in a human society, not when there is a government, in trying to bring the state leadership, whose tenure has expired to comply with the illegality put in place.

What they have done was to direct congress committees to reach out to the state Exco whose tenures have expired, so they go to a state whose chairman‘s tenure has expired and handover congress material to him. That’s an illegality and these people whose tenures have expired also have intention to contest and you give him material, provide structures that will go to the ward and perform the work of ward congress committee.

Was the said illegality or otherwise of the National Working Committee responsible for the violence in most states?

You are emphasising the obvious. We don’t have two National Working Committees in the APC, even the crisis in Ebonyi, Oyegun orchestrated it. To be frank, those of you who know me, whatever I said here, I will repeat it over and over and I will hold unto it and I can say it one million times. I am making a revelation and I have witnesses. When Ebonyi crisis was coming up, we went to Oyegun’s house to reach an understanding and he said Ebonyi people let me tell you the hard truth and he said ‘all the documents I have indicate that you people conducted one of the best congresses in Ebonyi State in 2014.

The handover note from Bisi Akande also consents that but people are mounting pressure. Oyegun was seated with Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State during that meeting and Oyegun said ‘this is the position, this is the truth but you know I am a politician, don’t say it anywhere because if you say it I will deny you’. I told him National Chairman, I will say it anywhere with microphone, I will announce it in town hall and market places in Ebonyi State that the National Chairman has told us the truth about Ebonyi State.

I told him Mr. National Chairman, we are all Catholics, I receive Holy Communion and you receive Holy Communion.

Catholic is the custodian of the Universal truth and you cannot tell me that you told me the truth and you said I should not

Apart from that, it will be difficult for you to do the proper thing. The chairman of the committee told me that he was in the CP’s office that he will get back to me, up till now, he has not gotten to me. And as we speak the committee has not conducted any congress in Ebonyi State.

The committee has not put the structure in place to conduct the ward congresses. That’s why on our own, seeing that the committee was not here to conduct congresses, but to call some people to say look I allocate four wards to you, I allocate three wards for you. I said look, this is to disenfranchise the teeming supporters of APC and create an impression that these pure supporters are idiot, who have no rights to vote. So, what we did was that we have the people we nominated – three persons as congress committee. We used them to conduct congresses all over the wards in the state.

INEC visited them and saw our men conducting congresses. They monitored it.

But the state congress committee adopted consensus in exercise. Consensus does not suggest that a congress committee will be sitting in judgment and compelling people to say you will take these numbers of wards, that is not what consensus says. Consensus means that stakeholders will return to their wards and there will be a ward congress. While the process is on, people agree the way to do the consensus. It is not one like one man in majestic authority to stay in a place and say I have chosen this people to lead us. Socrates said you are a leader, when the people have agreed to go with you.

announce it to other people. I told him there that if this is the way our APC should be conducted, why do we criticize the PDP? Ikechi Emenike of Abia State was also with us during the meeting.

Engineer Peter was there too.

So, if the National Chairman should tell us not to tell others the truth he told us, you can now see that the South African popular saying that the witch cried at night, the child died in the morning – you can see the obvious connection or disconnection, the situation we the APC have found ourselves in the hands of people, who wouldn’t want us to spread the message of truth.

Truth is God and God is truth, I will spread the message of truth.

I feel that what happening is unethical, inhuman, it’s intended to create coarse in the system and that’s what is happening. This action of NWC members has endangered the democratic process and that’s why there is uproar all over the place. There is violence all over the place. Indeed, their action has thrown the party into anarchy, where there is lawlessness, because people are not given the freedom to choose who will be their party leaders. So, when people because of their selfish interest decide to hijack a system, yes, instead of leaving the system because they are not wanted, decide to destroy the system. So, what the NWC member are doing is to destroy the APC institution all over the country.

How was the congress conducted in Ebonyi?

In Ebonyi State, we were told that the congress committee arrived in the state but we didn’t see anybody. We were told again that they were operating from Enugu State. I told the chairman of the congress committee that there are two secretariats of APC in Ebonyi State. If you are given directives, to go to a particular place and u went to a particular office, he should have asked questions.

There are two functional offices of APC. What they should have asked the stakeholders was to get a hotel accommodation for them so that they will be neutral. That was what Mrs. Adesola Ndu did in 2014. When you do that, you have not offended anybody. People will be happy and ask leaders of the two groups to send two or three names so you will use it to build your ward congress committees.

What is happening today is like a civilian coup against the teeming supporters of APC in Nigeria and also against the leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari. I say this and I’m serious about it. We have an NWC that expires in June, 2018 and these members of NWC want to contest. The national convention committee was put in place, and members of the NWC, who are also going to contest for their various offices, are now driving the process, to jettison the convention. That is why I call it a civilian coup against the system

Do you think the results of your factional congress will be accepted?

We have conducted our congress and we are going to present it to the party, we are going to present our results to the national leadership of our party, because what they were asked to do was to conduct formal congresses, not to stay in a place and begin to call people to say come, you will take two wards, you will take three wards. If people take such wards, where are the voters?

This will further diminish the fortunes of the party in the South-east. We must carry the people along. I said if you want to have a structure that will win election in every state, what do you do? Every ward has 27-man Exco. If you have 27-man EXCO in a ward and you have a ward that has 9 booths, on the day of election, you will be having three agents from them. You will not have problem looking for agents on the day of election. We are talking about electoral process. Our democracy will not continue to be fledgling.

Our democracy should grow but selfish interest people have not allowed our democracy to grow. Some of us who are democratic are clamouring let the system be allowed to function effectively. I am not against any member of the NWC but whatever they are doing should be done through a legal process.

You will not be in a system and compel people to vote for you, be the one to elect the delegates that will elect you. This is unfair now.

Don’t you think that the skirmishes in the party worsened by the crises from the congress will affect the party in the forthcoming general election?

Well, I do not want to put the cart before the horse. When the new leadership of the APC emerges, there will begin process of reconciliation to bring the people together and to do the proper thing, they won’t allow this type of colossal destruction of the electoral system in congressional election to go on.

I am using this opportunity to call on President Buhari to intervene to save the party from this onslaught by the NWC members who have captured the party as personal enterprise, to give our teeming supporters in the party hope that democracy is still an institution that we will have confidence in.

But people are saying if not properly handled, the crises arising from the APC congresses may mark the end of the party. Do you agree?

Yes, we have crises at hand, because people who are supposed to have left have sworn to destroy the institution that made them what they are. I have said it that God has a way of intervening in this type of situation. Don’t forget that Nigeria is a country that has the capacity of self-mechanism that saves itself and when it evolves, what you think is wrong and might inflict severe injury on Nigeria. God’s intervention will make wholesome and give it a purpose, which Nigeria will become stronger. I think APC will certainly become stronger because a new relationship will certainly emerge that God himself will sanitise the direction and purpose.

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PERSPECTIVE

Senate’s Major Boost for Primary Health Care Chuks Okocha

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popular clichĂŠ has it that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. That is to say that health is indeed wealth and it resonates that any responsible government will ensure that all necessary laws and policies are put in place towards enhancing access to healthcare by citizens.

A good healthcare delivery system in Nigeria will not only help in bringing to an end medical tourism but will reduce the depletion of scare foreign exchange in the country. As part of their core legislative duties, federal lawmakers have made issues of efficient and effective health service to citizens become a priority in the agenda of the National Assembly.

This explains why the 8th National Assembly under the chairmanship of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has been championing the campaign that one per cent (1%) of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) be set aside in the 2018 Budget and subsequent budgets to boost the provision of Basic Primary Healthcare Services across the country.

This budgetary intervention in critical sectors is not new as it has been done in the past with the establishment of the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) where a percent of the consolidated revenue is reserved for the funding and development of the education sector. The reason for this is to help tackle the rot in the education sector. Not only from the consolidated revenue, a percentage of profits recorded by private companies goes towards the rehabilitation of the education sector.

The National Assembly’s decision to reserve one percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to boost the Basic Primary Healthcare was disclosed by Saraki in his address at the 58th Annual General and Scientific Conference of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), The Senate President explained that the amount would enable the Federal Government provide and fund quality and basic healthcare services for the benefit of Nigerians when the 2018 Appropriation Bill becomes law.

The Senate President who is also a medical doctor, reiterated his earlier position when the delegation led by the NMA President visited him last week at the National Assembly. Saraki insisted that Primary and Universal Health Care provision will remain key issues on the legislative agenda of the 8th Senate under his leadership. “It is a promise that we have made to Nigerians, and one that we are determined to keep. In July last year, I launched the

Saraki Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage; and urged the Federal Government to honour the Abuja Declaration (2001), while calling for full implementation of the National Health Act 2014, which – as some of you will recall - I helped formulate during the 7th Senate. “Therefore, there is no better place than here today, to announce that the issue of funding will be attended to in our budgetary review of the 2018 Appropriations Bill. The Senate has, with the cooperation of the House of Representatives, resolved to mandate our Committees on Appropriations to ensure that the pledge to set aside 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) is met. “This would be the underpinning for a legislative framework

for the BHCPF and revitalisation of primary health care delivery across the nation. It will happen, and it is imminent,� he said.

Saraki disclosed that the Nigerian health sector especially Primary Health Care, has not been adequately attended to, in terms of the standard medical and infrastructural resources needed for the preservation and advancement of citizens’ lives and the economy.

This, he explained, ‘is regrettable’ because it has retarded progress in the healthcare provision of Nigeria. He explained that at the centre of these issues is funding – or specifically, the lack of funding. “Once this 1 per cent is put into law, we as legislators will embark on the next stage, which will be to ensure that we get value for money, by ensuring transparency in the use of the funds,� he stated.

The President of the Senate further decried situation where Nigeria ranks amongst the top countries whose citizens regularly travel outside its shores in search of medical treatment and support. He lamented that the country loses over $1bn annually to medical tourism which is untenable and unsustainable. “Some countries even go to great lengths to streamline certain aspects of their health policies specifically for Nigerians. It is a damning indictment of what we have not been able to provide for our own citizens in this country, such that a great number of our citizens feel they have to go elsewhere, at great cost to the individual and collective purse,� he said.

Saraki expressed optimism that with Nigeria’s upward review in the Ease of Doing Business index, coupled with the right government support, Public Private Partnership (PPP) would yield a positive result for the nation’s medical system by reversing the trend of medical tourism. “In addition, we must find a way to reverse another negative trend in the system, which is the gradual loss of our doctors and brightest brains to foreign medical institutions. This drain in medical expertise is plain to see, and should be a major concern for all of us. In acknowledging the feats and strides of our citizens in the diaspora, we must also recognise the need to build, harness and sustain local content. We cannot achieve our collective goals as a people without developing this country to the point where we are self-sufficient. “Let me assure you all that we in the National Assembly are always focused toward policies that positively affect the lives of the average Nigerian. In so doing, amongst other duties, we seek to provide not just the legislative framework but the political will for institutions such as yours to get things done,� he said –––Okocha is a Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media.

Osun State and Ogunbiyi’s Leadership Nuggets

Dolapo Ojo

B

ehavioural theorists posit that leaders are made not born.

It is an assertion that is strengthened by the success stories of some top players in most sectors today.

With vision, passion and commitment, they weathered the storm to excel in one of the most difficult socio-economic environments in

the globe.

The founder of Mutual Benefit Assurance, Dr. Akinade Ogunbiyi is one of those Nigerians, who have used the power of consistency and vision to emerge one of the innovative leaders of the moment.

Anyone conversant with his trajectory since he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife in 1986, won’t be amazed that he is at the peak of the ladder of success.

This feat which was attained within the period of three decades, saw Ogunbiyi distinguishing himself in business and a philanthropy.

His engagements resulted in not just job creation for more than 5000 people, but gestures that have given a direction to many.

He considers philanthropy a calling that deserves the kind of response other pursuits in life get.

This explains why he is replicating his business excellence in philanthropy. It is a mission deeply rooted in his passion for the impacting on humanity in many ways.

The serial entrepreneur, who is distinguished by the gift of identifying opportunities and creating values, has been constant in his race to change the society better than he met it.

This journey which started since his 1986 graduation from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, has seen him rising from an undergraduate, who specialised in Agricultural Insurance to a wealth creator with vast business interests.

Having founded and nurtured many successful enterprises, one is not surprised that he took to human capital development as a way of creating a generation of successful Nigerians.

This, he is achieving through the Arubiewe Educational Foundation which is committed to the promotion of secondary, tertiary and professional education.

Empirical evidences suggest that more than 100 people have received scholarships for various educational pursuits from the

foundation.

Of these awards, there were 10 graduates of the West Africa College of Insurance, Banjul, Gambia; 15 graduates from Chartered Institutes of Insurance and Management, Lagos, Nigeria; a postgraduate studies leading to the award of PHD in Architecture from University of Leeds, United Kingdom among others.

Currently 15 pupils who just finished primary school, are in Adeleke College, Ede, five undergraduates are in private universities while several others pursuing tertiary degree and professional education.

Apart from that, many examples exists to testify that Ogunbiyi, has through his business interests continued to empower this generation.

As the Group Chairman of Mutual Benefits Group- a conglomerate with nine subsidiaries, he employs many people in various value-adding sectors of the Nigerian economy. Ogunbiyi is the Chairman of the USIG, a real estate investment firm and Charles Enterprises LLC; both in the USA, and CIL (Inc) UK. He was the Chief Promoter/Founding Managing Director and Chief Executive of VTL Insurance Brokers Ltd from January 1993 to September 1995.

From January 1992 to December of the same year, he held the position of the Managing Partner/Chief Executive of Finance & Insurance Experts Limited, Lagos.

At NICON he held the positions of the Research and Planning Officer as well as Head of the Economic and Business Development Unit at different times.

Till date, he is reputed to have pioneered grass-roots insurance as catalyst for revenue gains, growth and expansion in the economies of catchment countries.

With this robust profile, no one was taken aback since his intention to govern Osun State became known.

Rather, there is a feeling of enthusiasm as many considered his private sector record a testimony to his capacity to lead.

His accomplishments suggest that his ambition is driven by the sheer desire to create wealth and add value to the Osun narrative.

Having successfully transformed businesses into highly profitable ventures, there is no doubt that he comes across as best suited for the job.

Although people like the Chief of Staff to Osun State governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Moshood Adeojo; an ex-Chief of Staff, Mr. Peter Babalola; and Ademola Adeleke, have indicated interest, Ogunbiyi leads the

Ogunbiyi pack.

His reputation as a resilient business manager and leading captain of industry place him ahead of others, who have indicated interest in his party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC. The most certain factor about Osun State if he is elected governor, is the prospect of an economically viable state. And such viability is what the state needs to harness its potentialities.

This why there is a consensus that his leadership skills matter so much in Osun at a time like this. ––Ojo a public affairs analyst writes from Ilesa

T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018

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THE ROYAL WEDDING THE ROYAL WEDDING THE ROYAL WEDDING

P

rince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot on Saturday at St George’s Chapel. They were proclaimed husband and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at a ceremony attended by 600 invited guests, including senior members of the royal family and celebrities, and watched by millions of people around the world.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot on Saturday at St George’s Chapel. They were proclaimed husband and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

Doria Ragland, Mother of the bride, inside St George’s Chapel

Prince Charles and wife, Camilla

Karen Gibson with Kingdom choir performs “Stand by me” at the Royal Wedding

Prince Charles walks Meghen Markle down aisle royal wedding to Prince Harry and beside him Prince William

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THE ROYAL WEDDING THE ROYAL WEDDING THE ROYAL WEDDING

Bishop Michael Bruce Curry, officiating priest

Serena Williams and Husband Alexis Ohanian

Oprah Winfrey

Idris Elba and friend

Victoria Beckham and David Beckham

Amal and George- Clooney

Royal Fans watch the couple lined the road to St George’s Chapel

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T H I S D AY ˾ SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018

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NEWSXTRA PDP Alleges Army, Police Aided Manipulation of Election Results t Allegations are baseless, says Army

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja andJohn Shiklamin Kaduna The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna state has accused the Nigerian army and the police for allegedly aiding in the

manipulation the results of the May 12 local government elections in the state.

In a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, the PDP alleged that during the elections, some government officials went to some local

governments with heavily armed policemen and soldiers, threatening, abducting and bribing returning officers to falsify the results.

The statement particularly accused the authorities of the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army,

Kaduna and the Kaduna state police command for allowing their men to help in perpetrating illegalities during the elections.

The statement signed by Abraham Catoh, spokesman of the PDP in the state, maintained

that elections were conducted peacefully in polling units where the electronic voting machines (EVM) were used, stressing that shortly before the election results were collated, two officials of the state government allegedly

DEEPENING INTERNAL PARTY DEMOCRACY Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right), with members of the All Progressives Congress Election Organising Committee. L-R: Mrs. Dupe Ajayi, Mr. Momoh Rabiu, Senator Uche Ekwunife and Mr. Kabir Ibrahim, during the state congress at the party secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos… yesterday

“went round some local government areas with heavily armed policemen and soldiers harassing, threatening, abducting and bribing returning officers.”

The statement alleged that the returning officers were bullied to falsify figures, change results and declare APC as the winners in those areas.

The PDP said: “In local government areas like Igabi, Giwa, Kaduna North, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Ikara, Birnin Gwari, Soba and Makarfi, the EVMs were not deployed to the polling units hence, no election took place, but surprisingly fake results were announced by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) and APC candidates were declared winners.

“Furthermore, in contravention of the provisions of Section 23 (2)(a)(b) of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission Law No. 2, 2018, which states that ‘the returning officer shall announce the results and declare the winner of Elections at Ward Collation Centre in the case of Councillorship Elections and Local Government Collation Centre in the case of Chairmanship election results from Kaduna North, Igabi, Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Lere, Kubau, Ikara, Soba, Makarfi, Sabon Gari, Kudan, Zaria, Kagarko and Sanga local government areas, were not announced at the Ward or Local Government areas as stipulated by the law.”

NAF, Shell Readies UAVs to Secure Oil Installations t New Mi-35M pummels terrorists in Borno, 2 female bombers neutralised

Senator Iroegbu inAbuja The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has expressed its readiness to partner Shell Companies in Nigeria by deploying its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to help secure the companies’ oil and gas pipelines as well as other critical oil installations in the Niger Delta.

This is to ensure that the maritime domain is safe for social and economic activities by preventing

oil-theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy, kidnapping and other forms of economic sabotage thereby helping to sustain the economic lifeline of Nigeria.

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, disclosed this weekend, while playing host to the Managing Director and Country Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. .Osagie Okunbor at the Headquarters NAF Abuja.

Abubakar noted that, over the years, the NAF had been actively involved in the security of oil pipelines, protection of critical national assets and general safety of the maritime environment.

According to him, the recent development of the capability to produce UAVs had enabled the NAF to induct an operational drone named Tsaigumi.

He further explained that the newly inducted UAV, which has

day and night capability, has an operational endurance in excess of 10 hours, a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a mission radius of 100km.

“The Tsaigumi could also be used for policing operations, disaster management, convoy protection, maritime patrol, pipeline and power line monitoring as well as mapping and border patrol duties”, the CAS added.

Speaking further, he stated that

the NAF was ready to partner Shell Companies in Nigeria to produce more of the Tsaigumi UAV, an option that would be more cost effective than importing drones from other countries.

He said this would help develop local content as well as save more foreign exchange for the country.

“Accordingly, the Service would be willing to send experts to Shell to make presentation on the capabilities of the Tsaigumi UAV

and explore mutually beneficial ways to better secure Shell facilities while further developing the NAF’s UAV capability”, Abubakar said.

The Air Force Chief also informed the visiting Managing Director about the agreement with the Kaduna State Government, which was to acquire UAVs for the NAF to help operate towards further securing the State.

House Keeps Mum on Controversial Transmission of PIGB to President

I’m on a Rescue Mission in C’River, Says Ibeshi

Aso Villa Chapel Presents Gov. Dickson a “Legacy Bible”

Ugo Aliogo

James Emejo inAbuja

Former national publicity secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party and governorship aspirant on the party’s platform, Emmanuel Ibeshi has said he is not only in the race to rescue the state from misrule but has concrete plans to reposition Cross River State as an entrepreneur state to empower the youths.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos recently, Ibeshi said his vision is to utilise areas like agriculture and tourism where the state has comparative advantages to restore the state to its past glory.

“My greatest vision for cross river is to turn it into an entrepreneurial state. Look at all the resources we have, both solid

The Aso Rock Chapel yesterday in Abuja honoured Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State with a presentation of a “Legacy Bible,” in appreciation of his propagation and deepening of the gospel, not only in Bayelsa State but throughout the nation. The chapel praised the governor for making the word of God the foundation of his government and urged other leaders to emulate him.

A press statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Francis Agbo said the “Legacy Bible” was presented to the Governor at the Bayelsa State Governor’s lodge by the leader of the delegation and chaplain of the Villa Chapel, Pastor Seyi Malomo.

The House of Representatives yesterday declined comment on the ongoing controversy over the fate of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), which had since been passed by both the Senate and the lower chamber of the National Assembly and said to be “awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Although, National Assembly sources have variously indicated that the legislative arm had done its part on an aspect of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which had been unbundled into four parts to simplify its complex form and ease consideration and passage, it is however, difficult to

ascertain whether the document had actually been transmitted to the presidency as currently insinuated.

Presidency sources have denied the PIGB is currently before Buhari.

THISDAY’s efforts to get the spokesman of the House, Hon. Abdulrasaq Namdas to provide clarification on the controversy were futile. Namdas, known for his pro-activeness in attacking and deflating contrary views to the position of the House on any issue, curiously declined to comment on the PIGB issue, raising suspicion that the bill, though passed by parliament, may not have been transmitted to Buhari for his assent.

agriculture and otherwise. Emphasise on the value chains of these products. Three quarters of state governments in Nigeria have not tapped into one per cent of monies available from donor agencies.

“And that is why you have a proliferation of NGOs turning back their money. If you look at what is going on, it is pathetic.

We have played politics for too long in this country, when are we going to have leadership, when we will begin to tap into resources and utilise them?

Justifying his decision to challenge the incumbent who is an ally, the former national publicity secretary said he was on a rescue mission to salvage the state from misrule and Cross River North from disgrace.

The chaplain said as a Christian, Dickson has shown exemplary leadership in the service of God and man. Pastor Malomo also said the governor was investing in the kingdom through his monthly Praise Night, Annual Thanksgiving to God and the construction of a magnificent 15,000-seater Ecumenical Centre which has become a cynosure of all eyes.

He said: “The Aso Villa Chapel has mandated us to present to you, this unique Bible called the Legacy Bible by the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN). This is presented to you specifically because of your Christian and spiritual activities towards the development of the gospel not only in Bayelsa State but in the entire nation. “

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APC STATE CONGRESSES....APC STATE CONGRESSES...APC STATE CONGRESSES...

APC Congresses: Several State Excos Return by Consensus t &M 3VGBJ CFSBUFT PQQPTJUJPO -BMPOH FOEPSTFT #VIBSJ

and sound health for the President to enable him drive the country to an enviable height.

By Our Correspondents

KADUNA

Several states yesterday returned the officials and executive members of the All Progressives Congress by consensus during the congresses of the ruling party, which took place nationwide.

AmongsuchstateswerePlateau,Niger,Borno,Bauchi,Abia,Kaduna Akwa Ibom, Edo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Cross River, Ogun and Imo.

PLATEAU In Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong yesterday disclosed that the people have generally endorsed President Muhammadu

Buhari as their preferred candidate for the 2019 presidential election and would not change their decision, adding that the state would vote massively for him in the coming election.

Lalong, who addressed delegates of the APC at Crest hotel, Jos, venue of the state congress, commended delegates for conducting themselves peacefully.

He said, “I want to assure the President that Plateau people have endorsed him for the 2019 presidential election and we will not change our decision; we will vote massively for the President to ensure that we return him to power.�

Lalong also called on Nigerians to continue to pray for wisdom

Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party does not know the meaning of honesty and integrity.

Speaking in an interview yesterday after the state congress of his party, the All Progressives Congress at the International Trade Fair Complex, Kaduna, the governor who was commenting on the conduct of the recent Local Government elections in the state, said the meaning of honesty, integrity and fairness has been taken from the vocabulary of the PDP in the last 16 years.

El-Rufaicommendedpartymembersfortheirperformanceduring the elections, saying “when we were planning for the elections, we made it clear that we are a party of justice; that we are not going to cheat in the elections.�

Speaking further, he said, “We went to extraordinary length to purchase the electronic voting machines, so that the elections will be free and fair. We did what the PDP has never done to any other party. We gave them what they don’t know, we gave them justice.

Unfortunately, even with that justice, they tried to cheat.

OGUN Meanwhile, the Ogun State chapter of the APC has elected the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on PoliticalAffairs,ChiefDerinAdebiyiasthenewchairmanoftheparty.

Adebiyi, who took over from the Acting state chairman, Alhaji TajudeenLemboye,waselectedatyesterday’scongressafterhepolled 1,712 votes to beat other co-contestants on the race. He was a former deputy state Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

Adebiyi,whohailsfromIfoLocalGovernmentArea,commended Amosun, for creating a conducive environment for the congress to hold.

OtherprincipalofficersofthepartyelectedincludeaformerSenatorial Chairman of Ogun West, Chief Bashiru Fadairo as the new state deputy chairman, while Patrick Ogunde emerged Secretary, and former media aide to ex-governor Segun Osoba, Wole Elegbede, emerged Publicity Secretary.

NIGER

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, casting his ballot during the state congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilorin, Kwara State‌yesterday

Gencos: TCN Ignoring Request for Dispatch of Power to National Grid Chineme Okafor in Abuja

Power generation companies in Nigeria have accused the Transmission Company of Nigeria of unethically restricting the Gencos’ capacity to deliver power to the national grid and engendering generation equipment. Executive Secretary of Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr. Joy Ogaji, made the allegation in Abuja following an enquiry on complaints about structured under-production by Gencos.

Ogaji said none of the Gencos dispatched up to 50 per cent of its generated power to the grid, stressing that TCN does not have enough spinning reserves to stabilise the grid.

The Gencos condemned the restrictionoftheirdeliveriestothe grid as a breach of the grid code approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Theyalsoallegedunduepressure anddamagetogenerationplants owing to the limitation, and use of foul words like “shut up and shut down� by the System Operations department of TCN in attempts to force Gencos to reduce generation.

But TCN denied the claims, stating that it undertakes its operations in accordance with thegridcode,whichempowersit toapplyvariedcontrolmeasures to manage the grid.

Ogaji, said, “A lot of Nigerians are aware of the liquidity challengeGencosfaceduetoNBET’s breachofthePPAterms–paying less than 100 per cent for power generated and supplied. “The System Operator and the National Control Centre, mandated to operate the grid in adherencetothegridcodeasapprovedbyNERC,haveoperated and managed the grid in a less than professional manner. The situation is so bad that Gencos have to beg to be dispatched. “NCC staff arbitrarily issue orders, and sometimes degrading and insulting instructions, such as ‘shut up and shut down’ toGencooperatives.Thisallegation was confirmed by several Gencosoperatives,whonarrated their ordeal and the inhumane treatment meted out to them for seeking clarification on sometimes ambiguous instructions. “This military method is not whatthegridcodeportends.The provisions of the grid code in Section 21.5 are very clear – a generator shall immediately and formally acknowledge a dispatch instruction in respect ofageneratingunitbytelephone, orimmediatelyprovideareason for non-acceptance.�

Ogaji, added, “The incessant command from TCN to ramp up or down has commercial and technical implications,

hence the operators insist on confirming these instructions.

SO staff on their part take laws into their hand by penalising such companies by refusing to dispatchthemandinmostcases take them off the grid. “The inability of the SO to maintain grid stability to acceptable technical limits forces the Gencos to operate beyond factory-rated capability and conditions. “Allthermalandhydropower plants are designed to operate optimally and efficiently at base load. Operating these plants outside base load conditions could lead to a reduction in efficiency with implications for an increase in consumption of gas for thermal plants by as much as 15 to 20 per cent, an extra cost not recognised by NBET (Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc) nor captured in the MYTO (MultiYear Tariff Order).�

Calling on the TCN to implementanonlinedispatchtoolthat was developed when Manitoba HydroInternationalmanagedits affairs,Ogajisaidthiswouldgive better visibility to the activities of all parties.

She said, “There is urgent need to find a sustainable and viable solution. One solution is for TCN to procure enough spinning reserve to deal with the system volatility.

“Thegenerationplantsarenow beenusedasaregulatingpower reserve to stabilise the national grid. Some of the machines, for instance, with 145MW capacity aremandatedbyNCCtooperate at 70MW daily average, which constitute less than 50 per cent base load value.�

But in its response, General Manager, Public Affairs of TCN, Mrs.NdidiMbah,toldTHISDAY that the dispatch orders were measures by the SO to keep the grid from collapsing.

Mbahsaid,“Thegridcodeempowers the SO to deploy varied control measures as exigencies of grid operation demand, to maintain the balance between grid generation and system load. These include instructing responsive power plants to either ramp up or ramp down their generation in order to keep system frequency within limits for grid stability. “The dispatch instruction is ordered as frequency control requirement becomes critical duetonetworkperturbation,sudden application of uninstructed generation by Gencos. If the quantum of change in power is beyond the limit the frequency responsive machines on free governor control can contain, the grid controller has the statutory mandate to act decisively to ensure grid security.�

After almost six hours’ delay during which horse-trading took place, the Niger state APC yesterday returned all the 36 officials of the party in the state for another three year term by affirmation.

During the process the party leaders were able to reconcile some local governments who were against the return of the incumbents.

However, before the Senator representing Niger North senatorial district and senate spokesman Alhaji Sabi Aliyu could move the motion for the affirmation of the party leaders, a group from Lapai localgovernmentareastormedthecentrestageprotestingtheperson affirmed for them as state publicity secretary.

There were also mild protests from delegates from Kontagora, Mashegu, Lavun, Bida Agaie and Katcha local governments against the people affirmed for them in the state executive council.

CROSS RIVER Perceived loyalists of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor UsaniUguruUsani,yesterdaywonalltheavailablepositionscontested for at the Cross River State APC State Congress.

During the process conducted by the congress committee for the state led by Mr. Useni Adamu at the main bowl of the cultural centre in Calabar, Mr. Godwin John was elected unopposed to the position of state chairman; Mr. Martins Achadu was elected Deputy State Chairman; while Mr. Francis Ekpenyong emerged as the new state secretary of the party. Aside from the trio, 18 other members believed to be allies of the minister were also elected at the state and senatorial levels. Although the atmosphere at the venue of the state congress was peaceful, perhaps due to heavy security presence, most big-wigs of the APC in the state were conspicuously absent.

Those absent at the congress venue include Usani; the National Vice Chairman, South-south of the party, Mr. Hilliard Eta; former governor of the state, Mr. Clement Ebri; Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN); Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla; Senator Representing Central Senatorial District, John Owan Eno; Senator Bassey Otu, and a host of others.

IMO The APC, Imo State chapter, against all odds, yesterday held a successful State Congress and returned the former state chairman Dr. Hillary Eke. The congress which attracted delegates from 27 local government areas of the State was conducted peacefully.

ThecongressconductedbyMusaUmar-ledCongressCommittee, whichtookplaceattheNDDCYouthSkillAcquisitioncentreinEhime local government area of the State, witnessed delegates electing candidates of their choice. Hon. Ugochukwu Nzekwe emerged as the Vice Chairman as well as other new executive members from the three zones of the State.

Commenting on the election, the Deputy governor of the State, PrinceEzeMadumerecommendedthepartyfaithfulforconducting Continued on Pg. 78

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themselves peacefully during and after the congress, saying that the party was set to move forward and better equipped to face other critical challenges.

He highlighted that the party was on the same page both at the State and the national level with a view to emerging victorious in 2019 general elections.

BORNO The state congress of the APC held in Borno State without hitches, with all the incumbent executives returned unopposed.

ThecongresswasheldattheEl-KanemiSportCentreunderheavy securityandhadinattendancealltheprominentpoliticiansinthestate.

The only notable absentee was the former governor of the state and erstwhile chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Sheriff, who recently rejoined the party he helped to form after a sojourn in the opposition party. Against all expectations that with SheriffnowinAPC,thecongresswouldbekeenlycontestedbetween his loyalists and the governor’s men, the election into the post was only contested by outgoing executives.

This was an indication that the party may still be in the strong grasp of Shettima who may be interested in having a trusted ally as governorcomenextelection. Thecongresswaspeacefulconductedby officials from the National Headquarters of the APC and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

ABIA The Abia state chapter of the APC yesterday shook off its internal crisis and successfully conducted its state congress during which a 26-member state executive committee was elected to pilot the affairs of the party. The congress, held at the premises of Eziama Osa community hall saw delegates electing the executives with affirmation as all the contestants were returned unopposed. Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe was elected state chairman, while Hon Chidi Avaja emerged as state secretary.

Ndukwe told journalists that the emergence of the executive committee members without rancour was a sign of unity in Abia APC, adding that his team would build APC into a strong party that can win election in Abia.

He said the ruling PDP was on its way out of Abia government house but acknowledged that APC has an “enormous” job to do in wrestling power from Governor Ikpeazu and his party “because to unseat an incumbent is not easy”.

AKWA IBOM The State congress of the APC Akwa Ibom State was delayed yesterday as stakeholders pushed for consensus candidates As at 4pm, officials were not seen at the venue of the congress, Sheergrace along Nsikak Eduok avenue, two lane.

State Leader of the party, Senator Ita Enang disclosed that stakeholders of APC in the state had agreed to use consensus to elect the

new leadership of the party in the state.

Enang, who is the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate) stressed that the decision to harmonise the list was to sustain peace and unity in the state. According to him, withthelatestdevelopment,theinterestofallbodiesandstakeholders that make up APC in the state would be accommodated.

He decried the refusal of the state government to allow the party access to the venue earlier hired for the congress. He said the party’s congress would still hold before the end of the day to ratify the decisions reached by the various blocs.

EDO In a convivial atmosphere, the APC in Edo State yesterday elected new executives to pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years.

Amongthoseelectedasmembersoftheparty’snewStateWorking CommitteewereMr.AnselmOjezuawhowasreturnedunopposed as the state chairman, Pastor Kenneth Azeboyan (Deputy State Chairman), Mr. Lawrence Okah as State secretary (unopposed), Oyoma George emerged State Legal Adviser, Alhaji Saliu Momoh (State Treasurer) and Mrs. Bode Oghobafo as Financial Secretary.

OtherswereMr.ChrisAzebamwenastheStatePublicitySecretary (unopposed),ValentineAsuenastheStateYouthLeader(unopposed), Timothy Osadolor (Auditor), and Mrs. Betty Okoibu as the state woman leader.

Though the process was hitch free, the incumbent National chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, for the second time in threeweekssincethecommencementoftheward,localgovernment and state congresses, again shunned the exercise in his home state.

Thestatecongresswashoweverheldamidtightsecurityprovided by a combined team of security agencies made up of Directorate of StateSecurity(DSS),NigeriaPoliceForce,officialsoftheFederalRoad Safety Corps (FRSC); members of the state Public Work Volunteer (PUWOV), and Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSMA) who were on ground at Imaguero College, venue of the congress.

KATSINA Katsina State Chapter of the APC yesterday retained all the 36 Executive Officials of the party during the state congress.

ChairmanoftheStateCongressCommittee,Mr.UsmanMuhammad said while declaring the congress results that the party officials had retained their seats as they were elected unopposed.

Muhammad said “The officials were the only those who purchased forms to contest for the state congress. We have given all party members opportunity to indicate their interest but only the 36 persons purchased the forms,’’ he said.

The chairman had earlier gave about 20 minutes for anybody who paid his money in the bank account but was not given the form to come forward, collect and fill it and take part in the congress.

The party members unanimously returned Alhaji Shitu Shitu as chairman of the party. Speaking after being declared unopposed, Shitu promised to carry all along and operate an open door policy.

He called for the support of party members to move the party forward as the general elections approaches.

Shitu also assured to ensure justice and fairness to all party members. He urged party members to ensure unity so as to win the 2019 general elections.

NASARAWA Nasarawa State chapter of the APC retained officials of the State ExecutiveCommitteeoftheparty,ledbyMr.PhilipShekwo,through consensus during the party’s State congress held yesterday in Lafia.

The state congress was conducted peacefully at the Lafia Public SquarewithGovernorUmaruTankoAl-Makuraandotherbigwigs of the party in the state in attendance.

Amotiontoretaintheofficialsofthepartyinthestatewasmovedby SenatorAbdullahiAdamuandsecondedbySpeakeroftheNasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe, when secretary of the Nasarawa State Congress Committee of the party, Dr. Stella Dorgu, asked the duo to move and second a motion to that effect.

Earlier before inviting the duo, Dorgu had asked if there was anybody who wished to contest for any of the positions and had bought nomination form and paid the money to come forward, but nobody responded to the call.

Earlier, chairman of the state congress committee, Chief Nweke Gbazueagu, had informed the congress that the committee has interacted with leadership of the party on the way forward of the congress in the state on their arrival for the exercise in the state.

In an acceptance speech, Shekwo thanked the 1,477 delegates who participated in the state congress of the APC for retaining the incumbent officials to pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years.

BAUCHI ThoughtheSpeakerofHouseofRepresentatives,YakubuDogara-led faction of the ruling APC boycotted the State Congress of the party in Bauchi, the congress held yesterday under tight security, with all the former executive members of the party returned unopposed.

Addressing party members at the end of the congress held inside the Multi-purpose Indoor Sports Hall, State Governor Mohammed Abubakar declared that the leadership of the party was ready to take back all members that had reneged from the activities of the party.

The governor said the party was a united entity in spite of differences among the members, and called on those aggrieved to have a rethink and come back into the fold for good governance.

In his address, Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Kawuwa Damina expressed surprise that members of the national assembly from the state deliberately refused to come to Bauchi state to participate in the congresses.

He concluded that their action was bent on dividing the party but said, “the APC is united in Bauchi and today this congress has shown that democracy is in Bauchi APC and Buhari is a dominant force in the politics of the state.”

Major Marketers Laud Navy on Easing of Apapa Gridlock Abimbola Akosile

Major Marketers, Tanker Drivers and Transport Owners have extolled the efforts of the Western Navy Command through the joint Security Task Force led by the FOC Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral SAG Abbah and the Commander of NNS Beecroft Commodore Okon Eyo for their timely intervention in clearing the Apapa gridlock menace.

The gridlock had hitherto proved impossible to clear and was becoming a festering sore in the operations of the Apapa

Ports and businesses in Apapa as well as daily commuting on the Apapa corridor.

From the Petroleum Drivers Tankers Association (PTDA), Nigerian Association of Road Truck Owners (NARTO), Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), to the major Oil marketers, the clearance of the gridlock has opened up the Apapa area for more business operations to go on and for them to further deliver their services to Nigerians in a timely manner.

They all agreed that the efforts of the government

through the security agencies deserve applause and should be encouraged, noting that the intervention not only helps the larger society but also helps improve the turn-around time of the downstream sector by reducing the turning around time for loading products from the depots and delivery of the products to retail outlets.

A visit to the area shows that thegridlockhasbeencompletely clearedonthehighwaysleading intoApapa,leavingWesternAvenue on the Surulere and Orile Iganmuaxisastheproblemspot.

Aside this, the Navy has

maintained an effective cover over the Apapa area and has forged a fluid partnership with major marketers and associated unions in the downstream in ensuring a smooth passage of traffic with positive impact on businessesandcommutersalong the Apapa corridor.

At a stakeholder workshop organised by the Major Marketers with the Navy, a tanker driver called Mallam Ibrahimat, said the success was due to the efforts of the Navy working with major marketers and that what was done was to harness the resources at their disposal

together with the support of Lagos state government.

To him, “if there was no cooperationamongtheagencies,they won’t be able to achieve it. But whattheysawwasthattheNavy wasthefront-liner,coordinating other agencies efforts.”

He said since the Navy took over the clearing operations, there has been the deployment of an effective logistic strategy which involves the use of call card signed by the Navy commander for authentication of Trucks due for loading and passage into the Apapa area.

Ibrahim said although there

were teething problems associated to the call card system, due largely to the newness of its use by tanker drivers, he concluded that the system was working and that it has reduced the turnaround time for loading and delivery of products.

Another tanker driver, AhmedIssa,whowasataparkin the Marine beach side of Apapa said the absence of traffic was due to the concerted efforts of all the marketers and tanker drivers as they all obeyed the command of the Naval officers who were strict with what they wanted to achieve.

Propertymart Unveils Fairmont Lekki to Address Housing Deficit

Infotech Risks Security Ltd Brings GRC Skills to Nigeria

Emmanuel Onumah

Emma Okonji

Following the success achieved with the rollout of its medium housing model at Fairmont Estate, Arepo in 2017, Propertymart has introduced Fairmont Lekki, Lagos State in continuation of its mission to be the number one affordable housing solution provider in the country.

Propertymart, with its new offering, also aims to demystify the perception that middle class citizenscannotownapropertyin the Lekki axis, which was why it decidedtoofferalandsalepromo at Fairmont Sangotedo, near the NovareMall,atacheapratewith easy and scalable payment options.

Giving a hint on what is set to revolutionise access to real estate

assets in Nigeria, the Managing Director of Property Mart, Deji Fasuwonsaid,“AtPropertyMart we do not just believe in housing that meets subscriber’s need, we also believe in interrogating the challenges at every point in the housingvalue-chainandprovidingcredibleanswerswhichmeet the need of our customers.

“The deal is therefore not different. With the Fairmont land-sale in Lekki, we are steadily reversing the country’s housing deficit especially in an area most Nigerians believed is out of their reach – the Lekki corridor.”

Speaking further on the edge of the offer, Fasuwon said though those who prefer the one-off payment option could make payment at once,

thereisopportunityforpayment in installment spread across a five-year period.

Beyond the issue of access, the company is also pushing affordability as one of the edge of the Lekki offer, given the fact thatthelandisalsobeingoffered at a cheap price.

Fasuwon said being a social enterprise, Propertymart believes in driving inclusion and access, to this end, arriving at the reduced price was more of providing a necessity than pushing for profit.

To buttress, the position of Propertymart, a survey of housingestatepricesintheLekkiarea revealed that a similar land of land around the Ajah and Ibeju Lekki area goes for as high as N15m to N20m.

Infotech Risks Security Limited (IRSL), in partnership with Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG), is bringing Governance, Risk management and Compliance (GRC) skills training to the doorsteps of organisations operating in Nigeria.

The move to bring such skills training to Nigeria will help organisations reposition for proficiency and profitability, while reducing operational and training costs, since the skills training is usually outsourced by organisations that understand the value of GRC skill acquisition in their daily operations.

OCEG, it was gathered, is a global think tank that serves to

inform and empower organisations on GRC skills and IRSL Consulting is its only partner in Nigeria.

Speakingontheadvantagesof GRC skills to organisations and the need to bring such skills to Nigeria, the Managing Partner, IRSL Consulting, Mr. Salman Akorede said the benefits cut across all the three lines of defense in organisations.

Accordingtohim,thefirstline of defense of any organisation, which include the operations team, would benefit from GRC skills through increased value and improved financial and operating controls; accelerate reporting for more rapid-decision making and business improvement; detect exceptions in real time to respond immediately

and reduce damage; replace manual preventative controls with automated detective controls, which increases efficiency and traceability; identify control issues in real time with automatic alerting and remediation.

About the benefits for the second line of defense, which include the management team, Akorede said it would reduce compliance costs; get notification and analyse impacts when regulations change; establish a more automated, risk-based control environment with lower labour costs; heighten competitive advantage; and rely on a single point of truth for all GRC master data on risks, controls regulatory requirements, processes and information technology (IT).

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MAY 20, 2018

SUNDAYSPORTS

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Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Hazard Penalty Hands Chelsea FA Cup Victory over Man United

E

den Hazard’s penalty yesterday secured Chelsea the FA Cup for the eighth time as they beat Manchester United in what could be Antonio Conte’s final match in charge.

Hazard sent goalkeeper David de Gea the wrong way at Wembley, having won the kick when brought down by Phil Jones.

United, having offered minimal attacking threat in the first half, were much better in the second. Alexis Sanchez had a goal ruled out for straying just offside - referee Michael Oliver using VAR to confirm the call. Thibaut Courtois later denied Marcus Rashford, before Paul Pogba headed wide with a clear chance from a corner.

Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial, who had both been doubts for the final because of injury, appeared as substitutes for the final 17 minutes, but United were unable to find an equaliser.

Conte has been widely tipped to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, teasing the media when asked about his future on Friday.

Victory in the cup final provided a positive antidote to a disappointing Premier League season, with Conte’s side failing to qualify for the Champions League after finishing fifth.

For securing the trophy, last season’s Premier League champions can thank Hazard, who has cast doubt over his own future at Stamford Bridge in recent days. The Belgium forward, making his 300th appearance for the club, was the game’s key player, shrugging aside United manager Jose Mourinho’s attempt to nullify him by using Ander Herrera in a man-to-man marking role.

That plan had worked to perfection when United beat Chelsea 2-0 in the Premier League in April 2017, but Hazard responded at Wembley

by dragging Herrera back towards United’s defensive line, unbalancing Mourinho’s side in the opening 45 minutes. Herrera was nowhere to be seen in the build-up to the winner as Hazard ran clear on to Cesc Fabregas’ through pass, and was brought down for a penalty by Jones, who was shown a yellow card.

There was plenty of debate on social media after Oliver’s decision to show a yellow card to Jones for conceding the penalty.

The referee’s decision was dictated by a law change in 2016 that was intended to abolish ‘triple punishment’ in such circumstances.

Before the change, any denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity inside the area resulted in the offender receiving a red card and a suspension, as well as conceding a penalty.

Under the amended Law 12, which relates to fouls and misconduct, a player judged to have made a genuine attempt to win the ball is shown a yellow card instead.

The law states: “Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goalscoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offending player is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball.

“In all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.) the offending player must be sent off.” Mourinho’s side threw off their defensive shackles after half-time, and may well have saved the match had they been more ruthless in front of goal.

Jones (in red) concedes the penalty that Hazard (in blue) dispatched to win Chelsea the game

Sanchez was judged - correctly - to have strayed just offside as he turned in the loose ball, after Courtois had saved Jones’ header from a Rashford free-kick, and the Chelsea goalkeeper was alert to beat away a Nemanja

Matic shot.

Yet it was Pogba, perhaps, who had the best chance to equalise, putting his head into his hands in frustration after nodding wide from just seven yards following a set-piece.

Super Eagles Invitee ‘Simy’ to Hit Camp Tuesday Crotone striker, Simeon ‘Simy’ Nwankwo will arrive the Super Eagles camp in Uyo on Tuesday ahead of Nigeria’s international friendly match against DR Congo in Port Harcourt on May 28, Completesportsnigeria. com reports.

It is however uncertain if the 6ft 6” striker, also known as ‘The Beast’, will take part in the game due to the FIFA rule which states that every player listed in the provisional World Cup squad must be granted ten days off after the hectic European season.

Nwankwo has revealed that making the final 23 man squad for the World Cup in Russia will cap his impressive season in the Italian Serie A for him.

“I should be in camp on Tuesday night,” Simy Nwankwo told CSN through an intermidiary in Italy on Friday. “I’m ready to stake a claim and I hope I make it to Russia because it will mark a new dawn in my career.”

Nwankwo has scored seven goals in the Italian Serie Afor Crotone who need a win in their final league game against Napoli to avoid relegation.

Crotone will also hope S.P.A.L 2013 don’t get a result against Sampdoria today.

Crotone currently occupy 18th position in the Italian SerieAtable with 35 points from 37 games with an inferior goal difference of -3 to S.P.A.L2013.

Buffon Ends 17-Year Juventus Career with Win over Verona Gianluigi Buffon ended his 17-year Juventus career as they crowned a seventh straight Italian title with a 2-1 win over relegated Verona yesterday. The 40-year-old keeper was substituted just after the hour, and was in tears as he embraced his team-mates while the crowd gave him a standing ovation. He did a lap of honour while the match continued in Turin, accepting gifts and congratulations from fans.

Daniele Rugani and Miralem Pjanic scored for Juve in a comfortable win. Alessio Cerci pulled a goal back after Buffon had been replaced by Carlo Pinsoglio, but Verona rarely threatened to ruin the send-off at the Allianz Stadium.

Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner - also playing his final game for Juventus - could have increased the advantage, but his late penalty was excellently saved by Nicolas Andrade.

Buffon, who is considering offers for new roles both on and off the pitch, was cheered every time he touched of the ball by the home supporters - and for long periods when he was nowhere near it.

Before kick-off, the Italian was greeted onto the pitch with a banner bearing his face. He then mingled with

fans, accepting congratulations and gifts from the Curva Sud. His team-mates wore the hashtag #un1co on their sleeves, pointing to the social media tributes that have flowed since he confirmed the end of his Juventus career on Thursday.

Buffon’s one moment of concern came when Douglas Costa’s loose pass let Ryder Matos in on goal. The goalkeeper rushed out and appeared to collide with the Brazilian as the ball was touched beyond him - but referee Ricardo Pinzani decided against awarding a penalty or reviewing the incident via the video assistant referee.

His latest success takes his tally of Serie A titles to nine.

He also has one from Italy’s second tier after he remained with the Turin side in the wake of their enforced relegation over the match-fixing scandal of 2006. The previous best was eight won

by Giovanni Ferrari with Juventus, Inter Milan and Bologna between 1930 and 1941. Buffon is rumoured to have been offered a playing deal with French champions Paris St-Germain, as well as an off-field role with Juventus.

Simy scored with an overhead kick against Juventus earlier this year

GOtv MAX Cup: MultiChoice Assures Fans of Adequate Security Fans coming to watch the Super Eagles play LaLiga giants, Atletico Madrid, for the GOtv MAX Cup at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, have been assured of adequate security in and around the match venue.

The match, billed for Tuesday is an international friendly tournament organized by MultiChoice Nigeria and will feature mostly home-based Super Eagles. TheAtletico team will feature stars who won’t be at the World Cup in Russia; Jan Oblak, Fernando Torres, Kevin Gamiero and Thomas Partey among others.

Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, explained that

top-notch security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that fans are protected in and around the stadium.

“Our customers and fans alike have nothing to fear, as are working with government and private security officers to ensure safety for everyone who comes to the Godswill Akpabio stadium. As such, we are calling on football fans in Uyo and environs to come and watch the Super Eagles play Atletico Madrid in what promises to be a historic match,” he said. Atletico Madrid, who won the Europa League last Wednesday and sit second in the LaLiga standings, are visiting Nigeria for the first time on the invitation of MultiChoice Nigeria.

Sunday May 20, 2018

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N400

MISSILE

Fashola to Ikpeazu

“From Okigwe to Lokpanta most of our right of ways have been taken over by illegal dump sites, illegal markets and these are essentially local matters. The government of Abia should help us clear those refuse and the people out of the road because it is delaying our work.”

– Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, condemning the encroachment on federal roads and obstruction of construction works by local markets and dump sites.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

The ‘Forwarded as Received’ Warfare

T

his is not a drill. If you are keeping questionable images and videos on your phone, you may want to think twice. A Nigerian man has just been deported from the US after immigration officials randomly stopped him at the airport and searched his phone. They found gory images and hate messages that people normally send around by WhatsApp under the umbrella of “forwarded as received”. He explained that his phone is set to automatically download received files, and that he was not the sender of the offensive messages. They wouldn’t care. They returned him to Nigeria by the next flight. More Nigerians might have experienced something similar since President Donald Trump came to office.

The social media has become notorious for all kinds of modern-day shenanigans, most of which are out of control. Someone will see the picture of the dismembered body of an accident victim. He will become creative and develop a message like: “This guy was using a mobile phone when he had an accident.

Please share with your friends.” Another will send the picture of a burns victim and claim that he was using a phone while charging it and the device exploded. Apparently, all they want to show you, under the pretext of public enlightenment campaign, are morbid pictures. Some people are just obsessed with horror. Before you know it, you will join them in their “forwarded as received” fraternity.

I once received the picture of a large expanse of land filled with dead cattle. It was in the heat of the herdsmen/farmers clashes. The message read: “The Attah of Igala cursed the Fulani cows terrorizing Igalaland with thunder and killed thousands. The herdsmen ran away.” I quickly did a Google image search and discovered the source: a drought in Sudan that killed livestock many years ago.

Somebody only stumbled on the picture and became imaginative. And before you know it, you too will “forward as received” to a chat group with the footnote: “I have not verified it but…” But what? Why forward it? I get worried when such messages are sent by educated and enlightened people.

For me, I can live with those fake messages.

Somehow, I can smell the lies instantly. Many easily give themselves away with their amateurism. But some could also be quite tricky, especially when you find an element of truth in them. You can get confused over the veracity of the whole post. If you genuinely seek authentication, I wouldn’t blame you.

But if you are hypocritically spreading falsehood and hate under the pretext of seeking verification, you certainly need to deal with your conscience. In my reckoning, you fall in the same category with the mischief makers who sit down and concoct all sorts of broadcasts in order to confuse unsuspecting people with lies and distortions.

I love jokes and I do re-share witty messages.

But I find it impossible to live with messages that are patently filled with hate. They actually scare me because of the possible repercussions on the society. I remember a Hausa hate song targeted at the Igbo at the height of the ultimatum asking them to leave the north last year. It was widely circulated by WhatsApp. When the message of the song was interpreted to me, I had never been that scared about the prospects of genocide in Nigeria in my lifetime. That is largely behind us now, but

Mohammed

as long as you have hate planted in your heart, it is just waiting for the due season to germinate and flourish.

While we toy with hate messages on social media in Nigeria, it is not so in advanced countries. There is a level of attention to hate speech, defined as “an attack on a person or group on the basis of race, religion, ethnic origin, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or gender”. Fake news and personal insults do not qualify as hate speech, though, but security agencies have special units that monitor social media accounts and prosecute those who fall foul of the law. They value freedom of speech, of course, but this does not cover hate speech. Nobody has a right to propagate hate on the basis of race and religion. Every freedom has a limit; if not, there would be anarchy.

Unfortunately for us in Nigeria, we cannot really regulate hate speech. We will just hand a licence to the government to be arresting and molesting citizens at the slightest provocation.

If you criticise a government official for poor performance, it will be classified as hate speech to shut you up and keep you away in police cell. Even without a law on hate speech, activists and bloggers are regularly harassed, arrested and humiliated under an omnibus cyber terrorism law. There are reports that the journalist who posted the “transmission” speech of the Inspector-General of police is now in hiding after being hounded by the police. That is how rigged the Nigerian system is, with tyranny on the rise.

Yet, if the truth be told, the anarchy on social media is a clear and present danger.

How to deal with it, within reasonable limits, is one of the biggest challenges facing us in this century. As the 2019 elections draw nearer, social media is going to be the biggest theatre of information warfare. What we saw in 2015 would be like a drop in the ocean compared to what is coming in 2019.

Forget the newspapers and the TV/radio stations – the mobile device in your hand will be the No. 1 instrument of the warfare.

All the disinformation and misinformation will be delivered to you live and direct at the speed of thought via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. There was a lot of furore recently when

President Muhammadu Buhari travelled to the UK for medicals. According to an old post, he had said in his speech at the Chatham House on February 26, 2015: “What is the difference between me and those who elected us to represent them, absolutely nothing. Why should Nigerian President not fly with other Nigerian public? Why do I need to embark on a foreign trip as a President with a huge crowd with public funds? Why do I need to go for a medical trip abroad if we cannot make our hospitals functional? Why do we need to send our children to school abroad if we cannot develop our universities to compete with the foreign ones?”

Did he actually say that? The presidential media team has issued a rebuttal. Indeed, after watching the entire video recording of Buhari’s speech as well as his responses to questions from the audience -- lasting for one hour, four minutes and 15 seconds -- the folks at TheCable concluded that Buhari did not make any such statement at the Chatham House. But Lanre Babatunde, a Facebook user based in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, posted the quote on his wall on February 22, 2015. He said Buhari made the promise at a meeting with the Nigerian community in London. His transcript went viral at the time. He was the single source of the story. Curiously, it was not denied by the APC media team then.

The “Chatham” quote is just a teaser. The deluge this time around will be far more than we have ever seen since we started voting in September 1923. It is time to tighten our seats and fold the tray tables as we fly into the turbulence. It is an irony that the APC, which used social media extremely well to demarket President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP in 2015, is now at the other end of the sword. Funny enough, the “Chatham” quote was part of the package that helped market Buhari ahead of the presidential election. If the APC media team did not deny it then, it was perhaps because it served a good purpose. It painted Buhari as a leader with the common touch.

Why has social media become such a core component of electioneering? My first line of response is that social media is core to almost everything these days, and electioneering is just a beneficiary of the information superhighway.

However, unlike the traditional media which is guided by certain laws and ethics, social media is basically a lawless society. As long as you have internet data, you are a law unto yourself. You can conjure anything and type anything, knowing that you are not likely to face the music. In the traditional media, erroneous reports are likely going to be retracted or corrected for professional and legal reasons.

Not so in the social media where nobody owes anybody anything.

Inevitably, social media – with faster reach than the traditional media – will continue to grow in influence and I expect the Nigerian political class to take full advantage of this in the coming information warfare. Fake stories, fake quotes and fake photos will dominate the game and will be “forwarded as received” by willing accomplices. What I fear the most, however, is the hate message. But as we can see in the deportation of the Nigerian from the US, there may be unintended consequences.

In this season, before you press the forward or re-share button, you have to calmly ask yourself: “What is my motive?” Unto your conscience, be true.

And Four Other Things…

MUDDLED SHERIFF Now you see me, now you don’t. Remember Senator Ali Modu Sheriff? He was in APC at formation stage in 2013 but soon defected to the PDP in what was thought would help deliver his base, Borno state, to President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

APC described him then as “Boko Haram founder” and all hell was let loose when he was seen with Jonathan in Chad just before the 2015 elections. Well, Modu has returned to APC after a misadventure in PDP during which he started a fire that almost consumed the party. So far, APC has not rejected the “Boko Haram founder”.

In fact, on Thursday, he sneaked in and out of Aso Rock, reportedly for a meeting with President Buhari. Politics.

WETIN YOU CARRY? Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the inspector-general of police, transmitted some very interesting apprehension to Nigerians on Thursday. He said police officers must first surrender themselves to be searched before they can search you. Idris was responding to a question from a Twitter user. He said: “If an officer wants to search you in your house/car, he must first surrender himself for searching. This is the procedure. Ask politely.” Apparently, that is the law or rule that most of us don’t know. But for an IGP who cannot surrender himself to the national assembly to answer questions on the country’s security situation, I would advise Nigerians who value their lives not to try searching a police officer. Suicide.

WHITHER PIGB? The Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) was finally passed on March 28 after almost eight years of to-and-fro, and Senate President Bukola Saraki later told Reuters that it had been sent to President Buhari for assent. Alas, presidency has emphatically denied receiving it. If you recall, when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua sent the previously named Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to the national assembly in 2008, we were later informed by the lawmakers that various versions were in circulation and nobody was sure of the original one again! This country called Nigeria is just too much. If you can help me find another country like Nigeria on this planet, I owe you a sachet of pure water. Wonders.

AND FINALLY… In 1998, Mahathir Mohamad, then prime minister of Malaysia, controversially fired his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, and jailed him for corruption – because, it was rumoured, he didn’t want Ibrahim to succeed him.

Mohamad retired in 2003. Ibrahim became the leading opposition figure when he was released from prison in 2004, but was controversially jailed again in 2015 by the new government. Mohamad has now come out of retirement, and has just been returned to power as prime minister -- at the age of 92 – running against his old party. He has just secured the release of Ibrahim, 70, from jail and has promised to hand over to him within two years. No, I didn’t make up this story. Unbeli

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