THURSDAY 7TH JUNE 2018

FG Honours Abiola, Declares June 12 Democracy Day Confers posthumous GCFR award on him Kingibe, Gani Fawehinmi awarded GCON Ogun, Lagos hail recognition, PDP calls Buhari desperate Omololu Ogunmade and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja In honour of the late Chief

MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the federal government yesterday in Abuja

declared June 12 of every year Democracy Day. With the declaration, June 12 will now replace May 29 for

Democracy Day celebrations in commemoration of Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999 after 13

years of military rule.

In a statement personally signed by President Muhammadu Buhari last

night, the president said the federal government had Continued on page 8

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N’Assembly Opposes Suspension of Anti-Open Grazing Laws Benue govt, assembly call for Dan-Ali’s sack as herdsmen kill nine Deji Elumoye, James Emejo in Abuja and George Oko in Makurdi The National Assembly has expressed its opposition to

the suggestion by the Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd.) that states that had passed anti-open grazing laws suspend the legislations.

The defence minister on

Tuesday had advised the National Security Council (NSC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to suspend anti-open grazing

laws in Benue, Taraba and Ekiti States.

Abia State joined the three states yesterday when its House of Assembly passed a similar legislation to curb

the menace of herdsmen in the South-eastern state.

According to Dan-Ali, suspending the laws would reduce tensions in states with high incidence of clashes

between farmers and cattle rearers, while negotiations for safe routes for herders would commence.

Continued on page 6

Presidency Ignores National Assembly’s Threat to Invoke Constitutional Powers House refers Jibrin, Kazaure to ethics c'ttee over remarks on resolutions Again, police reverse selves over Saraki, suspects exonerate Senate President

Omololu Ogunmade, Deji Elumoye, Senator Iroegbu and James Emejo in Abuja The presidency yesterday ignored the threat issued by the National Assembly to President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday to take decisive steps on a series of resolutions passed by a joint session of the federal legislature, failing which it shall invoke its constitutional powers against him.

Answering questions from journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said the presidency would not respond to the resolutions.

The National Assembly had after a two-hour joint executive session on Tuesday come up with a 12-point resolution,

asking the president to address a myriad of problems bedevilling the country or face the music.

But as weighty as the Continued on page 6

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Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (second right), presents a souvenir to the Secretary General, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili (second left) while the Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed looks on during the courtesy visit by the delegates of the 61st meeting of the UNWTO and African Tourism Ministers to Akinwunmi at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja… yesterday

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PAGE SIX

Receipts from VAIDS Hit N30bn Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government disclosed yesterday that proceeds from the tax amnesty – Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) – had risen to about N30 billion, less than three weeks to the end of the programme.

The figure, however, falls short of the revenue target of $1 billion (N305 billion) that the federal government had expected to make from the tax amnesty programme when it was introduced last year.

Speaking on the performance of the scheme, the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Tunde Fowler also confirmed that a greater impact of the scheme was the five million addition to

the tax database from 14 million to 19 million.

VAIDS, originally meant to last between July 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, offers taxpayers a grace period to regularise their tax status.

On the expiration of the initial nine months window on March 31, VAIDS was granted a threemonth extension by President Muhammadu Buhari to June 30 as the new deadline.

Speaking in Abuja while declaring open the presentation of VAIDS certificates of declaration to the chairmen of the state tax revenue authorities, Fowler said the N30 billion raked in so far came from both individual and corporate establishments.

Giving further insight, he stated

that while the FIRS was responsible for the collection of 90 per cent of the sum, the states accounted for 10 per cent of the collection.

Fowler told members of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) that the beauty of VAIDS transcended the financial gains but rather its potential of expanding the tax net. “Looking beyond the financial returns of the scheme, the impact it has had in promoting voluntary compliance is unquantifiable. One of the outcomes of the scheme, whether directly or indirectly, is the growth of the national taxpayer database from under 14 million pre-2016 to over 19 million in 2018, and we are confident that these numbers will translate into positive growth in the country

tax revenue-to-GDP ratio when the official percentage for 2017 is released,� he said.

According to him, some states had achieved significant progress in VAIDS compliance, adding that this informed the invitation of the executive chairmen of the revenue authorities of such states.

He said: “We believe that this aspect of the workshop will facilitate the exchange of ideas which we are confident will assist all of us in utilising the remaining period that is provided by the scheme. “VAIDS goes beyond just taking advantage of immediate gains.

In recent times, the incidence of illicit financial flows, aggressive tax avoidance and outright tax evasion are on the front burner.

“The international community, recognising the need to present a united front against this trend, which is a limiting factor in the quest towards exploiting the inherent potential of taxation as a viable alternative to sustainable revenue generation, especially for developing and emerging economies, has designed and is implementing a number of initiatives that will leave no hiding place for the tax evader.�

Fowler urged the state revenue chairmen to constantly engage in enlightening taxpayers about voluntary tax compliance as a way of developing a friendlier tax environment. “As part of activities lined up to ensure increased awareness on

the scheme in particular and tax compliance in general, staff of the JTB secretariat in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance will, from June 14, 2018, take part in the tax sensitisation exercise every Thursday in the states until the end of the scheme. “It may also interest us to know that the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee is proposing a national tax day, a special day which is to be set aside every year for awareness and sensitisation on tax-related matters,� he said.

Fowler stated that the VAIDS tax certificates presented to states were not the same as tax clearance certificates, saying one cannot replace the other.

PRESIDENCY IGNORES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S THREAT TO INVOKE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS resolutions were, the presidency has resolved not to dignify the National Assembly with a response, effectively challenging the legislature to invoke its constitutional powers if indeed it feels it is up to the task.

The 12-point resolutions read

by Senate President Bukola Saraki warned that the National Assembly would not hesitate to evoke its constitutional powers against the executive if nothing was done to address such resolutions, including the persistent harassment and humiliation of perceived enemies of the president.

The National Assembly said the security agencies must be given marching orders by the executive to curtail the sustained slaughter

of Nigerians “and protect the lives and properties of Nigerians, as these are the primary duties of any responsible government.�

It also canvassed for the cessation of systemic harassment and humiliation by the executive of perceived political opponents, people with contrary opinions including legislators and the judiciary by the police and other security agencies.

The legislature also reaffirmed its earlier resolution of a vote of no confidence on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, saying he “does nothing other than preside over the killing of innocent Nigerians and consistent framing of perceived political opponents of the president and has outright

disregard for constituted authority�.

Also briefing the correspondents in the State House yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said FEC approved a memorandum for the procurement of 68 brand new Ford pick-up operational vehicles from Messrs Wada Autos Limited at the cost of N1.550 billion for the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

According to her, the operational vehicles that are currently available to the NCS are grossly inadequate for effective anti-smuggling activities, adding that the need to effectively patrol the borders of the country, enhance the Customs’ bid to suppress smuggling and increase revenue collection had given rise to the request for the purchase of

68 operational vehicles.

She also said the council approved the report of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee on Tax Laws Reform.

According to Adeosun, FEC had on February 1, 2017, approved the revised National Tax Policy in order to pave way for a robust tax system that will promote investment and improve revenue for sustainable national development.

She listed the fiscal objectives of the policy to include the removal of obsolete, ambiguous and contradictory provisions in the extant laws, increase government revenue, simplify the process of paying taxes and doing business, promote micro, small and medium enterprises, and protect the most

vulnerable persons in the society.

The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said FEC also approved five memoranda, which among others, are meant to train non-graduates in various skills that will enable them to be self-employed.

She also said the training and skills acquisition programmes are to be executed through the various categories of the Social Investment Programme.

Just as the presidency elected to remain mute over the 12-point resolution of the National Assembly, including the threat to use its constitutional powers against the president should he choose to ignore the resolutions, the House of

Representatives yesterday resolved to commit two of its members – Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) and Hon. Mohammed Gudaji Kazaure (APC, Jigawa) – to its Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation.

Both were accused of making unsavoury comments and divulging the issues discussed at a joint executive session of the Senate and the House to the press without authorisation.

Even though Kazuare was in support of the resolutions of the National Assembly, he made it very clear that a group he headed in the House would oppose any attempt to impeach the president.

on the so-called blockade of cattle routes and grazing reserves. “He spoke as if this was a justifiable reason for Fulani militia taking the law into their hands. “By his call, Dan-Ali has shown his partisanship and support for Fulani conquest and occupation of the Benue Valley and other fertile lands in the country,� said the commissioner.

Onoja called on Nigerians and the international community to compel the minister to quickly prove to the Benue people that he has no personal scores to settle in this crisis, or was playing the script of some unknown persons. “We would like him to respond to the following questions in the interest of fairness, justice and equity: Is the State House of Assembly of a state in Nigeria constitutionally empowered to make laws for the promotion of peace, development and welfare of the people in the state? How come Mansur Dan-Ali is calling for the negotiation of safe cattle routes for the herders without a single mention of the farmers who have been violently dislodged from their homes and farms? “Who would take the responsibility of taking care of the needs of these farmers who have lost their means of livelihoods with their farms and crops destroyed by herdsmen militia armed with dangerous weapons? Who would avert the looming famine in Benue State on account of this mindless destruction of lives and farming communities? “Why has the Minister of Defence not made a single reference to the plight of the 180,000 Benue indigenes taking refuge in eight IDP camps in Benue? These people are also Nigerians who deserve to have a sense of belonging in Nigeria. “Most of these people are farmers who could not go back to their farms for fear of being attacked by herdsmen who are still carrying out sporadic attacks on Benue communities as we speak,� the commissioner charged.

Also reacting, the Benue State House of Assembly called for the immediate resignation of the defence minister over his suggestion.

During plenary yesterday,

member after member condemned the statement of the minister, even as they called for his resignation and that of the president if they cannot put a stop to the killings in Benue State.

Moving the motion condemning and passing a vote of no confidence on the minister, the Majority Leader of the House, Emmanuel Adanyi said the Minister of Defence had clearly shown his incompetence in handling the security situation in the country.

He asked if it was the anti-open grazing law of Benue State that was also responsible for the killings in Zamfara and Kaduna States which both have no such laws.

He argued that Dan-Ali and several other aides of the president were giving advise to Buhari that are inimical to resolving the killings going on around the country.

In his submission, another lawmaker Egli Johnson called for the sack of the minister who he said had outlived his usefulness.

Adding that the law passed by the state assembly was unanimously passed to check the perennial clashes between farmers and herdsmen, he said if the minister was not sacked, then he was speaking the mind of the president who he described as “old and weak�.

Adding his voice to the debate, the Deputy Majority Leader in the Benue Assembly, Nick Eworo called for the overhaul of the country’s security architecture and the sack of the minister.

He said a situation where all those who attended the security council meeting were all from one side of the country was unfortunate. “It’s not surprising that such statement is coming from the minister since the meeting held with the president comprised of people from only one section of the country.�

In his ruling on the motion, the Speaker of the assembly, Terkinbir Kyange passed a vote of no confidence on the minister and also called for his immediate sack.

He said the attitude of the minister towards the law had clearly shown that he has taken sides with the Fulani herdsmen in the killing of Benue people.

Continued on page 8

N’ASSEMBLY OPPOSES SUSPENSION OF ANTI-OPEN GRAZING LAWS “The need to employ other channels with the affected states to reduce tension by suspending the implementation of the anti-open grazing laws while also negotiating safe routes for the herders,� he said.

But in its reaction to the recommendation yesterday, the Senate asked the defence minister to withdraw the statement credited to him that the laws be suspended by the states.

The decision by the Senate followed a point of order raised

by Senator Barnabas Gemade (APC, Benue) who criticised the minister for attributing the incessant killings in Benue and Taraba States to the anti-open grazing laws enacted by the state governments.

Gemade, in particular, expressed concern over the spate of killings in his senatorial district especially with the recent killing of seven people in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to him, “While we are looking up to the government and the security agencies for protection, we get dismayed by the attitude of those who lead these security forces. “It was very strange to me that in the mind of the Minister of Defence, the only way he can solve the problem of hundreds and thousands of people being killed in the states of Benue and Taraba is that the laws they made against open grazing of cattle should be suspended so that anarchy can continue as was the case before.�

Gemade further submitted that “we know that farmers and herders need land but there should be a way where a law that is enacted ensures that persons use the land in accordance to law�.

Having heard his argument against the minister’s suggestion, the Senate unanimously granted Gemade’s request and asked the minister to withdraw the statement.

In the House of Representatives, the lower legislative chamber also passed a motion calling on the NSC to rescind the suggestion on the suspension of the anti-open grazing laws.

It further called on the federal government to submit a supplementary budget to the National Assembly to immediately

develop cattle colonies in states, which had agreed to donate land for this purpose.

The resolution of the lower chamber followed a motion sponsored by Hon. John Dyegh (APC, Benue) on the need to rescind the suggestion made by the minister during the meeting of the security council on Tuesday.

He noted that the unprovoked attack on Agatu town in Benue State by suspected herdsmen, which claimed over 800 persons and over 20 villages ravaged, had necessitated eminent indigenes of the state to come together to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He added that the anti-open grazing law came into being after robust debates, which produced recommendations to the state government to proceed with the decision and push for the enactment of the law through an executive bill.

He also observed that the Constitution gives express powers to the state assemblies to make laws for the good governance of the states.

Dyegh said Benue was not the only state which had made laws for good governance, adding: “We’ve seen states making laws against trading in alcohol and prostitution and such laws are obeyed by visitors and indigenes alike without interference by the federal government.�

He argued that it was totally wrong, going by the tenets of democracy, for the federal government to dabble into the affairs of the states, ignoring the laws of the land “in such a manner as this, more so as the Land Use Act has given the power over land to the state governors�.

The lawmaker stated that the suggestion by the minister to the security council was worrisome in view of the fact that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe had indicated that 11 states had agreed to donate enough land to accommodate all the livestock owned by herdsmen in cattle colonies to end the crisis.

He also recalled that the National Economic Council (NEC), at one of its recent meetings, had agreed that ranching was the best way

to end the crisis.

In her contribution, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (PDP, Abia) said no one could compel any state to suspend a particular law enacted by its assembly.

After the debate, the House passed the motion calling on the NSC to rescind the suggestion on the suspension of the anti-open grazing laws.

Also, the House passed a motion mandating its Committee on Public Procurement to investigate the alleged infraction of the Public Procurement Act in the execution of zonal intervention projects by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government between 2015 and 2017.

The lawmakers’ resolve on the constituency interventions followed a motion moved under matters of urgent importance by Hon. Chukwuka Onyema (PDP, Enugu) on the misapplication of zonal intervention funds to other areas by the implementing agencies.

He said the zonal intervention projects were the intervention projects of members of the National Assembly targeted at bringing democracy dividends down to the grassroots.

He noted that the funds for the execution of the projects were specifically provided for in the Appropriation Acts in the period under review.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the MDAs misapplied the funds in violation of the Appropriation Acts for other purposes, thereby denying payments to contractors who had “diligently completed their works�.

He said the alleged infractions breached the Public Procurement Act and the Appropriation Acts for 2015 to 2017.

But even as the National Assembly was debating the suggestion made by the defence minister for the suspension of the anti-open grazing laws, news trickled in that suspected herdsmen attacked Tse Shan community in Saghev Guma Local Government Area of Benue State at about 3 a.m. yesterday, killing nine persons with many others sustaining injuries.

At the time of this report, several

persons were still missing after the attack.

Chairman of Guma LGA, Mr. Anthony Shawon confirmed the killings when he submitted a report to the state governor’s special adviser, security, Colonel Paul Hemba on the incessant attacks on his council by herdsmen.

He said the victims included two students who came to write the National Examination Council (NECO) examinations in the community.

Shawon stated that both the dead and the injured were conveyed to Gbajimba General Hospital.

The council chairman said that he also received information that when the suspected herdsmen retreated, they attacked several more people along the routes, with one body discovered along the road in Logo Local Government Area.

He stated that the Commander of the 72 Special Forces Battalion of the Nigerian Army dispatched soldiers to the scene of the attack but the attackers had fled.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Government and the State House of Assembly yesterday condemned the suggestion made by the defence minister for the repeal of the antiopen grazing laws.

While addressing reporters, the Benue State Commissioner for Information, Lawrence Onoja condemned Ali’s recommendation and asked him to apologise to the state.

He said Dan-Ali’s statement listed several other states including Kaduna and Zamfara where armed Fulani herdsmen have killed hundreds of people. “It should be noted that these two states do not have laws banning open grazing, yet they have not been spared; just like Adamawa, Plateau, Kogi and Nasarawa where there are no such laws,� the commissioner pointed out.

According to him, this was the second time that the defence minister had “abdicated the responsibilities of his office as the defender of Nigeria’s territorial integrity and descended so low to become the champion of Fulani herdsmen’s interest�. “He justified the incessant unprovoked attacks by herdsmen

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JUNE 7, 2018

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PAGE EIGHT PRESIDENCY IGNORES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S THREAT TO INVOKE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS Jibrin, on the other hand, had among other issues said the joint session was attended solely by lawmakers on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), effectively declaring the resolution a “PDP resolution�.

The decision of the House yesterday was triggered when Hon. Sunday Karimi (PDP, Kogi) raised a point of order bordering on breach of privilege.

He berated Jibrin for issuing a statement to the press a few hours after the joint executive session.

Karimi said there was a need for Jibrin to be called to order by the House, as he appeared set to “turn the chamber upside-down�.

He said the deliberate move by the Kano-born lawmaker to subvert the truth was not in the best interest of the green chamber.

Also, coming under the same matter of breach of privilege, Hon. Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) and Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) – both of whom were fingered by Kazaure as being the arrowheads in the call for Buhari’s impeachment in the lower chamber – denied the allegation and demanded that Kazaure be made to face a disciplinary committee.

Ossai said contrary to Kazaure’s claim, he was not one of those alleged to have collated signatures to impeach the president.

Chinda, on his part, said he would not have bothered if the allegations were true, adding that it was the job of lawmakers to initiate an impeachment process against the president, more so when it is done in tandem with the law.

He, however, expressed concern that the issues raised by Kazaure concerning the executive session were half-truths.

Ossai, who chairs the House Ethics and Privileges Committee, however, objected to the suggestion to refer Kazaure to the committee so as to avoid being a judge in his own case.

But House Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara insisted Kazaure should face the committee while Ossai could recuse himself from the investigation and allow his deputy to take charge in the particular case involving him.

The Speaker specifically expressed concern that he witnessed a number of members sneaking out of the executive session without canvassing any position only to speak to the press thereafter.

He advised members to always

stick to the truth and not mislead the public on the activities of the parliament.

He subsequently referred Jibrin and Kazaure to the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House.

Back and Forth by Police Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police have again reversed themselves by insisting that Senate President Bukola Saraki must appear in person before the Force Intelligence Response Unit in Abuja for questioning over the Offa bank robberies and the killing of 33 people in Kwara State.

This was as the police said they had arrested two more gang leaders in connection with the investigation into the Offa robberies.

The police alleged that the gang leaders were political thugs and were carrying out clandestine operations for Saraki.

The police on Sunday had asked Saraki to report to the Force Intelligence Response Unit after it alleged that some of the suspects linked to the Offa robberies in their custody had implicated the Senate President.

But just as the Senate President had asked his aide to go to the Force headquarters on Monday to get the letter of invitation, he returned with a letter stating that Saraki’s presence was no longer required, but was expected to send a written response to the police within 48 hours.

However, the police made another about turn yesterday when they said Saraki would have to appear in person to explain his role in the robberies in his home state.

The volte-face by the police may not be unconnected to the reaffirmation of the vote of no confidence passed by the National Assembly on the police boss, Ibrahim Idris on Tuesday.

Briefing the press yesterday, the police spokesman, ACP Moshood Jimoh said contrary to claims by the Senate President that he was to respond through a written statement within 48 hours, the police were still standing by its earlier invitation issued via a press briefing on Sunday.

Jimoh was adamant that Saraki must appear before the Force Intelligence in Guzape, Abuja, to explain his involvement and alleged link to the gang leaders and principal suspects of the robbery attacks.

According to him, investigators were still expecting the Senate President to report at police unit to explain his links to the suspects, irrespective of what the contents of the letter as claimed by Saraki stating to the contrary. “The invitation was never withdrawn, I read to you (journalists) that the Senate President was being invited to come and answer to the allegations levelled against him by the five gang leaders here. As I said earlier, the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has a case to answer,� Jimoh said.

Jimoh also revealed that two more men were named by the overall gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, during the parade of suspects on 3 June.

The newly arrested men were identified as Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, also known as Captain, and Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo, a.k.a Jawando. “However, a third wanted person, Alhaji Dona is still at large. Gobiri is 47 years old, while Olododo is 53 years old,� he said.

According to the police, the two men, all from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have admitted to various crimes and criminalities that they had committed in Kwara Central Senatorial District under the guise of working as political thugs for Saraki. “They are currently under investigation and will be charged to court on completion of the investigation,� Jimoh, said.

Continuing, the police spokesman said: “New revelations from further investigations into the matter show that all the five gang leaders, namely, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran, have direct connection to the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki as new pictures of one of the five gang leaders when paraded by the police early in the week was in the aso ebi (trouser) used during the Senate President daughter’s wedding. “The five gang leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held recently. “The Nigeria Police Force will not be cowed or succumb to intimidation from any quarters in carrying out a thorough and discreet investigation into the Offa bank robberies where significant successes have been recorded.

The ongoing investigations will

be driven to a logical conclusion. “The Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki is still under investigation in connection to the Offa bank robberies and the Nigeria Police Force will do everything possible within the ambit of the law to ensure that justice is done in this case,� he maintained.

Jimoh recalled that on June 3 he paraded 15 suspects including the five gang leaders and 17 other principal suspects who had confessed and volunteered statements to the police investigation team on the active criminal roles they played in the robbery of six commercial banks, attack on divisional police headquarters in Offa and the killing of 33 innocent persons.

He said that the gang leaders confessed to the police that Ayoade Akinnibosun, a.k.a AY ‘M’ 37yrs was the gang leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. “He said that they also confessed to having coordinated the bank robberies and the killing of innocent persons during the robberies.�

Jimoh also recalled that one Ibukunle Ogunleye ‘M’ 36yrs was the gang leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State confessed to have killed two persons during the bank robberies.

He added that Adeola Abraham ‘M’ 35yrs another gang leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State confessed to have killed five persons during the bank robberies, while Salawudeen Azeez ‘M’ 49yrs another gang leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State also confessed to have killed two persons during the bank robberies.

Also, Niyi Ogundiran ‘M’ 37yrs, yet another gang leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State, was said to have confessed to have killed two persons during the bank robberies.

Jimoh further stated that the other 17 suspects volunteered confessional statements admitting their active participation in the Offa bank robberies and also corroborated the confessions of the five principal suspects.

According to him, “During the parade, the main gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun a.k.a AY ‘M’ 37yrs, mentioned three other suspected vicious and notorious political thugs in possession of firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons working, according to him for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki

in the Kwara Central Senatorial District, namely: Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, aka Captain, Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo, aka Jawando, and Alhaji Dona. “Two of these suspects, namely: Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, aka Captain, ‘47yrs’ native of Ilorin East LGA Kwara State and Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo, aka Jawando, ‘53yrs’, native of Ilorin South, Kwara State are now in police custody and have admitted to various crimes and criminalities they have committed in Kwara Central Senatorial District under the guise of political thuggery for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki. They are currently under investigation and will be charged to court on completion of the investigation." “Consequent upon all the above and the confessions of the five gang leaders, namely: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran, and some of the other 17 suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa bank robberies and the gruesome killing of 33 innocent persons, they admitted and volunteered statements that they are the political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed. “The five gang leaders further confessed during the investigation that they are political thugs under the Youth Liberation Movement, a.k.a ‘Good Boys’, and admitted to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed. “These confessions were made before the media and the public on the 3rd of June, 2018. It is therefore evidently clear that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has a case to answer.�

Jimoh stressed that it was also discovered during further investigations that three gang leaders who participated actively in the Offa bank robberies – Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham – had followed Saraki to Olofa’s Palace when the Senate President paid a condolence visit to Offa after the bank robberies.

After Jimoh’s briefing, the suspected robbery gang leader,

Akinnibosun informed journalists that the Senate President was not aware of their alleged criminal activities.

Akinnibosu said his gang members had gone with the Senate President to visit the Olofa’s (traditional ruler) palace, but not on his invitation. He also claimed that they heard about the visit through Saraki’s friend, Samshudeen Bada who invited them.

According to him, “I have a friend, he is a politician close to the Senate President; his name is Samshudeen Bada. He was the one that called me and told me that the Senate President was going to Offa, so I called Kunle Arrow and I called Adex that the Senate President was going to Offa. “I went with my Lexus SUV to pick them up and we went to Offa, and on getting there, not quite 10-15 minutes later, the Senate President was done. When he was done with the Olofa, he said he was going to Ilorin, so we followed him and when we got to a village, Eleyeoka, he stopped to ease himself. Senator Ibrahim Rafiu (Saraki’s friend) now gave us N50,000, he gave the money to me.�

Another suspect, Mr. Adeola Abraham was also asked how he got the Aso-ebi (ceremonial uniform) that was worn during Saraki’s daughter’s wedding, to which he said that it was provided

by Akinnibosu.

Abraham maintained that he had no direct relationship with the Senate President, describing himself as a “mere political follower�.

Abraham, who was still wearing the Aso-ebi at the time of the interview, could however not give an account of the amount of money that was stolen during the robberies, stating that it had not been shared. “After the operation, I asked Kunle about the money that was realised and Kunle asked Ayoade (Akinnibosu) who asked Adikwu who is the overall leader of the gang. He said we can’t share the money now because the police may use it to track us,� he explained.

But debunking these claims, the police spokesman said that further arrests and confessions had shown that the suspects have direct links with Saraki.

Jimoh maintained that police would not succumb to pressure and will pursue the case to a logical conclusion.

of Ogun State yesterday expressed its profound gratitude to Buhari for conferring the highest posthumous award of the land on “an illustrious son of the state, late Chief Moshood Abiola�.

In a statement issued last night by the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, the state government said Buhari had shown that he is a man that believes in justice.

The statement read: “We are grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari for this recognition of an illustrious son of Ogun State and an icon of our democratic struggle, Chief MKO Abiola. “President Buhari has shown with this action that he is a man that believes in justice and giving to every person his or her dues. “Although this posthumous award may appear to some people to have come late, we thank the president. We urge all lovers of democracy and goodwill to continue to support the ideals for which Chief MKO Abiola lived and died for. “For us in Ogun State, we shall not forget Bashorun MKO Abiola�.

Similarly, the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode hailed the announcement by the president declaring June 12 as the new Democracy Day in honour of the late presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Abiola.

The governor, in a statement

by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, lauded the president, saying that the development was a historic and symbolic moment in the nation’s political trajectory. “This is a welcome development. It is a historic moment in our nation and I join other Nigerians to commend President Buhari on this announcement. “By this move, he has done what previous administrations failed to do. This does not only show that the president is a man of history and character but also eloquently confirms that the heroes of democracy did not die in vain after all,� Ambode said.

However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the national honour to be conferred on Abiola smacked of hypocrisy and political desperation ahead of 2019 presidential election.

It declared that Buhari's action “merely sought to use the name and person of Abiola to gain political capital� and was not out of genuine reverence and recognition for him.

A statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, recalled that Buhari who served in the military administration of Gen. Sani Abacha, during the travails of Abiola, never associated either by word or action with the presumed

winner of the June 12 election.

It further stated that history never recorded Buhari as being sympathetic to the “Abiola family when his wife, Kudirat, was gruesomely murdered by the agents of a government, which President Buhari served�. “It is, therefore, a sign of political desperation for President Buhari to seek to use Abiola’s name as a tool to sway Nigerians in less than twelve months to an election, where he, President Buhari, is seeking a second term. “It is also shocking that the respectable grave of Abiola can be dishonoured by granting a posthumous award on him along with someone who denounced the June 12 mandate and preferred the company of his (Abiola’s) traducers. “Even those who now masquerade as change agents were opposed to the naming of the University of Lagos after Abiola. “If President Buhari genuinely wants to honour Abiola, he should do so by ending all anti-democratic proclivities of his administration and allow for the rule of law and respect for our Constitution. “The PDP therefore urges President Buhari to shed his desperate actions in his quest to win the 2019 presidential election as Nigerians can no longer be deceived by such antics.�

FG HONOURS ABIOLA, DECLARES JUNE 12 DEMOCRACY DAY equally posthumously awarded the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) to Abiola, who died in 1998 in the federal government’s custody.

The June 12, 1993 presidential election was cancelled by the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida on June 23, 1993, for no tangible reason, forcing Abiola to fight for the actualisation of his mandate.

However, Babangida’s successor the late Gen. Sani Abacha detained Abiola until his (Abacha) death on June 8, 1998.

Abiola died under suspicious circumstances while in custody on July 7, 1998, just as negotiations were ongoing between leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and the successive military regime led

by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar for his release.

According to Buhari, June 12 was the day Nigerians freely exercised their democratic rights and voted for Abiola.

He also said it was also the day Nigerians and his administration believe was more symbolic of democratic governance than May 29.

According to him, June 12 was undisputedly the day Nigeria held the freest, fairest and the most peaceful election in Nigeria’s history since independence.

Buhari said after due

consultations, June 12 would henceforth replace May 29 for the celebration and commemoration of democracy.

He also said Abiola’s running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe, would be conferred with the second highest honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

In the same vein, he said the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the renowned lawyer and human rights crusader, who was at the forefront of the battle for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate, would also be conferred with the GCON award posthumously.

The investiture, he said, would take place next week on June 12. “For the past 18 years, Nigerians have been celebrating May 29 as Democracy Day. That was the date when for the second time in our history, an elected civilian administration took over from a military government. “The first time this happened was on October 21, 1979. But in the views of Nigerians, as shared by this administration, June 12, 1993, was far more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29 or even October 1. “June 12, 1993, was the date when Nigerians in millions exercised their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful election since our independence.

“The fact that the outcome of the election was not upheld by the then military government does not distract from the democratic credentials of that process. “Accordingly, after due consultations, the federal government has decided that henceforth, June 12, will be celebrated as Democracy Day. “Therefore, the government has decided to award posthumously the highest honour of the land, GCFR, to the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12th, 1993 cancelled elections. “His running mate as vicepresident, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe is also to be invested with a GCON. Further, the tireless fighter for human rights and the actualisation of the June 12th election and indeed for democracy in general, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) is to be awarded a posthumous GCON. “The commemoration and investiture will take place on Tuesday, June 12th, a date which in future years will replace May 29 as national public holiday celebration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day,� Buhari said in the statement.

Reacting to the posthumous recognition accorded Abiola and the conferment of the highest national award of GCFR, normally conferred solely on Nigerian heads of state, the government

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NEWS

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

AMCON Plans Sale of Arik, Aero, PAN, Others in 2018 Obinna Chima The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has indicated plans to sell some of its assets in

2018, which it listed to include Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), Delta Queen, among others.

Owing to the planned sale of

Laughter in Senate as Saraki Reads ‘Transmission’ Letter from Buhari Deji Elumoye in Abuja There was laughter on the floor of the Senate yesterday when the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki had barely mentioned the word “transmission” when the chamber erupted in laughter, which prompted the Senate President to cough, smile and said: “I will take that again.”

The senators were laughing in apparent mockery of what transpired last month in Kano when the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, had problems with the word “transmission” which he repeated several times at a public function.

The video clip of the police IG, which went viral, remains fresh in the memory of Nigerians who

had a field day making fun of the police boss.

Saraki went on to read the letter from Buhari titled, “Transmission of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Amendment Bill 2018.”

In the letter, the president said: “I forward herewith a draft Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Products Sharing Contracts Amendment Bill 2018 for the kind consideration and passage by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while hoping that the Bill will receive the usual expeditious consideration and passage by the distinguished Senate.

“While hoping that the bill will receive the usual expeditious consideration and passage by the distinguished Senate, Please accept Mr. Senate President the assurances of my highest regards.”

the assets, AMCON which recently released its 2017 financial statement, pointed out that its “2018 financial year may be a very busy year for AMCON as a result of the proposed disposal of these lead assets”.

A statement from the corporation quoted its chief executive, Mr. Ahmed Kuru, to have said AMCON was in the process of dealing decisively with the top assets in its portfolio.

He also said the corporation has stepped up its recovery drive in line with its fast approaching sunset.

AMCON recently disclosed that as at December 2017, it had recovered a total of N740 billion, just as the corporation’s 2017 results had shown that its loss position reduced significantly

by 90 per cent to N16.41 billion in 2017, compared with the N164.94 billion recorded the previous year.

But the statement quoted Kuru as saying: “I want Nigerians to understand that our assignment at AMCON is not just tough but a daunting challenge. I think people need to pity us because we are at that stage in the life of the corporation where we are dealing with the hardcore because the low hanging fruits have been dealt with earlier in the life of AMCON. “I want you to understand that we are sitting on a substantial amount of assets, which we must one way or the other resolve on or before our sunset, which is around 2023/24.”

He insisted that AMCON played strategic role in rebuilding

the Nigerian economy with the recapitalisation of the banks, which he said preventing systemic collapse of the economy. He said it would have been unimaginable what would have happened to the Nigerian economy if AMCON did not intervene at the time it did.

For that reason, he said, AMCON was determined to pursue every obligor in its book with all the powers the laws avail AMCON to deal with each and every one of them especially the 350 debtors of AMCON who account for almost 80 per cent of the over N5 trillion huge debt burden, which must be recovered because AMCON borrowed to purchase the Eligible Bank Assets (EBAs) during the first and second phases when it bought over the bad loans from the banks.

He continued: “Like I said earlier, we will deal with some of those key

assets very soon like the Peugeot Nigeria Limited in Kaduna, CDL, Aero Contractors, Arik Air and a host of others. But I must tell you, as we close in on these individuals and entities that owe us, I want you to know that they will call us names, they will blackmail us, they will threaten us, malign and harass us.

“However, I can tell you that hard as they will try, we will not be deterred in going about our normal duties as mandated by law. But as we do, we ask ourselves first if the action will stand right before God Almighty; secondly, will the action be in our national interest and, is our action within the rule of law. If the answer to these three guiding principles is yes, AMCON takes decisions.

It is nothing personal.”

Ex-Governor Yero, Three Others Granted Bail John Shiklam in Kaduna A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna yesterday granted bail to the former Governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero, and three others.

The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Shuaibu, granted each of the accused persons bail in the sum of N1million and two sureties in like sum.

The court also ordered the accused persons to deposit their international passports to the court registrar.

Yero, along with former Minister of State for Power, Nuhu Wya, former Kaduna State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haruna Gaya, and the former Secretary to the Kaduna State Government during the Yero administration, Hamza Ishaq, was remanded

in prison on May 31, 2018, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds and breach of trust involving N700 million said to be the share of PDP for disbursement during the 2015 elections.

Ruling on the bail application filed by their counsel, Yunus Ustaz (SAN), Justice Shuaibu said the sureties must own a landed property in Kaduna Sate.

The prosecution counsel had kicked against the bail, arguing that the defendants were likely to jump bail if granted them.

The presiding judge however ruled that the offence was a bailable offence. The matter was adjourned till September 26, 2018, for hearing.

Family Formally Announces Passage of Olakunri The family of Mr. Simeon Olakunri (SAN) has formally announced the passage of Africa’s first female Chartered Accountant, Mrs. Olutoyin Olakunri, who died at 80 last Sunday.

This was contained in a statement signed by one of her children, Mrs. Susan Omame issued yesterday, noting that Olakunri is survived by her husband, seven children and 14 grandchildren.

According to the statement, it is with a deep sense of loss and profound gratitude to God that we announce the passing of our wife, sister, mother and grandmother, Mrs. Olutoyin Olusola Olakunri, on June 3, 2018.

The statement said the Olakunri

was a mother “to many, full of warmth and wit. Amongst her several virtues, she was an encourager, confidante and counsellor. She enriched the lives of family, friends and associates and will be sorely missed.”

Apart from being the first female Chartered Accountant in Africa, the statement added that Olakunri recorded many firsts in her professional career and that she was an inspiration to many women in particular.

“Our pain is raw, but we thank God for our mother’s purposeful life and for the many legacies she left behind. Details of the funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.”

PRESENTING A SCORECARD

L-R: Executive Operations Director, Effiong Okon; Chief Financial Officer, Roger Brown; Chairman, Dr. ABC Orjiako; Chief Executive Officer, Austin Avuru; Non-Executive Director, Basil Omiyi, at Seplat Petroleum’s fifth annual general meeting in Lagos...yesterday.

Senate to Probe Alleged Rape, Human Rights Abuse at IDP Camps Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday resolved to probe the report of the Amnesty International which accused the military of human rights abuses and rape of women at Internally Displaced Persons (DPs) camps in the North-eastern part of the country.

It had therefore set up a sevenman ad hoc committee, headed by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru (Niger East) to look into the allegations and report back to the Senate in two weeks.

Other members of the Ccommittee include Senators Babajide Omoworare (Osun East), Abubakar Kyari (Borno North), Jeremiah Useni (Plateau South), Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa North), Stella Oduah (Anambra North) and Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East).

The resolve of the Senate to probe the Amnesty International report was sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) at plenary, urging

the Senate to verify the content of the Amnesty International report, a copy of which he laid before the chamber.

While stressing the need for the upper chamber of the National Assembly to verify the report, Sani alleged that Nigerian soldiers raped and tortured women in IDP camps, going by the report titled: ‘They Betrayed Us’, which was released in May. The Amnesty International had alleged in the report that after having survived the brutal rule of the Boko Haram terrorists, women and children in the IDPs camps have had to face further abuse by the military in exchange for humanitarian assistance.

Sani said: “The report by Amnesty International is a report that carries details and empirical evidence of torture, rape and starvation of women detained in the northeastern part of Nigeria.

“Many of these women are women that have survived or escaped Boko Haram attacks and invasions.

“As a democracy we have a twin obligation to prosecute the

war against terror and in every possible way protect and defend the fundamental rights of Nigerians.

“It is a concern that this report impinges on the integrity, image and reputation of not only the security forces of Nigeria but Nigeria as a country. We have seen reports like this by credible international organisations being discussed globally.

“As a part of this country that has been overran by Boko Haram and a hub of humanitarian activities, this damning report has the capacity and ability of denting the war against terror in Nigeria,” Sani further said Contributing, Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, however expressed mixed feelings about carrying out the investigation, pointing out that while it was necessary to investigate the allegations, the lawmakers should carry out the probe with caution.

“I sympathise with the position of Sani on this report. Intricate as the report looks like, I accept the fact that this report by an international organisation shows that a little bit of responsibility exists to carefully

look at that report.

“However, I also want the Senate to understand the intricate nature of this war.

“Happily enough, Sani has accepted the fact that members of the armed forces and security agencies have paid the supreme price in this intricate war.

“The nature and character of what we have in the country makes it almost practically impossible not to have the kind of report that Amnesty is reporting about Nigeria.

“We must recognise the fact that we are not fighting the war against a defined enemy,” Na’Allah stressed.

Senate President , Dr. Bukola Saraki, in his remarks , said since senators are yet to see the report, whatever contributions they may wish to make would be speculative “Deputy Leader, I could see you struggling on both ways. I can see many people raising their hands, but I think the Deputy Leader raised a point; whatever your contributions are going to be will rather be speculative in the sense that you have not seen the report.

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NEWSEXTRA

We Will Come for Your Inauguration, Buhari Assures Fayemi Says it will take a long time to replace ex-minister in valedictory speech

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told the former Minister of Mines and Steel, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, that he (Buhari) and members of the cabinet would grace his swearing-in ceremony as the next governor of Ekiti State in October this year.

Fayemi who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the forthcoming July 14 election in Ekiti State,

resigned from the cabinet last week to pursue his ambition to return to the state seat of power.

At a valedictory session in his honour by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before the take-off of its weekly meeting in the State House yesterday, Buhari and the ministers eulogised Fayemi and wished him best of luck in the forthcoming poll.

Buhari, who advocated the need to encourage the electorate to freely exercise their voting rights,

Constraints Result in Power Sector Losses of N201bn in H1 2018 Chineme Okafor in Abuja An operational report on how Nigeria’s privatised electricity market fared within the six months of the year has shown that the sector lost N201,298,000,000 of the revenue that could have come to it.

Released in Abuja by the Advisory Power Team situated within the Office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the report pointed to repeat shortfalls in gas supply to power generation companies (Gencos), inability of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to effectively transport electricity from Gencos, as well as operational limitations on the part of the power distribution companies (Discos) as key reasons for such huge revenue deficit.

It also listed constraints with water management at the hydropower Gencos as another reason why the sector recorded the shortfall.

“Estimated amount lost to insufficient gas supply, distribution, transmission and water reserves to date in 2018 - N201, 298,000,000,” said the report which THISDAY obtained from the website of the Power Advisory Team.

On the average, it indicated that the sector lost N1.266 billion every day within this period.

It also noted that average power constrained for that period was 2,688 megawatts (MW) daily considering that 419,386MW could not be generated cumulatively within the period. Similarly, an average of 3,882MW was

generated every day, being that about 605,630MW was cumulatively generated within the 156-day period.

Specifically, it stated for instance that: “On June 4, 2018, average power sent out was 4,015MWh/hour, up by 10.75MWh/h from the previous day; 2. 1,851MW was not generated due to unavailability of gas; 230.6MW was not generated due to unavailability of transmission infrastructure, while 1098.8MW was not generated due to high frequency resulting from unavailability of distribution infrastructure; and 365MW was recorded as losses due to water management.

“The power sector lost an estimated N1, 702,000,000 (One billion seven hundred and two million naira) on June 5, 2018, due to insufficient gas supply, distribution infrastructure and transmission infrastructure.

“The dominant constraint on June 5 2018 remained unavailability of gas constraining a total of 1,851MW from being available on the grid,” it added.

The report equally noted that peak power generation for June 5, 2018, was 4,302MW, adding that so far, Nigeria has recorded a peak power generation of 5,222MW achieved on December 18, 2017.

According to it, about 110,254 million standard cubic feet (mscuf) of gas was supplied to the power sector within the period, indicating an average daily gas supply of 706.7mscuf/d.

Visionscape Sensitises Community Members on Plastic Pollution International environmental utility firm, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, has reiterated its commitment to the fight against plastic pollution, following a community sensitisation engagement event organised to mark the United Nation’s 2018 World Environment Day, in partnership with a local cement manufacturer.

The 2018 theme – Beat Plastic Pollution – led the programme, which was held in Lagos Island West Local Community Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State.

Participants consisted of market leaders, representatives of government agencies, key environmental players in the

sector.

“Curbing plastic pollution is a collective effort. There is something we can all do, and it will be to the benefit of each one of us,” said Shola Taiwo, Operations Manager, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions.

Visionscape urged residents to reduce their use of plastic and rubber materials for the fight against plastic pollution.

The World Environment Day, celebrated June 5th every year, is a day dedicated to address the issues facing the environment.

The theme of this year’s event ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, focuses on reducing plastic and rubber pollution in the environment.

expressed hope that Fayemi would wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State for the APC, assuring him that they would be in Ado Ekiti when taking the oath of office.

The president, who said it would take him sometime to fill the vacant seat Fayemi left behind, advocated the need for voter education, saying with the existence of the permanent voter card (PVC), voters could freely exercise their voting rights, recalling how the advent of PVC helped him to win the 2015 elections.

“I hope you will get Ekiti State back for the party. The only time I saw the INEC chair was to insist that voters’ education should be emphasised so that ordinary

Nigerians will believe that Nigeria is beginning to respect them and that their PVC is their status. And then, couple with the card readers, God willing, we are here with the help of technology.

“Because in previous elections and I am in the position to say so having lost three times and got to Supreme Court, I know if not for technology, we will be doing the same thing. A lot of constituencies were bought, votes were allocated and results were announced and people were told to go to court if they don’t agree with it.

“Now, for someone who is looking for the next meal, how is he going to get the money to give to SAN, to demand justice

for his marginalisation.

“So, we thank technology because with the introduction of PVC and the card readers, votes counted. Please go and emphasise this to your constituencies. Let Nigerians be respected that they can vote anybody across any party and at any constituency.

“I think that will give them the pride to voluntarily go and vote. It is not easy to go to Supreme Court three times, but I went through it. I wonder how many people will be proud to go through it in this country.

“So, we certainly wish you the best of luck but it will take me sometime to get a substantive minister and moreso, with the

2019 prospects that I have already indicated. But we need a very strong minister, strong in intellect and courage, so as to make sure that both the Nigerian and foreign collaborators taking away our resources can be checked effectively. We thank you very much for your contribution for your country.

“Goodbye, we will come for the inauguration,”Buhari said. In his response, Fayemi thanked Buhari for releasing him to participate in the election, saying it was crucial for him to make the move in the interest of Ekiti State. He also said he was always proud to be called Buhari boy.

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COMMENT

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

DRYING THE CORRUPTION RAIN CLOUDS OVER AFRICA Okello Oculi argues for more creative measures to fight the cancer of corruption

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n June 4, 2018, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), hosted ‘’A high level consultative meeting on corruption’’ in Abuja. As an agency in The Presidency, this action is a contribution to the potful of achievements that President Muhammadu Buhari will carry back to Addis Ababa in January 2019 to justify the trust put on him by other African leaders by adorning him with the toga of ‘’AFRICANUS REDEEMACUS’’ for a continental fight to dry floods of corruption currently drowning African economies.

This title probably put Buhari ahead of Tanzania’s John Pombe Magufuli when other leaders recalled his massive haul into prison of political office holders, businessmen and administrators for crimes fraud or ‘’eating power’’. Magufuli earned his colours first as Minister of Works when he conducted surprise raids on corrupt policemen by hiding in open trucks and springing up just as the offending officer was grabbing money from a driver the police stopped at a check point. Reports of these incidences fired public imagination and contributed significantly to Chama Cha Mapinduzi (or Party of Revolution) winning the 2015 general election despite vigorous efforts

by American agencies, notably: The Republican Institute, to effect ‘’regime change’’ against a neo-socialist ruling party.

On his return to power in 2015, Buhari started beating the drum of anti-corruption with his flagship statement that: ‘’If Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria’’. It was a call which put the fatal mission of corruption at par with that of malaria. His other image is that the devastating effects of corruption is like an ocean fishing net which damages lives of youths, women, children and deprives young people paths to growth. The gravity of this claim was supported by a report of a committee chaired by former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, that annually a total of 50 billion American dollars had been illicitly taken out of Africa to fuel development in foreign economies.

Nigeria had also waved flags of achievement in tracking and recovering significant amounts of funds. The tool of ‘’whistle blowers’’ had by 2016 enabled government to recover N9 billion. Despite cheeky ‘’conditionalities’’ insisted on by foreign countries holding stolen funds, Nigeria managed to get back 361 million American dollars from what the local media refer to as ‘’Abacha loot’’. A total of 54,000 ‘’ghost workers’’ were ‘’weeded out’’ of the federal salary bill, thereby saving 200 million American dollars monthly.

Nigeria has also invested considerable intellectual resources into the anti-corruption war. In 2017 Buhari signed three Executive Orders, including one which requires officials to write budget estimates in simplified format so that ‘’citizens and the media can do reviews

IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THE PRACTICAL MEASURES

BY MAGUFULI AND BUHARI ARE STARTING FIRES UNDER SEATS OF OTHER LEADERS. OF THE 55 MEMBER STATES OF THE AFRICAN UNION, ONLY 38 HAVE SIGNED THEIR OWN CONVENTION FOR SWEEPING CORRUPTION FROM OVER AFRICA’ SKIES

of fiscal activities’’ to enable ‘’people know what government is doing’’. There are also novel measures for achieving ‘’transparency in financial flows in the exploitation of natural resources’’. Only 11 African countries have currently joined this initiative. There is a push by a think-tank in the Presidency to create measures which are superior and more relevant to the complex and ever-changing strategies of local and global corruption mafia than those advocated

by International agencies, including the United Nations.

There are also novel judicial measures being considered. One is the notion that bank workers who handle stolen funds can be held liable to prosecution as ‘’middle men’’ in the corruption chain and drama. Pleading ignorance about how the money was gotten by a customer would no longer be a valid defence in court. There is also the notion that if the person who stole the money dies, the property he/she left behind ‘’will be put on trial’’. Failure to prove legitimate sources of the income behind the properties would ‘’lead to forfeiture’’.

It is not clear if the practical measures by Magufuli and Buhari are starting fires under seats of other leaders. Of the 55 member states of the African Union, only 38 have signed their own convention for sweeping corruption from over Africa’ skies. When President Magufuli was on a state visit to Uganda, his declaration that the political will to drive anti-corruption must come from the top, prompted his host to announce that he will borrow some of the measures used by his visitor. And when a journalist suggested to Magufuli that his summary punishment of offenders violated their right to defend themselves in a court of law, President Museveni jumped in with the assertion that perpetrators of corruption were violating human rights of millions of citizens and therefore had no claims to such protection.

In Buhari’s neighbourhood, the President of Ghana appointed the Opposition Party Leader to head the Anti-Corruption agency.

Foreign academics and journalists claim that in Africa opposition politicians are regarded as ‘’enemies’’ to be crushed. This move is significant even if cynics may see it as giving the opposition leader a calabash of poisoned palm wine to drink and silence his chance of reaping from dangers to government from raving pains while squeezing out the nation’s corruption boil.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya may also have passed over to Raila Odinga the baton of threats of assassination which under President Mwai Kibaki sent John Githongo as anti-corruption warrior fleeing to London for safety. While these are positive signs, more creative measures are needed for cleansing local and state governments; while anchoring anti-corruption in actions of Africa’s peoples.

THE CHALLENGE OF ESTIMATED BILLING The best way to ensure the balance between the energy supplied and what an electricity customer consumes is to install a meter, writes Yemi Oke

E

stimated billing occurs when a customer does not have a meter.

Generally, no electricity distribution company (DisCo) makes estimated billing its default billing system.

However, a review of electricity utility billing practices, world-wide, would indicate that estimated billing is a standard and conventional tool that is in much use, even in advanced economies.

In the case of Nigeria, the current metering gap of four million customers (2.35 times the 1.7 million metering gap specified in the DisCos’ performance agreements) goes back several years, long before privatisation and we cannot blame the DisCo investors who only took over in November 2013 for the growing historical metering gap. As a matter of fact, the National Pre-Paid Metering Programme (NPPMP) initiated by the federal government, prior to the privatisation, sought to address this gap but failed, due to corruption, lack of coordination, inefficiency, etc. The failure to complete metering of customers prior to the privatisation was worsened by the absence of data on the total number of registered customers, now estimated at 7.47 million (likely still an underestimation of the number of customers, with the associated outcome of an even larger metering gap).

Consequently, the huge metering gap in Nigeria presents a herculean challenge for the DisCos when it comes to measuring the consumption of their unmetered customers.

Significantly, there is no more interested party in the comprehensive metering discussion than the DisCos. And this is because it is estimated that metering alone reduces collection losses by 30 per cent. Additionally, it minimises the alienation of consumers who, often, underpay or do not pay their electricity bills, based on the disputed or crazy bills.

In recognition of the impossibility of comprehensive metering within the near to mid-term

period, the regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) enacted a regulation on estimated billing methodology to guide the DisCos in their billing. Nonetheless, application of the methodology remains a very contentious process, as we have seen cases of over-billing (otherwise known as crazy billing) and cases of under-billing which, we, the consumers never talk about. Understandably, estimated billing is a vexing issue to un-metered customers, due to the perception of overbilling situations.

In all, I’m of the view that it is very unfair and difficult for both the consumers (in the case of crazy billing) and for the DisCos (in the case of under-billing). The estimated billing regulation provides for fair parameters and indices for the computation of electricity usage for unmetered customers.

Most times estimated billing is calculated based on the level and quantity of supply in any area and not necessarily driven by collection targets as it is widely believed. For instance, supply in close neighbourhoods may vary due to the type of supply lines and sources, i.e. 11KV lines to 33KV lines, illegal connections, inefficient use of energy. Hence billing would be based on quantity supplied to those neighbourhoods, irrespective of proximity.

Still, there is no doubt that the current methodology is convoluted, counterintuitive and not transparent.

The question to be asked is: How did we get here in the first place? Alas, the power sector was neglected for an extensive period.

The metering gap continued for several years unabated, yet we expect miracles within five years of privatisation. A review of other jurisdictions that implemented electricity reforms with similar metering gaps would indicate that achieving the objective of comprehensive metering is a long-term endeavour, given financial and logistical constraints.

Regrettably, neither the metering obligation

of 1.7 million meters specified under the DisCos’ performance agreements nor the investment assumption under the electricity tariff will get us to the nirvana of comprehensive metering anytime soon. The reasons for this are – a) meters cost money and someone or some entity must pay for them. Paying for them means that the cost has to be recovered through a higher tariff that would run counter to the affordability constraint of consumers; b) There is a practical and logistical limitation to purchasing and installing the total number of required meters in the near term; and c) While NERC has recently rolled out the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulation that is expected to address the metering gap, this regulation cannot be successfully implemented without consideration of a sustainable commercial framework. In other words, any operator/ provider’s access to debt financing for metering, will be challenged by the reality of a sector that is currently suffering from over N1 trillion of market shortfall and debt.

I think that it is fair to conclude that the DisCos are not anywhere close to the level of efficiency that was envisioned under the National Electric Power Policy, 2001 (NEPP), the foundation for the subsequent legislation, Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 (EPSRA). But is it reasonable to expect the DisCos to attain the desired level of efficiency, with an emphasis on metering, in an environment of regulatory and policy inconsistency, electricity theft; meter bypassing; overloading of transformers; obsolete infrastructure leading to technical losses; non-cost reflective tariff, etc.?

Crazy billing is not and will not be acceptable now or any other day. However, I would suggest that the challenges of estimated billing are best addressed through the prism of a transparent, hardnosed and unbiased assessment of the challenges and methodologies that either exist or that can be devised to address the emotionally charged issue of crazy billing.

For instance, the estimated billing methodology does provide a protocol for disputing a bill that is either excessive or not reflective of the consumer’s consumption pattern. The MAP regulation is expected to bring both third party meter vendors and associated capital to further ameliorate the metering situation, and expeditiously so. The regulator will need to consider updating the estimated billing methodology to make it more transparent and user friendly, both from the operator and consumer perspective, for ease of respective determination of energy supplied and consumed. Concerns about manipulated meters are addressed by the Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA), as part of its mandate to ensure efficient electricity billing and measurement. NEMSA remains committed to ensuring that only high quality and properly calibrated meters are installed across Nigeria. Every allegation of meter resetting or fraudulent calibration by DisCos operators is promptly investigated by NEMSA. An efficient electricity market is, and continues to be a defined outcome of the power sector reform effort. The elimination of estimated billing, largely, is one of the expected outcomes for an efficient market. However, attainment of this efficiency is also predicated on other factors such as appropriate electricity pricing, increased generation, efficient regulation, forex availability, consistency of regulation and policymaking and implementation, favourable lending terms, and other macro-economic dynamics that, unfortunately, have been absent to date. Nigerians are anxious to witness a growth in the power sector. Such growth or progression, coming from a background with an order of magnitude of deficiency and inefficiency in the power sector caused by historical neglect, will require an associated order of magnitude of investment, commitment, focus and patience, for its turnaround.

Oke wrote from Lagos

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

EDITORIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE PENSION REFORM Government should prioritise the issue of pension in the country

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he advent of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) activated with the promulgation of the Pension Reform Act 2004, has added some measure of dynamism and effectiveness to pension administration in Nigeria. Now repealed and replaced with the Pension Reform Act 2014, this law effectively unbundled pension administration, transferring ownership of retirement savings accounts (RSAs) to workers under private sector-driven administration regulated by the National Pension Commission (PenCom). While the new scheme is contributory, the old defined benefit scheme (DBS) entailed wholesale budgetary provision for pension.

However, effective as the CPS appears, the debilitating issue of payment of accrued pension rights accumulated by public sector workers in both federal and state government establishments constitutes a real threat to its smooth running. Many retirees from government establishments are facing severe hardship because of the lateness of the payment of accrued rights. This is because Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) DELAY IN THE PAYMENT cannot pay retirees’ OF ENTITLEMENTS IS AN entitlements unless UNKIND CUT ON RETIRING their accrued rights are paid into their retireWORKERS. SOME OF ment savings accounts.

THESE RETIREES HAVE It is important to BEEN DYING IN THEIR note that before the NUMBERS commencement of the CPS, the federal government (as well as some state governments), recognised and acknowledged that there were outstanding pension liabilities to workers who had subsisted under the old defined benefit pension arrangement, but who now upon the institution of the law establishing the CPS, had to convert to the new pension scheme. These pension liabilities were professionally estimated and merged with retirement bonds recognised by the governments as being owed to the workers whose records were fully verified.

This arrangement worked effectively up until the

Letters to the Editor

end of 2014 when the first shocks in the collapse of global crude oil prices began to take their toll on the public finance system in Nigeria. Like any household that experiences severe financial dislocation, for various reasons, a scale back and a reprioritisation of spending is undertaken such that available funds are devoted to what is considered an existential need. But quotidian realities in the country do not warrant pension not being prioritised.

Delay in the payment of entitlements is an unkind cut on retiring workers. Some of these retirees have been dying in their numbers.

I T H I S DAY EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, JOSEPH USHIGIALE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

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

t should be stated clearly that lateness in the payment of government workers’ entitlement is occasioned by the delays in payments into the retirement benefit bond redemption fund (RBBRF) by government such that public sector workers no longer experience a seamless experience in the withdrawal of their benefits because of the delay in the payment of their accrued rights. This is threatening to erode the gains of the new CPS and giving it a bad name in the court of public opinion.

So we dare ask: Why is the payment of pension liabilities by government not considered a top priority? Is it because of the relatively weak or diffused power of those who are entitled to these payments? Why are accrued rights obligations by government not so treated? Is it because the workers have acquiesced to feeling that they are mercifully treated when one day government finally decides to offset a part of this obligation?

There is no doubt that if these liabilities attracted interest penalties, and they should, the accrued rights obligation of government will be treated with greater urgency and diligence. This way, the workers will not experience the double jeopardy of delay in their payments and the erosion of value based on the time value of money. It is high time government effectively prioritised the issue of pension in Nigeria. It is one thing to make laws, yet it is another to see to their full implementation. If anything, another law has become extremely necessary to ensure stringent penalties for the various tiers of government and private sector employers who have deliberately been defaulting in their obligations to workers and retirees.

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 (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

NORTH EAST AND THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY

B

oko Haram, which means ‘western education is forbidden’ is a Nigerian version of Islamist militant group that began with a group of young Islamic radicals in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

Its current incarnation as a violent insurgency dates back to year 2009.

In 2009, its uprising started as a conflict between the group and Nigerian security forces. During that period, violence across several states in north eastern Nigeria resulted in more than 1,000 dead with over 700 of the deaths recorded in the city of Maiduguri alone.

Since then, there has been a sharp increase in both the numbers of attacks and deaths caused by Boko Haram.

Records show that for 10 consecutive years from 2009 till date, the notorious insurgents have carried out over 160 attacks in the north eastern parts of the country alone.

To buttress the above facts, the Governor of Borno State in February 13, 2017 gave statistics of deaths and material losses suffered by the state as a result of Boko Haram activities in that part of Nigeria. Governor Kashim Shettima, while delivering a paper titled “Managing the Boko Haram Crisis in Borno State, Experiences and Lessons for a Multiparty, Multiethnic and Multi-religious Nigeria” at the Annual Murtala Mohammed Memorial Lecture held at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, recounted that Boko Haram insurgency has led to deaths of almost 100,000 persons going by the estimates

of the community leaders over the years. He claimed also that 2,114,00 persons had become internally displaced as at December of 2016 in Borno State.

Although the government of Nigeria says Boko Haram has been defeated, the notorious group continues to target isolated, vulnerable villages especially in the north east.

Notwithstanding the repeated claims by the Nigerian government that Boko Haram is “technically defeated, “ terribly degraded” and “completely decimated”, the dreaded group has proven resilient and continued to heat the headlines with series of attacks against innocent civilians.

The suicide attacked in Mandarari Village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State was among the latest in a string of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast in recent months when a male suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) strapped to his body that resulted in an explosion that killed the bomber, four civilians, Joint Task Force (JTF) and injured five other persons.

Also, on Thursday 31, May 2018, five soldiers were killed in an ambush by Boko Haram at Pridang-Bitta in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State The above coupled with other string of attacks by this destructive militant insurgents on churches, mosques, schools and internally displaced persons’ camps have resulted in the massacred of more than 150,000 innocent civilians that could have been useful to the country and effect development.

A cursory look at the trend of Boko Haram activities particularly in the northeast now shows that there are certain interest groups who are perpetrating this violence while their sponsors are benefitting financially.

The trend of attacks also proved that most of the Boko Haram members live in the communities among the people.

The communities know them but are afraid to disclose their identities to the government. Many of the recruits are illiterates and hopeless boys and girls who are easily recruited, hypnotised and manipulated to carry out their inhumane and dastardly acts.

The proximity of northeast to neighbouring Cameroon made it easy for the group members to flee after carrying out attacks and later regroup for further terror activities.

Also the federal government resorted to dialogue, ransom payment and exchange of prisoners and negotiation with insurgents make those gaining financially from the Boko Haram activities to continue to encourage the insurgents to hype their inhumane and endless explosions, brutal killings and abductions of men, women and children in the northeast.

In conclusion, the rate of attacks by the Boko Haram, especially in the northeast of the country has made the terrorists to become the deadliest terror group in the world, with thousands of innocent Nigerians massacred.

Bashiru Adewunmi Agunloye, Executive Secretary, Atlanta-Lagos Sister Cities Committee

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JUNE 7, 2018

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Fanwo: Why Dino Melaye’s Recall Failed Although Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello distanced himself from the failed attempt to recall the senator representing Kogi West, Mr Dino Melaye, his media aide, Mr Kingsley Fanwo has explained the reason for the failure of the exercise. He spoke with Yekini Jimoh What is your regret as a spoke person to the governor?

My biggest regret has been the misrepresentation of the person and policies of the governor by detractors whose preoccupation was to discredit the governor.

As his publicist, I have continued to portray his true picture and it is gradually paying off as the people are beginning to understand him better.

Governor Yahaya Bello is a humane person with big ambition to develop the state and fight to ensure that the resources of the state work for the people. He should be seen as a patriot who has come to mend the battered state of affairs in our dear state.

to lack of adequate orientation on the part of the people.

Also, a lot of administrative issues contributed to it as some card readers broke down or refused to verify voters’ cards.

All these took their toll on the exercise.

But I think it was a good democratic test and the people of Kogi West had set a beautiful democratic precedence that a sitting senator could be shaken and made to sit tight.

Most people belief that it will be difficult for your boss, the governor to win a second term because of his style of leadership. What is your reaction to this?

He has done very well in virtually all the sectors of the economy because he has religiously implemented the New Direction Agenda of his administration. He has excelled in the areas of civil service reforms, security, agriculture, healthcare, environment, urban renewal and many others.

Your job must have been quite challenging.

Yes, it is both challenging and interesting.

The challenge of managing the media is one of the most daring, most dynamic and most pragmatic tasks in Nigeria. It is also enormous.

The manner of his emergence and the way he has broken the status quo with revolutionary approach to governance has pitted him against people who benefited from a rotten system in the past. It is interesting because we are keeping pace with the giant strides of the new direction of the administration.

It has been quite interesting working with the White Lion.

What is the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State considering the situation of workers in the state?

APC is the party to beat in Kogi State. You saw how peaceful our congresses were and how the governor is positioning the state for a landslide victory in 2019.

The salary issue is not as bad as people are trying to paint it. Government is doing its best to keep civil servants happy. We have done better than many states in the federation in terms of ensuring workers’ welfare and we won’t rest on our oars until every genuine worker is paid every dime owed.

We didn’t hide the fact of our financial situation from the workers and we shall continue to work together to strengthen our relationship with the civil servants in the state.

This administration has empowered thousands of Kogites through agriculture and other sectors of the economy. We have made healthcare a zero-cost for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers in public hospitals.

The larger segment of our population are quite comfortable with what we are doing and will vote APC massively in Kogi State in 2019. We are quite optimistic.

You want to contest election into the House of Representatives, what are your chances?

Unfortunately, I have not declared any intention to vie for the House of Representatives in Yagba. Our people are wonderful people and I appreciate them for identifying me as someone who could represent them well.

My loyalty is to my boss, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and I want to concentrate on the job he has given to me. I believe in destiny. What will be will be.

What have you done for your people that make you think that they will support you?

My people will support my party because I have always been a part of them. In my little way, I have empowered a good number of my people, the youth, women and farmers.

I am not surprised that they feel I could do better with higher responsibility. Governor Yahaya Bello is my political mentor. I listen

In which areas can you say that the governor has done very well?

Governor Yahaya Bello has touched the common man on the streets.

Those expressing pessimism over his chances of winning a second term are the people who are no more allowed to steal what belongs to the people.

Those corrupt people are so rich that they are using their stolen wealth to promote falsehood against the administration.

Governor Bello is a good leader who had brought purposeful leadership to the state.

He is not someone who is afraid of taking tough but beneficial decisions to save the state. And am sure the people appreciate him for that.

Do you see APC winning the forthcoming bye election into Lokoja/Koto federal constituency?

Lokoja/Koto has always been a stronghold of the APC in Kogi State. And the bye election will further confirm that. APC’s decision to allow a Lokoja person complete the late Buba’s tenure was a wise and fair one. We are already preparing to celebrate our victory.

Kingsley Fanwo

to him because my loyalty to him is 200%.

I will continue to serve his government and the people of Kogi State as well as canvas support for all the aspirants of our dear party in 2019.

Have you ever empowered the people of your constituency?

Yes of course, through the Titilayo Fanwo

The people of Kogi West had set a beautiful democratic precedence that a sitting senator could be shaken and made to sit tight

Empowerment Foundation, we have done a lot for the youth, artisans and students.

More will be done in July this year. I love my people and will continue to serve them either in political office or outside of it.

This is the first government in the state that has many young people in government.

We know we have a responsibility not to let the people down.

With the likes of Chief Clarence Olafemi and other big wigs in Mopamoro that are in opposition What are your chances sir?

Chief Clarence Olafemi is a highly respected person in my Local Government and Kogi State as a whole. But 2019 is about the grassroots people who will decide the fate of political parties. We respect his political credentials but we are not in any way intimidated. We have a point to prove in 2019 and we won’t shy away from that.

Why do you think the people of Kogi West failed to recall Senator Dino Melaye?

Recall register verification is even more complex than election. I think the recall failed due

What about the plan to impeach the speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, how true is it?

The legislators will be able to answer that because they are responsible for determining who leads them.

However, as an outsider, I can rate the leadership of Rt Hon Kolawole Matthew high.

I don’t think he has any problem with the legislators.

Don’t you think the next election in Kogi State will be based on tribal sentiment?

Governor Yahaya Bello has fundamentally banished the ghosts of ethnic jingoism in the state with his spread of appointments and projects. People now think Kogi.

For the first time, a Chief of Staff to the governor emerged from a different ethnicity from that of the governor in the state. It had never happened. Projects are now spread and now the people of the state trust one another. Kogi has never been this united.

Governor Yahaya Bello will win massive votes from across the state. Don’t forget that he defeated the incumbent then, Capt. Idris Wada in the latter’s Local Government Area during the run-off poll.

Governor Bello is destined for a second term and I am optimistic our party, the APC will win massively in 2019.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

POLITICS

Adeniji:OyoStateWeighedDownbyExtreme Poverty Only those who have the capacity to tackle extreme poverty should aspire to be governor of Oyo State, an All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant, Francis Rotimi Adeniji has said. He spoke with Tobi Soniyi. Excerpts: do you have to offer? What is your character?

These are the fundamental principles that people should be asking. It does not even mean if I am from a particular zone I will do better for my people.

What make good governance is the character and the mission of the seeker of that office, and should not be based on such sentiments like he is from us, he is not from us.

Why do you want to be governor in Oyo State?

That is a very big question but it is not really big. For me, politics essentially is for service and a primary understanding of your intervention is important. What are you doing before you go into politics matter? When you say you come into politics, what roles specifically do you want to play? My own reason for coming into politics is to impact essentially on the people’s lives. And I take my paradigm from the the simple statement of Jesus Christ - that those who will lead you must be your servants.

As a private entrepreneur, I have done a lot for my society, but I discovered that for you to make the impact that will be substantial and record breaking you need to be in government because government has an octopus role on people’s lives.

But you agree that everybody should come into the race?

It is every comer’s race. Let the bests come.

What are the challenges you have noticed in the governance of Oyo because as the capital of the old Western Region, a lot of people expect that it should be better than as it is now, what are the challenges and how do you intend to go about those challenges?

With the benefit of hindsight, I think the greatest challenge we have is acute poverty.

Oyo has a massive population, a massive land mass, but our people are still very poor. So, from the sincerity of heart, I think we need to tackle poverty head on.

Wherever you are you can be of service to the people. You don’t have to be governor to serve. What have you been doing to serve your people?

I agree that primarily service is a daily thing as an individual and as a group. Indeed, you could take the argument further. The theory of group that developed into political group is that as an individual you have a role to play. When you come in as a group, the role becomes bigger.

For example, I have been contributing my own little token to take care of people. Like indigent students, in terms of giving them scholarships. That is a role, but when you are talking about what they call authoritative allocation of resources, when you talk in terms of acute poverty that we have in our society, how do we use the material resources of the society to benefit the maximum number of people? As an individual you know you cannot do that. You need to annex the resources of the state to make bigger impacts. That is what we are talking about.

How do you intend to do that?

I understand that you have paucity of fund as an hindrance but there is what you call comparative advantage - the strength of my people, I believe, is agriculture. We have the preponderance of good soil from Ibadan. It is because of that you have citrus fruits in the 11 local governments in Ibadan. Mangoes are grown in Ogbomosho to Oke-Ogun I, Oke-Ogun II. There is no part of that place you cannot plant root crops The tragedy is that the military destroyed this comparative advantage. The struggle for oil money brought everybody to the city and led to the abandonment of where naturally, God had endowed us to display wealth.

I see that we need to look at that area critically. In the past, we used to have Fashola Farm Settlement in Oyo. I think it was revived

by Lam Adeshina. If government invested heavily in that sector, actually wealth will come to the people.

The agricultural sector is a multifaceted sector. I will give you another one, timber!

You go to Oyo State now, Chinese are there planting timbers. These are the areas that we need to sit down and make our people to get their money from. That is just a tip of the iceberg.

You are running on the APC platform?

Yes In recent times, the parry doesn’t seem to be doing well. Do you think your party still stands a chance of winning in Oyo? With respect, I think I will humbly disagree.

We stand a very good chance. And the background to it is that - I have said if you want to assess the APC, you will need to compare APC with the party that left power at the centre, PDP. The PDP was in power for 16 years, my own party, at the federal level, we have only have intervention for just three years specifically. In the state, the incumbent governor, Senator Ajimobi is running a second term, which is about to end. If you compare the administration of Senator Ajimobi’s seven years with the total 12 - 16 that the PDP governors had done in Oyo State, Ajimobi will walk top over and above all the PDP governors. That is number one.

The level of development within the Ajimobi administration cannot be equated with the totality of the PDP governors. And if you take that to the federal level, what President Buhari has done, specifically in terms of accountability, also in terms of making Nigerians to realise that government is a serious business, not a money making machine, then square it with what we have gotten from the PDP, can we really say that people want to go back to Egypt?

They say all politics is local. I am aware of the agitation by the Oke-Ogun people for them to produce the next governor. Moreso, when the governor had earlier given them an assurance, how do you hope an Ibadan

Rotimi Adeniji

person will scale the hurdle?

I would say that I agree absolutely with any part of the state presenting a candidate for governorship or any office for that matter. So, the demand of Oke-Ogun people is legitimate.

Equity, lawyers will tell you is equality, but I will not want us to reduce the contest to the office to what I call primordial values -

Oyo has a massive population, a massive land mass, but our people are still very poor

values that are personal. They are attached to certain things. The opportunity should be for everyone, wherever you come from.

It is about what do you have to offer the people? And I would say it is because our people have not been getting maximum good values from governance.

If you want to look back, when you had the administration of late Chief Bola Ige in Oyo State - in the old Oyo, late Chief Ige was from Esa Oke, nobody was thinking of where you come from. When an administration is good, you hardly talk of this man is from there, because he is going to be the governor of the entire Oyo State, not Oke-Ogun, Ibadan or Ogbomosho states. The argument of limiting it to a particular zone, I think is begging the question. I disagree.

If equity demands that Oke-Ogun should seek governorship and it appears primordial at the same time, how do we balance the two?

Justice demands that we should be fair to everybody. Where a candidate comes from is not important. What is important is, what

Most time, politics tend to stand on the way of development, if you become governor, how do you intend to navigate the state’s political terrain?

Our people have a rich history of being democrats and lovers of transparency. If you go back to the old Oyo empire, Oyo people want to have their say. They want to determine things and they want to hold their leaders accountable. These are values that are part and parcel of our lives. So, any leader that offers them transparency, accountability, they naturally gravitate towards that leader.

It is not for fun that Awo ruled for a long time. That you have people like Chief Bola Ige. People loved him. That you have people like late Baba Alayande, Chief Adedibu - they were with the people! They were living with the people and they were accountable to the people.

So, naturally, people give out their support to leaders that are sincere. That is elementary, but if you apply it even now, a lot of people will love you.

And you intend to do that?

We would, by the grace of God - exceedingly transparency and accountable to the people.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

Masari’s Education Revolution Francis Sardauna writes on the interventions made by Governor Aminu Bello Masari in revamping the education sector in Katsina State

Government Science Secondary School, Dutsinma, renovated and equipped by Masari

T

he place of education as the surest and most secured social capital and basis for sound economic and social development is incontrovertible.

Perhaps, Katsina State has gradually become a discerning reference for where a very clear and pragmatic attempt is being made to address education from a broad and multidimensional point of view as against what obtained in the past, through the efforts of Governor Aminu Bello Masari.

The governor has, since assumption of office in 2015, left no one in doubt as to his resolve to revolutionise the ailing education sub-sector in the state.

Before now, the sector has been bedeviled by a retinue of problems ranging from administrative and operational deficiencies to quite a lot of others that can easily be linked to lack of consistent political will in standardising the system's administrative cum structural components for optimal efficacy of teaching and learning.

Interestingly today, the governor has taken the education sector by storm through his empirical result-oriented approaches which he initiated and has continued to implement throughout the state.

Masari strongly believes that without subjectivity there would be no objectivity, which is why he has painstakingly subjected himself to the complete standardisation of education through the provision of critical learning infrastructures across the state as well as training and retraining of teachers.

This initiative is tremendously metamorphosing into a tactical silent game changer in the way schools were run and most profoundly the definition of critical intervention before now in the state.

Masari has practically demonstrated what critical intervention means in its simplest form through the erection of storey buildings in both primary and secondary schools in

Katsina State has gradually become a discerning reference for where a very clear and pragmatic attempt is being made to address education from a broad and multidimensional point of view as against what obtained in the past, through the efforts of Governor Aminu Bello Masari

Masari...education-friendly governor

the state.

It has been estimated that, so far about 200 of such schools have been given total

facelifts, these infrastructural renewal has equally been complemented with fresh construction of additional classrooms

and hostels for selected boarding schools in each of the three senatorial zones of Daura, Katsina and Funtua.

Recruitment of additional teachers in all categories of schools, upgrading and renovation of some schools across the state, deployment of qualified local government personnel to classes, increased budgetary allocation to the sector up to 19 per cent, provision of text books and other instructional materials to primary schools’ pupils.

In an effort to increase the number of Katsina state students enrolled in various institution of higher learning, the governor recently approved the sum of N444,743,100.00 for the payment of WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS registration fees for 36,941 students that "qualified".

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• T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

FEATURES

A newly constructed block of classrooms at Maduru Primary School in Mani LGA

This, is in addition to the sum of N60,175,500.00 earlier released by the state government for the payment of female teachers trainee special scholarship scheme for NCE I, II and III students.

In his quest to improve the standard of the state government owned tertiary institutions, the governor approved the recruitment of both academic and non-academic staff for Isa Kaita College of education Dutsin-Ma. Considering the present security challenges confronting the nation, particularly in boarding schools, the state government under the watch of Masari also approved the employment of 1,000 watchmen for all the secondary schools across the state to safeguard the students.

Today, beyond this reform, the administration developed a mechanism to address the dearth of manpower in the educational sector through the recruitment drive targeting no fewer than 2,000 additional teachers for both primary and secondary schools in the state.

In December, 2017, the administration disbursed the sum of N80 million as refunds for candidates whose payments of WAEC and NECO examination fees had been previously initiated, the intervention, according to government sources was targeted at candidates with at least five credits and above.

One of the most critical policy gaps which this unprecedented feat can solve, is the recurring and often embarrassing issue of girl-child enrollment.

According to a survey by the Federal Ministry of Education, Katsina State is third among the states with lowest girl enrollment in school. This gross imbalance manifests more in a larger social problem of exposure of girl-child into early economic activities and other engagements alternative to pursuing education.

The Masari-led administration conceived of more scientific approach to tackling the

problem by reviewing the institutional framework, converting all girls’ secondary schools in the state into boarding institutions.

It has been a considered opinion of many educationalists in the state that, this is one

Masari has practically demonstrated what critical intervention means in its simplest form through the erection of storey buildings in both primary and secondary schools in the state. It has been estimated that, so far about 200 of such schools have been given total facelifts, these infrastructural renewal has equally been complemented with fresh construction of additional classrooms and hostels for selected boarding schools in each of the three senatorial zones of Daura, Katsina and Funtua

sure footing in addressing the gap which has placed the state on a notorious position in the national education index scale.

The critical issue of staff motivation and welfare cannot be treated in isolation regarding the enhancement of capacity of students-to-teacher ratio, as well as the disengagement and consequent disenchantment from service and the associated trauma of unpaid retirement benefits.

In Katsina, the story is different, and there are more indicators showing that, the overall decline in the priority accorded welfare of teachers in the state is being steadily reversed by Masari.

In order to attend to the envisaged and planned phased-development of the stateowned university, (Umaru Musa Yar'Adua University), plans have reached advanced stage for the establishment of a teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

With the take off, the Faculty will offer programmes leading to the award of degrees in the fields of Medicine, Human Anatomy, Physiology and Community Medicine.

Similarly, the administration has also approved the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture at the old Agricultural Training Centre at Layin Minista in Malumfashi Local Government Area to keep pace with the development plan of the university.

In line with what is obtainable in other universities of the country, the state government is in the process of amending the laws of the university in order to domesticate the elongation of retirement age for academic and non-academic staff to 70 years and 65 years respectively.

These gestures have now provided a serene environment for objective teaching and learning as opposed to the usual dilapidated structures he met in various schools in the state when he came on board as governor.

This has left even hardcore critics with no options than to give Masari kudos for achieving a rare feat in that direction.

In order to give the education sector a wholesome treatment, Masari found a reliable ally in Lawal Buhari Katsina, the Executive Chairman of Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in his pragmatic interventions.

The SUBEB chairman has been consistently integrating methodological changes in teaching and curricular content improvement where necessary, which is in tune with modern realities and taking into consideration the peculiar needs of Katsina State as an isolated case in the production and provision of instructional materials.

Consequently, the state government through SUBEB, has been updating on a continuous basis, the teaching skills of teachers on modern realities of acquiring and imparting knowledge to pupils and students through workshops.

Despite the dwindling oil revenue allocation accruing to the state, Masari has taken measures to relieve parents, especially indigent ones, from the burden of paying school fees for their wards, he made provisions for the payment of bursary and scholarship allowances to students from the state studying at various higher institutions outside the country.

In the same vein, students living with one form of disability or the other were not left out in the scheme of things as the governor has continued to show deep empathy and warm regard for them at all times. This is why he provided this category of people with special educational needs, making their educational pursuit almost 100 per cent free.

Despite these numerous achievements, Masari needs to provide additional infrastructural facilities at both primary and secondary schools across the state, payment of WAEC and NECO school fees for the secondary schools students in the state and as well improve the welfare package for teachers.

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IMAGES

T H I S D AY • THURSSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Kawuwa Shehu Damina; Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar and Country Manager, OCP Africa, Mr. Caleb Usoh, during the official flag off of Africa School Laboratory for 10,000 farmers, in Nabordo, Bauchi State….recently

L-R; Chairman,Energy lnstitute Nigeria, Mr. Ostein Olorunsola; President, Nigerian Gas Association, Mr. Dada Thomas; 1st Vice President, NGA, Mrs Audrey Joe-Ezigbo and Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Fred Agbedi during the Natural Gas Business Forum 2018 & Annual General Meeting/Election of Nigerian Gas Association in Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

L-R: One of the Beneficiaries of Gbaja Ride, Mr Shola Alli; Onikate of Ikate, Surulere, Oba Lateef Adams and the Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the unveiling of 30 New Buses, 25 Tricycles and 160 Motorcycles under the GbajaRide Transportation Initiative in Surulere 1, Federal Constituency, Lagos...recently Photo: Office of the House Leader

L-R; Chairman, Sub-Committee on Publicity and Communications of the Insurers Committee /Managing Director, Leadway Assurance Ltd, Mr. Oye Hassan-Odukale; Deputy Director/Head, Corporate Commission, NAICOM, Mr. Rasaaq Salami, Managing Director, NSIA Insurance Company, Mrs. Ebele Nwachukwu during NAICOM and NIA press conference on the rebranding programme of Nigeria’s insurance industry, held in Lagos....recently

L-R; Registrar/Chief Executive, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. John Evbodaghe; the new President, Alhaji Razak Jaiyeola; and Immediate Past President, Alhaji Ismaila Zakari during the investiture of Alhaji Jaiyeola as the 54th President of ICAN, in Lagos...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R; Chief Executive, Stanbic lBTC Pension Managers Ltd, Mr. Eric Fajemisin;Executive Director, Operations, Mr. Steve Elusope and Executive Director, lnvestment/Support, Mr.Oladele Sotubo durimg an interactive session by Stanbic lBTC Pension Managers Limited with media on Pensions in Lagos on Monday, 28/5/2018 ABIODUN AJALA

L-R; Second Vice President, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Mr.Olasunkanmi Balogun; President/Founder (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Faseun; and the group first Vice President, Alhaji Wasiu Afola, at a press conference on President Buhari Government and National Issues held in Lagos, yesterday……

SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R:Chairman, Teach For Nigeria, Mr Gbenga Oyebode; CEO, Teach For ALL, Wendy Kopp;and CEO, Teach For Nigeria, Folawe Omikunle, at the inaugural Teach For Nigeria dinner with the Nigerian Business Community in London...recently

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

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Quick Takes MTN Executives Surprise Students

There was palpable joy and excitement at the premises of St. George’s Primary School, Ikoyi recently, as the school authority and children received MTN Nigeria, in celebration of Children’s Day. Children’s Day celebrates the welfare and inherent potential of children, who are vital in achieving the success of any country.

“When we think of Children’s Day, we think of one key word – Bright,’ said Ferdi Moolman, the CEO, MTN Nigeria. “Bright describes the future that we are trying to build together and it also describes your future. We believe that your future is bright and because of that, I say to you – stay confident, stay focused and always believe in yourself.” Accompanied by MTN executives and staff, Mr. Moolman spent the time speaking with the teachers and children, distributing gifts. He also asked that Teacher’s efforts be applauded for their indispensable role in shaping our future leaders. Also speaking, the Human Resource Executive, Esther Akinnukawe, said beyond the gathering, the company is celebrating Children’s Day and sharing the same message, across its service centres and office locations,” She said.

Firms Partner on Tier IV Data Centre

AIRTEL TOUCHING LIVES

L-R: Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders’ Management, Nigerian Communications Commissioner (NCC), Mr. Sunday Dare; Chairman, NCC, Sen. Olabiyi Durojaiye, Wife of Airtel’s CEO, Mrs. Ronke Ogunsanya; her husband, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; Minister for Communications, Adebayo Shittu; and Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujani, during the launch of Airtel Touching Lives Season 4, which held in Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

OsinbajoUrgesAfricanLeaderstoEstablishSpecialAgencies for Continent’s Technological Growth Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has tasked African leaders to establish special agencies that will steer Africa’s technical rebirth with strong commitment.

He stated this Tuesday at the opening section of the 6th edition of Digital Africa holding in Abuja.

The vice president, who was represented by the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu said: “It has been argued that before the European invasion of Africa, medicine, for instance, in some African

ECONOMY countries was more advanced than Medicine in Europe.

“However, we failed to innovate, and we were overtaken

by European and American countries. We now rely on health techs from the west to confront our health challenges here. We must therefore, raise our tertiary education standards, especially in the area of technology, if we must expect a boost in performance across economic sectors.”

Osinbajo stressed the need for governments in Africa to approach the continent’s technological rebirth with strong

commitment, saying they should consider establishing special agencies that will steer Africa’s gradual technological rebirth.

“Such agencies should be charged with the financing of innovation, e-commerce, strategic management of intellectual capital and property, promotion of technological development through partnership and the use of such networks as knowledge bases, virtual corporation and virtual centres of excellence”, he added.

Speaking further the vice president said that the federal government will create a Creative and Technology Council to support innovations and startups

in the creative industry.

“Furthermore, the federal government would set up a creativity and Technology Council to support innovation and startup in the creative industry.

We already have an industrial and competitiveness council where the likes of Dangote and the bigger business already advise on policy.

“Whereas the creative and the technology advisory council would involve people doing startups, creative and the entertainment industry, the industrial and competitiveness council which 1 chair, bigger Continued on page 24

‘Nigeria Achieved 5% Reduction in Financial Exclusion in 8yrs’ Emma Okonji The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has expressed worry that a large number of Nigerians are financially excluded and are without bank accounts.

This it said, negates its financial inclusion drive to bring in more Nigerians into the financial sector and boost cashless transactions.

According to the apex bank, in 2010, it set a target to reduce the number of financially excluded Nigerians from 46 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent in 2020, but only succeeded in reducing the number to 41 per cent as at the last count in

ICT 2018, which is a five per cent reduction in 8 years.

The statistics, according to CBN, puts Nigeria as a nation that still operates with large volume of physical cash for financial transactions.

Although CBN said that it might be a difficult task for Nigeria to achieve the 20 per cent reduction in financial exclusion by 2020, given that the number of Nigerians that are financially excluded is still on the high side, the financial regulator however expressed optimism that the 20 per cent target could be achieved, if all

the necessary measures are fully implemented.

One of the Directors at CBN, Musa Jimoh, who represented CBN’s Director of Banking and Payment Systems, Dipo Fatokun, raised the concern at the 2018 Digital PayExpo, organised by Intermarc Consulting in Lagos on Tuesday.

Jimoh identified high cost of transaction, distance of bank customers and complexities in the financial system as some of the major barriers impeding financial inclusion in Nigeria.

To address the situation, he said CBN introduced supper agent banking and planned to raise additional 500,000 supper

agent network by 2020 that will be closer to the grassroots in driving financial inclusion in rural communities.

Executive Director, Business Development at Diamond Bank, one of the major sponsors of Digital PayExpo, Mrs. Chizoma Okoli, in her presentation said Diamond bank partnered MTN Nigeria to introduce the Diamond Y’ello Account, which was designed to bring more Nigerians into the financial circle. She said in less than two years of the introduction of Diamond Y’ello Account, the bank registered over 10 million accounts.

Continued on page 24

Schneider Electric, a global player in energy management and automation has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with 21st Century Technology to provide trusted EcoStruxture ITTM solutions in the firstTier IVdata centres in Nigeria that 21stCentury Technology is currently building.

This was made known at the official signing of the partnership between 21st Century Technologies and Schneider Electric Nigeria for Africa’s Largest Tier IV Data Centres, during a business luncheon themed “Technology and Business Efficiency” hosted by the Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Lagos Continental hotel in Lagos.

EcoStruxureTM is Schneider Electric’s Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled open and interoperable system architecture which enables key operational and energy efficiency solutions across the Buildings, Data Center, Industry, and Infrastructure end-markets. In the data centre market, it has proven increased efficiency, reliability and availability of infrastructure.

The General Manager, Schneider Electric, Mr. Balaji Lenka, noted that the company would focus on developing innovative solutions that works. He stated that the partnership with 21st Century Technology further solidifies Schneider Electric position as the foremost energy, automation and software specialist in Nigeria.

“We have indeed remained committed to the development of innovative and cost effective energy solutions. This partnership is a testimony and we will definitely deliver” Balaji stated.

Danbatta Set for Induction As Fellow

Another feather will be added to the academic cap of the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, as the Nigeria Academy of Engineering, the apex engineering body in the country, is set to induct him into the exclusive elite group.

Danbatta will be inducted as a fellow of the Academy on June 21, 2018, just some 48 hours before he receives an honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Jos. Fielding questions from newsmen at the NCC’s headquarters, the Vice President of the Academy, Prof. Fola Lasisi, who led other distinguished professors to a courtesy call on Danbatta, said the addition of NCC boss to the body is a testimony to the quality leadership that the NCC is blessed with.

“We want to show that Nigerian Communications Commission has always had very brilliant people at the top. Ernest Ndukuwe was also one of us and became a fellow when he was here. Prof Danbatta continues in the same way, so we want to congratulate him and tell him that we appreciate his becoming a Fellow,” he noted.

Danbatta lauded what he described as the tradition of excellence in the Commission, adding that his induction as a fellow of the Academy will be a big honour to the regulatory agency.

“Uber is committed to the Nigerian and African markets just the same way it is committed to other markets outside Africa, and we are excited about the opportunities in these markets”

Vice President of Uber, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD OSINBAJO URGES AFRICAN LEADERS TO ESTABLISH SPECIAL AGENCIES FOR CONTINENT’S TECHNOLOGICAL GROWTH players in the industry proffer solutions and advice on polices that could improve the nation’s business environment.”

He further added that the federal Ministry of Communications strongly believes that there cannot be any meaningful development in the country without a commensurate level of development and use of technology.

He said: “We at the Federal Ministry of Communications strongly believe that Nigeria cannot have any meaningful development without a commensurate level of development and use of technology applications and tools as prerequisites to speedy national development.

“Therefore, from whichever way you look at it, information and communications Technology is very vital and pivotal for whatever any country wants to do in order to achieve development.”

‘NIGERIA ACHIEVED 5% REDUCTION IN FINANCIAL EXCLUSION IN 8YRS’ Other products introduced by Diamond Bank according to Okoli, are the Diamond Beta account and ADA, which allows customers to interact with robotics and could open bank accounts, initiate bill payments, and buy airtime for customers.

Using Kenya as a benchmark for financial inclusion, the Managing Director, Microsave in Kenya, Mr. Isaac Ondieki, tasked regulators to come up with policy and implementation measures that would address trust among the people, in order to achieve financial inclusion.

Ondieki who presented a paper on ‘The Risk and Fraud Perspective to Financial Inclusion’, addressed the areas of real and perceived risks in financial inclusion. He listed factors like trust, poor training, poor awareness, inadequate consumer protection, complexities in payment system as some of the perceived risks that could mar financial inclusion and support financial fraud.

NEWS

Africa’s Energy Chamber of Commerce Debuts, Promises Deep Market Engagements Chineme Okafor in Abuja The African Energy Chamber of Commerce (AECC), which has been advocating for several months for upstream oil and gas producers, service providers, downstream suppliers and governmental bodies throughout the continent, has been formally established.

Backed by executives from across the continents oil and gas, power, and renewables industries, the AECC, said in a statement sent to THISDAY on Tuesday in Abuja, that it would be the continent’s voice for the ongoing change and progression in its energy industry.

According to it, from the robust regulatory reforms of Angola and the interest of Congo-Brazzaville in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), to the impressive local content strides taken by South Sudan, it would firmly stand with the re-emergence of Africa’s energy industry. It also explained that it was coming at a time Africa’s energy sector was experiencing some advancements, and its revamped development agenda now at the center of international investors’ interests.

“Africa is continuously proving itself to be capable of developing large scale progressive energy initiatives, such as Equatorial Guinea’s recent plan to construct a natural gas mega-hub.

“Over the past 12 months alone, Mozambique saw a final investment decision on a $7

billion Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development program, Cameroon became the first African country to bring a floating LNG platform on stream, Uganda gave the green light to lay the world’s longest electrically-heated crude oil pipeline, Nigeria is taking significant strides to rebalance its crude refining capabilities, and Burkina Faso commissioned one of the world’s largest hybrid fuel/solar power plant,”

it explained in the statement signed by Mickael Vogel, its Director of Strategy.

Furthermore, the statement quoted NJ Ayuk, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Centurion Law Group, one of the AECC founding members to have said that: “Africa is a fastgrowing energy powerhouse.

New oil frontiers are opening up in West Africa, investment in gas infrastructure is picking up in West and East Africa, while

landmark reforms are expecting to transform the way natural resources are being exploited in markets such as Nigeria and South Africa. There truly has never been a better time to do business in Africa.”

In promoting such opportunities within a pan- and pro-Africa institution, the AECC said it would advocate for the growth and expansion of indigenous African companies across the continent.

“From personnel training to community partnerships and relationship building, the AECC is a unique home for African companies to grow and take the lead in the development of their continent. The energy chamber equally focuses on promoting sensible local content, pushing for EITI, mutually beneficial joint ventures, transfer of technologies, and advocating for an enabling environment for business growth.

CATCHING THEM YOUNG

L-R: Business Relationship Manager, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Lagos and West, Abayomi Quassim; Principal, Corona Secondary School, Agbara, Mrs. Chinedum Oluwadamilola; newly qualified ACCA Foundation Level and Class of 2018 Corona Secondary School graduands, Cherechi Uruakpa and Charles Uwadia and CEO, Coronal School Trust Council, Mrs. Adeyoyin Adesina during the presentation of awards to the duo of Uruakpa and Uwadia by ACCA representative during graduation and Valedictory Ceremony of the Class of 2018 of Corona Secondary School, Agbara, Ogun State…recently

FG Signs MoU with East China Metallurgical Institute on Mineral Exploration Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the East China Metallurgical Institute of Geology and Exploration.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development Hon Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who signed on behalf of the government, said that the event underscores the importance that the ministry places on exploration.

According to him, “There is no mining without exploration and getting the requisite data for our solid mineral sector will continue to be our priority. The

agreement is the outcome of negotiations following my visit to the East China Institute during last year’s China Mining Conference in Tianjin where the institute impressed me with its technical expertise and experience in mining exploration.

Bwari stated that the, “MoU is an addition to the many MoUs the Ministry now have with countries like China, Morrocco and South Africa and I implore the East China Metallurgical Institute of Geology and Exploration to keep its part of the agreement and contribute positively to the exploration efforts in the mining sector as they have

done in other countries.”

He observed that exploration/data gathering is one area in which we have a huge gap; it is an area Federal government intends to give its full attention.

“However, the cost of exploration is too prohibitive for government to do it alone and that is why we have been having discussions with other mining countries to assist Nigeria in the area of exploration,” he further explained.

Earlier in his address, the Director General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA); Mr. Alex Ndubuisi Nwegbu, hinted that one of the agenda of the Federal

Government is to diversify the economy and critical to the success of this diversification is the mining sector.

According to Nwegbu, the federal government has invested much on data generation. He adde: “We have covered the country in terms of airborne geophysics, geological mapping, geochemical mapping and now, we are at the threshold of embarking on a very massive exploration programme, to explore for critical minerals important for diversification and economic growth’.

“The generation of data is not the exclusive prerogative of government hence the reason

for opening up the frontiers for others to participate in the effort.

“We are privileged to have the East China as one of those who are serious minded in terms of assisting Nigeria in generating this data to move the exploration forward and the interesting thing is that East china has the requisite capacity in terms of finance and expertise.”

The head of delegation of the East China Metallurgical Institute of Geology and Exploration, Paul Ogbe Kaizer, added that the organisation has seen a new focus on diversifying Nigeria’s economy under the present government.

‘Capital Flight in Software Industry Can’t Be Addressed By Fiat Orders’ Emma Okonji Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) Ejiofor Alike (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Obinna Chima (Money Mkt) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Cap Mkt)

Contrary to executive orders from the National Executive Council and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop the importation of foreign software like Oracle, SAP and Finacle, in order to put an end to capital flight in the Nigerian software industry, a local software expert, whose software is currently revolutionising the payment system, has said the situation cannot be addressed by fiat orders.

The Chief Executive Officer, Upperlink Limited, one of the licensed Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs) in

the country, Mr. Segun Akano, who made the disclosure during an interview with THISDAY in Lagos, said: “Although Nigeria is losing billions of naira yearly to capital flight on the importation of foreign software, the solution to this kind of national challenge is not by fiat orders, but through the concerted efforts of local software developers to rise up to the challenge and develop software with some levels of international standard that will stand the test of time.”

He said aside developing indigenous software with international standard, such software must be relatively

cheaper than the foreign developed software in order to attract good patronage.

He said , to achieve this, government and the private sector must invest in our infrastructure and processes. For example, he added: “Government can decide to use the Capability, Maturity Modeling Integration (CMMI) level three as a benchmark to measure the efficiency of any indigenous software application. Internationally, we have CMMI level five as the highest level for benchmarking foreign software, which has been attained by very few companies around the world, but CMMI level three is good enough to

measure standards in Nigeria.”

He insisted that government cannot force business owners to use a particular software application through fiat orders because government wants to drive patronage of indigenous software, adding that what government can do is to invest in human resources and infrastructure and create the enabling environment for small businesses to thrive and become competitive.

He noted: “For Instance the PayChoice software solution from Upperlink that recently won CBN’s award is an indigenous software that took us some years to develop and

today it can compete with any foreign software in the electronic payment space. So software developers must be competitive if they must gain relevance in the software industry.

“Nigeria has talented people with software skills, what these people need is little push to make the difference and this push must come from the government and the private sector. If all these are put in place, I see a situation where in the next five years, Nigeria will have a pool of software developers that can develop software that could attract international patronage,” Akano said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

E-BUSINESS

Bolarin: With the Right Technology, Lotto Business Can Be Lucrative The CEO of Gbam Lotto, Tawa Bolarin, spoke with Emma Okonji about her initiatives to catapult the lottery and gaming business into the big league using the right technology.

Excerpts: registrations are done online and they are driven by technology.

Gbam Lotto recently made its debut in the Nigerian lottery and gaming market with lots of promises to empower Nigerians through its scratch and win cards. What are the motivating factors to establish Gbam Lotto in Nigeria?

Across the world, lottery and gaming business is large and lucrative, but in Nigeria the market is relatively young with narrow vision centered around sport betting, but we decided to expand the scope of lottery and gaming in Nigeria with the Gbam Lotto scratch and win cards that is unique to the Nigerian market and capable of empowering millions of Nigerians that will want to give it a trial. So we are the first lottery and gaming company that has publicly introduced the scratch and win products as part of lottery business in Nigeria. The scratch and win product is innovative and driven by simplified technology applications, designed to empower people. We have made it even better by paying winners instantly, without piling up their wins and the beauty of it all is that people can play the game on their mobile phones while on the go or from the comfort of their homes and offices and get instant payment as soon as they win.

Your brand name ‘Gbam Lotto’ appears very punchy and attractive. What is the concept behind the name?

We actually went through a rigorous and extensive path to find the right brand name for our lottery and gaming business that will depict the personality of the organisation we want to create. While brainstorming on the name, one of us suddenly came up with the name ‘Gbam’, which illustrates something instant without delays and we found it quite interesting because it is in line with our vision to serve Nigerians fast and pay winners promptly, using modern but simplified technology to achieve it.

What are you doing to rebuild the trust of the failed lottery and gaming system in Nigeria?

We are a new brand and we are here to stay and to achieve this, we had to build trust into our service provisioning to the larger market.

Trust in business is key to winning the minds of people. For us at Gbam Lotto, our philosophy is straight forward. We want to provide various channels including online and offline, that will enable people make their choices, and we want people to use any of the channels to win and receive their money instantly. Even for winnings that are above N100,000, the winner does not need to pass through anybody before getting the winning cash. All that the winner needs do is to send his or her details, including the bank details via the mobile phone and the money is paid instantly after verification. So with Gbam Lotto, cash-out is very easy. This is what we promised Nigerians and this is exactly what we are doing. Again, we promised Nigerians that we were going to open instant bank accounts for winners who do not have bank accounts, in order to make cash-out easy and in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless initiative, which seeks to reduce physical cash handling and encourage electronic payment system in today’s digital era. So we understand the issue about trust and we will continue to build that trust in Nigerians.

In building trust, what are your strategies for sustainability of the structure you are putting in place to raise the confidence of Nigerians?

Some of the things we did as part of our strategies to build trust is to look at the areas where other lotto businesses failed and try to find a solution to address such failures so that they do not keep reoccurring. We also looked at the things that make great ideas become successful ideas and we built on such ideas.

We will continue to execute flawless ideas and ensure that customers are happy and empowered though the Gbam Lotto. So what we have done is to change the value and fulfillment journey

Gbam Lotto launched a website to provide easy access to Gbam. What value will the website bring to end users?

The value and benefits that our website will bring to customers are numerous. For people to register, they need to log on to our website and do the online registration with their personal details. The process is for the purpose of verification and it is very fast. People with cards and those without cards can play the Gbam Lotto and win like any other person. We are aware that not every Nigerian has bank account and not every Nigerian with a bank account has a card. So to encourage all inclusive transaction, we need to open offline and online payment gateway and give the customer the opportunity to make his or her choice. We are working with the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) that controls that Nigeria payment system as well as several merchants, and Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs) to deliver on our promise to serve our customers better.

Does Gbam Lotto has any collaboration with government agency to monitor draws and redemption of prices won?

Yes, we have collaboration with the regulatory authorities like the National Lottery Commission and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

They are connected to our system and they generate their report on the daily transactions on Gbam Lotto for the scratch and win game, but for the draw, they have to personally monitor it to ensure transparency. Gbam is here to stay in the long term business to enhance customer experience.

Bolarin for our scratch and win cards. We have since realised that people make or mar organisations, so we have carefully selected the right people that will add value to our business and at the same time, sustain the trust we are building into the lottery and gaming business in Nigeria.

Our staff came from diverse industries with decades of work experiences. Again, we have demystified lottery and gaming in Nigeria and we have equally raised the trust bar such that any calibre of persons, including the highly and lowly placed people in the society, can conveniently play the Gbam Lotto. We have made the game easy and exciting such that people can even play it in traffic and eliminate fatigue. So there is a convenience aspect in the kind of service we are offering Nigerians.

How is the distribution channel and model of Gbam Lotto like?

Our distribution model comes with lots of channels that give Nigerians the opportunity to make their choices when they want to play the lottery game with Gbam Lotto. We made it in such a way that everybody can play the game even with as low as N100, thus providing access to all Nigerians. Still on our distribution model, we have made it possible for several Nigerians to have access to our products and services and to play with ease from the comfort of their homes, offices, and even while on the go, or when in traffic. We have also open the business to partners with little capital. So anybody or group of people can come together to become Gbam Lotto partner to take our business across cities.

What kind of licence was issued for the operation of Gbam Lotto in Nigeria. Is it national, state or regional licence and what is the scope of coverage?

We have a national licence that allows us to operate in all states of the federation, but we also understand that despite the national licence, we still need to have the state licence or better still, get approval from the any state we which to operate in. That we have a national licence,

does not give us the authority to operate in any state without getting approval from the state.

So in addition to our national licence, we also have the Lagos State licence to operate lotto business in Lagos State. It is not convenient for us to invest in two licences to operate one kind of business, but we do not want to flex muscles with any state government, but I know that someday, the issue will be addressed amicably.

So we have plans to roll out in other states beyond Lagos State.

What value will lotto and gaming business bring to the Nigerian economy?

Like any other business, the lotto and gaming business attracts tax to government and there is enough revenue in taxation, which is one of the ways that government could make money from lotto and gaming business. Aside license fee, we pay monitoring fee for every money we generate from the lottery and gaming business.

There is also a national lottery fund fee, which is not yet defined by government, but I know government is trying to make regulation out of it. So there is a lot of money generation from lottery and gaming business that can add real value to the Nigerian economy. Again, the business is about empowering people and when people are empowered financially, they will have money to spend and that will increase liquidity in the economy and add value to the economy. There is also the aspect of direct and indirect employment that lottery and gaming can generate within the Nigerian economy.

Technology is driving businesses across several sectors of economies. What level of technology is Gbam Lotto deploying to serve its customers better?

The primary service fulfillment in Gbam Lotto is about self service that is driven by technology. We are leveraging technology to demystify the type of service we offer our customers. Customers can use their mobile phones to play the Gbam Lotto and mobile phone is about using a combination of software and hardware technologies to effect communication and transaction. Most of our

What is the highest amount of money that any customer can win and what is the least amount to be won?

The lowest amount that a winner could win is the same amount the winner used in playing and a customer can use as low as N100 to play the game. The highest amount set aside for any customer to win is 10 thousand times the amount used in playing, and there is no limit as to the amount a customer wishes to play with. So if a customer plays with N100, the customer can win N1 million, and N1000 can win N10 million.

Are there statistics to show how much money the lottery industry generates yearly?

In Nigeria, there is no public information on the amount of money that lottery business generates monthly, however lottery is fast developing and some groups are beginning to raise data from lottery transactions. I hope that some day, Nigeria will be able to generate data for lottery and gaming business, to measure its financial capability.

Will you like to share some of your rollout plans to enable Nigerians have more insight into what Gbam Lotto stands for?

Our plans are open to everyone, we are currently online and we are doing a lot of stuff online with various social media channels and we are using some technology influencers to further drive our business in Nigeria. We are currently in Lagos, but with plans to roll out in other cities of the country. We are creating awareness through advertising, even though some platforms will not accept lottery and gaming advertisement but we are not deterred by that because we have our goals and focus. We are currently on 10 channels on the radio and we are looking at going to cinemas to create more awareness. We are making plans to advertise on television as well. We are aggressively creating awareness and we are launching a dance song soon, to create more awareness. We are in the digital age and we are driving our business digitally through technology innovation.

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Natan: Devt of Tech Talents is Key to Economic Growth Founder of Tek Experts, Yaniv Natan, spoke with Emma Okonji on the benefits of the collaboration between the company and Microsoft to train young talents in technology innovation and how it will boost the Nigerian economy. Excerpts: What is Tek Experts all about and what kind of service does it provide to the general public?

Tek Experts is a group of highly skilled technology experts that came together to provide technology services and training for customers. It is a technical organisation that is into technical support and integration. We provide technical services to customers such as Microsoft customers that are outsourced to us.

Tek Experts, in collaboration with Microsoft, launched its service in Nigeria recently. What could have informed the decision to launch in Nigeria?

It is all part of our business growth and our policy to extend our services to the African market. At first we looked at several countries in Africa such as Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, but when we came to Nigeria, we had opportunity to interview young engineers and we were really impressed with the level of engagement we had with them, which showed their high level of technical expertise and enthusiasm for technology development. We were so impressed that we decided instantly to set up our service centre in Nigeria, even though nobody has done that before. So Tek Experts made its debut in Nigeria, having successfully established similar centres in other global location, and we decided to launch in Nigeria to further expand our footprint in the African market.

What value will the collaboration between Tek Experts and Microsoft bring to Nigeria?

The collaboration has led to the employment of 300 Nigerian youths, and it will also enhance the training of technology start-ups in the country. Tek Experts is committed to supporting talented individuals around the world and providing them with long and rewarding careers with partners such as Microsoft Nigeria.

Tek Experts made its debut in Nigeria recently, with an office space and training centre in Lagos, where we will be offering high class technical services to all Microsoft customers in Nigeria, in the form of outsourcing We are delighted to collaborate with Microsoft in developing talents that will improve the technology landscape of Nigeria and also leverage the skills and expertise of Nigerians to provide great levels of service to customers as we have done in other locations around the world. We are committed to investing in the region and the people, and to raising the profile of Nigeria as an exceptional location for technical talents.

What are your strategies for recruitment of young talents in Nigeria and in providing unique technical services that will be different from what others are providing?

Our strategy in any country where we set up our facilities, is to recruit not less than a thousand people, and this objective is very much dependent on the quality of resources and the quality of services that we can to provide. We have a very strong feeling that with the high calibre of talents we have in Nigeria, we will be delivering exceptional services. The strategy is not about a one off recruitment because we will be coming up with the second, third and fourth round of recruitment.

So what is the unique selling proposition for Tek Experts in Nigeria?

Our magic is in our people. What is really unique for us about the Nigerian market are the talents we found in Nigeria. So the capability, the commitment and the training are key for us.

What is your business model like. Is it a

Natan long term or short term business?

This is the first phase in what we want, and we really want to have a long and fruitful future in Nigeria. We are investing in stateof-the-art offices, in providing best-in-class training programmes and in developing the infrastructure that will provide exceptional services to our clients and exceptional careers for our employees. So again, our long term business depends on the level of eduction and opportunities that are presented before Nigerians. The more they are educated, the more opportunity they will have to remain in the country to develop the country’s technology sector. Part of what we do is to help educate the people, especially young people to be able to take some steps forward in their chosen careers.

What is the commitment and role of Microsoft in the collaboration?

Microsoft is committed to investing in the talented workforce that Nigeria has to offer through our partnership. It is also expected that the relationship would continue to grow and provide additional career opportunities for the local market. By this collaboration, Microsoft will be expanding its global support model to Nigeria through Tek Experts, and they will be able to enhance the support that Tek Experts will be offering Microsoft’s customers across multiple time zones in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the east coast of the United States.

Microsoft Nigeria, for example, is quite excited that Nigeria will be the first country in Africa to host a global operation for Microsoft through its strategic partnership with Tek Experts. This is a unique opportunity for Nigerian youths to realise their potential and pursue a world-class technical career

locally. This is in line with our mission of empowering every individual and organisation on the planet to achieve more. With the unemployment rate in double digits in Nigeria, the collaboration comes at a good time, as it will not only impact positively on technical skills development in Nigeria, but it will also prove to be the first of many opportunities to bring technical jobs, with career growth to the continent of Africa.

At Tek Experts we plan to employ hundreds of young people in our operation in Nigeria, who will become ambassadors for bespoke IT services, offering technology solutions to individual and organisational challenges.

What is your perception about technology development in Nigeria?

Our perception about technology development in Nigeria can be split into two, the first being about the availability of the resources and the other being the opportunity that abounds in Nigeria. What we found is that the breadth and depth of technology talents is quite substantial and the opportunity is there for the young engineers to take advantage of and this is where we come in as a technology organisation, to utilise the talent and help them make better use of such talents.

In what ways can Tek Experts support the federal government in advancing technology across the country, especially in the area of human capital development?

What we have been doing in other countries where we have presence, is about developing talents and we will do the same in Nigeria in such a way that it will help support the Nigerian government in developing her economy and citizenry. Our desire is to support and help the technology ecosystem in Nigeria to grow

beyond people’s expectations.

What are the challenges that could slow down your plans to develop the technology ecosystem in Nigeria?

The main challenge is basically infrastructure such as basic supply of electricity, but we believe that the challenge could be mitigated through the kind of office and training centre that we have developed in Nigeria. We will be providing 24/7 services to our customers through the established office.

Most investors that come to Nigeria are portfolio investors that are interested in what they will gain rather than thinker how to impact the Nigerian economy. So what kind of investor is Tek Experts?

We are not portfolio investors and we have long term standing business to execute in Nigeria. We develop talents regardless of whether we stay or leave, but one thing that we guarantee is that the local talent that we develop, will stay for ever. Our mission is not to take undue advantage of the Nigerian vast market, but we are in Nigeria to do long lasting business that will benefit the people and the government. In any country where we have our facilities installed, we always contribute to the development of that location and county.

Why did you choose to partner Microsoft on this initiative?

Microsoft is a strong believer in enabling people globally and as such we share the same value proposition and philosophy, hence our choice to work with Microsoft. They are strongly committed to any local economy where they have presence and we are going to leverage on such commitment to deliver our services and training.

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Intense Digital Marketing Organises Capacity Building Training for Technology Startups Founders Ugo Aliogo and Esther Ehoche As part of efforts to promote innovation and engagement among technology startups, a digital marketing agencyIntense Digital Marketing recently organised capacity building for technology startups founders.

Speaking at the event in Lagos over the weekend, the Chief Marketing Officer, Intense Digital Marketing, Leye Makanjuola, said the event was aimed at providing young technology startups founders

the opportunity to network and build their capacity from the experiences of other well established technology startups.

He also noted that a lot of technology startups founders don’t create time to interact, share ideas and learn in order to improve their skills, pointing out that interaction and networking are important to scale growth.

“In our years of doing business in Nigeria, we found out that a lot of technology startups founders are always busy with work. But they don’t realise that network-

ing and interaction are very important. People made mistakes they could have avoided”, he said even as he noted that networking can help them save, time money and resources.

Makanjuola stated that the vision of the firm was to grow into an ecosystem where technologies companies can spring up from to impact the Nigeria economy positively.

Furthermore, he said that it is important to have a community where these

technology startups can help themselves, by sharing ideas and collaborating on projects, adding, “they can also learn from the experience of other experienced entrepreneurs.”

He explained that the initiative was inspired due to the understanding that innovation is key driver for sustainability and growth.

Makanjuola said: “We believe that technology startups will be one of the major opportunities to grow the Nigeria economy. Technology is one

of the foremost industries free from bureaucracy and hardship. Internet can help you achieve a lot such as online selling. With joint efforts, in the next 10 years, we hope to see 100 of Nigerian technology startups become global companies such as Uber, Amazon, and others. In our database, we have almost 1,000. But we are selecting those that match our profile.

“Our criteria for selection, is that, you are a startup and working on a technology

based business and not more than three years. Some of the startups that here, are less than three years old, but they are successful.

They should also be people we can make an impact on and can add value to communities.

It is a mix of different things to communities. This is the first step in the series of event where we collect lots of information, know the challenges these startups are facing and organise training for them and equip them with the skills they need.”

Oracle Harps on Autonomous Technology for Nigeria Stories by Emma Okonji The Managing Director, Oracle Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Sanni, has stressed the need for Nigerians to develop autonomous technology, which he said, would unlock so much potential for people to embrace opportunities in the digital age.

Autonomous technology for business, according to Sanni, refers to driving better efficiency without human intervention. By this notion, databases must be fully automated, machine-learning such as artificial intelligence must drive self-learning and self-recurring Information and Communications Technology (ICT) environment.

Given the lack of understanding around autonomous technology, there is resistance to some elements of it around the world. However, every organisation wants to lower cost, improve efficiency, and be more competitive. As long as these business fundamentals do not change, autonomous enables this and reduces company downtime significantly, Sanni said.

Citing the digital era where technology is driving virtual everything in an organisation, Sanni said Nigerian businesses can look towards a new world where cost and efficiency become everything. Using this as a foundation, autonomous

delivers on the promise. So, while customer education forms an important element of its success, Information Technology (IT) departments also need to be guided in terms of the practical benefits of using this anew form of innovative technology.

“If IT departments fully embrace autonomous cloud technology, they can move beyond an environment where their main goal is to maintain technology and enter one where they can drive the data management strategy of a business. In turn, this means they can focus on innovation and delivering improvements faster than in the past.

“From a country standpoint, Nigeria is ready to start the drive towards autonomous cloud technology. Now the focus is on getting the skills in place to capitalise on the willingness to change,” Sanni said.

Addressing some of the induces that will facilitate autonomous technology in Nigeria, Sanni said: “Nigeria is incredibly blessed with people as a natural resource. Roughly 60 per cent of the population is youth. This sees the country in the enviable position where it can start building skills for the data-driven environment. Of course, none of this would be possible without partnerships between government and private sector organisations.”

Taxify Launches Fresh Campaign on Permanent Voters Cards A fast growing ride-hailing app, Taxify has launched a campaign to get more young people to pick up their permanent voter’s cards.

The campaign themed #MyPVCJourney is targeted primarily at millennials, who currently make up over 50 per cent of the Nigerian population.

Promoted via a website www. mypvcjourney.com, users can input their current location, find the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) registration center closest to them and take a pledge to complete the process after which they are offered a free ride to the centre.

According to Taxify’s City Manager, Uche Okafor, “We believe cities and countries work best when everybody has a say. We are excited by the conversations happening

both on and offline. Young Nigerians are perhaps for the first time interested in taking charge of their futures and in celebration of democracy day, we want to make the journey to getting a PVC hassle free for everyone.”

Tapping on “Find Your PVC Centre” will direct you to a webpage, powered by Google.

Enter in your address, find the closest center to you and take the pledge to complete the process.

Taxify will then send you an email giving you a free ride to your designated PVC Registration Centre and showing the hours of operation.

Taxify says it will continue to push notifications directing users to register, while calling tech companies to join in driving young people to the polls.

ALL FOR TECHNOLOGY DEVT

L-R: General Manager, MDXi, a subsidiary of MainOne West Africa, Gbenga Adegbiji; Senior Fellow and Director, Centre for Leadership in Journalism, SMC, Pan-Atlantic University, Dr. Richard Ikiebe; Founder of Techpoint.ng and convener of the event, Adewale Yusuf and the Divisional Head, Transactional Banking at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Rolayo Akhigbe, at the Techpoint Inspired 2018 event held in Lagos...recently

Communication Ministry Danbatta to Deliver Business Commends FinTrak on Tech Devt Journal 10th Anniversary Lecture The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu has commended FinTrak for its innovativeness in driving technology development in the country.

The minister, who gave the commendation during a tour of FinTrak’s booth at the recent Indo-African Expo in Lagos, said FinTrak has brought a lot of innovation to ICT development in the country through its product offerings and encouraged the technology company to do more.

FinTrak booth hosted Shittu during the tour to interact with local ICT firms where he reiterated government’s support for local content and indigenous entrepreneurship.

“We are very impressed with what FinTrak, an indigenous firm is offering to Nigerians.

We believe that firms like these are what we need to put the country at the forefront of ICT and we hope to work with FinTrak in the near future,” Shittu told the media during the expo tour.

FinTrak boosts of an array of bespoke Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and business intelligence solutions.

The solutions dynamically integrate information into the

management operations and decision process that improve business performance in many organisations.

The company has also demonstrated adeptness in services like enterprise process digitisation, core banking system, IFRS solution, risk management, data warehouse and business intelligence.

Others are core business and enterprise budget planning, processing and control.

FinTrak’s Group Managing Director, Bimbo Abioye, said: “We are here as a Nigerian firm to showcase our solutions to the world. Fintrak solutions are in tune with global best practice. We have demonstrated that a Nigerian firm can deploy critical solutions like core banking, ERP software and implement Financial Reporting based on IFRS in many banks. We believe that this exposure and the minister’s positive remarks to our solutions would go a long way to further expose our products and services to private and public sector consumers.”

Fintrak has deployed solutions in countries outside Nigeria, to include Benin, Togo, Gambia, Senegal, Rwanda, Congo, and Zambia.

The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, will deliver the Business Journal 10th Anniversary Lecture on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

The lecture with the theme: Infrastructure and Economic Growth: Exploring the Strategic Alliance, would be chaired by the Chairman, OpenMedia Group, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe.

The guest speakers include Professor Akpan Ekpo, DirectorGeneral, West African Institute for Financial & Economic Management (WAIFEM); Mr. Tope Smart, Group Managing Director/CEO, NEM Insurance Plc ; Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, a former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Chidi Izuwah, Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Commenting on the anniversary, the Publisher/CEO of Business Journal, Prince Cookey, said: “Indeed, the first 10 years comes once in the life of an individual or organisation. For us at Business Journal, clocking a decade in the challenging media scene in Nigeria is quite a feat. It

is a feat driven by passion for what we do; the innate quality of our people and the drive to deliver greater value to our various stakeholders as well as create better future for the organisation. We owe a lot of gratitude to numerous individuals and organisations across various sectors of the economy for supporting us these past 10 years in a difficult business in a difficult and unfriendly business environment.”

On the theme, Cookey added: “Our decision to situate the theme on the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth is to send a clear message to key stakeholders in the Nigeria Project that our nation cannot achieve sustainable economic growth without sustainable investment in infrastructure.

We need infrastructure to grow the economy and move our society forward.”

On projections for the future, Cookey said: “Our 10th anniversary lecture offers us a unique opportunity to reflect on our first 10 years in the market and project for the next.

We have already developed a strategic plan of action to drive our processes going forward.

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Ojuolape: Prof. Osotimehin Lived for Global Empowerment of Adolescents On 4th June 2017, Nigeria and the global community lost a gem. Professor Babatunde Osotimehin passed away in New York while on active duty. He was 68 years old. His time in public service, first as a Professor of Clinical Pathology at the University of Ibadan, Director General of the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), and Minister for Health were marked by spectacular achievements. Prof. Osotimehin went on to distinguish himself on the international scene as he served as Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and as UN Under-Secretary General for six and half years until his death. He was known variously as a health practitioner, academic, humanitarian, teacher, administrator and astute manager. He was also a fine diplomat, with unrivalled erudition and panache. On the one year anniversary of his passing, his long-serving aide, protégé, and present UNFPA Resident Representative in Ghana, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, shared some insights with Abimbola Akosile on the life and times of the late Babatunde Osotimehin How would you describe Prof. Osotimehin?

Where to start and how to answer this question is not easy. Prof. Osotimehin was so many things. He was a man I knew very closely. To his students, Prof was an outstanding teacher; loved deeply for his erudition. He was highly articulate and had a fantastic sense of style. I still meet some of his students today and they recount how much he cared about young people.

For those of us who were with him at NACA, most of the staff there would remember him as a good administrator. He had wonderful man-management skills. He always tried to galvanise people and resources to reach optimal performance for the organisation. As a person, he was very passionate about the adolescent girl, and how the society can help to put this demography on the right path. In UNFPA, he drew our attention towards “bearing in mind the implications of the society on the 10-year old” in the work we do; in the sense that if we do so, it would have far-reaching implications on defining what the organisation stands for. I can also tell you he was a very loving father and husband, and at the inter-personal level, it is difficult to have encountered him without leaving with a positive impression. For some of us who were lucky to be his protégés (and we are quite many), he was an exceptionally fantastic mentor.

In his professional life, I can tell you, he was a focused passionista, if there is any word like that. He always kept his eyes on the ball, and always sought to go above and beyond the call of duty to realise the aims of every organisation he served or worked in. I would in fact add, looking at the reputation of public servants from the climes we are coming from, that Prof. was a honest, diligent man of integrity who held public office without any sort of scandal to his name. To have held public office at both local and international level for a combined 17 years with no mismanagement of any sort attributed to him is a testament of his undeniable integrity.

Niyi Ojuolape

Prof. Osotimehin

How did you come to know Prof. Osotimehin?

I met Prof in 2002. I hadn’t heard of him prior to that time. He had arrived Abuja that day to set up and manage the World Bank-supported HIV/AIDS project for the National Response to AIDS in Nigeria. So, as fate would have it, my Uncles; Prof. Layi Erinosho and Prof.

Femi Odekunle informed me that one of their colleagues was coming into town from the University of Ibadan, and I must accompany them to show him around our town. So our friendship developed from that encounter. We were basically friends like that until about five

or six months later, he called me one day and said “Young man, why don’t you come and work with me?” And that was it.

In what capacities did you work with him in the various agencies he led?

My portfolio kind of evolved over time. In NACA, I was first, Programme Assistant, then Personal Assistant to him. And then I became Special Assistant to him (following a public advert and interview process) as the Director General of the Agency. I also doubled as the Communications Coordinator of the Agency as we were running a large programme that had a lot to do with

publicity and awareness creation. When he was made Minister for Health, I served with him as Special Assistant for Communications.

And then when he was made the Executive Director of UNFPA, I worked with him as Special Assistant until his death. But also, before he passed, I had gone through the processes of becoming a UNFPA Country Representative, and my appointment had been signed off on, and clearance from Ghana for resuming duties had NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

RANDOM THOTS Poverty Legislation Nobody likes to be poor, but in present-day Nigeria, many citizens have no choice regarding their status. However, despite the negative tag, the poor are also demanding to have a say in how this country is being run. In a country which preaches equality according to the constitution, the gulf between the rich and the poor keeps expanding by the day.

While the euphoria is yet to die down on the recently passed #Not-tooyoung-to-run law, another advocacy has

begun. This time, some agitated citizens are seeking for the formulation and passage of a #Not-too-broke-to -run bill.

To the advocates, the right to serve the populace should not be the exclusive preserve of the rich and the money-bag god-fathers.

Their argument is that money power should be de-emphasised in the quest for political power and representation during electioneering processes, while middle-class and poor folks are allowed

to prove their mettle, sincerity and desire for good governance and overall development across the nation’s social and economic strata.

Although this request may appear unusual in a society which thrives on crass materialism and cash-and-carry politics, a bill like this truly deserves consideration, particularly given its potential to provide a level playing field for potential political representatives who truly seek to serve the populace more

than their private pockets.

The major hurdle is whether the powers-that-be are willing to allow the poor climb up and join them at the top of the political ladder.

To the former group, let the poor remain poor and where they belong at the bottom rung of the ladder. If not, who will the rich find to oppress? After all, not all fingers are equal...bitter truth -Abimbola Akosile

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Better Police force, crucial for internal security in Nigeria

How Can Internal Security be Improved?

During his Democracy Day broadcast, PMB paid particular attention to the issue of security and also assured Nigerians on public safety and freedom of movement. However, some analysts believe the insecurity issue is yet to be resolved, with daily loss of lives and property. To you, how can internal security be improved in Nigeria, to spur development?

Abimbola Akosile * Internal security can only improve if security is devolved. There is need to establish state police under the supervision of central police.

This is in line with international standard.

- Mr. Austine Nwanya, solid mineral consultant, Abuja * The issues of the number of arms from Iran seized at Apapa in Lagos, large cache of ammunition too in Ogun state were trivialised.

Horrible Offa robbery, Bamidele shot in Ekiti recently, killer herdsmen, pockets of illegal arms abuses e.t.c show sabotage. What becomes of 2019 elections with these sophisticated arms, over 63 million idle youths, e.t.c everywhere? We must remove all illegal arms in public domains, and relevant laws must also be strictly enforced now!

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * Unfortunately, the relative success recorded with the fight against insurgency pales into insignificance with the activities of killer herdsmen and other violent crimes across the country. To arrest the ugly trend, the intelligence gathering arms of our security agencies should be strengthened. Finally, PMB should muster political will to curtail the activities of herdsmen currently terrorising Nigerians.

- Mr. Paul Jideofor, Dept. of Languages, FCT COE, Zuba, Abuja * The world over, Nigerian security forces have been held in high regard, but internal security has been polluted by corruption. For it to be improved, the conditions of the Police must be improved with proper pay package, while they are made to take oaths of honest service without bias and selfishness. State Police is necessary for this need.

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna State * Well thought-out strategy, starting with honest discussion on what has not worked, why and what needs to be done. People must be committed at all levels of governance. There must be willingness to own up when things are not working and to go back to the drawing table.

Finally people must stop playing politics with issues of security. There must be enlightenment, sensitisation, and motivation, with something for everyone.

- Mrs. Augusta Akparanta-Emenogu, Abuja * We must return to regional autonomy. People have complained of corruption against some Ministers, Senators e.t.c, to no avail. We are

THE FEEDBACK Top tip:

Community policing

Second:

Improved intelligence gathering

Third:

Better conditions for Police nationwide

Radical:

Restructure Nigeria!

Total no of respondents:

17

Male:

13

Female:

4

Highest location:

Abuja (7)

all aware peasant farmers, students, e.t.c, cannot afford AK47. Who are the sponsors?

Restructuring the country is the only solution to rapid development.

- Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna State * It can be improved through the involvement of traditional rulers because they know who come in and out of their domains.

- Mr. Bello Shuni, Vice president Dynamics Youth Organisation of Nigeria (DYON) Northwest chapter, Shuni, Sokoto State * The success of some local Vigilante groups foreshadows the likely benefits of State Police in internal security especially if backed with adequate laws to check abuse by politicians, including State Governors. Police must be well paid, properly quipped, and trained in modern community policing. Also, technology such as Close Circuit Television and drones should be deployed liberally.

- Mrs. Ada Agina-Ude, Lagos State * Internal security can only improve, if the security chiefs believe that once they are not performing optimally they risk being changed.

Let someone be held responsible for the security breaches and prosecuted.

- Mr. Onwuegbuchi Osondu, Gwagwalada, Abuja * Internal security can be improved by government making security everybody’s business, by making the welfare of the people top priority, by providing jobs for unemployed youths to

keep them busy, by proper funding, training and equipping the security agents to handle security challenges with ease. We all need to give government all the necessary support to stem the security situation. We should all desire a peaceful, progressive, prosperous country that is safe and secure. God bless Nigeria.

- Mr. Odey Ochicha, Leadership Specialist, Abuja * Our clergymen, clerics, parents, neighbours, friends, peers, teachers, elders, various NGOs, various leaders etc must step up and add value to quality of our societal morale, norms and values. We must improve on employment, poverty, cost of living, corruption, electricity, food, health etc to stem crime. We must police the borders against arm peddlers. Stop and search rule must be invigorated before, during and after 2019 elections to mop up all illegal arms in circulation now.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State * Government must set up national commission of security that is apolitical and more so, ensuring the policemen on the street undergo training on modern security that is ICT-compliant. Government should invest on intelligence gathering while the approach of directing security from the centre must also stop. Creation of state police should be encouraged to stand. By inculcating those attributes, internal security will improve and crime index will reduce.

- Mr. Mark Ushie, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja * Nigerians should not leave security matter alone for government to handle; instead all hands must be on deck.to fight insecurity for the interest of Nigeria. With insecurity there will no meaningful development.

- Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State * Security issues can be resolved only when the rule of law is strictly adhered to and enforced to a much higher level. The criminal justice system, as well as the judiciary, need to be sanitised in order for that to take place. A form of community policing such as an unarmed civilian JTF would help, with training in intelligence gathering, sentry duties, self-defense tactics and early warning systems, so communities are not caught unawares.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * If citizens are assured of leadership integrity, there would be more security consciousness

and authentic information sharing without any fear of threat or harm across all levels of governance. Also, there is urgent need to equip, empower and protect our security operatives to do their jobs well.

- Ms. Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos State * The present administration should discard old ideas of solving the insecurity challenges by using new, innovative, strategies and diplomacy to enforce security, empowering the security forces, constant change of service chiefs, empowering the citizens e.t.c. They also need information gathering on the territories by introducing community policing, reducing transitional causes of insecurity, and understanding the national security choices.

- Mr. Michael Adedotun Oke, Founder Michael Adedotun Foundation, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja * Community policing and eventually State Police will help improve internal security. But care must be taken not to convert such forces into ethnic militias. That would be a quick way to anarchy and disaster for Nigeria.

- Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: Can Youths Truly Revamp Nigeria?

The passage of the Not-too young to run Bill into law by PMB was hailed as a laudable decision, where the ages for contesting for political offices were lowered to allow more youths into public office. However, some analysts believe youths are also part of the rot in the system and may even become worse leaders. To you, can youths truly revamp this country’s development and governance process? If yes, how?

Please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (June 7 & Monday, June 11) to abimbolayi@yahoo. com, greatbimbo@gmail.com, AND abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/or 08188361766 and/or 08114495306. Collated responses will be published on Thursday, June 14

34

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

The needy also deserve some support

EMMANUEL ONUMAH

WED: Orelope-Adefulire Charges Stakeholders to Beat Plastic Pollution ȱȱȱ ȱ ȱ Ĵ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Abimbola Akosile The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has called on stakeholders to support the drive to beat the unending pollution caused by inappropriate disposal of plastic materials.

Orelope-Adefulire gave this charge in a statement issued in commemoration of the 2018 World Environment Day celebration with the theme: \Beat Plastic Pollution’. She added that plastic pollution has become an epidemic in the society and indeed across the world.

The Presidential Aide aligned with reports by UN Environment, which shows that “we throw away enough plastic to circle the Earth four times every year. Much of that waste doesn’t make it into a landfill, but instead ends up in our oceans, where it’s responsible for killing one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates. For the good of the planet, it’s time to rethink how we use

plastic.”

She maintained that there is need for the public to help beat plastic pollution by switching to materials that are easily reusable as alternative to plastic, adding that as the planet continues to grow relentlessly in population, a corresponding growth in waste products also occurs.

She noted that though the society has an etiquette that separates waste products from the immediate living areas, the waste however creates huge environmental problems and impacts the entire planet. She therefore advocated for continuous recycling as a method to deal responsibly with the plastic problem, according to a statement issued by the Media Assistant to the SSAP-SDGs, Desmond Utomwen.

The goal of recycling is to separate waste products into two major categories, Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable, with plastic constituting a larger part of the non-biodegradable waste component.

“Beat Plastic Pollution”, is a call to action for everyone to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our

time. It also invites all to consider how they can make changes in their everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on the environment, wildlife and the health of the people. While plastic has many valuable uses, people have become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences. Around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute. Every year, up to 5 trillion disposable plastic bags are used, with 50 per cent of the total plastic in single use.

In a related development, the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has warned on the danger posed by poor waste management system to humans and the environment, and has recommended innovative ways to eliminate the heaps of debris and garbage that dot most cities of the world.

Obaseki who gave the advice in commemoration of the World Environment Day, observed on June 5, each year, said stakeholders in the environment sector must activate a common operational template that promotes a proactive

approach to waste management, beginning with the right attitude.

“The right attitude will help in the choices we make on waste accumulation, disposal and whether we will support government policies on environmental protection and preservation and embrace waste recycling and other waste to wealth initiatives,” the governor said.

He noted that “with the avalanche of ideas, new research findings and innovations on waste management that can be sourced through international partnerships and the information super highway, poor capacity to waste management is inexcusable.”

He assured that “with the ongoing reforms in the Edo State Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, his administration is fine-tuning measures to exceed the expectations of Edo people and residents, as a clean and green Edo environment is non-negotiable.”

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Unilever Nigeria Celebrates Students in Lagos MMSD Organises Retreat for Board Members Community Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano In demonstration of its commitment to the bright future of Nigeria’s children, Unilever Nigeria recently organised a special event to celebrate children in Makoko community, Lagos; as part of its activities to commemorate the 2018 Children’s Day celebration.

The event held at Ken Ade Private School, Makoko, had children from other schools in the community in attendance.

With over 500 children in attendance, it was a good opportunity for Unilever to emphasise the importance of good health and wellbeing through its message of oral hygiene.

The children, according to a release, were told that oral health impacts significantly on the entire human body.

This makes it important for everyone, especially children to take proper care of their mouth by brushing twice daily.

In addition to the educative session on oral and general hygiene, the children were also treated to various fun activities like games, cultural dancing competition, and several others to deepen the social interactions with the children.

Speaking at the event, the Sustainable Business Manager, Ghana and Nigeria, Ayodele Alabi, said, “as an organisation with a vision to make sustainable living commonplace, investing in communities

around us through various social projects is what we do.

Here in Makoko, we believe we can play a part in improving the health and well-being of the people who reside here, reducing environmental impact, and providing enhanced livelihood through our brands and operations.”

Alabi added that “it is in demonstration of this that we dedicated today to spend quality time with children in the community and educate them on the importance of general hygiene, while creating an atmosphere of fun and laughter.

On her part, the Perfect City Manager, Customer Development, Unilever Nigeria, Nnenna Ikpeme said, “we are pleased to celebrate this day with children

As part of its efforts to streamline the activities of the Solid Mineral Development Fund (SMDF) and support its operations in order to enable it deliver on its mandate, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD) has organised a two-day interactive special meeting for its Board members and Management of the SMDF to enable it present its Strategic Plan of Action for ratification.

The retreat, noted the Minister of State, MMSD, Hon. Abubakar Bwari, was a deliberate effort by the ministry to provide the needed support to establish a governance structure for the SMDF to enable it deliver on its mandate.

Bwari charged the Board to come up with a functional governance structure within the framework of the Act establishing the SMDF so as to facilitate its immediate operationalisation.

He made reference to the recently concluded Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) focus Labs which recommended that the SMDF be provided with N200 billion seed capital in addition to the earlier plans for raising $600m in bond.

According to him, “I call on the Board of the SMDF to exploit the opportunity provided by this retreat to ensure that such a structure is fashioned out so that the SMDF can deliver on its mandate.”

He said the Ministry was more determined to pursue the reform initiative contained in the ministry’s roadmap for the growth and development of the Nigerian mining industry and called on all the departments and agencies of the ministry to be committed to giving the SMDF all the support it needs to succeed.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Abdulkadri Muazu in his opening remarks stressed that the meeting was aimed at educating the SMDF as a parastatal of the ministry about its relationship with the ministry, the powers, functions and duties and responsibilities of the Board and the management which he believed was fundamental to the effective functioning of the SMDF.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We must bear in mind that democracy does not die in a day. Democracy dies a slow and painful death.

Democracy will die if the independence of the judiciary is destroyed, the National Assembly turned to a rubber stamp, the media gagged, the civil society organisations sucked-in, and the electoral umpire annexed” - DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT, SENATOR IKE EKWEREMADU, SPEAKING IN ABUJA

Ambode Laments Poor Living Standard among Lagos Pupils Unveils special intervention for 225,000 indigents Gboyega Akinsanmi

NAZAS Empowers Widows, Less-Privileged in Lagos Emmanuel Onumah Several widows and less-privileged people were recently empowered with cash donations and vocational tools during the 8th Ramadan disbursement exercise organised by the NASFAT Agency for Zakat and Sadaqat (NAZAS).

During the disbursement programme, which held at the agency’s headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, some beneficiaries received cash donations ranging from N50,000, N100,000 to N350,000 and vocational skills’ items such as industrial sewing machines, camera, deep freezers among others. Not less than 25 beneficiaries got Zakat funds on the basis of empowerment, health support and debt relief respectively.

Among the dignitaries who graced the event were the Chief Missioner of NASFAT Worldwide, As-Sheikh Maroof Abdulazeez Onike; NASFAT BoT Secretary; Alhaji Remi Babalola, and National Women Affairs Secretary, Alhaja Samiat Omolara Mumuni.

Incorporated on January 31, 2014, NAZAS is a non-governmental organisation established to take care of the needy in the society.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Zumurat who got N100,000 cash was overwhelmed. According to her, “I have already lost hope as I have no connection with staff of NAZAS or any members of NASFAT society. I now believe that the process is truly transparent without any element of bias.”

Another beneficiary from Agege, a widow who lost her husband in 2014 and was left with five children expressed excitement at the gesture from NAZAS. “This is a double blessing for me because my son received a scholarship from the same agency last year, and today, I have just received N50,000 to boost my petty trading. God will continue to enlarge the coast of the donors,” she prayed.

For Ajao Abdur Rasheed, a printer who lives at Ebute-Metta area of Lagos, the NAZAS gesture was a timely intervention. “I am a printer who is in desperate need of printer and other printing machines. But I am currently out of business due to lack of fund. With this N200,000 intervention received, I will revive my business,” Ajao enthused.

Ibrahim Abanikanda, a photographer who first filled the application form three years ago, said

R-L: NAZAS General Manager, Mr. Akanni presenting a cheque to a printer, Mr. Rasheed, at the agency’s disbursement programme in Ikeja, Lagos...recently he got a D7200 Digital Camera which is worth about N350,000 in the market. “This gesture will surely play a key role in my life because apart from boosting my photographic business, it will give me extra income by using the machine to work for others. I am grateful to NAZAS.” Supporting Ibrahim’s claim, another beneficiary, who also received a cheque of N150,000, said the intervention would alleviate her suffering.

In an emotion-laden voice she prayed for the programme organisers.

Admonishing all the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors in their business endeavours, Alhaja Mumuni enjoined them to use the money and items given to them judiciously as this would encourage the agency to reach out to others.

In his remarks, chairman of the agency, Alhaji Niyi Yusuf acknowledged the support of Zakat payers and general donors who have contributed over N133 million since inception from which over 500 people have benefited.

The 8th Public disbursement of Zakat and Sadaqat, he noted, couldn’t have been possible without the donors. He reassured donors and beneficiaries that NAZAS would continue to uphold the established standard in collection and distribution of Zakat; in line with the dictates of Islam.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

The First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode has lamented poor living standard among pupils in 1,016 primary schools in the state, noting that most pupils “come to schools barefooted.” Ambode has also unveiled a special intervention under the Hope for Women in Nigeria Initiative (HOFOWEM), which according to statistics, would benefit at least 225,000 pupils across the state.

She expressed grave concerns about the plight of Lagos pupils at the unveiling of Project Bright Steps at Ikorodu with the distribution of 50,000 shoes and branded socks in public schools across the state.

According to her, Project Bright Steps, an initiative of HOFOWEM is to boost the morale of the children and sensitise the parents that the welfare of pupils is important, in getting the best of them in their academic pursuits.

She explained that the initiative started in February 2017, noting that 175,000 shoes and HOFOWEM-branded socks, were distributed to all primary 1 – 3 pupils of public schools across the state.

Ambode said getting the best from education “begins with proper dressing to school. We have observed with some pain, that most pupils were less than properly dressed to school, as some turned up in bathroom slippers while many others went barefooted.

She noted that the sort of daily appearance for school activities certainly could not guarantee them the desired self-esteem, for confidence to excel in their academic work. At HOFOWEM, according to her, “we have considered this challenge and settled on the mass procurement and distribution of shoes and socks to the pupils, at least to prepare them for school.”

After the 2017 edition, she noted that the foundation unveiled the second edition of the project today with a plan “to distribute no less than 50,000 shoes and branded socks, to the primary one pupils of public schools across the state.

“The distribution centres are: Agege, Maryland, Yaba, Ojo, Amuwo Odofin, Epe, Lagos Island and Ikorodu which doubles as the flag-off venue.

This arrangement is for easier accessibility to the various schools and the benefitting pupils.”

Ambode said Project Bright Steps was planned as an annual event, and would continue as such,

by God’s grace, to touch as many pupils as possible in the state’s public primary schools.

Thanking all public-spirited individuals and corporate bodies, who had assisted HOFOWEM in its humanitarian endeavours, she urged the pupils to be serious with their academic work and that they should not make excuses of challenges and limitations. “Pupils can learn something new every day, if you listen attentively in class.

With strong determination, pupils can overcome all barriers to achieve their desired dream. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet to the ground, do small things, in great ways. It is about your attitude of mind,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer of HOFOWEM, Mrs. Oyefunke Olayinka said since the commencement of operations, the foundation had touched the lives of many and is still putting smiles on the faces of the less-privileged without wavering, adding that through the foundation’s various humanitarian programmes, hundreds of women, children and youths had been reached.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Guarding against Hypertension While hypertension is one of the deadliest non-communicable diseases because it does not manifest physically, stakeholders advise that with lifestyle changes, the condition can be addressed, writes Martins Ifijeh

H

ave you ever had a phone conversation with someone so full of life, and in the next hour you hear he is gone? Ever been in a scenario where the person you shared happy moments with a night before refuse to jump to the waking of a new morning because breathe has been taken away from him? How about someone you just played a football match with, who went into the game with a good health, but as you bid yourselves fair well from the pitch, he goes home and blanks out on mother earth? One minute the person is strong enough for a football match and the next minute he is dead. These are the traits left behind by high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension.

It is one silent killer that does not ring a bell to announce its arrival as it does not present signs and symptoms. All it does is stay in the body of its victim quietly until the day it strikes. And when it does, it leaves sorrows, tears and blood.

Fortunately for developed countries, the rate of prevalence of this silent killer has reduced drastically due to increased awareness on lifestyle modification and general well-being. But it has ironically doubled globally within the last 40 years, affecting over a billion people. This means it is having a high prevalence rate in middle and low income countries like Nigeria, leaving people to dramatically die from the asymptomatic health condition.

Mr. Olawale Gbenga is one Nigerian whose family learnt the stings of hypertension the hard way. His mother, a 63-year-old retired teacher in Ibadan was full of life during the preparation for one of her daughter’s wedding, and had talked about how she will dress gorgeously and dance on that day. But she was wrong. Her blood pressure was not in sync with her decision.

“She had involved herself fully in the preparations for the traditional ceremony for Friday and the church wedding Saturday. By Wednesday of that week, mummy woke up full of life, but by afternoon, I was called that she had slumped and was gasping for breathe.

That was how I left my place of work and rushed home, only to see her breathing was very faint.

“We immediately rushed her to the hospital where it was confirmed her blood pressure was far beyond normal. She had 182/125mmHg. While doctors were doing their best to stabilise her, and possibly bring the blood pressure to a reduced level, mummy was fast losing it, until she was eventually confirmed gone,” Olawale said.

Late Mrs. Gbenga had never had blood pressure check, because, according to the son, she never presented any situation that would warrant blood pressure check. Mummy hardly fall sick, save for the usual headache when she is over stressed. For almost three to four years now we did not have cause to take her to the hospital for any treatment, not even for typhoid,” he added.

But the doctor who attended to her says it is most likely Mrs. Gbenga has been living with hypertension for a long while, but because there was no culture of regular blood pressure check up, she or her loved ones were ignorant that she had high blood pressure, which would have been managed through drugs and lifestyle medications before the unfortunate happened.

Olawale, who learnt the hard way says now he not only checks his aged father’s blood pressure regularly, but every member of their family are now aware of the need to check theirs on a regular basis.

Mrs. Gbenga is not the only one that has unfortunately lost her life to the silent killer, hundreds of thousands of Nigerians succumb yearly to the whip of the masked disease due to lack of awareness or underestimation of its effect.

Hypertension is preventable

A recent study has shown that over 100 million Nigerians are at risk of high blood pressure.

It is in addressing this concern and preventing millions of Nigerians like Mrs. Gbenga from dying, that experts are raising alarm over the continuous high prevalence rate of the disease in the country.

They are especially calling on Nigerians to be wary of lifestyle that predisposes one to hypertension, while also calling on them to cultivate the habit of continuously checking their blood pressure.

This perhaps explain why sudden deaths have been a common occurrence in the country since the last decade when non communicable diseases like high blood pressure have been gaining grounds due to fast changing lifestyle of the citizens.

According to a public health physician and the Medical Director, Livingstone Medical Centre, Benin, Dr. Kenneth Efosa, the prevalence of hypertension in the country might be higher than the figures currently being used.

He said the current figure was unreliable because most Nigerians who were hypertensive do not bother to go for check up to know their blood pressure status, and hence there was no room for documenting a lot of people who may be suffering from it.

“Every Nigerian above 18 years old should be encouraged to check their blood pressure at least once every six months because the disease may not give any sign. So if you know beforehand that your blood pressure is unstable, it would be easier to tackle it,” the MD stressed.

He however noted that high blood pressure was no longer a problem of adults alone, adding that, children have now been discovered to suffer from it.

“So my advice on routine check is that every family should own a sphygmomanometer or a computerised blood pressure machine. At their convenience they can check the blood pressure of every member of their family,” he added.

He explained that hypertension is the most powerful risk factor for cardiovascular

disease, hence the need to tackle it head on.

“17 years ago, a quarter of the world adult had hypertension, but by year 2025, it would increase to 60 per cent. As we speak, one out of three adults may be hypertensive.”

According to him, lifestyle modification is key to tackling the disease, adding that what people eat and how they live their daily lives matter to the level of their blood pressure.

“We need to watch what we are eating. We should all make conscious efforts to reduce those risk factors like high intake of salts, can foods, among others. Our forefathers lived healthy because of the natural foods they were eating. Then, there was no high prevalence of hypertension, so I will say there is wisdom in being a bush man. We should patronise vegetables and fruits, as they are very helpful for the heart,” he added.

He said although high blood pressure has a genetic predisposition, it is principally a lifestyle disorder, adding that, with changes in lifestyle, the prevalence will reduce. He said the statistics are frightening and the incidence cuts across racial and socio-economic barriers, hence lifestyle modification is therefore key to both prevention and treatment.

“Sedentary lifestyle, mimicking eating lifestyle of westerners, and smoking are some of the major factors fueling hypertension prevalence in the country,” he added.

Efosa said while hypertension is a disease of choice, he was wondering why it is affecting one in three persons, adding that if Nigerians decide to improve their lifestyle health wise, there would be no need having high prevalence of the disease.

“In the past one month, I have lost three colleagues to complications of hypertension.

It is not our custom to be taking drugs every day, so it is very important to have a healthy lifestyle, which has been proven to prevent the problem in the first case,” he added.

He said a disease that is both preventable and treatable should not be killing Nigerians, adding that, one of the problems was that many people living with hypertension do not know they have it. “Over 50 per cent of those with hypertension in this country do

not know they have it,” he said.

According to him, habits to be stopped includes, lack of exercise, not getting enough sleep, reduction of caffeine intake, reduction in salt intake, reduction in alcohol consumption, among others.

“Exercise for 30 to 60 minutes five days a week will usually lower a person’s blood pressure by four to nine mmHg. It is important you check with your doctor before embarking on any physical activity. Exercise needs to be tailored to the needs and health of patients.”

He said reduction in alcohol intake was a double edged sword against the disease.

“Alcohol in very small amounts may lower blood pressure, but if it is taken too much, or even in regular moderate amount, it may increase blood pressure.” He believes if Nigerians cut short on fast foods, processed, as well as canned foods, and patronise vegetables and fruits, it would help a long way in reducing the prevalence rate of the scourge in the country.

He also advocated for weight loss as a way out. “If you are overweight, the nearer you get to your ideal weight, the more likely your blood pressure is going to fall,” adding, she said, “ even for those already on hypertension drugs, the treatment is more likely to be effective if the body weight is on a physiologic state,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Prof.

Isaac Adewole, during one of his presentations to mark World Hypertension Day (WHD) also harped on the need for Nigerians to watch the type of foods they eat, as well as maintain a certain level of physical activities. He said there was no justifiable reason for any public or private hospital in Nigeria to charge patients who want to check their blood pressure. “Every hospital should not only encourage Nigerians to check their blood pressure, they should do it free of charge.

“Nigerians should check their blood pressure regularly, as that is the only way to know whether they are hypertensive or not, because it does not show signs. Once people are aware of their status, it would help them make informed choices on how to reduce the high blood pressure,” Bode said.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

NEWS

Idris: Stunting Rate in Lagos is 11%, Underweight 14.5% As Dano breaks Guinness records Martins Ifijeh The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has revealed that stunting rate among children in the state is at 11 per cent, while that of other parts of the country have an average of 10.8 per cent.

He said the underweight rate is at 14.5 per cent for the state while the statistics show an average of 31.5 per cent in other parts of Nigeria.

Stating this during the commemoration of the 2018 World Milk Day, organised by Dano Milk in Lagos recently, he said more efforts should be invested to improve the poor nutritional indicators of children in Lagos State and other parts of the country.

He said: “The theme of this year’s commemoration; ‘Raise a Glass, Nourish Naija’ couldn’t have come at a better time.

Thus, the health benefits of milk and milk products cannot be over emphasised. Promotion for milk and milk products for the young and old would go a long way to improve healthy nutritional status in Nigeria.

As such there would be overall improvements to our nutritional status indicators,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dano Milk at the commemoration in Lagos, broke the Guinness World Record for longest drinks pouring relay using milk, with several participants in attendance, including undergraduates of tertiary institutions across Lagos, school children, mothers, representatives and officials of the Lagos State Ministries of Health and Education.

The event showcased regular milk intake by the young and old. Conversations around the event were hinged on#RaiseAGlass and

#NourishNaija.

Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode described the World Milk Day as pivotal to bringing out the best in children, youths and adults.

“The Lagos State Government is passionate about giving the best in children, youths in schools and institutions across the state. Contributions by other stakeholders are equally important to building the mental capabilities of children, youths and adults and helping them to soar in their pursuits. The World Milk Day is pivotal to this drive as contributions from stakeholders will position milk as an important component of mental and physical development.”

Sharing his thoughts at the event, the Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Adebule said she was delighted by the continued advocacy of TG Arla Dairy Nigeria, celebration and successful hosting of the past two editions of the World Milk Day in Lagos.

“June 1 has become a symbolic day for many countries to celebrate and come together to focus attention on milk and celebrate the importance of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods and nutrition.

“We urge Dano to sustain the advocacy drive just as she enjoined people across the country to tap into the goodness of milk. As we raise a glass to milk, we connect with others in Lagos and the country, and invite them to join in the celebration and in the goodness milk represents.”

The Managing Director, TG Arla Dairy Nigeria, Mads Burmester assured that the brand would boost its commitment

FG Seeks New Framework to Tackle Lead Poisoning Paul Obi in Abuja The federal government recently, said plans are underway to formulate a new framework that would tackle incessant cases of lead poisoning in order to reduce mortality and morbidity related to lead poisoning in the country.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Clement Uwaifo stated this in Abuja when the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2nd International Conference on Lead Poisoning Prevention Associated with Artisanal Gold Mining in Nigeria led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Abdullkadiri Mliazu visited the Federal Ministry of Health.

According to Uwaifo, the need for a unified framework towards tackling lead poisoning outbreak has become imminent so as to reduce mortality and morbidity in Nigeria Uwaifo pointed out that a unified framework would enable the country to have a holistic surveillance system.

The permanent secretary observed that the Health

Ministry is aware of the aim of the forthcoming conference which was to assist the government in developing a broader preventive and sustainable framework to address the challenges of lead poisoning associated with Gold Miners in Nigeria, which would be drive by the policy makers.

Uwaifo said: “The public need to be sensitised about the health and environmental hazards of activities at the Artisanal Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM), remediation of contaminated sites, provision of full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and consultative meeting with the affected states and LGAs, to prevent lead poisoning.”

On his part, Mliazu emphasised the need to have a national working plan towards reducing the threat of lead poisoning outbreak in Nigeria.

He further stated that all the major stakeholders must collaborate to sustain the outcome of the proposed national working plan, which would create a roadmap for reduction and prevention of lead poisoning outbreak in the country.

to offering nutritious products to Nigerian households.

He commended stakeholders in attendance at the event whilst communicating the brand’s

position to promoting healthy living and lifestyles among Nigerians.

“As a dairy advocate, we can’t afford to downplay

the importance of the World Milk Day. This influenced our decision to bring stakeholders together in seeking solutions to malnutrition and upholding the

importance of healthy living. We have propelled this by putting Nigeria on the global scene as a country that is passionate about health and nutrition.

L-R: Brand Ambassador, Dexa Medica, Sunday Osagie; Brand Consumer, Gombe, Ahmed Muhammed; Consultant, Dexa Medica, Dr Anthony Ofulu; Brand Consumer, Gombe, Alha Bashiru; and Brand Ambassador, Dexa Medica, Musa Ahmed, during Dexa Mexica’s Pain Free Day Campaign in Gombe State recently

‘Recognise World No Tobacco 165m Nigerians Lack Basic Day as World No Smoking Day’ Hygiene Facilities, Say UNICEF, WaterAid Martins Ifijeh As Philip Morris International (PMI) joined the rest of the globe to mark World No Tobacco Day, it has called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to recognise the day as “World No Smoking Day.” The Chief Executive Officer, PMI, André Calantzopoulos, who stated this to mark the day, said PMI was publishing informational commentaries to highlight that people who smoke deserve the opportunity to learn about smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes.

“It is clear that despite the well-known health risks associated with smoking, many people continue to smoke.

WHO predicts that there will be more than one billion people who smoke in 2025. Their best choice would be to quit—but many don’t. It makes sense that these men and women should have access to and information about less-harmful alternatives to cigarettes. Why would anyone deny them this opportunity? PMI is calling for an additional, bold approach to public health.

“For people who will otherwise continue to smoke, WHO is in the perfect position to drive switching from cigarettes to sensible alternatives. A policy that informs people about those alternatives—in essence, a World No Smoking Day—would reduce smoking prevalence to a far greater extent and at a much faster rate than the existing suite of tobacco-control measures alone,” Calantzopoulos.

He said people who smoke deserve a sensible plan that

takes full account of better alternatives to cigarettes, adding that on its part, PMI is determined to deliver a smoke-free future through innovations that stand up to scientific scrutiny and that meet consumer needs.

According to him, PMI has already committed $4.5bn in supporting a team of 400 world-class scientists, engineers and technicians who have spent years creating and testing a range of smoke-free products that offer a much better choice for the millions of smokers who don’t quit.

“More than five million smokers worldwide have already completely abandoned cigarette smoking and switched to IQOS, PMI’s heated tobacco product, with 10,000 smokers switching every single day. And PMI is not the only company pursuing innovation as important to the world’s one billion smokers worldwide—the tobacco industry generally is beginning to move in this direction, to the benefit of men and women who smoke.

“Our short-term ambition is that one out of three of our consumers, 40 million men and women who smoke, will have switched to better alternatives by 2025.

Ultimately, we want to be in a position to stop selling cigarettes entirely. However, we need the support of governments and the public health community to make this happen in as short a time as possible. I believe that instead of just designating one day as World No Tobacco Day, we should promote every day as World No Smoking Day,” said Calantzopoulos.

... As 49m practice open defecation Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and an international non-governmental organisation, WaterAid, have revealed in separate but unified documents that 87 per cent (165.3 million) of Nigerians are without basic hygiene facilities in a conservative population of 190 million.

The reports, as revealed by the World Health Organisation/ United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) on the ‘Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017’, also stated that 26 per cent (49.4 million) of Nigerians practice open defecation , 67 per cent (127.3 million) do not have basic sanitation and 33 per cent (62.7 million) are without clean water.

In a recent training on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF WASH chief specialist , Nigeria, Mr. Zaid Jurji said to reduce open defecation with a possibility of total eradication in Nigeria, there was the need for restructuring of the system, as well as technical and monitoring supervision in the face of the European Union grant which has been disbursed to help stem the tide.

He also added that a national sanitary programme to stop the prevailing phenomena will not be out of place, as it requires the full attention of everybody especially with the availability of European Union resources

in some states to kick-start the campaign.

Similarly, WaterAid in a statement, called on the government and relevant stakeholders to support mobilising of resources to facilitate infrastructural improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools which will provide safe and private spaces for school girls to manage their periods hygienically.

The report states: “Globally, 844 million people in the world (one in nine) do not have clean water close to home. 2.3 billion persons globally (almost one in three) do not have decent toilets of their own. Around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That’s almost 800 children a day or one child every two minutes.

“Every £1 invested in water and toilets return an average of £4 in increased productivity. Just £24 can provide one person with clean water.

“In Nigeria: 67 per cent of the population does not have basic sanitation. 26 per cent practice open defecation.

33 per cent of the population are without clean water. 87 per cent do not have basic hygiene facilities.

The international bodies have called for a curriculum policy reform, mobilisation of resources and the building of capacity.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

38

NEWS

Psychiatrists Brainstorm on New Treatment Options for Mental Illness

100 Nigerians Benefit from PEM, MMM Medical Outreach

Ayodeji Ake

Martins Ifijeh

As part of efforts to improve treatment options for mental health in Nigeria, health experts in the country have called for replication of innovative treatment measures successfully in use in developed countries.

They said currently in Nigeria, clinicians use trial and error of evidenced-based medicines in treatment of mental illness; using medications without knowing whether it will work for specific patients or not. This was the thrust of a stakeholders meeting by chief medical directors from neuropsychiatric hospitals in Nigeria and Professors of Psychiatry in Abuja recently.

They were hosted by Primly Services Nigeria and Synapse Services. The Chief Host and Medical Director, Synapse Services Mental Health and Rehabilitation Centres in Nigeria, Dr. Vincent Udenze, stated that he was keen to see partnerships between the government and private sector organisations in improving the practice of mental healthcare in Nigeria.

He said that it saddens him to see new treatment measures in the western world that are not available in Nigeria.

The United Kingdom-based consultant psychiatrist, said in Nigeria, medication is not easily available. “Not only are we 10 years behind, but we also don’t get the best generics that enter

into the country, sometimes.

There’s need to embrace change by the residents and give patients available choices so that they can make decisions for themselves.” Udenze said he wanted all medical directors to look at ways of influencing manufacturers of medications and equipment used in mental health to reduce prices for sale of their products in Nigeria.

A Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Dr. Jude Ohaeri, said the main thrust of the programme are four and the overall one is to bring together experts, who understand and can further the objectives of mental healthcare delivery in the country. He said it was to bring together a forum whereby they can put heads together and bring out healthcare services in the country, not just the development but bringing new ideas, new way of diagnosing patients’ problems and new ways of treatment.

The second objective he said, was about the new way of diagnosis and treatment.

“These really are applications of new biological findings. Up till now, we have more or less acted blindly. That is, you come in and we diagnose you as having this or that and we don’t really have the biological basis, like we don’t have a drug test.

“For instance, somebody have diabetes - you take

his blood and measure the amount of glucose, we don’t have that but now these tests and treatments are based on concept that germs could be behind the kind of problems that this person has.

“Germs could also be responsible for the way this person reacts. So, these innovations as brought here by our friend Vincent and the group are sponsored by a company called Genocept and the other companies who are doing the same thing.

“They are focused on depression and they have a number of germs, about 18 of them and they are saying that if you take the blood of people with depression, instead of treating them blindly with whatever drugs you think, you have to genotype them.

We are going to get patterns of genotype that will help us determine which drug they are more likely to respond and get better and which drug they are more likely to have side effect to. “I want to say that this has some scientific bases really. The second innovation is a new method of treatment called Repetitive Trans- cranial Magnetic Stimulation. It is a brilliant treatment in the sense that it is not complicated. You are not equipped to sleep; you are awake and it doesn’t give you headache.

“They are a quite safe

method of treatment and it’s used for a wide variety of problems (4:55). So, these are the kind of new concepts and we want to think of how we can further this process.

“But there are also other things it is talking about too.

For instance, there is a question of ADHD which means Adults who have attention deficit, that is, they cannot sit at a place and listen to you and one effect of this is road traffic accident.

“All of us experience it; you get to a road and there are people behind you, they just cannot wait. You might want to wonder whether they have this problem. So we want to highlight these problems and whether we can get a group that will be an advocate for people with this type of problem in the country and how to put hands together to do this,” he said.

As part of efforts to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of less privileged Nigerians, the Pastor Eskor Mfon Foundation (PEM) in collaboration with the Mass Medical Mission (MMM), a charity focused non-governmental organisation, has provided free healthcare to over 100 persons. The medical outreach, according to the widow of Pastor Mfon and Founder of PEM, Mrs. Bimpe Eskor Mfon, was put together to mark the 11th anniversary of the passage of her husband.

She explained that the foundation was inaugurated to continue with late Pastor Eskor Mfon’s dreams of empowering a vibrant generation of emerging Nigeria’s leaders.

In her words: “This year marks the 11th anniversary of

the death of my husband, and in celebrating what he stood for while he was alive, the Mass Medical Mission decided to collaborate with PEM to carry out cancer screening and other medical tests.

“I am sure that at the end of this medical outreach, people that would have died due to ignorance of their health status would be saved. Cancer, if not detected early can kill,” she noted. Narrating her experience since the demise of her husband, Pastor Bimpe said: “God’s grace has been sustaining me and God has been using people to encourage and bless us.

Our father in the Lord, Pastor and Mrs Enoch Adeboye, RCCG, City of David, the Osinlulu family, my children and a host of others have been so wonderful to me and the foundation.

39

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JUNE 7 , 2018

HEALTH NEWS

WHO Gives Succour to Maitama Hospital Measles, Yellow Fever Laboratory Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given hope to a porta cabin work space and donated laboratory equipment that include ELISA readers test equipment and microplate washers to Maitama General Hospital in Abuja.

The laboratory is managed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Maitama General Hospital.

During the handover ceremony, the Country Representative, WHO, WR, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, said that the equipment would help

to improve the quality of work in the hospital especially for the measles and yellow fever surveillance unit.

He said: “Despite all the challenges you have had in monitoring and curtailing measles, you have managed to pull through. We hope that this facility will help to improve the quality of your work and will assist you in the surveillance of measles and yellow fever in Nigeria.”

In his response, the Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu stated that the facility which is a collaborative effort between the

government and partners was built with the aim of improving the quality of laboratory results and monitoring of measles and yellow fever investigations.

“Ultimately, this facility is a result of teamwork. Let us make the best use of it and get the results we require.”

Speaking during the event, the Medical Director of the Maitama General Hospital,

Dr. Sule Ahmed, expressed his appreciation to the WHO generous contribution to the hospital.

He said: “We prefer to rely on a preventive approach than a curative approach. When you have a preventive approach and assets to help you achieve this, it makes the work even easier. Measles is a preventable viral disease and is a major

cause of childhood morbidity and mortality particularly in developing countries. The disease is being targeted for elimination by countries in the African region and globally.

Quality Measles surveillance is essential to achieving elimination; and a Measles Laboratory is an important component of measles surveillance.

“While laboratories help

to confirm diagnosis and outbreaks; they ultimately provide the proof for ending transmission and achieving elimination of diseases targeted for elimination. WHO has been providing support to four national measles and yellow fever laboratories in Nigeria since 2006 through capacity building, supplies, equipment and accreditation,” he added.

Atiku, Saudi German Hospital in JointVenture to Establish 100-Bed Hospital, Referral Centre Martins Ifijeh In a quest to diversify his businesses and creating more jobs for Nigerians, former VicePresident, Atiku Abubakar, has partnered with the management of Saudi German Hospital, Dubai to establish a referral centre and a 100-bed hospital in Abuja.

The former Vice-President said that the joint venture hospital project also has the potential to reduce the spate of medical tourism among Nigerians and provide safe and quality healthcare for her citizens. Atiku Abubakar made the disclosure recently after a meeting with a delegation of the management of Saudi German Hospital, led by Dr. Rajeev Kaushal.

“My meeting with the delegation of the management of Saudi German Hospital led by Dr. Rajeev Kaushal over joint partnership with our company, West Africa Health-Care Company Ltd for the establishment of a 100-bed hospital in Abuja, was very fruitful. The joint venture that we have embarked upon promises to break new grounds in medical services delivery in Nigeria,” the former VicePresident, who is also founder of West Africa Health-Care Company Ltd, told journalists.

He said that apart from creating much-needed medical

and support services jobs, the venture will also facilitate the transfer of skills to Nigerians.

Responding, Kaushal lamented the high fatality rate from non-communicable diseases in Nigeria, saying that figures from World Health Organisation indicates that over 72,000 cancer patients die annually in the country due to lack of access to quality diagnosis and treatment.

He stressed that the proposed 100-bed hospital will not only be equipped with world class facilities for the provision of safe and quality healthcare services but would also help curb the spate of medical tourism among Nigerians. “The hospital we are proposing to build in collaboration with West Africa Health-Care Company Ltd being promoted by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar will have all the facilities needed for comprehensive treatment of most non-communicable diseases, especially cancer.

“This initiative will help curb medical tourism among Nigerians, which is very high at the moment. Though it is not possible to fully stop Nigerians from embarking on medical trips abroad, but we can reduce the trend with the establishment of a world class hospital, equipped with modern health facilities for diagnosis and treatment,” he added.

Boska Storms Gombe Consumers Major Pain killer Company, Dexa Medica, makers of Boska, over the weekend, conducted its Pain Free Day initiative at the Gombe Line Motor Park Taminors in Gombe State to help consumers stay fit.

Hundreds of participants who attended awareness initiative were equipped withhealth tips to stay strong during the rainy season.

The Brand Executive, Dexa Medica, Joseph Christopher said the Pain Free Day edition was specially designed to keep consumers fit given the rainy season.

“I am confident that Dexa Medica will continue to improve the delivery of quality of healthcare for consumers

in the months ahead.

“From qualitative findings, we observed that 70 per cent of consumers often catch the flu during rainy season resulting in body breakdown if not attended to,’’ he said.

He said the Boska team also provided the opportunity for consumers to see health experts who gave out full range of health services for free, adding that they have provided free eye glasses for those in need as well as prescribed drugs to treat eye, ear and nose defects.

“We also leveraged on the opportunity to educate consumers on how to live stress-free while at their various duties.”

L-R: Director, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Oluwakemi Kalesanwo, representing the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Education; Marketing Manager, TG Arla Dairy Nigeria, Ifunanya Obiakor; Permanent Secretary/Tutor-General, Education District III Falomo, Titilayo Solarin, representing Deputy Governor, Lagos State; Managing Director, TG Arla Dairy Nigeria, Mads Burmester; and representative of First Lady of Lagos, Jumoke Benson, during Dano 2018 World Milk Day in Lagos...recently OMI AKINYELE

ARC Nigeria Champions Health Sector Supply Chain Ayodeji Ake To boost the Nigerian healthcare system, African Resource centre (ARC) has demonstrated it commitment in promoting public health and private sector supply chain system by partnering with Nigerian universities.

ARC Nigeria was conceived as partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) – as a central resource center to foster, mobilize and channel expertise and capacity within the private sector and academia to strengthen public health supply chains across the country.

The organisation seeks to deliver impact by raising the performance of health supply chains to increase the availability of medicines and health commodities at the last mile – through capacity enhancements of public health logisticians, supply chain process improvements, among others.

Speaking to journalists recently in Lagos, Country Director, ARC Nigeria, Pharm.

Azuka Okeke explained that “ARC aims to foster more partnerships with universities across the country within the next three years.

We are confident that these collaborations will lead to a sustainable increase in the number of adequately trained professionals with practical skills ready to make impact

in public health and private sector supply chain systems in Nigeria.”

Okeke also explained that one major focus area of the ARC is to support effective development of local talent pools adequately trained to manage and operate public health supply chain and logistics systems, as well as for private sector supply chain systems in Nigeria and subsequently within West-Africa. “ In effect, the ARC seeks to foster a supply chain revolution in Nigeria by facilitating local and international partnerships to foster in-country capacity for sustainable supply chain Education, Research and Innovation.

Continuing, she said: “ARC Nigeria’s medium to long term plan to spur development of local talent involves setting up a premier academic Center of Excellence on supply chain in partnership with local and international universities to ensure even distribution and promotion of supply chain knowledge and research across Nigeria.

“To this end, the ARC is also partnering with the Massachusetts Institute Technology’s Centre of Transport Logistics, MIT CTL, a leading global institute on supply chain management education and research, with proven track-record in setting up supply chain excellence centers around the world, connected through the MIT Global SCALE Network. “

Azuka further said ARC is also collaborating with multiple academic institutions in Nigeria, such as, the Universityof Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), University of Lagos (Unilag), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka and Lagos State University (LASU) –to tap into as well as foster educational and research capacities on supply chain management. These collaborations are targeted at strengthening existing programs or establishing new supply chain management de-

gree and certificate programs, through curriculum strengthening, faculty exchanges, joint research projects, student internships, and so on. she revealed ARC Nigeria primarily seeks to deliver impact by raising the performance of health supply chains to increase the availability of medicines and health commodities at the last mile – through capacity enhancements of public health logisticians, supply chain process improvements, among others.

Work Resumes at Nnewi University Teaching Hospital David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka Work has resumed at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, following the suspension of the six week old industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).

The National Chairman, JOHESU, Mr Biobelemoye Josiah announced the suspension of the strike, following the intervention of Senate President Bukola Saraki.

A visit to the hospital yesterday showed that the complex which had been a shadow of itself for over a month was once again bubbling with life as workers moved about delivering services.

A patient, Mrs Anazoka Patience who spoke to our correspondent at the outpatient ward of the hospital said she decided to return for treatment on hearing that the workers had suspended their strike.

“I brought my child back, after withdrawing him from this hospital a month ago. We were just here, and there was no one to attend to us, so we had to leave. My child is almost better now, but we need to complete his medication, but since this hospital is cheaper than the private one where we were, we decided to come back here.”

The Chief Medical Director, NAUTH, Prof Anthony Igwegbe could not be reached to react to THISDAY on the resumption of work by the workers.

T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ JUNE 7, 2018

40

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Have Rethink on New Duty on Alcohol, Tobacco, Distillers Tell FG Chika Amanze-Nwachuku Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Jonathan Eze The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) has urged the federal government to halt implementation of the new excise duty on locally produced alcoholic beverages and tobacco, insisting it could affect the companies’ operations and results in massive job losses.

The placard carrying workers of the affected companies, who staged a peaceful protest at the premises of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Lagos, yesterday, vowed to resist what they described as ‘astronomical hike in the excise duty’, lamenting that it will endanger over 250, 000 jobs and investment portfolio of over N420 billion.

According to the protesters, while they are not against federal government’s bid to shore up fiscal revenue, the extremely high excise duty, if allowed, could hurt the economy and result in high rate of smuggling of foreign wines and spirits into the country.

At a press briefing jointly addressed by DIBAN and MAN yesterday, the organisations vehemently opposed the new excise duty, describing it as “an attempt by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun to foist an IMF agenda on Nigeria.�

Specifically, Chairman, DIBAN,

Chief Patrick Anegbe noted that the development will further compound the hardship of already impoverished Nigerians.

He explained that the new duty approved for implementation by the minister, translates to an increase in duty from current average of N30 per litre to N150 per litre in the first year and N200 per litre subsequently.

Furthermore, he said that this translates to an increase from current average duty of N270 to N1350 per case (carton) in the first year and N270 to N1800 per case (carton) from second year.

He also expressed concern that the new hike in duty will lead to the collapse of the indigenous wines and spirits segment and pave way for the complete takeover of the Nigerian Wines and Spirits market by the imported and smuggled brands. “We are also disturbed that the new hike will not only affect the Wines and Spirit industry but also other key sectors of the economy and businesses such as Packaging industries, Bottles, Cartons, Labels, Cork, Laminates, glue, Ink, Printing, laboratory, Marketing, Consulting, Media, to mention a few�. “We are particularly worried that our industry investment of over N420 billion is being threatened by the recent upward review of Excise duties on locally produced Wines and Spirits. We strongly hold the view that if

the intention of government is to grow local industries, imposing exorbitant duties on locally manufactured goods is a contradiction of that objective�.

Anegbe countered the position of the minister that the excise duty hike has to do with the health of consumers, saying that the increase will lead to many local manufacturers closing shop, giving room to fake and adulterated products.

Speaking also, the DirectorGeneral, MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi, said that it was a wrong timing on the part of the federal government to increase the consumption tax without making reference to the prevailing economic conditions in the country. “The rate is astronomical. This means that there will be 545 per cent on a product that is majorly consumed by the people at the low-end of the market. What you have is raising the hands of the foreign brands. We need to be very strategic because it is a trade issue�. “If you increase the excise duty because you want to guarantee the health safety of the consumers, you might be doing this in the other way round�.

He therefore appealed to FG to rethink the decision, saying that the market place is a competition between foreign and local brands and that the consumers will bear the brunt at the long run.

ABCON, NDLEA Move against Money Laundering Obinna Chima The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have pledged to collaborate against money laundering and drug trafficking in the country.

The two bodies made the pledge when officials of the NDLEA paid a courtesy visit to the National Secretariat of ABCON. During the meeting, areas of mutual interest in the fight against drug trafficking and money laundering were discussed.

Speaking during the visit, ABCON President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe said that the association would work with the NDLEA to organise sensitisation workshops for BDCs on the connection between drug traficking and

money laundering.

According to the ABCON boss, part of the role of his association is to ensure compliance, adding that a major challenge his members face is “vulnerability.� “That is why we keep on training our members on issues like customer identification as required under Know-Your -Customer principle. We consider it important that we know our customers. “One the reasons why BDCs are vulnerable, is because the proceeds of drugs is huge, drug business is in billions of dollars and we deal in dollars, hence we are very vulnerable. “The perpetrators who have this proceed can run into our offices and that is why our members really need to provide information that will help the NDLEA trace the perpetrators,� a statement quoted Gwadabe to have said.

“Though we have training programmes with the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) on these issues, we would also partner with NDLEA to organise training, we would request for resource persons from the agencies to participate in our periodic training for BDCs�, he said.

Gwadabe noted that empowering BDCs against activities of drug traffickers and money launderers, is imperative given the critical role of the sub-sector in the economy.

On his part, the leader of the NDLEA delegation, Assistant Director, Musa Maina, said though BDCs are under the regulation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), their activities have a bearing on the job of the NDLEA, adding that is the rationale for the visit.

Broad Street

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS Broad Money (M2)

24,303,049.86

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,912,604.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,668,378.21

---- Demand Deposits

9,244,225.90

-- Quasi Money

13,390,445.76

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

15,619,134.18

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

8,683,915.68

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,267,136.53

---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,823,345.45

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

5,433,209.43

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

-1,609,863.98

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,443,791.08

--Other Assets Net

-17,583,220.85

Reserve Money (Base Money)

6,746,646.49

--Currency in Circulation

1,668,378.21

--Banks Reserves

4,357,551.58 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

Ecobank Mobile App Attracts Five Million New Customers

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

Nume Ekeghe

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ecobank Nigeria yesterday disclosed that in the past six months it attracted six million new customers as a result of its improved seamless applications on its mobile App. The Executive Director, Consumer Bank, Ecobank Mrs. Carol Oyedeji said this at the digital Pay Expo 2018 that took place in Lagos. Digital Pay Expo is an event which brings together stakeholders in digital financial services to discuss key issues affecting the payments industry.

Announcing Ecobank’ s participation,Oyedeji, said

Ecobank is a frontline financial institution offering world class digital products that has further pushed the frontiers of financial inclusion across the continent.

According to Oyedeji the Digital Pay Expo 2018 was just another opportunity for Ecobank to showcase its leadership position in digital payments and financial inclusion with innovative financial services for the vast majority of Nigerians. She further stated that the Ecobank Mobile App which has won several international awards does not only remove barriers to financial inclusion but also provides convenience on cardless withdrawals, transfers

and bill payments. “The Ecobank Mobile App has attracted over five million new customers in the past six months. “Also on display, is the new EcobankPay, the newly launched unified payment solution using QR to accept MasterPass, mVisa and mCash payments at merchant’s locations. “Products on display by Ecobank include the Ecobank Mobile App which enables customers instantly open Ecobank Xpress Account; this account type does not attract any account fees, paperwork or minimum balancerequirements,� she added.

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2018

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY JUNE 5, 2018

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $72.78 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $73.56 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

MARKET NEWS

NSE Hails Dangote Cement on Corporate Governance Goddy Egene The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, has commended Dangote Cement (DCP) Plc for its adherence to best corporate governance practices even as he called for more partnerships between the two organisations.

Onyema gave the commendation yesterday, while welcoming the Group Managing Director

of DCP, Joe Makoju and his management team to the special sounding of the closing gong ceremony at the NSE. Onyema, who congratulated Makoju on his confirmation as the substantive CEO of DCP described him as proper and fit for the role given his level of experience and years of exposure in the manufacturing sector.

He said that as the largest listed company on the exchange and with other listed companies

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

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from the Group, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Dangote Flour Mills Plc and NASCON Allied Industry Plc, any change in the management cadre is very important as it affects the stock market.

According to him, Makoju’s tenure as the helmsman of DCP is yielding the expected results as increased investors’ confidence has resulted in good performance of the stock. Oscar said: “The performance of the stock is very good and is a fall-out of the

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resilience, expertise and diligence of the management team. It is listed on the premium board.�

He also appreciated the Chairman of DCP on his efforts and advocacy for an improved and better capital market as well as sponsorship of NSE’s events. He called for more partnerships with DCP in terms of corporate social responsibilities (CSR) projects.

Responding, Makoju described it as an honour and privilege to be invited to par-

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

ticipate and sound the closing gong, noting that there exists a special relationship between Dangote Group and the NSE as Aliko Dangote was a former president of the Council of the exchange. He said that DCP has grown from a national company to a continental one operating in several countries across Africa.

The doyen of stockbrokers, Mr. Sam Ndata, on behalf of other stockbrokers congratulated Makoju and described him as a

O F

tested hand in the cement sector.

He said: “There is no doubt that DCP will do well with you at the helm of affairs.�

Meanwhile, the bulls maintained strong hold on the equity market yesterday as the NSE All-Share Index appreciated further by 1.53 per cent to close at 38,435.29.

The appreciation recorded in the share prices of Zenith Bank, Nigeria Breweries, Lafarge Africa, Dangote Cement and Flour Mills bolstered the performance.

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MARKET NEWS

Seplat to Increase Investment in Gas Business to Boost Revenue Goddy Egene The Chairman of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, ABC Orjiako has said the company would put more investment in its gas business in 2018 so as to boost revenue and deliver more returns to investors.

Seplat, which is a leading Nigerian independent oil and gas exploration and production, made a capital investment of $33 million in 2017. Speaking at a post- annual general meeting

(AGM) media briefing in Lagos, yesterday, Orjiako said the company would increase capital investment in the current year.

According to him, most of the investments would be in gas business, which he said contributed about 27 per cent of its revenue in 2017.

“Our strategy to diversify and grow our sources of income through the expansion of our gas business continues to gain momentum. Since the government launched various initiatives to stimulate

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

investment in the gas sector, including opening the Domestic Supply Obligation (‘DSO’) price to commercial market forces, Seplat has been at the forefront of gas commercialisation and made substantial investments in support of the government’s energy agenda,” he said.

He disclosed that company’s gas revenue has grown from $18 million in 2013 to a record $124 million in 2017, a sevenfold increase in four years.

“We are justifiably proud of this and at the same time we see tremendous potential

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 5-June-2018, unless otherwise stated.

headroom for further growth,” he declared.

Seplat returned to profitability in 2017, recording a profit after tax (PAT) of N81.11 billion, compared with a loss of N45.4 billion in 2016.

Commenting on the return to profitability, Orjiako said: “I am pleased to report that in 2017 we made good progress as we reviewed our vision, mission and strategy towards refocusing the company on our key priorities: to de-risk future cash flows through

diversification of oil export routes; invest in and scale up our domestic gas business; maintain a liquidity buffer while continuing to reduce debt; keep tight financial control with discretion in spending; and position Seplat with a stabilised platform for sustainable growth even in a harsh operating environment.”

Also speaking on the performance, Chief Executive Officer of Seplat, Austin Avuru said: “I am pleased to report that Seplat made a return to full-year profitability in 2017,

registered strong cash flow performance and significantly strengthened the balance sheet.

In a year of contrast, we were plagued throughout most of the first half by force majeure at the Forcados terminal…

Our proactive and decisive management coupled with the strong underlying fundamentals of the business have seen us emerge from an exceptionally challenging period a much fitter and stronger business that is well equipped to deliver long-term value for our shareholders.”

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 185.47 186.96 4.57% Nigeria International Debt Fund 245.00 246.53 6.23% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 1.50% ACAP Income Funds 0.64 0.64 6.38% 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 13.20% 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 N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 13.90% Paramount Equity Fund 11.92 12.23 7.52% Women's Investment Fund 103.94 106.61 3.29% 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 13.39% 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 13.18% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.14 1.16 8.54% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.12 1.15 8.24% 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 1,161.30 1,162.00 1.15% FBN Heritage Fund 146.81 148.05 5.29% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.07% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $113.28 $113.28 0.09% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $113.16 $113.16 0.08% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 172.10 174.73 7.19% 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 1.35 1.38 3.85% Legacy Debt Fund 3.05 3.05 5.68% 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 3,107.57 3,137.14 4.05% Coral Income Fund 2,624.12 2,624.12 7.23% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.01% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.21 2.24 4.85% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.56% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.78 121.14 5.01%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.17 1.20 2.58% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,072.04 1,072.04 6.32% 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 13.51 13.61 2.82% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.60% 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 1.34 1.37 12.87% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.72 11.79 6.24% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.92% 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 120.14 122.13 -6.76% 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 1.59 1.59 6.87% 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 2,357.80 2,376.95 5.11% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 185.96 185.96 5.39% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.05 1.06 4.46% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 236.17 236.23 7.24% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 181.09 183.01 1.08% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.43% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,856.45 9,990.52 1.93% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.09 1.09 3.25% 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 0.96% United Capital Bond Fund 1.67 1.67 6.95% United Capital Equity Fund 0.94 0.96 2.50% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.51% United Capital Eurobond Fund 106.13 106.13 3.14% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.13 1.14 4.04% 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 13.08 13.26 3.11% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.58 13.73 2.25% Zenith Income Fund 20.27 20.27 7.11% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.85%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 135.86 103.70 51.22

1.01% 2.57%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.86 149.79 111.37

11.96 152.91 113.40

-2.15% 4.85% 1.92%

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

0.77%

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.89 8.78 17.70 18.75 146.91

4.93 8.86 17.80 18.95 148.91

3.22% -8.17% 1.08% -4.66% 7.25%

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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INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Trump-Kim Summit to Be Held on Singapore’s Sentosa Island Lawmakers want Trump to report on North Korea nuclear programme The much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place at a hotel on the Singaporean island of Sentosa, BBC reported the White House as confirming.

The 12 June summit was

called off two weeks ago by Trump but has since been salvaged after a flurry of contacts between the two sides.

Trump said on Tuesday that plans were “moving along very nicely”.

The US wants Kim to commit

Oil Prices Drop on Surprise US Stockpile Build Oil prices fell on Wednesday on worries that global supply is climbing as US inventories rose unexpectedly and Saudi Arabia and other big producers signalled that they may increase output, according to Reuters.

US crude inventories rose 2.1 million barrels in the week to June 1, the Energy Information Administration said, a surprise after analysts had forecast a decrease of 1.8 million barrels. Fuel inventories also rose.

“Oil prices are being clobbered by a surprise build to crude stocks as total imports jumped higher, blunting the impact of higher refinery runs,” said Matthew Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData in Louisville, Kentucky.

US crude output hit a record of 10.8 million barrels a day in the week, according to the EIA’s weekly report. Rising production has prompted selling since global benchmark Brent LCOc1 climbed above $80 a barrel last month.

“The continuing increase in crude oil production is weighing on the market, and quite significantly compared to this time last year,” Andrew Lipow, president of Houston-based Lipow Oil Associates. US oil production is up 1.5 million bpd from a year earlier.

Brent was down 40 cents a barrel at $74.97 by 11:42 a.m. (1642 GMT) US light crude CLc1 was down 73 cents at $64.79, after touching a session low of $64.27 a barrel.

to giving up his nuclear weapons.

But it is unclear exactly what is on the table for the discussions in Singapore. Trump has suggested the first meeting will kick off a longer process of negotiations, calling it a “get-to-know-you situation”.

“A lot of relationships being built, a lot of negotiations going on before the trip,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s very important - it’ll be a very important couple of days.”

The summit would represent

the first ever meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed on Twitter that the summit would take place at the five-star Capella Hotel.

But it appears that the two leaders will stay elsewhere.

Trump will likely be at the Shangri-La Hotel, where US presidents have stayed before, while Kim will probably stay at the St Regis Singapore, the Straits

Times newspaper reports. The two hotels are on the main island, near the famous Orchard Road shopping strip.

The 500-hectare island, only a short distance from the main island, is home to luxury resorts, private marinas and plush golf clubs.

Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic members of the US House of Representatives introduced a bill on Wednesday that would require President Donald Trump’s administration

to provide a detailed report on North Korea’s nuclear program to set a “baseline” for progress on talks with Pyongyang.

The bill, seen by Reuters before its public release, is one of a series of efforts by members of Congress to have some say in negotiations ahead of Trump’s summit next week in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Members of Congress have expressed concern that Trump is so eager for a deal that he will concede too much.

Iraqi ParliamentVotes for Manual Recount of May Election Results Iraq’s parliament voted on Wednesday to hold a manual recount of votes in the country’s May 12 parliamentary election, Reuters reported two lawmakers as saying, a day after the prime minister said there had been serious violations.

The move could hinder the delicate process of forming a new government, raising the prospect of further uncertainty in Iraq, and pits the government

and parliament against the election commission, which is meant to be independent.

Parliament voted for amendments to the election law which force the Independent High Elections Commission (IHEC) to conduct a manual recount, after it had initially declined to do so. It also suspended the commission’s leadership, which is to be replaced by nine judges.

It cancelled the results from overseas voting and those from displaced voters in some provinces, lawmakers Ali Allaq and Khaled al-Asadi told Reuters. It also ruled out the use in future elections of electronic vote counting devices, blamed for many of the violations.

An IHEC spokesman declined to comment and said he was unauthorised to speak on this matter to the media.

Iraq’s highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial council, had said this week that the courts could not force the IHEC to conduct a manual recount because the law stipulated the use of electronic vote counting devices. A spokesman for the council told Reuters on Wednesday that was no longer an issue now that parliament had amended the law.

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NEWSEXTRA

Alcohol Manufacturers Reject 500% Excise Duty Hike Hike purely IMF agenda being camouflaged as health concern Jonathan Eze The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) has called on the federal government to halt the implementation of the new excise duty hike and hold genuine consultation with

all stakeholders in the domestic wines and spirits space in order to prevent unemployment, as well as ensure the continued survival of the wine and spirits sector.

It added that the association rejected in totality the highly punitive and selective astronomical

Abia House Passes Anti-Grazing Bill to Curb Herdsmen Menace Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia The Abia State House of Assembly has finally heeded to the cries of the people of the state over the menace of Fulani herdsmen as the lawmakers yesterday passed the anti-grazing bill into law.

Known as the Control of Nomadic Cattle Rearing and Prohibition of Grazing Routes/ Reserve Bill, 2016, the piece of legislation sponsored by Hon Martins Azubuike, who represents Isiala Ngwa North state constituency, enjoyed unanimous approval of the state legislators.

The bill is aimed at putting in check nomadic cattle rearing and prohibiting grazing routes in Abia state and “for other matters incidental thereto.”

There had been several clashes between farmers and herdsmen in a number of Abia communities following destruction of farmlands by cattle.

Speaker of the assembly, Hon Chikwendu Kalu, said the antigrazing law was not only important to the farmers, but also to the entire people in the state.

He commended his fellow lawmakers in the sixth assembly for their determination in passing the bill.

Kalu in a chat with journalists after the passage of the anti-grazing bill, urged security agencies to effectively implement the law, which is expected to take effect, once the state governor gives his assent.

When that happens Abia would join states like Taraba, Benue, and Ekiti where anti-grazing law is operational.

The Speaker explained that the law provides that the entry of trade cattle into Abia shall be by rail or by road haulage and that movement of trade cattle to major towns in the state shall be by truck, trailers/ vehicles or pickup van.

“The law also prohibits driving of trade cattle on hoof through any road or environs into the state,” he said, adding: “It also states that anybody found with the cattle on hoof through any road or environs in the state shall be guilty of an offence.’’

While the law provides that violators upon conviction is liable to a fine of the sum of N200,000 or six months imprisonment or both, it also states that “any cattle found on any road in the state shall be impounded by the appropriate authority or taken to the nearest ranch as may be provided by the appropriate authority in the state.

hike in duty, describing it as a purely International Monetary Fund (IMF) agenda being camouflaged as a health concern.

This was disclosed at the special media briefing by DIBAN and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on the clarification of issues on and about excise duty on wines and spirits at the MAN House in Lagos.

Speaking at the briefing, the Chairman of DIBAN, Chief Patrick Anegbe, described the new astronomical hike in excise duty being imposed on the domestic wine and spirit industry as an attempt by the minister to foist an IMF sponsored agenda on Nigeria, saying it would further compound the hardship of already impoverished Nigerians.

The chairman explained that the new duty being approved for implementation by the Minister of Finance, translates to an increase in duty from current average of N30 per litre to N150 per litre in the first year and N200 per litre subsequently.

Patrick further added that this translates to an increase from current average duty of N270 to N1350 per case (carton) in the first year and N270 to N1800 per case (carton) from second year.

“We are particularly worried that the jobs of over 25,000 Nigerians plus over 250,000 connected SMEs staffs are being threatened by this hike. If the implementation of the new duty hike is allowed to proceed, we are worried about the obvious job losses that will result from low demand of our products.”

Patrick also expressed concern that the new hike in duty would lead to the collapse of the indigenous wines and spirits segment, adding that it will pave way for the complete takeover of the Nigerian wines and spirits market by the imported and smuggled brands.

“We are also disturbed that the new hike will not only affect the wine and spirit industry but also other key sectors of the economy and businesses such as packaging industries, bottles, cartons, labels,

cork, laminates, glue, Ink, printing, laboratory, marketing, consulting, media, to mention but a few.

“We are particularly worried that our industry investment of over N420 billion is being threatened by the recent upward review of excise duties on locally produced wines and spirits. We strongly hold the view that if the intention of government is to grow local industries, imposing exorbitant duties on locally manufactured goods is a contradiction of that objective.”

Anegbe countered the position of the Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, that the excise duty increase has to do with the health of consumers, saying the increase will lead to many local manufacturers closing shop giving room to imported and smuggled brands.

Speaking also, the DirectorGeneral, MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi, said it was a wrong timing on the part of the federal government to increase the consumption tax without making reference to the

prevailing economic conditions in the country.

“The rate is astronomical. This means that there will be 545 per cent on a product that is majorly consumed by the people at the low-end of the market. What you have is raising the hands of the foreign brands. We need to be very strategic because it is a trade issue”.

“If you increase the excise duty because you want to guarantee the health safety of the consumers, you might be doing this in the other way round”.

He therefore, appealed to federal government for reconsideration, saying the market place is a competition between foreign and local brands and that the consumers will bear the brunt at the long run.

On whether there was a consultation with MAN before the hike in excise duty, the DG said: “We had some form of consultation especially at the level of MAN but it is one thing to make representation and it is another thing for the government to act.”

US Facilitates Drone Technology Workshop for Nigerian Students, Women United States Consulate in Lagos in collaboration with Baltimore-based Global Air Media has concluded a two-day drone technology workshop for students and women STEM leaders.

The training which was held at the Cedar STEM and Entrepreneurship Hub and American Corner at Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in Yaba, Lagos, last Monday and Tuesday respectively, was facilitated by a team of three drone experts led by Global Air Media co-founder Eno Umoh.

At the workshop, 30 elementary and high school students were coached on the basics of building a drone from the scratch as well as the requisite skills for piloting and landing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

In addition to the students’ seminar, 13 female STEM leaders were mentored on the evolving technology needs of the 21st century, particularly in the fields of real estate and construction, cinematography, as well as humanitarian and emergency response.

Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate in Lagos, Ms. Darcy Zotter, explained that the hands-on workshop was designed to stimulate the interest of the participating students in mathematics and

science as well as careers in the STEM fields.

“STEM enables us to find solutions to some of the most pressing issues of today such as alternative energy or even food security. Creating inventions to solve global challenges can be a catalyst for a country’s economic development,” Zotter said.

According to her, the US Mission in Nigeria has funded a number of projects to increase STEM education in different parts of the country.

Whether at home or abroad, adding that promoting STEM education is a top priority of the US government.

She said: “Last March, we hosted a 16-member delegation of senior women technology executives and professionals from Silicon Valley in California. The visiting delegation held a mentoring programme for over 70 Nigerian female STEM leaders.

“In December 2017, we funded the establishment of a technology hub in Lagos designed to host training and mentoring sessions for persons living with disabilities in various technology-based skills. We also hosted RoboRAVE, a robotics education programme in Lagos and Abeokuta in October 2017.”

EXHIBITION

Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (right), Godwin Emefiele; Special Adviser to the CBN Governor on Sustainable Banking, Dr. Aisha Usman Mahmood, visiting the Visionscape polymer recycling and processing exhibition stand at the CBN 2018 World Environment Day celebration at the CBN Headquarters in Abuja .....Tuesday

OPEC, Trade Concerns Push Crude Oil Price to One-month Low Ejiofor Alike with agency reports Crude oil prices fell yesterday with the global benchmark, Brent crude heading towards its lowest finish in about one month after a report revealed a surprise weekly climb in the United States’ domestic crude inventories.

Prices had traded higher in early dealings, buoyed by reports Venezuela may not deliver some of its contracted crude oil exports on the heels of political upheaval.

An economic crisis fed by the country’s political instability has limited global supply, helping the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) hit its target for reduced output faster than expected.

Benchmark indices for crude oil were mixed throughout much of the previous session after reports circulated that the US was calling for more oil from OPEC tacitly to protect against steady declines from Venezuela and possible declines from Iran.

OPEC is in its second year of an effort to erase a surplus in global crude oil inventories through coordinated production cuts.

The market is near balance, so there’s little margin for shocks like an additional loss of oil.

The US call for more oil comes despite its own record-setting production.

Global benchmark, Brent crude shed 79 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to $74.59 a barrel, aiming for the

lowest settlement since May 8.

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 94 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $64.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, poised for the lowest finish since April 9.

OPEC will meet in Vienna on June 22 to decide whether the group and non-OPEC producers, including Russia, should raise output to make up for any supply shortfall from Iran and Venezuela.

Saudi Arabia and Russia were already discussing raising OPEC and non-OPEC oil output by around 1 million bpd, sources familiar with the matter said on May 25.

Global oil supply has tightened with the OPEC-led production cuts that began in early 2017.

Following the drop in oil price to an all-time low, OPEC and other major producers including Russia started to withhold 1.8 million barrels per day output in 2017 to rein in oversupply that had depressed prices since 2014.

The price of oil has been under pressure given the potential for a trade war escalating over Washington’s pursuit of tariffs. Oil prices lost considerable ground in a US-Chinese tit-for-tat on tariffs in April and now the focus is on Europe.

The European Commission announced yesterday it endorsed a decision to impose duties on imported U.S. goods in response to US President Donald Trump’s move on aluminum and steel tariffs.

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NEWSEXTRA

Nigeria’s Total Trade Rises to N7.2tn in Q1 Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The total value of Nigeria’s merchandise trade rose to N7.21trillion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2018, signifying a 19.74 per cent rise over the N6.02 trillion recorded in Q4, 2017 and a 35.07 per cent growth from Q1, 2017 (N5.33 trillion).

The trade balance in Q1, 2018 was a surplus of N2.175 trillion, which is a 20.95 per cent increase from the figure in Q4, 2017 (N1.798 trillion) and a 221.08 increase from the figure in Q1, 2017 (N677.42 billion).

The quarter under review is the first in two years that the trade balance exceeded N2.00 trillion.

The strong growth of total trade in the quarter was mainly driven by the strong increase in export, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed in its latest trade figures.

Total value of imports in the review period was N2.518 trillion, 19.22 per cent higher than Q4, 2017 (N2.112 trillion) and 8.04 per cent higher than Q1, 2017 (N2.330 trillion).

The value of imported agricultural goods in the first quarter

of 2018 (N184.49 billion) declined by 18.90 per cent from Q4, 2017 (N227.49 billion) and by 5.87 per cent from Q1, 2017 (N196 billion).

But raw materials imports in Q1, 2018 (N284.81 billion) grew by 1.93 per cent compared to Q4, 2017 (N279.41 billion) and by 9.89 per cent compared to Q1, 2017 (N259.17 billion).

Solid minerals imports in Q1, 2018 (N12.62 billion) decreased by 17.27 per cent on a quarterto-quarter basis (N15.26 billion), however increased by 3.67 per cent on a year-to-year basis (N12.17 billion).

Energy goods imports in Q1, 2018 (N32.4 million) recorded 76.51 per cent decline in Q4 2017 (N138.1 million), and 205.28 per cent higher than Q1, 2017 (N10.6 million).

The value of manufactured goods imported in Q1 2018 (N1.189 trillion) declined by 1.65 per cent over the previous quarter (N1.209 trillion) but increased by 12.11 per cent over the same quarter in 2017 (N1.061 trillion).

The value of other oil products imported in Q1,2018 (N846.31 billion) was 122.70 per cent higher than the value in Q4, 2017 (N380.03 billion) and 5.51 per cent higher than Q1, 2017

(N802.11 billion).

Total export value amounted to 4.693.34 trillion in Q1, 2018, representing a significant growth of 20.02 per cent over Q4, 2017 (N3.9 trillion) and 56.01 per cent over Q1, 2017 (N3.008 trillion).

The export value for agricultural goods in Q1, 2018 (N73.24 billion) was 63.84 per cent higher than the value in Q4, 2017 (N44.70 billion) and 24.01 per cent higher than the value recorded in Q1, 2017 (N59.06 billion).

Major traded agricultural exports in Q1 2018 were sesamum seeds, (broken or not--N26.65 billion), good fermented Nigerian cocoa beans (N23.30 billion),

superior quality raw cocoa beans (N6.03 billion), cashew nuts in shell (N5.03 billion), soya beans ( broken or not-(N3.46 billion),and other frozen shrimps and prawns (N1.72 billion).

Raw material exports value decreased by 13.62 per cent in Q1, 2018 (N32.70 billion) compared to Q4, 2017 (N37.85 billion) but increased by 47.71 per cent compared to Q1, 2017 (N22.13 billion).

Solid minerals exports value in Q1 2018 (N26.92 billion) recorded a 12.96% quarter on quarter growth (N23.83 billion), and a 58.50 per cent year on year growth rate compared to Q1, 2017 (N16.98 billion).

The value of energy goods exported in Q1, 2018 (N10.39 billion) was 8.8 per cent higher than that of Q4, 2017 (N9.55 billion) and 16.5 per cent higher than the value in Q1, 2017 (N8.92 billion).

Manufactured goods exports in Q1 2018 (N434.37 billion) saw significant growth by 684.11 per cent over the previous quarter (N55.39 billion), and by 576.90 per cent when compared to Q1, 2017 (N64.17 billion).

The value of crude oil exports recorded in Q1, 2018 (N3.58 trillion) was 10 per cent higher than the value in Q4, 2017 (N3.25 trillion) and 50.74 per cent higher than the value in Q1, 2017 (N2.374 trillion).

Other oil products exports in Q1, 2018 (N535.8 trillion) also grew steadily in the reviewing quarter, with a 10.53 per cent growth from Q4, 2017 (N484.65 billion) and a 15.92 per cent growth from the value recorded in Q1, 2017 (N462.10 billion).

The major export trading partners were Netherlands--20.5 per cent, India-18.2 per cent, and Spain-- 8.3 per cent. Others are the United States—8.2 per cent, France—6.3 per cent.

China—21.1 per cent, Netherlands--12.1 per cent, Belgium—10.6 per cent, United States—6.5 per cent, and India-6.3 per cent were among major import trading partners.

Senator Oduah Dumps PDP, Says APGA Is Her Home Umeh, Oye: Expect more surprises Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The senator representing Anambra North senatorial district, Stella Oduah, has defected to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Oduah, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), formally defected to APGA yesterday at a ceremony held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Speaking while presenting herself to the APGA national leadership, the senator said she had always dreamed of being part of the APGA family, adding that she share common philosophy with the party.

“I am here as a politician, a true Southeasterner and a very proud Igbo woman. Today is home-coming for me. This is where my heart has always been. Before, the enabling environment was not created for various reasons but now, it exists, so I am now where my heart belongs,” she said.

The former Minister of Aviation said she believed in having a political party with a philosophy and which can easily connect with the needs and aspirations of the people.

“Political party should be where philosophy resonates.

I had always believed that without philosophy, political parties will be mere association of businessmen and women but APGA goes far beyond that. It is a movement. “APGA is where you care about your neighbour.

If you recall in 2011, I started a campaign called ‘Neighbour to Neighbour’. The initiative is about caring for our neighbours and that is what party politics is all about; where you have an aspiration to make a difference.

In politics, it is important that you ensure that what you met

is not what you leave behind but that you will always add value and strive to improve the lives of the people,” she said.

In his remarks, the National Chairman of APGA, Victor Oye, said the party is working to expand its scope and win more electoral offices in 2019 election.

According to him, “We are going to have more of this kind of function in the next three months.

“We are seeking the cooperation of all the members of APGA. We must remain united. It is only in unity that we will achieve our objective of building a strong egalitarian political party.”

We cannot achieve that if we are not united. We must continue the sacrifices for this party. APGA is a mass movement and not just a political party. I have always said it in the past and will continue to say it that while the PDP is hemorrhaging and APC weaning, APGA is the only party in Nigeria today with a clean bill of health.”

Oye said the crisis raging in the ruling party, APC, was long foretold and that it is only APGA that will rescue Nigeria from the predicament and give the people the best in governance.

“When I predicted an implosion in the APC, people thought it was a joke, but it is happening today. My prayer is that God will keep us united till elections so that we will be able to win election in a every nooks and cranny of this country,” he said.

Also speaking during the ceremony, the senator representing Anambra North senatorial district, Victor Umeh, described the defection of Oduah to APGA as good for the party, adding that it would help to improve its fortunes.

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

L-R: A cross section of Oando Energy Resources delegates, Finance Manager Yetunde Ogundadegbe; Chief Financial Officer, Adeola Ogunsemi; Chief Operating Officer, Ainojie Irune; Corporate Communications Manager, Obehi Ojeaga; and General Manager Commercials,, Akinbambo Ibidapo-Obe, at the Oil Council, Africa Assembly in Paris, France....recently

Dickson: Oil Majors Practicing Environmental Terrorism in N’Delta Forensic experts study pollution effects on locals Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Seriake Dickson, yesterday accused the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta of engaging in what he described as ‘environmental terrorism’ against the people of the region.

Dickson who spoke during the celebration of the World’s Environment Day at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa, said he had also inaugurated a group of forensic experts who are visiting all parts of the state to get actual statistics of the devastation caused by the activities of the oil companies.

The governor, who also doubles as the Chairman of the South-south Governors’ Forum, argued that though the topic for this year, ‘Plastic Management’, was important, the effect of plastics was less devastating than oil spillages wrecking the Niger Delta environment.

“You’ve heard me say over and over again since the beginning of our government that what these oil companies are doing in our state, communities and across the Niger Delta is nothing short of environmental terrorism.

“This year, while acknowledging the importance of the world theme, our theme for now and moving

forward is about how we take back our environment that has been stolen from us and that was why we approved our own theme for Bayelsa which is: ‘Bayelsa: our lives, our future,’ the governor said.

According to Dickson, while the oil companies treat their people in Europe and America like kings and queens, oil host communities in the Niger Delta were being treated like their lives do not matter.

He added: “They feel that the life of an American or British citizen who suffers a tiny amount of pollution has more value than our lives and that is why when they operate in those areas, they make sure no oil drops and if there is, they pay fines in hundreds of millions of dollars.

“But they come to this state and literally pour oil everywhere they operate and give clean up jobs and recruit criminals parading everywhere and think they are contributing to our development.

“But the time has come for us to say no to that.

I’ve come to ask you to be prepared because these people are experts in destabilisation, propaganda and blackmail.

“They know how to tear poor communities apart, how to turn societies that are still developing upside down but I

believe I have your mandate to lead this charge and so we shall move on.”

Dickson said he had already ordered oil companies in the state to submit a detailed proposal of how they intend to clean up the already polluted environment in the state and ensure a more civilised way of oil exploitation.

“At the meeting with the oil majors, my message to them was clear: they should get ready to clean up our environment , for remedial actions on our environment, within the shortest possible time or two weeks to let me have a detailed proposal as to how they intend to remedy the environment in all the polluted sites in this state.

“Let me use this opportunity to announce to the world that all is not well in the Niger Delta, Bayelsa State and Ijaw nation. The difference between what is going on and an assassin walking up to somebody and shooting is that the ongoing environmental terrorism takes time to manifest, destroy and finally exterminate and our position is that we will not let that happen,” Dickson noted.

He said the state government has also inaugurated a group of internationally acclaimed forensic experts who over the period has gone to all the communities and who are now compiling the effects

of the prolonged devastation and pollution on the environment, health and wellbeing.

“The scientists in no distant time will announce the findings in that report but let me say that I am saddened and frightened about the snippets of the report that I have seen. I can clearly see the connection between the prolonged decades of pollution of our waters and creeks and the rising cases of cancer and generally the shortened lifespan of our people,” the governor explained.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Ebipatei Apaingolo, said Bayelsa remains the most impacted state in oil pollution from the activities of various oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.

He said his ministry had participated in 274 oil spill joint investigation visits on Agip facilities and recorded 580 cases of oil spills, stating that other oil companies are not free from such incessant incidents of oil spillage and no adequate compensation or significant environment clean-up has been made so far.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, also said emission of hydrocarbons arising from oil pollution and other activities cause respiratory diseases, which eventually shorten the lifespan of the people.

THURSDAY JUNE 7, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Gbajabiamila’s Alteration of EPSRA May Lead to $5bn Compensation, Discos Warn Fashola seeks cautious abrogation of estimated billing system Chineme Okafor and James Emejo in Abuja The 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) in Nigeria have said that the proposed amendment to the country’s Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005 by the House of Representatives through a bill to criminalise estimated billing will conflict with certain existing agreements in the industry and thus lead to payment of compensations worth $5 billion to operators in the sector.

Speaking through their association - the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the Discos said such industry agreements that could be affected by the bill proposed by the House Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC Lagos) were the Share Sale Agreement (SSA) and Performance Agreement they signed with the government.

According to them, the potential changes in the EPSRA which the amendment sought, would specifically mean that the federal government compensates them for losses that were likely to come from its implementation.

“It holds the possibility of a change of law determination that could, potentially, result in the federal government paying out an amount in excess of $5 billion in accordance with the related provision in the Performance Agreement.

“New customers may not be connected to the grid until the availability of meters, therefore

denying them of service. Indeed, there would be wholesale disconnection of all the customers currently on estimated billing,” said the Discos in a statement signed by ANED’s Director of Advocacy and Research, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, and sent to THISDAY yesterday in Abuja.

They also stated that they need about N299 billion to close the 4.1 million metering gap in their networks, adding that there was a need for Nigeria’s national parliament to enact a law that would make it possible to charge culprits of electricity theft to mobile courts for swift judgments on energy theft and meter bypass.

They said they were making huge investments in providing meters for their customers to cut down estimated bills, and that estimated billing methodology was a standard practice in over 150 countries globally.

It listed the countries to include the United States, Turkey, Germany, Brazil, Chile, China, India, and Indonesia, as well as more than 26 African countries.

The Discos also explained that the capital expenditure (CAPEX) allowed for them was N305 billion for five years to provide meters, maintain their networks and perform other obligations.

They explained that covering the 4.1 million metering gap alone would take N299 billion which amounted to 98 per cent of the allowed CAPEX. The Discos also noted that any new legislation in the power sector would need to consider the

historical challenges of the Discos which include non-cost reflective nature of the electricity tariff which he said has created a significant market shortfall of over N800 billion; a nascent private-led power sector worsened by macro-economic factors that is affecting the Discos’ operations and performance.

According to them, the market shortfalls further impede the Discos’ ability to access the finances necessary for operational expenditure (OPEX), CAPEX, and loss reduction initiatives.

While advocating for legislative action against energy theft and meter bypass, the Discos said metering alone contributes to an estimated 30 per cent reduction of the Discos’ collection losses, adding that they lose about 40 per cent monthly to energy theft.

“Adequate CAPEX and OPEX provisions should be made under the electricity tariff, to ensure comprehensive metering, and legislative effort should be applied to criminalising energy theft and meter bypass, and creating electricity special mobile courts. This would assist in catalysing the desired large scale metering within the sector,” said the Discos.

To ensure reduction in estimated billing, they also said they have ensured 100 per cent metering of all maximum demand customers in their networks, adopted check-

meters to measure consumption to ensure fair bill estimation, and adjust bills of customers where there are errors.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has expressed support for a bill seeking to prohibit and criminalise estimated billing system for electricity consumers in the country.

But he said though there’s need to eliminate estimated billing which had been the biggest reason for mistrust in the power sector, the planned abrogation should be done in a way that doesn’t damage the economy.

Speaking at a public hearing on a bill for an Act to amend the Electricity Power Reform Act, 2004 to prohibit and criminalise estimated billing by electricity distribution companies (discos) and provide for compulsory installation of pre-paid meters to all power consumers in Nigeria and for related matters, the minister described the bill as “well intended” and “shows lawmakers know what Nigerians want.”

He was however, quick to say that facilitating the ability of discos to meet their metering obligation to customers remained a critical condition that should precede the criminalisation of estimated billing in the country.

He consequently appealed to lawmakers to defer the

commencement date of the proposed law so as to address current areas of concern, adding that “the Law won’t take effect overnight.”

He further charged the Hon. Daniel Asuquo-led House Committee on Power to also tweak the bill to provide for stiff sanctions against energy theft or electricity bypass by consumers.

He said 8,000 out of 10,000 installed prepaid meters are bypassed by consumers- a situation which made estimated billing still attractive to discos.

The minister said government must urgently speak to meter manufacturers to improve on what they can produce, stressing that meters are currently not enough largely because of weak financing ability on the part of discos.

He further sought for a legislative tool that allows for the licensing of the private sector to face metering as core business, noting that though discos may have inherited the obligation to provide meters in their contractual agreement, it’s nonetheless not their core duty.

Meanwhile, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Mr. Sunday Oduntan in his submission to the committee warned the criminalisation of estimated billing could hurt the economy as well as cut electricity

to millions of Nigerians “because I cannot give electricity for free” in the absence of prepaid meters.

He added that consumer would bear the brunt of the resultant implications of implementing the new law.

Among other things, he said for discos, the bill “Creates an operational impracticality, relative to the massive procurement and installation of pre-paid meters within the 30-day requirement, considering the current huge metering gap.”

He said the proposed law, “Negatively impacts the ability of the DisCos to meet the requirements of their Performance Agreement due to - a) Limited revenue recovery and the change to the metering requirement (1.7million PA specified versus a gap of 4.1million); and b) Significant reduction in DisCo’s ability to improve efficiency. “ According to him:”Customers, unfortunately, would bear the brunt of the resultant law by being denied improved electricity supply and service, as a result of the diminished revenue associated with limited collections.

“New customers may not be connected to the grid until the availability of meters, therefore denying them of service. Indeed, there would be wholesale disconnection of all the customers currently on estimated billing.

Senate Asks FG to Increase Funding for Environment Asks NEMA to assist disaster victims in Kebbi Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday passed a motion urging the federal government to increase funding for the environment and environmental issues.

This was sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and seven other Senators to mark this year’s World Environment Day. The sponsors of the motion expressed concern that the country is plagued with desertification in the North, flooding and erosion in almost all states, gully erosion in the South-east, oil spill incidents in the Niger Delta and soot in Port Harcourt.

The Senate therefore submitted that with this environmental challenges “ Our budget, environmental policies and actions seem as if we are not doing enough.

It also urged the federal ministry of environment and relevant agencies to ensure sensitisation, particularly of young ones, on these environmental issues.

Other resolutions of the Senate on the environment include the need to enact and enforce legislation on adequate waste disposal and recycling system, introduction of eco-friendly reusable bags.

Senate urged all the 36 states of the federation to participate in creation and review of policies and

shedding light on all environmental issues.

While expressing concern about people’s excessive reliance on single use bags and disposable plastics, Senate further canvassed for increase in tax payable on single use plastic bags and bottles with a view to discourage use.

“Senate is aware that to reduce waste from plastic pollution, several countries including the United kingdom, Germany, Australia have introduced measures including increase in tax payable on single use bags and plastic, payment for these bags, consumer education and retailer take-back programmes “ Also yesterday, the Senate called on National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to immediately intervene in the Rainstorm/Windstorm and fire outbreak in Argungu Local Government area of Kebbi State.

It called on NEMA to provide relief materials to the victims of these disasters “in order to assist them in rebuilding their lives, houses, shops and businesses”.

Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) had moved a motion on the need to provide urgent relief materials to the victims of rainstorm/windstorm and fire outbreak in Argungu LGA of Kebbi State and was unanimously supported by the Senate.

CATCH THEM YOUNG

A cross section of elementary school students during the ‘Build a Drone Workshop’ organised by the United States Consulate General in Lagos...Monday.

Vowgas Commends NCDMB Over SLA with Oil Producers Receives ISO certification Impressed with the determination of the Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB) to shorten the contracting cycle within the oil and Gas industry, the Managing Director of Vowgas Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Godwin Izomor, has commended the agency for coming to the aid of operators in the oil and gas industry.

The NCDMB had recently signed the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) with the aim of shortening the Nigerian Oil and Gas Contracting

Cycle which has been blamed for the delay in execution of projects within the industry. The Nigerian experience was considered the longest in the global oil and gas industry.

Izomor lauded the courage and initiative of the leadership of NCDMB, NNPC and OPTS in tackling the age-long problem, describing it as a significant milestone in the industry.

MG Vowgas Group, a fastgrowing Nigerian EPIC currently operating from its ultramodern fabrication complex in Port

Harcourt, recently got another feather in its cap when it was issued the prized Certification of ISO 9001:2015 by Bureau Veritas Certification Holdings SAS-UK with the following scope: Engineering, Procurement, Construction (Fabrication) and Installation, in recognition of its adherence to Total Quality Management System, which conforms with acceptable international standard.

According to the Vowgas chief, the content and terms of the SLA would ensure the boost of

Investors’ confidence in the Oil and Gas market which will usher-in new players.

“In the same vein, it will reduce risk as banks can freely support oil and gas investment because of quicker ROI (return of Investment), just as it is bound to remarkably reduce the cost of projects,” Izomor said, adding further that the new agreement will “significantly improve the Nigerian Content in line with the NOGICD Act, as it will terminate the unnecessary bureaucracy experienced in the oil and gas industry

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THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

PRE–WORLD CUP 2018‌

7 D AY S T O G O

Eagles Fail in Last Friendly against Czech Republic Rohr: I am not sad because of this result, what matters will be in Russia Duro Ikhazuagbe Super Eagles yesterday suffered 1-0 defeat in their last warm up game against Czech Republic before heading out to the World Cup in Russia yesterday.

The defeat is the third in a row in five warm up matches ahead of the Mundial kicking off in Russia in seven days from today.

Chelsea defender, Tomas Kalas, scored the only goal of the game in the first half of the encounter played at the Rudolf Tonn Stadium in Rannersdorf, Vienna, Austria.

Just like the friendly Nigeria lost to England 1-2 at the Wembley last Saturday, Eagles did not response to the barrage of attack until late after the return from the half time break.

Czech Republic who failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia deserved their victory.

They created the better chances in the first half and deservedly took the lead after 25 minutes when Kalas slammed a rebound from goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.

Czech should have doubled the lead after half an hour, but their front-man blasted over the bar with Uzoho again badly exposed.

The pressure on Eagles defence was again a failure of the 4-3-3 pattern adopted by Coach Gernot Rohr. Life did not return for the Nigerian team until it shifted to the 3-5-2 formation.

The only real attempt at goal

by Eagles was thwarted as the Czech goalkeeper palmed away an Odion Ighalo goal-bound effort.

In the second half, Shehu

Abdullahi gave way to Tyronne Ebuehi in the defence to add pep to the Nigerian backline.

Victor Moses and Ighalo had half chances to at least level this game but they could not. Another last minute effort to increase tally for the Czech was saved

by Uzoho.

Despite the defeat, there was some encouraging news for Eagles as Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, who had been out since April with a hamstring injury played all 90 minutes of the encounter.

Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr however insisted he was not sad by the defeat but hoping to ring changes before taking on Croatia on June 16 in Kaliningrad. “We’ve nine days to be ready for our first match against Croatia, as at today we are not ready,�

Rohr was quoted on the official Twitter handle of the Super Eagles. “I am not sad because of this result, the result that matters will be in Russia.�

Their opening game at Russia 2018 is against Croatia in Kaliningrad on June 16 before taking on Iceland and Argentina in Group D of the Mundial.

NIGERIA’S STARTING XI VS CZECH REP: Francis Uzoho, Shehu Abdullahi (Tyronne Ebuehi 46), Bryan Idowu (Elderson Echeijile), Leon Balogun, Troost Ekong – Wilfred Ndidi, John Ogu – Victor Moses (Ahmed Musa), Alex Iwobi, John Mikel Obi (Kelechi Iheanacho) – Odion Ighalo (Simeon Nwankwo).

2018 WAFCON: Falcons Win in The Gambia Nigeria’s senior women national team, Super Falcons, were winners in Bakau yesterday, earning a 1-0 triumph over their Gambian counterparts in the first leg of a 2018 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifying final round fixture at the Independence Stadium.

Amarachi Okoronkwo mined gold from a 23-yard shot that sailed into the net after 19 minutes and ensured the reigning champions have one leg in the 11th Women AFCON ahead of the return leg at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Monday.

ASABA 2018

Okowa Impressed with Progress at Stephen Keshi Stadium Gives June deadline for completion of work The Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has expressed confidence that the Stephen Keshi Stadium will be ready way ahead of time before the 21st African Senior Athletics Championships gets underway.

According to a statement from Olukayode Thomas, Head Media, and Publicity for Asaba 2018, Okowa made this remark when he made a fresh inspection tour of the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba; where the continent ‘s top athletics event will be staged.

The governor and his entourage who were received by the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the Asaba 2018, Chief Solomon Ogba were shown around the edifice.

Governor Okowa expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work done so far but he, however, enjoined the contractors to speed up the work more, so the stadium can be fully ready by the end of June.

In his remarks, the LOC chairman assured that the deadline set would be achieved

since the contractors are only putting finishing touches to the stadium and most of the ordered equipment have been delivered.

The nine-lane track, the floodlights, the poles, scoreboard and LED advert boards are all first of its kind in this part of the world. “We are happy with the massive support that we have received from the Delta State government since the Confederation of African Athletics, CAA named us as the host of this prestigious event,�

Ogba stated. “As you can see, we have settled for only world-class equipment because our aim is to set the standard for others to follow. We know by the end of this championship; Delta State will be continually remembered for good across the continent and beyond,� the LOC Chairman added.

The 2018 African Senior Athletics Championship will come up from August 1-5 in Asaba, Delta State with as much as 52 African countries expected to take part.

Odion Ighalo (left) battling Czech’s Tomas Kalas who scored the lone goal of the friendly in Vienna, Austria‌ yesterday

Crisis in Croatia Camp as Modric is Charged with Perjury FA Boss also slammed with corruption charge Croatia Captain, Luka Modric, has been charged with perjury in a corruption inquest involving Zdravko Mamic, the most powerful figure in the country’s football. Croatia is Super Eagles World Cup opening game opponent on June 16 in Russia.

Mamic is considered the most powerful figure in football in Croatia, but now has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for corruption. Mamic was found guilty of siphoning off millions of euros in transfer fees when he was an executive at Dinamo Zagreb.

On the eve of the verdict he fled across the border into Bosnia.

Among the ex-Dinamo players caught up in the trial is Modric, the Real Madrid midfielder suspected of having made false statements during the trial, when he was questioned about his 2008 transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. He has not commented on the charge.

The case will not affect his role in the World Cup in Russia later this month.

Zdravko Mamic was not just chief executive of Dinamo

Zagreb, Croatia’s biggest club, he was also vice-president of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS).

For years fans at Dinamo alleged that he and his allies had used their club to make money for themselves by depriving the club of funds from lucrative transfers and evading taxes. Then in 2015 he and his brother Zoran, the Dinamo coach, were arrested.

The scandal was brought on to the international stage when Croatian football supporters threw flares on the pitch at

the Euro 2016 championships in France.

Charged with diverting 116m Croatian kuna (₏15.7m; £14m) from the football club and evading another 12.2m in tax, Mamic was later shot and wounded on a visit to his father’s grave.

The court in Osijek also handed down jail terms to his brother Zoran Mamic, former club director Damir Vrbanovic, and tax inspector Milan Pernar. None of the accused were in court to hear their sentences, but they have all denied the charges and have the right to appeal.

Argentina Cancels Final Warm up against Israel in Jerusalem Argentina has cancelled its final World Cup warm up match against Israel, striker Gonzalo Higuain announced late Tuesday evening, as political pressure grew ahead of Saturday’s scheduled fixture in Jerusalem. “They’ve finally done the right thing,� Higuain said in an interview with ESPN, confirming reports the game had been cancelled.

The match at Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium was to be Argentina’s last before the Albeceleste  kick off their World Cup campaign in Russia on June 16 against Iceland.

There was no initial reaction from the Israeli FA or from Israeli politicians. Reports said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to ask

him to persuade the team not to cancel their visit.

Israel Radio quoted an unnamed diplomatic official who said the chances of salvaging the fixture were very slim.

The visit of twice world champions Argentina has attracted huge interest among Israeli fans, mainly because of Barcelona great Lionel Messi’s planned participation.

Palestinians celebrated the cancellation as people cheered and in Ramallah in the West Bank of  Gaza, the Palestinian FA issued a statement thanking Messi and his colleagues for cancelling the game. “The Palestinian FA thanks Argentina’s players led by star Messi for refusing to be used to serve a non-sporting goal.�

Palestinian FA Chairman Jibril

Rajoub said: “Values, morals and sport have secured a victory today and a red card was raised at Israel through the cancellation of the game.�

Rajoub called a news conference for Wednesday in Ramallah, which he will hold outside the Argentinian representative’s office. On Sunday, he called for Palestinians to burn replica shirts and pictures of Messi.

The stadium that was to host the match is in west Jerusalem.

The Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future state that will include the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

However, the status of Jerusalem is highly sensitive. The match was originally slated to be played in Haifa but Israeli authorities contributed funding for

it to be moved to Jerusalem, irking Palestinians further following US President Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital. The U.S. embassy was moved there last month.

The cancellation is just one more obstacle for Argentina, who were beaten finalists at the World Cup in Brazil four years ago and whose preparations have been troubled this time around.

They suffered a heavy defeat to Spain in a friendly and lost their first-choice goalkeeper to injury, giving little encouragement to fans who watched the team struggle to qualify for the tournament in Russia.

The twice World Cup winners face Iceland, Nigeria and Croatia in what is considered to be one of the hardest groups in the tournament.

England Defender Warns Family to Miss Russia 2018 for Fear of Racism

England defender Danny Rose has told his family not to attend the World Cup because he fears they may be racially abused in Russia. “I’ve told my family I don’t want them going out there because of racism and anything else that may happen,� the 27-year-old left back told London’s Evening Standard on Wednesday. “I don’t want to be worrying, when I’m trying to prepare for games, for my family’s safety.

If anything happens to me, it wouldn’t affect me like it would if my family had been abused.�

Rose, who suffered personal

racial abuse when he played for England’s under-21s in Serbia in 2012, added: “I’m fine with whatever may or may not happen, and I like to think I’ll be able to deal with it in the right way.�

Russia has pledged to crack down on racism at the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 15, but cases of racist abuse have continued to be reported in the country in the run-up to the World Cup, and the country was fined last month after racist abuse was directed at French players during a friendly in March.

FIFA fined Russia ÂŁ22Â 650 for

that incident in St Petersburg, which is one of the 11 host cities for the World Cup, and Rose said the sanction was nowhere near enough to have the desired impact. “A ÂŁ22 000 fine is disgusting,â€? he said. “What do (FIFA) expect?

I don’t want to sound arrogant but if I’d been fined ££22 000, without sounding big-headed, it wouldn’t make a difference.

A country being fined £22 000 is just laughable.�

Rose, who will be appearing at his first World Cup, said his family were disappointed by his decision to ask them not to attend. “My dad’s really upset. He

said he may never get a chance again to come and watch me in a World Cup,� he said. “It’s really sad. Somehow Russia got the World Cup and we have to get on with it.�

Rose is the latest player to voice concerns about racism at the World Cup. His fellow fullback, Ashley Young, said last week that England’s players had talked about the potential for racist abuse from spectators.

Rose told the Standard players had discussed walking off the pitch in such an event. “Until it actually happens, and under what circumstances, it’s hard to say what you’d actually do.�

T H I S D AY Ëž THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

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THURSDAYSPORTS WORLD CUP 2018‌

7 D AY S T O G O

FA C T. . .

t*SNBUPW T 3FG 3FDPSE 9 - matches at the FIFA World Cup have been officiated by Uzbekistan’s Ravshan Irmatov, more than any other referee in the tournament’s history.

He took charge of a World Cup fixture for the first time during the Opening Match of the 2010 World Cup between hosts South Africa and Mexico. Four more games at that edition followed, including the semi-final between the Netherlands and Uruguay, before Irmatov added another four to his total at Brazil 2014, putting him ahead of France’s Joel Quiniou, Mexico’s Benito Archundia and Uruguay’s Jorge Larrionda, who have all refereed eight World Cup games each.

Irmatov became a FIFA referee in 2003 and since then, his ability and authority on the pitch have continued to improve.

Aside from the World Cup, he has overseen four Asian Champions League finals, two FIFA Club World Cup finals and an Asian Cup final, as well as countless other big matches that he has handled with calm and confidence.

Irmatov will have the opportunity to extend his record in Russia, as he was included on the list of referees for the 2018 World Cup.

Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow

-V[IOJLJ 4UBEJVN 7FOVF PG UIF 0QFOJOH BOE 'JOBM (BNFT PG 3VTTJB The Luzhniki Stadium, initially named the Central Lenin Stadium, has witnessed both triumph and horror.

It was constructed in just 450 days between 1955 and 1956 - a reflection of the growing ambitions of the then Soviet government after the Union’s athletes had returned from their first Olympics, in Helsinki in 1952, with 71 medals.

With an initial capacity of just over 100,000, the stadium was the central venue of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

5ISFF /JHFSJBOT UP 8JO 3&90/" T 5SJQ UP $IFMTFB T 4UBNGPSE #SJEHF Three lucky Nigerian football fans are to win all-expense paid trip to train and play with Chelsea Football stars in London this year in the ongoing Rexona’s  ‘Street to Stamford’ campaign.

Unilever Nigeria’s Rexona deodorant brand recently kicked off a series of consumer engagement activities through a universal shared passion for the beautiful game of football.

Dubbed the “Rexona Street to Stamford�, the campaign is a national competition from which three very lucky Nigerian representatives will be selected to be part of an Africa 11 team, to train and play with the Chelsea Football stars at their home in London, UK. The ongoing consumer activation which is generating much awareness for the brand at several touch points including major shopping malls, tertiary institutions (university and college campuses), playfields and at high traffic locations across Lagos, Enugu, Abuja etc. has so far engaged thousands

of exciting consumers.

The very lucky consumers to be selected during the “Street to Stamford� tournament will spend three days in July 2018, with a team of local (Nigerian) and international coaches, including popular sports influencers at the training academy grounds of Teslim Balogun Stadium, in Lagos.

Speaking about the ongoing national consumer engagement activities for the Rexona Street to Stamford Campaign, Category Manager Skin Care & Deos, Unilever Nigeria, Adetoun Adegbite, said: “Our goal is to drive for brand connection through our consumers’ passion for football especially in light of our global partnership with Chelsea FC. “Thus, through our brand engagement, we continue to reflect the love and pride that our consumers have for the game, as well as reinforcing the functional benefits of Rexona deodorant in positively causing life changing opportunities, especially for young Nigerians,� observed the Unilever official.

It was here that Allan Wells took 100m gold for Great Britain and Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe staged their now legendary tussles over both 800m and 1500m.

However, tragedy struck two years later when 66 people died in a rush for the exit during the closing stages of a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Dutch side HFC Haarlem.

Extensively renovated during the 1990s, during which it was renamed Luzhniki (which is a rough translation of the Russian

word for ‘meadows’ and refers to the flood meadows on the bend of the Moskva River where the stadium is built), it has since hosted the 1999 UEFA Cup final, in which Parma defeated Marseille, and the 2008 Champions League final, which saw Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties.

During redevelopment work for the 2018 World Cup, the stands were divided into two tiers and the athletics track removed, with the exterior of the stadium preserved. This summer, it will

become the fifth stadium to have hosted the finals of the World Cup, the European Cup/Champions League and featured as a main stadium of the summer Olympics.

GROUP MATCHES: Russia v Saudi Arabia (Thursday, 14 June; Germany v Mexico (Sunday, 17 June, 16; Portugal v Morocco (Wednesday, 20 June; Denmark v France (Tuesday, 26 June.

KNOCKOUT MATCHES: Last 16 - winners of Group B v runners-up of Group A (Sunday, 1 July; semi-final 2 (Wednesday, 11 July; final (Sunday, 15 July.

:PCP &YDJUFE CZ "NCPEF T &OEPSTFNFOU GPS )JT 4QPSUT "DBEFNZ Former Captain of the Super Eagles, Joseph Yobo, is excited by the endorsement given to his pet project, The Joseph Yobo Sports Academy by the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode.

Last Wednesday, the former Everton FC defender was guest of the Governor at his Alausa office in Ikeja where they discussed youth and sports development in the state and Nigeria.

According to Yobo, Governor Ambode welcomed the idea of the academy and endorsed the project.  The Governor further described it as a meaningful venture that the state is proud to be associated with.  “Governor Ambode has shown commitment to empowering the citizens of Lagos and recognises the role of sports beyond its significant ability to boost the economy but the ability to harness the potential and overall development of the youths,� stressed Yobo who was capped 101 times by the three-time AFCON champions.

He led Eagles to winning

AFCON 2013 in South Africa before calling it quit with international duty for Nigeria.

The Ogoni-born ex-international said his academy was modeled on the premise that football and academic pursuits are supposed to go hand-in-hand. “My academy model is based on the belief that sports excellence and academic pursuit are not mutually exclusive. I welcome his support for my project and the people of Lagos and Nigerians who would be beneficiaries of it,� he stressed further.

Yobo whose testimonial match in Port Harcourt drew top African and European players (including his former coach at Everton, David Moyes), hopes when fully functional, the academy will also help discover talents for the national teams. “The sports and educational academy will discover new talents for the country. In addition, it will help the country to have educated sportsmen.� “ In addition, it will provide

Yobo (left) and Governor Ambode during the courtesy visit kids the opportunity to explore different sports discipline with quality professional instruction,� concludes the Rivers man.

Yobo revealed that the academy to be situated in Lagos is expected to take off this year but would be fully operational in 2019.

0MVLPLVO %FTDSJCFT 7"5 8POEFS (PBM 8JO BT #FTU 3BNBEBO (JGU Still basking in the euphoria of his first VAT Wonder Goal Award success, Nasarawa United’s Najeem Olukokun believes there could have been no better time to win the award than during the holy month of Ramadan.

Olukokun edged former winner, Sikiru Alimi of Sunshine Stars to clinch the Match Day 21 L- R: Board Members of Special Olympics Nigeria (SONigeria), Hetty Bakare; Funmito Agusto; award which comes with a cash Foluso Phillips; Chairman of the Board, SONigeria, Victor Osibodu; Member, Udeme Ufot, Dr. reward of N150,000. But the player is to nominate a Charity that will Dolapo Ogunbanwo and Adenike Ibirogba during the media brieďŹ ng on the SONigeria’s 2018 receive half of the reward prize.

National Games and 50th Anniversary in Lagos‌on Tuesday “To donate to Charity

especially in this period of Ramadan is a thing of joy for me and I am so proud that this is happening�, Olukokun told www.npfl.ng in an online chat.

While expressing appreciation to the fans that voted for him, the former Shooting Stars of Ibadan player said the award will motivate him to work harder to improve his goals scoring abilities and help his team win more matches. “I am very happy to win the award and also very grateful to

the fans that voted for me. It will motivate me to work harder and perhaps score more goals to help my club win more matches in the games ahead�.

Olukokun was nominated alongside Alimi, Reuben Bala of Plateau United and Pascal Seka of FC IfeanyiUbah. The Nasarawa United forward clinched the award with 3460 votes, beating Alimi to the second place with a total of 1244. Bala, had a total of 138 votes while Seka secured 110 votes.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

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MISSILE Osita Okechukwu to Rochas Okorocha “There are more than 60 political parties now so Governor Okorocha is free to join any of his choice. Though we are not forcing him to leave, what we are saying is that we have taken the leadership (of the APC in the South-east) out of his hands because he was playing God.” – Voice of Nigeria (VON) Director General, Mr Osita Okechukwu, on why Governor Okorocha lost out at the APC Congresses in Imo State.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

20 Years after Abacha: Lest We Forget

T

here is hardly any Nigerian of my generation (as well as members of the generations before us) who would not remember what they were doing on 8th June 1988 (exactly 20 years ago tomorrow) when they heard about the sudden death of the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

It was a day in which a whole nation lost its humanity given the spontaneous celebrations that followed the announcement of Abacha’s demise. Summing up the mood of the nation on that fateful day, Chief Mofia Tonjo Akobo, the first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, said in Port Harcourt: “Abacha’s death is God’s solution to Nigeria’s political stalemate. Although we send our condolence to the family and the military, the fact remains that this is a heavenly coup.”

Meanwhile, in a landmark decision that none of his predecessors had the courage to take, President Muhammadu Buhari last night officially recognized the late Chief M.K.O Abiola as the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, cancelled May 29 as the annual Democracy Day (replacing it with June 12) and conferred a posthumous highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Abiola.

What President Buhari did with a stroke of his pen is fundamental and commendable in several respects and in the weeks ahead, I am sure it would generate considerable interest both at home and abroad.

However, as we reflect on the Abacha era, especially against the background of the current drama of the absurd in Abuja, it may also be important for us to remember that under the late Head of State, some micro-economic indicators actually improved despite the international sanctions imposed against our country at the time. Under Abacha, inflation also came down just as he managed to sustain a stable exchange rate throughout his tenure, albeit through a primitive system which may have opened his eyes into how easy it was to loot the treasury.

As I have highlighted before on this page, Abacha’s contempt for accountability commenced less than two weeks after he took power from Chief Ernest Shonekan. In a memo reference NSA/A/320/S/46 dated 30th November 1994, the then National Security Adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, requested for $100 million to combat “an economy that was deflected and distorted through the black market.” In the same memo, Gwarzo also undertook to pay back the naira equivalent into government coffers. Having apparently been briefed by Abacha, the then Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Dr Paul Ogwuma released the money in the following sums: $95 Million and 3.2 million Pounds Sterling, all in cash.

By the arrangement, the dollar was meant to be sold through Bureau De Change dealers at the then prevailing exchange rate, with a view to mopping up the naira, and beefing up its value. Abacha’s son, the late Ibrahim was to sell the dollars in the black market and remit the naira equivalent to the CBN through Gwarzo. The transaction was indeed carried out even though the money eventually returned to the CBN, according to official

Abacha documents, was not up to what was received.

As it would happen, that became the template for taking money directly from the treasury. In my column of 3rd July 2014 titled “Abacha Loot and Mohammed’s Deal” I highlighted (by listing all the transactions), from the report of the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) established by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, how Gwarzo would write a memo, Abacha would approve and Ogwuma would open the CBN vault for the release of the cash.

That Abacha personalized the Nigerian state is an understatement but he must have been emboldened by what happened on the political front where Nigerians had been reduced to a conquered people. The lesson is that when you create an atmosphere of impunity, financial corruption is not too far away because those who can abuse their authority to deny fellow citizens of their fundamental rights would have no qualms appropriating to themselves what belongs to the public.

Incidentally, most of the politicians who are prancing all over the place today and their parents/godfathers were agents of Abacha; telling Nigerians only the late Head of State and his wife (two for the price of one) were fit to rule the country, if possible, forever.

That is why people like us can never be taken in by the cheap attempts of any politician to present their personal travails as a public interest issue. Meanwhile, so bizarre was the transition programme of 1997/98 (with all

the five registered political parties adopting Abacha as their sole presidential candidate) that in a memorable interview he granted the CNN at the period, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka said: “If I had written this scenario in a play, I would have been ridiculed.”

While interested readers can download free copies of my book, ‘The Last 100 Days of Abacha’ from my web portal, olusegunadeniyi. com, it is a lesson for future generations that people hardly remember anything positive about the Abacha era, essentially because his regime trampled on the rights of citizens.

In an atmosphere where the resources and institutions of state were pressed into the service of one man and his political aspiration, what followed was a killing spree.

From Mrs Kudirat Abiola to Mr Alfred Rewane to Mrs Bisoye Tejuosho to Dr Shola Omatsola to Major General Shehu Musa YarAdua to Ken Saro Wiwa to Mrs Sulia Adedeji and several others, including lucky ones like the late Abraham Adesanya and Alex Ibru who survived assassins’ bullets, it was a period when journalists, civil society activists and the few principled politicians in the country were targets of the regime.

Bagauda Kaltho was bombed to death. Kunle Ajibade, Chris Anyanwu and others were jailed for being accessories after the fact of a coup.

Many were forced into exiles. My editor (at African Concord magazine), Soji Omotunde was dragged from a moving vehicle on the street of Lagos, leaving him almost crippled while my friend and colleague, Mohammed Adamu, should have enough stories to tell his grand-children. But some of us were lucky.

As an assistant editor at Sunday Concord, I was arrested around 3am in October 1996 by truckloads of soldiers who were shocked to see a “small boy” and became sympathetic the moment they realized I was a journalist (they told me they thought I was a ‘419’ kingpin since no reason was given them for the arrest). Dumped at the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) dungeon in Apapa at that ungodly time of the day, I did not get to meet the much-dreaded DMI Director, Col Frank Omenka until around 5pm to endure verbal abuse, bullying and threats in the name of interrogation that lasted five days. While I will tell my story if I live long enough to write a biography, I can never forget that, right in my presence, a man was hurled into the room to whom Omenka threatened: “I will detain you here tonight and organise some boys to go and rape your wife at home.”

After the distraught man had been dragged away, Omenka now turned to me. “I will let

The lesson of the Abacha tragedy is that when you create an atmosphere of impunity, financial corruption is not too far away because those who can abuse their authority to deny fellow citizens of their fundamental rights would have no qualms appropriating to themselves what belongs to the public

you go home tonight but you must come back tomorrow with everything you have ever written, including your latest piece where you compared General Abacha with Idi Amin.

Meanwhile, greet your wife for me.” When I replied that I was not married, he countered: “I know that already. But you have a fiancée who is undergoing her youth service in Ogun State.” Seeing how shocked I was, Omenka pressed his advantage. “I know everything about you. You are a lucky boy because my instruction before I left office yesterday was that my men should arrest and dump you in the underground cell for two months before bringing you to me but when I came this morning and I saw you asleep on the sofa, I had pity on you. But don’t push your luck because, as you must be aware, I stammer and I am already provoked. Since you are a small boy, maybe I can still mend you.

And if I cannot, I will make your mother to weep over you.”

It is very instructive that whenever the name of Abacha comes up today, all we remember were the abuse of power and corruption that characterized his period in power. But when you interrogate the era, it was all because the late Head of State allowed the security goons to be out of control. As a former State House Correspondent who also had the rare privilege of later working as a presidential spokesman in the same Villa, I doubt if Abacha sanctioned most of what was going on at the time but his inordinate ambition provided an environment for the security agencies to go rogue. That explains why it should worry Nigerians that we are gradually descending into a police state where the liberties of citizens can no longer be taken for granted, where public officials who are supposed to be neutral in the discharge of their responsibilities are not only partisan but now openly wear the campaign lapel of the incumbent president, a throwback to the Abacha era.

Given the internal contradictions that have led to convulsions within the ruling APC, the orgy of violence in certain theatres across the country and the manner in which institutions of state are now being used to fight personal battles, there are genuine reasons to be apprehensive as democracy loses its meaning when mob passion or crude coercion overwhelms the rule of law and public decency. Yet, if there is any lesson we must learn from the Abacha era, it is that when the security and law enforcement institutions become extensions of the political agenda of the incumbent and the political elite cannot see beyond its narrow interests, the society can never advance or be peaceful.

As we therefore approach the 2019 general election, with the security agencies preoccupied with regime protection, at a time a cult of personality has effectively been built around the president by an uncritical mob while the National Assembly leadership becomes increasingly desperate (also in pursuit of their personal agenda), the answer to the question Abacha posed to our system (before the divine intervention of 8th June 1988) lies in the people not letting down their guards.

Eternal vigilance, as the old saying goes, is the price of liberty!

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