Tuesday 26th JUNE 2018

Report: Nigeria Overtakes India as World’s Poverty Capital Now has largest number of extremely poor persons Obinna Chima Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor as of 2018, a report

by the Washington-based Brookings Institution has stated. The report titled, ‘The Start of a New Poverty Narrative,’ obtained on the institution’s

website, pointed out that the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number two spot. It said, “At the end of May 2018, our trajectories

suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six

people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall. “In fact, by the end of 2018 in Africa as a whole, there will probably be about 3.2

million more people living in extreme poverty than there are today. Already, Africans account for about two-thirds Continued on page 8

Terrorism Remains Major Threat to Peace, Security in Nigeria, Says EU… Page 10 Tuesday 26 June, 2018 Vol 23. No 8468. Price: N250

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Buhari: Politicians Taking Advantage of Killings Osinbajo visits Plateau, Miyetti Allah explains attacks Police, Army deploy more special forces Presidential comment insensitive, says PDP CAN cries to UN, AU, Commonwealth for help Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Paul Obi, Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Human lives have become increasingly cheap in Nigeria,

and politicians are taking advantage of the insecurity situation in the country to position themselves, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday. Continued on page 6

…Says Restructuring Advocates Have Personal Agenda Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja maintained his stance on calls for the restructuring of the country, insisting that those making the calls had personal agenda for their advocacy. The president who made the comment while receiving a group of traditional rulers from Urhobo ethnic group in Delta State, said such agenda being pushed by advocates of restructuring could only be accommodated by the constitution.

Spokesman of the group, Moses Tiger, had demanded the restructuring of the country, appointment of an Urhobo as a minister, boundary adjustment and investigation of the sale of the land given by an Urhobo community to the military, location of a university in their territory as well as federal government investment in agriculture. Responding, Buhari who described the demand for boundary adjustment as a Continued on page 6

MEETING WITH THE DIASPORA… L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari, Associate Professor of Sheffield Hallam University, Salihu Ibrahim-Dasuki, and an economist, Mr Aliyu Abubakar-Audu, during a courtesy visit by members of UK-Africa, a group of young professionals in the Diaspora, in Abuja… yesterday

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PAGE SIX B U H A R I : P O L I T I C I A N S TA K I N G A DVA N TA G E O F K I L L I N G S “We know that a number of geographical and economic factors are contributing to the longstanding herdsmen/ farmers clashes. But we also know that politicians are taking advantage of the situation. This is incredibly unfortunate,� the president was quoted by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, to have said in a reaction to last weekend murder of over 100 souls in three local government areas of Plateau State by yet to be identified gunmen. Notwithstanding the provocation, Buhari still admonished, “Nigerians affected by the herdsmen/ farmer clashes must always allow the due process of the law to take its course rather than taking matters into their own hands.� Explaining the cause of the gruesome massacre, Garba said information available to the presidency showed that the rustling of about 100 cattle by a community in the state led to the killings by some herdsmen. The statement attracted an instant rebuke by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, dismissed it as insensitive and demanded for an unreserved apology to Nigerians from the president. The police and the military, however, announced fresh measures, including the deployment of special forces in the troubled state to forestall escalation of violence even as the herders’ umbrella body, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), justified the killings, saying it was unrealistic to expect that theft of about 100 cattle by the affected community would not attract reprisal from its members. Expectedly Miyetti Allah’s statement was seen as brazen by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which has now externalised the conflict, calling on the international

community to come to the aid of its members who are largely affected by the persistent violent conflicts. Garba’s statement had explained that the state Governor, Simon Lalong, had invited the aggrieved groups and pleaded against further action while the law enforcement agents was looking into the matter but that less than 24 hours later, violence broke out. "Some local thugs then took advantage of the situation, turning it into an opportunity to extort the public and to attack people from rival political parties,� he said, adding, “There were reports of vehicles being stopped along the roads in the state, with people being dragged out of their cars and attacked if they stated that they supported certain politicians or political party. According to the presidential aide, "On his way back to Jos after attending the All Progressives Congress (APC) Convention in Abuja, the state governor had to dismantle a number of illegal road blocks set up by these thugs. There were also a number of dead bodies thugs had killed, lying along the road."

Osinbajo Visits As the nation tried to make a sense out of the violence, Vice President Osinbajo took a condolence trip to the Plateau to commiserate with the government and the people who lost loved ones as well as the injured. The vice president who landed in Jos about 4p.m. yesterday was expected to also meet with stakeholders to explore ways of finding peace and stop the wanton killings. The Plateau State Government that appeared overwhelmed by the recurring violence in its domain yesterday, expressed concern over the manner in which gory pictures of victims of the attacks in parts of the state were being circulated on the social media, fearing it could exacerbate the strife. A statement by the Commissioner of Information,

Mr. Yakubu Dati, said, “While sympathising with affected families and communities, government is advising citizens to respect the sanctity of both the living and the dead, particularly, at this time when the entire state is in mourning mood,� adding, “Government appeals to citizens to remain calm, vigilant and report any suspicious persons or activities to security operatives.� He assured the people that government would not relent in its commitment to protect the lives and property of its citizens.

Miyetti Allah Explains Attack MACBAN explained yesterday that the latest attacks were a retaliation for the theft of 100 cattle by the affected communities, contending that the persistence of rustling of their ware could not continue without consequence. “These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission,� the Chairman of the North-central Chapter of MACBAN, Danladi Ciroma, said. “Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks, 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youths in Fan village and another 36 cows were killed by Berom youths. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled,� he explained. Residents in the state had said over 120 people were massacred in separate attacks at different locations. But the state police command said 86 people were killed in the attacks. The state government had imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in parts of the state, amid growing tensions between locals and migrant herdsmen community. Residents blamed the attacks on Fulani herdsmen, a group represented by the Miyetti Allah.

Police, Military Deploy Special Forces To contain the violence, the

Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, has deployed a Special Intervention Force in the state to restore peace in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Jos South local government areas as well as other flash points in the state. A statement by the force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, yesterday in Abuja, explained that two police aerial surveillance helicopters, five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and three Police Mobile Force Units (PMF) were deployed. He said that two Counter Terrorism Units (CTU) and Police Intelligence Unit and conventional police personnel from other states had also been deployed in the affected areas. Moshood added that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of operations had relocated to the state on the directive of the IG to coordinate and supervise the operations. He noted, “The IG has directed the Commissioner of Police in charge of IG monitoring unit to lead the police special investigation team to the affected areas and other flash points in Plateau.� He stated that the investigation team comprised the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Special Tactical Squad (STS) and the Technical Platforms. He said, “The team is to carry out thorough and discreet investigation into the killings and promptly apprehend those responsible.� The spokesman added that the police special intervention force included personnel of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID), a detachment of Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), Police K9 (Sniffer Dogs Section), conventional policemen, special anti-robbery squads. Moshood said that the team, which had started arriving, were already working with the police command in the state to restore peace and sustain normalcy in the affected areas. He called on traditional rulers, religious leaders,

community leaders, youth groups, public office holders, politicians, opinion leaders and parents to support the police. Moshood also called on the public in the affected areas, other flash points or in any other location in the state with information to call the following numbers: 07059473022, 08038907662, 08075391844, and 09053872296. From the military came the information that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, has authorized the deployment of additional Special Forces to the state to beef up the strength of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH). The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. John Agim, in a statement yesterday, said the additional troops, which arrived Jos, capital of Plateau State on Monday were received and briefed by the Commander OPSH, Maj-Gen. AM Atolagbe, on their new assignment. Agim in his earlier response to THISDAY inquiries, said the forces were deployed as part of the Joint Task Force (JTF) operations to ensure order and security. He explained that the mandate of the special operations was to bring the crisis to an end, noting that any further task would have to come from the political authorities at the state or federal government levels. According to him, the Special Forces are specifically trained and designed to handle the kind of crisis in the state. He said: "The DHQ has deployed Special Forces to end the crisis. The Joint Task Force is to enhance the existing operation. This is in order to beef up security with the Special Forces who are trained to handle this kind of operation. "The rest of the issues are to be handled by the government. There is a government in place there. Our own is to ensure that there is peace and stability in the state."

PDP, CAN, React

Others

Meanwhile, the PDP has

condemned as extremely callous, inhuman and brazenly divisive, the statement by the Presidency on the incident. Saying the president had politicised a criminal matter, it stated, "It is disgusting that the Buhari Presidency relegated the main issue of the murder of our citizens and how to track down the perpetrators and bring them to book, thus confirming the fears of most Nigerians that this administration does not care about the lives of the people. "PDP insists that the basic responsibility of government, which is to ensure the safety and harmonious living of all Nigerians, ensure that our laws apply at all times and circumstances, without any fear or favour, has been completely abdicated by the Buhari administration, thereby leaving our people at the mercy of marauders.� It, therefore, demanded an unreserved apology from the president for his comments. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday cried out to the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and the Commonwealth for rescue. The association said the cry to the world bodies for rescue had become imminent, given the failure of Nigerian security agencies in preventing incessant cases of killings in the Middle Belt in the last three years. Speaking on the killings, CAN President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, said the association was disappointed and shocked at the spate of killings that was unleashed on three local government areas of Plateau State by herdsmen. It stated, "Against the backdrop of the wave of attacks on innocent citizens, CAN has come to the conclusion that the federal government has been overwhelmed by the current security challenges. "We once again call on the UN, Commonwealth of Nations and the AU, among others, to assist the Nigerian government to protect us against these criminals."

‌ S AYS R E ST R U C T U R I N G A DV O C AT E S H AV E P E R S O N A L A G E N DA constitutional matter, also said it was impossible to appoint more than one minister from Delta State but promised to ensure an investigation into the sale of military plots of land in the area. He called for the support of the group for his administration, pleading that elders of the region should restrain their young men from oil installations vandalism because the communities would also suffer from its effects. He also solicited to be given the cooperation the people gave the administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 16 years, saying whereas the PDP government enjoyed relative

peace from the Niger Delta and equally made bumper harvests from oil production, the reverse was the case when he ascended power. According to him, when he got to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) upon his advent as president in 2015, he was told that there were no savings in the treasury despite the rise of oil price to as high as $143 per barrel while production of crude oil cruised at over two million barrels per day. He said their cooperation with his administration would go a long way in promoting the utilisation of the resources in the country for the overall development of the country as he expressed appreciation

to them for their recognition of the efforts of his administration including the appointments of Urhobo into various positions by his government. He said: "I am pleased that you appreciated the efforts being made by this administration in line with the numerous demands of the country. You mentioned something which is topical these days, the calls for restructuring Nigeria. Every group asking for restructuring has got their own agenda and I hope it can be accommodated by the constitution. I assure you that you are not forgotten and I’m pleased you appreciate the appointments by this administration of some

citizens of your kingdoms. "Boundary adjustments you asked for is a constitutional problem as well as the ministerial slot you asked for. If you look at the result of the election that brought this administration in, you will see that this administration has a lot of restraint in the sense that the constitution makes a provision that there would be a representation in the executive council from each state.� He said it was not possible to appoint a minister from each of the ethnic groups in the country, explaining that it would amount to have about 250 ministers that would be unwieldy. The president thanked

them for maintaining the peace in the Niger Delta, explaining that it would assist his administration to build the infrastructure necessary for the development of the area. “When I look at the infrastructure, the roads, rails, power, I asked where the money has gone. Where the Nigerian elite that know this damage are is being done to the resources of the country?� he asked, adding, "So, I plead with you leaders of these communities that your resources have been sustaining this country throughout these years for restraint of control, so that the cooperation you gave to the previous administrations will be extended to this

administration so that the country can realise the resources which are mainly under your seat.�

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN LASACOASSURE 0.02 0.36 CCNN 1.20 25.95 STERLBANK 0.04 1.40 VITAFOAM 0.09 3.15 SKYEBANK 0.02 0.71 TOP LOSERS NGN NGN SEPLAT 34.20 650.80 CAP PLC 1.80 35.00 LINKAGEASSURE 0.04 0.83 PRESTIGEASSURE 0.03 0.63 JAIZBANK 0.03 0.64 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,490.00 Volume: 207.407 million shares Value: N3.424 billion Deals: 3,822 As at 25/6/18 See details on Page 31

% 5.8 4.8 2.9 2.9 4.9 % 4.9 4.8 4.5 4.5 4.4

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STARTERS

Visafone Wants 800MHz Spectrum Transferred to MTN Writes NCC, 9mobile, others kick

Two-Minute BrieďŹ ng NEWS Buhari: I Have No Regret Being a Man of Integrity PresidentMuhammaduBuhari yesterday in Abuja said he had no regret being a man of integrity, adding that he was satisfied with his personality. Page 9

EDITORIAL Time OuT FOr Campus

predaTOrs In a strong statement that lecturers who abuse their powers on campus would no longer have a field day, the authorities of the OAU, Ile-Ife last week dismissed Professor Akindele, a senior lecturer in the Department‌ Page 15 Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja Visafone Communications Limited has finally written to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for authorisation to transfer its 800MHz Spectrum to MTN Nigeria Limited, the commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said yesterday in Abuja. The commission had sanctioned a deal for the acquisition of Visafone by MTN in December 2015. But the proposal to transfer the 800MHz Spectrum to MTN had been controverted by other operators who argued that it could inadvertently lead to the South African telecoms giant monopoly in the market. But Dambatta, who spoke during a public hearing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, said the transfer request arose from its re-planning of the 800MHz band to accommodate technology development in the telecom industry, leading to the conveying of new frequency to the operators. Visafone, he said, subsequently communicated its intention to transfer the 800MHz Spectrum to MTN. He explained, "In order to reap the benefits of effective utilisation of Spectrum as well as improve operational efficiency and regulatory excellence, the commission in accordance with its mandate as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, embarked on re-planning of some of its Frequency bands. "Specifically in 2013, the commission re-planned the use of 800MHz band to accommodate technology development in the telecom industry and new Frequency Assignments were conveyed this to the operators according to their frequency holdings in the 800MHz band. "Visafone is one of such incumbent on the Spectrum that got 10MHz FDD Assignment. Subsequent to the re-planning of the band, Visafone

wrote to the commission requesting for transfer of its license, including the 800MHz Spectrum to MTN." But other operators who had been opposed to the Visafone move fearing they could be disadvantaged in the market protested it, arguing that it would give MTN an unfair advantage in the market. Speaking on behalf of other operators, Mr. Chidozie Arinze, Head of Regulatory Affairs of 9Mobile, said they feared if MTN, which was already a dominant player in the industry with 38 per cent, was allowed to acquire the 800MHz, which represents 10 per cent, it would bring its total Spectrum to 48 per cent of the total market share. According to him, "Spectrum is a scarce national resource, which is not available in unlimited quantity so, it must be regulated. It must be managed, and in managing it you need to make sure that it is used efficiently. And it is not given to one person; it's like giving all of Nigeria's oil wells to one individual because the person has money." He said 800MHz was good for deploying 4G services and all operators wanted to deploy 4G, explaining that if only one person deployed 4G and others couldn’t, it would give MTN the opportunity to virtually determine the price of 4G singlehandedly. “They have gathered a lot of 4 Spectrum already from other sources and now they want to get this. In essence they will be controlling 50 per cent of the 4G Spectrum in Nigeria," he said. Speaking further, he said that the competition practices regulation prohibited the control of any facility that could not be replicated by competitors and that they already instituted a case in court against the acquisition since 2015 when the acquisition first happened and the case was still in court. He added, "The Competition Practices Regulation prohibits the control of

facilities that cannot be replicated by competitors. If they get this Spectrum, their competitors cannot have similar Spectrum; so they cannot challenge them. For instance they will be able to deploy 4G in areas where their competitors will not be. And in those areas they can charge you anything and they can offer any service but you have to accept it.� Arinze said 9Mobile had been in court over the proposed transfer of 800MHZ Spectrum to MTN since the first acquisition of Visafone in 2015, adding that his company wanted NCC to consider this during the public hearing and decline the request. He warned, "It might be an issue with court processes if this hearing is being conducted. However it is important that Nigerians understand that MTN fought such a similar acquisition in their country then. The case is exactly the same; if they fought it in South Africa (that acquisition was not good for South Africa) why is it good for Nigeria?" He advised the commission to toe the standard practice by placing a limit to the amount of Spectrum that an operator could buy. Explaining that in the UK, for instance, the regulator placed limitation on the amount of Spectrum that an operator could buy, Arinze said that controlling the amount of Spectrum an operator could buy was a worldwide phenomenon. “It is not tied to the Nigerian market. What we proposed is that what was done in South Africa should also be done here, which is that the Spectrum is not to be transferred to MTN, but made available to competitors in cost effective manner," he explained. Mr. Lucky Ubani, who spoke on behalf of Airtel, said that if MTN was allowed to acquire the 800MHz Spectrum it would stifle and gradually kill all other operators as it would eliminate competition in the industry.

R E P O RT: N I G E R I A O V E RTA K E S I N D I A A S W O R L D ’ S P O V E RT Y C A P I TA L of the world’s extreme poor. “If current trends persist, they will account for nine-tenths by 2030. Fourteen out of 18 countries in the world—where the number of extreme poor is rising—are in Africa.� It noted that between January 1, 2016, when implementation of internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) started, and July 2018, the world had seen about 83 million people escape extreme poverty. However, it noted that if extreme

poverty were to fall to zero by 2030, “We should have already reduced the number by about 120 million, just assuming a linear trajectory.� According to the Brookings Institution, given a starting point of about 725 million people in extreme poverty at the beginning of 2016, there was need to reduce poverty by 1.5 people every second to achieve the SDGs, “and yet we’ve been moving at a pace of only 1.1 people per second.� “Given that we’ve fallen behind so much, the new target rate has just increased to 1.6 people per second

through 2030. At the same time, because so many countries are falling behind, the actual pace of poverty reduction is starting to slow down. Our projections show that by 2020, the pace could fall to 0.9 people per second, and to 0.5 people per second by 2022. “As we fall further behind the target pace, the task of ending extreme poverty by 2030 is becoming inexorably harder because we are running out of time. We should celebrate our achievements, but increasingly sound the alarm that not enough is being done, especially in Africa,� it added.

POLITICS Waiting for the Last Laugh

Nduka Nwosu reports that the Supreme Court will on July 13 decide the appeal by the faction off the All Progressives Grand Alliance e led by Chief Martin Agbaso seeking g the nullification of the Appeal Court rt verdict, which reinstatedVictor‌ Page 16

FEATURES Untold Stories of Boko Haram Abductions No one knows exactly how many women, men, and children have been abducted by Boko Haram since the terror group began its insurgency in 2009, though, kidnapping has been part of its operational strategy even before the infamous seizures‌ Page 18

BUSINESS NNPC: $5bn JV Debt Repayment nt Restoring Investors’ ConďŹ dence ce in Nigeria NNPC has said its repayment of the he about $5 billion negotiated joint venture cash call debts owed to IOCs over the years was now stirring ng the confidence of inves- tors in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector. Page 21

PROPERTY Research: Billions of Urban Citizens ns Risk Climate-related Heatwaves, es, Flooding, Others by 2050 New research from C40 Cities, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the UCCRN and d Acclimatise predicts how many urban residents will face‌ Page 28

INTERNATIONAL Erdogan’s Victory Ushers in New Presidential Era in Turkey Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan has on extensive new executive powers following his outright election victory in Sunday’s poll. Parliament has been weakened and the post‌ Page 43

SPORTS No Mercy for Messi, Rohr Roars

Super EaglesTechnical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has warned that there will be no mercy for Lionel Messi onTuesday night as Nigeria takes on Argentina in a win or burst last Group D clash of the ongoing 2018 FIFAWorld Cup‌ Page 46

TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018Ëž T H I S D AY

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NEWS

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Buhari: I Have No Regret Being a Man of Integrity Omololu Ogunmade Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said he had no regret being a man of integrity, adding that he was satisfied with his personality. He added that both the people close to him and himself had not benefitted from government contracts since he came to power. “I am satisfied with what I am. I am happy I have kept myself and people close to me from benefiting from government contracts,â€? the president was quoted as saying, while receiving a delegation of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria in the State House. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu,

in a statement, stated that Buhari said he did not award contracts and did not care about who got them as long as they did a good job at a justifiable cost to the nation. The president, according to the statement, also claimed that he had no regret being a man of integrity. Buhari was quoted as saying, “I have been in many places including (Ministry of Petroleum). I would have gone to jail if I had taken an oil well. For integrity and honesty, I have no regrets. By this, I have contributed to my social safety. I won’t go to jail.� The statement also said Buhari stated that even though he had been accused of many things, his critics could not accuse him of stealing.

He was further quoted: “You cannot accuse me of stealing,� adding that, “I have appointed ministers and they are in charge. I appeal to their integrity. When they come here (Federal Executive Council) Chambers, we ensure they follow the due process. If I owned an oil well, I would have gone to jail.� The statement added that Buhari also responded to a number of issues raised by the delegation, including complaints that Muslims had been marginalised in appointments in government institutions such as the military and the civil service. According to the statement,

the president said such insinuation illustrated how difficult his job had been because he had equally been accused of same by adherents of other faiths. “I am in a difficult situation,� he added. On raging violence in some parts of country, Buhari said he was trying in his best, adding that following his dissatisfaction with the performance of the police in Zamfara State, he had ordered a massive transfer of officers who have been there for three years and above. Shehu added that Buhari appealed to religious leaders to instruct their followers on

the importance of possessing their own voters’ cards, which he described as a “national entitlement,� and to preach justice to all, which he described as the pillar of lslam. The statement added: “President Buhari, who revealed that he had received a “p’stiff bill’ from the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, for the restoration of the dilapidated infrastructure and facilities of federal government-owned radio stations in all states of the federation, promised that something would be done. “Speaking on behalf

of the delegation, the Vice-President, Sheikh Hadiyyatullahi Abdulrashid commended President Buhari for accomplishing much of what he promised before his election. He likened him to the captain of a capsizing ship and the messiah needed by the country. “Sheikh Abdulrashid also spoke about the alleged marginalisation of Muslims, violent conflicts between farmers and herders, the problems of drug abuse among youths and the fate of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna, among other issues.�

Ex-minister, Akinjide Returned N650m Election Funds, Says EFCC Davidson Iriekpen The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday told the Federal High Court in Lagos that a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, returned N650million she allegedly received ahead of the 2015 election. She was arraigned with a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Oyo State, Chief Olarenwaju Otiti, a former senator representing Oyo Central senatorial district, Ayo Adeseun, and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is said to be at large. The EFCC accused them of conspiring to directly take possession of N650million, which they reasonably ought to have known was part of proceeds of an unlawful act, and without going through a financial institution. An EFCC investigator Usman Zakari, while testifying in a trial within trial to determine the truthfulness of the defendants’ statements, said his team received N10 million bank draft from Akinjide’s husband, Aliyu Pategi, out of the N650 million traced to her and others. He said another team headed by Shuaibu Shehu received N640million from Akinjide in a related case.

While being cross-examined by Akinjide’s lawyer, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), the witness said the N10 million deposit payment was not the condition upon which Akinjide was released. He said: “On August 9, 2016, the first defendant (Akinjide) and her husband, Hon. Aliyu Pategi, were present throughout. I did not ask Pategi to make payment to ensure the release of the first defendant.� Zakari said Pategi stood surety for Akinjide when she was granted administrative bail. “On August 10, 2016, he volunteered a Sterling Bank draft of N10 million on behalf of his wife as part payment of the N650 million that was traced to her and her co-accused. “The N10 million was paid by the first defendant’s husband on her behalf and the remaining N640 million has not been paid,� Zakari said. When reminded by Ayorinde that the balance has been paid, Zakari said: “I am aware that the sum of N640 million was received from the first defendant in Stanbic IBTC Bank draft in another case investiga t e d b y a t e a m t a g g e d , H O P S T, which was headed by one Shuaibu Shehu.� J u s tice Muslim Hassan adjourned until October 18.

Ex-NSA, Dasuki Knows Fate July 2 A Federal High Court in Abuja will on July 2 deliver judgment on the three years detention of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court slated the date to deliver judgment in the fundamental rights enforcement suit that Dasuki filed against the federal government over his continued detention after being granted bail by different courts since 2015. Dasuki who served as the NSA under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is

challenging legality of his prolonged detention since November 3, 2015, despite the fact that he was granted bail by four different trial courts. He is praying the court to declare his detention illegal and to award him N5 billion as general damages and compensation for gross violation of his fundamental rights. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu adjourned the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/263/2018 for judgment, after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.

CONDOLENCE VISIT

L-R: Plateau State Governor, Simeon Lalong; Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba and Commander Special Task Force, Maj. Gen. Atolagbe when the Vice President visited Jos over the killings of over 100 persons‌ yesterday

Oshiomhole Puts off Resumption at APC Secretariat Secondus seeks robust, constructive criticism chairman Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The much expected resumption of duty by the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole failed to materialise yesterday. Party sources said Oshiomhole could not resume as promised during his acceptance speech at the weekend because his predecessor, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, was not ready with the hand over notes. It said the fact that most of members of National Working Committee (NWC) did not envisage that the swearing in of the new party executives would be done immediately at the convention, they did not submitted their reports to Oyegun. The source also blamed it on the fact that the outgoing officials thought that the swearing in would done much later as was the case not in 2014. THISDAY however gathered that Oyegun did not want a half-baked arrangement, hence his decision to shift the handing over till today. According to the source Oshiomhole, a former Edo State governor, rather operated from his campaign office yesterday while waiting to be handed over.

Meanwhile, the new National Organising Secretary, Emma Ibediro, has resumed at his office yesterday. Ibediro who is succeeding Senator Osita Izunaso, held a meeting with staff of his unit where he solicited for their cooperation and loyalty. However, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has congratulated Oshiohmole. Secondus in a congratulatory statement from his media office signed by his Media Adviser, Ike Abonyi, wished the former Edo State governor well in his new challenge and expressed hope that his coming will help to deepen democracy in the country. According to him, “On behalf of my party, the main opposition PDP I wish to congratulate you and pray that democracy would gain a lot in your climbing to the exalted office of your party. “May I assure you of the PDP’s readiness to provide robust and constructive criticism and hope that the environment would be made conducive for all democratic instuitions to strive.� Also, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus

Abe congratulates APC

Ngei Abe, has congratulated Oshiomhole on his emergence as the National Chairman of the APC. Abe, who is also the senator representing Rivers South-east senatorial district in the National Assembly, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by his spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson. The senator, who described Oshiomhole as a true democrat, expressed the hope that he would use the experience garnered as a labour leader and a two-time governor of a diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious state to move the ruling party forward. He urged the new APC Chairman to see his miraculous emergence as the answer to the prayers of desperate Nigerians who were watching in despair and shock as the ruling party drifted off its core values, of justice for all, respect for the rule of law, adherence to internal democracy and due process to become a caricature of the change that we promised, as impunity, disobedience to court orders, violence and self-help became the order of the day. Abe said, “We must thank Nigerians for their faith in our ability to get it right and their patience which has now

been justified in the election of Oshiomhole as there is no alternative to the APC in Nigeria. Nigerians expect us to do the right thing and live up to our promises no matter how inconvenient that may be. “Where there are justice and respect for one another there will be peace. Let us give every one his due so that all members of our great party will be motivated to give their best. “I join all party members to thank our outgone executives for their services and wish them well in their future endeavours. “The task ahead of our party is challenging but there is a man for every time and a time for every man. In Oshiomhole and members of the new working committee, this challenging era in the history of our party has found its team and our future is bright indeed. “I thank President Buhari for his determination to rescue the party and his ability to do so by respecting our rules and following due process. I urge all leaders of our party to emulate the sterling qualities of the president not just in words but in their actions by showing respect for our rules. I congratulate all members of our party as our victory in 2019 is assured.�

TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Terrorism Remains Major Threat to Peace, Security in Nigeria, Says EU Army arrests suspected Boko Haram’s fuel suppliers Senator Iroegbu and Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË The European Union yesterday identified act of terrorism, particularly in Nigeria, as one of the major threats to peace and security in West Africa. This is coming as troops of 301 Artillery Regiment (General Support), Nigerian Army, yesterday arrested two suspected Boko Haram’s fuel suppliers in Nafada, Gombe State. The Head of the Regional Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Stefania Marrone, who stated this yesterday in Abuja, lamented that the menace which is prevalent in the North-east region of Nigeria and the Sahel has continued to impact negatively on progress made in the area of democracy. Marrone was speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop, organised by the ECOWAS Commission for journalists drawn from the 15-member states of the ECOWAS. The workshop is aimed at enhancing the visibility of ECOWAS peace and security interventions in the member

states. “While there has been, in recent times, satisfactory progress in democracy in West Africa, peace and security in West Africa continues to be confronted with very serious threats including radicalisation leading to terrorism, instability and insurgency in the Sahel as well as here in Nigeria with the menace of Boko Haram,” she said. The envoy, in addition, said climate change and its resultant effects have further heightened farmer- herder conflicts in the region. Other threats to peace and security in the region, she said, include activities of pirates particularly along the Gulf of Guinea, human trafficking and irregular migration. She however underscored the importance of solidarity among international partners in addressing the root causes of threats to peace in the region. Marrone disclosed that the EU’s 27m euros peace, security and stability project was aimed at supporting ECOWAS by enabling it to execute its conflict prevention and resolution mandate in a sustainable and proactive manner. Also speaking, the ECOWAS

Kanu’s Co-defendants in Alleged Treasonable Felony Suit Get N10m Bail Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday granted bail in the sum of N10 million each to the co-defendants of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. The defendants - Bright Chimezie; Chidiebere Onwudiwe; Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi - are standing trial on all alleged treasonable felony preferred against them by the federal government. Justice Nyako, in granting the fresh bail application of the defendants, also ordered that they provide two sureties each in like sum. The bail, which should be in cash, is expected to be deposited in the court’s account. Other conditions attached to the bail included an order preventing the defendants from granting any press interview or participating in any form of gathering or rally. Justice Nyako further ordered the defendants to report to the Commissioners of Police in their respective states of residence every two weeks. While Chimezie was ordered to report to the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Onwudiwe and Nwawuisi are to report to the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State and Madubugwu

to the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State. Following the severance of their trial from that of Kanu, whose whereabouts remains unknown since last year, when his family home in Abia State was invaded by military personnel, the federal government re-arraigned them on a three-count amended charge of treasonable felony. Consequently, the defendants through their counsel had asked the court to release them on bail. They have maintained their innocence of the charge against them, adding that even the charges are bailable. However, counsel to the federal government, Shuaibu Labaran, opposed their applications. But delivering ruling on their applications, Justice Nyako, said the applications succeeded on health grounds and the number of years they had spent in detention. Nyako stated that Chimezie had earlier been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Uyo in May 2017 but the Department of State Service (DSS), which was then holding him in custody refused to release him. The court in addition said the defendants had spent an average of three years in custody when the maximum penalty for the offences they were alleged to have committed carries between five to seven years upon conviction.

Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Gen. Francis Behanzin, stressed the role of the media in promoting peace and security agenda of the commission. Behanzin, who was represented by its Director of Political Affairs, Dr Aderemi Ajibewa, said little is known about the commission’s efforts in addressing the security

challenges facing the sub-region. Meanwhile, the troops of 301 Artillery Regiment (General Support), Nigerian Army, have arrested two suspected Boko Haram terrorist’s fuel suppliers in Nafada, Gombe State. The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig-Gen. Texas Chukwu, in a statement yesterday said the two suspects were Mohammed Adamu Zika,

a driver and Bukar Adamu Haji, Assistant Station Manager, in one of the fuel stations in Gombe State, while the other accomplice was at large. Chukwu said efforts to get Haji arrested had been intensified by the troops. He also disclosed that the two suspects are currently undergoing interrogation and would be handed over to

the appropriate authority for prosecution. The DAPR recalled that all fuel stations within Nafada general area were warned against selling large quantities of fuel to motorists. Chukwu also urged members of the public to report any suspicious movements or activities to the nearest security agency for prompt action.

CONGRATULATIONS

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (right), assisted by his SA on Administration, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwigwe (left), decorating his Orderly, Mr. Edward Utuh (middle) with his new rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police in Abuja...yesterday

US Preaches Stable, Prosperous Nigeria Beyond 2019 Elections Ademola Babalola ÓØ ÌËÎËØ The United States yesterday preached peaceful conduct of the 2019 general election in a way that Nigeria would remain an indivisible entity with stable economy and prosperity of all its component parts. It stated that should the contrary happen to the most populous black nation on earth, the spillover effect to other African countries would be too much to bear, hence the need for all and sundry to play the game according to the rules for continuous peace and tranquilly of the country. The above were the position of the United States Consulate General in Lagos

as it commenced a two-day election reporting workshop for journalists drawn from the print, electronic and new media across Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States. At the workshop taking place in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the media professionals were sensitised to be abreast of the best globally acceptable coverage of election as the 2019 race gathers momentum. The two-day workshop had as resource persons a former Dean of Communications, Lagos State University, Prof Lai Oso; the Director, International Media Training of the Voice of America, Ms Joan Mower, and the Public Affairs Officer, Ms Darcy Zotter, among others.

The US advised existing and prospective political office holders in Nigeria to steer clear of cheap blackmail, name calling and all sorts of personality defamation ahead of the 2019 and subsequent general election. The US further harped on issue-based campaigns as main factor to shape the conduct and outcome of the 2019 race, saying socio-economic needs of the people should be the political yardsticks for all polls. It declared that cheap black, name calling and character defamation were profusely used against President Donald Trump in the build-up to 2016 US electioneering but Americans were not swayed by negative campaigns and voted for Trump

as US president. Zotter, in her opening remarks, said once Nigeria is stable, other African countries would be prosperous, hence the need for all and sundry to “ensure free, fair and credible election in Nigeria.” She added that she informed the US Consulate General in Lagos to engage in the continuous media advocacy which was earlier kicked off in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Osogbo and in few weeks, Lagos State. Mower encouraged Nigerian politicians to focus on issues such as economy, infrastructure, health system and other key socioeconomic issues as campaign of calumny are gradually phasing out all over the world.

Pre-election Polls Reveal Eleka in Early Lead in Ekiti Oni asks court to revoke Fayemi’s candidacy Nume Ekeghe Ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State slated for July 14, a public poll conducted by NOI Polls has predicted the victory of Professor Kolapo Olusola, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, and other candidates. This is coming as governorship aspirant of the APC in the state, Segun Oni, has filed a suit at a Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the emergence of Fayemi, former Minister of Mines and Steel, as the

party’s standard bearer for the governorship poll. The result of the NOI Polls was made know in a statement made available yesterday, where the PDP candidate leads with eight points. NOI stated that the poll was conducted between June 18 and 23, 2018 in a bid to assess the preparedness of voters towards the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State. From the results of 1,000 randomly selected respondents, all residents in Ekiti State, and interviewed via telephone: Professor Olusola, fondly known as Eleka, polled 34 per cent; Dr. Fayemi (JKF) polled 26 per cent; Otunba Segun Adewale of ADP, fondly

called Oshaprapra, (seven per cent); and Reverend Tunde Afe of ANRP (six percent). In addition, there were some candidates who altogether polled four per cent, such as: Akinloye Ayegbusi (SDP), David Ayodele Adesua (ADC), Ebenezer Femi Ogunsakin (PPN), Dr. Sikiru Lawal (LP), Sunday Balogun (MPN),Mrs, Ilesanmi Anike Margaret (AP), Temitope Amuda (KP), Tosin Ajibade (ID) and Agboola Olaniyi (AD)amongst others. The Chief Executive Officer NOIPolls, Dr. Bell Ihua, stated: “The poll revealed that while 93 percent of respondents claimed to have obtained their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), 83 percent were absolutely

certain they would come out and vote for the gubernatorial candidate of their choice on July 14, 2018. In another development, Oni, has filed a suit at a Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the emergence of Fayemi as PC’s flagbearer for the July 14 governorship poll. Fayemi who polled a total of 941 votes at the primary which held on May 12, defeated Oni, his closest rival by a margin of over 460 votes. But Oni has asked the court to determine if it was proper for his opponent in the primary to contest without resigning as a member of the federal cabinet.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

From the Isle of Tortuga

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COMMENT

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

OSHIOMHOLE AND PDP’S OPPOSITIONAL POLITICS All gloves are off for bare-knuckled fight with the opposition, writes Patrick Obahiagbon

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inally, the eagle has landed with the emergence of former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). By that strategic political orchestration and stratagem, the APC, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has sounded the ultimate nunc dimittis for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The opposition must be wishing that this had not happened. Oshiomhole’s chairmanship of the governing APC is a masterstroke in the contemplation of a revitalised winning machine ahead of the crucial 2019 presidential election in which Buhari, as the expected candidate, continues to be PDP’s nemesis and Waterloo. It is a platitudinous fact that the PDP never wanted the APC to remain cohesive in the hope that it could profit from its internal squabbles and divisions in the build-up to next year’s general election. That was the reason it had continued with its negative profiling of the APC and its jejune antics of taunting the APC as incapable of holding congresses and national convention to elect its national executive committee (NEC). That narrative had, sardonically, become a platform on which the battered opposition strove to draw political relevance. Unfortunately, its rash of criticisms had only portrayed it as dimwitted. And generally, the PDP has now outlandishly reduced opposition politics to petty tittle-tattle and confabulation, poking around in the APC’s internal affairs when issues that directly affect the welfare, security and wellbeing of the nation and her citizenry are blowing in the wind. Therefore, the manner in which the PDP and its noxious frolics could not escape essential stigmatisation with regard to its unimaginative interference in APC’s internal affairs is the same manner in which its so-called quick responses to APC’s governance issues cannot escape indictment as products of frustration birthed by the historic and sensational termination of its megalomania in the 2015 presidential election. Its rodomontade that it would rule Nigeria for the next 60 years had suffered a short circuit. Its 60-year rule dream got terminated in its 16th year in power. The decision by Nigerians to sign a social contract with the APC is at the bottom of PDP’s histrionics. Unable to absorb the shock, and in a frenzied bid to stage a come-back to power to continue the robin hood road show, it has resorted to ridiculous and lugubrious acts of propaganda and blackmail. But one thing has been very evident in the corpus of criticisms that the PDP has hurled at the APC and Buhari’s administration since inception: the criticisms are all sheer bunkum and gobbledygook oozing out of the belly of damaged and compromised party machine, whose leaders lack the moral high ground to pontificate about corruption. But surprisingly, the PDP, through its publicists, has been labouring hard to skew the corruption narrative against the APC and Buhari, whose moral magnitude has received national and international approbation; a leader, who typifies the moral conscience of the administration and the moving force of the anti-corruption war. It is in the context of the sheer preposterousness of PDP’s antics that the sensibilities of Nigerians who have become seized of the facts of monumental corruption and mindless looting that charaterised the 16 years of the PDP government get daily assaulted and ghastly bruised.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE LEADING OPPOSITION PARTY HAS NOTHING NEW TO OFFER. IT HAS THUS BECOME A COMPULSIVE IRRITANT, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IT CANNOT ELECTORALLY REBOUND DUE TO BUHARI’S WRIT-LARGE CREDENTIALS AND CHARACTERS OF FINANCIAL PRUDENCE AND INTEGRITY

The fact that the PDP has the gumption to sermonise about propriety in official conduct questions and ridicules our sense of morality. The opposition party has sunk so deep into the corruption morass for it to be able to challenge the APC. Its records of malfeasance and sleaze are sordid. Its integrity capital has been greatly discounted. There is no iota of positivity in its kitty to show to a manically bewildered citizenry. The PDP cannot come to equity because it does not have clean hands. The totality of the political machine is soiled. The party’s unconscionable and wicked strategy to charge the APC-led federal administration with the mundane issues and primordial sentiments of religion and ethnicity in order to diminish the single-minded effort by Buhari to confront and dismantle the odious legacies of corruption, insecurity and mismanaged economy inherited from it, are reprehensible. Herein is the fallacy of PDP’s oppositional politics. It is obviously luxuriating in the aqua of hocus-pocus, thinking that Nigerians have forgotten so soon how its government mindlessly plundered the nation’s patrimony. There is no doubt that the leading opposition party has nothing new to offer. It has thus become a compulsive irritant, knowing full well that it cannot electorally rebound due to Buhari’s writ-large credentials and characters of financial prudence and integrity. In addition, the prospects of a much more unified party under the chairmanship of a hard-hitting Oshiomhole have raised the bar far higher than the PDP had expected. Until June 23, the PDP had been indulged by the party’s NEC under the urbane and unassuming leadership of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. That political indulgence had served as an oxygen mask for the prostrate PDP, which, at the time, should have been put where it rightly belongs through precise and sustained narratives by the APC. Had Oshiomhole been the chairman at that period when the nation was daily regaled by revelations of corrupt acts perpetrated by the PDP and officials of its government particularly from 2011 to 2015, he would have robustly deployed the platform of his office to further deconstruct the nature of the plundering administration and the characters that superintended it. Today, Oshiomhole has stepped in as national chairman to the discomfiture of the opposition: all gloves are off for bare-knuckled fights with the floundering opposition. It is too late for the PDP to stop the macabre dance. Regardless, Oshiomhole will take the wind out of its sail, deploying his huge capacity for wits and grits. Viva Nigeria! Viva APC! Viva Buhari! Viva Oshiomhole! Welcome to a new era in political party administration. The combination of Buhari and Oshiomhole would produce robust government-party leaderships that would be complementary in their vast flourish. Oshiomhole is not ready to take prisoners. He is in the mood to completely decimate the opposition. He has the intellectual magnitude, the oratorical clout and the sheer fecundity to deploy the power of logic in the articulation and elucidation of party manifestoes and government policies. He is very efficient and utilitarian. He will consistently and persistently intervene in very coherent defence of policy decisions and choices by the federal government. Obahiagbon, a former member of the House of Representatives, wrote from Benin

FOR THE GOOD OF PENSIONERS Akintola Benson-Oke lists the requisite skills for serving pensioners effectively

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will start by drawing attention to a profound quotation from Dorotea Brandin: “No matter what we do, each instant contains infinite choices. What we choose to think, to say or to hear creates what we feel in the present moment. It conditions the quality of our communication and in the end the quality of our everyday life. Beliefs and attitudes are made of thoughts. Negative thoughts can be changed and by doing, so we create for ourselves more pleasant inner states and have a different impact on the people around us.�

I chose to begin with that quotation because of the need to inculcate and sharpen the often-neglected but vital skills that officers of the Civil Service Pensions Office require to properly serve the pensioners and retirees of the Lagos State Civil Service. Savvy and experienced people know that in order to truly attain effectiveness and greatness, one must go beyond the mere formality of following the rules. While the rules are important and even essential, there are other considerations and skills that, if absent, may make the application of the rules ultimately meaningless. In furtherance of its dedication to this ideal and philosophical bent, the people-oriented government of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, has mandated the continuous training of the staff in order to ensure the inculcation of sterling values that will enable the delivery of top quality service to the officers of the civil service. In aiming to call attention to, and aid the development of the vital interpersonal skills that are vital for pension administrators, we will focus on the skills that are not learnt in schools but are important though rarely visible. These are the skills that are less tangible, harder to quantify, challenging to teach and, sometimes, difficult to describe. They include

attributes such as etiquette, getting along with others, listening and engaging in small talk. Without doubt, these skills are related to the concept of ‘employability’ but they are also related to the concepts of effectiveness and efficiency. Clearly, possessing the right attitude to work is a soft skill that is not taught in universities and other formal schools. This is therefore an attempt to help officers of the civil service pensions office develop the skills that are necessary for success. This is besides the benefits that skills training bring to bear on the attainment of the strategic objectives of the government and the effectiveness of the institutions of the civil service. Larry Buhl, one of the outstanding business news journalist in the world today, reported the outcome of a survey of more than 2,000 businesses in the United States. The report revealed that employers were of the opinion that entry-level workers in a variety of professions were lacking in several areas, including communication skills, problem solving, conflict resolution and critical observation. He then noted that it is now fashionable to see the possession of vital interpersonal skills showing up in job descriptions, next to demands for technical qualifications. He reported that employment experts agree that while technical qualifications may get a candidate a job, the vital interpersonal skills will determine whether the candidate can keep the job and succeed at it. Officers of the CSPO will attain better performance heights if they possess, among others, good communication skills. This doesn’t mean you have to be a brilliant orator or writer. It does mean you have to express yourself well, whether it is writing a coherent memo, persuading others with a presentation or just being able to calmly explain to a team member what you need. The CSPO as a department will become more effective and efficient if you can work in a team and collaborate. Today’s institutions want people who

play well with others and can effectively work as part of a team. According to Lyne Sarikas, the MBA Career Center Director at Northeastern University, “That means sometimes being a leader, sometimes being a good follower, monitoring the progress, meeting deadlines and working with others across the organisation to achieve a common goal.� Hence the need to possess interpersonal skills that make you adaptable to different situations. This is especially important for more-seasoned professionals to demonstrate in order to counter the often erroneous opinion that older workers are too set in their ways. Again, as quoted by Larry Buhl, Lyne Sarikas opined that “To succeed in most organisations, you need to have a passion for learning and the ability to continue to grow and stretch your skills to adapt to the changing needs of the organisation.� Furthermore, there is the need to point out the expectation for pension administrators to have the skills to solve problems as organisations want people who can be left on their own to figure out how to resolve conflicts and avoid chaos and ill feelings. You are also expected to be able to identify and spot potential for conflicts before they fester into full-blown crisis. Indeed, the ability to persuade, negotiate and resolve conflicts is crucial if you plan to move up. Sarikas is reported to observe that, “you need to have the skills to develop mutually-beneficial relationships in the organisation so you can influence and persuade people. “You need to be able to negotiate win-win solutions to serve the best interests of the company and the individuals involved.� In the same vein, the pension administrators in the CSPO will benefit from having officers who are able to make critical observations. Because the world is fast changing and issues are becoming more complex, the people in charge of important organisations must be able to observe and critically assess the impact and consequence of developments as they arise and,

sometimes, even before they arise. Larry Buhl pointed out that it is not enough to be able to collect data and manipulate it. You must also be able to analyse and interpret it. What story does the data tell? What questions are raised? Are there different ways to interpret the data? Summing this up, Sarikas is quoted as saying, “Instead of handing your boss a spreadsheet, give them a business summary and highlight the key areas for attention, and suggest possible next steps.� As you may have observed, these soft skills have everything to do with one’s attitude. Attitude is so important that most other coveted attributes flow from it. Shawn Ashmore says your “style is a reflection of your attitude and your personality.� Hans Selye opined that “adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.� Maya Angelou, the famous poet wrote that, “if you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.� Similarly, Lou Holtz observed that, ‘virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude.� Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America said, “nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal and nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.� Finally, let me remind officers of the CSPO of the importance of the work they do. Marcus Tullius Cicero who lived between 106–43 BC was a Roman statesman, orator, and writer. As an orator and writer Cicero established a model for Latin prose. His surviving works include speeches, treatises on rhetoric, philosophical works, and letters. Many profound observations are attributed to Cicero. Of the many wise propositions attributable to Cicero, this one stands out for me: “the welfare of the people is the ultimate law.� Dr. Benson Oke is Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions

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T H I S D AY TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

EDITORIAL TIME OUT FOR CAMPUS PREDATORS Richard Akindele’s sacking holds lesson for others

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n a strong statement that lecturers who abuse their powers on campus would no longer have a field day, the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife last week dismissed Professor Richard Akindele, a senior lecturer in the Department of Accounting, for gross misconduct after he was found liable for sex-formark scandal with a postgraduate student, Miss Monica Osagie. According to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Joint Committee of Council and Senate of the university which probed the allegation against the professor recommended his dismissal. It is a commendable decision by the OAU authorities. While demanding sexual gratification for marks from students may be a more blatant manifestation of the moral decadence that has afflicted the nation in recent years, there should be no excuse for such irresponsible behaviour IT IS TIME FOR THE from those who are NATIONAL ASSEMBLY paid to teach our TO REVISIT THE ‘SEXUAL children. Yet, for years, this social malaise had HARASSMENT IN straddled our tertiary TERTIARY EDUCATION institutions, threatenINSTITUTION: ing the future of many PROHIBITION BILL, 2016’ female students who WHICH WAS PASSED are usually held to BY THE SENATE IN 2016 ransom by ignominious randy lecturers, BUT STILL AWAITS intent on having THE CONCURRENCE illicit sex with them. In OF THE HOUSE OF several cases, many of REPRESENTATIVES these female students have had their academic carrier extended, and sometimes truncated, because of their refusal to succumb to such demand for sex. Ordinarily, the internal rules and regulations of the tertiary institutions would have been sufficient to rein in these sexual abusers. Unfortunately, the malaise is so endemic that even those at the highest levels of most institutions are believed to be neck deep in the unwholesome practice of demanding sexual gratifications for marks. In several instances, heads of departments to

whom students report the harassment; and members of panels to which the reports were referred for investigation, were themselves involved in the abuse. That then explains why for years, gangs of sexual abusers who acted as though above the law have been allowed to operate freely on the campuses of most institutions of learning in Nigeria.

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

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 BOLAJI ADEBIYI, 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

t is indeed very depressing that the campuses of our institutions of higher learning ordinarily considered as sane and safe havens for the acquisition of knowledge and inculcation of character have been taken over by predators who are paid to impart knowledge. In the instant case at Ife, Ogunbodede said the lecturer acted in a way that is seen to have compromised his position as a teacher and examiner given the manner he was negotiating with Monica about examination scores and inducement of favour for the alteration of examination scores. “He offered to change Miss Osagie’s purported 33% result to a pass mark in consideration for sexual favours, this was established in the audio recording which he admitted,” the statement said. However, beyond the dismissal of the randy professor at Ife, it is time for the National Assembly to revisit the “Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institution: Prohibition Bill, 2016” which was passed by the Senate in 2016 but still awaits the concurrence of the House of Representatives. Although the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) opposed the bill at the time, we consider it important as it prescribes a five-year jail term for lecturers convicted of sexual harassment of their male or female students. In the alternative, anyone found guilty of the offence is liable to a fine of N5 million. The bill also protects innocent lecturers by prescribing suspension or expulsion for any student who is found by a court of law to be liable for false accusation. While the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has done the correct thing regarding Professor Akindele, it is important to recognise that there are many lecturers like him on our various campuses. This is the time to begin to call them out!

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BUHARI, WORLD LEADERS AND 2019

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s the 2019 presidential poll in Nigeria draws nearer, speculations are going round on the chances of the aspirants. That is why I had earlier taken time to explore the opportunities for the aspirants. I also surveyed the position of the incumbent and aspiring President, Muhammadu Buhari, in relation to the media, the Nigerian traditional institution and the Church. For this very important piece, I want to quickly recall a quote by a leading member of the G7 countries and President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, while expressing deep solidarity with his Nigerian counterpart who recently visited the USA. Trump declared: “I stand with you the number one African President. I support you my fellow President. Your integrity is second to none. I am at your back in spirit, physical and in faith. Go on with your anti-corruption fight against crooks in your country. I support you President Muhammadu Buhari. God is also with you. God bless our two nations”. If there is, in the history of Nigeria, a president who has enjoyed massive support from world leaders, the president is Muhammadu Buhari. The support is not born out of hypocrisy or political bait to score a goal. Most of the leaders are giving their support to Buhari because of the “person” he is. Yes, world leaders play politics of the highest order as they have played with Nigeria which they knew had been played with by the past Nigerian leaders and her political echelon. Now, they know Nigeria is led by a serious-minded, corrupt-free and highly-spirited patriotic citizen who wants to make

great human and positive impact on Nigeria and Africa at large. In a modest expression, the difference is clear. Moreover, no Nigerian president has received sincere worldwide accolade than Buhari. History is a record and can be recalled for verification. This is because of Buhari’s caliber and “self”. I need not say more here because the clarity between Buhari and other past leaders is simply remarkable. World leaders, unlike those of Nigeria and by extension a lot of Africans, believe in integrity, humanity and freedom, amidst political gimmick and gambling. They believe in dedication to duty, public trust and general welfarism. Though theirs is to protect their sovereign security, economy and good governance, they detest to a large extent any governance that allows corruption, terrorism and inhumanity to man. These were Nigeria’s attributes in the past. It is not the flow of free cash that determines the success of a good leadership or government, but the institutionalisation of a workable system for posterity. For instance, people were worried of President Trump’s declarations against Muslims and Africans during his campaigns and after swearing-in. But he is changing, knowing the complexity of the world which cannot be claimed by one race, religion or political ideology. Leading the world of today, he is very comfortable with Buhari’s policies and grand-style of governance. Trump has promised to visit Nigeria, a very strong signal of support to Buhari’s administration. In addition, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, looks onto Nigeria administration with admiration.

While receiving foreign envoys to his country recently including that of Nigeria, Professor Steve Davies Ugba, he expressed special interest in broadening ties with Nigeria. “We very much appreciate our relations with Nigeria, an important partner for us on the African continent. We support the expansion of mutually beneficial Russian-Nigerian ties”. The world leaders know that Buhari cannot plan to kill his people whom he toils to protect and uplift. They know those behind the killings in Nigeria. They know those creating confusion in order to derail Buhari from his laudable plans for Nigerians. Just like Femi Adesina puts it, there are the true herders and farmers who have been clashing from time immemorial and there have been hidden hostile hands who have crept in under that umbrella to play the most irresponsible politics. I call it politics of inferiority complex and acceptance of defeat. Since he took-over the leadership of Nigeria, Buhari has traversed the length and breadth of the world, definitely not for pleasure, but to redeem the shattered image of Nigeria aboard. Before 2015, Nigerians were undergoing high levels of torture and inhumanity outside the country. Nigerians refused to return home upon all the hard times in foreign lands. Such countries even refused to repatriate Nigerians to Nigeria because the government did not care about its citizens outside the country or the countries had some kind of sympathy and refused to return them to hopelessness. It is not so again. Muhammad Ajah, Abuja

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

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POLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

TRENDING NEWS

Waiting for the Last Laugh Nduka Nwosu reports that the Supreme Court will on July 13 decide the appeal by the faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance led by Chief Martin Agbaso seeking the nullification of the Appeal Court verdict, which reinstated Dr. Victor Oye as national chairman of the party

Victor Oye

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s July 13 draws closer, the two factions of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, will be at the apex court Abuja to know the next move to make in the fight to determine the authentic national chairman of the party. This is as reports by newspapers last week suggest the outcome of the judgment has already been known by the Victor Oye faction of the party with wild jubilations in Anambra and Imo states. Regardless of what this portends for the judiciary which has been working relentlessly to redeem its forlorn image and perception after a bloodied encounter with the EFCC, there is a popular opinion that the present dispensation of the Supreme Court under the headship of the Chief Justice of the Federation Walter Onoghen, that such tales reminiscent of the experiences of yesteryears in this Fourth Republic have become history. Onoghen has been speaking at different fora on his game plan to turn around the image of the judiciary as corruption free and prepared to deliver what is required of it in a three tier government. At one of such fora, at the National Judicial Council conference in Abuja the CJN spoke on the topic, ‘Enhancing the Quality of Judicial Services,’ insisting that the prestige of the judiciary must be preserved in a three tier system of government. The behaviour of judges, the Chief Justice affirmed, “is closely scrutinised to guarantee continued confidence in the integrity of the courts.” This is an assurance that has rekindled interest on judicial pronouncements in this dispensation. Therefore there is hope that come July 13, the two parties involved would have a cause for cheer since both have dismissed the impression that such a pronouncement was already before the public knowledge. Although the two principal actors Chiefs Martin Agbaso and Victor Oye are carefully avoiding the press for fear of being aligned to subjudice, Chief Eneja Okeke, an APGA chieftain was optimistic the outcome would be fair to all concerned. Okeke was quoted as saying that though it could be true that the governor may have out of desperation influenced the judgment, the Supreme Court has given him cause to believe its integrity was intact and that it would not yield to the desperation of any interest in the case. “There may certainly be desperate moves to get judgment from the back door, but I can tell you that the integrity of the judges are at stake here. “I am sure that they cannot sacrifice such hard earned integrity. So, any person can close the

CJN Walter Onnoghen

streets in jubilation for a case which judgment is still several weeks away from now. That shows their desperation, but we are not bothered because the truth must prevail,” Okeke said. Why did the Martin Agbaso faction go to court after the Enugu Court of Appeal quashed the judgment from the lower court delivered by Justice A. R. Ozoemena? According to reports, Chief Martin Agbaso had approached the Supreme Court, seeking nullification of the Appeal Court verdict, which reinstated Dr. Victor Oye as the authentic national chairman of the party. Agbaso’s appeal filed on August 16, 2017 is seeking for, among other things, “a stay of execution of the Appeal Court verdict sitting in Enugu on the matter pending the determination of the case by the apex court. “The special Appeal Court panel of three judges’ led by Justice Abdul Aboki in their Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 judgement at Enugu dismissed the order of the lower court for want of jurisdiction. The special panel comprised Justice Abdul Aboki, (Presiding), Justice Bolaji Yesuf and Justice Ibrahim Shatta Bodlya.” The High Court’s ruling followed an application brought to it by the party’s Deputy Chairman in Enugu State, Mike Alioke, asking the Court for an order of mandamus, compelling INEC to recognise the decision of APGA appointing Agbaso as the acting national chairman of the party. Alioke had also prayed the court for a declaration that by section 4 of the Police Act, both the Inspector General of Police and the Enugu State Commissioner of Police are bound to ensure the compliance of the decision of APGA regarding the appointment of Agbaso as the acting national chairman of the party in order to forestall a breakdown of law and order. He had also prayed for an order prohibiting INEC and its privies from recognizing or accepting any other person as the national chairman of APGA other than Chief Agbaso as submitted to it by the party. Dissatisfied with the judgement, Victor Oye had challenged the order of Justice A. R. Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court at an Appellate court and the Appeal Court granted him his request, which was later challenged at the Supreme Court by the other party. The Supreme Court had reserved judgement on the matter for July 13, following the refusal of the presiding judge, Justice Rhode Vivour, to discontinue with the case as requested by counsels to the defendant, Victor Oye. The APGA faction that went to the Supreme Court stated that the issues for determination submitted in its Appeal as distilled from the

Martin Agbasso

Grounds of Appeal are as follows: “Whether the learned justices of the Court of Appeal were right when they refused to stay proceedings in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 notwithstanding their acknowledgment of the fact of the pendency of Appeal Nos. SC/598/2017 and SC/600/2017 at the Supreme Court in respect of and pertaining to Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017? (Ground one) “Whether the learned justices of the Court of Appeal were right when they assumed jurisdiction to entertain and determine Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 which was initiated by a party interested (id est, 1st Respondent therein) without the prior leave of the Court first sought and obtained? (Ground two) “Whether the learned justices of the Court of Appeal were right when they held that the Motion on Notice and the order of the Court of Appeal of 10th July, 2017 in Appeal No. CA/E/358/2017, seeking to regularize the Notice of Appeal filed in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 filed without the prior leave of court by a party interested, effectively cured the defect in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017? (Ground three) In the concluding argument Agbaso’s lawyers led by Tochukwu Maduka submitted that “it was wrong for the Court below to expect an application for stay of proceedings to be filed before it or that original copies of the Application for stay of proceedings filed at the Supreme Court to be placed before it (even though the original copies of the said processes were before the court below) to enable it stay proceedings. By the said Order 8 Rule 10 of the Supreme Court Rules, the court below was no longer seized of the proceedings in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 following the entering of the Record of Appeal in respect of the said Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 at the Supreme Court as appeal No. SC/600/2017. “We further submit, with respect, that the refusal of the court below to stay proceedings in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 following the pendency of Appeal No. SC/600/2017 at the Supreme Court appears to be a disrespect to the authority of the Supreme Court and a disregard to the principle of stare decisis and the hierarchy of courts as established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “In the final analysis and from the postulations and submissions contained in this Appellant’s Brief of Argument, we most humbly but firmly pray your Lordships to allow this Appeal and to set aside the Ruling and judgment of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 delivered on the 15th and 16th days of August, 2017 on the following grounds, to wit:

“The learned justices of the Court of Appeal were wrong when they refused to stay proceedings in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 notwithstanding their acknowledgment of the fact of the pendency of Appeal Nos. SC/598/2017 and SC/600/2017 at the Supreme Court in respect of and pertaining to Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017. “The learned justices of the Court of Appeal were wrong when they assumed jurisdiction to entertain and determine Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 which was initiated by a party interested (id est, 1st Respondent therein) without the prior leave of the Court first sought and obtained. “The learned justices of the Court of Appeal were wrong when they held that the Motion on Notice and the order of the Court of Appeal of 10th July, 2017 in Appeal No. CA/E/358/2017, seeking to regularize the Notice of Appeal filed in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017 filed without the prior leave of court by a party interested, effectively cured the defect in Appeal No. CA/E/367/2017. When this last lap of endless litigations is overcome, APGA the party on which Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu contested as Presidential candidate needs to re-focus and expand its frontier from a regional to a national party. At a point in its history, APGA like the AD, the ACN, the NPC, the UPN and the Action Group, was at the verge of dominating the politics of the South East when the PDP led government tactically decimated it through its widespread rigging of the elections of 2003. The APGA legacy remains the driving force of the founding fathers, which makes it an allinclusive party for those who are disenfranchised, those who are locked out of opportunity, those who have challenges dealing with the vagaries of day to day living, the unhappy members of the polity getting minimum or no benefit from good governance, a party that seeks to create opportunity for those who are not equitably treated, those Nigerians who are yearning for good government and infrastructure development such as public healthcare, good roads, electricity, affordable education, access to jobs et al, those in search of the legacy of truth, honor, justice and the like. The big question is, does APGA in its current format, represent any of these postulations? A regionally based party, which is what APGA currently is, cannot be taken seriously. APGA is a party that has remained in Anambra State with little hope of regaining its rising status as the dominant party of the South-east.

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T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

POLITICS

Penchant for Inconsistency Davidson IriekpenwritesthattherecentaccusationbyThePresidencythattheoppositionisresponsible for the widespread killings in the country may have exposed its contradiction

President Buhari

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he Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina recently accused some faceless persons in opposition political parties of sponsoring the widespread killings in the country. Speaking on Arise TV, Adesina said the president’s enemies resorted to the “bestial act” to discredit his scorecard on security. He said the killings were being instigated to weaken the incumbent government. He added that security agencies were investigating those behind the killings, and that they would be dealt with once they are identified. “You have the true herders and farmers who are clashing and you have hidden hostile hands that have crept in under that umbrella to play what the president has described as irresponsible politics. This farmers/herders’ clash has been going on for a long time. When I say long time, I mean before this administration. Like the president said, the issue is even older than anybody living today. What you have today are being sponsored because they know security is one of the strongest points of the administration. “The president said so in a national broadcast. He also said the security agencies are investigating and has warned that once they are identified, they will be dealt with. The intention of the opposition in any democracy is to weaken the incumbent as much as possible and the opposition in Nigeria has identified security as one of the strong points of the Buhari administration. They decided to go to that soft under belly and stuck a knife into it,” he said. Since the incidence of widespread killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen became frequent across the country under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the government has attributed it to many factors. For instance, while President Buhari blamed the attacks on invaders from Libya, his Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) blamed it on herdsmen from neighbouring countries. Even the Minister of Defence, Dan-Ali and Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, at different times blamed the enactment of the anti-open grazing law for the dastardly act. However, putting the blame for the killings on the opposition is a new angle that has never been played up before now. At some point, the IG accused the Benue State government of arming vigilante in the state to wreak havoc on the people. The accusation by Adesina is totally strange. Apart from Taraba State, the killings are mostly recorded in All Progressives Congress, APCcontrolled states. Incidentally, none of the governors in these states accused elements in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or any member of the opposition of sponsoring killings in their states. Besides, none of the

Nasir el-Rufai

herdsmen arrested by the police confessed to being sponsored by the opposition. Those being killed and their governors know who are responsible. At the peak of the horrendous destruction of lives and property in southern Kaduna by Fulani herdsmen, Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, while fielding questions from journalists in his office in 2016, said the nefarious activities were carried out by foreign herdsmen from neighbouring countries. The governor disclosed that his government had traced some violent, aggrieved Fulani to their countries and paid them to stop the killings of southern Kaduna natives and the destruction of their communities. He said the foreign herdsmen have been carrying out revenge attacks over losses incurred and lives lost in 2011, adding that the state government negotiated with the foreign herdsmen and paid them compensation to stop the killings. He said: “For southern Kaduna, we didn’t understand what was going on and we decided to set up a committee under Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rtd) to find out what was going on there. What was established was that the root of the problem has a history starting from the 2011. Fulani herdsmen from across Africa bring their cattle down towards Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria. The moment the rains start around March, they start moving them up to go back to their various communities and countries. Unfortunately, it was when they were moving up with their cattle across

Against the known history of killings, the opposition is at a loss to situate Adesina’s allegation that they are responsible for the killings to weaken the Buhari’s government. They believe that the new allegation is a ploy by the federal government to clamp some of them into detention, especially with the elections around the corner

Samuel Ortom

southern Kaduna that the elections of 2011 took place and the crisis trapped some of them. Some of them were from Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Senegal. Fulanis are in 14 African countries and they traverse this country with the cattle. Many of these people were killed, cattle lost and they organised themselves and came back to revenge. A lot of what was happening in southern Kaduna was actually from outside Nigeria. We got a hint that the late Governor Patrick Yakowa got this information and he sent someone to go round some of these Fulani communities, but of course after he died, the whole thing stopped. That is what we inherited. The Agwai committee established that. “We took certain steps. We got a group of people that were going round trying to trace some of these people in Cameroon, Niger Republic and so on to tell them that there is a new governor who is Fulani like them and has no problem paying compensations for lives lost and he is begging them to stop killing. In most of the communities, once that appeal was made to them, they said they have forgiven. There are one or two that asked for monetary compensation. They said they have forgiven the death of human beings, but want compensation for cattle. We said no problem, and we paid some. As recently as two weeks ago, the team went to Niger Republic to attend one Fulani gathering that they hold every year with a message from me.” Appeals by many Nigerians that the federal government should compel el-Rufai, to produce Fulani herdsmen to whom money was paid proved abortive. They stated that the failure to compel the governor to produce the herdsmen was an indication of the insincerity of the Buhari administration. While the killings continued unabated, the worry of many Nigerians was not only about the inability of the government to stop the dastardly act taking place in mainly Christian-dominated areas, but also to show empathy to the victims. For instance, on the day when 73 persons were being buried in Benue State, there was not a single delegation from the federal government, neither was there a declaration or commitment to deal decisively with the perpetrators of the evil act. This set tongues wagging, with a crosssection of Nigerians believing that because the President is a Fulani, he was backing his tribesmen to kill others. Perhaps, this emboldened the former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), to accuse the military of docility and collusion, calling on Nigerians to wake up and defend themselves against the frequent attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Against the known history of killings, the opposition is at a loss to situate Adesina’s

allegation that they are responsible for the killings to weaken the Buhari’s government. They believe that the new allegation is a ploy by the federal government to clamp some of them into detention, especially with the elections around the corner. Already, former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, who has been helpless over the killings of his people has been arrested by operatives of the DSS. The PDP has described the accusation by Adesina as an act of desperation by the APC-led administration to clamp its leading figures into detention and to keep them out of circulation till after the next general election. The party particularly expressed concern over the arrest and continued detention of Suswan, adding that his arrest was meant to prevent him from attending a PDP rally for the north central region. Its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party, “had earlier alerted the nation and the international community that the enemies of our democratic process and adversaries of our unity and harmonious living as a nation have commenced a desperate clampdown on opposition leaders and perceived opponents of the President Buhari administration. Today, our dear nation, Nigeria, has finally fallen into perilous times. There is fears and trepidation everywhere. The safety, personal freedom and wellbeing of Nigerians, particularly, opposition members are no longer guaranteed. “Having realised that they stand no chance in the 2019 general elections, the APC is now deploying every wicked machination to cause confusion, heighten political tension, hounding and arrest of opposition leaders, making spurious allegations and attacking influential Nigerians, including former heads of state, all to instill fear on the polity. Having failed in their corruption smear campaign against the PDP and many notable Nigerians, the APC and the presidency cabal have now devised a devious machination to rope in, frame up, implicate and ultimately incarcerate marked opposition leaders and other dissenting voices over fabricated security charges.” Ologbondiyan said part of grand design, as already exposed by Adesina, is to link such opposition leaders and dissenting voices with the widespread killings in various parts of the country. He added that Adesina had forgotten that President Buhari had earlier blamed the attacks on invaders from Libya, while the Director General of DSS blamed it on herdsmen from neighbouring countries. “The PDP wants the APC and the Buhari presidency to know that despite their machinations, the 2019 general elections must hold as scheduled, as Nigerians will never be cowed into allowing them to stay a day beyond May 29, 2019, no matter the intimidation, threats and harassment,” he said.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com

Untold Stories of Boko Haram Abductions No one knows exactly how many women, men, and children have been abducted by Boko Haram since the terror group began its insurgency in 2009, though, kidnapping has been part of its operational strategy even before the infamous seizures of school girls from Chibok in Borno and students from Dapchi in Yobe. Chineme Okafor recently spoke with some family members of Boko Haram’s abductees

Still missing his family, he tells of his life, just like a lot others...

F

or years, Mohammed Gambo has lived in Bulabulin Bolibe area of Jere in Borno State but with an impaired vision. He told THISDAY during an encounter facilitated by the PAGED Initiative that kidnapping of people in the state was a longstanding menace, though only very few people spoke about it or even had the means to speak about it. Borno is the most affected state in the North-east, which is the epicentre of Boko Haram terrorism. Misfortune Wearing a depressed look, Gambo narrated to a THISDAY correspondent, who was with a group of social researchers from the PAGED Initiative, how a good number of his family members were abducted by Boko Haram. He explained that no one actually knew where they were now and if they were still alive. In his account of what happened the day his father and his wives where kidnapped from his home, Gambo said but for providence, he, too, would have been a victim. “My father asked me to come to his house, but I couldn’t go. That same day, my dad and two of his wives were abducted. If I had gone, I probably would have been abducted as well,” said Gambo.

The PAGED team were in Borno to have

About 40 of my friends were shot and killed during an excursion to Federal Government College Potiskum in 2013. But I know a woman who helped her husband to escape from Boko Haram (and was subsequently abducted). When she was liberated by the military, she was already pregnant for one of the Boko Haram members. The husband rejected her

PAGED INITIATIVE

a personal knowledge of how people who fled their homes following Boko Haram invasion had managed to settle in new abodes within Maiduguri and its environs. According to Gambo, as the years rolled by and the terror group continued its abductions across communities in Borno State, he discovered that 15 members of his family – immediate and extended – who were seized by the terrorists were yet to find their ways back home. He lamented the death of one of his relatives and said he was informed about the death by one of the terrorists. Similar to Gambo’s experience was that of Modu Sheriff, who told the PAGED team that four members of his family were abducted and were yet to be found. Bukar Mallam Abba, another victim, told the team that five members of his family were abducted, just as Ali Goni Bukar, a victim, stated that one member of his family was abducted and still unaccounted for. Sheriff, Abbah, and Bukar, all currently live in Bulabulin Bolibe, a sprawling community that is probably the most affected in Borno, which houses lots of people displaced from their communities by Boko Haram. “When my community in Damasak was attacked, we escaped through the river to Gamari in Niger Republic and later came

to Maiduguri through Damaturu. I will never go back to my community because it brings back bitter memories and I have seen a lot to last me a lifetime,” Bukar explained through a translator. Bulabulin Bolibe's Untold Abduction Stories Loosely translated as a new town in Kanuri language, Bulabulin Bolibe harbours many untold stories of families whose relations have gone missing. They settled there because Boko Haram has chased them away from their respective communities. Ba Umar, a victim reminisced on how the sect stormed his community to kidnap young people perhaps for conscription. He explained that while two of his brothers went missing that day, some other people also died on that occasion. He said: “They came to my community for the purpose of abducting young people. In the process, six people that I know were slain. I ran to Mainari then to Ngom at 11pm. To this day, I still haven’t heard from two of my brothers.” Similarly, Mohammed Muazu, who left Bama when it became too difficult to reside there, explained that he hadn’t set his eyes on his wife and six children who he said were taken by Boko Haram.

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• T H I S D AY TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

FEATURES

Conversation about relations that are missing in Borno...usually depressing..

PAGED INITIATIVE

He said, “I came alone from Bama. My wife, with six children, was taken away by Boko Haram and I have not heard anything about them. I am in Maiduguri, and I think of them always.” Musa Idi, also left Bama, and told the social researchers that: “For over three years now, I don’t know where my family members are, I ran from Bama to Maiduguri on foots.” Another victim, Babagana Mohammed also escaped to Maiduguri for safety, but told the team that one of his daughters has not been found since the group took her. Mohammed told a story of how he was compelled by people who were hiding with him and his family from the Boko Haram to hand her over his daughter to the insurgents when they saw her through the window of the home they hid in. He said it was a decision he made to save other people hiding with his family, adding: “It was either this or they all risk being captured". A father, Babagana Modu, could not hold back his tears when he told the team that his teenage daughter was abducted so close to the Shehu’s Palace in Bama. Modu said they took away his daughter and she never returned to them. Narrating an unusual story from the abductions, another resettled resident of Bulabulin Bolibe, who simply identified

Engaging the communities

When my community in Damasak was attacked, we escaped through the river to Gamari in Niger Republic and later came to Maiduguri through Damaturu. I will never go back to my community because it brings back bitter memories and I have seen a lot to last me a lifetime

himself as Abdulkarim, told the team that while about 40 of his friends were shot and killed at different times by Boko Haram, the tortuous reception an abducted female member of his community got from her husband when she was liberated by the Nigerian military, left him with sad memories. “About 40 of my friends were shot and killed during an excursion to Federal Government College Potiskum in 2013. But I know a woman who helped her husband to escape from Boko Haram (and was subsequently abducted). When she was liberated by the military, she was already pregnant for one of the Boko Haram members. The husband rejected her,” said Abdulkarim.

Inadequate Statistics Speaking to THISDAY on the abduction stories of people in Bulabulin Bolibe, Project Coordinator of PAGED Initiative, Ummi Bukar, explained that the stories of people kidnapped by Boko Haram from the North-east might never be completely told because the statistics of such kidnap incidents were hard to come by. She noted that people should be encouraged to come forth to tell their stories and perhaps hope for a reunion with their lost family members who may have managed to escape from the group’s hold and ate probably living within any of the camps set up for internally displaced people, or any other places they may have resettled. Ms. Bukar said stories told by community

people – mostly women and young girls – PAGED had worked with to help them come to terms with the changing roles the insurgency had brought upon them indicated that a lot of people were kidnapped by the group. She said from the stories, women and men were randomly kidnapped by the terrorists, adding that Chibok and Dapchi incidents are recognised by the world because the targets were huge and the act was committed at once, unlike the many random abductions. Bukar said there was an urgent need for a thorough search for the lost family members, stressing that this may reveal their locations or circumstances. It would also help the families to overcome their misfortune, she said.

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱʹ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

‘NBA IS NOW WORSE THAN THE MILITARY’

26.06.2018

Afam Osigwe

2/DASHBOARD

26.06.2018

NASS Appeals High Court Decision which Nullified its Power to Re-Order Election Sequence PAGE 5

Ogun High Court Dismisses N70m Unpaid Legal Fee Suit Against Ex-Speaker, Bankole PAGE 5

Lawyer: Why I Sued Rev. Kpakpovwe and His Ministry PAGE 5

QUOTABLES ‘There are very many experienced Nigerian women. We are very proud, of the women in our cabinet. They have put on their mettle, and I’m sure that, as soon as is practicable, and we are moving there, very soon, we are going to have more women in our cabinet than men.’ – Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Lawyer, Minister of Information & Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria

‘I see the Law as one half of a whole, because the ‘Not too Young to Run’ Law as it stands in itself, it is toothless. Even before the enactment of the Bill into law, we have had 40 years as a cap, for someone who is vying to be President. Since 1999 to date, have you heard of any 40 or under 40 years, emerging or even succeeding in the Primaries, saying he is a candidate going forth into the election?.....the problem is not with the age....the problem is the Afrocentric mentality of leadership.....’ – Daniel Hassan Bwala, Abuja, LL.M (UK), MCI Arb (UK), Legal Practitioner, Notary Public and Barrister, Lincoln’s Inn, London

COLUMNIST DR. KUBI UDOFIA Dr. Kubi Udofia holds a Doctorate degree in Law from The University of Nottingham, a Certificate in International Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management, London, a Masters degree in Corporate Law from University College, London and a Bachelors degree from University of Uyo in Nigeria. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007, Dr Udofia is the Head of the Corporate and Commercial Law Practice Group, at Fidelis Oditah & Co. He is an acknowledged expert in Insolvency and Restructuring Law in Nigeria.

‘We Organise Maritime Seminars for Judges, to Bridge the Knowledge Gap in Admiralty Law’ PAGE 6

‘Lawyers Must be Hardworking, with Determination, Integrity, Courage and Perseverance’ PAGE 6

Binding Nature of Deed which Parts are Not Exchanged PAGE 7

Saraki, Offa Armed Robbers, and the Law PAGE 11

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE EDITOR JUDE IGBANOI DEPUTY EDITOR AKINWALE AKINTUNDE REPORTER TUNDE BUSARI GROUP HEAD OCHI OGBUAKU II ART DIRECTOR

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Akindele and the Scourge of Sexual Harassment

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ast October, I wrote about sexual harassment vis-a-vis the American Film Producer, Harvey Weinstein, and his sex scandal. I did touch on Nigeria’s Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Prohibition Act 2016 aka Sexual Harassment Act (SHA), which only protects students in tertiary institutions, from sexual harassment. Professor Richard Akindele Today, we have the case of the infamous Professor Richard Akindele of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU), who was recently dismissed from OAU by the institution’s Governing Council, for gross misconduct. The Professor demanded 5 rounds of sex from a female student, Miss Monica Osagie, to change her grade from 33% to a pass mark. It turns out that, unknown to Miss Osagie, she had actually passed the exam, scoring 45%! Prof Akindele contended that Ms Osagie knew that she had scored 45%, but that she had wanted a ‘A’ grade in the course, so, she sexually harassed him, to enhance her grade! Of course, Prof Akindele’s counter-allegations against Miss Osagie, could neither be substantiated or corroborated. Research and Statistics I discussed Prof Akindele’s issue, with my son. He asked me whether I thought that sexual harassment by Teachers in educational institutions, only occurred in Nigeria. He informed me that this crime, was common all over the place, even in the USA. My research revealed that my son was right. An American Association of University Women Survey in 2002 on students in the 8th – 11th grade (equivalent of Forms 4 – Upper 6), reported 38% of the students had been sexually harassed by Teachers and School Employees. The statistics in USA, were actually astounding. For graduate students “38% of females and nearly 1 in 4 males, reported sexual harassment from Faculty or Staff”. “1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men, were actually sexually assaulted, while in College” (University). Sexual Harassment Act The allegations against Prof Akindele fall within the definitions of what amounts to sexual harassment in Section 4 of the SHA – ranging from unwelcome sexual attention from an Educator, to lewd unwelcome remarks from an Educator to a Student, to implied or expressed promise of a reward by an Educator to a student, or implied threat or reprisal, if the student refuses to comply with the Educator’s sexual demands. It seems that the telephone conversation between Prof and Monica, which she recorded and made public, includes most of the elements of sexual harassment. By virtue of Section 8 of the SHA, these offences carry a penalty of 2 – 5 years imprisonment, with no option of fine. Section 3 of the SHA, shows that there is a fiduciary relationship between a student and an Educator, which is breached by allegations of sexual harassment by a student against the

Professor Richard Iyiola Akindele

Educator. Such a student victim, can institute civil proceedings in court against the Educator, for a breach of this duty. Section 7 of the SHA, allows a victim of sexual harassment or any other person, to make a complaint of sexual harassment to the Police or the Attorney-General, who will take the necessary steps to commence criminal proceedings against the perpetrator. However, once criminal proceedings have been instituted, the school authority does not have the power to take or continue disciplinary action, against an erring Educator. For me, the dismissal of Prof Akindele from OAU, seems to establish a prima facie case against him. However, it must not end at dismissal. He should be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction, and if he is found guilty, convicted and given the maximum punishment provided for. This will serve as an example and deterrent, to other Predators like Professor Akindele, working in institutions all over Nigeria, who are engaged in this disgusting crime. One of the major consequences of this act, is to reduce the quality of the work force in the country, as many who have failed their exams, are passed, and they graduate from tertiary institutions, by virtue of their having sexual relations with Educators, and not because of merit. Quid Pro Quo Unfortunately, as in the case of Nigeria, the American Survey revealed that a lot of sexual harassment cases by Educators, go unreported to the school authorities. Of course, there are also a lot of ‘lazy bad eggs’ in Nigerian educational institutions, who willingly elect to participate in this ‘sex-for-marks’ scam, an easier way to sail through University and graduate, instead of the seemingly more difficult option, of actually studying to pass exams - a sort of “quid pro quo” arrangement. Some Reasons for Sexual Harassment in Schools Men are the ones, who engage in sexual harassment the most. While you have the usual male opportunist, who wants to have any woman he finds attractive, you have many that take advantage of their victims’ vulnerability, exercising their ‘power’ over the victims, and coercing them to do their bidding – “if you do not succumb to my sexual advances, I have the power to make sure you fail my course, to make sure you spend some extra semesters in school, or stop you from graduating from this institution”. You may have an Educator who is so physically unattractive, so much so that, under normal circumstances, many women would decline to have a sexual relationship with him. He then uses his position as an Educator, to have his way with as many ladies as possible, by using the sexual harassment tool as his weapon of conquest, against his students. Another reason for the prevalence of sexual harassment in educational institutions, has been the improper response, which the victims have

Miss Monica Osagie

received from the school authorities, when such reports are made. In the past, tertiary institutions, were accused of simply paying lip service, to fighting sexual harassment. If there is much more of the type of the reaction of the Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede led OAU, denouncing culprit instead of closing ranks against the victim, it will go a long way to help reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in educational institutions. When a Harasser knows that he will not only be dismissed from his place of work, but with the enactment of the SHA, face criminal prosecution if caught in the act, it will certainly serve as a deterrent. Naturally, it could be argued that faced with the damning audio recording of Prof Akindele’s conversation with Ms Osagie, OAU authorities were left with little or no choice, but to sack him. But, if the evidence was not as damning or clear cut as in this case, would the OAU Senate have handled the matter in the same way? I hope so. Examples of Sexual Harassment in Other Institutions In 2016, the Governing Council of Delta State University, Abraka, sacked a Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Dr J.O.T.Emudianohwo who was found blameworthy in a case of sexual harassment, among other infractions. Likewise, Mr A.C.Akpokininovo, another Lecturer in the same University, who was also sacked, was paraded by the Delta State Police, in a case of sexually harassing one Esther Omokiniovo, a female student. Students of the English Department of University of Lagos, alleged that some of their male Lecturers, were members of what could be referred to as, a ‘sexual harassment cult’, alleging that they go to the extent of bragging about their sexual conquests, amongst themselves! A female student released nude photos of one of the Professors, whom she claimed was a serial sexual harasser. What has the Governing Council of the University of Lagos, done about these grave allegations against the English Department Faculty Members? Queen’s College It is however, unfortunate, that the SHA is only applicable to tertiary institutions. Sexual harassment, also occurs in secondary schools, and the law should cover all levels of educational institutions. In 2016, Mr Olaseni Osifala, a Teacher at my Alma Mater, Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos (QC), was accused of sexually assaulting a Junior Secondary 2 student, and harassing other girls. He was accused of grabbing this particular student, and trying to kiss her, while touching her private parts. This qualifies as an offence under Section 2 of the SHA. However, nothing became of the accusations, because at the time, the school authority led by Principal, QC, Dr Lami Amodu, under whose watch 3 students died during an epidemic caused by extremely poor sanitary conditions in the school, were accused of covering up the matter,

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE

THE ADVOCATE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com onikepob@yahoo.com

“ANOTHER REASON FOR THE PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, HAS BEEN THE IMPROPER RESPONSE, WHICH THE VICTIMS HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, WHEN SUCH REPORTS ARE MADE”

and threatening students that spoke against Osifala, with expulsion. P.S. Thank God, that it was only a rumour! If not, last Thursday June 21, would indeed, have been a sad day for the legal profession in Nigeria, if the information that filtered out, that the Body of Benchers, had approved the adorning of the hijab with the wig and gown, was true. Nigeria, by virtue of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, is a secular country. The choice to adorn hijab, is a personal one, and cannot be made to become part of our Lawyers’ formal regalia. Why can’t Muslim sisters, simply wear a discreet wig cap or scarf, which covers the hair fully, under their wigs? Where does it end? As no religion is superior to the other, members of the white garment churches, can also request that their religious regalia, ‘sultana’, be worn with the wig and gown, and come barefoot to the call to the Bar ceremony, and subsequently, to court. Similarly, Ifa faithfuls, must also be permitted to adorn their ‘ileke’, ‘oja’ and other paraphernalia, with their wig and gown, while Nuns must be permitted to wear their ‘habits’ too! After all, Section 42(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, prohibits the according of a privilege or advantage to citizens that are of a particular religion, in this case, Islam, which is not accorded to citizens that are of other religions. ‘What is good for the goose, is good for the gander’. Such a decision, if ever approved, deserves to be challenged in court, or maybe the court process can be done ‘a la Accord Party style’ in the election sequence saga; that is, get an injunction in advance, stopping the Body of Benchers from being able to give approval to adorn the hijab! Approval to adorn the hijab with the wig and gown, will only stimulate and create more disunity and discord, in a country where there are already countless issues of bitterness among the people, stemming from allegations of religious bigotry and claims of an attempt to Islamise Nigeria, tribalism, nepotism, Herdsmen killings and so on.

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26.06.2018

26.06.2018

NEWS/5 Ogun High Court Dismisses N70m Unpaid Legal Fee Suit Against Ex-Speaker, Bankole Femi Ogbonnikan In Abeokuta

VISIT L-R: Tolu Obamuroh (White & Case), Akinlabi Apara, Elizabeth Oger-Gross (White & Case), Robert Wheal (White & Case), Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, OFR, and Funmilayo Oshunwusi, during the hosting of International Arbitration Partners of White & Case, at BA Law LLP Lagos Office, last Wednesday.

NASS Appeals High Court Decision which Nullified its Power to Re-Order Election Sequence Akinwale Akintunde The National Assembly has appealed a Federal High Court judgement, which stated that it lacked the power to re-order the proposed sequence for the 2019 general elections. Justice Ahmed Mohammed of an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, had in his judgement in a suit filed by Accord Party against National Assembly, Attorney- General of the Federation, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), held that the election timetable earlier released by INEC, could not be altered by the Legislature. The court maintained that INEC was the only body constitutionally empowered to organise, undertake, and supervise elections in the country, adding that such responsibility included fixing dates for polls. The Accord Party filed the suit through Chief Wole Olanipekun,

SAN, after both chambers of the National Assembly attempted to implement Section 58 of the Constitution, which allows the Legislature to override the decision of the President. The Party asked the court, to determine if INEC was not solely empowered to carry out its function of overseeing the election timetable in Nigeria. Among reliefs the Plaintiff sought before the court, which were granted, include “A declaration that the 3rd Defendant, is the only body and or institution constitutionally vested with the powers, vires, and duties to organise, undertake and supervise elections to the offices of the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Governor and Deputy Governor of a State, membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each State of the Federation,

including fixing or assigning dates of the said elections and sequence of same”. The application by Accord Party, was part of the events that trailed the decision of the National Assembly to re-order the sequence of the 2019 general elections, putting the Presidential election last. Justice Mohammed, in his judgement delivered on April 25, 2018, noted that NASS commenced moves to amend the Electoral Act, after INEC had already released its timetable for the impending general elections. He said the action of the NASS, was in clear breach of paragraph 15a of the 3rd Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Relying on Supreme Court decisions, Justice Mohammed held that the responsibility of organising elections in the country, was constitutionally vested in INEC, stressing that such statutory right, could

not be removed by NASS through its belated process to amend the Electoral Act. “I am persuaded by argument of the Plaintiff, that it is the sole responsibility of the 3rd Defendant (INEC) to conduct elections and further, in doing so, the 3rd Defendant has the power to fix dates for elections. “If the 1st Defendant wants this court to believe that, the 3rd Defendant was fixing the date in accordance with the Bill that was yet to be passed, why then the discrepancy in the sequence of the election? “I am left without doubt that, in passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, the 3rd Defendant was in clear breach of paragraph 15a to the 3rd Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, as amended. “In this regard, I find merit in the Plaintiff’s application. INEC, the 3rd Defendant in

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Court to Hear Suit Against Lagos Yatch Club Today Akinwale Akintunde Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe of a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, will today, hear a suit instituted against Lagos Yatch Club by one of its member, Mr. John Ioannis Aggelakos, to challenge the activities of the Executives of the club. Aggelakos instituted the suit on behalf of concerned members of the club, who are unhappy with the alleged excesses and corruption of the Main Committee of the Club,that is in charge of the affairs of the Club. In the suit filed through an Originating Summons by his counsel, Mr. Ike Imo, the Claimant is challenging financial misappropriation by the Executives. According to the Originating Summons, the Claimant is

praying the court, to determine amongst others, whether the Main Committee of the Lagos Yatch Club, may appoint an expatriate Manager, without obtaining an expatriate quota and approvals from members. Also, whether the Committee may purchase the Jonas Club Software package for Thirteen Million Naira, without an approval from members. Imo argued that, the Committee is acting against the byelaws that govern the club. He therefore, prayed the court to give an order to restrain the Main Committee from further dissipating and wasting monies belonging to the Club, without a transparent forensic audit of the account from year 2015 till date. The summons reads in part: “an order of mandatory injunction, reinstating the Claimant and

other concerned members of the Lagos Yacht Club to wit: Piyush Nair, who were unlawfully suspended from their membership of the club by reason of this court action, pending the hearing and determination of this substantive suit. “An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Main Committee of the Lagos Yacht Club, from taking punitive action against the Claimant and other concerned members of the Lagos Yacht Club pending the determination of this substantive suit. “An order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the Main Committee of the Lagos Yacht Club from convening its annual general meeting on the 22nd of June, 2018 pending the determination of the substantive suit.

“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Main Committee of the Lagos Yacht Club, either by itself or through its officials or agents or other person howsoever called, from tampering with the accounts of the Club pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. “An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Main Committee of the Lagos Yacht Club, from further dissipation and/or wastage of monies belonging to the Club, pending the appointment by the Trustees of the Club of a reputable international accounting firm to conduct a forensic audit for the period 2015 to 2018 at the expense of the Club, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit”, he stated.

An Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta, on Thursday, struck out a matter instituted by a former counsel to the embattled former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Dr Yemi Oke, during his celebrated case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, over an unsettled N70 million legal fee. Justice Motunrayo Dipeolu, while delivering her judgement on Thursday, in the suit number AB/153/2012, dismissed the Claimant's claim in its entirety, for lack of proof. The judgement was, however, delivered after a six-year legal battle. She said: "Now from the evidence before the court, there is no proof that a bill of charge was served on the Defendant, for services rendered by the Claimant, if any, in compliance with the above started section. "In the circumstance, I agree with the submission of the Defendant’s learned counsel, that the Claimant did not comply with the provision of Section 16 of the Legal Practitioners Act, to entitle it to the relief claimed. "For the foregoing, the Claimant's claim fails in its entirety, and it is accordingly, dismissed" It would be recalled that, the Claimant, Oke, had approached the court and instituted as action, for the defrayment of N70 million legal fee he had charged the former Speaker during his trial for fraud in 2013 before the amount was later reduced to N6 million. Counsel to the defendant, Barrister Kizito Robots, expressed satisfaction with the ruling. "MJS partners had instituted a suit against my client, Rt.Hon Dimeji Bankole, requesting for N70 million for legal services which he claimed to have rendered to him during the

period of his legal battle with the EFCC. "The ground of his action is that, the former Speaker did not pay for his services, and that is why he came to court. Anyway, the position of my client, is that he never briefed him. "My client also said that, he never had any contractual agreement with MJS Partners to represent him, and as a result, he can not pay him the requested N70 million. "Well, the judgement of the court was a well delivered one, which stated the position of the law. The court found out that, there was never any contractual relationship between the Former Speaker and the MJS partners. "Even the claim of N6 million being the stage of work done by MJS Partners, was not in compliance with Section 16 of the Legal Practitioners Act. On these grounds, his claims fails in its entirety". When contacted on phone, the Claimant, Dr. Oke, claimed not to have got any feed back from the counsel who defended the case in court. He said " I haven't got any feed back from the counsel who handled the matter for me, but this is a case that will be appealed even up to the Supreme Court level. There is nothing personal about it." However, speaking through his Media Aide, Morgan Amodu, the former Speaker, said the judgement has re-affirmed his confidence in the Judiciary. He said "Twice I was dragged to Court over trumped up cases, and twice, I was vindicated. Our confidence in the Judiciary, remains resolute. "We knew abinitio, that his intention was to blackmail me. Though it took five years for me to get justice, I am glad that I have been vindicated. This is a confirmation that, no matter how long, the truth will triumph falsehood".

Lawyer: Why I Sued Rev. Kpakpovwe and His Ministry Akinwale Akintunde The lady who recently won a N9.5 million judgement against Chapel of Liberty Church, and its Pastor, Rev. Dr. Chris Kwakpovwe, has revealed that the reason she went to court against the church, was to show Nigerians that religious institutions notwithstanding, churches and pastors owe their members and those who attend their programmes, a duty of care especially when something unfortunate happens to them at such programmes. Ms Tamara Egbedi, a Lawyer also debunked the claims of the church, that her action was an attack on the Body of Christ. On the contrary, she said she was going to let it go “until the Defendants insulted me in a letter, calling my request for the payment of my medical bills, as a gold digging venture, daring me to go to court”. Indeed, the trial judge, Justice Candide-Johnson alluded to this fact, when

he said in his judgement: “It is virtually ridiculous for Rev Chris Kwakpovwe (DW1), as the Presiding Pastor and one of the Registered Trustees of the Manna Miracle Mountain Ministry and the Publisher/ Writer of Our Daily Manna (ODM), to invite the general public and the Claimant to a programme which they expected to, and which “recorded a huge attendance”, and then without remorse and conscience, argue that they only rented space at the National Stadium, so, he and his religious ministry owes no duty of care or concern for the welfare and safety of guests they had invited to their own “spiritual party” or event organised by them. It is this type of reckless impunity and consciencelessness, that makes many people complain about callousness and wickedness in Nigeria”. After the judgement, the Ministry on its website, Our Daily Manna, had published that

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26.06.2018

‘We Organise Maritime Seminars for Judges, to Bridge the Knowledge Gap in Admiralty Law’ The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Transport, and in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), will on July 3 to 5, 2018, hold the 15th Maritime Seminar for Judges at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja. Hassan Bello, a Lawyer, who is the Executive Secretary of the Council, spoke to Akinwale Akintunde, on why the Council is organising a Seminar for Judges, and what the seminar has achieved so far.

S

ir, why is the Shippers Council organising a Maritime Seminar for Judges, what actually informed this decision? It is bridging the knowledge gap. Actually, since 1995, when the Nigerian Shippers Council realised that there is a kind of vacuum in decisions given by the Judges, especially on admiralty matters. The adjudications

took a long time. So, neither the Judges nor the Lawyers who appeared before them, were very conversant with the very technical nature of Admiralty Laws. Therefore, by extension the International Trade and other Transportation Law. And time is money in shipping, and for us to have the internationality that is needed, we need to have a modern adjudicating system, that is the legal system. Judges must be able adjudicate, not only correctly, but timeously. And so, we intend to bridge this gap to educate and inform the Judges on developments in

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello

international law, so as to speed up the adjudication of matters before them. Hitherto, there were only few Judges, who were very conversant with Admiralty Law, or what you may call Maritime Law. But, because of this Seminar, I think over 1,000 Judges have been trained, and the international community began to realise that, the decisions of Nigerian Judges were becoming better. Because the Admiralty Law or Maritime Law were not taught in our Universities, neither were they courses in the Law School. And so, sometimes, the decisions were not very good; that was long time ago. But now decisions of our courts in Admiralty Law, are internationally acknowledged to be very good. There has also been structured changes in the Maritime Law Jurisprudence, and also in the Judiciary. You know the Federal High Court has the first instance, exclusive jurisdiction in Maritime Law, then the Court of Appeal, and of course the Supreme Court. So, these are our targets. But, of course, there may be overlapping jurisdiction at the State High Court. Sometimes, State High Court

Judges, are given appointment at the Federal High Court, so they also need to be part of it. The motive is to update the knowledge of our Judges on contemporary issues in Admiralty Law, so that they will be conversant with the law. When we have an investor, he will look at how quick or how timeous our Judges will determine or resolve commercial disputes, when they arise. What they will do, in this very complex issue of Admiralty Law. Because of the training the Judges have received through this Seminar, Nigerian judgements are now very well respected internationally, and I think that we have achieved that purpose. A lot of people in Nigeria impute motives to certain things. Are you not a bit concerned, that some people may misinterprete the motive for this Seminar to be that because you are an institution, you may at one time or the other appear before these Judges that you are now sponsoring a Conference to train? Would that not in a way influence their

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Legal Personality of the Week Mercy Ijato Agada

‘Lawyers Must be Hardworking, with Determination, Integrity, Courage and Perseverance’ My name is Mercy Ijato Agada. I am from Benue State (Idoma tribe). I attended St. Francis Primary School Otukpo, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Primary School, Makurdi and St. Anne’s Girls Secondary School, Otukpo, all in Benue State. I obtained a Degree in Law from Kogi State University, in 2006. I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007. I have been in active practice since then. I am in both litigation and commercial practice. I have a passion for widows, orphans, and the less privileged, and I have done both civil and criminal cases pro-bono for them. I am also an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). I am a member of the NBA, Otukpo Branch, wherein I served as the Treasurer, and I am currently the Chairman of the Branch. I have served the NBA at the State and National levels, in various capacities as a Member of Administration of Criminal Justice Law Committee, Benue State, Member of Justice Sector Reform Committee, Benue State, Member of NBA National Executive Committee, Member of Technical Committee on Conference Planning of the NBA Annual General Conference, NBA Constitution Review Committee, respectively. I am very meticulous, accountable, sincere, prudent, reliable, hardworking, humble, proactive, energetic, result oriented, and disciplined. I am a Christian, and I am happily married. Have you had any challenges in your career as a Lawyer, and if so, what were the main challenges? The Legal Profession is faced with a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to mentorship. Very few young Lawyers, are properly mentored. If you are a young Lawyer and your name does not ring a bell, then you are nobody. I strongly

He denied communicating with my principal. The file was handed to me that morning. I did not know where to start. I summoned courage, and applied for a stand down for me to go through the file. The stand down was not convenient for the court. So an adjournment was granted. I learnt my first lesson that day, not to wait to be told what I need to do in court. I took files and studied them, to acquaint myself with the cases.

Mercy Ijato Agada

believe that, the gap between those who have made names in the profession, and those who need mentorship must be bridged. Imagine struggling to get an office to practice, and sometimes with or without pay. Having to combine family and my career, was initially challenging, but because I have learnt how to manage my time well, it has been good. One does not suffer, at the detriment of the other. What was your worst day as a Lawyer? My worst day as a Lawyer, was my first day in court. My Principal gave me a file to go to a High Court, for a matter that was fixed for hearing. He had a matter at the Court of Appeal. He reliably informed me that the matter would not go on, as he had already communicated to the opposing Counsel, and they agreed to adjourn the matter. When the matter was called, to my greatest dismay, the Counsel on the other side, said he was ready to proceed with the hearing.

What was your most memorable experience as a Lawyer? When I was a young Lawyer, I went to court. We were waiting for the court to sit, the opposing Counsel, a senior Lawyer, asked me my age at the Bar. I told him I was two years post-call. He smiled and nodded his head, convincing himself that he would beat me hands down. Some minutes after, the court began to sit. Our case was called, it was for hearing. He tendered a document. I objected and my objection was upheld. The document was marked 'tendered but rejected.' It was so memorable to me. I was underrated by my age at the Bar. But I proved him wrong. It was like a battle between David and Goliath. Who has been most influential in your life? My parents of blessed memory. Their words of advice, love, support and sacrifice, have kept me going. They influenced me greatly. Right from when I was a child, my Father would tell me ‘’the best thing or gift I can give to you, is education’’. "Education will liberate you,’’ he would say. My Mother would always say, ‘’you must not be lazy’’. ‘’Whatever you are set to do, do it with your whole heart’’. I love them. I remember them daily. Thank you Mum and Dad. Why did you become a Lawyer?

I became a Lawyer for two reasons : my love for justice and my dislike for injustice. As a child, I listened to a lot of radio shows on Family Support Programme (FSP), a Pet Project of Late Mrs Mariam Babangida, where issues affecting women were discussed. Whenever I saw or heard that someone was oppressed, it hurt me deeply. I wanted to be the voice, for the voiceless. I wanted to be there for the oppressed, especially widows, less privileged women and children. The fire for justice in me, kept burning. I told myself I can fight against injustice more, when I became a Lawyer. That's why I chose to study Law. In giving back to the society, I have done so many pro bono cases for widows and orphans, who were denied of inheriting their deceased husbands’ and fathers’ property. I have also done pro bono cases, for accused persons who have no Counsel to represent them. I derive joy when someone needs my help, and I am able to render that help. What would be your advice to anyone wanting a career in Law? It takes hard work, determination, integrity, courage and perseverance, to become a Lawyer. You must read, read and read. If you had not become a Lawyer, what career would you have chosen? I can remember vividly when I applied for Law, and I was offered another Course. I gracefully turned it down, and sat for another JAMB. I finally got the Law that I wanted. For me, it was Law or no other. Where do you see yourself in ten years? Everything lies in the hands of the Almighty. But in ten years I hope to see myself on the Higher Bench. It’s doable; it’s achievable, with hard work.

26.06.2018

LAW REPORT/7

Binding Nature of Deed which Parts are Not Exchanged

T Facts:

he Appellants, the children of a certain Festus Olanipekun Ilori (Deceased), brought an action against a certain Alhaji Sule Raji, at the High Court of Lagos State, seeking inter alia, a declaration that the building and landed property lying being and situate at No. 12/14, Oludegun Street, Lagos State, forms part of the estate of the Deceased who died Intestate on 26th January, 1983. The Appellants contended that before Ilori died, he had constructed four buildings consisting of fourteen flats on the land. Upon his death, his wives and children moved to Shagamu, Ogun State, where they stayed for about a year. Sometime in late 1983, it was discovered that there were tenants in occupation of the property, and that it was Alhaji Sule Raji who rented the property to the tenants, and had been collecting rent from them as Landlord. It was further discovered that, sometime in April, 1993, the said Sule Raji had applied to the Lands and Housing Department of Lagos State, for Governor’s Consent, in respect of the Assignment of the building to him by the Deceased. The Respondent contended that sometime in 1982, the Deceased came to him in Oshogbo, and offered to sell the building to him, and that a sum of N165,000.00 was agreed between the parties, and that the Certificate of Occupancy was handed over to him. The trial Court, gave Judgement in favour of the Appellants, and granted all their claims. Dissatisfied, the Respondents appealed to the Court of Appeal, which Court allowed the appeal and set aside the judgement of the trial Court. The Appellants appealed to the Supreme Court. Issue for Determination Whether having regards to the totality of the facts in this case, the lower Court was right in setting aside the judgement of the trial Court. Argument Counsel for the Appellants argued that, once it is proved that the original ownership of property was in a particular party, the onus of proving that the said party had divested himself of his interest in the property, lies on the person so alleging. He referred to ITUAMA v AKPELEM (2000) 12 NWLR (Pt. 680) 156 SC. He stated that the undisputed owner of the land - the Late Olanipekun Ilori - had a registered Certificate of Occupancy on the land, dated 30th November, 1981; that he was in effective possession of the land, and exercised the right of ownership thereon, by building on the land. He further contended that, contrary to the submission of the Respondent that the Deceased sold the property to him, there was no evidence as to the alleged purchase was made, because there was no receipt and no eye witness evidence. Further, there was no evidence, to show that he was put in possession. Counsel submitted that parole evidence, is not sufficient to prove the sale of landed property; by virtue of Section 1 - 3 of the Statute of Fraud 1677, the transaction must be evidenced in writing. And that a party who makes allegations in his pleadings, is bound to produce evidence to substantiate them. He relied on AKINFOSILE v IJOSE (1960) 1 NSCC 129 at 133. On the execution of the Deed of Assignment, Counsel referred to the evidence of DW3, a Legal Practitioner based in Ibadan, who purportedly prepared the document, but stated that he had never met the Deceased, nor did he see him sign any document. He also referred to the testimony of PW1, the Deceased’s daughter, who testified that the signature on the Deed of Assignment, was not her father’s signature. He submitted that, in essence, the only person who could testify that the late Ilori signed the Deed of Assignment, was Sule Raji himself. On the argument of standard of proof required to establish forgery, Counsel stated that Section 137(1) of the Evidence Act, which stipulates that a criminal offence must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, is only applicable where a crime is imputed to a person in a civil trial. He relied on NDOMA–EGBA v ACB PLC (2005) 10 MJSC 93. Counsel posited that, the contention of the Appellants, that the signature on the Deed of Assignment was not their late father’s signature, did not amount to an allegation of crime against Sule Raji, and that it was only a notice to Sule Raji that he will be required to prove that their late father signed the document, which he failed to prove. Finally, Counsel argued that the finding of the Court of Appeal that any irregularity in the procedure for obtaining the Governor’s Consent, such as payment of development levy etc, does not affect the validity of the Consent because they are administrative revenue generating requirements rather that legal requirements, overlooks the provision of Section 46(1) (a) and (2) of the Land Use Act, which confers on the Governor, the power to make regulations with regard to matters listed thereunder. He submitted that, the requirements of Development Levy, Tax Clearance and Form 1C, are all

Hon. Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 23rd Day of March 2018 Before Their Lordships Musa Dattijo Muhammad Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun Chima Centus Nweze Ejembi Eko Sidi Dauda Bage Justices, Supreme Court SC.228/2005 Between 1. Ayodele Ilori 2. Mrs. Temitayo Daramola 3. Mrs. Modupe Adeite 4. Oladapo Ilori .........Appellants (for themselves and on behalf of the children of Festus Olanipekun Ilori (Deceased) And 1. Alhaja Risikat Ishola (nee Raji) (For herself and on behalf of the children of Alhaji Sule Raji (Deceased) [Substituted for late Alhaji Sule Raji the 1st defendant, by the Order of the Court of Appeal, Lagos dated 6th July, 2000] 2. Registrar of Lands (By Order of Court dated 25th April, 2016) .....Respondents (Lead Judgement delivered by Hon. Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, JSC)

“....THAT UNLIKE A CONTRACT WHICH IS NOT BINDING ON THE PARTIES UNTIL THEY HAVE EXCHANGED THEIR PARTS, A DEED IS BINDING ON ITS MAKER, EVEN THOUGH THE PARTS HAVE NOT BEEN EXCHANGED, SO LONG AS IT HAS BEEN SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED”

legal requirements for the purpose of obtaining Governor’s Consent, and that Governor’s consent obtained on behalf of a Deceased person by false declaration, manipulation of process and misrepresentation, is null and void. He submitted that, Sule Raji failed to discharge the onus on him, to prove that the late Ilori divested himself of his interest in the property In his submission, Counsel for the 1st Respondent submitted that, there was no defect in the registration of the Deed of Assignment, or the grant of the Governor’s Consent thereto. He stated that, the irregularity complained of, was an allegation of forgery, which the Appellants failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt; he posited that, the onus of disproving the signature of the Assignor on the Deed of Assignment, laid squarely on the Appellants, which they failed to discharge. He further stated that, the Court of Appeal was right, when it held that, it was not necessary to prove due attestation of the Deed of Assignment, since the document does not require attestation for its validity. He argued that, the Deed of Assignment being a registered instrument in the Lagos Lands Registry, the presumption is that, all the required procedures for such registration, had been duly complied with to the satisfaction of the Registrar. He relied on UBN PLC v JASE MOTORS (NIG) LTD (1997) 7 NWLR (Pt. 513) 387 at 400, in submitting that, by virtue of Section 100 of the Evidence Act, 2011, a Deed of Assignment is valid and enforceable, even if it is signed by the Assignor alone. In response to the contention that the Deed of Assignment was unlawful, Counsel submitted that, the late Ilori having benefitted from the agreement by receiving the contract sum, and whose duty it was to apply for the Governor’s consent, it does not lie in the mouths of the Appellants to turn around and claim that the agreement is unlawful. Counsel relied on SOLANKE v ABED & ANOR (1961) 1 All NLR (Pt. 1) at 231- 234. Court’s Judgement and Rationale In coming to its decision, the Supreme Court relied on the provisions of Section 135(1) of the Evidence Act, to the effect that: “If the commission of a crime by a party to any proceeding, is directly in issue in any proceeding, civil or criminal, it must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.” The Court held that, the Court of Appeal was right when it held that the Appellants made an imputation of crime against the 1st Respondent, which they were bound to prove beyond reasonable doubt. It stated that, it was evident that the burden of proof, was wrongly placed by the trial Court on the 1st Respondent to prove the genuineness of the Deed of Assignment, since the signature on it purported to be that of the Deceased, and the Appellants contended that the signature did not belong to their father. The Court further affirmed the position of the Court of Appeal, where it stated that a Deed of Assignment does not require attestation for its validity. The Court relied on AWOJUGBAGBE LIGHT INDUSTRIES LTD. v CHINUKWE (1995) 4 NWLR (Pt. 390) 379, where it was stated that unlike a contract which is not binding on the parties until they have exchanged their parts, a deed is binding on its maker, even though the parts have not been exchanged, so long as it has been signed, sealed and delivered. “Delivery” in connection with a deed, does not mean handing over to the other side, but means delivered in the sense that, an act is done so as to evince an intention to be bound. The Court held that, in the instant case, the unchallenged evidence of the 1st Respondent, was that in addition to the signing of the Deed of Assignment, the late Ilori also handed over to him the Certificate of Occupancy of the property, thereby signifying his intention to be bound by the agreement. Finally the Supreme Court held that, the Deceased having received the sum of N165,000.00 from Sule Raji as consideration for the Assignment of the property in dispute, he had thus, derived some benefit from the Agreement. It was unconscionable for the Appellants, to contend that the Agreement was unlawful or to contend that the Governor’s consent was not lawfully obtained. The appeal was thus, dismissed, and the judgement of the Court of Appeal accordingly affirmed. Appeal Dismissed. Representation: B.A. Lawal Esq. for the Appellants C.V.C. Ihekweazu Esq. with Victor Abasiakan-Ekim Esq., Solomon Inyang Esq. and Prince Daniel Antigha Esq. for the 1st Respondent. R.A.O. Adegoke Esq. with Ayotunde Ogunleye Esq. and Tejumola Abiola-Oloke Esq. for the 2nd Respondent. Reported by Optimum Law Publishers Limited (Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR))

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26.06.2018

Afam Osigwe

‘NBA Is Now Worse than the Military’ Every two years, Nigerian Lawyers select Officers to lead their umbrella body, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). NBA elections, have in the past decade, become rancorous, contentious, and expensive. A sigh of relief was heaved, when universal suffrage was introduced in the most recent election of 2016, as many thought it would solve all the contentions usually associated with the exercise. But, with recent developments, it does appear that the process of picking national officers for the Association, is getting messier and more antagonistic and belligerent. Afam Osigwe, the youngest of the four candidates running for President of the NBA, was disqualified by the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA). In a chat with Onikepo Braithwaite, he narrates the unpleasant events, which led to what he describes as his unfair and unjustifiable disqualification from the race, why he is confident that the decision will be upturned, and how he will emerge as NBA President, in the coming election

T

he Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), has disqualified you for the election into the office of NBA President. They alleged that you breached the rules, by seeking and obtaining a letter of good standing and nomination, from a Branch other than your Branch. Kindly, shed some light on this controversy.

My disqualification by the ECNBA, was wrong and insupportable in law. The NBA Constitution does not require an aspirant for any office to obtain a Letter of Good Standing, so ECNBA wrongly assumed law-making by requiring all aspirants to mandatorily obtain Letters of Good Standing for themselves, as well as their nominators. Despite this, I obtained the letter from Nnewi Branch, as well as informing the Committee that I joined NBA Nnewi Branch in January, 2018. I also notified ECNBA, of my residential and office addresses in Nnewi. So, I was surprised that,

ECNBA claimed that one of the reasons for my disqualification, was because there was no evidence before the Committee to show that I have paid my Annual Dues and other financial obligations to Nnewi Branch, as and when due for at least 3 years immediately preceding this year’s election. This is surprising, as I could not have paid Branch Dues in Nnewi Branch in 2016 and 2017, as I was not a member of the Branch in those years. In fact, not only did I inform the Committee that I was a member of NBA Abuja Branch until January 2018, I

also attached proof of payment of my Branch dues to Abuja Branch in 2015, 2016, and 2017. It is instructive to also state that, Section 13(4) of NBA Constitution, 2015 provides that no member shall belong to more than one Branch. Thus, a Lawyer cannot lawfully pay Branch dues to more than one Branch, in the same year. Finally, the NBA Constitution does not require a candidate for national office, to have mandatory membership of a particular Branch for three consecutive years, before he/she will qualify to contest in the election. So, I breached no section of the NBA

26.06.2018 “THE NBA CONSTITUTION DOES NOT REQUIRE AN ASPIRANT FOR ANY OFFICE TO OBTAIN A LETTER OF GOOD STANDING, SO ECNBA WRONGLY ASSUMED LAWMAKING BY REQUIRING ALL ASPIRANTS TO MANDATORILY OBTAIN LETTERS OF GOOD STANDING FOR THEMSELVES, AS WELL AS THEIR NOMINATORS” Constitution by transferring to Nnewi Branch, as well as getting a Letter of Good Standing from the Branch. It is the Committee that breached the law, by assuming powers it does not have, as well as reading into the Constitution what is not there. Apparently, NBA Abuja is presently fragmented, and there are at least 2 factions in the Branch. You have been fingered, as one of the people responsible for the rancour. Is this true? Some Abuja members believe that it is unfair for you to have been part of the disarray in your original Branch, and then purport to move to another Branch to obtain a letter of good standing in order to realise your Presidential ambition. Kindly, comment on this. There are two factions in NBA Abuja. I have no role whatsoever, in the facts leading to the fractionalisation of the Branch. I was Chairman of NBA Abuja from 2010 to 2012, and there were two Chairmen after me. As at the time the crisis erupted in 2016, I was General Secretary of NBA, and I had nothing whatsoever, to do with what led to the crisis. The problem in NBA Abuja (Unity Bar), is a clear case of unlawfully excluding a person from an election he ought not to have been excluded from, while including persons who ought not to be included on account of non-qualification, and that is the bane of Abuja NBA politics, where some people play “God” because according to them, you can only become something, if they allow you. The crisis started when the Alternate Chairman of the NBA Abuja Electoral Committee, brazenly informed me that, certain persons who had openly declared interest in running for offices in the Branches, would be disqualified from contesting in the Branch election, because according to him ‘the Elders have decided that, they would not be allowed to run or occupy offices in the Branch”. This impunity and flagrant disregard for law and democratic tenets, followed through their boasts, by disqualifying Ezenwa Anumnu, because the Committee claimed that one of his nominators was not qualified to contest in the election, on account of having been in the Exco more than

COVER/9 once. The Committee made this decision, even though the nominator met all the grounds for qualification to contest for election which is required of a person nominating a candidate for Chairmanship. The same Committee which disqualified Ezenwa Anumnu on this flimsy ground, qualified Prince Adesotoye, who was called in 2009, when he was seven years post-call, to run for an office in 2016, which required a person to attain at least 8-years post call. The Committee also qualified Victor Abasiakam-Ekim to run for Chairman, when he attended only three meetings out of the five (5) required by the NBA Constitution. The published Minutes of the Branch in this regard, are available, but they later claimed that in the Minutes book held by the then Secretary, Kola Omotinugbon (who openly campaigned for Victor), he made the 5 (five) attendance requirement. How low can we sink! In that same election, after they had disqualified Rilwan Sadiq from running for Secretary, they suddenly introduced Chinedu Obienu, who never picked up a nomination form to the close of nomination as a candidate for the same office, instead of returning Lawrence Erewele as unopposed. Suddenly, he became a candidate in the election. So, like now, they were manipulating the electoral process to suit themselves. If you are their person and you are qualified and maybe unopposed, you are fine; but, if you are not wanted by them, they smuggle in persons like Chinedu Obienu, and if you are a favoured person like Adesotoye, who was not up to the legal minimum age to run for the election, you are allowed to stand. This is an Association of Lawyers, where our motto is “Promoting the Rule of Law”, and where we have laws guiding the election. It is so shameful that, the Bar has become a place where some people look at the law and feel that they can bend it to suit them, or act as if the law does not count. As long as this continues, we will keep on having problems in NBA, especially in the Branches. If we refuse to act as a people ruled by law, and will not respect the law, we will not be able to move forward. And when people think that they have listening ears either at the National Secretariat or somewhere who can say " Do it, nothing will happen", and nothing actually happens when they do it, then this crisis will continue. If you ask these people, who claim that I divided Abuja Branch what I did, they will never tell you what I purportedly did. The ECNBA alleged that you failed to provide evidence before the Committee, showing that you had paid your Annual Dues and other financial obligations to Nnewi Branch, as at when due, in the three years immediately preceding this year’s elections, in accordance with the NBA Constitution. Is this true? I believe I have addressed this question earlier, but it bears repeating that, I cannot be expected to have paid Branch dues in Nnewi branch in 2016 and 2017, when I was not a member of the Branch. Having provided proof of payment

of Branch dues to Abuja Branch in 2016 and 2017, it was preposterous disqualifying me for failure to pay dues to a Branch which I was not a member of, in 2016 and 2017. It looks like, giving a dog a bad name to hang it. It was further alleged that, there is no satisfactory proof of your relocation to Nnewi Branch, to accord you the window of exception, as provided in Paragraph 4(1) of the Third Schedule of the 2015 NBA Constitution. This is another allegation, that is very perplexing. Despite everything I did, which clearly showed I was now a member of Nnewi Branch, the Committee still arrived at the sad conclusion that I had not provided satisfactory proof of relocation to the Branch. Please, judge for yourself. I did the following: I informed the ECNBA in the letter which I used to forward my nomination, of the fact of my relocation to Nnewi, as well as supplied my residential and office addresses in Nnewi. Further proof of my relocation, was to be found in the fact that my Branch Dues for 2018, was paid as a member of Nnewi Branch, likewise my 2018 Annual Practice Fee. The Chairman and Secretary of Nnewi Branch, duly issued a Letter of Good Standing, wherein they confirmed that I have joined the Branch upon my relocation. I also hosted the Nnewi Branch meeting in January 2018, and the Minutes showed that I did so as a member of the Branch. NBA Nnewi Branch duly submitted a Voters List to the Committee, wherein my name is listed as No. 86. I am of the view that, the ECNBA was merely fishing for excuses to disqualify me. Even though I indicated my Nnewi residential and office addresses, the Committee deliberately used an Abuja address in writing its letter notifying me of my disqualification. I believe that it did this, just to justify its claim I had not provided “satisfactory proof of relocation to Nnewi”. First of all, I did not at any time give it the Abuja address it used in its letter to me. The use of the Abuja address, would appear to betray a refusal by the Committee to restrict itself to documents I submitted to it, but instead went fishing for evidence to disclaim that I have joined Nnewi Branch. I supplied my Nnewi addresses, even though there is no constitutional stipulation that I do so. There is in fact, no Constitutional provision to justify the Committee’s claim that satisfactory proof of my relocation to Nnewi Branch must be shown to the ECNBA, so as to accommodate me within the window of exception created by the proviso to Paragraph 4(1) of the Third Schedule to the NBA Constitution, 2015, which permits a Lawyer to transfer his membership from one Branch to another. I am therefore, at a loss for what would amount to “satisfactory proof of relocation to Nnewi Branch”, in the light of all the information that I made available. It was also alleged that your payment of 2016 and 2017 Branch annual dues to Abuja Branch, could not be verified. Is there any truth to this allegation? This is another curious ground, for disqualifying me. I presented bank tellers which showed I paid my branch Dues for 2016 on January 12, 2016 into Account No. 0113428334 maintained by NBA Abuja with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, and also paid my branch Dues for 2017 on February 14, 2017 into Account No. 0694758692 maintained by NBA Abuja Branch with Access Bank Plc. Payment of Branch dues to NBA Abuja Branch, are made through various bank accounts approved by the General Meeting of the Branch, and not by cash payments. These two accounts are among the bank accounts designated

“SO EVEN THOUGH I PARTICIPATED IN THE EBF ENDORSEMENT IN 2014, I NO LONGER BELIEVE IN ITS USEFULNESS, IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEED FOR LAWYERS TO VOTE TO DETERMINE WHO LEADS THEM, WITHOUT ANY FORUM USING DELEGATES TO MAKE NONSENSE OF THE UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE, BY LIMITING OR EXCLUDING THE SAME RIGHT AT A REGIONAL LEVEL”

by NBA Abuja Branch, for payment of branch dues since 2011 and 2014 respectively. In 2016, NBA Abuja Branch, submitted printouts of bank statements, which confirmed that I paid branch dues in that year, and the Electoral Committee used the same to enlist me as a voter qualified to vote in the NBA National Officers election which took place in July 2016. It is therefore, a source of worry, that the same national office can no longer verify the payment of my 2016 dues. I dare the Committee to publish a printout of NBA Abuja Account No. 0113428334 (Guaranty Trust Bank Plc) for January 12, 2016, and NBA Abuja, Account No. 0694758692 (Access Bank Plc) for February 14, 2017, to substantiate its claim that the payments I made on those dates, could not be verified. It should also publicly explain, why there was no verification of the payments made by about forty four other Lawyers who were nominated for various offices. To build confidence in this process, the ECNBA should state the person who could not ‘verify’ my payment of Branch Dues in 2016 and 2017, as well as the process of the so called “verification”. It is regrettable that, while only my branch dues receipts were purportedly subjected to “verification”, the payment of branch dues by other aspirants was not subjected to the so-called ‘verification’, thereby giving rise to the belief that this was a contrived ground to justify my unlawful disqualification. Your ethnic forum, the Eastern Bar Forum (EBF), had earlier stated that, it only adopted one candidate, Chief Arthur Obi-Okafor, SAN, for President of NBA. Despite this, you still went ahead to enter the race. It has been argued that, you benefited from the EBF’s adoption policy in 2014, when you ran for and won the office of General Secretary. What is your response to this? The point must be made that, endorsement is a voluntary process, in which I am not bound to partake in. In any case, the circumstances that justified the use of endorsement by the different fora in NBA, no longer exist. In 2014 when I participated in the endorsement process, the present constitutional provision which zones offices like NBA Presidency, General Secretary etc was not in place. Endorsement has never translated to automatic victory. Despite being endorsed in 2014, I still battled against three other candidates, one of whom was from the East. I was not also voted for by all the delegates from the East, despite being endorsed by EBF. Secondly, the mode of voting for national officers was by delegates system, which justified the need for the different geographic zones to use endorsement to prune the number of persons contesting for each office to one, so as to favourably compete with candidates from other zones. That has now changed. Offices of President, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents, General Secretary are now zoned. The mode of electing officers, is now by universal suffrage. It must be noted that, Endorsement is not in line with the universal suffrage guaranteed by the NBA Constitution. At the heart of endorsement lies the much criticised, discredited, and corruption-ridden Delegate system. Endorsement which is done by Branch Chairmen, SANs, and others who constitute delegates voting to adopt a candidate, will defeat the success achieved by the NBA Constitution, 2015, which upheld the agitation of many Lawyers, who insisted that every Lawyer who is financially up-to-date, should have the right to vote (One Lawyer, one Vote). The rebirth of universal suffrage for all Lawyers, was widely celebrated as it was in accord with the universally accepted practice of according the right to vote to fee-paying members of NBA. So, even though I participated in the EBF Endorsement in 2014, I no longer believe in its usefulness, in the light of the need for Lawyers to vote to determine who leads them, without any fora using delegates to make nonsense of the universal suffrage, by limiting or excluding the same right at a regional level. I have no doubt that, universal suffrage will make NBA stronger, by ensuring the emergence of selfless leaders who will reflect the true intendment of the Association, and be true representatives of all members without classifications, as well as reduce the influence of money in the Association’s electoral process, which the delegate system always brings about. In any case, different fora have anointed candidates who went on to lose in an election. The aspirants have to showcase themselves to the world. How many members of the East, belong to that forum you are talking about? Like my late father used to say, when you walk into a bush with a bag, and you fail to make effort to gather nuts and put them in your bag, you will come out with an empty bag. So, endorsement or no endorsement, you have

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‘NBA IS NOW WORSE THAN THE MILITARY’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 to work. This election will not be determined by endorsement, but by the voters. What are the issues that interest them, what solutions do you have, do they trust you? Do they think you have the requisite experience to lead? Do they think that you are the man for the job, at this time? Do you think the NBA Electoral Committee is trying to put forward an unwritten policy, that all NBA Presidents must be Senior Advocates, which you are not? I must confess that, the thought has crossed my mind. The manner the other aspirants who were all Senior Advocates were cleared, while I alone was disqualified on grounds that cannot be justified, has led many Lawyers to strongly believe this to be the case. In fact, my disqualification appears to lend credence to the boasts of some highly placed persons in the Association, that I will never be allowed to contest in the election because I am not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. These persons insist that, I must wait for my turn, because according to them, I am very young and should wait to take Silk before I can contest. Some are saying that one of the major reasons for your disqualification, is the allegation that the ECNBA, believes that you are too young to run for the post of NBA President at the age of 46. That you do not yet have the requisite experience, maturity and presence, to lead the NBA. Could there be any truth to this allegation? Is there an age limitation in the guidelines for running for office? I do not know the working of the minds of the members of the ECNBA. As I said earlier, certain highly placed persons in the Association, openly boasted that I would be disqualified. These individuals have been boasting about my disqualification, since September 2017. In fact, they boasted that a yet-to-be constituted Electoral Committee will require all aspirants to mandatorily obtain Letters of Good Standing from their Branches, and that I would never get same from NBA Abuja Branch. It was therefore, curious and indeed worrisome, when the Electoral Committee ended up requiring aspirants to do so eight months after, as boasted by these individuals. What gave these individuals the confidence to openly boast for months that I was wasting my time, as I would never be allowed to contest in this election?. They made so much noise about the fact that I was also young, and will never be allowed to lead the Bar. I may never know how these boasts coincided with the position of the Electoral Committee, but these are too strong to be ignored. It worries me that, in a contest, people are more interested in who would be disqualified. It shows weakness. It shows fear of having a fair contest, and it is a sad commentary on our democracy, that people are gloating over who gets disqualified. What are they afraid of? Must we go so low in an election? Must we try to muscle people out? What kind of professional Association does that? And our motto is, ‘promoting the rule of Law’! And highly ranking persons in the leadership, are shamelessly boasting that I would be disqualified from contesting in an election many months before it is to take place! High officials going about with a swagger, talking about disqualifying people,

“IN FACT, MY DISQUALIFICATION APPEARS TO LEND CREDENCE TO THE BOASTS OF SOME HIGHLY PLACED PERSONS IN THE ASSOCIATION, THAT I WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO CONTEST IN THE ELECTION, BECAUSE I AM NOT A SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA....THEY MADE SO MUCH NOISE ABOUT THE FACT THAT I WAS ALSO YOUNG, AND WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO LEAD THE BAR. I MAY NEVER KNOW HOW THESE BOASTS COINCIDED WITH THE POSITION OF THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE, BUT THESE WERE TOO STRONG TO BE IGNORED” by introducing unnecessary requirements in the Electoral Guidelines, long before the Electoral Committee is formed! It worries me that, the ECNBA may be tele-guided or be a rubber stamp of these undemocratic officials. And not one, not two persons called me to say, so and so person is boasting that you will not run in the election. That they will require a letter of good standing, and they know you cannot get it from Abuja. It worries me. This is not the Association, that I used to know. We are becoming worse than the military. Impunity

seems to have taken over our very soul, in the NBA. Considering the fact that, at least 50% of the Lawyers that constitute the NBA are young Lawyers, do you believe that you would have stood a good chance of winning the 2018 election? I believe my disqualification will be up-turned, and I will contest in the election. I strongly believe that, I will win the election. My messages strongly resonate with young Lawyers, female Lawyers, as well different cadre of Lawyers.

If you had not been disqualified, and you won the election, what major reforms did you plan to implement in the NBA? Or do you feel that the Association and the way it is run and it stands today, is satisfactory? Of course NBA can be better run. No matter how well an Association is run, it can still be better run, as the only thing constant in life is change. I believe that, even though we need the age and experience of our seniors, we also need the energy, innovation, and progressive ideas of our female and young colleagues, in-house counsel and Lawyers in public service, who are not presently involved and/or integrated into the activities of the Association. We need each other, to realise the Bar of our dreams. We need to look at the current mode of administering the Bar, so as to deepen participation by female Lawyers, and young Lawyers of every gender. Even though female Lawyers and young Lawyers make up more than 65% of the membership of the Association, their involvement and participation in the affairs of the Bar, is abysmally low. Presently, young Lawyers cannot be appointed into the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NBA, until they are ten (10) years post-call. Thus, until they legally qualify to apply for SAN or to be appointed Judges, they cannot be co-opted into NEC. I strongly advocate the need to modify legal strictures, which prevent young and female Lawyers from fully participating in the NBA, so as to ensure that all segments of the legal profession are well represented in the management and control of the finances and affairs of the Association. Some of these suggestions which strongly resonate with young Lawyers, is the imperativeness of making sure Lawyers of not more than five years post-call, do not pay more than N10,000, to attend or participate in all aspects of its Annual General Conferences, the need for NBA to utilise part of the Annual Practicing Fees paid to the Association by its members, for the provision of life and health insurance scheme for Lawyers. Part of the Annual Practicing Fee should also be used for the provision of free online Library resource for lawyers, free online Continuing professional development programs for young Lawyers, ensuring Lawyers get value for money paid, ensuring Lawyers who have spent more than 50 years at the Bar are exempted from paying to attend any NBA organised events, including the Annual General Conferences, ensuring young Lawyers participate in all NBA Sections, and for organised events at no fee etc. Other suggestions, relate to making sure that for gender comprehensiveness, not less than 20 female Lawyers are co-opted into the National Executive Committee of NBA. NBA must also amend her Constitution, to ensure that every Branch elects at least one Lawyer of no more than 10 years post-call, as a representative at the National Executive Committee, and that at least 20 young Lawyers are co-opted into the NEC of NBA. The NBA must show a willingness to develop people, to provide an avenue for people to learn, and also contribute their quota to the advancement of the legal profession; and then the NBA should provide a pool of opportunities for Lawyers to draw from. Until we are able to do these things, then yes many Lawyers would not want to be involved in NBA activities, and also view those who are involved, as thieves.

‘WE ORGANISE MARITIME SEMINARS FOR JUDGES, TO BRIDGE THE KNOWLEDGE GAP IN ADMIRALTY LAW’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 decisions, when you appear before them? There is nothing like that, absolutely. Nigerian Judges, know their responsibilities. We take the Judiciary as a stakeholder. We also organise courses for freight forwarders, we organise courses for shippers, we organise trainings for administrators and many other stakeholders. The Judiciary is a very important stakeholder. Our relationship is nothing but official, on this. It cannot be a thing of influence, after all, we have been taken to court and got adverse judgements. Even until now that you pointed it out, I have never thought about it. Other institutions, also organise such courses for Judges. So, it is just an exercise of updating the knowledge of our Judges. The 15th edition in the series of the Judges Seminar, is scheduled to hold July 3rd to 5th, 2018. How would you appraise the journey so far? The Seminar as I have said, is to first of all update the knowledge of our Judges. Secondly, it influences and has created what I may call a judicial backup for our system. For example, we have legislation that have come out of these

Seminars. The Hamburg Rules, which is an international convention, has been ratified, and this is as a result of what has happened in this Seminar. Even the Cabotage Act, is as a result of this Seminar, reforms in the freight forwarding practice, leading to the Council for Regulation of Freight forwarders. These are all practical aspects of this Seminar. So, the Seminar is not just a talk shop, it talks about the whole Maritime Law where various topics are discussed between the Judges, the practitioners and stakeholders. This is a Seminar for Judges. Somebody said it is even an anomaly to call it seminar for Judges, because all other stakeholders are also attending. The Seminar is not strictly for Judges, but specifically targeted at Judges. But the idea is that we are always bringing new challenges to the Judges, and I am sure that everybody has acknowledged that this Seminar is not just a talk shop, it is a Seminar that has influenced policy, it a Seminar that has influenced law, and it is also a Seminar that has made for the domestication of international conventions. What are the highlights of this year’s Maritime Seminar for Judges?

We always take contemporary issues, burning issues that disturbs us. And we interact officially with the Judges, to know what the issues are, that could still be disturbing for them too. And then, we look at those issues. For now, the issue of piracy. Piracy in Nigeria, is still a disturbing phenomenon. But, in Nigeria, we don’t have a leading law on piracy. The separation of the unlawful act, which is supposed to be the main convention, is yet to be ratified in Nigeria. We have to sometimes rely on local laws, the municipal laws. So, we have to bring out the panel, to discuss the issue of piracy. What we want is that, after this Seminar, there will be a law on piracy. So, the topic is ‘Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Judicial Interpretation and Economic Implication’. There is always a nexus between economy and the Judiciary. And so, we have assembled a panel made of Dr. Kamal Deen Ali (Captain Ghanaian Navy) and Director, Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa, Accra, Ghana, who will present the lead paper. And this will be commented on, by Director General of NIMASA, Director, Legal Services, Nigerian Navy, Gidela Vieira,

Programme Manager, Regional Maritime Security Project, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and, of course, Mr. Mike Igbokwe, SAN, who is an expert on Admiralty Law. The idea is, to push for a comprehensive legislation on piracy. Because, piracy has economic implications on Nigeria trade. We will also discuss the Applicability of International Treaties to Nigerian Laws, and this paper will be delivered by Professor Akin Oyebode, former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, because there are some technical issues about domestication of international conventions. For example, what we have right now are two conventions operating in Nigeria, the Hague Rules and the Hamburg Rules which is an anomaly because the legislature did not technically accept Hamburg Rules and the Hague Rules side by side. There is almost confusion on what to be done. We hope that Professor Oyebode will clear this confusion. So, these are the topical issues, which will interest the judges, the practitioners and other stakeholders so that we move ahead. And so, all other topics before that were opaque have all been reintroduced in order to clear them.

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Saraki, Offa Armed Robbers, and the Law This article by Olukayode Majekodunmi, discusses what he describes as a worrisome pattern of onslaught against perceived opponents of President Buhari or his allies by the Police, citing the cases of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Senators Shehu Sani, Suleiman Hunkuyi and Dino Melaye, as examples

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nder normal circumstances, one would ordinarily dismiss the recent police invitation of Dr Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, as one of the unfolding political dramas where the Police as presently headed by Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris has been shown to be an active participant. That is, if it were an isolated incident. But, it becomes troubling, as it appears to be a pattern of onslaught against perceived opponents of the President and/or his allies. Onslaught Against Perceived Opponents In recent times, there was the reported invasion of Kaduna State NUJ Secretariat by political thugs, allegedly under the watch of the Police, to attack Senators Shehu Sani and Suleiman Hunkuyi, who are known adversaries of Governor El-Rufai, a foremost backer of President Muhammadu Buhari. Shortly after, the Police invited the same Shehu Sani for alleged incrimination in a criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide, by a suspect in custody. There was the celebrated gestapo onslaught on Senator Dino Melaye, which earned the IG and the Police, notoriety the world over. Typically, Senator Melaye is engaged in turf battle with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who, like Governor El- Rufai, is a frontline Buharist. The IG recently had a celebrated faceoff with the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when he wantonly and with ignominy, refused several invitations from the Senate, to answer questions about the state of insecurity in the country. He was reported to have said that his refusal to honour previous summons by the Senate, was because he found no reason to do so, having learnt that the invitation was “a deliberate blackmail, witch-hunting, unfortunate and mischievous” on the part of Senators. This culminated in the Senate declaring the IGP, as unfit for public office. Offa Robbers Now the Senate President, has been invited for what the Police has once again, called criminal indictment, by five suspected gangsters involved in the April 5 bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State. It was the Police’s case, that five of the suspects confessed that they were political thugs used by the Senate President and Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed. It was also the case of the Police that, the five gang leaders further confessed during investigation, that they are political thugs under the name ‘Youth Liberation Movement’, a.k.a ‘Good Boys’ and that the boys admitted having been sponsored with firearms, money, and operational vehicles by Senator Saraki and Governor Ahmed. The Senate President and the Governor, have both denied the allegations. Saraki through his spokesman, described the invitation as “part of the plan to abuse the criminal investigation process, aimed at intimidating and over-overawing the Legislature, thereby obstructing it from

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki

doing its work”. Confessions From empirical material evidence disclosed by the Police, and the exculpatory statements of the ringleader of the robbery gang, one can safely posit that, the linkage of the Senate President or the Governor of Kwara State to the acts of the armed robbers who invaded Offa, is tenuous. This conclusion, is purely based on extant law, and not emotion. From experience, what the Police often takes as confession, can hardly pass through legal scrutiny in any court. Confession is a question of law, and not dictated by what the Police or the Inspector General of Police would want us to take as confession. In any case, it is also trite that confessions are admissible in evidence, only against the persons who make them. Unless and except the Senate President or the Kwara State Governor admits or concurs with the alleged confessional statements made to the Police, it is minutely valuable in criminal proceedings against any person other than the maker. Let us take a critical look, at the comment of the alleged leader of the gang. He was asked about their relationship with Saraki, and the Governor of Kwara State. He responded that, they do what he called ‘Political arrangement and mobilisation, for them’. He was further asked the source of their weapons, he responded that it was one dismissed Policeman by name Michael, that provided them with weapons used. He confirmed that he was given the vehicle used in the operation by his “Excellency”. Most importantly, he said the neither

“IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO SENATORS SHEHU SANI, SULAIMAN HUNDEYIN, AND DINO MELAYE, ALL KNOWN ALLIES AND STRONG BACKERS OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT, THE ESCALATION TO THE SENATE PRESIDENT AND BY EXTENSION, TO THE GOVERNOR OF KWARA STATE, FOLLOWS A PREDICTABLE PATTERN OF PERSECUTION AND WITCH HUNT”

the Senate President nor Kwara State Governor sent them for robbery operation, but that they were political thugs to both the Senate President and the Governor. Ingredients of Armed Robbery: What Police Must Prove It can safely be said that, there was commission of offence of Armed Robbery, by the persons apprehended by the Police, who have openly confessed to their crimes. This is taken to be true, because the most important ingredient of armed robbery, is to be armed with any firearms or offensive weapon. What is yet to be known, is the involvement of Saraki and the State Governor. If the only link between the suspects and Saraki, is the statement made by the ring leader of the thugs, one can conclude that, the Police has got it very wrong in this case. The Police is trying everything, to play to the gallery of unlearned minds, as far as this Offa robbery incident is concerned. They have gone a step further, to state that some of those arrested, attended the wedding ceremony of Saraki’s daughter. However, for the Senate President and Kwara State Governor to be directly involved in this case, it must be shown that, they knew they were robbers, and that they provided them with instruments to perform their operation as robbers. The fact that cars were given out, as an act of political patronage to party faithful, cannot by any stretch of imagination, be used to ascribe culpability to the Senate President and Kwara State Governor. A cursory examination of Section 7 of the Criminal Code, which relates to criminal liabilities of parties to an offence, is apposite at this juncture. The following persons are deemed to have taken part in committing the offence, and to be guilty of the offence: a. Every person who does the act or makes the omission which constitutes the offence. b. Every person who does or omits to do any act for the purpose of enabling or aiding another person to commit the offence. c. Every person who aids another person in committing the offence. d. Any person who counsels or procures any other person to commit the offence. From the provisions of S.7(c) above, there

might be the temptation, to link either Saraki or the Governor of Kwara State to the offence under consideration. That has also been sufficiently cleared, from the press interview of the accused. He said the car was given to him, for his work as people in charge of mobilisation and arrangement. The car was not given to them, to be used for robbery operation. To understand what Section 7(c) is saying, we can take a quick excursion into the Supreme Court’s decision in IYARO v STATE. The Appellant and another, were charged with armed robbery. The Appellant used his taxicab to facilitate the commission of the crime, in that he had conveyed his passengers to what appeared to be a prearranged spot, and stopped the car for no apparent reason. He gave a signal, and five men emerged and robbed the ladies seated in the taxi of their valuables, while the Appellant sat and watched. The robbers went away, when they thought they had finished the job. He signalled to the robbers, which indicated that there was still another victim. The robbers promptly returned, and finished the job. He promptly took off, upon a crowd forming in response to the cries of the victims. He was convicted for aiding and abetting. Can we say the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State had same intention with any or all the suspects presently in Police custody, to commit the crime which they committed? The most plausible answer, should be No. This is based on what the suspect said to journalists, at their parade. The act of giving cars and other gifts, cannot determine the use of the said car, for any purpose chosen by the person given the car. Witch Hunt Those who have had dealings with the Nigeria Police, as a State Prosecutor or even defence counsel, would not be surprised by the press statement of the Force talking about confession, as if Lawyers do not know how those were extracted by the Police. If this can happen to Senators Shehu Sani, Sulaiman Hundeyin, and Dino Melaye, all known allies and strong backers of the Senate President, the escalation to the Senate President and by extension, to the Governor of Kwara State, follows a predictable pattern of persecution and witch hunt. This is more so, as the Senate President had raised alarms of a plot by the Police, orchestrated by the Inspector General of Police, to frame him using “confessions” by cultists arrested in Kwara State and transferred to Police Headquarters, Abuja. The Police beat a hasty retreat, due to the backlash, and suggested that the Senate President was crying wolf, where there was none. The arrest of the Offa Armed Robbers, offered the Police another bite at the cherry so to say. It is my most humble suggestion, that the reform of any institution in Nigeria, should start with the Nigeria Police. It is instructive that, the instruments of State, should not be deployed to target and persecute perceived adversaries of the Appointor of the Inspector General of Police. Police prosecution and investigation, should not be triggered mainly on account of political dissent. The Police, should not be an instrument of oppression. Unfortunately, it is history repeating itself, reminiscent of the forgettable incidents in the First Republic, when Local and Native Authority, the purveyors of the present Nigerian Police, routinely framed up and prosecuted political adversaries of their Appointors. A case of ‘he who pays the piper, dictates the tune’. It is the view of the writer that, the undue or unwarranted escalation of the unfortunate Offa Robbery, with a view to incriminate the President of the Senate by the Police, is a joke taken too far. Olukayode Majekodunmi LLM (Notre Dame), London

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INSOLVENCY DISCOURSE DR. KUBI UDOFIA

k.udofia@live.com

Can a Foreign Arbitral Award be Used as a Basis for Winding-up Proceedings?

C Questions

an a foreign arbitral award, be enforced by winding-up proceedings? Can a foreign arbitral award, be used as a basis for instituting winding-up proceedings? Assuming it can, what is the likely implication of a challenge of the award, on the winding-up proceedings? This write-up sets out to examine these questions, which are yet to be considered by courts in Nigeria. It also highlights decisions from other jurisdictions, on these issues. Can a Foreign Arbitral Award be enforced by Winding-Up Proceedings? Foreign arbitral awards, are final and binding on parties, and application may be made to courts for enforcement. Accordingly, foreign arbitral awards may be enforced in Nigeria (i) by an action on the award, (ii) under Section 51 of Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1988 (ACA), (iii) under Section 56 of the Lagos State Arbitration Law, 2009, (iv) under the Foreign Judgement (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act, 1990, (v) under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Convention, and (vi) under the New York Convention, 1958. Winding-up proceedings, are not one of the recognised methods of enforcing foreign arbitral awards. Indeed, there are a number of reasons, why winding-up may not be considered as enforcement action. Winding-up proceedings are class actions, and winding-up orders are usually made in rem, as if they are based on the joint-petition of all creditors. In In re Lines Bros Ltd (1983) Ch 1 at 20, Brightman LJ rightly stated that “the liquidation of an insolvent company, is a process of collective enforcement of debts for the benefit of the general body of creditors”. A winding-up order, does not result in the payment of the petitioner’s debt. It results in administration of a debtor’s estates, towards the discharge of all its debts. There is no guarantee that, a petitioner/award creditor will be paid. Upon the making of a winding-up order, a Liquidator will take over the assets of the debtor. The petitioner/award creditor, will have to put in a proof as an unsecured creditor, based on the arbitral award. A Liquidator may dispute the proof. Even where a proof is accepted, there may be insufficient assets to pay unsecured creditors. Finally, a winding-up order stays the commencement or continuation of proceedings against the company, except with leave of court: Section 417 Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990 (CAMA). The consequence of this, is that rather than enable enforcement of arbitral awards, winding-up proceedings have the contrary effect. Can a Foreign Arbitral Award be Used as a basis for Instituting Winding-Up Proceedings? An arbitral award is a product of an arbitration agreement, which itself contains an implied undertaking by parties to comply with the award. A monetary award, is therefore, prima facie evidence of indebtedness of the award debtor to the creditor. In K.S.U.D.B v Fanz Construction Company Ltd (1990) 4 NWLR (Pt 142) 1 at 37A-B, Agbaje JSC held that an arbitration agreement, except the contrary is stated, is deemed to contain a provision that the award is to be final and binding on the parties. His Lordship stated that the consequence of the foregoing, is that a publication of an arbitral award extinguishes any right of action in respect of the former matters, and gives rise to a new cause of action based on the agreement between the parties to perform the award, which is implied in every arbitration agreement. Accordingly, a statutory demand under Section 409(a) of CAMA, may be issued on the basis of an arbitral award. A court before which a petition premised on an award is brought, ought not to consider same through the lens of a court considering an application to enforce the award. The court should view the award, purely as prima facie liability of the company and its inability to pay. A foreign arbitral award, need not be enforced and recognised, before it can be relied upon as a basis for filing a winding-up petition. This is simply because, winding-up proceedings pursuant to Section 409(a) of CAMA, are not restricted to judgement creditors and judgement debts. Once a debt is acknowledged or not bona fide disputed on genuine and substantial grounds, it may ground a winding-up order.

What is the likely implication, of a Challenge of the Award on the Winding-Up Proceedings? An award debtor may contend at the winding-up proceedings, that there is either a pending application to set aside the award, which is likely to succeed, or a motion for leave to file such an application. Where a debtor makes such contention, the best approach would be for the court to examine the existence of such an application or application for leave to file same. If satisfied, the court may stay proceedings or strike out the petition. Continuing with the winding-up proceedings, would deny the respondent his statutory right of challenging the award. Granting a winding-up order, may have irreversible adverse consequences, which may render a subsequent setting aside of the arbitral award, pyrrhic. Challenging the award, amounts to disputing the debt. Winding-up proceedings, cannot be sustained on a debt which is bona fide disputed on genuine and substantial grounds: Air Via Ltd v Oriental Airlines Ltd (2004) 9 NWLR (Pt 878) 298 at 329B-C. Similarly, where an award debtor has a genuine cross claim against the award creditor in a sum which exceeds the arbitral award, the petition ought not to be granted. However, where a debtor’s disputation relates to the merit of the award, such disputation ought to be discountenanced as not being a bona fide dispute on genuine and substantial grounds. It is trite that, arbitral awards are final and binding: Section 31(1) ACA: Tulip (Nigeria) Ltd v Noleggioe Transport Maritime S.A.S (2011) NWLR 4 (Pt.1237) 254 at 279D-E. Decisions from other Jurisdictions There have been a few decisions in other jurisdictions, in relation to the above issues. Although, most of these decisions turned on domestic insolvency and/ or arbitration laws, they have a similar underlying principle. They suggest that whilst arbitral awards cannot be enforced through winding-up proceedings, winding-up proceedings may be grounded on arbitral awards. In In re International Tin Council (1989) Ch 309, the petitioner presented a winding-up petition against the respondent, based on an arbitral award. The English Court of Appeal held that, winding-up proceedings were not a method of enforcement of arbitral award, but were for the purpose of ensuring the administration of a debtor’s assets for the benefit of all creditors. In Vendort Traders Inc v Evrostroy Grupp LLC BVIHCVAP 2012/0041 26/05/2014, the Eastern

“A FOREIGN ARBITRAL AWARD, CANNOT BE ENFORCED BY WINDING-UP PROCEEDINGS. HOWEVER, WINDING-UP PROCEEDINGS, MAY BE PREMISED ON A FOREIGN ARBITRAL AWARD”

Caribbean Court of Appeal held that, an award holder (from the London Court of International Arbitration), could serve a statutory demand or issue winding up petition based on an unenforced foreign arbitration award. In BHP International Markets Ltd 2016/COM/ bnk/0038, the Bahamas Supreme Court held that, a foreign arbitral award holder, was not required to enforce the award under Bahamas’ domestic arbitration law, before issuing a statutory demand. The court dismissed the company’s opposition, and ordered its winding-up, on the ground that it was insolvent. In Pacific King Shipping Pte Ltd v Glory Wealth Shipping Pte Ltd [2010] SGHC 173, a Singaporean Court rejected the argument that an award must first be recognised and enforced, before winding-up proceedings could be issued. Philip Pillai J held that, there was no obstacle to a statutory demand being made for the purposes of winding-up, founded on a binding arbitration award. In Armada (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Grand China Logistics Holding Co Ltd (HCCW 130/2013, 19 August 2013), a Hong Kong Court struck out a winding-up petition based on an arbitral award, on the ground that the petitioner did not show any connection between the respondent (a Chinese company) and Hong Kong. In Re Lucky Resources (HK) Ltd [2016] 4 HKLRD 301, a Hong Kong Court held that, an arbitral award could form the basis for winding-up, without first applying for leave to enforce the award under the domestic Arbitration Ordinance. The court made the winding-up order, holding that the presentation of a winding-up petition, does not constitute the enforcement of an award. In Dalhousie Jute Co Ltd v Mulchand Lakshmi Chand (1983) 53 CompCas 607 Cal, a Calcutta High Court in India held that, a winding-up petition could be based on an unfiled award. In contrast, in Marine World Shipping v Jindal Exports Ltd (2004) 2 CompLJ 50 Del, an Indian Court held that, a winding-up petition could not be presented before recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral award, as “seeking performance and enforcement” of a foreign award, required one to follow the procedure prescribed under the Indian Arbitration Act. The court reasoned that, without first ascertaining whether the award was enforceable, it cannot be said that the debt is due and payable. In Interdepartmental Concern Oao Uralmetprom v Besuno Ltd, Civil Appeal No. 269/2009, 20/2/2014, Cyprus’ Supreme Court held that, a winding-up petition based on a foreign arbitral award which had neither been recognised nor registered in Cyprus, was destined to fail, since the award was unenforceable. Conclusion A foreign arbitral award, cannot be enforced by winding-up proceedings. However, winding-up proceedings, may be premised on a foreign arbitral award. A challenge of such an award, amounts to a disputed debt, which may necessitate a stay or striking out of the proceedings.

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LEGAL HUMOUR

We Hold Your Brief JUDE IGBANOI jude.igbanoi@thisdaylive.com Dear Counsel, My daughter is currently out on bail, having been arrested and detained for two days, for an offence she didn’t commit. She had been in a relationship with a man for over two years, and they had planed to marry. Although we had our doubts about the man’s integrity, we allowed the relationship hoping he would change. However, it turned out that he was not only a liar, but also very hot-tempered. On several occasions he physically assaulted our daughter, to the point that she was actually admitted in the hospital. As parents, we had to put our approval for the marriage on hold, but unknown to us our daughter was two months pregnant for him. Our present predicament is that, she came down with typhoid and was on admission for three days. It was the day of her discharge from hospital she started bleeding profusely and returned to hospital, where doctors told us she had a miscarriage. That was when she later confessed, that she had been pregnant. Her boyfriend went to the Police, to report that my daughter was forced to abort his baby. The Police first came to arrest us, but we told them we didn’t know that our daughter was pregnant, talk less of abortion. So, she was taken to the police station. She thereafter, called off the relationship, which probably angered her boyfriend more. Although she is out on bail now, the Police have informed us that, she might be charged to court any moment. We

know that she didn’t commit abortion. Please, advice. M.E., Warri, Delta State. Dear M.E., The unfortunate events which led to this present situation, could have best been prevented and nipped in the bud, at the very point you noticed violence and assault in your daughter’s relationship. Although your e mail did not state clearly the details of her treatment at the hospital when she was sick, abortion cannot just imputed on the face of these scanty facts. So, her boyfriend may have acted irrationally by rushing to the Police. Section 228 of the Criminal Code provides for Abortion thus: “Any person who, with intent to procure miscarriage of a woman whether she is or is not with child, unlawfully administers for her or causes her to take any poison or other noxious things or uses any force of any kind, or uses any other means whatever, is guilty of felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years”. I advice that you brief a Lawyer immediately, especially if the Police eventually arraign your daughter in court. One doubts if they can prove abortion under the circumstance. However, ensure that detailed medical reports from her stay in hospital are available, as these are required to disprove the allegation of abortion.

A bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man in the world, that it offered $1,000 to anyone who could beat him in one task. The bartender squeezed a lemon until all the juice ran out. Anyone who could get a drop of juice out of it after the bartender was done, would win the $1,000. Many strong people tried and failed. One day a scrawny man came into the bar wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit. He squeaked, “I’d like to try the bet.” After the laughter died down, the bartender grabbed a lemon and squeezed away. Then he handed the rind to the man, who to everyone’s amazement, squeezed six drops into the glass. Stunned, the bartender paid up, and then asked the man, “What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack? A weight lifter?” “Nope,” the man replied. “I’m an Attorney for the IRS.” ˾˾˾ Diogenes went to look for an honest lawyer. “How’s it going?”, someone asked. “Oh, not too bad”, said Diogenes. “I still have my lantern.” ˾˾˾ A gang of robbers broke into a Lawyer’s club by mistake. The old legal lions gave them a fight for their lives, and the gang was happy just to escape. “It ain’t so bad,” one crook noted. “We got out with $25 between us.” “I warned you to stay clear of Lawyers!”, the boss screamed. “We had over $1000 when we broke in!”

NASS APPEALS HIGH COURT DECISION WHICH NULLIFIED ITS POWER TO RE-ORDER ELECTION SEQUENCE this case, has the constitutional responsibility of organising and conducting elections, and to that effect, to issue timetables, and it will also decide when elections will hold”, the Judge held. He held that, only INEC has the power to change date that had already been released. Consequently, the court granted all the reliefs sought by the Plaintiff, even as it nullified Section 25 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2018, which sought to alter sequence for the forthcoming general elections. It, however, declined to compel President Muhammadu Buhari, to reject the 2018 Amended Electoral Act on the basis that the President had already withheld his assent to it. The court held that contrary to the contention by the NASS, there was no need for the Plaintiff to join President Buhari as a party to the suit, since the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, was cited as a defendant in the matter.

It, therefore, dismissed all objections the NASS raised against the suit, for want of merit. But dissatisfied with the lower court's decision, the NASS, which was the 1st Defendant at the lower court, filed an appeal, asking the appellate court to set aside the decision of Justice Mohammed, and dismiss in its entirety, the Plaintiff’s claims in the Originating Summons. In the Notice of Appeal filed through its Lawyer, Mr. J.B Daudu, SAN, the NASS stated that the learned trial judge, erred in law when he assumed jurisdiction to entertain and determine the suit, when the purpose of passing the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 into an Act. In particular, the NASS contended that, the trial judge failed to observe and apply the principles and doctrine of separation of powers. According to the NASS, the trial judge wrongly failed to appreciate that, until the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 was passed into an Act by the exercise of the legislative

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

power of the National Assembly to over-ride the veto or withholding of assent to the Bill by the President, the same remained inchoate and not capable of vesting a justiciable civil right or obligation on any person, including the Plaintiff. NASS further contended amongst others, that the lower court wrongly interpreted the provisions of Section 4(8) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), so as to reach the conclusion that the Federal High Court was vested with jurisdiction to impugn a Bill perceived to be unconsitutional. "The lower court was further in error, when it relied on the certificate of the Clerk of the National Assembly pursuant to the Acts Authentication Act on the Bill (Exh 'A'), as proof that the Bill's constitutionality could be challenged in a superior court of law. "The learned trial judge erred in law, when he failed to appreciate that the Plaintiff’s suit (subject-matter of this Appeal), was not properly constituted and therefore, incompetent", it stated.

LAWYER: WHY I SUED REV. KPAKPOVWE AND HIS MINISTRY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 the Ministry viewed the case as a persecution of the Body of Christ. “It is spiritual warfare! So, all well-meaning Christians and indeed, sincere souls, should not treat it with levity, but should see it as a stunt on the Body of Christ. If not checked, it could happen to any other Ministry tomorrow! God forbid! Here is a lady who claimed to have voluntarily attended a church/ministry program, and then suddenly turns around to start making ridiculous financial demands from the Ministry, over an alleged injury not caused by the same”. But Ms Egbedi recalled the event of January 22, 2010, as one of the most traumatic events in her life, as she thought it was all dream, having lost seven teeth, suffered a fractured jaw, at a time when she had just relocated back to Nigeria due to the death of her father, the Late Capt. A.K.I Egbedi. Her father was the pilot who died in the ill-fated plane crash at Obudu on March 15, 2008. She was to attend her dad’s funeral, in the following weeks after the incident. She narrated her story: “It was the lowest point in my life, as I had my father’s death to come in terms with, I organised and attended the funeral weeks after wearing removable dentures like an old person, went through series of reconstructive surgeries, and had to wear painful braces to restore my dentition and

save the rest of my teeth which were also affected, suffered depression, as I had no one to help me with the huge dental bills, thus, sold my fish farm at Epe and saved every penny to pay for the bills all alone. So when Dapo Akinosun, a partner of SimmonCoopers Partners and a Pastor of Redeemed Christian Church of God agreed to take up my case pro-bono, I wept as it was like a ray of sunlight in the midst of all the darkness. Mr. Akinosun, alongside Ms Funmilola Mesaiyete and Ayodeji Jolaoso, fought the good fight, insisting that such behaviour of a Man of God was wrong, shameful and sad”. She added further: “I was so grateful for the support I got, because if I didn’t have such support and financial capabilities, I would have been disfigured for life. At the event itself, when the accident happened, I was taken to the ambulance, my work colleagues at AELEX and friends who were there came to see me, and to our shock, there were over 5 people with heart breaking injuries like a broken leg, shoulder, skull, all caused by the gutters in between the chairs provided by the Defendants at the overflow outside the hall. I was so surprised that despite these multiple accidents, no one deemed it fit to seal off the area, properly cover the exposed gutter, or put a sign up, alerting

people of the danger and remove the chairs there, in order to avoid worse, a death. I insisted to wait till the end of the event to see Rev. Chris Kwakpovwe with the bloodied face, fractured jaw, affected 7 teeth, in order that no one says that the injuries were sustained elsewhere (missing teeth are very visible injuries and cannot be mistaken), and he directed me to Mrs. St. Matthew Daniels (a Pastor), who saw my injuries and told me to go to a dental clinic, be treated, and inform her of the bills. "I have only ever been invited once to a meeting at their church, where it was agreed that I get the quotation for my teeth treatment from LASUTH, as the private dental clinic I used was considered too expensive, and whilst there, I informed them that I would prefer to continue my treatment at the private clinic, but however offered that whatever the bill of LASUTH, they should pay that lower bill, and I would pay the balance, to be fair. “I was going to let this go until the Defendants insulted me in a letter calling my request for the payment of my medical bills a gold digging venture, daring me to go to court, and worse was when Rev. Chris Kwakpovwe decided to print defamatory words against me in his Daily Manna devotional about the incident, insinuating that I was an agent of the devil and being used by certain enemies!", she narrated.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Culled from Social Media

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T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 2.83 3.58

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Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email: obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08024557078, 08091152219

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Quick Takes Firm PartnersWaste Management Society In a bid to ensure environmental cleanliness, Getjama Limited has collaborated with the Waste Management Society of Nigeria to mark the world environmental day by cleaning its environment, precisely the Jakande beach road located at the Eti-asa Jakande Local Government Area. The company’s Marketing and Communication Strategist, Nnenna Igwe, stated that the event was aimed at giving back to the society in fulfillment to its corporate social responsibility as a company. “In order to give back to our society, we not only collaborated with WASPA, but also with Tiva’s group, the parent company of Getjama Limited, NOK360, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Ministry of Education and Gbopa Senior Secondary School to not only clean their immediate environment, but to also raise the initiative level of Nigerian youths about environmental sanitation, plastic pollution, waste management and the likes. “This is a community engagement programme that seeks to raise environmental sanitation literacy level and also instill a sense of cleanliness within the resident of the environment,” Igwe said. Also speaking at the event, the Lagos state Counsellor, Waste Management of Nigeria, Omutunde Adeola, said the exercise was to create awareness on plastic pollution, saying it was the best way to celebrate the world environmental day.

SON Trains Army Personnel

STOCK TAKING

L-R: Company Secretary, Total Nigeria Plc, Olubunmi Popoola; Chairman, Mr. Stanislas Mittelman and Managing Director, Mr. JeanPhillips Torres, at the company’s Annual General Meeting held in Lagos…recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

NNPC: $5bn JV Debt Repayment Restoring Investors’ Confidence in Nigeria Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said its repayment of the about $5 billion negotiated joint venture cash call debts owed to International Oil Companies (IOCs) over the years was now stirring the confidence of investors in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector. It also said it would look inwards to rising domestic demands for oil as its biggest business opportunity following growing uncertainties in the global oil market. NNPC’s Group Managing

ENERGY Director, Dr. Baru Maikanti, said while speaking on the theme “Investment in the Oil and Gas Industry” at the recently concluded 7th International Seminar of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, Austria. According to him, loan repayment was part of measures taken by the country to restore investors’ confidence in her oil industry. He said so far, these measure which also included the execution of a $1 billion

contractor financing deal with Schlumberger for the development of oil fields in the Niger Delta; aggressive investment in infrastructure; tripling of domestic gas supply from 500 million standard feet per day (mmscf/d) in 2010 to about 1500mmscf/d currently; and completion and commissioning of 600 kilometres of new gas pipelines, were paying off. “We have had about $3.6 billion in investment so far. The PIB is undergoing serious legislative process. We segmented it into four and one has been passed. The downstream holds the future.

We are looking at revamping our refineries and calling on investors to come and establish refineries. We are also looking at job creation across the entire value-chain,” Baru added. He also said the corporation was working hard to keep the sanctity of all contracts so investors are given the right framework to operate. According to him: “The recently sanctioned $2.8 billion, 614 kilometres Ajaokuta-AbujaKaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project is a demonstration of commitment to investing in Continued on page 22

Expert Urges FG to Invest in Technology Ugo Aliogo The Senior Partner and Head, Technology Advisory and Market, KPMG Nigeria, Joseph Tegbe, has charged federal government to actively invest in growing the country’s technology infrastructure. Tegbe who disclosed this recently in Ibadan, noted that the ubiquitous nature of internet had made it important for government to invest in technology especially e-governance assets such as digital channels, application, and online platforms that link citizens to the public sector to promote efficiency. He also stated that infrastructural developments are key

ECONOMY drivers to economic growth, adding that the World Economic Forum had estimated that every dollar spent on capital projects generates an economic return of five to 25 per cent. He said: “Long before now, the focus of infrastructural development has always been on roads, power grids, and other physical infrastructure.” He stated that global research had shown that capturing the full potential of government digitisation could free up to $1 trillion annually in economic value worldwide, through improved cost and operational performance.

Tegbe, further stated that both developing countries and world powers had been paying a lot of attention to improving their e-governance strategy, adding that the world is a global village, “we are not completely insulated from the factors shaping the globe.” He urged the government to ensure that it delivers a more responsive and efficient governance, stating that according to the UK government, its initial e-governance strategy saved £42 million in government spending within a year of its launch. According to him: “Egovernance is an opportunity to create more jobs and enhance the skills of the public service.

The Nigerian political cycle is just four years; the crux of the running of the government is done by the members of the civil service who can be trained to become world class handlers and users of e-governance infrastructure. “When we adequately invest in existing workforce, we realise efficiency and empower such workforce to execute more strategic and complex tasks rather than their current routine tasks. “The Nigerian problem is majorly in three major parts: structural, cyclical and shocks. To solve structural problem, Continued on page 22

The Nigerian Army is keen on improving its existing processes in line with international best practices and ready to adopt the world acclaimed ISO 9001:2015 quality management system standards in its operations. The Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Major General Adekunle Shodunke, stated this while declaring open the ISO quality management system standards implementation training for twelve officers of the Army Standards and Evaluation Department in Abuja recently. The training conducted by officials of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Training Services department according to him, was the first in the series of others that will include officers from all departments of the Nigerian Army involved in standards evaluation and monitoring. Shodunke posited that the Nigerian Army stands to benefit immensely from the adoption of the ISO Standard, saying it has wide acceptance in various private sector, governmental, security and paramilitary institutions across the world. He enjoined the trainees to be attentive and focused during the training program which according to him will include a test of understanding at the end.

Pence Appointed into US TACA The United States Nigeria Council (USNC), a business organisation dedicated to deepening commercial ties between the US and Nigeria, has announced the appointment of Eliot Pence to the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA), by the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer. Pence had served as the Executive Director of USNC since its creation in 2016. The Trade Advisory Committee on Africa provides the U.S. Trade Representative with policy advice on issues involving trade and development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pence, however, joined twenty-one members of the committee in advising Ambassador Lighthizer on trade between U.S. and Nigeria. Speaking on his appointment, Pence said: “I’m look forward to joining the TACA and hope to bring a focus on young entrepreneurs and technology.

The government needs to make it clear that’s it’s not going to sacrifice the economy because of politics. Some ministers are resigning to go and do politics, and people are already saying it will affect the face of governance Head of Department, Banking and Finance, Nasarawa State University, Prof. Uche Uwaleke

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

NNPC: $5BN JV DEBT REPAYMENT RESTORING INVESTORS’ CONFIDENCE IN NIGERIA

Abuja Disco Expends N2.5bn on Repairs, Others

local gas development.” Baru, also stated that the NNPC has outlined plans to attract private investments, ensure sustainable development and spur growth in the nation’s oil industry. He said more investment in the oil industry had become imperative in the wake of recent turbulence experienced in oil price cycle, supply-driven glut, world economic growth, uncertainties regarding oil’s future, and fiscal imbalance experienced by OPEC member nations. He stated that the challenges have however created a new wave of opportunities for the NNPC to exploit since oil was expected to remain the dominant fuel in the energy mix, contributing between 52 and 53 per cent of the global energy requirement over the next 15 years. According to him, the NNPC has recognised there could be an opportunity in oil demand growth, particularly as an exporter experiencing a surge in local demand.

To cut down or if possible, end the incidences of deaths from grid electricity-related accidents within its network areas which it said was about 101 in the last five years, the Abuja electricity distribution company (Disco) has disclosed that a whooping N2.5 billion had been invested on safety measures within its network since 2013. The investment, it explained was used to reconstruct some shanty networks in communities like Kabusa and Gisiri which are under its coverage, as well as procure safety gears and equipment used by its staff during operations. It also stated that parts of the money was invested in an ongoing mass education of its customers on safe use of electricity, adding that the exercise has seen it go from schools, to villages and other places where electricity end users are often urged to observe safety in their interface with electricity. Speaking at a recent meeting in Abuja where the Disco accepted the responsibility to host an upcoming electricity safety summit – the 2018 National Power Safety Summit, its Managing Director, Mr. Ernest Mupwaya, indicated the investment was undertaken because the Discos could not reconcile with the idea that its product would be a source of death to its customers. Mupwaya, explained the Disco has raised its commitment to safety since it took over from the government in 2013, adding that its workers are equally made to go

EXPERT URGES FG TO INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY

we must fill the gap and also proactively prepare for the future. “One of the predicated technologies of the future is internet of things and the proliferation of this is only a few years away. If we stay stuck on solving only the problems created by our past, we will lose the opportunities of the future.” Continuing, he said: “Therefore government must continuously focus on policies and programs for the future. “The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to enforce some e-governance strategies. For instance, the Treasury Single Account (TSA), is simply the digitisation of government revenue collection and it has helped the government to save billions of naira in different ways.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

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

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

through a change of mind-set about safety. “The concept of safety presupposes the desire to ensure that both the service provider and the user of the product should benefit maximally from the product. However, human beings either for lack of knowledge or complacency and carelessness find themselves constantly compromising safety standards unfortunately to their detriment. “Since we took over the ownership and management of the company on October 31,

2013, we have carefully and deliberately raised the level of awareness and changed the mind-set of the workers of the company in the area of Health, Safety and Environment. “We have made the observance of safety rules mandatory. In this regards, we have invested close to N2.5 billion over five years in the provision of personal safety gears, safety equipment, total reconstruction of some shanty networks such as Kabusa and Gisiri that we inherited from the defunct PHCN,” said Mupwaya.

Continuing, he noted: “We have also invested in the massive education of the customers going from school to school, village to village, knowing that when knowledge is shared, abuse and accidents are also reduced and more customers become loyal to the company.” According to him, the Disco had recorded about 101 electricity related fatalities in its network since 2013. These he noted included nine of its staff. He thus decried the development, stating that while some were directly linked

to its failure, most were as a result of end-users misuse of electricity or tampering of power facilities. “Electricity is such a good servant but a terribly bad master that only listens to explanation after punishing but that is if the victim survives,” Mupwaya, stated. He said the Disco accepted to host the safety summit because it wanted to amplify the need for stakeholders in Nigeria’s electricity industry to consistently observe safe use of electricity.

RENDERING ACCOUNT

L-R: Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Chioma Madubuko; Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Group Managing Director, Engr.Abdullahi Sule, during the company’s 12th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos…recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

US Firm to Boost Nigeria’s Power Generation Ejiofor Alike The federal government’s policy initiatives in the power sector have continued to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as United States power firm, Bussbar Energy, has pledged to invest in the country’s power sector in order to be a significant producer of sustainable and environmentally friendly power. The Managing Director of the company, which was established by a team of American investors, Bernie Conyers, said in a statement at the weekend, that the company was committed to providing bespoke solutions on site, adding that Bussbar is not the regular power generating or distribution company. “We can make power generation and conservation more effective; we can generate, conserve and distribute up to one megawatt per site. So, there is no limit in theory”, Conyers said. He also stated that, in the next 12 months, “Bussbar has prospect for generating, conserving and supplying a minimum of 50 megawatts of electricity to different projects on offer”. Beyond power supply, Conyers said Bussbar was also intent on empowering Nigerian youths by way of training. “Our focus is also in training young Nigerians without any

pre-condition to bond them to Bussbar,” Conyers said, adding that a very significant aspect of this power generation initiative is the introduction of the fly-wheel technology. According to him, this is an innovative approach to power conservation, storage and supply that is very friendly to the environment which aligns with the concept of sustainability that underlies Gracefield development, a new island project in Lekki, Lagos which is being developed on land reclaimed from the Lagos Lagoon. Nigeria’s current dismal power supply and distribution situation in the country are a confirmation that there are fundamental distortions, from the onset, in the privatisation exercise of the federal government, starting with the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency which spanned 1999 to 2007. But Conyers stated that hope is in the offing, not just for homes, but also for industrial concerns and new urban communities like Gracefield Island. “Conyers believes that without the policy initiative of the federal government, this investment would not have been possible and, interestingly, the fly-wheel technology for power is already committed to Gracefield Island—an island city where technology plays a significant role in its concept and implementation,” he said.

Commenting on the investment, Ozo Nwafor of Gracefield said “The first attraction of Bussbar’s offering is that it complements the sustainability approach of our company and, crucially, it conforms to federal government’s policy and removes the need to apply for

captive power licence”. Recently, the federal government took a decision that power consumers in Nigeria should not be slaves to a less-than-desirable regulatory environment. Following up on this, the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde

Fashola, launched some initiatives to ensure significant increase in power generation and distribution. One of the most recent of such initiatives is the waiving of licensing requirements for power generation project of one megawatt or less.

Eko Disco Raises the Alarm over Extortion of Customers by Illegal Groups Ejiofor Alike The Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) has raised the alarm over some illegal groups that extort money from customers under the guise of fighting for electricity customers rights. The General Manager, Corporate Communications of the company, Mr. Godwin Idemudia appealed to the company’s customers in a statement at the weekend to desist from patronising such unregistered groups who are out to defraud customers. He said that a group was reported by customers to be extorting money from communities within and outside EKEDC network to deceive members of the public to contribute money for the campaign to set a uniform monthly bill for all custom-

ers without consideration for differences in type of electrical appliances individual homes and businesses. The EKEDC spokesman, however, urged customers to be wary of such people and avoid being duped or used as pliable tools for selfish interest of some people. According to Idemudia, anyone promising to fight for uniform electricity bill for all customers is only out to exploit the ignorance of some people about electricity billing system. “Since electricity bills vary from one customer to another by reason of the type of appliances and monthly consumption in individual homes and businesses, any campaign for uniform electricity bill for all customers is fraud an exercise in rabble-rousing and mass deception for self aggrandisement,” he added. He said that the company had

received series of complaints on those fraudulent groups, while many community leaders had always disowned such groups and described them as mere attention seekers who had never been known in their communities for leading or partaking in any communal developmental efforts. Idemudia assured customers of the company’s readiness for fruitful mutual engagement at all times, while advising customers to avail themselves of the open and direct stakeholders’ engagement policy of the company. He said the stakeholders forum had made it possible for any aggrieved customer to directly relate with the company through the various customer care platforms for lodging complaints and resolving such without the intervention of any self-seeking mercenary.

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ENERGY

HowNigeria’sEnergySectorFaredinHalfYear 2018 Chineme Okafor looks at how Nigeria’s energy sector – oil, gas, and electricity, performed in the first half of 2018 In 2017, Nigeria which is currently reported to be Africa’s largest economy, gave out hopes that 2018 could just be the year it would take bold moves to reposition or consolidate reforms initiated in her energy sector. Having initiated an electricity market reform that was concluded in 2013, but which has yet to gain the expected momentum, as well as reforms in her oil and gas sectors and the breaking up of the omnibus Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into different parts for ease of passage, the country looked ready to make 2018 count for it. Undoubtedly the continent’s heavyweight with lands rich in mineral resources, great agricultural potential and favourable demographics, the country initiated a recovery scheme – the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP), with the World Bank, to help revive her electricity market which had by 2017 become so lethargic that investments into some of its key value chains like the distribution networks appeared to have dried up. Similarly, as Africa’s largest oil producer and a key member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria which reportedly holds down a good spot as the world’s fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), also indicated it would be taking some bold steps to balance its crude oil business. This was after it was hit hard by the slump in oil price which started in 2014 and has gradually recovered. Developments in electricity sector in half year of 2018 Using analysis by the Spectator Index, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2018, ranked Nigeria second worst in electricity supply in 2017. The ranking indicated that war-ravaged Yemen was the only country Nigeria bested amongst the 137 countries that were assessed. At that time, power supply in the country was circa 4000 megawatts (MW), and the country had enlisted the support of the World Bank through its PSRP to revive the fortunes of the sector which electricity distribution companies (Discos) said was financially challenged by a funding shortfall of circa N1 trillion. Similarly, the sector was challenged by the incompleteness of the board of commissioners of the regulatory agency – the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which had just six out of the seven commissioners recognised by the laws governing the operations of the industry – the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 (EPSRA), as well as repeated collapses of the transmission systems and revenue losses on account of several constraints. In a draft copy of the PSRP, the federal government had said about $7.5 billion funding would be needed to revive the power sector over the next five years, starting from 2017 till 2021. It added that the funding requirement would translate to $1.5 billion per year and that its realisation would depend on certain outlined steps such as appropriate tariff reviews taken amongst others. So far, the government and the World Bank Group have concluded a two-day high-level consultations on the PSRP, a comprehensive programme of policy; legal; regulatory; operational and financial interventions expected to restore service efficiency and long-term power sector viability, but the power sector has not improved on its operational efficiencies. In fact, a June 22 operational report of the sector obtained from the Advisory Power Team in the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, estimated that due to insufficient gas supply; distribution, transmission and water reserves constraints, the power sector has lost about N226.135 billion within the six months of 2018. The country’s transmission network has also experienced about seven collapses in 2018, despite the continued expansion of the system by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)

Fashola through its Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP) which has seen the transmission company embark on several high voltage line projects. The NERC has also gotten a chairman, Prof. James Momoh, who was appointed and inaugurated by the government to complete its board, and send signals that regulatory processes in the sector could become independent of government intrusion and stable in process. Within the period also, the age-long practice of estimated billing by Discos, which had become a big source of suspicion and mistrust between the Discos and electricity end-users became a subject of intense consideration and discussion by both the executive and legislature which through the House of Representative Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos), introduced a bill to end or criminalise its practice. In this regards, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, at the June 2018 monthly meeting of operators in the power sector which held in Kaduna, described estimated billing practice as being subjective, discretionary and often prone to abuse. He said the executive and legislative arms of government had taken up the issue of estimated billing seriously, and respectively initiated solutions to end it. Besides, Fashola, said the NERC has initiated a new metering programme called the Meter Assets Provider (MAP) scheme to close the metering gaps in the sector. Both measures, he noted would lead to a good outcome for electricity consumers and operators in the country. Oil and gas sector half year report Largely held back by lack of reforms over many decades, Nigeria’s oil and gas sector in 2017 witnessed a flurry of activities around its policy space, with the government initiating new oil and gas policy documents to prioritise investments in the sectors. Also, within the year, the government continued its efforts to revamp the country’s refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna in its attempt to cut down the volume of refined petroleum products the country imports into the country, but that plan has not moved as

Kachikwu fast as expected even in half year of 2018. At the moment, the country still relies mostly on imported petrol to run her economy. According to the Nigeria Bi-annual Economic Update prepared by the World Bank Macroeconomic, Trade and Investment Global Practice Nigeria Team, about N128.9 billion was deducted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as at November 2017 from oil revenues due to the Federation Account, as subsidy payments for imported petrol. On the other side, the country has continued to pay the arrears of a negotiated debt owed International Oil Companies (IOCs) on joint venture operations. Similarly Nigeria’s crude oil production from a March 2018 report of the ministry of petroleum stood at 2.022 million barrels per day (mbpd). The March oil production figure, however, included condensate which the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not usually recognise as part of its members oil output figures. Again, the NNPC within the period under review signed the contract for the $2.8 billion, 614 kilometres Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project as part of its plan to boost local gas development. The project has however attracted some experts’ review and comments which appeared to have questioned its viability and prospects. Despite these, renewed theft of crude oil from the waters of the Niger Delta region – a region which holds much of Nigeria’s oil wealth and where much of the oil upstream activities are concentrated, has raised concerns about the government’s commitment to security of oil and gas installations. This according to experts could also impact Nigeria’s take from oil and ultimately the execution of her budget. Reacting to the development, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated during a visit to Nembe Creek that it was worrisome and needed to be fixed. He said: “I am here to see what is going on and how we can stop it. We will continue the tour, you can see we’ve been flying around with helicopters, trying to see where these points are.

“We are going to take words back to the headquarters to see how we can meet with the defence chiefs, and National Security Adviser. I will take words back to the president in terms of what the experience has been here.” He further stated: “For the fact that vessels can actually come through the security corridors and pick up oil is even much more troubling. It may not have been oil, it may have been arms. “Something needs to be done in terms of security and environment as well as the economy of the country.” Another development which cannot be said to be healthy for the country’s oil sector is the continued delay of the government to progress with the bid rounds for marginal oil fields she indicated interest in undertaking. Kachikwu, in February, said President Muhammadu Buhari, being the substantive petroleum minister had not given his approval for the continuation of the exercise. He explained that Buhari would have to examine the process as initiated so far, and sign it off if he was satisfied with it before it would continue. That sign off, he noted had not come from the president hence, the standstill. “We need to get approvals. You have to understand that there are steps in these things, it has to be signed off, we are waiting for that sign off and I didn’t want to raise people’s expectations until I have gotten that sign off. “Bear in mind that I am not the petroleum minister and the authority lies with the president. So, he is going to look at it and be satisfied with what we are trying to do, what process is in place and then approve that. Until he does that I don’t have the authority to jump into marginal field,” Kachikwu, said in response to a question on why the bid rounds had not progressed as expected. The passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) which has been on the cards for roughly a decade has however gained some healthy momentum with its passage by the National Assembly and reported transmission to Buhari for assent into law. The passage of the PIGB, has according to experts beckoned a huge leap in the country’s attempt to reform her oil sector which has remained passive for years.

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ENERGY

NERC’s Suspension of Board of Ibadan Disco A recent suspension of the board of the Ibadan Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over N6 billion loan, when the money paid by the company’s core investor for the acquisition of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) is still trapped in the treasury of the federal government, has the potential to scare investors in Nigeria’s power sector, Ejiofor Alike reports When the federal government put Nigeria’s power assets on offer under the power privatisation programme, foreign investors largely boycotted the exercise following concerns over Nigeria’s reputation of not honouring agreements, especially when there is a change of baton at any level of government and its agencies. Over $2.6 billion was staked by indigenous investors in the acquisition of the assets of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). In fact, before Taleveras Group paid $260.05 million for Afam Power Station and North West Power Consortium emerged preferred bidder for Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Nigerian investors had raised a total of $2.238 billion to pay for 10 out of 11 distribution companies and five out of seven generation companies. Taleveras Group later paid $260.05 million for Afam; while CMEC/Euafric paid $201 million for Sapele to bring the total figure to $2.699 billion. For the distribution companies, 4Power Consortium paid $124 million for Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company; while Interstate Electrics paid $126 million for Enugu Disco. KANN Consortium paid $164 million for Abuja Disco; KEPCO/NEDC Consortium paid $134.75 million for Ikeja Disco; while Sahelian Power SPV Limited paid $137 million for Kano Disco. Others include Vigeo Holdings ($129.5 million) for Benin Disco; West Power and Gas ($135 million) for Eko Disco; and Aura Energy ($81.8 million) for Jos Disco. For the generation companies, Transcorp paid $300 million for Ughelli Power Station; Amperion paid $132 million for Geregu Power Station; while CMEC/Euafric paid $201 million for Sapele Power Station. Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited paid $257 million for Kainji/ Jebba; North-South Power Company Limited paid $111.654 million for Shiroro; KEPCO/NEDC paid $407 million for Egbin Power Station. Another indigenous firm that demonstrated faith in the privatisation programme is Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company (IEDMC), which paid $169 million and $59 million for Ibadan Disco and Yola Disco, respectively With foreign investors shunning the power privatisation exercise, all the deals were funded by the Nigerian banks, thus worsening the banks’ exposure in Nigeria’s energy sector, especially after funding the acquisition of the oil and gas assets divested by the international oil companies (IOCs), in the face of the plummeting prices of crude oil. Integrated Energy, a firm promoted by Mr. John Olatunde Ayeni, Capt. Hosa Okunbor, and a former military head of state, Gen. Abudulsalami Abubakar (rtd), had acquired the Yola and Ibadan Discos for $228 million in 2013 under the privatisation programme. A year later, however, Integrated Energy was forced to declare force majeure and return Yola Disco to the federal government on the grounds that it was impossible to operate and access the assets of the electricity distribution firm in the North-east as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. THISDAY gathered that the company declared force majeure on six occasions, starting from November 10, 2013, just 10 days after the assets of Yola Disco were handed over to it, while the last force majeure reportedly came on May 13, 2015. After a joint evaluation of the electricity asset, as provided under the terms of the share purchase agreement (SPA), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Ministry of Power, in the twilight of President Goodluck Jonathan administration, had approved $186 million as the sum to be refunded to Integrated Energy. However, the Jonathan-led administration did not refund this money until President Muhammadu Buhari took over and his administration renegotiated and reached an agreement with Integrated Energy on a payout of $87.8 million

Momoh as against the $186 million earlier approved as compensation to the company. But the payment of the renegotiated sum has stalled since 2016, thus putting the investments of Integrated Energy in jeopardy and potentially creating non-performing loans in some banks, particularly Skye Bank, which funded the transactions. The loan used to fund the acquisition of Yola Disco was believed to have led to the erosion of Skye Bank’s capital adequacy and liquidity ratios and thereafter, sacking of the erstwhile board and management of the bank. It was also believed that if the former administration had released even 50 per cent down payment at that time when the first payment was approved in 2015, the Skye Bank crisis would have been averted. Even since 2016 when the fresh pay-out was renegotiated with this present administration, the federal government has not refunded Integrated Energy. From the foregoing, it is, therefore, evident that the federal government, which seeks to attract investments from the private sector, also places landmines that destroy businesses and private investments that kept faith with government’s investment drives. One of the private investors in the power sector told THISDAY, off the record, at the weekend, that the Skye Bank issue was similar to the case of “an elder who sent a child to go and collect salt from the neighbours and also sent heavy rain after him to destroy the salt.” “The government embarks on investment drive but when people stake their money, the same government will destroy their investments through lack of respect for agreements and inconsistent policies,” he added. Ibadan Disco as Latest Victim To save its investments from collapse, Integrated Energy was said to have borrowed money from its subsidiary, Ibadan Disco, which the power distribution firm was said to have sourced from a loan extended to it by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to upgrade its distribution assets. But in a recent statement that shocked investors in the power sector, NERC’s Head of Media Unit, Mrs. Vivian Mbonu, had announced the suspension of the board of Ibadan Disco, citing the company’s failure to recover the loan from Integrated Energy. “The loan was granted by IBEDC from funds released to all Discos by the CBN under the Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Funds (NEMSF) for the purpose of improving the networks and reducing aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses. “The commission had earlier fined IBEDC

Ayeni a sum of N50 million on the September 18, 2017 for non-compliance with Order No NERC/173/2017 directing the company to fully recover the outstanding sum of N5.7 billion being the balance of the loan granted by the utility to IEDMG,” Mbonu explained. However, in a reaction, Ibadan Disco faulted NERC’s decision, reminding the regulatory agency that both parties had reached an understanding in respect of the N5.7billion outstanding due for payment by Integrated Energy. According to the Disco, the two parties reached an understanding that the repayment of the N5.7billion plus interests would be made from the refund of the sum due from the federal government on the stalled Yola Electricity Distribution Company transaction. This position, according to Ibadan Disco, was to the knowledge of the BBPE. Ibadan Disco’s clarification, which was conveyed in a statement by the Company Secretary, Seye Alayande, also indicated that the understanding from BPE, which was conveyed to NERC, was that the refund from Yola Disco, which had been due to Integrated Energy as far back as 2015, could only be made after the 2018 Appropriation Bill is signed into Law. However, to demonstrate commitment and good intention, Integrated Energy also reached an understanding with NERC to pay N150 million monthly to Ibadan Disco beginning from January 2018, while awaiting the refund from BPE in respect of Yola transaction. Indeed, NERC acknowledged that as at April 20, 2018, the payment for January, February and an additional N130million had been made. Ibadan Disco also claimed that as at June14, 2018, Integrated Energy had made all outstanding payment up till May 2018, in respect of the monthly N150 million commitment. The company, therefore, questioned what it described as shocking and seemingly hasty decision to suspend its directors who had not only demonstrated willingness and commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations to Ibadan Disco, but have collectively shown dedication to the cause of the company. Also in a separate reaction, signed by Ayeni in his capacity as the Vice Chairman of Integrated Energy, the core investor re-echoed the position of Ibadan Disco, saying that it had instructed its bankers to effect the payment of N300 million to cover the installments due in April and May. According to Ayeni, the letter of instruction to Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, dated June 14, 2018, was acknowledged by the bank on the same date. “Indeed, we had acted with the aim that the required repayments would be received

by Ibadan Disco on June 15, 2018 but for the public holidays of June 15 and June 18, 2018, which stalled the process. “We have also effected the payment of the N20 million being the balance of the March installment. Right now, Ibadan Disco is in receipt of the total sum of N320 million, which brings our total installment payments up to date,” Ayeni added. Some operators in the power sector, who spoke to THISDAY, have condemned NERC’s action, aimed at making Ibadan Disco the latest victim of government’s inconsistency. An official of one of the Discos told THISDAY on condition of anonymity that NERC’s action could erode investor confidence in the power sector. “What is happening now is one of the reasons no foreign investor agreed to bring money when this privatisation started, no matter how Prof. Bart Nnaji (former power minister) tried to use his personal integrity to woo them. The reason is because Nigerian government and its agencies do not honour agreements. “A new leadership came to NERC and refused to abide by the agreements the previous leadership of the agency reached with Integrated Energy. Nigerian government and her agencies do not respect sanctity of contracts. “A government owed an investor N6.6 billion. When a new government came, it changed the agreement to N3.1 billion. That was why foreign investors did not buy the assets despite Nnaji’s widely acclaimed international reputation. The former minister only succeeded in getting foreign investors to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and technical services agreements with the indigenous players that bought the assets,” he explained. Another investor in the power sector, who also spoke on the Ibadan Disco crisis, re-echoed this sentiment, saying that “all the funds for the acquisition of the power assets came from the Nigerian banks and this is how NERC wants to destroy some of the investments and scare potential investors”. “Some of the investors and the banks that funded their transactions had their fingers burnt. The same government that owes a company since 2013, has sacked the board of the same company for owing the government. In other countries, government offers grants to revive ailing private investments but Nigerian government withdraws life-lines of thriving private investments to collapse them and create unemployment,” he said. He called on Prof. James Momoh-led NERC to rescind this unpopular decision.

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PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Research:BillionsofUrbanCitizensRiskClimate-related Heatwaves, Flooding, Others by 2050 New research from C40 Cities, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and Acclimatise predicts how many urban residents will face potentially devastating heat waves, flooding and droughts by 2050 if global warming continues on its current trajectory. Bennett Oghifo reports

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illions of people in thousands of cities around the world will be at risk from climaterelated heatwaves, drought, flooding, food shortages, blackouts and social inequality by mid-century without bold and urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, cities around the world are delivering bold climate solutions to avert these outcomes and create a healthier, safer, more equal and prosperous future for all urban citizens. ‘The Future We Don’t Want – How climate change could impact the world’s greatest cities’ also looks at indirect climate impacts and estimates how climate change under a ‘business-as-usual scenario’ will impact urban food security and energy systems as well as the urban poor, who are most vulnerable to climate change. Headline findings include that, by 2050 1.6 billion people living in over 970 cities, will be regularly exposed to extreme high temperatures. Over 800 million people, living in 570 cities, will be

vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal flooding. 650 million people, in over 500 cities, will be at risk of water shortages due to climate change. 2.5 billion people will be living in over 1,600 cities where national food supply is threatened by climate change. The power supply to 470 million people, in over 230 cities, will be vulnerable to sea level rise. 215 million poor urban residents, living in slum areas in over 490 cities, will face increasing climate risks. The Future We Don’t Want – How climate change could impact the world’s greatest cities also contains concrete examples of bold climate solutions that cities are delivering, which, if adopted at-scale, could help prevent the worst impacts of climate change. The research was launched at the Adaptation Futures conference in Cape Town, where representatives of cities around the world are sharing ideas on how to prepare and adapt their cities for the effects of climate change. “For decades, scientists have been warning of the risks that climate change will pose from increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, growing inequality and water, food and

R-L: Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti; Chief Operation Officer, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, Mr. Thomas Forgacs; Convener, Waste Collectors Operators, Mr. Kasumu Afis Olasehinde; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan; and Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, during a tour to Visionscape’s sanitary landfill site, in Epe, Lagos... recently KOLA OLASUPO

energy shortages. Now we have the clearest possible evidence of just what these impacts will mean for the citizens of the world’s cities, said Mark Watts, Executive Director C40 Cities. “This is the future that nobody wants. Our research should serve as a wake-up call on just how urgently we need to be delivering bold climate action.” “For most C40 cities, the impacts of climate change are not a far off threat. From Cape

Town to Houston, Mayors are seeing severe droughts, storms, fires and more,” said Antha Williams, Head of Environmental Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies and C40 Board Member, “As this report shows, C40 mayors are on the front line of climate change, and the actions they take today–to use less energy in buildings, transition to clean transportation and reduce waste—are necessary to ensure prosperity and safety for their citizens.”

“Climate change is already happening and the world’s great cities are feeling the impact. Cape Town is facing an unprecedented drought, but thanks to the efforts of our citizens to adapt, we have averted Day Zero, when we would have had to switch off most taps,” said Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of Cape Town and Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy Board Member. “The lessons from Cape Town, and from this

important new research is that every city must invest today in the infrastructure and policies that will protect citizens from the future effects of our changing global climate.” Many of the solutions being delivered by cities, as well as regional governments, investors and businesses to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, will be showcased at the Global Climate Action Summit, taking place in San Francisco, September 12-14, 2018.

Waste Managers: None Payment for Services Bad for Crisis Resolution Efforts Members of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAM), Lagos, have expressed concern that the on-going waste management dispute may not be resolved soon if their members are prevented from getting paid for services. This association consists of waste managers who are not working with Visionscape, a waste management company signed by the Lagos State Government to clean up the state.

The PSP waste operators, in a statement signed by their Chairman, Alhaji Oladipo Egbeyemi alleged that the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), Engr. Adebola Shabi, was reported to be going round the LCDAs in the state to meet with market, community and religious leaders and advising residents not to pay PSP operators’ charges for waste evacuation. “He has been telling the people to consider PSP

Operators not contracted by Visionscape as illegal, thereby branding majority of PSP Operators that refuse to sign to work under Visionscape as not recognised. By this, Engr Adebola Shabi is undermining the efforts being made by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our Grand Patron, to find a lasting solution to the on-going waste management crisis in the State,” the waste managers said in their statement. They said, after their protest to Tinubu’s house on 27th

EHORECON to Strengthen Manpower Development The Registrar, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Dr Dominic Abonyi has disclosed that the Council is embarking on competent manpower development in environmental health services. He stated this when the Nigeria Academy of Environmental Health Sciences (NAEHS) paid a courtesy visit on the Registrar in Abuja, recently. Dr Abonyi said the Council has never stopped supporting the Academy, particularly in the area of training. “We are a Council that likes collaborating seriously and the last time

we supported a conference organised by the Academy was in 2006.” He, however, advised the Academy not to assume the position of the institute on training, rather both the Council and the Academy should look in the direction of research findings, and the issue of establishment of chair in the University. On the area of declassification of the Environmental Health Officers from technicians, technologist and other groups, the Registrar posited that the Council was critically looking in that direction and that it would take a position

in due course. In his remarks, the President of the Nigeria Academy of Environmental Health Sciences (NAEHS), Prof Agwu N. Amadi, who led a 3-manCommitee of the executives of the association, enumerated a number of collaborative efforts with the Council among which are: Quality enhancement of Professionalism, Council performance standard and host of other collaborative efforts. Prof. Amadi further requested from the Council, assistance in the Core objectives of Academy

April, 2018, as widely reported in the media, the former Governor of the state had said, among others, that he and the State APC leaders would meet with the House of Assembly and the Governor, Mr Akinwumni Ambode, to find a lasting solution to the waste management crisis and ensure that collection of both residential and commercial wastes reverts to PSP Operators. “This was followed by a Ministerial briefing of the

Ministry of Environment on Wednesday, 2nd May’ 2018, where the Government gave its word that the PSP Operators will resume the responsibility of domestic waste collection. On the contrary, recent moves and statements of the Special Adviser are inconsistent with this position and are not only creating further uncertainty and confusion that are beginning once more to erode the confidence, being restored in the State’s waste management sector, they could jeopardise

the recently recorded gains,” AWAM further said in the statement, reiterating their confidence in the Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention as they anxiously await its outcome, They advised the government to rigorously focus its efforts on making the dumpsites safe and more accessible as it now takes up to two days of queuing for trucks to be able to dump evacuated waste at some of the three existing dumpsites.

Lagos Seals Fuel Station for Alleged Pollution The Lagos State Government has sealed Total Filling Station in the Akoka area of Lagos State due to alleged pollution of water sources. This was made known by the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti during a Press Conference in Alausa recently. Durosinmi-Etti said the attention of government was drawn to the issue when the filling station reported the leakage of its underground tank which had caused concerns in some quarters about the pollution of water sources in the community. He noted that the State Government had promptly intervened through the Lagos

State Environmental Protection Agency which had prompted the filling station to correct the leakage and stop further pollution of the Environment. “Going forward, we have directed that an Environmental Forensic Audit be immediately carried out to determine the exact source and extent of the pollution”, he said. Durosinmi – Etti also directed immediate closure of the filling station, pending the outcome of the environmental forensic audit, adding that government would not hesitate to take any meaningful measure to protect the health and well being of the citizenry. He called for the decommissioning of boreholes installed

by Total as palliative for the affected residents, urging the management of Total to liaise with the Lagos Water Corporation for the supply of pipe –borne water to the affected residents, while further findings on the pollution were ongoing. He stressed that the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency had been mandated to monitor and ensure the implementation of the directives given to the fuel station. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has said it would collaborate with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) for the clean-up of the Apapa area of the State.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

29

T H I S D AY ˞ ˜ JUNE 26, 2018

30

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Guinea Bissau Crisis: CBN Places 19 Persons on Surveillance Nume Ekeghe In light of the political crisis in the Guinea Bissau, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered banks in the country to disclose all existing accounts, including business interests or relations linked to the 19 persons which it said had been placed on targeted sanction. The central bank in a circular posted on its website yesterday, also urged banks to ensure that their subsidiaries conduct similar checks and render details of any suspicious transaction to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit immediately. Those affected included: Braima Camara; Rui Dia De Sousa; Soares Sambu; Abel Da Silva Gomes;Manuel

Nascimento Lopes; Eduardo Mamadu Balde;Maria Aurora Abissa Sana and Florentino Mendes Viegas. Others are: Orlando Mende Viegas; Certorio Biote; Domingos Quade; Carlitos Barai; Domingos Malu; Antonio Sedja Man; Bacari Biai; Botche Cande; Herson Goudjabi Vaz; Victor Madinga and Fernando Vaz. The circular signed by the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Mr. Kevin Amugo explained: “The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government adopted a resolution in February 4, 2018 to impose targeted sanctions on 19 individuals identified to be obstructing the implementation of the Conakry Agreement aimed at

resolving the political crisis in Guinea Bissau. “The resolution was subsequently ratified by the Peace and Security Council (PSQ of the African Union and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council resolution 2402 (2013).� Therefore, it stated: “You are by this circular, required to report to the CBN within five working days, the existence of account (s) operated by the attached targeted individuals and their related interests. “You are also required to ensure that your subsidiaries and associate companies conduct similar checks and render suspicious transaction reports to the NFIU, accordingly. “A nil return would be required when no such account (s) exists.�

FCMB’s UK Subsidiary Expands Banking Proposition FCMB Bank (UK) Limited has disclosed that it recently obtained a variation of its banking permission to include retail (investments) services. The permission was granted by the Prudential Regulation Authority at the Bank of England, and became effective recently. With this, the bank explained that individuals and businesses that seek to transact banking services between those in Nigeria or other African countries and who desire to maintain a banking relationship in the City of London, now have the opportunity to do so. A statement from the bank explained that based on the approval, FCMB Bank (UK) Limited is now able to extend the level of banking services its corporate and institutional customers currently receive to high networth individuals and SMEs. The Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. James

Benoit said: “This approval and extension of services is a major achievement which will enable the bank deliver its promise of being the Corporate and Private Bank for African-oriented entrepreneurs, investors and professionals across all their banking needs. The Bank will be expanding its premises and entering into partnerships with Fintech providers to open up service options to our clients and enhance their overall banking experience.� Also, the Chief Risk Officer of the bank, Mr. BC Achary said: “With the extension of its services, the bank is able to receive deposits from both customer segments as well as provide them bank loans to enable them meet their financing needs. The deposit products on offer include current, notice savings and fixed deposit accounts at competitive rates, while its lending products include Buy-to-Let Mortgage

Loans enabling target customers to acquire a piece of London and purchase property to include in their investment portfolios.� On his part, the CEO of the FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Ladi Balogun, noted that: “Our successful UK platform has proven to be of great importance to the Nigeria stockbroking and international trade finance activities of FCMB Group. Leveraging our deep networks in Africa’s biggest economy, the importance of a London presence to many of our Personal and Business banking customers, and technological innovation, we welcome this opportunity to meaningfully serve more of our customers and grow the value of our UK franchise.� The bank has completed arrangements to formally launch its personal and business banking proposition on the 19th July, 2018 in London and subsequently on 31st July, 2018 in Lagos.

Access Bank Wins Healthcare Excellence Award Access Bank has emerged winner at the Nigerian HealthCare Excellence Award (NHEA) for ‘Outstanding CSR Health Project of the Year.’ The awards ceremony which took place in Lagos recently, according to a statement from the bank, was presented to Access Bank in recognition of its contribution to sustainable health projects and its progress and commitment to embedding sustainability in its business operations whilst driving sustainable development across communities it serves. NHEA is an initiative of Global Health Project and Resources in Partnership with Anadach Group. The annual

NHEA is organised to recognise and commend organisations that have made laudable contributions towards the growth and development of the Nigerian health care sector. The focus of the award is to recognise excellence in healthcare delivery and also suggest policy framework for achieving global standards of healthcare across Nigeria while encouraging market leadership and inspirational performance. Receiving the award on behalf of the bank, its Head, Sustainability, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, said: “Through our strategic investment in health as part of our commit-

ment to impacting the lives of people in communities around us, we have been able to address key health challenges like Malaria, HIV and AIDS, Cancer, Tuberculosis amongst others. The Bank leads change, by influencing transformation, not just in the financial sector but the entire value chain it operates and serves.� She added that “over the past 10 years the Bank has remained committed to driving Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable best practices, supporting society’s goals by investing in the areas of arts, education, environment, sports and health.�

Heritage Bank Promotes 350 Staff Members Heritage Bank Plc has announced the elevation of about 350 of its workforce. The Managing Director of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, who commended the staff for their efforts, charged them to hold to the bank’s core values in their timeless wealth journey and endless quest of delivering excellent services to both internal and external customers of the bank. “I commend your well-

deserved promotion. I also wish to especially thank those colleagues who have not made it on this year’s list. I urge you to keep up the good work and contribution, as the organisation recognised your efforts. We promise to continue to reward and recognise your contributions in due time and to use all opportunities to demonstrate this,� he said. Sekibo, however, said the announcement, was heartening

in the face of the rough times occasioned by the downward trend in the economy, hence the move was part of the bank’s strategic plan to keep a vibrant workforce that will enable the bank achieve its vision of being the Nigerian most innovative banking of choice in service delivery, superior returns to its various stakeholders and as well contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy.

L-R: Non-executive Director, CardinalStone Partners, Mr. Femi Ogunjimi; Executive Director/Head Asset Management, Mr. Muhammed Garuba; Head of Risk Management, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Tunji Kazeem; Managing Director/CEO, CardinalStone Partners, Mr. Michael Nzewi; Acting Head, Trading Business, NSE, Mr. Ade Ewuosho; and Non-executive Director, CardinalStone Partners, Mr. Yomi Jemibewon, at the closing gong by CardinalStone Partners, in Lagos‌recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2018 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

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $71.89 a barrel on Friday, compared with $70.96 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

31

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í´Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

MARKET NEWS

Vetiva Cuts Economic Growth Forecast, Remains Positive on Equities Goddy Egene Vetiva Research has said the Nigerian economy has underperformed initial expectations following a slowdown in agriculture and persistent weakness in services. The research firm, which is a part of Vetiva Capital, an investment banking firm, therefore cut its economic growth forecast for the 2018 to 1.9 per cent, from 2.4 per cent. Vetiva stated this in

its ‘Second Half 2018 Outlook Report on the Nigerian Economy, Key sectors and Capital Markets.’ Head of Vetiva Research, Olalekan Olabode said: “The dimmer picture begins with the oil sector as infrastructure integrity issues prevent Nigeria from producing at capacity whilst oil prices are expected to trend slightly lower in H2’18 on the back of rising global output.� Vetiva Research expects pre-election activities to steer

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

the economic environment for the rest of the year, with election spending boosting the economy but also inducing greater inflationary pressure. Chief Economist of Vetiva Capital, Michael Famoroti noted that there are uncertain times ahead. “Impending elections are also likely to induce greater economic uncertainty and distract policy and governance at the tail-end of the year, neither of which

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

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is positive for confidence or investment,� Famoroti said. Speaking on the fixed income market, he said that the late budget passage, pre-election spending, and food price pressure could induce higher inflation at year-end. “Despite an improving macroeconomic environment and a semblance of policy stability, Nigeria’s financial markets would likely be steered by the fallout of electoral activities and rising

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

global interest rates,� he said. However, the firm projected a positive outlook for the Nigerian equities market despite the various pronounced impact the coming general elections would have on the economy. “Comparable multiples with peers suggest the Nigerian equity market remains undervalued. We maintain a strongly positive post-election outlook on Nigerian equities,� it said. Vetiva Research also revisited

O F

its top “10 High Conviction Stocks� presented at the beginning of the year, which represent key stocks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) that are expected to outperform the market by year-end. Olabode said: “These high conviction stocks have so far outperformed the broad market index by 1.5 per cent on a market cap-weighted basis and 7.0 per cent in simple average returns, and maintain these stocks as key picks for 2018.�

2 5 / 0 6 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

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Ëœ ÍşÍžËœ ͺ͸͚͜ Ëž T H I S D AY

32

Nigeria Daily Stock Market Report:

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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

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Current Price

Ticker

Price Previous Current Price Change Price Weightin Change Index to Change g YTD Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1,586.31

-0.14%

2.8%

58.6%

19.4%

7.0%

7.5x

0.9x

5.2%

1

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

41.05

0.9%

21.0%

0.7%

1.2%

32.6%

5.2%

6.7x

2.3x

6.6%

10.9% 15.0%

2

Zenith Bank PLC

25.95

0.2%

12.8%

1.2%

0.1%

26.3%

3.6%

4.3x

1.1x

10.4%

23.0%

3

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

17.4%

8.3%

27.6x

4.7x

3.8%

3.6% 2.9%

110.00

-0.5%

7.2%

-18.5%

-18.5%

1,490.00

-0.3%

7.5%

-4.2%

-4.2%

73.3%

18.9%

34.8x

22.1x

2.9%

230.00

2.2%

6.1%

0.0%

0.0%

22.7%

12.0%

19.9x

4.6x

4.6%

5.0%

10.70

0.5%

6.5%

21.6%

21.7%

6.7%

0.8%

7.7x

0.6x

2.3%

13.0%

4

Nestle Nigeria PLC

5

Dangote Cement PLC

6

FBN Holdings Plc

7

Access Bank PLC

10.15

-2.4%

4.3%

-2.9%

-4.2%

12.7%

1.5%

5.0x

0.6x

6.4%

20.0%

8

United Bank for Africa PLC

10.60

0.0%

4.4%

2.9%

1.8%

15.9%

1.9%

4.7x

0.7x

8.0%

21.3%

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

20.00

-1.0%

3.8%

17.6%

22.9%

12.9%

1.0%

6.7x

0.9x

10

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

650.80

-5.0%

3.1%

3.9%

3.9%

22.3%

13.2%

3.4x

0.7x

2.8%

29.8%

11

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

49.00

0.5%

3.3%

18.1%

19.8%

30.8%

4.1%

9.3x

2.6x

1.0%

10.8%

12

Unilever Nigeria PLC

51.00

0.5%

3.1%

24.4%

26.8%

19.2%

8.0%

27.3x

3.7x

1.0%

3.7%

-0.5%

18.5x

2.5x

0.7%

5.4%

2.1x

3.9%

-16.2%

5.0%

15.0%

13

Guinness Nigeria PLC

97.00

2.3%

3.2%

3.2%

15.4%

6.1%

14

Lafarge Africa PLC

38.10

-2.3%

1.4%

-15.1%

-15.1%

-36.8%

-7.7%

15

Fidelity Bank PLC

2.22

-2.6%

1.1%

-9.8%

-14.0%

10.4%

1.4%

1.7x

0.4x

16

Oando PLC

6.35

-3.1%

1.4%

6.0%

6.0%

10.3%

1.5%

7.9x

0.4x

17

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

19.00

0.0%

1.1%

-5.0%

-6.7%

45.0%

20.0%

5.7x

2.1x

13.2%

17.7%

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

94.20

0.0%

1.5%

39.2%

39.2%

39.7%

29.4%

9.4x

3.2x

3.2%

10.6%

18

57.3% 12.7%

19

International Brew eries PLC

44.00

0.0%

0.6%

-19.3%

-20.0%

24.6%

7.4%

46.1x

10.5x

20

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

31.05

0.2%

0.7%

7.1%

7.1%

13.1%

3.0%

6.5x

0.8x

3.0%

15.4%

21

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

11.2%

2.5%

8.8x

0.9x

1.4%

11.3%

22.8x

0.6x

4.6%

1.44

-1.4%

0.6%

-1.4%

-2.7%

-0.4%

0.5%

-17.2%

-17.2%

1.5%

0.6%

-3.3%

0.5%

-1.3%

-5.7%

-5.8%

-0.7%

-15.9%

-15.9%

25.0%

5.3%

9.3x

2.2x

8.5%

10.7%

33.5%

5.8%

0.9%

4.0x

0.2x

4.7%

24.8%

4.4%

15.2%

22

UAC of Nigeria PLC

14.00

23

Diamond Bank PLC

1.48

24

Total Nigeria PLC

25

FCMB Group Plc

26

11 PLC

2.2%

0.2x

193.30

0.0%

0.4%

2.11

-3.7%

0.7%

183.00

0.0%

0.5%

-6.0%

-6.0%

38.8%

15.7%

6.6x

2.2x

0.0%

0.4%

-21.7%

-18.9%

17.6%

1.6%

18.4x

2.9x

4.4% -49.4%

27

Forte Oil PLC

34.05

28

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

19.95

0.0%

0.4%

-3.2%

-5.7%

10.7%

5.0%

18.9x

1.9x

2.6%

5.3%

29

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

13.00

0.0%

0.3%

-17.0%

-16.7%

2.0%

0.8%

60.7x

2.1x

1.2%

1.6%

30

Presco PLC

73.50

0.0%

0.4%

7.3%

7.3%

35.8%

24.8%

3.1x

0.9x

2.7%

32.8%

31

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

22.75

0.0%

0.4%

23.0%

18.4%

52.3%

19.7%

10.7x

4.8x

6.6%

9.3%

10.00

0.0%

0.8x

7.2%

5.4%

32

UPDC Real Estate Investment Tr

0.3%

0.0%

0.0%

33

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

5.85

-0.8%

0.2%

-25.0%

-22.1%

5.3%

1.1%

8.4x

0.6x

34

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

27.50

0.0%

0.3%

-1.8%

-1.8%

17.3%

1.8%

7.6x

1.2x

3.6%

13.1%

35

Sterling Bank PLC

1.40

2.9%

0.3%

29.6%

23.9%

10.7%

1.0%

4.2x

0.4x

1.4%

23.8%

-1.4%

0.2%

-14.8%

-14.8%

1.3x

1.9%

11.9%

36

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

10.35

ÄžÄ‚ĆŒĹ?Ć?Ĺš ^ÄžÄ?ĆšĹ˝ĆŒ WÄžĆŒÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒĹľÄ‚ĹśÄ?Äž

37

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

19.20

0.0%

0.2%

-11.2%

-11.2%

4.4%

2.8%

30.3x

1.3x

39.1%

3.3%

38

Chemical and Allied Products P

35.00

-4.9%

0.2%

2.9%

-2.0%

66.2%

30.2%

16.4x

10.9x

5.9%

6.1%

WÄžĆŒÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒĹľÄ‚ĹśÄ?Äž Ä‚Ä?ĆŒĹ˝Ć?Ć? Ć?ÄžÄ?ĆšĹ˝ĆŒĆ? Ç Ä‚Ć? ĹŻÄ‚ĆŒĹ?ĞůLJ Ä?ÄžÄ‚ĆŒĹ?Ć?Ĺš Ä‚Ć? Ď° ŽĨ Ďą Ĺ?ŜĚĹ?Ä?ÄžĆ? Ä?ĹŻĹ˝Ć?ĞĚ Ĺ?Ĺś ƚŚĞ ĆŒÄžÄšÍ˜ dŚĞ KĹ?ĹŻ Θ 'Ä‚Ć? Ĺ?ŜĚĞdž ĞdžƚĞŜĚĞĚ ĹŻĹ˝Ć?Ć?ÄžĆ? ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ÄŽĹŒĹš Ä?ŽŜĆ?ÄžÄ?ĆľĆ&#x;ǀĞ ĆšĆŒÄ‚ÄšĹ?ĹśĹ? ĚĂLJ͕ Ć?ŚĞĚĚĹ?ĹśĹ? ĎŽÍ˜Ď˛Đš ŽŜ ƚŚĞ Ä?Ä‚Ä?ĹŹ ŽĨ Ć‰ĆŒĹ?Ä?Äž ĚĞÄ?ĹŻĹ?ŜĞ Ĺ?Ĺś ^ W> d ͞Ͳ ĎąÍ˜ĎŹĐšÍżÍ˜ ^Ĺ?ĹľĹ?ĹŻÄ‚ĆŒĹŻÇ‡Í• ƚŚĞ ŽŜĆ?ĆľĹľÄžĆŒ 'ŽŽĚĆ? Ĺ?ŜĚĞdž ĹŻĹ˝Ć?Ćš ĎŹÍ˜ĎŽĐšÍ• ÄšĆŒÄ‚Ĺ?Ĺ?ĞĚ Ä?LJ Ć?ĞůůŽčĆ? Ĺ?Ĺś E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ÍžÍ˛ĎŹÍ˜ĎąĐšÍż ĂŜĚ E ^d> ÍžÍ˛ĎŹÍ˜ĎŻĐšÍż Ç ĹšĹ?ĹŻÄž ƚŚĞ ĂŜŏĹ?ĹśĹ? ĂŜĚ /ŜĚƾĆ?ĆšĆŒĹ?Ä‚ĹŻ 'ŽŽĚĆ? Ĺ?ŜĚĹ?Ä?ÄžĆ? ÄšÄžĆ‰ĆŒÄžÄ?Ĺ?ĂƚĞĚ ĎŹÍ˜Ď­Đš ĂƉĹ?ÄžÄ?Äž Ä‚Ć? Ĺ?ŜǀĞĆ?ĆšĹ˝ĆŒĆ? ĞdžĹ?ƚĞĚ ƉŽĆ?Ĺ?Ć&#x;ŽŜĆ? Ĺ?Ĺś ^^ ÍžÍ˛ĎŽÍ˜Ď°ĐšÍżÍ• &/ >/dz ÍžÍ˛ĎŽÍ˜Ď˛ĐšÍż ĂŜĚ t W K ÍžÍ˛ĎŽÍ˜ĎŻĐšÍżÍ˜ dŚĞ /ĹśĆ?ĆľĆŒÄ‚ĹśÄ?Äž Ĺ?ŜĚĞdž Ä?ĹŻĹ˝Ć?ĞĚ Ĺ‡Ä‚ĆšÍ˜

39

Beta Glass PLC

86.30

0.0%

0.2%

68.2%

68.2%

17.7%

11.5%

10.5x

1.7x

1.2%

9.5%

40

Transcorp Hotels Plc

7.45

0.0%

0.1%

3.3%

3.3%

5.3%

2.9%

19.5x

1.0x

1.8%

5.1%

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Afrinvest Securities Limited (RC 603 315) (A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

T o p 10 G a i n e r s T ic k er

T o p 10

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

0.36

5.9%

T ra de s

T ic k er

LA SA C O CCNN

25.95

ST ER LN B A N K

by V o lum e

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

UB A

43.7

0.0%

H ON YF LOUR

1 6.9

2.4%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1 6.2

0.2%

FB NH

1 2.6

0.5%

ST ER LN B A N K

1 1 .3

2.9%

F ID ELIT YB K

1 0.5

-2.6%

4.8%

1.40

2.9%

VIT A F OA M

3.15

2.9%

SKYEB A N K

0.71

2.9%

M B EN EF IT

0.36

2.9%

C ILEA SIN G

2.03

2.5%

C ILEA SIN G

9.5

2.5%

H ON YF LOUR

2.14

2.4%

A C C ESS

8.3

-2.4%

230.00

2.2%

M A N SA R D

8.3

0.7%

0.58

1.8%

FCM B

7.2

-3.7%

D A N GC EM N EIM ET H

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er SEP LA T CA P

T o p 10

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

650.80

-5.0%

35.00

-4.9%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.83

-4.6%

P R EST IGE

0.63

-4.5%

J A IZ B A N K

0.64

-4.5%

J A P A ULOIL

0.45

-4.3%

2.11

H M A R KIN S D IA M ON D B N K OA N D O

FCM B

T ra de s

by V a lue

T ic k er

Value

D A N GC EM

1 1 63.3

P ric e C hg % 2.2%

UB A

459.2

0.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

41 8.7

0.2%

GUA R A N T Y

241 .6

0.9%

N EST LE

1 79.8

-0.3%

FB NH

1 33.7

0.5%

-3.7%

NB

1 1 6.9

-0.5%

0.29

-3.3%

A C C ESS

86.3

-2.4%

1.48

-3.3%

SEP LA T

85.1

-5.0%

6.35

-3.1%

ET I

50.6

-1 .0%

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Eronmosele Aziba | eaziba@afrinvest.com

33

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

MARKET NEWS

FMDQ OTC Boss Highlights Importance of Green Bond Market Goddy Egene The Managing Director/CEO of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Mr. Bola Onadele.Koko has said a developed green bond market will assist in the issuance of green instruments to take care of infrastructure gaps and environmental challenges in a sustainable manner in the country. Onadele.Koko stated this following the formal launch of a three-year Nigerian Green Bond Market Development Programme being spearheaded by FMDQ in partnership with Climate Bonds

Initiative(CBI) and Financial Sector Deepening Africa(FSDA) in Lagos recently. The federal government has opened the green bond market by raising N10 .7 billion and other private sector operators are expected to access the market to fund their environment friendly projects. However, Onadele.Koko said FMDQ is making, what can be seen as one of its most significant contributions yet, to the development of the Nigerian non-sovereign debt capital markets (DCM), specifically the green bond

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

market. According to him, the partnership is aimed at, among other things, enabling the exchange garner the necessary support required to promote impact investing as entrenched under the sustainable finance pillar in the FMDQ Debt Capital Markets Development (DCMD) Project, and at providing the necessary tools to allow the exchange continually pursue an economic development agenda to reposition and organise the Nigeria DCM to access a global pool of long-term climate-related capital.

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 22-June-2018, unless otherwise stated.

“The programme, more specifically, will support the development of guidelines and listing requirements for green bonds in Nigeria, develop a pool of Nigeria-based licensed verifiers to support issuers, facilitate engagement with extant and potential issuers and investors, and support broader DCM reforms that have/will have an impact on the non-government bond market in Nigeria,” he explained. Speaking at the launch, Chairman, House Committee on Capital Market, Tajudeen Yusuf, expressed the House’s

commitment to innovations aimed at making the Nigerian DCM deeper, more liquid, vibrant, and capable of financing the development of infrastructural projects that will support the preservation of the economic environment. Also commenting, Director, Market Development, CBI, Ms. Justine Leigh-Bell, said: “We are very excited about this significant milestone. Working with FMDQ and FSD Africa will provide a platform to open up the Nigerian economy to a wider investor universe as we commence our

journey to deepen the local capital markets by entrenching financing instruments such as green bonds.” On his part, Director, FSDA, Evans Osano, said: “This partnership will provide the opportunity to work closely together in developing Nigeria’s debt capital markets. This programme will improve access to a complementary source of longer-term capital, alongside traditional, shorter-term bank loans, while also contributing to the financing of ‘green’ investments and improving the environment.”

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 184.78 186.44 4.23% Nigeria International Debt Fund 245.70 247.40 6.56% 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 0.84 0.85 1.63% ACAP Income Funds 0.65 0.65 7.12% 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 13.14% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 19.34 19.92 5.85% ARM Discovery Fund 409.12 421.45 5.15% ARM Ethical Fund 29.28 30.16 7.15% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.10% 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 149.27 150.32 -1.60% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.80% 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 N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 12.98% 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 12.67% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.14 1.17 8.75% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.16 8.88% 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 1,165.35 1,166.04 7.80% FBN Heritage Fund 147.82 148.09 6.12% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.74% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $111.95 112.46 1.60% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $111.80 $112.31 1.57% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 177.12 179.81 10.15% 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 1.38 1.40 5.59% Legacy Debt Fund 3.07 3.07 6.24% 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 3,169.64 3,202.87 6.17% Coral Income Fund 2,640.01 2,640.01 7.87% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.98% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 103.23 104.29 3.30% 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 12.71% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.17 2.19 2.92% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.57% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.39 120.74 4.66%

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 1.19 1.22 4.24% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,073.99 1,073.99 6.50% 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 N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.35 1.37 12.93% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.78 11.85 6.74% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.12% 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 132.19 134.31 2.56% 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 1.60 1.60 7.55% 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 2,388.85 2,408.23 6.49% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 186.05 186.05 5.44% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.05 1.06 4.46% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 238.99 239.05 8.52% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 184.51 186.49 3.00% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.30% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,871.47 10,005.93 2.09% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 3.49% 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 1.32 1.33 -1.59% United Capital Bond Fund 1.66 1.66 5.74% United Capital Equity Fund 0.96 0.98 4.43% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.51% United Capital Eurobond Fund 106.42 106.42 3.42% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 5.05% 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 N/A N/A N/A Zenith Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A Zenith Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Zenith Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 136.22 103.70 51.30

1.01% 2.84%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.33 151.51 111.66

12.43 154.66 113.70

1.71% 6.05% 2.19%

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

0.92%

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

4.79 8.99 17.78 19.46 145.79

4.83 9.07 17.88 19.66 147.79

1.12% -5.99% 1.54% -1.04% 6.50%

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.

34

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39

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

RIVERS STATE HIGH COURT FEATURES

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012

IN THE PORT HARCOURT JUDICIAL DIVISION

1

40

T H I S D AY ˾ Í°Í´Ë&#x153; ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

41

T H I S D AY ˾ Í°Í´Ë&#x153; ͰͮͯͶ

42

# & & & &# & & && & & & & # & # & # & # & # & # & # # ## # # #& # # # # # & # & & & &# & & && & & & & # & # & # & # & & & & # & & & & & & & & &

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ' * + ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! " ! ! ! ! ! ! " ' ! ' ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ' ! ! ! % ' - " % % " ! ' ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5 ( , , " ' ! " ! " % * ! + % ' ! % *% + ! ' ' ' ' " ! % % ' ! ! ! " ! ' ! ! % ! % ' - " ! % ! ! ! ! ! " ! ! ! % !% ' % % " % ! '' % ! % ' ! " ! ! $ % % ! ' ! ! $ % % " " " ! ! " $ % ! % ! " ! ! % ! " ! ! !! ' , % ! ! % ! ! ! ' ! ! % % " " " " " ! ! % " ' ! " ! " ! ! % ! ! ! % ! " % ! ! ! ' , ! " $$ ! ! % ! ! % % .'% % ! " % ! ! ' ! " % % ! ! ! ! - % ' " % , ! ! " $ ! % ! 5 '' " " '' " " " ! " !

" % ) # " # " ! " % ) & # " " # " " # " " # " " # " " # " " # - ) # ! .# * + # ! ! - -## # ' # " # 4 " # 4 " # ! ! - -## # ! ! - -## # ! ! - -## # ! ! - -## # # ! .# # # ! .# # # ! .# # !

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' ! # ! - % # ! ! # " ! ! # ! - ! ( # ' ! - # " ! ! # # # % # # ! ' % # ' ! # ' " * + # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # ! ' # ' ! ' # ! # # % # ' # % # ! # ' # ! ! # ! # ' - % % # # # # " % # " ! & #!% ' " # # " # ' # ! " ' ! # - ! # ! ! # # ' ! # " ' " ' # ! " ' ! # ! % $ # ! # ! # ' # # - ! # - ! # ! # # ' ! # ' # # ! # ! # ! " ' ! # - ! # " # # % " # ! # ! % # ' # # # ! % # % " ! ! - ' ! # ' # " ! ! - ' ' ! # # " " ( ' % # ! " # ! % $ # " % # ! # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' # " ' #

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INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Erdoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Victory Ushers in New Presidential Era in Turkey Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has on extensive new executive powers following his outright election victory in Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poll. Parliament has been weakened and the post of prime minister abolished, as measures approved in a controversial referendum last year take effect. Defeated opposition candidate Muharrem Ince said Turkey was now entering a dangerous period of â&#x20AC;&#x153;one-man ruleâ&#x20AC;?, according to the BBC. Erdogan polled nearly 53 per cent in the most ďŹ ercely fought election in years. His closet rival, Ince, received 31 per cent, despite a lively campaign that attracted huge crowds. Erdogan, 64, has presided over a strong economy and built up a solid support base. But he has also polarised opinion, cracking down on opponents and putting some 160,000 people in jail. Congratulations have come in from around the world, though some Western leaders have been slow to react. Russian President Vladimir Putin talked of Erdoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;great political authority and

mass supportâ&#x20AC;?. In his victory speech on Monday morning, Erdogan vowed to bring in the new presidential system â&#x20AC;&#x153;rapidlyâ&#x20AC;?. The constitutional changes were endorsed in a tight referendum last year by 51 per cent of voters. They include giving the president new powers to: directly appoint top ofďŹ cials, including ministers and vicepresidents; intervene in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal system; and impose a state of emergency. Some critics have said Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new system lacks checks and balances. But Erdogan says his increased authority will empower him to address Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic woes and defeat Kurdish rebels in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s south-east. Erdogan was prime minister for 11 years before becoming president in 2014. Under the new constitution, he could stand for a third term when his second ďŹ nishes in 2023, meaning he could potentially hold power until 2028. Despite 90 per cent of the media being pro-government and largely shunning the opposition, the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s posters

and flags dwarfing any challenge on the streets, the election being held under a state of emergency curtailing protests, and critical journalists and academics being jailed or forced into exile, Erdogan only got half of the country behind him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are living through a fascist regime,â&#x20AC;? opposition MP Selin Sayek Boke told the BBC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But fascist regimes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually win elections with 53 per cent, they win with 90 per cent. So this shows that progressive values are still here and can rise up.â&#x20AC;? For now, though, this is Erdoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time. With his sweeping new powers, scrapping the post of prime minister and able to choose ministers and most senior judges, he becomes Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful leader since its founding father Ataturk. Ince, from the Republican Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Party (CHP), said the election was unfair from its declaration to the announcement of the results. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have now fully adopted a regime of one-man rule,â&#x20AC;? he told journalists after the vote.

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NEWSXTRA

Crude Oil Price Drops After OPEC’s Output Deal Petroleum ministry receives knocks over alleged abuse of FoI Act Ejiofor Alike in Lagos ËØÎ Chineme Okafor ÓØ ÌßÔË ÓÞÒ ËÑÏØÍã ÜÏÚÙÜÞÝ The price of the global benchmark, Brent crude oil fell yesterday as investors prepared for an extra one million barrels per day (bpd) in output to hit the markets after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers agreed to raise production. This is coming as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was yesterday placed on the ‘FoI Hall of Shame’ of a civil society organisation (CSO), the Media Rights Agenda (MRA). Despite the increase, which is intended to stop the gap between global supply and demand from becoming too wide, analysts said global oil markets would likely remain relatively tight this year. Brent crude futures fell $1.15 to $74.40 per barrel, while US light crude rose 20 cents to $68.78 a barrel, supported in part by a Canadian supply outage. Prices initially jumped after an OPEC deal to increase output was announced late last week, as it was not seen boosting supply by as much as some

had expected. OPEC and non-OPEC partners including Russia have since 2017 cut output by 1.8 million bpd to tighten the market and prop up prices. In another development, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was yesterday placed on the ‘FoI Hall of Shame’ of a civil society organisation (CSO), the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) for allegedly failing to comply with its duties and obligations under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011. This is coming as another CSO in the country’s extractive industries, the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria Office, has said it would be disappointing for President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold his assent to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB). MRA launched the initiative in July 2017, to highlight public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the FoI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances, and decisions. However, it said in a statement yesterday, that the petroleum ministry had

from 2011 allegedly violated all aspects of the FoI Act, hence its induction into the hall of shame, which also has a couple of the federal government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in it.

“The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources has violated virtually all its obligations under the FoI Act since the law was enacted seven years ago. We are at a loss as to how the ministry

hopes to perform its function of ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in the oil and gas sector when it is itself not complying with a major law of the land. It cannot possibly have the

moral authority to insist on compliance by other entities with laws when it is not complying with other laws that apply to it,” MRA’s Legal Officer, Ms. Chioma Nwaodike, said in the statement.

CJN Tasks New Judges on Integrity Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, yesterday inaugurated nine new judges for the Federal High Court, and charged them to allow integrity to be their watchword in the dispensation of justice to the citizens that will appear before them. Onnoghen urged them to always have at the back of their minds that they are accountable to God, who chose them for their exalted position. At the inauguration ceremony performed at the Supreme Court complex, Justice Onnoghen

re-emphasised the need for judges to always abide by the Constitution, oath of office and Code of Conduct for judicial officers, so as not to go astray. Specifically, the CJN pleaded with the judges to look beyond temporary advantages but to work assiduously, so as to make their names and marks on the bench. “With your inuaguration today, (yesterday) you are now judges to dispense justice to all manners of mankind. In doing so, I urge you to let integrity be your watchword, be bold and fearless when you are applying law with facts and judicial precedence.

Let nothing untowatds influence your decision on the bench. Pick your models from the retired and serving judges, pick the best style of writing judgment, improve on it for expeditions dispensation of justice,” he said. Besides, the CJN pleaded with the new judges to be in charge of their courts, master the facts and apply law to the facts to be able to resolve where issues have been joined by parties. He also counselled the judges to resist invocation of their jurisdiction in commercial matters, adding that where parties freely entered into agreement such issue should be referred

to arbitration for amicable settlement rather than troubling the courts. “I assure you, the job is great, good but you can find a way of making it better because Nigeria’s judiciary is one of the best in the world, where judges work day and night,” he said. The new judges include; Justice Peter O. Lifu, Justice Sunday Bassey Onu, Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi, Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuata, Justice Sa’adatu Ibrahim Mark. Others are Justice Mobolaji Olubukola Olajuwon, Justice Aminu Bappa Aliyu, Justice Tijjani Garba Ringim and Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha.

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Ë&#x153; ͺ͞Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Î&#x20AC; Ëž T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

WORLD CUP 2018â&#x20AC;Ś

JUNE 14 TO JULY 15

N I G E R I A V S A R G E N T I N AÂ

No Mercy for Messi, Rohr Roars Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has warned that there will be no mercy for Lionel Messi on Tuesday night as Nigeria takes on Argentina in a win or burst last Group D clash of the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup here at the St Petersburg Stadium in Russia. Rohr insisted yesterday here in St Petersburg that the Super Eagles will not wait to be rolled over because Messi was playing in his last World Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be no mercy for Messi even if we love him so much. We are not in Russia to watch Messi play. Super Eagles want to play to win. We are here to qualify for the next stage and will not allow Messi and his Argentina to ride us to fame,â&#x20AC;?

MIRROR OF GROUP D 1) Croatia with six points are the group winner even with one match to spare!

stressed the Super Eagles gaffer. Speaking shortly before Eagles took to the St Petersburg Stadium turf for the final work out before confronting Argentina for the sixth time at the World Cup, Rohr, revealed that his wards have trained very well ahead of the crucial match and are not bothered by the quality of the

South American nation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not bothered by the fact that Argentina is in the Top 10 of world football while we are in the 49th spot. We are hungry to qualify for the Round of 16,â&#x20AC;? stressed Rohr. While refusing to disclose the formation to expect against the Albiceleste, the Franco-German

coach however hinted that Eagles will not commit any of the silly mistakes that have seen the three-time African champions give away two cheap penalties to Croatia and Iceland. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is going to be a spectacular game. We can play 4-3-2-1 or 4-4-2 or even 3-5-2. What I can assure you is that the beginning

of the game will be better than all the two previous matches we have played here at this World Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be no repeat of the kind of silly mistakes that costs us two cheap penalties in our last two matches. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have trained hard to ensure that our defenders do not repeat such silly mistakes again against Argentina,â&#x20AC;? he affirmed. Although he acknowledged that the Argentines have experienced players like Sergio Aguero, Angel di MariaRohr said nobody should discountenance his young team from having the capacity to shock the two-time world champions. Argentina has played Nigeria five times and scored six times. Five of those goals came from set pieces. Even one of the goals the Albiceleste scored in their 4-2 loss to Eagles during the international friendly at Krasnodar, Russia

last November was also from a free kick.  Rohr revealed how he encouraged Ahmed Musa to look for club where he was going to be getting regular starting shirts ahead of the World Cup which has now paid off for his with the two quality goals against Iceland. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last season he was not getting regular matches at Leicester City so I had to tell his to go elsewhere to play regularly that was why he returned to CSKA Moscow. I was coming here regularly to monitor his progress. I saw him play in snow and tough conditions to get back to form and now we have seen the result of his hard work. I hope heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s able to reenact that form against Argentina,â&#x20AC;? he noted of the former Kano Pillars top star who scored Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two goals in the 3-2 loss to Argentina in Brazil four years ago.

2) Nigeria will qualify automatically as second best, if they win against Argentina today. 3) Nigeria can still qualify with a draw against Argentina if Iceland failed to beat Croatia with a wide margin. 4) Iceland must beat Croatia by at least three goals and hope Nigeria failed to get result against Argentina. 5) Argentinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope of qualiďŹ cation is an outright win against Nigeria and hoped Croatia either beat or draw with Iceland.

Super Eagles players after their ďŹ nal training sessionâ&#x20AC;Ś yesterday

abiodun ajala

NCAC Showcases Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bryan Idowu Banks on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Home Advantageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in St. Petersburg Art and Culture in Russia Russia-born Bryan Idowu will here,â&#x20AC;? observed the hardworking Nigeria debut against Argentina the reaction that followed in Russia last November Krasnodar is praying as overwhelmingly positive. Tourists and football fans across the world are swamping around an ongoing art and culture exhibition centre set up by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in Moscow, Russia. While the players are exhibiting their talents and projecting Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football prowess, so also is the Director General of NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, also showcasing Nigeria to the world. The exhibition which opened earlier in the week has witnessed an influx of visitors. Incidentally, it is the only one of its kind as Nigeria is the only one of the other 31 World Cup countries in Russia having such an exhibition. It is features series of past apparels of the Nigerian football teams, historical photographs dating back to 1949 as well as other arts and culture materials from different parts of Nigeria. According to Runsewe, there was an influx of visitors to the Nigerian exhibition ground last Friday which

coincidentally was the day Nigeria recorded an emphatic 2-0 win over Iceland to get into contention of crossing the Group D hurdle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was amazingâ&#x20AC;?, Runsewe remarked when a telephone call was put to him. He informed that many people watched the Nigerian match at the exhibition ground. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The blood pressure of many Nigerians and other fans here must have risen, especially in that nervy first half. â&#x20AC;&#x153;God of Hosts must have visited us making a positive turn-around for us in the second halfâ&#x20AC;?, remarked Runsewe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I encourage the players to remain focused for the next matches. I strongly believe we can beat Argentina, even though a draw may be sufficient for us to go to the next round. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I never believed that we can get so much support playing in a foreign land, but I am amazed at the type of support we got at the stadium and especially by the foreign visitors to our exhibition, said  Runsewe.

be at home at St Petersburg this evening when Super Eagles take on Argentina. The 26-year old FC Amkar Perm defender was born here in St Petersburg and has a lot of followers amongst youths of the beautiful city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel great coming back here to play for Nigeria at the St Petersburg Stadium. This is my city, I was born

defender who inexplicably missed playing for Russian top club Zenit St Petersburg after going through its academy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a special kind of feelings returning from our camp base in Essentuki to see my parents and friends here,â&#x20AC;? he noted with excitement. Idowu who scored in his

things work out for Nigeria against Argentina today. â&#x20AC;&#x153; I just pray things work out for us tomorrow (Tuesday) against Argentina. I expect our team to have massive support here,â&#x20AC;? He scored nine minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute against the Albiceleste and described

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Of course the win over Argentina in that friendly in Krasnodar last November has helped to psyche us that we can do it at this World Cup. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter whether Messi was not in that team that we defeated. The stakes are higher now because it is a World Cup.â&#x20AC;?

Glo Sends Second Group of Go Russia Winners to Russia on the all-expenses paid trip the trip owing to poor health National operator, Globacom, last Saturday evening sent off the second group of winners in its ongoing consumer loyalty promotion, Go Russia, to the eastern European country. The lucky subscribers departed for Russia via Emirates Airline at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. This brings to 13 the total number of Glo subscribers who have so far benefitted from the promotion. Seven winners who

emerged in the first draw had earlier traveled to Russia after a reception held for them by Globacom. The six winners in the second group include Osagie Edwin Isibor from Benin City, Mayowa Ibe Akinbode from Ijaiye in Abeokuta, Muyideen Olayiwola Disu from Isale Eko, Lagos, Maxwell Igwegbe from Lugbe in Abuja, Popoola Abdulrafia Olaide from Ijebu Igbo and Ebube Benson Uzoma from Imo State. With 13 winners having gone

thus far, 9 more subscribers will still benefit as a total number 22 winners are to emerge in the promotion. Just before the second group left for the airport on Saturday evening, Globacom hosted them at its headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, where it charged them to represent the country well in Russia. However, one of the winners, Osagie Edwin Isibor from Benin City, had his travel documents waiting for him, but could not make

The grandmasters of data urged its subscribers and those not yet on its network to seize the opportunity of the promotion to get a chance to enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Russia which is currently hosting the world. It added that â&#x20AC;&#x153;more winners will be unveiled from the next set of draws to be conducted soon in the GO RUSSIA promo which was unveiled to reward our amazing subscribers who have stood solidly behind the brand over the yearsâ&#x20AC;?.

scheduled to bring local perspectives to match analyses. Â Football loving Nigerians who want to be a part of the live studio audience are advised to arrive one hour ahead of match kick-off at the Ultima Studio located at Freedom Way in Lekki, Lagos. They can also look

forward to receiving amazing football memorabilia courtesy Coca-Cola, official partner of the FIFA World Cup. The studio will run for the duration of the tournament, covering 32 matches of the FIFA World Cup including all Super Eagles and other African teamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; matches.

KwesĂŠ Sets up Nigeria Studio for World Cup To provide the best possible coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, KwesĂŠ has set-up a studio facility in Lagos, catering to audiences of KwesĂŠ Free Sports (KFS) UHF 32 and sub-licensed stations of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) network, including the NTA and

AIT networks. The KwesĂŠ Free Sports (KFS) studio in Lagos brings audiences 15-minutes build-up to matches anchored by sports enthusiasts and on-air-personalities, Jimmie Akinsola aka â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jimme The Entertainerâ&#x20AC;?, Murphy Ijemba aka Radio Paparazzi, Sean Amadi and Tracy

Swoo, with half-time analyses and post-match wrap-up to be provided by respected Nigerian ex-footballers, namely; Mutiu Adepoju, Finidi George and Folorunsho Okenla. The Nigeria studio also crosses over to KwesĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South Africa studio for added world-class analyses from Premier League TV pundits, Leroy

Rosenior and Don Hutchison, and Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Augustine Eguavoen, who are joined by and Daniel Amokachi who is live in Russia. Nigerians are assured of a robust coverage of the FIFA World Cup with sports journalists; Shina Okeleji, Tega Onajaife, Jide Alabi and Niran Adesanya among others, also

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

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TUESDAYSPORTS

W O R L D C U P 2 0 1 8 … JUNE 14 TO JULY 15

WORLD CUP 2018…

Late Equaliser Pitches Spain against Russia as Uruguay Welcomes Portugal

RESULTS

TODAY’S FIXTURES

Saudi Arabia 2 - 1 Egypt Uruguay 3 - 0 Russia Iran 1 - 1 Portugal Spain 2 - 2 Morocco

GROUP A

Team Uruguay Russia Saudi Arabia Egypt

GROUP B

Team Spain Portugal Iran Morocco Portugal were rocked when the Soares last night The famous Visual Assistant Referee (VAR), played a crucial role in the final standing of group B matches following Iago Aspas stoppage-time equaliser - with the aid of VAR - as Spain scraped an unconvincing draw with Morocco to top Group B and secure a last-16 tie against World Cup hosts Russia. The result thus meant that the 2010 champions will avoid in-form Uruguay in the second round knock out phase but instead takes on hapless host, Russia, who lost 0-3 to Uruguay in the final group A match at Samara Arena earlier yesterday. Youssef En-Nesyri - who plays in Spain for Malaga - looked to have won it for Herve Renard’s side when he powered in a superb

referee with the aid of VAR awarded a late minute penalty to Iran for handball against Cedric header from fellow substitute Faycal Fajr’s corner. But Aspas flicked in Dani Carvajal’s low cross to make it 2-2, with referee Ravshan Irmatov initially disallowing the goal before overturning the decision. Spain won the group on goals scored as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by Iran - but had a tough night. A dreadful mix-up between Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos had allowed Khalid Boutaib to stride through and give Morocco a surprise 14th-minute lead. Iniesta made amends five minutes later by helping create a sublime equaliser, exchanging passes with Diego Costa and getting to the byeline before cutting back for Isco to steer

high into the net. But Spain looked wobbly in defence when pressed by a committed, aggressive Morocco side, with Boutaib denied by the legs of David de Gea after Hakim Ziyech’s quick throw sent him clear. Nordin Amrabat was desperately unlucky not to score in the second half as his searing shot came back off the angle of post and bar with De Gea motionless. Isco was denied a second goal when his header was diverted wide by Romain Saiss - playing instead of dropped captain Medhi Benatia - before the late drama. In the other group match, Portugal also progressed to the knockout stages after drawing

with Iran in a game full of VAR controversy. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty for Portugal and was shown a yellow card after a lengthy VAR review for a possible red card. Iran scored a late penalty, given after another video review, and could have snatched a winner in stoppage time which would have seen them through at Portugal’s expense. Ricardo Quaresma put Portugal in front with a sensational goal at the end of the first half. The late Iran penalty denied the European champions top spot in the group and means they play Uruguay in Sochi in the last 16 on Saturday, rather than Group A runners-up Russia.

Pressure on Denmark, Faces France for Secondwhere Round Place he ended as tournament

The pressure is on Denmark in Group C as they need a result against an already-qualified France today in Moscow to ensure progress into the knockout stages of the Russia 2018 World Cup. It will be a huge day for Denmark, as they seek to go beyond the round-robin stage for the first time since the 2002 finals. In their previous outing, the Danes were below their best but still managed to dig out a 1-1 draw with Australia. The Socceroos take on Peru in their final group match, knowing they need to win and hope France can topple Denmark to get into the round of 16. As for the French, manager Didier Deschamps will likely view this game as a chance to rest some key players. Narrow wins over Australia and Peru mean they are already into the knockout round. Neither flashy nor high-scoring, France earned its place in the round of 16 with little fuss. A draw against Denmark today will be enough to win Group C, and avoid the Group D winner -- almost certain to be the impressive Croatia.

“As we all know, the team that is in very good shape is Croatia,” France midfielder Paul Pogba said on Sunday. “May this (opponent) be Nigeria, Argentina or Iceland, it will be still difficult.” A draw at the Luzkniki Stadium will also send Denmark into the knockout round regardless of Australia’s result playing Peru at the same time in Sochi. Although France may lack a signature win, like Croatia’s 3-0 dismantling of Argentina, or a rush of goals, like eight each for Belgium and England, it is in a familiar place.

France started its run to the 2016 European Championship final with two wins. The team made a more flamboyant start at the 2014 World Cup, with 3-0 and 5-2 victories, but that campaign in Brazil stalled in the quarterfinals. “I will get better and better French striker Antoione Griezmann told French television show Telefoot on Sunday. “It was the same at the Euros. It was only after the (second round) that I started to play very well.” Griezmann has scored one goal in Russia, the same tally he had after two games at Euro 2016,

leading scorer with six. “It’s not because he did not score in the last game that he’s not the same Griezmann,” Pogba said. “As I already said to you before the World Cup, don’t touch my `Grizou.’ Have you forgotten the last Euro? Don’t play with my `Grizou.” Denmark is looking to advance from the group stage for the fourth time in its fifth World Cup appearance, but coach Age Hareide will have two players unavailable to face the French. Yussuf Poulsen, who scored in a 1-0 opening win over Peru, is suspended after being shown yellow cards for conceding a penalty in each game so far. Both judgments came after video review. Midfielder William Kvist has returned to Russia after going home for treatment on cracked ribs and a punctured lung sustained while playing against Peru. “It’s now only the fractures on the ribs that give him problems,” Hareide told Danish broadcaster TV2. “So we have to see if he’s fit to train after the match against France.”

Egypt’s Record-making Keeper El Hadary Apologises to Nation History-making keeper Essam El Hadary has apologised to his nation for Egypt’s exit despite saving a penalty in their 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia. El Hadary saved Fahad Al Muwallad’s first-half penalty but Salem Al Dawsari scored a winner for Saudi Arabia in stoppage time. At 45 years and 161 days,

El Hadary is now the oldest World Cup player ever. “I apologise to the Egyptian people on my behalf, and for my colleagues, after the three defeats,” he said. “I’m proud of what I have achieved and this achievement is worthy of Egypt. “We tried and did not have luck - this is football.”

In a thrilling final group game Egypt - appearing at their first World Cup finals for 28 years - took the lead thanks to Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah’s lob in the 22nd minute, their first World Cup goal from open play since 1934. But Salman Al Faraj scored a spot-kick for Saudi Arabia seconds before half-time, just five minutes after El Hadary had saved Al

Muwallad’s effort, and Al Dawsari fired in the winner with seconds left to secure the Saudis’ first World Cup win since 1994. Egypt coach Hector Cuper says he hopes “everyone in Egypt is happy” that El Hadary beat the record of Colombia keeper Faryd Mondragon, who was 43 years and three days old when he appeared at Brazil 2014.

GROUP C

Team France Denmark Australia Peru

GROUP D

Team Croatia Nigeria Iceland Argentina

Australia vs Peru 3pm Denmark vs France 3pm Iceland vs Croatia 7pm Nigeria vs Argentina 7pm

P 3 3 3 3

W 3 2 1 0

D 0 0 0 0

L 0 1 2 3

GF 5 8 2 2

GA 0 4 7 6

GD 5 4 -5 -4

Pts 9 6 3 0

P 3 3 3 3

W 1 1 1 0

D 2 2 1 1

L 0 0 1 2

GF 6 5 2 2

GA 5 4 2 4

GD 1 1 0 -2

Pts 5 5 4 1

P 2 2 2 2

W 2 1 0 0

D 0 1 1 0

L 0 0 1 2

GF 3 2 2 0

GA 1 1 3 2

GD 2 1 -1 -2

Pts 6 4 1 0

P 2 2 2 2

W 2 1 0 0

D 0 0 1 1

L 0 1 1 1

GF 5 2 1 1

GA 0 2 3 4

GD 5 0 -2 -3

Pts 6 3 1 1

Hero Lager Charges Eagles to Victory after Iceland Win Following the heroic display of the Super Eagles in putting Iceland to the sword in the on-going World Cup Group D Match day two game in Volgograd, International Breweries, part of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, (AB InBev) has congratulated the team and unveiled the biggest message of support to Nigeria’s National Team. The message, “Be Fearless” was created using 2,000 people and unveiled at the King’s Courtyard, Ikpeazu Stadium, Onitsha, Anambra State, on June 16, 2018. Arne Rust, Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc., said that Hero lager exists to inspire, equip and showcase the true potential of every Nigerian. He opined that during the qualifiers for the World Cup, a lot of Nigerians did not believe that

the Nigerian Team would qualify, but at the end, they did qualify for the competition with a match left to play. “We want the Nigerian Team to know that they have our support and we hope for the very best from the team. The crop of players that made up the USA ‘94 squad is believed to have laid the foundation of our current players, thanks to their tenacity, passion and courage. Nigeria has never lacked the Heroes or the hope that we can and will one day win the World Cup. Go make us proud,” he said. Our National team is also the only African team to qualify for both the 2014 and 2018 editions. Nigeria has won the Africa Cup of Nations thrice, with ourlast title in 2013, after defeating Burkina Faso in the final.

Star Lager Fans Cheer Nigeria to Victory at Super Eagles Dome On Friday June 22nd, 2018, football fans thronged the Super Eagles Dome in Surulere, Lagos to cheer on the Nigerian national football team as they faceoff Iceland in Volgograd Stadium, Russia. As the Official beer of the Nigerian Super Eagles, Star Lager took their support for the national team a notch higher, with the set up of a state-of-the-art football experience venue for passionate football fans. The Super Eagles Dome features a tunnel showcasing the glorious history of the Super Eagles on LED, plus high-tech and multimedia technology that gives a 360-degree experience, a VIP lounge and a mini studio where football legends Ben Iroha, Ike Shorunmu, Uche Alozie Okechukwu and Tijani Babangida discuss the game and analyse the performance of the Super Eagles moderated by sports journalist Steve Dede. The dome also hosted artistes M.I and Small Doctor alongside

DJ Big N who entertained music lovers with their hit songs during the after-party. The ecstatic fans who already had a wonderful evening watching the Super Eagles beat Iceland through an Ahmed Musa brace, also enjoyed winning several gift items courtesy of Star Lager Beer at the dome. Speaking at the venue, Abayomi Abidakun, Senior Brand Manager Star Lager Beer, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said, “Star Lager as proud supporters of the national team has set up a meeting point where fans of like minds can come and show their love and support for the Super Eagles notwithstanding the scoreline.” The Super Eagles Dome was created for passionate football fans to spur the national team to victory while enjoying a 360-degree experience of ‘Football unusual’, with entertainment and an added plus of prize giveaways. It is scheduled to continue throughout the competition in Russia, and in multiple cities across Nigeria.

Tuesday June 26, 2018

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Price: N250

MISSILE Tinubu to PDP

“It is time we swept out the PDP remnants and put in position, people who actually care about the citizens. Some among us feared that today we would be joined by the presence of rain. Don’t fret. Let the rain fall if it must. For it is a sign of a great washing.” – A former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, accusing some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of hindering the progressive agenda of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

Ten Years After Lamidi Adedibu

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t has been ten years since the self-styled “strong man of Ibadan politics”, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu, died. He died on June 11, 2008. I do not recall seeing many tributes or advertisements in the newspapers or other media commemorating his life and legacy. There was no public lecture or any important statements from those who were his protégés. That this is so is a useful lesson to today’s political Godfathers and henchmen in Nigerian politics who behave as if history has already assigned to them an immortal space on its pages. Lamidi Adedibu was a colossal presence in the politics of Ibadan, and Oyo state for more than 50 years. Ibadan has a tradition of colourful politicians who wielded enormous influence: Adegoke Adelabu, the brilliant orator and intellectually gifted personality who authored “Africa in Ebullition”, and whose use of the phrase “peculiar mess” got transliterated by his illiterate audience as “penkelemesi”; Chief Mojeed Mobolanle Agbaje, the first Ibadan man to become a lawyer, and son of Alhaji Salami Agbaje of Ayeye, Ibadan who was the richest man in Ibadan in his time and the first to ride a car (1915) and build a house with cement; Chief Meredith Adisa Akinloye, an alumnus of the London School of Economics (LSE), founder of the Ibadan People’s Party (IPP), Chairman of Ibadan City Council and in the Second Republic, Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN); and Alhaji Busari Adelakun, the “Eruobodo” (“the river fears no one”) of Ibadan politics. There is hardly any other Ibadan indigene apart from these gentlemen who has been more influential in shaping the tone and shape of Ibadan politics and by extension, the politics of Oyo state. Local Ibadan politics is a combination of thuggery, populism, inconsistency, clientelism and intellectual opportunism, with service to the people thrown in as a lower measure. Lamidi Adedibu lacked the intellectual gifts of Adelabu, Agbaje, and Akinloye, or the oratory of Adelabu – he was much closer to Busari Adelakun, who was his mentor. In an instructive book titled “What I saw in the Politics of Ibadanland”, Adedibu has already given his own eye-witness account from his beginning days with the Ibadan People’s Party and the Action Group, later the the National Party of Nigeria during the Second Republic, but he truly came into his own as the main Godfather of Ibadan politics with the ascendancy of the People’s Democratic Party in 1999 and especially in 2003 when he was recruited by President Olusegun Obasanjo for his second term bid. He filled the vacuum created by the exit of Alhaji Busari Adelakun, and in that aspect, he established himself as a master of the game using violence, mass appeal, and philanthropy to determine political outcomes. During the Second Republic, Alhaji Busari Adelakun was credited with having helped Chief Bola Ige of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) to become Governor. The main task of that branch of Ibadan politics represented by Adelakun and his followers, was to help deliver the votes, by any means possible. Adelakun would go from one polling booth to the other, and ensure that his clients won the vote. He was later rewarded with the position of a Commissioner (first Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and later, Health) in the Bola Ige government. Both men would soon fall out, and Busari Adelakun resigned in anger. He famously swore that nobody could ever occupy a position

Adedibu that he, Adelakun, left in anger. It then happened that his immediate successor in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy died in the hands of his own sibling. He was beheaded. Adelakun’s successor in the Ministry of Health also suffered stroke. He on account of this became a mythical figure. He would later defect to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) with the threat that he would get Bola Ige removed as Governor. He supported Chief Victor Omololu Olunloyo who eventually became Governor. His word came to pass. But the Olunloyo government was short-lived. General Buhari struck in December 1983 and Adelakun and other NPN chieftains were herded into detention. He took ill in jail and died subsequently. It was Lamidi Adedibu who sustained this tradition of prominent Ibadan politicians playing the role of the Godfather, and masters of the politics of clientelism. Unlike Adelakun, he didn’t have to follow the able-bodied boys, masquerading as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who snatched ballot boxes in those days and stuffed them. He had the entire city under his control in a manner nobody else before him did. Every major thug in the town reported to him, and he used them against the opponents, but he also at the same time took very good care of the ordinary people who delivered the votes to ensure victory for his clients and friends. Lamidi Adedibu, with the failure of the Alliance for Democracy in the 2003 election in Oyo state, became effectively the most influential politician in Ibadan politics, Oyo state politics, and one of the leading lights of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He held court and juggled the balls from his extensive home in Molete, Ibadan. That was where he held court. He was Ashipa Olubadan but he had his own palace - where he decided the political fortunes of politicians who came to him for help, or persons seeking political appointments. It was not for nothing that he was known as “Alaafin of Molete”. His home was a palace unto itself. He was also the exponent of “Amala politics” – what is now known as the politics of stomach infrastructure.

Every day, Adedibu kept his home open for the ordinary people of Ibadan. Whoever was hungry knew that if they went to Adedibu’s home, they would get a good plate of piping hot amala and a drink to wash it down. Ordinary people who could not pay school fees or hospital bills or rent went to him in his palace to ask for help. He supported them willingly. He was not a herdsman but he had a mini-ranch in his home, at any time, there were more than a dozen cows waiting to be slaughtered to feed the people, goats also, and rams and pigeons. Everyday in the Adedibu home was like a festival. He reportedly kept more than 100 vehicles, to be mobilized at short notice to pursue any political cause. The whole of Ibadan city came to regard Adedibu as the real government: he ran a government of his own. It wasn’t long before he became a national figure of real importance. Prominent politicians visited him at home, and as they did, they brought bags of money, which in any case, Adedibu shared to the electorate. The politicians who took him as their Godfather expected him to help them deliver the votes on election day and the people who went to his house to eat and collect money waited on him to tell them how they should vote in every election. He would soon become so influential that the then Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali described him at a point, as the “garrison commander of Ibadan politics.” President Olusegun Obasanjo also visited him at home once, welcomed by a cavalcade of drums and pageantry, and he ended up describing him as the “father of the PDP”. Even politicians from other parts of the country who may not have needed him in their own constituencies, patronized him all the same. In his own immediate political constituency, his boys did as they wished. They unleashed violence on political opponents while the state authorities looked the other way. Adedibu was above the law. He was the ultimate Godfather. He once quipped: “…Let me tell you, constitution or law, that is for you men. God has his own law.” There was no one like that before him, and there has been no other like that after him. He projected himself as a Robin Hood, but he didn’t really like the poor, he used them for his own relevance. In 2003, he had reportedly helped to install Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja as Governor of Oyo State. He himself said so. That is what people like him do - they would help to install a client in a position of political authority. They would then afterwards collect rent in form of cash and appointive positions and exercise influence over public policy. Adedibu and Ladoja soon fell out. Adedibu told the public that he had a prior agreement with Ladoja that he must pay to him, every month, 50% of the state’s security vote, which was at the time about N30 million. Ladoja reneged, insisting that the security vote was meant for security. The Godfather became angry – he retorted that he was the main security of the state and did Ladoja realize that money was spent to get him into office? He swore to get Ladoja removed. And indeed he did. Eighteen out of the 32 members of the state House of Assembly, acting on Adedibu’s instructions, met and impeached Ladoja. His Deputy who was also an Adedibu protégé was immediately installed as Governor. After taking the oath of office, one of Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala’s first assignments was to

go straight to Adedibu’s home to pay homage. He went down on all fours to say “thank you.” Ladoja would later be reinstated by court order 11 months later, but the Godfather had made his point. The kind of influence that the likes of Lamidi Adedibu wielded is a metaphor for the character and level of Nigerian politics. Godfathers still exist in today’s politics and the new Godfathers are just as messianic and as arrogant as their predecessors were. Violence also remains an instrument of persuasion and enforcement, even if since Adedibu’s exit, the level of violence in Ibadan politics has progressively reduced, across the country, many politicians routinely patronize thugs and enforcers. “Amala politics” still exists in form of “stomach infrastructure” – even when some politicians do not turn their homes into a public kitchen and abattoir, they patronize the people by bribing them with motorcycles or boreholes. In Benue state, Governor Samuel Ortom distributed wheel barrows with the inscription: “Gov. Ortom for you”. In another state, a serving APC Senator donated an electric pole to a community as constituency project and took photographs, in Kano state, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje bought noodles, eggs, and beverages to empower tea hawkers. Now that we are in an election season, some other politicians will distribute cooked food, bags of rice or photograph themselves eating at amala joints or buying roasted corn by the roadside. Our politicians have learnt to exploit the people’s poverty. Political Godfathers capitalize on this and turn it into a strategy. When the people are rescued from the poverty trap, they would be less susceptible to the greed and exploitation of politicians. Institutions also have to be built and strengthened to check the menace of Godfathers and their boys who decide electoral choices on the people’s behalf and by so doing, frustrate democratic expression. As a human being, Adedibu was obviously a strong grassroots mobiliser. He was also a strong religious and community leader – he built 18 mosques - but his legacy of stomach infrastructure and political manipulation cannot endure in the long run. One week after his burial, his political acolytes returned hoping that his family will sustain the feast. They were turned back. The pots and pans used for cooking had been packed aside. Over 90 mattresses used by the army of boys that thronged the “palace” had been packed together in a heap to be disposed off. The amala-seeking crowd went over to the home of Alhaji Azeez Arisekola-Alao, an Ibadan politician and entrepreneur, hoping he would provide “amala”. Arisekola was a prominent philanthropist but he wasn’t running a public kitchen in his home. One of Adedibu’s sons, ended up in politics and became a Senator, but he did not follow in his father’s footsteps. Another son reportedly described the late politician as a “dishonest politician.” Today, the Molete palace is desolate. The in-house ranch has disappeared. The Nigerian electorate, should be reminded that when a politician offers them food in exchange for their votes, that food will soon digest and end up in the toilet, and you’d need to eat again. When the politician dies, or leaves politics or no longer needs you, you’d still have to eat. It is better always to vote wisely and focus on the need to build and strengthen public institutions for the people’s benefit.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018

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