WEDNESDAY 19TH JULY 2018

Senate Probes Oil and Gas Licences’ Renewal over Alleged $10bn Loss of Revenue We followed due process, says DPR Crude oil price drops to three-month low Deji Elumoye, Chineme Okafor in Abuja and Ejiofor Alike in Lagos with agency reports Following an allegation of sharp practices in the ongoing renewal of oil and gas licences by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)

and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which could lead to a loss of $10 billion revenue by the federal government, the Senate yesterday mandated its Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to probe

the oil lease renewal.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly accused the petroleum ministry and the DPR of sharp practices in the exercise, saying that its Committee on Petroleum

Resources (Upstream) had since December 2017 been inundated with a myriad of petitions and complaints over multiplicity of irregularities associated with ongoing renewal of leases.

In a swift response to THISDAY enquiries, however, the DPR denied any wrongdoing, saying the renewal followed due process of the law.

This is coming as the price

Ex-CJN, Katsina-Alu, Dies at 77... Page 8

of the oil benchmark, Brent crude hits a three-month low yesterday after a rise in the United States crude inventories highlighted increasing global supply and concerns over weak demand.

Indications have also Continued on page 6

Thursday 19 July, 2018 Vol 23. No 8491. Price: N250

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Again, Obasanjo Attacks Buhari over Insecurity Nwodo, Clark, Baba-Ahmed, others call for visionary leadership Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

THE PLOT TICKENS...

L-R: Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; reformed All Progressives Party chieftain, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, after a meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State‌yesterday

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again called out President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to tackle the security challenges and orgies of bloodshed in the country.

Obasanjo spoke yesterday through former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, at a one-day national summit on insecurity and killings in Nigeria, convened by the Northern Elders Forum Continued on page 6

Ahead of Defection, Saraki, Tambuwal, Ortom, Ahmed Meet PDP Leaders in Ilorin Secondus, Wike lead negotiating team

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja, Laleye Dipo in Minna and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The realignment of political forces to oust President Muhammadu Buhari from office in 2019 progressed yesterday as leading elements of the reformed All Progressives Congress (rAPC) met with the leaders of the

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.

Although the participants congregated ostensibly to commiserate with a chieftain of the rAPC, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, who lost his mother recently, THISDAY gathered authoritatively that a meeting that centred on the absorption of the break-away faction of

the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) into the PDP was held.

At the meeting were Senate President Bukola Saraki; Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara State) as well as the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who led the party’s National Working

Jonathan meets Babangida in Minna

Committee (NWC).

The Ilorin meeting coincided with another one in Minna, the capital of Niger State, involving former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), and former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Although no word came from the duo, THISDAY learnt it was connected with the ongoing mobilisation against

Buhari’s return bid.

An insider told THISDAY that the “conspirators’’ decided to use the opportunity of the 48-day prayer for Baraje’s late mother to deliberate on crucial political issues, ahead of the 2019 general election.

While Tambuwal and Ortom left Abuja yesterday afternoon for the meeting, Secondus-led PDP leaders were said to have

joined them from Yobe State, after paying a condolence visit to the family of late Adamu Ciroma.

Ortom on Monday said he had left the APC, following what he described as “a red card� given to him by some powerful forces within the party.

Continued on page 8

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FG Unveils Nigeria Air as New National Airline Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government, through the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, yesterday revealed the branding and livery for a new national flag carrier, Nigeria Air, due to be launched in December.

Sirika performed the unveiling at a press conference at the Farnborough Air Show in London, United Kingdom.

According to a statement in Abuja by the ministry’s Deputy Director, Media and Public Affairs, Mr. James Odaudu, the unveiling was attended by a cross section of the international press, Nigerian dignitaries, stakeholders, aircraft manufacturers, prospective

investors and a Nigerian government delegation, including Mr. Sule Zakari, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation; Senator Adamu Aliero, Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation; and Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Chairperson, House Committee on Aviation.

It added that the ceremony included a short film, showing an aircraft with the new Nigeria Air livery.

According to the statement, the minister said, "I am very pleased to tell you that we are finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier for our country, Nigeria Air. "We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our

President, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015. We are aiming to launch Nigeria Air by the end of this year.”

He explained, "Following extensive market research, the branding of our new airline, Nigeria Air, demonstrates a true flag carrier of our nation, soaring through the skies in the shape of our nation's eagle."

He said the branding and naming of the new national carrier came on the back of a social media campaign undertaken under the auspices of the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation), which invited Nigerian youths and students for their input and creativity to come up with a name for the new Nigerian flag carrier.

He said detailed and extensive market research was commissioned by the ministry, which involved focus groups across Nigeria and over 100 interviews with aviation stakeholders and professionals, politicians, Nigerian business owners, students and a broad spectrum of people across Nigeria.

The minister said the research concluded that Nigeria is a proud nation with diverse populace, a strong cultural heritage and a people that were hungry for a unifying national flag carrier.

The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) is also currently running an aviation road map that

includes airport concessions, Aerotropolis, an aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Centre, agro-allied terminals, the national carrier and an aircraft leasing company.

Sirika said, "The Nigerian government will support the launch of the new flag carrier with viability gap funding, in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to deliver a national flag carrier, guided by the international ICAO standards that will stand the IOSA audit from the start and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation."

He explained that the unveiling of the airline at the Farnborough International Air show was cognisant of

the fact that being the largest congregation of global aviation industry players, the event affords the best opportunity to market the airline to prospective investors and register it in the minds of all stakeholders ahead of its formal launch billed to take place in Abuja before the end of the year.

He assured Nigerians and the international community that government had learnt a lot of lessons from the experience of the defunct Nigeria Airways and was now determined not to repeat the mistakes that led to its demise.

This, he said, informed the decision to take the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach.

SENATE PROBES OIL AND GAS LICENCES’ RENEWAL OVER ALLEGED $10BN LOSS OF REVENUE emerged that one of the new companies expected to emerge from the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), after the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) into law, the National Petroleum Company (NPC), would be listed on the stock exchange after five years.

Before the oil price dropped to the current level of $71 per barrel, the price had climbed above $80 in May this year, for the first time since November 2014, following concerns that Iranian exports could fall because of renewed US sanctions.

Debating a motion on the irregularities in the ongoing oil and gas lease renewal and massive loss of government revenue moved by Senator Omotayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central), the Senate presided over by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, expressed concern over the irregularities being perpetrated by the petroleum ministry and the DPR.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly emphasised that government was bound to lose revenue in excess of $10 billion due to illegal discounts and rebates associated with the exercise.

Alasoadura, who is Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) in the motion jointly sponsored with three other senators, Baba Garbai (Borno Central), James Manager (Delta South) and Gershom Bassey (Cross River South), had observed that the petroleum ministry and the DPR had brazenly opted to depart from subsisting legal framework and due process mandated by extant laws for the renewal of all the leases.

While expressing concern that the DPR has deliberately refused to provide the Senate committee with relevant information and data relating to the ongoing lease renewal, the Senate noted that under the provisions of extant laws, failure to pay royalties is a ground for revocation of leases and a legal barrier to renewal

of applicable leases.

The Senate mandated its Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream to investigate all issues relating to the ongoing lease renewal being undertaken by the petroleum ministry and the DPR, “and to report to the Senate the anomalies in the renewal process and identify appropriate measures to correct the said anomalies.”

Renewal Followed Due Process, Says DPR But in a swift response, the DPR denied any wrongdoing in the renewal exercise, saying the early lease renewal programme is part of the accelerated revenue generation initiative of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and the regulatory agency to shore up government revenue and facilitate investment flows in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry.

The spokesman of the agency, Mr. Paul Osu, told

THISDAY that the entire process of lease renewal followed a transparent and open process, in line with the Petroleum (Drilling & Production) Regulation 1969 as amended in 2001.

“Evidently, the law mandates the minister to renew OMLs once statutory payments in terms of applicable royalty, concession rentals and fees are paid, and the asset is being worked in a business-like manner by the leaseholder,” he said.

According to him, companies whose leases are due to expire apply for renewal to the DPR. He added that upon the receipt of the application and payment of $2 million application fees, the department progresses the application through the following regulatory gates: “Thorough assessment of all the exploration and development efforts undertaken in the block to ensure that sufficient investments were made to optimally explore and develop

the block in business-like manner with due compliance to applicable rules and regulations; assessment of the production profile and production growth plan to ensure that sound reservoir management practice is adhered to for optimal maturation of the asset; review and assessment of compliance with payment of all applicable royalties, concession rentals and other statutory payments; economic evaluation of both surface and subsurface assets of the block taking into cognisance the remaining reserves and possible cost of future development using standard industry methodologies for valuing oil and gas assets to determine the lease renewal bonus payable by the leaseholder.

“It is worth mentioning that a five percent (five per cent) net present value of the asset was approved to be charged as a renewal bonus. At the end of the evaluation and assessment of the historical maturation

dealing with national issues.”

Similarly, Mimiko called for urgent action against the killings, warning that the situation might get out of hand.

He noted that some victims believed they were being attacked on the grounds of their ethnicity, religion and class.

A former Inspector-General of Police (IG), Abba, blamed reckless speeches by politicians for the killings, insisting that they laid the foundation for the programme in Plateau State by creating enmity between the Hausa/Fulani and the indigenes.

Abba disagreed with the opinion that state police could address the bloodshed, noting that only Lagos State can afford to fund its police force.

“Is it a state that cannot pay teachers that would pay policemen? Do you know the cost of a gun; only Lagos is ready to fund state police,” Abba asserted.

In its communique, the conferees said the summit was aimed at forging a national consensus on the key pillars required for building national security, unity and survival in a just and democratic society.

It lamented that the country had witnessed “unprecedented incompetence and

enthronement of mediocrity in dealing with the horrendous spate of killings and general insecurity across the country.”

The communique which was signed by Clark, Abdullahi, Adebanjo and Nwodo read, “In the eyes of many affected communities, there appears to be palpable government complicity in the killings.

These killings claimed 3,500 lives in 2017, a figure that could be much higher in 2018.”

On the economy, the summit noted with dismay that the mismanagement of the economy had become characterised by significant loss of output, massive youth unemployment, rising level of poverty, instability and irregular migration of skilled and unskilled labour.

It observed with concern that the nation has been adjudged to be more corrupt than it was in 2015 by the Transparency International, adding that it was alarmed by the flagrant disregard for the rule of law.

The summit resolved to insist on the emergence of a visionary and dynamic leadership “which will deal with our security and economic challenges and ensure good governance in the country.”

It demanded the revamping

and development of the asset to ensure there have been continuous and progressive value creation and addition to the nation in conformity with best practices, the DPR makes recommendation to the Minister of Petroleum Resources on whether to approve the lease for renewal or otherwise. Once approval is granted, the company is duly notified.”

However, the Director of Press in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Idang Alibi, promised to send the ministry’s reaction but he did not send it as at press time.

Crude oil price drops to three-month low over rise in global supply Meanwhile, the price of the oil benchmark, Brent crude hit a three-month low yesterday after a rise in the United States crude inventories highlighted Continued on page 8

AGAIN, OBASANJO ATTACKS BUHARI OVER INSECURITY (NEF), Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).

The event was also attended by a chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Prof.

Ango Abdullahi. Ohanaeze Ndigbo President, Chief John Nwodo, PANDEF leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, former Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and a host of others.

He said the Buhari administration had done and was still doing serious damage to Nigeria's commonwealth and heritage, insisting that the president's team was not only incompetent but also incapable of addressing the killings and poverty in the country.

The former president was adamant that the administration was confused and at its wits end while the nation was being left to drift perilously.

He noted that instead of proffering solutions, the government had been busy “giving one unrighteous and unacceptable justification after the other.”

Obasanjo also recalled the discussion he had with Ango Abdullahi about the danger to the nation’s democracy when he hosted him and other elder

statesmen in Abeokuta some weeks ago.

He said, "When you kindly paid me a visit a couple of weeks ago, we deliberated on the danger to our democracy, our common identity, our commonality of purpose, our dream and our unity in diversity. We lamented the harm that the present administration of President Buhari, by his action and inaction, has done and is doing to our commonwealth and our common heritage.”

He said the country had never been so divided along religious and regional lines as at today with inexcusable killings and devastating poverty.

Obasanjo, however, expressed hope that in spite of the unfortunate situations created by the Buhari government, his consultations with people had given him hope.

Also speaking, Clark lamented that Nigerians were living in poverty, corruption and inequity.

According to him, state governors who hitherto had no class had created one for themselves.

“Even military governors were more liberal than the governors you have today who only think about themselves

and not the people. If we keep silent, a revolution is coming, if we fail to take quality decisions, our children will not forgive us. I don’t care who becomes president as long as he is competent," he said.

In the same vein, the founder of Baze University, Senator Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, called for the retooling of the nation’s security infrastructure, which he said must be completely rebuilt on a new philosophy, structure and commitment to security as the prime function of the state.

Baba-Ahmed who is also a presidential aspirant, said there were compelling grounds for restructuring of the federal system in a manner that would benefit all sections and interests in the country.

According to him, “In this respect, the recent initiative of the Senate to initiate a review of the Constitution towards creating state police should be supported as a matter of the highest national priority.

“The amendments on devolution of powers should also be revisited by the national and state assemblies.

Nigerians demand that their leaders must operate with requisite sensitivity to the challenges of our existence, and must put aside parochial and divisive sentiments in

of the security architecture, removal of killers from the communities they have occupied and return of same to their rightful owners who now live in camps.

The elder statesmen said they would strive to reach a consensus on the positions of the various Nigerian communities and arrive at an agreed template in the issue of federalism and restructuring.

TOP GAINERS CONTINENTALRE PZ INTERBREW JAPAULOIL MCNICHOLS TOP LOSERS FBNHOLDINGS OANDO WEMABANK

NGN NGN 0.15 1.65 1.50 16.90 3.50 41.00 0.03 0.36 0.06 0.72 NGN NGN 1.00 9.25 0.50 4.75 0.06 0.62 CAVERTON 0.15 1.95 CONSOLHALLMARK 0.02 0.26 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,527.00 Volume: 181.283 million shares Value: N1.641 billion Deals: 3,854 As at yesterday 18/07/18 See details on Page 41

% 10.0 9.7 9.3 9.0 9.0 % 9.7 9.5 8.8 7.1 7.1

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Ex-CJN, Katsina-Alu, Dies at 77 Buhari, Jonathan, Saraki, Ortom, APC mourn Tobi Soniyi, Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Gorge Oboh in Makurdi Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius KatsinaAlu, died yesterday in Abuja.

He was 77.

Family sources said he died at about 2a.m. yesterday at Cida Orthopaedic Hospital, Gudu in Abuja.

Katsina-Alu, who a family source said had been battling serious health complications that affected his internal organs for several years, hailed from Ushongo in Benue State.

He was the CJN from December 30, 2009 to August 28, 2011.

The source said plans were in top gear to fly him abroad for treatment when he passed on.

Confirming the demise of Katsina-Alu from Montreal, Canada, where he is currently attending a conference, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, said it was a sad loss, lamenting that the Nigerian judiciary would surely miss him.

Early tributes poured in from President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Samuel Ortom of his Benue home state, Senate President Bukola Saraki, former President Goodluck Jonathan and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buhari returned to the country last night and condoled with the family and friends of Katsina-Alu. A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the president joined the government and people of Benue State, Nigerian Bar Association and National Judicial Council in mourning the erudite jurist, whom he said contributed immensely to the structuring of Nigeria’s jurisprudence.

"The President affirms that Justice Katsina-Alu’s knowledge, experience and diligence impacted greatly on governance in Nigeria as he featured prominently in landmark cases.

"President Buhari believes the late Chief Justice left behind a legacy of discipline, brilliance and diligence that younger jurists should emulate.”

Ortom said Katsina-Alu’s death had thrown the state into sadness and mourning, describing him as a peaceloving man, patriot and father, who built bridges for many others to cross.

The governor commiserated with the family of the eminent jurist and prayed God to grant them the strength to bear the irreparable loss.

Jonathan in a statement issued by his media adviser, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, described Katsina-Alu as a sound legal mind who left indelible contributions to the nation's jurisprudence.

He said the late jurist would be remembered for his invaluable and indelible contributions to the nation's jurisprudence.

On his part, Saraki expressed deep sorrow over the death of Katsina-Alu. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, he described the late former justice as a patriotic and diligent public servant, whose many wellconsidered judgments enriched the nation's jurisprudence and contributed immensely to national development.

He commiserated with the immediate family of the deceased, the Tiv nation, the judiciary and the government and people of Benue State on the sad incident.

The APC too mourned

Late Katsina-Alu Katsina-Alu yesterday, saying he was an impartial and thorough judge.

“As a jurist, his contributions to the development of the Nigerian legal system cannot be quantified. He delivered numerous landmark judgements, wrote many legal papers and mentored several young lawyers,” it said, adding, “As a statesman, the late Katsina-Alu often put national interest above self and other considerations. We have indeed lost a good man.”

Katsina-Alu was born 28 August 1941 in Ushongo, Benue State.

His tenure as CNJ began and ended with controversies. The first controversy, however, was not his own making. He was sworn in on Wednesday 30 December 2009. Whereas Chief Justices are sworn in by the President and Commanderin-Chief, he was sworn in by his predecessor, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, because the then president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was ill and had been flown abroad for treatment.

Had Yar’Adua handed over to his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the controversy would have been avoided.

But the president did not and there was a lacunae.

Kutigi rose to the occasion by personally administering the Oath of Office on his successor.

It was a first in the history of Nigeria. Many lawyers argued then that it was illegal. But many more disagreed.

While he was the CJN, he was accused by the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, of trying to influence the course of justice in an appeal in Sokoto governorship election tussle.

The NJC did not agree with Salami. The council eventually suspended him.

This kick-started a crisis never witnessed before in the history of the Nigerian judiciary.

Salami was first offered elevation to the Supreme Court, which he rejected. He went to court to challenge his suspension.

The NJC initially refused to accept service of the court’s proceedings.

The scandal shook the judiciary to its foundation.

Katsina-Alu would also go down in history as the only CJN who would not show up for his valedictory service.

Several times he was contacted that a day had been fixed for the solemn ceremony usually held for retiring justice of the Supreme Court but he told the authorities he was not interested.

Controversies aside, KatsinaAlu was a bold but humane judge who truly believed in the saying ‘let justice be done even if heavens falls.’

He was also a brilliant judge whose erudite judgments contributed to enriching the nation’s jurisprudence.

Katsina-Alu was one judge who would not allow sentiment to becloud his judgment. As chairman of the Legal Practitioners Privilege Committee (LPPC), he presided

over the decision to suspend the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Michael Andoaka, his fellow Tiv man from using the rank of SAN. The late CJN was said to have enrolled in the army before changing his mind and switching to a career in law.

This was confirmed by President Buhari who narrated his experience with KatsinaAlu and other trainee soldiers during a field exercise in the course of their military training in Jos. The president had said, “We were in Jos. Again, I was made a leader of a small unit. We were given a map … you find your way from the map; you go to certain points and on those points, mostly hills, you climb them and you will get a box.

“There were five of us: myself, one Sierra Leonean or Ghanaian, one from Sokoto, and one other. I think the other person is Katsina Alu, the former Chief Justice … he was (in the military). He did the training but he was never commissioned. He went to university and did law.”

After quitting the military, he pursued a degree in law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

In 1964, he proceeded to the Inns of Court School of Law, Gibson and Weldon College of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in furtherance of his legal studies.

He was called to the English and Nigerian bars in 1967 and 1968 respectively.

In 1979, he was appointed a judge of the Benue State High Court, from where he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1985, and was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court

in November 1998.

In 2011, Katsina-Alu narrowly escaped death. A branch of a Melina tree was said to have fallen on him and Mimi, his wife, at their country home in Alu, Ushongo local government area of Benue. He escaped but his wife was not so lucky.

He and his wife were reportedly sitting outside their residence, which was surrounded by trees when the incident happened in the night amid a heavy wind.

They were both rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed his wife dead.

Reacting to his death, Chief Sebastine Hon (SAN), said the sudden demise of the eminent jurist had sent deep shock into those who knew his enormous contributions to justice administration in Nigeria.

He said, “A very upright man, his lordship was the first Tiv-speaking AttorneyGeneral of Benue State, the first Tiv-speaking Judge of the Benue State High Court, the first Tiv-speaking Justice of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the first Tiv-speaking Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“In all of these, his lordship left indelible landmarks. Trained in the British legal tradition of brevity, laced with deepness, his lordship' s judgments on the Bench were brief, incisive and straight to the point, thereby rendering justice without much stress. He played a major role in the 'resource control' suits, the Atiku survivalist litigations, the Rotimi Amaechi 'k-leg' survivalist litigation that enamoured the National Assembly to reshape the Electoral Act, 2010; and in several other public-interest suits.”

AHEAD OF DEFECTION, SARAKI, TAMBUWAL, ORTOM, AHMED MEET PDP LEADERS IN ILORIN His exit, THISDAY gathered was part of an elaborate political intrigue, shaping the future of the ruling party.

THISDAY had reported that at the root of Ortom’s ordeal, was his erstwhile godfather, Senator George Akume’s ambition to clinch the Senate Presidency in the event of the incumbent, Saraki’s exit from the party.

The insider further stated that “outside issues concerning preparation for big political event to receive members of the rAPC, who are decamping to PDP, Saraki’s increasing interest in contesting the plum position of the presidency, especially

since he was discharged and acquitted by the Supreme Court over alleged falsification of assets declaration,’’ were also discussed.

Saraki-led political bigwigs are expected to dump the ruling APC with scores of federal and state legislators any moment from now.

The Senate president was received in Ilorin on Tuesday by a huge crowd, while visiting the state for the first time, since he won his case at the apex court.

Apart from Governors Tambuwal, Ortom and Ahmed, who are said to have made up their minds to dump APC,

it was gathered that six other APC governors, who consider it politically unwise to move, according to various and reliable sources in the know of the realignment process, would remain in APC and play the “spoiler’s role’’ as part of the strategic plan to push Buhari out of power next year.

Six governors elected under the platform of APC were in Sokoto recently to beg Governor Tambuwal to reconsider his decision of leaving for another party. The governors were led to the discussion by the Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari.

Others were Alhaji Abubakar

Bello of Niger State, Alhaji Bello Masari of Katsina State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Mr. Jubrilla Bindow of Adamawa State and Alhaji Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State.

At the meeting, the governor of Sokoto State was said to have expressed bitterness about how he had been unfairly treated by the president in the past three years, in spite of his huge contributions to his electoral success in 2015.

Ahmed: I am Yet to Take Decision to Leave APC Meanwhile, Ahmed said yesterday that he was yet to take a decision on his political

future with the APC. But he quickly said that his principal, Saraki, and other political leaders in the APC were gradually being shown out of the party.

A terse statement in Ilorin last night by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dr. Muideen Akorede, said the presence of some politicians in Ilorin yesterday was not for any political realignment as being insinuated in certain quarters.

According to him, "The presence today in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, of the Senate President, Dr.

Abubakar Bukola Saraki; PDP Chairman, Prince Secondus; Governor Ortom; Governor Tambuwal and Governor Wike; ex-Governor Lamido of Jigawa; Senator Lawal Shuaibu; Senator Barnabas Gemade and other prominent political figures was for the burial rites of the late mother of respected politician, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, and was not for the purpose of a political realignment.

"While I have not been briefed on any planned defection, I am aware that my principal and other political leaders in the state are gradually being shown the way out of the APC."

SENATE PROBES OIL AND GAS LICENCES’ RENEWAL OVER ALLEGED $10BN LOSS OF REVENUE increasing global supply and concerns over weak demand.

The price rose to $80 in May before it dropped drastically.

It later rose towards $79 last week due to growing supply outages, as Libyan production reduced by more than a half, while Norway shut down one oilfield following a strike action by hundreds of workers.

The oil market fell over the last week as Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia increased

production.

Brent fell yesterday by 93 cents to a low of $71.23 a barrel, its weakest since April 17, before recovering to around $71.50.

The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light crude was down 75 cents at $67.33, not far above Tuesday’s one-month low of $67.03 per barrel.

The US oil market has been tight this year but data on Tuesday from the American Petroleum Institute showed an unexpected rise of over 600,000 barrels in crude inventories.

NNPC’s successor to be listed after five years In another development, one of the new companies expected to emerge from the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), after the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) into law, the National Petroleum Company (NPC), would be listed on the stock exchange after five years.

A former Director of the DPR and Lead Consultant to the National Assembly on

the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Mr. Osten Olorunsola, said yesterday that the PIGB proposed that up to 40 per cent of the shares of the NPC would be listed on the stock exchange after five years of the passage of the PIGB. Olorunsola further explained that more of the company’s shares would subsequently be put out in the stock exchange after 10 years of operating in the post-PIGB era.

He said at a workshop organised by the Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) and Media Initiative on Transparency in Extractive

Industries (MITEI) in Abuja on that the listings will allow Nigerians directly own shares in the company, while also providing funds for the company.

The PIGB which is reportedly before Buhari for assent, had proposed the unbundling of the NNPC into the NPC and National Petroleum Assets Management Commission (NPAMC). It also proposed the creation of a single-entity regulator called the Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC) for the industry.

He equally assured that the

three other bills – Petroleum Industry Host Community Bill (PHCB); Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill (PIFB); and Petroleum Industry Administration Bill (PIAB) – would get some accelerated legislative process and hopefully passed before December.

Similarly, Olorunsola disclosed the National Assembly was working on a fifth bill from the PIB, called the Petroleum Industry Revenue Management Bill.

He noted the bill would address issues relating to remittance of revenue to the Federation Account.

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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Tinubu’s Associates Fear Buhari May Turn against Him After 2019 Allege plan to whittle down Tinubu’s political influence in S’West Say some govs working against Tinubu’s interest in Osun Tobi Soniyi and Gboyega Akinsanmi As the 2019 presidential election draws closer, some political associates of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have expressed fear that President Muhammadu Buhari may turn against Tinubu after the 2019 elections.

Tinubu’s associates, who served in different capacities while he was the governor of Lagos State, equally doubted whether Tinubu made the right judgment to support the president’s re-election in 2019.

Some of his associates recently spoke with THISDAY in confidence, wondering what would likely be the fate of the APC leader if he “eventually helps Buhari win a second term in office as the president of Nigeria.”

One of the associates, who served in the Lagos State Executive Council between 2003 and 2007, noted that the president might want “to use Tinubu to win Lagos and Southwest and afterwards, dump him.”

He disclosed that Tinubu’s political allies “have been putting pressure on him to reconsider his decision to support Buhari’s re-election.”

“It appears Asiwaju is resolute to support Buhari despite the way he was treated after he helped Buhari win 2015 presidential election.”

The associate said even though Tinubu shrugged off the warning of his trusted associates repeatedly, realities would eventually dawn on him at last that his judgment to support Buhari’s re-election was not right.

He explained that Buhari “has never been comfortable with Tinubu’s vast financial resources”.

According to him, the president was also said to be uncomfortable with Tinubu’s political influence, not only in the South-west states, but also across the federation.

“Buhari may choose to cut him to size after his re-election,” the associate said.

Another associate, who is

working closely with the APC leader, noted that many of the people to whom Buhari had concentrated powers had not hidden their disapproval of Tinubu.

“When the time comes, the president will simply become inaccessible. The sharks within the administration will turn against Tinubu. They have done it before.

They are going to do it again. But Tinubu is not looking at issues from this perspective.

“Buhari could not have come back to Tinubu if the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola could really secure him victory in Lagos State. Buhari returned to Tinubu because none of his new friends could help him win election in Lagos and South-west states,” the associate said.

He revealed that Buhari actually preferred Fashola; Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu; his Ogun State counterpart, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun; Ekiti State Governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, but could not depend on them alone to win the majority of votes in the South-west.

Another associate said Tinubu’s political allies were jittery “due to how Buhari treated the APC leader shortly after he was elected president.”

“Despite his contribution to Buhari’s election, he was at a time denied access to the president to the chagrin of his supporters,” he added.

He said the APC national leader should learn from the treatment meted out to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who, despite his support for Buhari after losing the APC’s presidential primary, was isolated and had his business interest harmed by a government he helped put in place.

He explained that the first thing they did was “to turn against his business interest.

They claimed the contract between the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) and Intels, in which Atiku has interest, violated the 1999 Constitution.

Again, Over 30 Killed in Zamfara Villages At least 30 persons were reportedly killed by cattle rustling and kidnapping gangs during raids on villages in Zamfara State on Tuesday, residents told AFP yesterday.

According to the villagers, bandits on motorcycles stormed five neighbouring rural villages in the Maradun district of the state, firing indiscriminately and stealing livestock.

“We recovered 30 bodies from the attacks and we have so far buried 26, while four are being prepared for burial,” said Jabbi Labbo, a community leader in Gyadde, one of the villages attacked.

“Seven persons were killed in Sakkida, four in Farin Zare, eight in Orawa, seven in Gyadde and four in Sabon Gari,” Labbo said.

Seven other people were missing and presumed to have drowned in a nearby river, while trying to “escape the carnage,” said Orawa

resident, Sule Mada, who gave a similar toll.

“They attacked the villages simultaneously and took away a lot of cattle, sheep and goats,” Mada added.

The state police confirmed the attacks but said only three people were killed.

“Some villages in Maradun Local Government Area (LGA) were attacked by bandits yesterday and three people were killed,” the state police spokesman, Mohammed Shehu said.

In Zamfara, cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom have been increasing in recent years, with herding and farming communities targeted.

Last week bandits on motorcycles killed 32 people in attacks in villages on both sides of the border between Zamfara and Sokoto States.

“What did Atiku do wrong?

What offence did he commit?

They simply consider him too rich and too powerful for them.

Thus, they tag him a threat to the Buhari government. That is the way they see Tinubu,” he said.

The source cited how the presidency “played former APC

National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, against Tinubu”.

“In order to satisfy Tinubu, the presidency has suddenly realised that Odigie-Oyegun is weak and undeserving to remain as the party’s national chairman. The plot to deal with Tinubu is well known to some privileged northerners

within the president’s inner circle.

Tinubu cannot deny that such a plot exist,” he said.

An entirely different source shared the fear of Tinubu’s political associates, disclosing that some South-west governors had started working subtly against Tinubu’s interest in Osun State just after

APC’s victory in Ekiti State.

Already, the source claimed that some South-west governors “have started promoting the candidacy of the Secretary to Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, in the presidency against

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YOU ARE WELCOME

President Muhammadu Buhari returns to Abuja after a three day official visit to the Netherlands... yesterday

State House

Police Parade Abductors of 276 Chibok Girls Michael Olugbode inMaiduguri Four years after the abduction of 276 Chibok school girls in Borno State, the police yesterday paraded eight men, who were alleged to be involved in the kidnapping.

The eight persons were among the 22 suspects arraigned for act of terrorism by the police in Maiduguri, the state capital, yesterday.

Parading the suspects before journalists, the state Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, explained that the 22 were arrested in both Borno and Yobe States.

He said the arrest was as a result of the gallantry of the Inspector General of Police (IG)’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.

Chukwu, who jointly addressed the press conference with Kyari, said he was pleased to parade the 22 members of the Boko Haram

terrorist group who were involved in the various crimes, including the kidnapping of the Chibok school girls, and over 50 suicide bombings within Borno and Adamawa States.

He alleged that they were also involved in the invasion of Bama and Gwoza; as well as in the several attacks/ambush and killings of thousands of innocent Nigerians, including security operatives and civilians in Borno and other North-eastern States.

He said: “Irked and worried by the persistent suicide bombings and killing of innocent citizens in the North-east by the dreaded Boko Haram group terrorising the North, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, equipped and deployed the Special Operatives of the IG’s Intelligence Response Team, (IRT), with enough credible technical intelligence to Maiduguri to trace and arrest all the terrorists responsible for the suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in the

North-east.”

He said thousands of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) and the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) personnel, the Police Bomb Squad, the Police Air Wing, the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), conventional police personnel, the Force Criminal Intelligence Department (FCIID), the Police Terrorism Investigation Centre and other support detachments of the Force attached to Operaton Lafiya Dole were all deployed to achieve the success.

On his part, Kyari said: “After a lot of planning and use of advance technology between July 4 and 9, 2018, the IRT special teams with support from SARS/crack team of Borno State Command swung into action and eventually succeeded in arresting the 22 confirmed Boko Haram terrorists who confessed to several suicide bomb explosions within Borno and Adamawa States, kidnapping of the Chibok school

girls and invasions of Bama/Gwoza, among many other crimes.

“The suspects narrated various roles each of them played. Amongst them are the Commanders and Coordinators of Suicide Bombings in Borno State, Coordinator and members of the Chibok School Girls Kidnapping, Ambushes on Security agents, Logistics Suppliers and their receivers of gold, international currencies, cows etc.”

Suspects arrested Mayinta Modu, Adam Mohammed Gujja Jidda, Mamman Wardi, Alhaji Modu Jidda, Ajiri Bulama Dungus, Mohammed Abba, Fannami Mustapha, Adam Mustapha, Mustapha Kanimbu and Ibrahim Mala.

Others are Abdullahi Mohammed Gawi, Maina Adam, Wano Musa, Ishaka Musa, Abubakar Mohammed, Usman Umar, Maina Abba, Maina Gambo, Abubakar Kori, Bukar Abatcha and Muhammad Bashir

Buhari Nominates Mustapha NDIC Chair Keyamo, five others as members Banire’s nomination as AMCON chair referred to committee .

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Chief Olabode Mustapha and six others as Chairman and members of the board of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad

Lawan, at the plenary yesterday, said President Buhari had requested for the confirmation of six other members of NDIC board, in line with section 5(4) of the NDIC Act of 2016.

The other nominees are Festus Keyamo, Garba Buba, Bello Garba, Mustapha

Adewale, Brig. Gen. Josef Okoloagu (rtd) and Adewale Adeleke.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over yesterday’s plenary, referred the nominees to the Committee on Banking headed

by Senator Rafiu Adebayo(Kwara

North), for screening.

The nomination of Muiz Banire, as Chairman of the Governing Board of AMCON, which was read on the floor of the Senate last Tuesday, was also yesterday, referred to the Committee on Banking for screening.

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At Last, Senate Okays Payment of N348bn Subsidy Claims to 74 Oil Marketing Companies Deji Elumoye in Abuja After over two years of agitation by the oil marketing and trading companies for the payment of their outstanding subsidy claims that arose from the old subsidy regime, the Senate yesterday approved the payment of N348.003 billion to 74 companies as outstanding fuel subsidy claims owed them by federal government as at June 30, 2017.

The approval is sequel to the presentation at the plenary of a 14-page interim report of the Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector by the Chairman,

Senator Kabir Marafa, on promisory note programme and a bond issuance to settle inherited local debts and contractual obligations to the petroleum marketers.

The payment, according to the Senate, would be through promisory note programme and bond issuance to settle inherited local debts and contractual obligations to the 74 oil marketing companies .

A breakdown of the 74 companies shows that 55 oil marketers are to be paid verified figures against their names, while 19 others with contentious claims are to be paid 65 per cent of their claims,

pending further investigation.

The oil marketers and the amount verified and approved against their names include Folawiyo Energy, N7.56 billion; Mobil, N8.28 billion; Total, N21.56 billion; Techno Oil, N10.19 billion; MRS Oil and Gas, N20.94 billion; Northwest Petroleum, N17.24 billion; Rainoil Limited, N12.71 billion; Obat Oil, N2.90 billion and Integrated Oil, N6.53 billion.

Those with contentious claims and the amount include: Conoil, N5.58 billion; Forte Oil, Plc N15.48 billion; Oando Plc, N14.97 billion; Swift Oil, N6.13 billion; Blacklight, N7.25 billion; IPMAN Investment,

N1.22 billion and Tempopgate Oil, N2.12 billion.

Senator Marafa had earlier, while presenting the 22- man Committee report, said his committee discovered that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, (PPPRA), verified N429.05 billion as amount payable to the companies and sent to the federal ministry of finance, which sought the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), for further verification.

According to him, further verification would be required to ascertain the discrepancies

between the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and the recommendations for payment by the federal ministry of finance.

He said the committee was of the belief that interim payments should be made to the companies, pending the full verification of PICA recommendations and updating of interest accrual since June 30, 2017.

Senator Marafa emphasised that the services of the oil marketers were crucial to the country’s economic development and closely tied to the national security.

“So, paying the marketers would stem the threat of fuel scarcity,

increase economic activities and promote a harmonious working relationship between government and the oil marketing companies,” he added.

The Senate had on May 31, revisited the request of President Buhari for the establishment of a promisory note programme and a bond issuance to settle inherited local debts and contractual obligations.

It then referred the proposal to the Senator Marafa-led Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector, which yesterday submitted an interim report to the Senate at plenary.

Governors Seek to End FAAC Deadlock Minimum wage, stamp duties on agenda Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The governors of the 36 states in Nigeria met yesterday night in Abuja to deliberate on the issues that led to the deadlock of the last meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) in Abuja.

It was gathered that the governors who met under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) would be expected to agree on a common agenda to be tabled before the National Economic Council (NEC) tomorrow, to be presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The forum under the chairmanship of Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari, also met with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, to discuss the contentious issue of minimum wage implementation as well as the issue of stamp duties, which is currently in court.

For the third time in a row, the FAAC meeting was deadlocked as the state commissioners for finance rejected the revenue put on the table by revenue agencies.

FAAC members had resolved not to accept the allocations for the month until a clear system of determining the revenue of the Federation revenue was put in place.

The governors also discussed the update on the recovery of stamp duties, which was another subject of controversy as the states claimed the amount due to states had not been remitted.

The governors had in April set up a three-man committee to investigate the alleged N20 trillion unremitted stamp duty funds to the Federation Account.

The committee, which was chaired by Govenor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state governor, had Governors Emmanuel Udom and Abubakar Bello, of Akwa Ibom and Niger States, respectively, as members.

On January 15, 2016, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had issued circular directing banks to deduct N50 stamp duty on every N1,000 deposit made into current accounts.

In 2017, the senate alleged that N20 trillion due to be paid into the Federation Account from stamp duty charges realised from bank transactions was withheld between 2015 and 2017.

The senate said projections for stamp duty in 2015, 2016 and 2017 revenue frameworks of the nation’s annual budget were put at N8.713 billion, N66.138 billion and N16.96 billion.

On the minimum wage being proposed by the government and the labour, the governors were insisting on staggering the implementation of the new wage if approved.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was proposing a minimum wage of N65,000 for workers.

The governors are also had on the agenda for discussion the issue of the last tranche of the Paris Club refund and the states that are yet to get payment.

Wambai: Ortom Didn’t Dump APC, But Shown Red Card Emmanuel Ukumba in Lafia The North-central Zonal Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Suleiman Wambai, has said Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State did not dump APC, but was only shown a red card.

Wambai stated this yesterday during the inaugural meeting of the recently- elected North-central zonal officials of the party in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

But he however, stated that nobody is tied down by any individual, or group of persons not to quit as there was freedom of association in the country.

He said: “It is sad that this thing is happening in the North- central

where we control. We are still in discussion with Governor Ortom and he has not said he left APC. He said he was only shown a red card.

“Some persons will be shown a red card and we have to determine whether a red card has been shown to him or not.

We must hear from the other contending side. We are in touch with Ortom and there is hope that this thing will come to pass,” he added.

The North-central zonal vice chairman said it was normal in a ruling political party, where teeming supporters were there with different types of opinions, hence there was bound to be conflicts and disagreements.

TRADITIONAL RULERS’ SUMMIT

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (middle); Chairman, Summit Governing Council, Dr. Emmanuel Sideso (first right); Secretary General.

Summit Governing Council, Prof. Laz Ekwueme; Chairman of the Programme, Mohammed Umar; Hon. Ismaila Muazu Hassan (1st left); Board member of the council; Sam Ohiri (second left) and other traditional rulers during their 10th Council of Traditional Rulers’ summit in Abuja...yesterday

PDP Kicks as Thugs Set Ablaze Melaye’s Constituency Projects in Kogi Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday condemned in strong terms the burning down of two secondary schools built and renovated in the state, as part of Senator Dino Melaye’s constituency projects.

In a statement signed by the party’s Director of Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, the main opposition party said the action by alleged political thugs had once again shown that the state had retrogressed to those dark days, when thugs were kings.

Some political thugs, at about 2 a.m, yesterday, allegedly burnt down blocks of classrooms at the Government Girls Secondary School Sarkin Noma and Lokongoma Secondary School in Lokoja Local Government Area (LGA), which were due for inauguration.

The block of classrooms in the two schools were new projects excuted by Melaye, representing Kogi West senatorial district of the state as part of his numerous constituency projects.

The hoodlums allegedly burnt down the entire building, including books and furniture.

The schools were set to be inaugurated yesterday, as part of the 143 projects built by the

Senator across seven LGAs. Some thugs had earlier issued a statement, threatening to stop the inauguration and asking the senator not to come to the state.

Melaye has had a running battle with the state governor, leading to a crisis that also led to his failed recall process.

However, Melaye who was in the state yesterday to inaugurate his projects, condemned the burning down of the schools.

The senator, who had earlier inaugurated a block of four classrooms in Taware, Manyare, and 10 kilometers of roads all in Gegu-Beki in Kogi LGA of the state as well as inaugurated a borehole at Felele in Lokoja LGA, said it was sad that some people who were not ready to provide for his people could do such thing.

He lamented that the schools were built for the communities but unfortunately, some politicians who could not provide projects to alleviate the suffering of the down -rodden turned around to sponsor thugs to destroy those projects.

The lawmaker noted that no amount of intimidation and harassment would dissuade him from fulfilling his electioneering campaign promises to the people of his constituency.

But in a swift reaction, the Kogi State Government has condemned

in strong terms, the burning of the four constituency projects of Melaye in Lokoja in the state capital by some arsonists.

The Director General, Media and Publicity to the state governor, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, who spoke on behalf of the state government during an assessment tour of the burnt facilities, also said the state government had directed security operatives to fish out the arsonists.

Fanwo who spoke at the Government Girls Secondary School, Sarkin Nomo said: “Government condemns the incident. Education is the leading thematic area of the state government and so will not allow any elements derail it.

“Irrespective of who is doing the project, the fund is from the government. So, weather it is the executive or legislative, such projects should rather be applauded and not destroyed.

“We have directed the security operatives to access the situation, get to the root of the matter, unraveled the perpetrators and bring the culprits to book.

“Government will take a decisive action to ensure that the arsonists do not go scout free,” he added.

Also, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya who was amongst the government officials that visited the

sites, said government would not fold her arms until the perpetrators are fished out.

“Exams are ongoing and these buildings were being used since January 2018. We expect that people will respect the sanctity of education.This act is masterminded and not accidental. The buildings were burnt, including the chairs.

If not for the some serving corps members around who tried to put out the flame, it would have been worse than this,” she said.

The State Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr. Monday Kuryas, who was also at hand, narrated that the hoodlums forced their way into the buildings.

He said the police were already investigating the matter and would soon apprehend the arsonists.

Meanwhile, the the state chapter of the PDP has also condemned the action of the arsonists.

The PDP described the burning of the schools as not a loss to Melaye, but a loss to the children, the community and the state.

The party called on security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous and dastardly act, pointing out that there had been an earlier threat by some youths to cause mayhem and stop the senator from inaugurating his constituency projects.

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

‘LET’S KILL ALL THEIR MEN…’

The security agencies could do more to contain the violence across the country, writes Olusegun Adeniyi

I

t should worry the authorities that not only has life become very cheap in the country today, even the personnel of both the military and the police have now become easy game for sundry criminals.

While there have been several reports in recent days of dozens of soldiers that cannot be accounted for after an ambush by Boko Haram, no fewer than 11 policemen have been killed this month alone. On 2nd July, seven policemen were killed in broad daylight at Galadimawa roundabout, Abuja and just 12 days later on 14th July, four policemen were ambushed at Sabongida Ora in Edo State and murdered.

Unfortunately, at a time you expect those saddled with the responsibility of protecting us to come up with a mapping of areas of the country where threats and vulnerabilities are active and deploy their human and material assets to such locations, we have a situation in which half the population of our police are either doing guard duties or carrying bags for spouses and concubines of politicians. Besides, our security agencies still rely on show of force, especially against defenceless citizens as we saw in Ekiti State last week rather than a close to the ground intelligence that will help in identifying possible threats and how to tackle them.

However, the problem in Sokoto was long foreseen. While hosting the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) meeting in July last year, Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai spoke on the need for the federal government to hand over to the affected states the management of the Kamuku, Kuyambana and Falgore forests before he added: “For such efforts to be credible and sustainable, the (Nigerian) state must vigorously reclaim its prerogatives as the guarantor of security. Robust actions in the security sector must be undertaken quickly to implant a visible, reassuring and effective presence of the protective hand of the state across our region. There are too many places where outlaws and non-state actors of all sorts have stepped into the ungoverned spaces like these forests.”

Unfortunately, the authorities in Abuja paid no attention to the growing danger in the north-west while our security chiefs have not come up with any meaningful strategy to contain the threat. Yet, arguing that it would be catastrophic for the country to allow the emergence of another ‘Sambisa’ in the North-west axis, el-Rufai had warned that the forests which now provide safe refuge for outlaws and has become the headquarters for robberies, kidnappings and cattle rustling “constitute sources of perils to ordinary people, the states and the country.”

The villages within the Gandi district, like many across the country, have been left practically at the mercy of God but the problem is compounded when those whose mandate it is to protect the people also invoke divine protection as their only solution. As a commentator observed last week, security chiefs that can only “(c)rack their brains” as hundreds of citizens have their lives brutally cut short almost by sundry criminal cartels almost on a daily basis cannot guarantee safety. So, President Buhari must do something urgent about that if we are ever to arrest the current drift to anarchy.

Meanwhile, my trip to Rabah local government of Sokoto opened my eyes to the richness of our country and the potential that we waste.

Accompanied by Mallam Abubakar Shekara, Director- General, Media and Public Affairs to the Governor, the drive from Sokoto to Gandi took about 80 minutes but I had never seen such vast expanse of rain water bodies in any part of Nigeria as I saw on that stretch. From Sokoto through Rabah town ( home town of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello) up to Gandi, all that you see on both sides of the road are small lakes and ponds with lush green, though of shrubs since the trees have been harvested for firewood (another challenge we must

THE VILLAGES WITHIN THE GANDI DISTRICT, LIKE MANY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HAVE BEEN LEFT PRACTICALLY AT THE MERCY OF GOD BUT THE PROBLEM IS COMPOUNDED WHEN THOSE WHOSE MANDATE IT IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE ALSO INVOKE DIVINE PROTECTION AS THEIR ONLY SOLUTION

address). Also being herded by nomads were very hefty and robust cows, the likes you hardly find in any of our markets. I was told they are called ‘Sokoto Gudale’.

In my brief chat with Tambuwal before I headed for the airport after returning from Gandi on Tuesday, he said plans were on the table for harvesting the rain waters for irrigation during the dry season. While all the studies have been done on the idea of capturing rainwater and storing it for irrigation purposes, he added that funding is a problem.

Yet, given what I saw in Rabah local government, this is an idea that the federal government should be interested in not only for Sokoto but for other neighbouring states where harvesting rainwater can help in growing crops in the dry season, support the ranching of livestock that has become a national security issue.

In Sokoto, I also learnt about the cattle ranch project started by the former governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko which Tambuwal has continued. Covering 1000 hectares with capacity to cater for 10,000 cattle, what the idea suggests is that we can easily turn the current challenge into a huge opportunity. As Dr Chidi Amuta once argued at our editorial board meeting, “by allowing some people to roam the length and breadth of Nigeria often herding diseased and evacuated cattle, we violate the rights of these animals and endanger the health of these citizens through exposure to the elements and a cocktail of diseases.” In Sokoto State, investments have already been made for the acquisition of cattle from both Brazil and Argentina for cross-breeding with ‘Sokoto Gudale’. While the species from Brazil is expected to improve milk yield, the species from Argentina is for the beef yield with the expectation that cross-breeding with ‘Sokoto Gudali’ will significantly improve the quality of animal husbandry. Tambuwal said cluster farms will be established under a private sector arrangement while the cattle breeds will graze in the fields which take care of the security challenge posed by nomadic herding.

Aside helping to effect the much talked-about ‘diversification of the economy to agriculture’, it will also deal with the security challenge that has, in the words of retired federal permanent secretary, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed turned “a huge swathe of the north into bandit territory.” On our way back to Sokoto from Gandi on Tuesday, I was so enthralled by how kind nature has been to us as a country that I muttered almost to myself but to the hearing of Shekara,”we have no business with poverty in Nigeria.” Chuckling, Shekara, a soft-spoken but rather interesting man, responded: “A friend told me a story many years ago. He said after God had created the world, He sent an angel to carry resources to different parts. In America, God told the angel to drop a lot of resources because people from different parts would congregate there. In Asia, God also directed the angel to drop a lot of resources because the inhabitants would be very industrious. The same pattern continued until the angel got to Africa and he had not even expended half the resources he carried. But upon entering the continent, the angel stumbled and spilled all the resources. As he tried to pack them God told him: Don’t bother, just watch: The people will not use them.”

Sadly, this story, even when it is fiction, it nonetheless reflects the reality of our country since we have done little to optimize the abundant resources God has bestowed upon us as a nation. Even if we had taken a different path, it would still have been difficult to sustain production and human development in an environment where bandits set up parallel government, abduct people for ransom, sack villages and kill innocent citizens at will.

CATCHING UP WITH SINGAPORE Ofem Uket writes that the federal civil service is eager to increase its productivity

T

he deadline for the ongoing Nigerian public service reforms by the present administration is billed for 2020, barely two years away from now. This clearly translates to the fact that the digitalisation of the civil service, training and capacity building, annual savings, performance management system and the entire process of reforms to stimulate growth in public sector regime must be fast tracked to meet the deadline.

The one week benchmark visit to Singapore and Malaysia by Nigerian government with federal and state delegations headed by the Head of Service of the Federation Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita is particularly targeted at drawing needed expertise and exchange of ideas of public service procedures and administration in countries with functional and effective civil service.

Oyo-Ita has not relented in ensuring that the development content of the public service reforms is not infiltrated, she has protected and defended every clause of implementation to ensure that government not only meets the deadline, but to effectively guarantee that the process is not compromised in any way.

However, the two countries visited have successfully completed their public administration strategy reforms to curb corruption, increase productivity and growth, having invested much in capacity building, human resource development and technology.

Historically, Nigeria, Malaysia and Singapore all had a few years’ differentials in self-rule around the late 50s and early 60s, but development in Nigeria is impeded by grand corruption and lack of political will to build sustainable institutions that are capable to bring about change.

During the visit, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita re-emphasised the commitment of the federal government to reposition the Nigerian Civil Service for a better and more efficient service delivery in line with the change agenda of the present administration.

The visit was to benchmark the operations and functionality of public service administration through a study tour group of the federal government, heads of service in the states and federal and state permanent secretaries to the public service commission and public service department of Malaysia.

The Malaysia experience in the study tour by key officials responsible for the formulation and the charting of the course of governance in Nigeria is to understand how that country achieved its success story in public service administration. Mrs. Oyo-Ita commended the widened recruitment drive of the Malaysian government. According to her the online recruitment which has made it possible for Malaysian graduates all over the world to apply for employment from anywhere in the world and track the progress of their application which is valid for one year is a viable and more

dynamic methods of conducting employment procedures.

She was equally impressed by the encompassing requirements listed for recruitment into the public service, while acknowledging that the recruitment has been widened to encompass different areas of competence, which includes talent, physical fitness, leadership and aptitude tests and not just paper qualification.

The number one civil servant said the pensionable length of service pegged at three years is admirable because it allows for easy exit for officers who are not getting job satisfaction. The move according to her will make for a vibrant service which will be populated with people who are interested in the job and are determined to make a career in the service.

Accordingly, the role of the civil service is the base and engine room for development of any nation, and therefore emphasised the need to expose the relevant people to drive the process to the best practices as it obtains in some countries.

The places visited in Malaysia include office of the Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Mr Tan Sri Ali Hamsa, Public Service Commission and Public Service Department of Malaysia, National Institute of Public Information Administration (INTAN) and leading public service agencies.

The visit afforded the Nigerian delegation the opportunity to interact, share experiences and

explore areas of partnership aimed at improving the Nigerian civil service and possibly sign partnerships agreements in the areas of capacity building and training, talent management, performance management, innovation, culture change and human resources management system and process automation.

The tour was put together by the Public Service Institute of Nigeria under the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to strengthen federal government resolve in its various push to sanitise the public service and make it more productive in service delivery.

The members of the delegation include Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita as Chairman; Chairman, House Committee on Public Service, Honorable Gogo Bright Tamuno; federal permanent secretaries, the administrator /chief executive officer of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria, the director general of Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, chairmen of states civil service and permanent secretaries in the states.

This visit is one out of numerous study tours made by government at state and federal levels in the past; so what is important at this point is how this particular visit shall be translated into action in the ongoing public service reforms to strengthen capacity and change the face of public service administration. The leader of the delegation has demonstrated unwavering courage and commitment to the success of the reforms.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

EDITORIAL SHARING THE ABACHA LOOT The money should be tied to some developmental projects

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ow best can the recently returned $322million by the government of Switzerland from the money looted by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha be put into use? The federal government said last week that it would disburse the money through conditional cash transfers to some 302,000 poor households across 19 states. But there are concerns by many Nigerians that this is a decision that is open to abuse, such that at the end of the day the money may just be shared by politicians of the ruling party.

According to President Muhammadu Buhari, the choice of investing the recovered loot in the social investment programme of the administration was to address the problem of extreme poverty and create social equality among Nigerians. “We know people who wake up in the morning and don’t even know where to get their meal from,” said the president. “This whole project is to address that problem, to create social equality, to provide opportunity. We are using international standards developed by GIVEN THE NOTORIOUS the World Bank. The idea is if we can lift one REPUTATION OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION person out of a household out of poverty, it PROGRAMMES IN will inevitably affect NIGERIA, MOST PEOPLE the entire family.”

BELIEVE THIS COULD The federal government’s social investALSO END UP AS ment programme ANOTHER POLITICAL targeted at the poor SLUSH FUND FOR THE started in 2016. The PARTY IN POWER impact of the programme is yet to be felt. Even with the promise that the cash transfer would be monitored to ensure transparency of the process, the position of the federal government will likely face an uphill battle in an increasingly fractious democracy.

Even though the decision to deploy the last tranche of Abacha loot from Switzerland for poverty alleviation was reportedly based on an agreement Nigeria entered into with the Swiss government, many Nigerians are of

Letters to the Editor

the view that the deal with the Swiss is heavily flawed because of worries about its distribution. Given the notorious reputation of poverty alleviation programmes in Nigeria, most people believe this could also end up as another political slush fund for the party in power, especially in an election season. How, for instance, were the 19 states that will benefit from the money selected?

What happens to the remaining 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory? What are the criteria for selecting the individual households?

S 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

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

POVERTY AND THE HIGH RATE OF INSECURITY

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n Nigeria there is a malaise of poverty which has resulted in the problem of insecurity faced today. The problem of illiteracy caused by excessive poverty has hampered the development of our country. According to the statistics by the World Health Organisation, the countries in sub- Saharan Africa are mostly hit by this malaise and if these countries do not take major step in arresting this problem it will have a spiral effect that can stunt the development of the sub region particularly Nigeria which is facing the problem of the Boko Haram insurgency and the farmers and herders’ clashes.

The peace, tranquility and survival of a nation is tied to the way the government implements programmes to bring down the level of poverty and in the process reduce the numbers of willing youths and adults used in insurgent activities.

Nigeria does not have any business with poverty due to the abundant natural and material resources placed at its disposal by providence. The proponents of this insurgent act used poverty which is a direct ingredient of illiteracy as a basic weapon to blackmail their adherents into submission. A hungry man is an angry man, which explains why most people submit to the proposition of these insurgent masters. The government in particular has a critical

hehu Sani, a senator representing Kaduna centre, argued that it would be impossible to share the loot among Nigerians, saying that the money would end up with beneficiaries nominated by governors, ministers, lawmakers and the president’s men. Instead, he argued that the money should be tied to specific projects that Nigerians could see. The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Uche Secondus said the money was already being diverted as “no government will put money in baskets and starts sharing. It is primitive to be spending money without proper appropriation.”

Last week, the House of Representatives also voted down the memorandum of understanding signed by the Swiss government and the Buhari administration on how the latter would spend the $322 million. Hon Karimi Sunday, a member of the House from Kogi State said the MoU between Nigeria and a foreign government was not binding unless approved by the National Assembly.

“This money was stolen from Nigeria. It is our money.

So, it is the duty of the Nigerian legislature to decide how the money will be spent by appropriation,” he said.

Indeed, many Nigerians had earlier raised questions on how past administrations spent the earlier repatriated funds from the Abacha loot, put at some billions of dollars. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), claimed that he recovered some $2 billion out of the over $6 billion that Abacha reportedly stole from the country’s coffers. Can the country pinpoint any developmental projects of significance that the repatriated money was used for? It will pay all if the money is tied to some developmental projects.

and pivotal role to play in reducing to the barest minimum the effects of poverty among its citizens. A well fed nation is a peaceful nation. Our agricultural policies must be reviewed and strengthened to give it the required impetus to serve the purpose of its formulation. Our people need to be educated on their roles in this fight against poverty and insurgency. Insurgency has caused our country dearly both in terms of life lost and material resources.

Budgetary allocations meant for the wellbeing of citizens are being appropriated for military hardware as security votes to the detriment of other sectors of the economy like education, health care, agricultural inputs and the growth of infrastructural facilities.

The road to peace and stability of our country depends on what we as a people and our government do to end insecurity through the eradication of poverty. Enough budgetary provision must be made to reduce the rate of poverty as a deliberate policy.

Nigeria has arable land, fertile enough to feed her teeming population. We shall only get it right when our governments get the policy framework right and also when the rightness of the policies are achieved by the implementation agencies which must see it as a call to duty to help the government achieve its set objectives.

Dr Jummai Ahmadu, Abuja

RANCHES AS BUSINESS IN EDO STATE

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overnor Godwin Obaseki has not created ranches but ranches were created in Edo State since 1967. Dr Samuel Ogbemudia was former military and civilian governor of the defunct Midwest and Bendel State from September 1967-1975 and 1983. He established Agbede Cattle Ranch (which came ever before itinerant Fulani cattle herdsmen began clashing with farmers everywhere), he introduced Bufallo rearing for meat production and Agbede Mechanised Farm and Igarra Cattle ranch. Prof Ambrose Alli, former governor of old Bendel State established a ranch between Ubiaja and Ilushi in Esan South East local between 1979 and1983.

There is no doubt today that there are ranches in Edo State whether local or standard in Okada junction in Ovia South West, Okada in Ovia North East, Akoko Edo, Esan South East, Etsako West and across the 18 local governments of Edo State that are established by prominent Edo people. Modern ranching was, thus, supposed to be an improvement over traditional livestock management. Commercial ranching was also supposed to become the focus of agro-pastoral development that would meet the minimum of 25 grammes of mutton per cattle a day.

When the British introduced commercial ranching in Nigeria, their aim was to boost the supply of milk,

meat, butter, and hides to Europe and Anglophone countries of West Africa. Ranching was also supposed to transform the social and economic life of the Fulani. The policy on ranching continued after independence when the government of Nigeria tried to use ranching to resettle the nomadic Fulani In Edo State investors come into the cattle-futures market and invest. They actually own animals.

Cattle are the predominant agricultural product. It’s the way prominent Edo people make their money; it’s a very important part of our economy. Edo is blessed because we have millions of acres of grass pasture where the soil is ideal for growing grass.

There is no temptation of ceding any land to the federal government for ranching because it started as a business since 1967. Private investors who have interest in cattle rearing have invested their personal money in ranching.

The federal government had recently unveiled a 10-year plan to establish ranches across the country, starting with Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara States. The plan, which will gulp N179bn, was proposed to solve the lingering conflicts between farmers and Fulani herdsmen, a crisis that has led to the death and displacement of thousands of people.

Inwalomhe Donald, Benin City

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

‘Remember Me for Protecting the Poor’ Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, recently fielded questions from a team of journalists including Nseobong Okon-Ekong. Excerpts.

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ome Nigerians believe their leaders are not doing enough to make impactful laws. What strides have been recorded under your leadership?

Democracy is about due process and the Rule of Law. The deeper your laws, the deeper your democracy. I don’t know of laws that impact negatively or positively. Democracy doesn’t just work, it is the people who have to make it work.

Laws are there to cover every strata of human endeavour in Nigeria, from agriculture, commerce, solid minerals and youths development; we have the laws. Citizens must harness opportunities provided by these laws. That’s what makes the difference.

In the last three years, we have passed into law about 224 bills, and that includes the 21 Constitutional Amendment Bills and most of those Bills have been graciously assented to

by Mr. President. We have processed about 1,500 motions and handled nearly 700 public petitions for the redress of some issues that they may not be prosecuted in court, maybe due to the cost of hiring a legal practitioner.

The Parliament has done that.

At the commencement of our administration, I empanelled a committee of experts consisting of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and law lecturers to look at the entire count of laws that we have in Nigeria since 1800 and recommend to us what we can do to bring them in line with international best practices. They sacrificed so much without much compensation. They devoted their time and at the end of the exercise they turned in about 300 bills, most of which have been processed. In one sitting, we read about 130 bills for the very first time in the history of the House of Representatives. I am not aware of laws that will positively impact on the lives of Nigerians that we haven’t touched.

What has been the input of the House of Representatives to strengthen democracy and ease of doing business?

Democracy is just like the proverbial elephant; you can only debate it depending on the angle at which you touch it. To have a robust democracy, you have to consider certain factors. Some brilliant scholars in Harvard, I think Levitsky and Ziblatt, did a wonderful research on how democracy seems to be dying and it was published this year.

They stated the need to look at three indices that show that democracies these days hardly die at the hands of men with guns. According to them, democracies die when an authoritarian leader is elected, when governmental powers are harnessed and abused, and thirdly when this leads to repression of the citizens and the opposition. To have a robust democracy, the factors must not come into play.

It boils down to how elected leaders employ their institutional prerogative; by this I mean how the coercive instruments of state are deployed. This is exemplified when leaders treat the opposition as friends, and not as enemies.

Once these are lacking, you don’t have a robust democracy. You and I can determine whether these are present in the context of the democracy that we practice in Nigeria.

I can assure you that the House of Representatives stands for the truth at all times in line with the Oath of Office we took to defend the Law and Constitution of the country. We have been able to stamp our foot and when the government is wrong, we say it is wrong.

This is the right direction to follow. When the government is right, we praise them. We have been able to maintain a very delicate balance, as you know all democracies are fragile.

Relating to the ease of doing business, we had a tactical committee on exiting the recession. The Committee made far-reaching recommendations and we’ve always worked with the Executive relating to the ease of doing business. In the

On daily basis, you come across problems, some parties may describe as wicked, not on account of the problem, but because of the frequency and the way the problems defy the usual tools. You have members who want to see you on daily basis. Assuming you give appointments to 20 members out of 360, just 20 and each person wants to take at least 30 minutes, how many days will it take to listen to all members?

If there are issues up for discussion, you try to garner as much opinion as you can possibly accommodate and at the end of the day, when the position is taken, of course not all the opinions will win, but even those who are losing will be convinced that the end product or decision taken was done after due consultation of all. Look at the words of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire who spoke of his successes and attributed it to diversity in council and unity in command. I think that is what has played the magic and everybody should listen to all shades of opinions so that at the end of the day when a decision is taken, it can be as if we each made the decision ourselves.

Yakubu Dogara

struggle to rebuild our economy, we have always cooperated with the Executive. In some cases, we passed some of those bills within three days. You might be surprised that ordinarily, these Bills would have taken months to process within the legislative chain but we ensured that within days. I must also commend the Vice President who is the Head of the Executive in charge of this laudable initiative which has ensured that businesses that had left Nigeria

It boils down to how elected leaders employ their institutional prerogative; by this I mean how the coercive instruments of state are deployed.

This is exemplified when leaders treat the opposition as friends, and not as enemies. Once these are lacking, you don’t have a robust democracy

are even coming back.

From the World Bank ranking of 2017, Nigeria moved 24 points upwards and was placed among the top 10 countries that have improved their business environment, so in the global ranking of the ease of doing business Nigeria has moved upwards by 24 points. That is due to the efforts of the Parliament coupled with the leadership that the Vice President is giving as the leader of the Economic Management Team in Nigeria.

Some people in your political party weren’t sure you had the qualities to lead the House, but they now appreciate your style of leadership. How have you been able to hold the House together?

I don’t know if the discussion was that I couldn’t lead the House. It was a matter of personal judgment. All I remember was that for certain reasons, someone else was preferred by the party to be the Speaker. Talking about capacity, however, King Solomon, undoubtedly the wisest King who ever lived that said he had looked under the sun and realized that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill, but that it was time and chance that happened to them all.

I’m deeply thankful to members of the House of Representatives for putting me there as the Speaker. Every day has been a learning curve. You know it is not easy for anyone to say he is coming prepared to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Nigeria.

This is for a variety of reasons; number one, you’re presiding over a colossal gathering of 360 members who are equal in all aspects as there is no Master-Servant relationship. As a matter of fact, as you’re seated and presiding over the House, your vacant seat is staring at you. Anytime you walk into the chambers having lost the confidence of two-thirds of the members, you’ll simply go and take your seat.

How do you think, the Not too Young to Run Bill will help youth inclusion in Nigeria?

I worked with the Not too Young to Run Movement. From day one, I saw this group of committed young people who were pushing for this Bill to be passed and thankfully that is now history. I want to say without any fear of contradiction that it is just the first hurdle for us; I don’t think there is any guarantee somewhere that young people will find a place within the political environment right now, but it was one long and necessary step to take in this journey.

If you look at the youth body, it comprises a large part of the population because half of the world’s population now is below 30. In rural Africa, the youth will soon overtake other demography in terms of population. We felt it was necessary to provide a seat at the table for these teeming young people who should take responsibility for decisions they make.

They should not only be heard but should also participate in decisions that affect them; that’s the only way we will be investing in the future of our country.

The Bill has been celebrated and the Movement that started in Nigeria has become a global revolution. As a matter of fact, our Parliament was recognised at the United Nations for pushing through this piece of legislation, so it is something that is celebrated across board.

The youth themselves must now be prepared because you see, age is just like money; it’s not a question of how much of it you have, but how well you invest. They have to invest in generating the capacity that would make them compete because no one is going to say because you’re a young person and as the constitution has been amended you can now aspire to any position you desire, and people will fold their hands and say just go and run for elections and win.

When they came to me on the eve of the passage and signing by Mr. President, they were so excited and it was the leader of the Movement that informed me the President was going to sign the Bill the next day. I warned them that apart from the capacity to compete, they must also prepare for the next phase of the struggle, which is actually campaigning and winning elections. I told them that since they were able to put themselves together to fight for this piece of legislation, there’s nothing they can’t do if they’re able to bring themselves together again, because now I don’t know if we might have to resort to affirmative action on this as political parties deliberately allocate some seats to the young people, and where you have the requirements to pay millions to aspire for some particular positions and the young people do not have such means, it should be

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POLITICS

‘There Are No Real Council Elections In Nigeria’ Jonathan Eze interacts with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, on concerns over the multiplicity of political parties and its pitfalls.

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onsidering the provisions of the law, is merger possible among political parties?

Ordinarily, it is the task of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promote the electoral participation in the political process.

This is in keeping with the parameters for judging the norms of credible and acceptable elections which are; undeterred participation of stakeholders, free and unfettered competition between political groups and the legitimacy of the outcome of elections. It is also the mandate of INEC to point out the pitfalls of some democratic practices, so that election stakeholders would be well aware of the consequences individual and group decisionmaking on the overall political arena and political process, especially as it pertains to elections which is our primary concern and as they affect the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria which is our overarching raison d’etre as a commission.

For this reason, one must point out that although it is best for the policy options open to voters to be diverse, most voters often do not have the analytical sophistication to sieve through the differences of so many political groups, this can make decision-making at the ballot very tedious if the political parties vying for position are too many and where many have not clearly articulated their visions and policy missions in the media that are easy for voters to understand. In this respect, the fears and concerns you have expressed may be valid. This is not only an anecdotal concern but as a matter of scientific fact. The fields of political science and mathematics concerns with voting outcomes under plural and multi-party election outcomes have expressed similar positions with respect to possible effects of too many contestants on the democratic ballot.

Those who are familiar with some political science theories and hypothesis such as the Duverger’s hypothesis or the Duverger’s equilibra, the Condocert hypothesis, the NathBayes hypothesis, the Condocert winner or Condocert loser hypothesis, Borda’s theory, Arrow’s Theorem, amongst others have come to the understanding that using the game theory mathematical variables, with increasing number of contestants in a ballot, the resulting outcome of elections tends to favour the aggregation of votes towards the two leading parties. Duverger’s comparative survey of party systems investigated the sources of dualism, or the concentration of political party activity in two main parties. It contends that national factors explain a great deal, but two-party systems are invariably associated with a particular type of institutional arrangement: the single-member district, plurality electoral system. Hence it suggests that ‘Dualist countries use the simple-majority vote and simple-majority vote countries are dualist’.

Simply explained, especially in the case of the American-style Presidential elections that we run, what Duverger’s law which is a hypothesis first propounded by the Frenchman Maurice Duverger in the early 1950s and made popular by Gary Cox in an influential 1997 book, ‘Making Votes Count’, suggests that, voters knowing that only the top two parties are real contenders, often aggregate their votes around such parties deciding not to ‘waste’ their one and only vote on supporting an ‘also-ran party’ that is going to come in at a third, fourth or lower place. Hence this decision-making pressure to make a difference pushes voters instead to back the top two that they may not really like and leave the rest to wither. Although, some scientists have countered the validity of the law by using countries such as Canada which tended to disperse votes hence forcing coalitions as a negation of the law, however, it remains a possibility in our well over 68 parties’ context given the close contextual arrangements of the Nigerian system to the American voting system. I strongly advise

Mike Igini

against too much multiplicity of parties and the pitfalls thereof especially where the system has choked off the oxygen for other parties to flourish at the local government levels from where they could have built statewide, zonal or national support gradually due to absence of real elections in the 774 LGAs

Many voters are unable to differentiate parties with similar or close names or logos even among the elites resulting in wrong thumbprinting and invalid votes when they have to search through a ballot paper with 68 names and more. Too many political parties also fragment capable candidates both for the new parties and the older parties from where some people are likely to join the new parties

in Nigeria.

What are the logistics and balloting concerns where over 68 political parties are likely to be on a ballot paper?

With many political parties, there are benefits and costs. The benefits are that more parties offer more choices, political parties mobilise voters around a common set of interests or ideologies. So more parties do not only help to satisfy the constitutional right of section 40 regarding freedom of association and participation in political activities, it also help more voters to find political parties that closely match their beliefs and aspirations.

On the other hand, the cost of too many political parties with different logos and colours presents some drawbacks and practical pitfalls for voters especially where many of the voters across Nigeria are largely rural voters where there is no consistency of televised messaging.

For instance, how many of my people in Kokori in Delta State or Akwa lbomites can identify these numerous party logos? Many voters are unable to differentiate parties with similar or close names or logos even among the elites resulting in wrong thumb-printing and invalid votes when they have to search through a ballot paper with 68 names and more. Too many political parties also fragment capable candidates both for the new parties and the older parties from where some people are likely to join the new parties. It will also fragments the votes of existing and new parties because there will be a situation where several political parties will be promoting similar policies, ideologies and agenda. Excessive fragmentation has drawbacks because as parties subdivide, the country becomes harder to govern, polarisation along ethnic, religious and other fault-lines increases as fringe parties harden along such agenda to gain the support of some large voting bloc, even when such agenda may be counterproductive to national cohesion. Where bigger parties are willing and responsive to public opinion to embark on reform and throw up new set of actors with new ideas and values in tandem with

prevailing public desires and expectations, they may get things done better than a coalition of smaller parties, where discipline may be a tougher challenge, often because it may include strange bedfellows as we see in Nigeria. Instead of increasing real choices, multiplying parties would make room for politicians to hide the fact that what they are actually doing is using the parties as vehicles to gain patronage rather than meeting the policy needs of voters. Except we have regional autonomy of federating units where the diversity of parties create diversities that can meet specific regional needs and therefore reduce the central fissional tendencies, the multiplicity of parties will only increase the fight for the jackpot at the center where political relevance is most important to gain ground locally. Therefore, peripherally, if we allow more governance devolution, multiple parties can have benefits, but where devolution is asphyxiated, all the political struggle will end up at the center with the pitfalls I have highlighted as we approach 2019 election.

What solutions are available against the background of these concerns?

A number of benchmarks from lessons learned have been used to suggest solutions, they include the fact that to exist in line with section 40 is one thing but to be on the ballot for national election requires another threshold, the number of LGAs won and controlled by a party to qualify to be on legislative election would have been best but unfortunately, there are no real LGA elections in Nigeria at the moment, use of political mechanisms that compel the formation of coalitions by political parties, the overarching use of federalist mechanisms to devolve governance to peripheral tiers of government so as to minimise the central contest for power, the use of legislative voting systems that increases participation such as the proportional representation and political parties threshold of overall votes received during national elections in the legislatures, the whole point being to increase political participation without increasing the dystopia of the polity.

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THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 07010510430

Connecting Lives and Building Hope Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that through their passion for connecting lives, a trio of young Nigerians at Jobberman, a job repository site, have transformed the link between job seekers and recruiters

Youths at a typical job recruitment exercise, an avoidable move with Jobberman

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etting a job from the massive pool of job seekers chasing very few openings is, no doubt, a daunting task. The youth unemployment rate has continued to soar. For many job seekers, the major challenge is often knowing which company has an opening, and if they do, what qualifications they want. To bridge this yawning divide between recruiters and job seekers, Jobberman, a job repository site, was born.

The online platform seeks to connect lives across Africa. What they have done is to ensure a seamless transition for recruiters by narrowing down to the latter the qualifications sought by the company.

How does it work? Since the website is a repository of information for job seekers who must have signed in with their qualifications, the first move is made by the recruiter, who places an advert with Jobberman. It's now the responsibility of Jobberman to match applicant and candidates that fit on their platform with the job requirement. The next step is that the recruiter gets CVs (up to five CV's per shortlisted role) of shortlisted candidates to confirm they meet the criteria and then the recruiter schedules an interview.

According to Jobberman, the recruiter has an 80 per cent guaranteed interview attendance.

Early years This impressive feat of innovation raises the question, how was Jobberman established?

Set up in 2009 by Olalekan Olude and his friends, Ayodeji Adewunmi and Opeyemi AwoyemI, young undergraduates at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, the company has certainly exceeded their imaginations. They have in their kitty over a million youths and 400 staff, who help in the seamless connection between recruiters and job seekers.

The company has so grown that two years ago, it was recognised by Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Facebook. In his glowing recommendations of the trio, Zuckerberg described them as examples of

Jobberman was born out of a desire to add value to lives. The biggest problem for every graduating student and a lot of graduates out there was and is still getting a job

PHOTO: SUNDAY EHIGIATOR

young Nigerians using digital technology to make impact across Africa.

For a site set up in their dormitory back in school at Obafemi Awolowo University to help connect people looking for work with companies looking to hire, it has today touched over 60,000 companies and helped millions of people to get their dream job. It has also conquered new markets in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Angola, and Zimbabwe, all in a space of 10years.

Present state Today, the website has become synonymous with credible online job applications in Nigeria. According to tech pundits, this is because the site operates a unique and user friendly outlay and still provides a wide range of job opportunities in almost every sector of the economy. Its rich repertoire boasts job opportunities for fresh graduates, mid-career personnel, and top executive positions. It was not surprising when it was recently rated the 8th tech start-up to watch in Africa this year by Forbes magazine.

It is also acclaimed as West Africa’s most popular job search engine, as it is currently the top choice for employers seeking to put information of vacant positions on the internet and for job seekers searching for new jobs.

Pursuit of value One of the trio, Olude, who as Group Chief Operating Officer of Jobberman, oversees

and provides directions for the company’s operational and monetisation initiatives, said they were simply in pursuit of creating and adding value to the young lives of Africans. Aside being an alumnus of OAU, the Ogun State indigene is also an alumnus of The Wharton School, and University of Pennsylvania. Olude was responsible for the monetisation efforts of the group in new markets of Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Angola, and Zimbabwe.

Olude said: "Jobberman was born out of a desire to add value to lives. The biggest problem for every graduating student and a lot of graduates out there was and is still getting a job. We also saw what was happening in India with Naukri, a similar economy to Nigeria’s and we decided that if we really wanted to impact on millions of lives, then we had to work on the jobs problem.

"If we didn’t do it, it was going to be a problem we would have to face when we graduate. So we decided to solve it for others, providing a platform that makes it easy to find and apply for jobs in Nigeria.

"One other critical factor that fueled this motivation was easy access to internet in my school, Obafemi Awolowo University.

A lot of great talent were unlocked during that time due to this. It’s one of the reasons I am bullish on infrastructure being a key to unlocking rapid growth and development."

Challenges

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• T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

FEATURES We need government to be intentional about bringing in companies that can hire a lot of Nigerians here.

Early this year, Jobberman helped a foreign technology company to place 400 people with over a thousand more opportunities in Q1/Q2 2019

Opeyemi Awoyemi, Ayodeji Adewunmi and Olalekan Olude, the founders of Jobberman

Olude

Beside the challenge of constant updating of the server due to the growing number of page visitors, Olude spoke about other challenges faced by the recruitment site, saying, “In the early days, the biggest challenge we had was getting jobseekers and employers to trust Jobberman. This was the early days of internet companies in Nigeria.

Anything online at the time was labelled as fraud. It took us a while to change that perception - today you find everyone using technology in one way or the other even in rural and remote communities.

"Another challenge we faced is the relative lack of knowledge on the part of young jobseekers. Most youth do not know what it takes to be employable because our educational systems have not evolved to handhold students to become employable graduates or entrepreneurial graduates.

"Jobberman has been working tirelessly to change that and because of our efforts we have placed over 500,000 people in jobs since inception. All of this is good news as we need all the help possible to ensure our institutions provide graduates that can hit the ground running."

GOOGLE

GOOGLE

Sieving scam recruiters As expected with such an online venture, scam recruiters have often tried to penetrate the network to lure unsuspecting job seekers.

To this, Olude admitted that there were instances where recruiters' details given out on their website turn out to be false.

He stated, "We have had our fair share of scammers trying to leverage on our platform to take advantage of the desperation of unsuspecting Nigerians.

"We have constantly continued to develop strategies on how to ensure that scammers do not get a chance to either access the platform or use it. We verify companies, blacklist offenders, and also provide tools for jobseekers to report bad/fake companies.

“Companies with suspicious email addresses are automatically flagged. We have also enlisted the support of law enforcement agents and we have reported lots of fraudsters to the police and EFCC." Curbing unemployment On what should be done to fight the ticking time bomb called youth unemployment in

Nigeria, Olude said: "Crisis is an understatement. However If we can match more people to available jobs, we would be reducing the unemployment gap. So the real question is how do we make more jobs available?

"We need the policies both at the federal and state government levels to be probusiness. With a pro-business government, you create more jobs locally, attract more investments and create more industries.

"We need government to be intentional about bringing in companies that can hire a lot of Nigerians here. Early this year, Jobberman helped a foreign technology company to place 400 people with over a thousand more opportunities in Q1/Q2 2019. If I were in government, a core focus would be to drive more of these kinds of initiatives. As these new jobs are sourced and created, Extensive training to match these jobs need to start happening to ensure that companies also become more productive."

Skill acquisition On the need for youths to be skilled he added, "We also need to help more youths become entrepreneurial - with high demand

skills locally and abroad. There has been a recent spate of Nigerians emigrating to Europe and Canada through dangerous routes. We need to train Nigerian youth en masse in high demand skills so that these countries will be pleading to have our skilled people not the other way round. If China and India has perfected this, we can do the same too.

"I would love to see more use of technology in helping government manage the ecosystem called Nigeria. A lot more use of technology in data gathering, trend and predictive analysis, revenue generation and our ability to project and forecast on the things we should be doing.

“I also see technology as a key tool to reduce corruption and also enhance service delivery across board. Needless to say, this would entail a lot of investment and education but I strongly believe for our long term sustainability, we need to do this."

Hope for Ogun Olude added that Ogun State, where he comes from, had the potential to catch up with Lagos tech ecosystem. "I believe so.

Lagos for one is already an expensive place to live in and once you realize that the only thing a tech company needs to succeed is an ecosystem: good academic institutions, ready to learn youth,and good access to fast internet/Infrastructure, then you can quickly see that Ogun State can match Lagos like for like in this regard,” he said.

Olude explained, “If you look at Silicon Valley, it extends beyond San Francisco itself to its neighbouring cities like Palo Alto, San Jose and Cupertino. Ogun fits all of that and has the land and environment to make a Silicon Valley and a better quality of life.

Ogun State’s proximity to Lagos makes for easy access to foreign investors and professionals. That proximity also allows for any company/Business structure in Lagos to set up back office, development team, strategy, manufacturing, warehouse to run from Ogun.

"With the rail system and a mass transit system coming up along the corridor, Ogun is the new get-away location to the stress and combustion in Lagos. This not only applies to technology, it applies to every industry from transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and so on. I believe Ogun should not strive to be Lagos; Ogun can be everything Lagos needs to be sustainable. We will feed Lagos and the rest of the country."

He continued: "It seems to me like we have just scratched the surface. Are there things that we would like to do that we have not done? Yes, a whole lot. I am clear about my calling, which is helping people have a better and meaningful life. It keeps me awake, keeps me motivated, and keeps me going. Jobs are a very powerful tool to make lives better. Its impact is generational – parents, children, relatives of people who get better jobs, and the communities they live, all benefit. I am hoping to use the Jobberman platform to help grow other initiatives and movements with the similar goal of making life better."

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

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Quick Takes MTN Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Care Campaign Closes

STOCKTAKING

L-R: Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler; President, Nigeria Employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Larry Ettah and Director General, NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, at 61st Annual General Meeting of the association in Lagos... recently YOMI AKINYELE

How FG Can Use Technology to Manage Debts Stories by Emma Okonji The Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has called on the federal government to leverage on technology to reduce the growing incidences of public debts.

He made the call while delivering a paper at the 2018 Nigerian Online Merit Awards (NiOMA) in Lagos, recently.

Ekeh, who disclosed that technology would resolve much of the contemporary problems facing the Nigerian state if holistically applied, noted that the country would benefit immensely if the government adopts technology in its search for lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the economy.

According to Ekeh, the recent revelation by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) that, about 350 Nigerians account for 80 per cent of its N5.4 trillion debt portfolio and the refusal of majority of these debtors to payback their

ICT debts was an issue that can be easily resolved through the application of technology if there exists accurate data of how the debts arose.

He said it could also be that the government at different levels were partially responsible for some of these debts, especially if they were unable to meet their obligations to some of the corporates.

Ekeh acknowledged that the present debt profile should be a case study for upcoming entrepreneurs or part of the issues to be dissected by data analysts on why some the affected businesses failed, noting that this may also reveal a lot of insider compromises on the part of the lenders so that lessons could be learnt and better structure and systems put in place to avert a recurrence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Working in concert with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement

System (NIBSS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Attorney General of the Federation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for enforcement purposes, AMCON can leverage a simple technology application that makes it easy to access the bank balances of debtors across all the various banks in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will be a mandatory requirement for the extension of loans and credit facilities and will foster more responsible borrowing as the lenders can easily debit the accounts of borrowers upon due date to recover sums extended. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will not only reduce the growing profile and negative trend of corporate debts, with its attendant detrimental effect on the economy but will also expose many Nigerians who are publicly hailed as billionaires but who are only living large off depositorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money, while frustrating further lending to start ups,â&#x20AC;? he stated.

Disclosing the many ways, he had relied on technology to ramp up efficiency in his businesses, Ekeh revealed that in few daysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, he would be trying out a new Enterprise Application that will simplify transaction with bankers, irrespective of the numbers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This application will give us control over all of our bank accounts instead of relying on bank staff to implement our instruction at their convenience,â&#x20AC;? he added.

He also disclosed that the new warehouses widely reported as recently acquired by Konga, were equipped with digital cameras with data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities which can easily detect fraud and random inconsistencies such as a change in the appearance of an individual or item captured on entry into the facilities. Most importantly, these cameras are Continued on page 24

Digital Technology Will Enhance Governance, Policy Formulation, Experts Say The adoption of digital technology will further enhance financial inclusion, good governance and improve policy formulation in Nigeria.

This was the assertion of participants at the ongoing 27th National Conference of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), holding in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The conference, therefore called on private sector organisations and government agencies to fast-track the process of adopting the emerging technologies that will boost digital inclusion across the country.

Oyo State Governor, Senator

ICT Abiola Ajimobi, stressed the need for governments at all levels to adopt digital technology, which he said would enhance good governance and policy formulation as well as create jobs for Nigerians. He said the ability of government to use key technology to create enabling business environment, would offer huge opportunities for the citizens. Ajimobi said the adoption of digital technology had helped his state to build a foundation of peace and security in the state, and to generate

economic growth.

The Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke, who corroborated the words of the governor, however stressed the need for digital infrastructure, if Nigeria must achieve digital inclusion.

According to her, without digital infrastructure, it would be difficult for Nigeria to achieve digital inclusion.

She said digital infrastructure level in the country was still low and must be increased to enable Nigerians have access to digital connectivity.

She said while developed countries were beginning

pull down their 2G and 3G technology networks and are investing in 4G technology, Nigeria was still investing in 2G and 3G technologies in providing services to customers.

Citing Korea and other developed countries of the world that have 98 per cent internet connectivity in public places, with well distributed digital infrastructure, Opeke said Nigerian government and the private sector must invest in digital infrastructure that would give Nigerian citizens access to digital connectivity that will Continued on page 24

Lagos bubbled with festivities recently, as MTN Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;21 Days of Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Careâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual CSR campaign came to an end. Hundreds of employees of the company and students from various institutions of learning around the country gathered to celebrate at the event.

The theme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creating A Brighter Life,â&#x20AC;? had been the driving force in the past 21 days and this had been apparent in the hundreds of lives touched during the month. The company has focused on the Nigerian youth with the many activities under the program which have united all recipients irrespective of backgrounds or age. Since the campaign was launched on June 1, 2018, staďŹ&#x20AC; of the company visited numerous skills acquisition centres, secondary and tertiary institutions to train students on ICT, digital marketing, online businesses and rhesus incompatibility, and other topics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The campaign culminated in the Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello career fair and a closing ceremony on Thursday, 21st June, 2018. The 21 days has aďŹ&#x20AC;orded MTN a golden opportunity to do more for the Nigerian society and also empower the youth in more strategic and enabling ways. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fair had numerous students in attendance and was ďŹ lled with both fun and enlightening activities including interactive sessions where awards of laptops, tablets and other devices were given out,â&#x20AC;? a statement from the telco explained.

Aleobua, Wins PR Personality Award

The Chief Executive OďŹ&#x192;cer of Modion Communications, Odion Aleobua, has emerged Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Outstanding PR Personality of The Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the just concluded 2018 edition of the Marketing Edge Brands & Advertising Excellence Awards which took place in Lagos.The annual Marketing Edge Brands & Advertising Excellence Awards is targeted at celebrating creative agencies, brands, media personalities and media establishments in the Nigerian advertising, media and communications industry.

The awards seek to impact the lives of many professionals and shapes a more diverse, inclusive, and highly skilled marketing industry with each awardee exemplifying outstanding leadership, innovation, creativity and a commitment to giving back through supporting marketing education. At this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of the award, Aleobua, who leads one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast growing integrated communications agency, Modion Communications, was singled out for recognition. The announcement drew a wide applause from top brand and communications experts present.

Commenting on the recognition, Aleobua, who expressed delight, dedicated the award to his team members in his young creative agency for giving the needed support to birth his ideas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am pleased and humbled to have been recognised by the industry for the work we do. This is another milestone for the PR agency we founded in 2015, just three years ago; for me and my young team considering we were on the same stage a year ago as the outstanding young PR agency of the year,â&#x20AC;? Aleobua said.

LAAC Annual Seminar Holds Today

All is set for the 22nd annual seminar and awards of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) scheduled to hold today in Lagos. The Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, would be the special guest of honour at the event, while the chief executive oďŹ&#x192;cers of aviation agencies in the country as well as private service providers would also grace the occasion.

Experts that would be speaking at the event include the Chairman of The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) and former Secretary General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Nick Fadugba, who will be speaking on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Partnerships as Key to Survival of Local Airlines.â&#x20AC;? Also, a former Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren will speak on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;MRO Financing Options For Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; while the Director-General of Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Babatunde Irukera, would speak on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Passenger Perspective On Boosting ConďŹ dence And Increasing TraďŹ&#x192;c In Aviation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Also, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) CertiďŹ ed Security Expert, Ayo Obilana, would deliver a paper on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Funding Perspectives Of Airport Security In Nigeria.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is our duty as NCS to identify knowledge gaps, proffer solutions and instigate collaborative efforts to quicken the pace of digital inclusion in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;?

President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS

Prof Adesola Aderounmu

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HOW FG CAN USE TECHNOLOGY TO MANAGE DEBTS cloud based.

Urging the government to commit more resources to technology in resolving the unemployment challenges and drive the nation towards rapid development, Ekeh cited the influence of technology in the political space which he said had reduced post-election litigations from 87 per cent, to about 33 per cent, noting that this will further reduce to 11 per cent or thereabouts with the adoption of electronic voting, if funded by the government.

The Zinox Chairman who spoke on the theme, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Leveraging the Internet Revolution to leapfrog Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; affirmed that information technology would disrupt the Nigerian economy positively by the year 2023, creating immense opportunities and new wealth for many Nigerians.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY WILL ENHANCE GOVERNANCE, POLICY FORMULATION, EXPERTS SAY boost innovation.

Opeke, said government must review its policy on broadband infrastructure and redesign it in such a way that broadband rollout would be easy enough to provide ubiquitous broadband access to every Nigerian.

Speaking on the role of telecommunications operators in driving digital infrastructure, Opeke said the operators were already involved in shared infrastructure in order to deliver digital access to the underserved and unserved communities of the country.

President of NCS, Professor Adesola Aderounmu, said Nigeria still lags behind the rest of the world in digital inclusion, but however said NCS would identify the knowledge gaps, proffer solutions and instigate collaborative efforts to quicken the pace of digital inclusion in Nigeria.

An Intel Software Innovator, Tejumande Afonja, said Nigeria must build artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to enhance digital inclusion.

BoI to Disburse $750m Afreximbank Loan at Single-digit Rate Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Bank of Industry (BoI) is to disburse the $750 million (N250 billion) syndicated loan facility extended to it by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at single digit interest rate.

Afreximbank had at the conclusion of its annual meetings and 25th anniversary celebrations in Abuja, weekend extended the $750 million for on-lending to MSMEs. The BoI Managing Director, Mr Olukayode Pitan, who spoke in an interview on the sidelines of the signing of the MoU between his bank and Afreximbank, said the loan would be given to MSMEs in the country for a period of between five and seven years.

The facility, he added, would enable the bank bridge the funding gap for MSMEs which he estimated at about N700 billion.

Pitan explained that the $750 million (N250bn) is the single largest syndicated facility to be received by a development finance institution in Nigeria, adding that a total of 16 banks financed the deal. Some of the banks provided the fund are Africa Export-Import Bank, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and British

Arab Commercial Bank Plc, among others.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were 16 international banks that took park; our Nigerian banks that are based in the UK were a part of it. This money is medium term, which is three years and the interest is very good when you look at the rate Nigeria usually borrows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The idea is to support

industries. What this loan allows us to do is, it gives additional N250 billion depending on the exchange rate that is used (between N230bn and N250bn) to deploy to the industrial sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have done our own study. There is a gap in the funding of the industrial sector to the tune of N704 billion. This is our way to reduce that gap,â&#x20AC;?

Pitan said.

He stressed that the fund would be given to companies operating in the creative industry, manufacturing and gender-based businesses.

This, he noted, would help reduce the unemployment rate in the country and create wealth for small and medium scale entrepreneurs. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are looking at small, medium and large enterprises. We are looking

at enterprises or companies that have a focus in using local raw materials, companies that generate employment and bring down their cost of borrowing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This loan will be deployed at less than ten per cent interest per annum. We are looking at the creative industry, light manufacturing, mining, gender business etc to promote Nigerian industrial sector,â&#x20AC;? Pitan said.

STAKEHOLDERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WORKSHOP

L-R: IT Manager, West Atlantic Energy Limited, Mr. Wale Ibironke; Deputy Managing Director, Mrs. Ese Falae; Assistant Director, Safety Control, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Umar Salihu Moriki; Deputy Director, HSC, Mrs. Onyebuchi Sibeudu; Manager, Training, Ademola Makinde; Clint Relations Manager, West Atlantic Energy, Mrs. Chioma Uzoigwe; and Chief Electrical Engineer, DPR, at stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; workshop organised by the DPR in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently SUNDAY ADIGUN

Accenture: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence Will Enhance Businesses Emma Okonji The Managing Director, Technology Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Niyi Tayo has reiterated the need for Nigerian businesses to embrace emerging technologies such as Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), insisting that such technologies will enhance productivity in business.

According to him, ML and AI would become key enablers in a new era of digital experiences and value propositions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Keeping interactions between AI and clients fair and unbiased,

will be critical to the success of any business. Even though ML and AI will be key requirements in future business, the digital revolution needs a human touch,â&#x20AC;? Tayo said.

Explaining the role of AI in business, Tayo said it would help expand into every facet of human lives, driving better business decisions and user experiences throughout a wide range of markets and industries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;AI has effectively become a new user interface, making our interactions with the increasingly advanced technologies that surround us easier and more

seamless. Intelligent digital assistants like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Google Nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in our smartphones, helping us reach out to others, find information, make notes and navigate the physical world, are part of the roles of AI in business, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazon Alexa and Google Home have given us the ability to order goods and services without ever seeing a screen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These developments are constantly making it easier to use advanced technology effectively. Instead of adapting to our machines, we are teaching our machines to adapt to us.

But as we train our artificial intelligences to approve loans, identify job candidates and treat patients, we must be mindful of our responsibility to society. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a future where AI has the power to facilitate every touch point from commerce to public services, we must strive to ensure it remains a force for good. We, therefore, have to nurture our AI as with great power comes great responsibility,â&#x20AC;? Tayo added.

In order to seize the growth opportunities that AI provides, companies will need to address core ethical considerations and

establish a set of value-driven requirements to guide the deployment of AI, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Accenture, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve developed the Responsible AI approach to help our clients create the proper governance frameworks to evaluate, deploy and monitor AI. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our methodology focuses on architecture and solutions that emphasise people and human values. Using this approach will help organisations guide the implementation of AI in a positive direction and establish the prerequisites for future growth,â&#x20AC;? Tayo added.

Deadline for Completion of Ibadan-Lagos Standard Gauge Not Feasible, Lawmakers Say Sunday Okobi Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; äĂ?

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2022;Ă? (Labour) Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC; (Cap Mkt) Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2022;Ă? (Energy) Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2122; (Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Capital) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2019;Ă? (Money Market) Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă? (Maritime)

The National Assembly Committees on Land Transport have cast doubt on the feasibility of achieving a completed standard gauge railway line from Ibadan to Lagos before the deadline of December 2019.

The committees, which also noted that railway narrow gauge network which traverses the entire country, seemed not to be functioning at its optimum level, stated these when both committees at the National Assembly, paid an oversight visit to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), in Lagos as well as had an inspection

tour of the ongoing standard gauge project along Aduma, Papalanto axis of Ogun State recently.

They stressed the need for the NRC and CCECC to expedite actions on the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project, adding that in the past three years, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we have worked together as partners in the rail revitalisation agenda of President Muhamadu Buhari.

This revitalisation agenda has proven to be at the heart at the infrastructural development programmes of the president.â&#x20AC;?

On the deadline of the completion of Ibadan-Lagos standard gauge, the Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have made

request that deadline should be extended, and they are looking at sometimes in the middle of next year,2019. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if the entire project is completed and they are able to get Lagos to Abeokuta and it is fully completed by February to March, 2019, I think we have done very well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a legacy project that all should be proud that in our time the administration of Muhammadu Buhari is able to give this back to Nigerians. We used to have narrow gauges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What they are doing now is standard such that it competes with any modern rail project globally. I think that Nigeria should just shift from the old way of doing things, to the new way.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is one that is going to be embraced by all and sundry.

I am also happy that the Lagos State Government headed by Governor Akinwumi Ambode is working in tandem with the federal government on this project.â&#x20AC;?

Ashafa urged the NRC to channel more resources towards assisting the haulage sector of the economy particularly in the transportation of petroleum products, saying it would greatly help to reduce the amount of casualties from recurrent and incessant tanker accidents leading to preventable infernos around the country.

In his remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport, Aminu Sanni, said the committee in line with its

mandate was visiting for the purpose of ensuring that funds appropriated by the National Assembly for the execution of projects by the ministry are judiciously utilised.

Sanni said the Ministry of Transport was aware that the committee had been supportive of the ministry in terms of budgetary allocation for critical projects that are essential for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic and social development and will continue to do so in such regard.

In his reaction, the Managing Director of NRC, Mr Fridet Okhiria, said the call for extension of the deadline of the project by the National Assembly had not been agreed.

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Ě&#x201C;

Of Telecoms Operators, Picketing, and Economic Implications Emma Okonji examines the economic consequences of picketing the facilities of telecommunications operators in the country MTN subscribers, business partners and members of staff were last week, denied access to their offices nationwide by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The labour union descended heavily on the telecoms company and chased out it had staff that had already resumed for work, denied business partners and subscribers access and placed its offices under lock.

The offices nationwide were under lock for four days, a situation that caused huge financial losses to the company.

Aside the financial losses, MTN subscribers who had businesses to transact and who had complaints to lodge, were frustrated because they could not have access to its offices across the country.

Although NLC had justified its action, accusing the telecoms company of flagrant disobedience to labour laws and operating outside the corporate governance code by enslaving its workers, industry stakeholders however, accused the labour leaders of carrying out what they described as draconian action on MTNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations, which they said, had grave economic implications.

The picketing In Bauchi, the Chairman of the state chapter of the NLC, Mr. Hashimu Gital, who led the union members to shut down the office of the telco in the state capital, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is to advance issues of decent work, better conditions of service for workers.â&#x20AC;?

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every worker is entitled to better working conditions, but the telecommunications company is fond of regularly renewing employment contract with its workers as a way of shying away from paying gratuity and pension to them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are giving them three days as warning as directed by the national office of the NLC in Abuja, the reason being that every three months, MTN sacks its workers and give them a new contract. This is not acceptable. Our law does not accept that, and those workers need to be liberated.â&#x20AC;?

Gital, who was visibly angry, declared that â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to tell them that they need to respect the laws of the country. They need to also respect our own labour laws but most importantly, they must respect human and trade union rights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Workers have dignity, workers are not slaves and therefore, all workers must be treated with the best of attention. Injury to the workers at MTN is an injury to all Nigerian workers.â&#x20AC;?

While the picketing in Bauchi and other state capitals were going on simultaneously, the labour leaders did not spare the head office of MTN in Ikoyi, Lagos, as NLC chased out workers, business partners and customers while chanting labour songs during the process on the first day of picketing.

Implications Surprised at the action of NLC, industry stakeholders insisted that it was an act of wickedness, saying it would negatively impact the Nigerian economy.

They argued that the matter could have been handled amicably in a more civilised manner than a show of power that was taken too far. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What labour leaders have succeeded in doing was to cause huge financial losses for MTN, its subscribers and the Nigerian economy,â&#x20AC;? the stakeholders said.

MTN Nigeria, it was gathered, suffered huge losses, owing to the action of the labour union.

Although the action by the union would have caused the telecoms company huge financial losses, which also affected all MTN partners that manage MTN Connect Stores across the country, the company however said it was still calculating its losses. According to the company, what was paramount to them is to ensure that its services to over 60 million subscribers were up and running.

Corporate Relations Executive at MTN, Mr. Tobechukwu Okigbo, told THISDAY that the company was more concerned about the impact of the closure of its offices nationwide and the impact on the economy, rather than counting the financial losses.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are still looking at the financial losses, but what is more important to us right now is ensuring that all services are up and running.

It is not always about money lost by MTN, it is about impact on our subscribers and the economy also,â&#x20AC;? Okigbo said.

Chairman of the Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, while speaking on the implications of shutting down offices and sites of telecoms operators, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Attempts have been made to disrupt the network operations of some of our members through the shut down and vandalism of critical network facilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The implication of such disruption will lead to severe poor quality of service with attendant natural security implications and far-reaching implications on other services that are dependent on the telecommunication industry.â&#x20AC;?

The Association of Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ATCON) in a statement that was signed by its Executive Secretary, Mr. Ajibola Olude said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The association sees the nationwide disruptions of its memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations as unnecessary action and an attempt to frustrate and sabotage the efforts of our member to provide a seamless communication services to all Nigerians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are even worried that the picketers became so violent and tempered with telecoms facilities during demonstration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would appreciate NLC to write to us

The implication of such disruption will lead to severe poor quality of service with attendant natural security implications and farreaching implications on other services that are dependent on the telecommunication industry

before embarking on any demonstration that can put the security of the nation in jeopardy.

Our members are law abiding corporate organisations that have been contributing to the wealth of Nigeria, Olude said.

Adebayo also alleged that aside the closure, NLC also caused some forms of destruction to MTN facilities and inflicted various degrees of injuries on its staff, while forcing them out of their offices on the first day of picketing.

He therefore called on the federal government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to intervene quickly to save the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s telecommunications system from total collapse.

NCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction Meanwhile, the NCC briefed the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on the implications of the action of NLC on MTN network, other telecoms networks and the Nigerian economy. NCC also briefed the security agencies on the developments particularly the implications of the attempt to shut down the Ojota switch station.

He had warned that a collapse of the telecommunications grid was likely, if the attacks on MTN and other telecoms facilities are not abated.

NCC had stressed that telecoms infrastructure remained classified as critical national infrastructure under the Cyber Security Act domiciled with the ONSA. According to the statement, the NCC under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Garba Umar Danbatta, had opened talks with other critical stakeholders through the office of the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Management, Mr. Sunday Dare on the issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The regulator is working behind the scene to protect telecoms infrastructure and minimise telecoms service disruptions, in order not to compromise national security, quality of service and protection of over 160 million subscribers across networks,â&#x20AC;? the NCC further said.

The threat Worried about the action of NLC, Adebayo had threatened that if government and the telecoms regulatory body fail to carry out immediate action to stop the union, they would be forced to shut down telecoms operations across the country and allow the country to stay without telecommunications for some time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hereby strongly request government and its law enforcement agencies to intervene expeditiously, otherwise we will advise our

members to consider preventive shut down in order to avoid further damage to network facilities,â&#x20AC;? Adebayo had said.

He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We trust parties will respect each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s constitutional rights in the interest of our nation Nigeria,â&#x20AC;? he said.

MTNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position MTN alleged that members of NLC vandalised its facilities and inflicted injuries on its staff on the first day of the exercise.

According to Okigbo, such attack, which led to the destruction of property and inflicting of injury on MTN staff, could have been averted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The violence and the needless destruction of property is deeply saddening. As always, our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of our employees, some of whom were attacked by supposed NLC operatives and have sustained injuries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do not prevent our employees from associating among themselves as they deem fit and owe our employees the obligation to ensure they are not compelled to join associations.

MTN supports the freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution,â&#x20AC;?

Okigbo said.

He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;All workers have rights that should be protected. We work hard to not only ensure that this is done but also to ensure that our company is a great place to work.

We will continue to champion our peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights, whether they are part of a union or not and work hard to minimise disruptions of service to our customers.â&#x20AC;?

The move for resolution Determined to address the imbroglio, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, had called both parties to order and had fixed a date to meet with the executives of NLC and MTN, in a bid to finding a lasting solution to the issue.

Responding to THISDAY media enquiry after MTN offices were reopened for business last Friday, Okigbo said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a meeting scheduled for July 24 at the instance of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. At that meeting, the issues will be discussed, and I am hopeful that the matter will be resolved at the meeting, which comes up next week.â&#x20AC;?

Having swung into action to resolve the issue amicably, industry stakeholders are of the view that government must prevail on labour unions and other agencies to desist from acting with impunity to shut down telecoms offices and cell sites, at the slightest issue, given its security and economic implications.

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Kent: Global Adoption of FinTech Services Still Slow Mr. Michael Kent is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Azimo, a global financial technology player. Kent, who was in Nigeria recently, spoke with Emma Okonji on the role of FinTech firms in driving the mobile money business. Excerpts: What informed your decision to visit the Nigerian mobile money market at this time?

I visit Nigeria often and I am always excited to be in the cities of Nigeria where there are lots of entrepreneurs who are using technology to drive businesses. But on this trip, I needed to expand the Azimo business in Nigeria, because Nigeria is a big market for our kind of business.

I am in Nigeria to meet with partners and new customers. A lot of African people and Nigerians do use the Azimo platform to send money back home, but we want to have more people on board, hence my visit to talk with the banks, payment service providers and some technology solution providers that are in the country, including the eCommerce operators.

You play in the FinTech space where most ďŹ nancial institutions are jittery over the perceived disruption that FinTechs are bringing to the industry. What is your take on this?

The interesting thing about the financial services industry technology is that it has been very slow to adopt globally. Banks have been slow to adopt the solutions, particularly in Africa, even though the benefits are huge, occasioned by the high percentage of mobile phone penetration in Africa. The lives of many have been transformed using social media and supported by mobile phone devices that are used for connectivity. There are lots of people that are either underserved or unserved by the banks and the financial institutions must move fast to adopt the kind of technology that will bring an all inclusive financial services to their customers.

How will you describe the growth of mobile money in Nigeria and Africa?

To have a good growth prospect for the mobile money industry in Nigeria and Africa, I think we need more technologies that will develop the ecosystem. So, we need more of investments that are capital intensive. In Nigeria and most countries in Africa, we are beginning to see big investors investing in the mobile money space and this is a good development for the mobile money industry in the African continent. International investors are also investing in this space. Again, the growth of mobile money in Nigeria and Africa, will depend largely on the regulator. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for instance, is doing a good job in the area of mobile money growth in Nigeria. Better regulation will increase competition and boost innovation in the mobile money industry. Regulators in Africa should be open to new technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency, which I think are beginning to thrive in Nigeria. Then of course we need people that have the talent to develop new technology solutions and Nigeria is doing well in this regard of talented people to develop apps and solutions that will address issues in the FinTech space. We have seen a healthy banking sector in Nigeria over the years and they need technology solution from FinTech to further grow their business.

Government must encourage and support young innovators that are willing to use technology to change the narrative in the banking sector.

Since you alluded to the fact that global adoption rate in mobile money is still slow, what could be done to speed up the process?

We should remind ourselves that Nigeria is one of the first mobile internet countries in the world, which of course has given rise to mobile phone penetration in the country. I have no doubt that the smartphone penetration will be higher in Nigeria as cost of technology solutions drops over time. One of the ways to speed up the adoption rate is to increase the speed of internet connectivity in the country and deepen broadband penetration across the country. The private sector should not wait for the government to develop the infrastructure that will drive development in the mobile money sector of the Nigerian economy. They should come out and be more innovative with technology solutions that will enhance speed of connectivity in a very seamless manner.

What do you suggest could be done to further boost development in the mobile money space?

The financial business is changing, and the banks and the insurance companies are beginning to realise this. What they need do is to collaborate with fintechs to further grow their business. The fintechs on the other hand, must continue to innovate to develop new solutions

purposes in carrying its regulatory functions and ensure that customers get good value from the services offered by operators. I will like to advise the Nigeria regulator to ensure there is stability in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial system, making sure that Nigeria has enough dollars and its banks are open for business.

How will you compare mobile money growth between developed countries such as China, Indian, South Korea, and Japan, with developing countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana?

In Africa, I see growth in mobile money in countries like Kenya, where M-Pesa is currently driving the mobile money business.

In Nigeria also, the adoption rate of mobile money is gradually on the rise as more people use mobile money for their daily transactions, rather than going to the banking hall, which many have described as a complete waste of time. Although we still have huge volume of cash in the hands of Nigerians, but I think the awareness on mobile money transaction is there and such should be sustained to bring more people into the financial inclusion system. In developed countries, the spread of mobile money is high and the speed of adoption is equally high.

Kent

that will address a whole lot of issues in the financial sector. The banks should also support the fintechs because they are majorly small businesses that need the support of the banks and the insurance companies to survive. The bigger fintech companies must also encourage and support the smaller ones that are mostly start-ups and SMEs. The bottom line is how to serve customers better.

Why should the ďŹ nancial service operators see FinTech as a threat to their business?

Initially the financial sector service operators saw us as a threat to their business, but all that fear is gone, and they are beginning to see the importance of fintechs in their daily business.

The truth is that there is always competition in any given market and business owners need solutions that will make them serve their customers better and gain customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence. So, what we do as fintechs is to provide them with better products and solutions that will make them remain competitive in their business. We may sound as threat to them, but we are their biggest opportunity to remain in business, while serving their customers better.

What have the ďŹ ntechs done to address the perception?

We are working closely with other fintech players for more business collaboration, especially now that banks are becoming bigger in their operations and they need solutions that will keep their customers on top of their business.

We have seen this collaboration in Europe and America and I think we can replicate that in Nigeria. I see a situation in the next five to 10 years time, where the word fintech will cease to exist because every financial services company would have to be a technology company, developing solutions and products

In Nigeria and most countries in Africa, we are beginning to see big investors investing in the mobile money space and this is a good development for the mobile money industry in the continent

that will best handle customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest.

How do you think the insecurity in the ďŹ nancial services space, where customers are often defrauded online can be addressed?

Addressing security issues is one of our biggest concerns because we deal with families and individuals that transfer money to their loved ones and families using our platform.

Family and money are the most important things that should be protected through proper regulation. There are lots of regulation in our kind of business and we do well to abide by such regulations always. We even went a step further to run our own test around, our infrastructure and system to ensure that no one has unauthorised access to our system.

So, we are very security conscious and we invest in security to protect the business of our customers. The entire industry has to be security conscious and protect customers from being defrauded.

What are some of the identiďŹ ed challenges faced by ďŹ ntech players and how can they be addressed?

The first challenge is about consumer belief and trust and that is why it is important for us to secure our platform and build customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trust and confidence in our business. Another challenge we see in our kind of business is shortage of skills. We do not have enough skilled people that understand the fintech business of developing quality solutions. We need our school system to train students that can fit into the fintech space as soon as they graduate from the universities and Polytechnics. Nigeria is a big market for our kind of business and we need skilled people to help us service the Nigerian market better.

We also have the challenge of having the right regulations with the regulators since our business and service offerings cut across different counties with different policies and regulations.

There is a new move in Nigeria to regulate those that use technology to disrupt existing platforms. Do you envisage any form of threat in the planned regulation?

The truth is that different regulators have different roles and purposes, but the first thing that a regulator must do is to look out for the customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest especially when money is involved. The regulator should not be particular about whether certain network operators is making more money than others, because that is not their job. The regulator should have a broaden regulatory intent and

What is the focus of Azimo, and what value is it adding to the global ďŹ nancial industry space?

Azimo is a global player in the fintech space with a global platform that enables people to send money through transfer from country to country. Over 50 million Nigerians in the diaspora use our platform to transfer money back to Nigeria and they have been enjoying the service we render to them and to our numerous customers.

In terms of value added, Azimo has an app that allows people to seamlessly transfer money in a most safe and convenient manner, thus adding value to individual life styles and businesses. We offer digital solutions to our customers across the globe, including Nigeria and our solution is significantly cheaper than other solution being offered by other brands.

The app enables customers to save over 78 per cent on transactions and the speed of delivery is very fast as transactions could be done in seconds. Again, the app has been demystified to allow for easy use. The solution is therefore adding value to the global digital economy, where people are beginning to see the value of moving away from physical cash transaction to digital and electronic cash transaction.

What are the strategies your ďŹ rm has adopted to increase its market penetration in Nigeria and other African countries?

The most powerful way for us to get more customers is through referrals, when an existing customer use the social media to invite friends and families and colleagues to try the Azimo service offerings. From available statistics, several Nigerians make use of different mobile money platforms to send money home, but over 40 per cent of the Nigerian population that uses the mobile money platform, are invited by friends and relations to be part of the mobile money transactions. So, for us at Azimo, we try to develop products that are easy to use and that the people cherish so much. We are technology company and one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading FinTech and we will continue to innovate on our products and solutions to make financial transactions a lot easier.

Recently Azimo secured $20 million seed funding. How has the fund impacted on your business?

So far, we have raised about $50 million in growing the business, and the $20 million dollars is the last money we needed to raise to further grow the business. By the time we invest this money into our operations, I believe we will be profitable within a short period of time. The interesting thing for us is that we have several investors who are willing to fund our business because of the potential of the business.

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ALTON Faults Sealing Off 9mobile OfďŹ ce Stories by Emma Okonji The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has once more raised concern over the continued sealing off of telecoms offices across the country by government officials.

ALTON, was particularly worried about the 9mobile case, where its Port Harcourt regional office was sealed off by the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) for the past three weeks for alleged tax liability.

The Chairman of ALTON, Mr. Ggenga Adebayo, said the rate at which government agencies seal off telecoms offices across the country was on the rise. He therefore called on the federal government to intervene quickly to save telecommunications operations in the country from collapse.

Adebayo, who had already written to the Chairman of Rivers State Internal Revenue Service, on the matter, called on the appropriate authority to prevail on Rivers State Internal Revenue Service to unseal the office immediately.

Copies of the letter were sent to the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); the National Security Adviser, (NSA); Minister of Finance; Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment; as well as to the Secretary, Joint

Task Board (JTF).

THISDAY gathered that the RIRS had compelled 9mobile to make a payment of 30 per cent of the alleged sum amounting to N32.4 million as a pre-condition to re-opening the regional office.

Part of the letter written by ALTON to the Rivers State revenue agency reads: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We understand that the sealing of EMTS Premises (9mobile) is to compel the collection of alleged tax liability in the subject amount, which represents its disputed outstanding tax liability arising from Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) of expatriates, erroneously believed by the RIRS to be subject to tax within the Rivers State. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you know PAYE obligations are to states in which the employees reside, therefore, since EMTS did not have any expatriate(s) on its payroll who were residing in Rivers State within the assessment period, EMTS is clearly not indebted to the government of Rivers State for the alleged tax. â&#x20AC;&#x153;EMTS had, at several meetings and by various correspondence explained and maintained that it is not indebted to the government of Rivers State as alleged by the RIRS, as it has never had expatriate employees working or residing in the state, and provided relevant documents in support of its position.

Ě&#x201C;

Customers Groan under Poor Internet Services Emma Okonji Customers of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are worried about the continued poor internet service delivery they receive from ISPs. They blamed the situation on weak internet infrastructure across the country.

According to them, they get disconnected intermittently from the internet, especially at a time when they required the service the most, a situation that is said to be hurting businesses that rely heavily on internet.

Some of the customers who spoke to THISDAY, said they pay so much for monthly subscription, yet they do not get the full value of their monthly subscription. A particular customer said he left his former ISP because of poor internet service he was getting from that ISP, and paid close to N500,000 to another ISP for

a complete new connectivity and accessories, including onemonth subscription, only for him to suffer the same fate of poor internet connectivity and frequent disconnection from the internet.

He said he got frustrated the more when at the end of the month, the ISP would cut him off completely whenever there is little delay in renewing the monthly subscription, without considering compensation for the downtime suffered by their customers.

The customers, therefore, have called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCS), the industry regulator, to compel ISPs to compensate for any downtime suffered by their customers and to ensure that service providers deliver unhindered internet access to customers, especially those that are in business of making money.

Different customers who complained to THISDAY accused virtually all the registered ISPs in the country, saying they are all the same, delivering epileptic internet service to their customers.

Telecoms operators who are gradually shifting from voice to data communication that are equally providing internet connectivity to customers, were not spared either.

According to the customers that spoke on conditions of anonymity, internet service delivery in the country remains generally poor, while insisting that something urgently must be done to address the issue.

But in a quick reaction, WiFi.com.ng, one of the registered ISPs blamed the customers for some of the challenges.

Marketing Lead at WiFi. com.ng, Mr. Awani Jesse, said some of the complaints from

customers were not actually technical in nature, and that customers were not patient most time to get simple disconnections properly fixed before they complain.

According to him, most times â&#x20AC;&#x153;we get several schedules for support services and we attend to customers as they come but most customers are not patient enough to wait for our technical team to visit their locations to get it fixed. In many cases the issue could be mere adjustment of the plugs and cables at the customer location.â&#x20AC;?

On the issue of compensation for downtime, Jesse said WiFi.com.ng understood perfectly what internet connectivity meant to business and that the company always ensure compensation for downtime, if it was discovered that the challenge was from the ISP.

Slow Adoption of New Technologies Worries Firm Despite the business oppor- in its 10 years of operation, the tunities that big data analytics and other emerging technologies offer, the adoption rate of such new technologies remains slow, Bluechip Technologies has said.

The company who stated this at a press briefing in Lagos, organised to announce its 10th year anniversary as a technology solution company delivering data management expertise to guide the decision-making capacity of financial, telecommunications and public-sector organisations.

According to the technology solution company, in Nigeria, big data is still in the early stages of application, more so in the public sector.

The company was of the view that there is a growing recognition and importance of big data for Nigerian businesses, but explained that it was yet to be diversified for public sector use, due to the absence of data privacy laws and the lack of skilled personnel.

Addressing the intrinsic role of data and analytics in digital transformation, Bluechip Technologies said institutions whether private or public, must begin to rethink their businesses and build such business around data analytics. Only organisations that position themselves to be able to generate insights and take actions quickly, will have competitive advantage, the company said.

Commenting on the milestone

Managing Director, Bluechip Technologies Limited, Mr. Kazeem Tewogbade, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past decade, we have consistently delivered value and provided uniquely tailored solutions to our customers. We look forward to our continued excellence in providing the right tools for the collection of information that ultimately drives our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance.â&#x20AC;?

The anniversary celebration began at Matori Grammar School, Tewogbadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alma mater â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to launch the Bluechip Endowment Fund as well as commemorate the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refurbishment of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facilities. The Bluechip Endowment Fund is a N2 million investment into the school, dedicated to executing capital projects and rewarding excellent students and teachers over the next few years.

Co-founder, Bluechip Technologies, Olumide Soyombo, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are so glad to be celebrating a decade of staying the course and developing the Bluechip brand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have come a long way from our humble beginnings in 2008; thanks to the tireless commitment of a team of people who have become instrumental to the Bluechip story. We appreciate all our OEMs, partners and customers; they have all been instrumental to our growth.

PROMOTING DIGITAL BANKING

L-R:HeadofSales,MicrofinanceandSaas(Africa),Temenos,NehalBatavia;PrincipalBusinessSolutionsConsultant,ChristosPanagopoulos;Executive Director, Inlaks;Tope Dare; Deputy Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision (OFIS) Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Adesemoye Adedeji; Bid Manager,Temenos, Renato Sam and Senior Sales Manager, Financial Services EMEA at a forum in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

Global Accelerex Trains Security Agencies on Cyber Crime As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Program, Global Accelerex Limited, a Central Bank of Nigeria-licenced Payment Terminal Service Provider and Payment Solution Service Provider, is set to train security agencies on cybercrime. The event, which will hold on July 25, 2018, in Abuja, is expected to enrich participantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; knowledge of the cyberspace and increase their versatility in dealing with on-line crime.

The collaboration was borne out of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to rid the nation of cyber criminals who continue to bring the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name into disrepute.

In addition to learning about cyber vulnerability, attendees would also learn about insider threats and sophisticated cyber adversaries.

The forum will host more than 30 participants including officials of the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Armed Forces, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

Others are Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Defence Intelligence Agency and Nigerian Custom Service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We applaud the effort of

the Nigerian government in combating cybercrime and securing lives and property in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Global Accelerex is driven to compliment this effort to ensure that Nigeria is rid of these miscreants so that citizens can enjoy the cyberspace with the peace of mind they deserve. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is absolutely critical that we support security operations so that Nigerians can use the internet freely, which is why this training is vitalâ&#x20AC;?, the Chief Technology Officer of the company, Mr. Stanley Peters said.

The National Security Ad-

viser commended the initiative

by Global Accelerex, saying the move will definitely impact positively on the officers and the nation in general.

He added that continuous training was critical to stay ahead of criminals even as he revealed that attendees have shown a high level of enthusiasm at this unique opportunity.

Keynote speakers that will bring their experience to bear are Mr. Tahmeed Rab, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kaizen Solutions Group, Baltimore, USA and Mr. Peter Obadare, CoFounder and Chief Operating Officer of Digital Encode.

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Aleobua: PR Firms Can Assist Businesses Wade through Difficulties The Managing Director, Modion Communications, Odion Aleobua, in this interview with Raheem Akingbolu spoke on the need for stakeholders in marketing communications to stem out quacks in the industry, saying business opportunities beckons in the second half of 2018 What do you think the last six months of the year hold for Public Relations practice in Nigeria?

Public Relations business will boom from now till the end of the year. The reason is simple: practitioners have been able to prove in the last two years to prospective clients that PR is one of the most potent tools during recession. While the economic recession lasted, PR remained the subtle tool for brand managers to weave beautiful stories around their brands.

Perhaps things would have started improving since the first quarter if budget was passed on time. In the last two years, the greatest news has been about bad economic forecast and gloomy reactions that breeds fear, worry and stress. As a result of this, business owners react to the fear with knee jerk reactions such as cutting out marketing budgets. It seems like an obvious choice â&#x20AC;&#x201C;cut the â&#x20AC;&#x153;fatâ&#x20AC;?. In an economic recession or economic boom, PR has the same function. It helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and sales between an organisation and its target audience â&#x20AC;&#x201C;the customers. PR programs link with business objectives and are based on a long-term view of a businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with their target audiences. They build positive public image and reputation. In the last two years, Nigerians have seen that this is even more important.

Now that PR has successfully been used to get through the doom and gloom, it can also be used to keep the business going.

Through it, there will be open and regular communication with investors and customers to maintain trust and letting them know how the company is going.

In 2018, companies that want to remain relevant will need to engage PR agencies that understand their businesses and work with them on stories and angles that show their expertise and put their brands in front of key audiences. PR can achieve amazing results even when the budget is quite small. Making a knee jerk reaction now may cost you your business. People wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy from companies if they can no longer see or hear from them. So, the message is simple, maintain your presence in the marketplace and then you have more of a chance that your company will still be in the standing when the storm is over.

What is the place of creativity in public relations practice?

Let me start by first admitting that storytelling is at the heart of what we do and that creativity is at the heart of any communication. The reason why story tellers need to be grounded in their craft is that there is a different way they tell a story. There are times they have to show optics and use music in giving the right narrative. That, in its own, is creativity.

You need to realise that telling the truth is not straight jacket. It is the same principle of how

day of reckoning. You can easily identify that when there is a crisis. In such situation, it is much easier to know who understands the theoretical base of PR as well as the practical experience as against someone who lacks either of the two or both. To excel in this market and compete well internationally, we must strive to face out quackery and adhere strictly to the global best practice.

Your career transition seems to be unusual when compared with what operates in the industry. How were you able to transit smoothly without the opportunity of a formal training in a Public relations company?

I think it is pretty simple. For every stage of my movement, what was required was capacity and creativity. Of course, the norm is that industry players usually move from agency to client. But for me, it has been from media to client to start an agency. The training I had at Oando Plc actually prepared me to render an agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work because we were one to ourselves. I learned the ropes from the then Head of Corporate Communications, Meka Olowela, who was coming from the agency side.

Aleobua

you sell the advertising product, or the same way you sell narrative. Take for instance, in selling a product, I have to get your attention, hold it, convince you with my message, and move you with that message. All these are geared towards building equity or making purchases. Creativity is something that the human minds love. So, there is no way in any form of communication, be it advertising, PR, or whether you are tactically using social media or profiling narratives at the point of PR, or engaging stakeholders at experiential level that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need creativity. Creativity is the crux of your messaging Having worked on the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side, how easy was it for you to adjust and what do you think should be done to stem the rising tide of quackery?

For us, it was very clear what we wanted to do. We already knew what we were about to do and what we were offering the clients.

As a start-up, what we just needed was a door to open. We knew that the capacity to demonstrate was there. That did not take long as it began to manifest. We started well, and the executions of our plans were always

second to none. That was what we needed.

We wanted people to hear us and allow us to do what we know how to do. Till date, we are happy that for every opportunity we have had to demonstrate capacity, we have had the profit of referrals. Often, what people do is to do a proposal, do a cost to it. But in our own case, it was about proposing new ideas, showing new ways of doing things without adding cost at the start. It was an opportunity to show that we have the capacity. For us, even though we have a lot of players, the best strategy is to know what you can do is for them to hear you. It is the same strategy for a budding musician. Since we started, 40 per cent of our businesses have gone through referrals. That is what is working for us. And I think that is the strategy for every start-up.

With regards to quackery, I think it is Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest problem. I think it is not peculiar to PR. You have it manifested in different professions.

We see them in professions that require high level of training. Take for instance; we have people who have been bold enough to own hospitals yet lack no single training on health care services. It is a problem in Nigeria, but the only difference is that in PR, there is always a

How has the business fared since you started operation, and do you think it is growing at that pace you wanted when compared with the industry itself?

For us, it has been two years of fantastic journey. We started at zero level, started business when Nigeria slid into recession. It was really a tough time doing business at that time. For us as SMEs or start-up, it was an opportunity because clients became open to new ideas from anybody including us. Unlike those days, when briefs were for bigger agencies, but with budget cut, they had to rely on people who could match their ideas with a budget meant for start-ups. In real terms, I will say recession created strong entry for us and open doors such that where we showed up, all that was needed was to show capacity. I think that the clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reduced budget meant a lot to us, even though for big agencies, it could look like crumbs.

But for us, it means a lot because for every time we show capacity, it gave us opportunity to do more.

Coming to the issue around growth, I think there is a strong embrace for PR, and creative works. With what I have seen, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that growth will stop soon. Nigeria as a whole has a problem of perception, Africa as a whole has a problem of perception. We are also tending towards transparency as a country and business. So, PR stands in the best place to help businesses, nations wade through the difficulties that can assist in building reputations needed in that space.

Institute to Support SMEs in Business Process Management Raheem Akingbolu The Business Process Management Institute of Nigeria has committed to supporting the development of the business process framework and operations in the first 50 SMEs, start-ups and corporates that approaches it for assistance, free of charge.

This was one of the steps taken by the institute at the formal inauguration of its executive council and investiture

of Dr. Yahaya Fufore, as its pioneer president in Lagos.

The new Vice President, Mr Debo Adebayo, in the opening address at the event attended by business leaders, technocrats, professionals and public sector officials, shared that the BPMI Nigeria was established to address the gaps in business process management in the country.

He noted that Nigeria had a lot of start-ups and even blue-chip businesses that

were not structured in their operations, hence the need for them to align with the BPM guidelines.

Adebayo believed the adoption of business process management in the operations of business entities in Nigeria will aid economic growth and scale the competitive advantage of the nation.

Adebayo also asserted that the institute will serve as the engine room of knowledge sharing in business process

management in Nigeria.

Keynote Speaker Dr Nelson Uwaga, the current President of the Nigerian Institute of Management lauded the BPMI establishment in the country, stated that business process management has metamorphosed from an approach to a full-fledged discipline.

According to him â&#x20AC;&#x153;BPM helps companies to identify, execute, monitor and control automated and non-automated business processes to achieve

desired goalsâ&#x20AC;?.

Uwaga listed some of the benefits of Business Process Management, to include automation of processes, better customer service and satisfaction, quality control, aiding companies to take control of ambiguous cases, achieve swift resolution of tasks and effect cost-cutting measures.

Giving the outlook for business process management, Uwaga asserted that the

transition from the manual operations to digital will be critical. In terms of the valuation Uwaga said according to the Global Business Process Management report, the BPM was a $4.17bn industry in 2014 and is projected to hit $10.7bn in 2019. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business Process Management will be in high demand by the manufacturing, financial services, construction, telecommunications and healthcare sectorsâ&#x20AC;? Uwaga said.

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Prabhuzantye: Lower Internet Cost Will Support Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Revolution Head, Business Development, Middle East and Africa, Freshworks, Saurabh Prabhuzantye, in this interview with Peter Uzoho, explained that higher penetration, better speed and lower cost of mobile internet will continue to drive digital revolution in Africa Do you think countries in Africa are taking the right steps toward having digital economies?

Africa has digital economies. In fact, they are leaders in mobile economies and the west has not caught up. We skipped the computer wave and went straight to mobile. The best example is M-Pesa. Ten years after M-pesaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s launched, Apple is still struggling to drive mobile payments in the United States. Higher penetration, better speed and lower cost of mobile internet will continue to drive this revolution.

do their work, and collaboration with other teams. The software has to work for them.

They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to work for the software. And Freshworks believes in delivering these values through all the products which are developed on these basics principals of delivering exceptional experience, easy to use and something which is not heavy on pockets.

What are the IT trends that have made Nigeria a strong market for the company?

The market is sitting at an inflection point where consumers are coming online, businesses are coming online, and this is changing how business is done.

But why do ďŹ rms still have preference for foreign software?

Foreign software firms have an unfair advantage - access to capital and experienced talent that has been there, done that. Fortunately, the gap is shrinking. With more software engineers joining the job pool and gaining experience, the advantage is vanishing. These days, good software firms can be built outside the USA. There are examples - Skype from Estonia, Atlassian from Australia and now Freshworks from India.

What sort of value has Freshworks added to the IT space in its African markets?

Freshworks has helped clients to improve engagement and empower the teams to deliver exceptional customer experience for end users in the region through multiple solutions.

Freshworks recently announced the immediate availability of Freshworks 360, a fully integrated cloud bundle that brings together sales, marketing, and support applications to provide users with a full, easy-to-use customer engagement experience. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to quote the co-founder and CEO of Freshworks, Girish Mathrubootham, who said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For too long, small business and many enterprises have been left out in the cold when it when it comes to customer engagement software.

Sales, marketing and customer support professionals have been forced to use bloated, siloed customer relationship management

Firstly, the business angle. Whoever had retail stores now have to sell online and ship.

This means inventory has to be managed and displayed online, payments have to be made online and customers have to be engaged over chat and email, not phone. Secondly, the customer angle. Previously, customers only spoke to businesses. Now customers talk to other customers and to the world. This means businesses have to be present on facebook and twitter and participate in these conversations.

The important of support is amplified; you can say customer support is the new marketing.

Prabhuzantye

(CRM) and support systems, while HR and IT have been beholden to bulky products with unnecessary features and exorbitant price tags.

While we are thrilled to announce this new revenue milestone, we are on a mission to put easy-to-use business software in the hands of the people who need it and Freshworks 360 is a major step in helping us do exactly that.â&#x20AC;?

Freshservice, our information technology service management (ITSM) tool was able to address customer pain points like the absence

ITF to Train 13,000 Youths Ugo Aliogo The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to train 13,000 Nigerians across the country in 11 vocational skills.

This is in line with the ITFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renewed effort to equip Nigerians with skills in accordance with its mandate and ensure the achievement of federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy on job/ wealth creation.

The Director-General, Joseph Ari, who was disclosed recently in Jos while addressing a meeting of Area Managers of ITF Area Offices and Managers, explained that the declaration was informed by the growing realisation that accelerated skills acquisition was the only way to address rampant unemployment, especially among the youth.

Ari, who declared 2018 as a year of delivery, said the implementation of the programmes would start on various dates between July and August and end in November.

He said governments across the world have turned to

With new trends like the Consumerization of IT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what are the growth areas that Freshworks foresees for the African Market?

Employees expect enterprise IT software to be as easy-to-use as Whatsapp. They expect a good user experience, context that helps them

NDLEA Promotes 1,311 Staff Chinedu Eze

skills acquisition, which is the universal currency of the 21stt century, to arm their citizenry with skills for employability and growth.

The DG listed the skills programmes billed for implementation to include the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPC), Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, and Designing and Garment Making.

Within the same period, he said five other training programmes, including Post-Harvest Techniques and Product Development, AquaCulture/Fish Farming, Manure Production, Crop Production/ Greenhouse Technology and Poultry Farming, that are aimed at equipping farmers with the requisite skills for improved farm yield will be implemented using the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) Model.

of self-service, lack of transparency, lack of automated workflows & lack of a robust IT knowledge base.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the promotion of a total of 1,311 staff.

This was made up 1,291 staff within the rank and file and 20 others converted to officer cadre.

NDLEA said the promotion exercise followed the completion of the process set in motion by the Abdallah to address the lingering backlog of promotion.

Spokesman of the agency, Jonah Achema, said the conversion of 20 of NDLEA staff was also consistent with the federal government Circular referenced HCSF/EPO/EIR/ CND/100/98 of September 2016 which equates HND with degrees and as well as any other additional qualifications.

Abdallah explained that the exercise was expected to spur the benefitting staff to put in their best in the service of the agency and the nation.

Prior to the promotion exercise, the NDLEA workers had called for the probe and sack the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chairman, Col. Muhammad Mustapha

Abdallah (rtd).

The NDLEA officers in a petition against the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chairman, had said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our salary is the least among security agencies despite the high risk in fighting drug barons.

In addition, officers are highly aggrieved that the President has failed in terms of swift response to complaints of oppressive rule by Abdallah. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We, therefore, call on Buhari to investigate Abdallah to confirm if truly officers have been stagnated in one rank for 14 years; if indeed Abdallah has refused to release running cost to commanders since he assumed office; if officers are dispirited and dejected over poor welfare; if the entitlement of late officers have been utterly neglected and if Abdallah has been draining the overhead cost of the agency on unnecessary and corruption driven foreign trips.â&#x20AC;?

The workers alleged that the rot in NDLEA was due to incompetence and â&#x20AC;&#x153;callousnessâ&#x20AC;? of Abdallah and accused him of lack of vision, absence of interest in the job, lack of patriotism and ineptitude.

Who are some of your biggest clients in Nigeria and what has been their feedback about your products?

Some of the biggest clients in the region are Sterling Bank, Godrej, Pagatech, Dafabet, and Jab Jab Group to name a few. Freshdesk has been effective in helping them to provide their clients a great customer experience through fostering better engagement through all channels of communication. Freshworks customer engagement platform enhances team efficiency and improves business productivity for our clients. Our clients are in love with our product and absolutely love how Freshworks platform simplifies their life and help them serve their customers better.

Mobile Money Firm Recruiting Agents Fets Limited, one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading mobile money brand, is recruiting additional payment agents to facilitate business expansion A statement by the firm, quoted its CEO, Mrs Omotade Odunowo, to have said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;over the last few years, we have seen constant rise in demand for mobile money in Nigeria, and for our services in particular. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is why we would like to encourage interested agents to get in touch.â&#x20AC;?

The company explained that the recruitment drive was the result of the expansion of mobile money in Nigeria, as well as the growth of fets into one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief providers of mobile money services.

Announcing the recruitment launch, fets CEO Omotade Odunowo said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the last few years, we have seen the rise in demand for mobile money in Nigeria, and for our services in particular. Fetswallet, our award winning app, is

now being used regularly by over two million individuals and businesses, and there is still significant growth potential. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is why we would like to encourage interested payment agents to get in touch.â&#x20AC;?

According to the statement, to facilitate the recruitment of payment agents, fets has committed to providing free training and promotional materials to suitable candidates.

It will also provide the necessary logistics and on-going advice. added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want our services to be readily accessible to every citizen of Nigeria. That is why Fetswallet is the first mobile money app to be available in five of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main languages. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And this is also the reason for our current recruitment drive.

We want our users to be able to send money at a touch of button and cash in their transfer within minutes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wherever they are in Nigeria. If you can help us achieve this vision, please get in touch.â&#x20AC;?

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Ukatu: Govt Should Address Infrastructural Challenges The Chief Executive Officer of Mallinson and Partners, Mallinson Ukatu, speaks on the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector, in this interview with Ugo Aliogo What is your view about the land use charge debate we saw recently and how it affects you as a manufacturer?

The law is not favourable for manufacturing industries. The argument here is that in some areas where the manufacturer has constructed road, provided water supply and carried out maintenance on his factory, the individual is expected to receive returns on income tax for project done but does not get any returns.

We have paid tenement rates to Lagos and Ogun State governments respectively, but it was cancelled, on the grounds that the payment was for Land Use Charge. Most times, the government tax manufacturers based on the size of their properties or the location of their properties. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider if the manufacturers have made profits. They come with police officers to harass and intimidate manufacturers. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider how much you spend in running the facility, paying workers and staying in business. The situation is pathetic for us especially when you consider that much of the monies used in running the businesses are either loans from commercial banks and the Bank of Industry (BOI) which we have to repay on interest bases. The increase of the land use charge was tailored at generating more revenue for government. The continuous taxation without adequate provision of incentive is not in the best interest of manufacturers, especially when you consider that they are making frantic efforts in creating jobs, driving growth and producing goods and services to serve the economy.

The removal of the penalty regime provided additional relief to all property owners; other rates and reliefs, apart from the ones stated above would remain unchanged and would be implemented as stipulated by the law. Owners of property across all categories will now be allowed to make payments by instalments. This will help to reduce the burden of taxation on our citizens. These managers engage in taxing the people. In two occasions, they have sealed up my factory because there was no proper notice. We paid the tenement rate; they said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for local government council, while the land use charge is for the state government.

Initially, tenement rate was what we were paying before it was changed to land use charge. In one year, we paid the tenement rate and the land use charge.

On the issue of double taxation, how is it affecting your production?

Double taxation is a serious issue facing

Ukatu

the sector. However, we are discussing with consultants to understand the dynamics involved. I feel personally that there should be proper enlightenment from government on how to harmonise on the issue of double taxation. Proper enlightenment requires that manufacturers understand what the taxes they pay are used for. It does not make sense for a manufacturer to continue paying taxes when he is recording losses and not making profit. We have made it known to government to step down the double taxation placed on manufacturers in order to allow more people come into the business.

Double taxation is chasing people out of business and it is not in the best interest of industrialisation. We are making efforts to reduce the importation of fake goods into the country, by ensuring that we produce more goods for government and the economy. The

challenge is that there is no encouragement from government to motivate new people who want to come into manufacturing business. Eighty per cent of producers are not happy with the situation of this double taxation. For instance, for someone who resides in Lagos state and has a small business, also has a factory in Ogun state. The individual pays tax in Lagos and Ogun state respectively. Is it supposed to be that way? There must be a good enlightenment from government on how to harmonisation the issue of double taxation.

You recently accused the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON), the Nigeria Custom Service (NSC) and other regulatory bodies of becoming revenue generating bodies rather than regulatory bodies, what made you to describe them in such manner?

Raw material is very crucial for production

in manufacturing. Due to the infrastructural inadequacies, the Nigeria economy is not able to produce the raw materials needed for industrial production. We are not pleased with certain payments made to these agencies, because some of these payments are arbitrarily high. We pay so much to have a Form-M. In the area of SON CAP from overseas, we are paying 80 to 100 per cent higher. There are cases where they remind the manufacturer that he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay in a particular period, and then the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s container is held for a particular period, these charges are excessive.

The system on imported raw material is still analogue. When an individual have the Form M and have done the SON CAP and also provided some information that he is a registered manufacturer, there is no concession given to him. During the goods examination by Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) manufacturers are not able to ascertain if the goods are 100 per cent genuine for manufacturers. There was an incident that happened when we imported the re-factory blocks. Re-factory block is what is used in heating level for furnace. Similarly, it is more of finished tiles. We argued about it that it is raw material not finished goods and we ended up paying the duty that is not meant for it. People, who are not in the business, will end up classifying it as tiles and there is no regulatory body that will stand for you to say it is not tile material.

The longer you leave those containers, the higher the demurrage you end up paying. We have a system that is not automated, they still carry out manual examinations on the containers to ascertain what they are carrying. This takes a lot of time and affects production. Some of the things declared are real things for manufacturers, whereas some are out there arguing that it is not true. Some of the things that are not done right are duty declaration and HIS code.

There is always an argument about items imported. Therefore, there is need for the inclusion of the members of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in anything related to manufacturing in the port. This would go a long way in addressing the issue of manual examination at the ports. If the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) can be in the ports, sometimes to check the raw materials, MAN can also be in the ports to check the raw materials and let these regulatory agency know that it is a material for production.

Experts to Discuss Data Collaboration, Cybersecurity Emma Okonji The Cyberspace Network Limited in conjunction with IBM has put together a one-day hands-on workshop, where they will discuss data consolidation and cybersecurity.

The workshop themed, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Data Consolidation and Harnessing: The Foundation and Sustenance of National Development,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; will hold next week in Abuja.

Cyberspace is a business

partner of IBM with specialisations in Server and Storage Systems.

Addressing the press on the workshop, the Chief Marketing Officer Cyberspace Network Limited, Mr. Olusola Bankole said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;At workshop, we will be showing participants how developed nations are driving national development with data.â&#x20AC;?

The workshop will draw participants from all industry

verticals viz public sector, conglomerates and logistics, financial services, higher institutions of learning, telcos and multinationals. According to Bankole, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arguably, big data, as it is referred today because of the size and technology involved, remains the next frontier for innovation, competitive advantage, and productivity.

And it is creating new revenue opportunities across nearly

every industry.â&#x20AC;?

While explaining the significance of big Data, Bankole said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;it is no news that insight gained from data is driving the biggest nations of the world and engendering monumental innovative result across industries. In banking and retail businesses, insight from data is used to better understand customer behaviour and preferences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In public Infrastructure, it

is used to fuel smart cities. In healthcare, it is used to better understand and predict disease pattern and find new curesâ&#x20AC;?.

Cyberspace has attained the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) level 3 certification. The CMMI is a software development process improvement approach, which has become the standard for measuring an organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capability to apply a process based methodology to software

development. Prior to the Level 3 Certification, Cyberspace has developed, implemented and supporting countless number of business applications.

According to Bankole, CMMI helps to integrate traditionally separate organisational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.

Ativo Launches Fundraising Platform in Nigeria Quickraiz, one of the biggest fundraising platform in Nigeria, has been launched by an indigenous company, Ativo Limited, a subsidiary of Electronic Payplus (Epayplus) Limited.

The launch, which took place in Lagos, was witnessed by captains of industry and other distinguished personalities.

According to the Chairman,

Epayplus Ltd., Ade Adedeji, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ativo Limited, is a technology company established to consistently deliver sustainable innovative interventions that create economic development.

We are looking for societal problems that require technological solutions in every facet of the economy with the aim of creating opportunities, better lifestyle and convenience.â&#x20AC;?

He noted that Quickraiz is the first product coming from the stable of Ativo Limited, and that it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;designed to create a marketplace where people with genuine causes meet the benevolence and support of individuals, groups and organisations.â&#x20AC;? He said with Quickraiz, individuals or corporate organisations with causes ranging from

emergency support, medical funding, weddings, charity, education, political campaigns, memorials, alumni association contributions, sport funding, group gifting, travels and so on, could raise funds in an easy and secure online community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we unveil this solution today, the anxiety of no support at the most critical point of our lives is been eliminated. I therefore,

encourage every one of us to support this solution by reaching out to our country men that will be needing your support when it arises and also rekindle the hope of many by encouraging them to launch that campaign on Quickraiz.â&#x20AC;?

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Epayplus Ltd., Mr. Bayo Adeokun said Quickraiz, was designed to

bridge the gap in the fundraising ecosystem of the economy with focus on crowd funding.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our focus has been towards providing a reliable, convenient and highly functional platform. We have generated several feedbacks through different mediums deliberately to feel the pulse of our would-be users and eventually used them as a vehicle to achieve top notch service.â&#x20AC;?

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Rubio: Corruptionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Human Rights Problem On the sidelines of a high-level workshop on international anti-corruption best practices, organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (focal point of the local TI chapter in Nigeria, headed by Auwal Musa Ibrahim aka Rafsanjani) with support from the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation, which took place in Abuja recently, Chair of Transparency International, Ms. Delia Ferreira Rubio, shared her views on corruption and other development issues, in an exclusive interview with Abimbola Akosile. Excerpts:

C

But not only that; in those countries we have also not just petty corruption produced by interactions with individuals not at a very high level of the decision-making process. These countries also have grand corruption and grand corruption means other forms of victimisation of the society in general. Because it means the public resources are going to private pockets, not only private pockets in the country but also travelling to havens, tax havens or money laundering havens...

an you tell us, who is Delia Ferriera Rubio, and why are you here in Nigeria?

I am from Argentina, I am a lawyer. And in October last year, I was elected Chair of Transparency International. Transparency International is a global organisation against corruption which has chapters in more than 100 countries and we have more than 20 individual members. This year, we are 25 years old and it is a great organisation and we have achieved lots of things in these 25 years.

Capital ďŹ&#x201A;ight...

Yeah, and this means stolen assets from the people. So the money which is not in schools, in roads, in hospitals, in water, in sanitation is the money of the corruption. So in that sense again, corruption is a problem of human rights and ordinary lives of the people in our countries.

They are really the victims and that is why they should be involved in the fight against corruption.

In this ďŹ rst visit to Nigeria and Africa, what is your ďŹ rst impression about the people, about the environment?

Well, this is my first time here geographically in Africa, but I have been working with many of our chapters during our meetings and conferences in Berlin and in other parts of the world so I am familiar with the chapters that are working here in Africa and the work they are doing. The situation here in terms of corruption is not so different from the situation in my region Latin America; we have lots of countries that are performing very poorly in terms of corruption, and so the problems are common. The solutions may be similar and it is important to change to exchange experiences and learn from the experiences of other countries in the world, not just from the very transparent countries giving lessons to us but also collaborating among us with our common problems.

As the Chair of TI, can you tell us very brieďŹ&#x201A;y the differences between corruption perception and reality?

I suppose you are talking about our Index. The Index of perception in public sector corruption is an index of indexes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not ran by Transparency International; all we do is to collect information from any sources which analyse governance, transparency questions in the countries and it is not an index to measure the quantity of corruption but how the public sector in one country is perceived by academics, specialists, experts and international organisations.

In that sense we then statistically produce an index from all these sources and that is what we produce each year as the index of perception of corruption. Some people say, okay, why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you measure the number of causes at the tribunals or courts for instance in order to know real cases of corruption or why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you measure convictions, which is even stronger; evidence-based decisions that convicted persons responsible for corruption.

The problem is that convictions or processes initiated in court doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that the country is more or less corrupt. You can have lots of convictions because the country is very transparent and whenever a case appears, they manage to

TI Chair, Delia Rubio

produce a conviction of those responsible. And you can have instances of lots of procedures open at the judiciary and at the courts and that is the consequence of a well-functioning system of anti-corruption. So, that is not really the fact; the fact that you have lots of convictions doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean you have lots of corruption. So we decided many years ago to resort to a proxy and the proxy is how the public sector is perceived in terms of corruption.

From the latest TI Corruption Perception Index ranking, around 69 per cent of the countries that were ranked scored below 50 marks out of 100. It paints a gloomy picture; does it give any room for improvement?

Yes, it gives room for improvement; without that I hope, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been working 30 years in anti-corruption in a country which ranking is very low in the scale, which is my country Argentina. I think that a factor which is important is that corruption is a pervasive and endemic

reality in many of our countries and that means we have a challenge to face and to tackle. You mentioned 69 per cent of the countries; this year we analysed 180 countries in the world. In order to be considered in the index the country has to be analysed at least by three international sources measuring governance and anti-corruption. So from these 180 countries, 69 per cent are under 50 marks. Our scale goes from 100 marks which means highly transparent to zero mark which means highly corrupt. And the importance of this 69 per cent of the countries below 50 marks is that they represent, they are the countries where more than 6 billion people are living. And that is really what struck me because it shows that corruption really is a human rights problem.

It means that more than 6 billion people are exposed to corruption every day in their lives when they want a place in the school or a bed in the hospital or they want a subsidy, a social subsidy, from the state or they want the ID card and in order to get that they have to pay a bribe.

In the 2017 CP Index, Nigeria scored 27 marks and slid down 12 places...what is your take on this?

My personal opinion is that you have to look at the relation of the scores that the country has been getting through the years because that depends on the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities. The ranking may be influenced by the position of the performance of other countries in the neighbourhood of the ranking. So you can go up or down depending on the quantity of countries in each of the CPI each year or the relative performance of that country. But in order to assess how a country is doing, now we can compare the scores one year after one year.

And many people have told me, okay, we have passed the laws, we have created the agencies, in fact we have lots of agencies here in Nigeria and it has not been reflected in the Index. Number one, the index has not an immediate reflection of this kind of things because it is a perception index. So in order to regain trust and regain confidence and reputation, you have to have the rules passed and the agencies approved or created but you have to have the time to show the world that they are implemented, that they are effective and that they have made a difference from before. So probably it takes more than just one year or more in order to have the change in the score of the country.

But nevertheless it is not enough to create rules or pass laws or to create agencies, or to appoint persons in certain responsibilities. What is important is, what is the impact of that in the corruption situation in the country?

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

RANDOM THOTS Executive Order The war is still ongoing; the contenĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă? âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă&#x153; ÍžË&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?cently signed by President MuhamĂ&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most potent weapon against corruption. While defending the Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ʨĂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2122;Ă? asked those opposed to it to go to court. Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ë&#x153; âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ë&#x203A; Íž Ă&#x2122;Ă? ͺ͸͚Î&#x20AC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?strict dealings in suspicious assets sub-

Ă&#x201D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; on corruption in order to preserve such Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? alleged criminals of the proceeds of their illicit activities which can otherĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ëš Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;cial processes.

Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă? to prevent loot from vanishing or being Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;leged corrupt persons are ongoing in the Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2DC;ĂŁ Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ě&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2122;ĘľĂ?Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ

Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x17D; for the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development. Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2013;Ă?ĂŁ erâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple understanding.

Chase novel around 35 years ago titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The guilty are afraidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Why is the average Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; ËŤ Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; man or woman not crying foul over this Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? new order? Those who have deprived Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ʨĂ&#x2018;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x17E; the masses of their entitlements from Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153; the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treasury are in for a torrid Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x201C;ĘľĂ?Ă&#x153;ĂŁË&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă? time; reason for the hue and cry concernĂ?Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x152;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E; ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;ËŞĂ&#x17E; ing it (order). For a nation that wants to Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ë&#x203A;ËŹ Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; against corruption is a must-win for Ni- would be counter-productive...basic fact geria in order to free national resources -Abimbola Akosile

33

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

Ëš

No looter will escape this emergency declaration!

FIDELIS OROKOH

Is Emergency Declaration on Corruption Enough?

PMB recently declared emergency on corruption in a bid to tackle the biggest setback to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development process. But some analysts believe the declaration should also lead to a lifestyle audit on public officials. To you, is the declaration of emergency on corruption in Nigeria sufficient to tackle the scourge?

Abimbola Akosile r*U JT KVTU OPU FOPVHI (PWFSONFOU NVTU EFDMBSF the same emergency on nepotism, tribalism, taxation of assets and unemployment and make it constitutional. These pillars of the corruption industry will thus be weakened.

- Mrs. Ncharam Roseline (JP), Owerri, Imo State

THE RESPONSE Yes, it is enough:

3

No, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough

9

Others:

5

FG self-purge!

Radical tip: r:FT OBUJPOBM FNFSHFODZ EFDMBSBUJPO PO DPSruption involves all true citizens. Auditing every citizen where applicable will allow police Total no of respondents: 17 identify and expose all thieving fraudsters for KVTUJDF *U IBT CFDPNF JNQFSBUJWF UP SFUPPM PVS 14 Male: arsenal to tackle corruptionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lethal counter3 Female: attacks against the Nigerian State. More than 90 per cent of Nigerians, including over 63 Abuja (5) Highest location: million youths, are dehumanised by corruption through abject poverty, hunger, misery, is just propaganda because all of us are corrupt hopelessness, etc. The time to act is now.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, in one way or the other. When you disobey the law of the land, then that is worse than Lagos State corruption. We shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deceive ourselves. r*U JT OPU FOPVHI $IBSJUZ UIFZ TBZ CFHJOT $PSSVQUJPO IBT DPNF UP TUBZ BT MPOH BT UIFSF at home. The ruling party should first of all is no truth in our leaders. go after its corrupt officials. There should be - Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna State no sacred cows or soft landing.

- Mr. JohnKen Ogwuegbu, Owerri, Imo r %FDMBSJOH FNFSHFODZ PO DPSSVQUJPO XJUIPVU State lifestyle audit on public officials will not have r*U JT OPU FOPVHI CVU XF OFFE UP VOEFSTUBOE the desired effect. Financial corruption has the different kinds of corruption and to develop robbed the country of critical infrastructure TNBSU SFTQPOTFT $JUJ[FOT GSPN UIF QSJWBUF for wealth creation; hence many Nigerians sector, academicians, civil society groups and are living in poverty. Government should development partners should help govern- be serious in fighting corruption. ment in identifying the problems and find - Mr. Austine Nwanya, Solid mineral lasting solutions. Government should invest in consultant, Abuja institutions and policy, punish corrupt people, keep citizens engaged on corruption issues at r* EPO U CFMJFWF UIBU UIFZ BSF SFBMMZ Ă HIUJOH local, national and global levels, ensure good corruption yet and that is the thinking of most governance, and make use of the platforms Nigerians. There are many in PMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet that should be facing corruption charges by that exist for engagement.

- Mr. Michael Adedotun Oke, Founder, now but they are there enjoying their loot.

Michael Adedotun Oke Foundation, Federal *G UIFZ SFBMMZ XBOU UP Ă HIU DPSSVQUJPO UIFZ would have created courts for corruption Capital Territory, Abuja cases which will hasten trials. The corruption r/JHFSJB T DPSSVQUJPO CFHBO XJUI MFBEFSTIJQ courts created in Brazil in 2014 had concluded and trickled downwards to consume the entire 189 cases as at last year. One of the courts fabrics of our society. Making public office sentenced their former woman president to roles less of a career and more of genuine prison. The international community is seeing service to our nation would help too, in us as not been serious. Some corruption cases have been on since 2007; what a country! addition to other measures.

- Mr. Nduanya Egbuna, Political Scientist, - Ms. Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos State Enugu r* EPO U UIJOL TP 5IJT JT CFDBVTF DPSSVQUJPO as far as Nigerians are concerned, is just lip r *U JT B TUFQ JO UIF SJHIU EJSFDUJPO CVU UIBU T TFSWJDF %FDMBSBUJPO PG FNFSHFODZ PO DPSSVQUJPO not enough because the government have

to let the people know that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fight that belongs to the masses and not government alone. People at the grassroots need to know the dangers that corruption has done to them.

- Mr. Feyisetan Akeeb Kareem, OgwashiUkwu, Delta State

- Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna State

r%FDMBSBUJPO PG TUBUF PG FNFSHFODZ PO DPSruption is commendable and action should follow. However, the usual talking points havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been fully addressed. What is being done to assure Nigerians the anti-corruption r:FT (PWFSONFOU JT XPSLJOH IBSE UP EFGFBU struggle is not selective? Look at Executive and reverse the culture of pilfering public Order Number 6, for instance; why now? funds and to avoid plunging Nigeria into This government should do more to show turmoil. PMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s declaration of emergency on transparency! the crisis sends strong signal that drastic - Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, B.A.R., Apo, actions will be taken to tame this monster. Abuja Public officials must therefore be audited for all those culpable to account for their r/P UIF EFDMBSBUJPO JT OPU FOPVHI 5PQ TVEEFO JMMJDJU BOE IVHF XFBMUI *U T UJNF officials in this present administration deserve to kill corruption now. prosecution and jail terms, like the former - Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State SGF, who was accused of corrupt acts. PMB must purge his own cabinet first! r5IF EFDMBSBUJPO PG FNFSHFODZ PO DPSSVQUJPO - Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State is a good development but not enough to UBDLMF UIF TDPVSHF *U TIPVME BMTP JODMVEF r*U JT MPOH PWFSEVF UP EFDMBSF FNFSHFODZ PO lifestyle audit on public officials to completely corruption because our so-called politicians wipe out the monster from Nigeria so that have fooled Nigerians by stealing our comwe can take our rightful place in the comity NPOXFBMUI *U JT B HPPE TUFQ JO UIF SJHIU of nations. God bless Nigeria. direction for the President to sign the bill in - Mr. Odey Ochicha, Leadership Specialist, order to end corruption in governance. We Abuja all must applaud him despite the criticism from some quarters over the law. r5IF POMZ EFDMBSBUJPO /JHFSJBOT XBOU UP - Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public hear is that special courts for corruption Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State cases be speedily established so cases can be dealt with expeditiously. On the lifestyle audit, this was done faithfully in the past Next Week:Your Devt Priorities for VOEFS $JWJM 4FSWJDF SVMFT 8IZ JU JT OPU Second Half? done today, is a mystery. This should be Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;reintroduced and even be made law by an Ă?Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ʨĂ&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? act of parliament. Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁË&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; - Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State

Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2122; ĂŁĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x161; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?ËŁ Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2022;Ă? ĂŁĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? ĂŁĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x203A; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă&#x17E;ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁ Ě&#x2122; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ Í&#x2019;Í&#x161; Ęś Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁË&#x153; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ Í&#x201C;Í&#x201D;Ě&#x161; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@gmail.comË&#x153; Ă&#x2039;bimbola.akosile@ r5IF EFDMBSBUJPO JT OPU FOPVHI FWFO JG JU thisdaylive.comË&#x203A; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2122; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; is good, because the fight against corrup- Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă?âĂ&#x17E; Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; 08023117639 Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ëš tion is not holistic, without fear, favour, Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; 08188361766 Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;ËšĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x153; 08114495306Ë&#x203A; segregation or ill-will. People bowed to authority because it was backed by united Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁË&#x153; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ Í&#x201C;Í&#x2014; wisdom, affection, tact and diplomacy. r5IF QSFTJEFOU T EFDMBSBUJPO JT BO BOBUIFNB UP GSFF BOE GBJS FMFDUJPO *U T OPU FOPVHI because the institutions that are supposed to do corruptionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bidding are rather rubber stamps to fight lopsided corruption cases.

The president must see fighting corruption as not Buhari fight alone but a national fight where institutions will do the fighting under the ambit of the law.

- Mr. Mark Ushie, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja

34

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͷ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

In Epe, Lagos aquaculture takes the front seat

KUNLE OGUNFUYI

Mohammed Advocates New Approaches for Realising 2030 Agenda Urges tangible actions to redirect major investment towards SDGs Abimbola Akosile The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has called on governments and development stakeholders to adapt new approaches for realising the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

Mohammed also urged stakeholders to take tangible actions to redirect major investment towards SDGs, at the opening of the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, in New York, USA, Monday.

In her remarks at the opening of the ministerial segment of the 2018 High-Level Political Forum, she called for re-aligning of plans and much wider action to move forward at the speed and scale required to ensure global sustainable development.

According to her, “Almost three years have passed since world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda (for Sustainable Development), a road map for peaceful and prosperous societies on a healthy planet.

“The HLPF is our annual opportunity to take stock of implementation efforts responding to that road map. The six goals in focus this year are

an engine for driving inclusive and sustainable growth. Above all the HLPF is an opportunity to respond to two central questions: first, are we on track to achieve our Goals by 2030? And second, what do we need do differently over the coming years to deliver better results?

“On the positive side, it is already clear that we are seeing evidence of progress in some areas - such as maternal and child mortality, tackling childhood marriage, expanding access to electricity, addressing global unemployment and cutting the rate of forest loss around the globe.

But, it is equally clear that in other areas, we are either moving too slowly, or losing momentum.

I saw these challenges first-hand in South Sudan, Niger and Chad”, Mohammed noted.

According to her, “For the first time in a decade, the number of people who are undernourished has increased - from 777 million people in 2015 to 815 million in 2016 - fundamentally undermining our commitment to leaving no one behind.

“Poverty is becoming increasingly urban, with most of the world’s extreme poor projected to live in urban settings by 2035. Young people remain three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Access to water is improving, but basic

sanitation remains off track.

“The rate of progress on access to energy, including renewable energy, is not fast enough to meet our target. We need to also double our efforts on energy efficiency. 250 million more people in Africa have no access to clean fuels for cooking compared to 2015.

“We are seeing alarming decline in biodiversity, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, extreme weather conditions and increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. And we know that reducing biodiversity loss and stopping land degradation will require more than increasing protected areas and forest coverage.

“At the same time, we have not yet managed to unlock and direct the scale of the resources needed towards the financing of the sustainable development agenda. Indeed, ODA (official development assistance) commitments of 0.7 per cent of gross national income remain unmet by many countries. Therefore, even the call to leverage private finance using ODA would remain hollow if it remains unmet.”

The Deputy Scribe observed that “We have 12 years to realise the Sustainable Development Goals. That’s just 4,551 days left, or just over 3,000

working days if you insist on taking weekends off. The clock is ticking, but the transformation towards resilient and sustainable societies is not only still possible - it is an absolute imperative.

“The SDGs have already had a major impact on the thinking and actions of a wide range of stakeholders across the world. Governments have adapted plans and policies with the 2030 Agenda as their guiding light.

“New multi-stakeholder initiatives have emerged.

New institutions have been established. Cities, local and regional authorities and some private sector actors - actors with immense influence on peoples’ everyday lives - are increasingly taking ownership of the Goals”, she added.

“But to move forward, at the speed and scale required, we need much deeper and much wider action. Just over one month ago, Member States approved an ambitious reform of the United Nations development system, to ensure that the UN can offer governments the right response and new tools to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda.

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

Kwara Expends N6.5bn on Water Reticulation in Eight Years

CHEDI, W’Bank Staff Empower 40 Women in FCT

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Paul Obi in Abuja

Kwara state government has said it has expended a total sum of over N6.5 billion between 2009 and 2018 on water reticulation schemes for the residents of Ilorin metropolis and other parts of the state.

The state commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Abdulkadir Yusuf, who spoke with journalists on the state’s stride at a news conference on the provision of water supply to the residents of the state, said by the time the water reticulation project is completed, the perennial water shortage in the city and other parts of the state would come to an end.

Yusuf who was accompanied

by a consultant to the state government on the water rehabilitation project, Prof.

Sulaiman Adeyemi, said a sum of N1.9 billion was also captured in the 2018 budget to be spent on tertiary water reticulation in some parts of the state to ensure regular supply of potable water.

He said water challenge had lingered for so long in the metropolis because of the need to provide adequate water production, renewal of water distribution network, increase storage capacity, restoration of old pipes, and provision of adequate water treatment plant.

Yusuf, who said the state government, since 2003, had been able to double water treat-

ment capacity in the metropolis, added that water connection to communities, particularly in the Ilorin metropolis, would be unveiled in September.

He explained that water provision project, is in primary, secondary and tertiary stages, and added that homes would have opportunity to connect to state water corporation pipes after completion of the tertiary water reticulation scheme.

He, however, said the state government would still need to carry out a lot of investment in water project in the near future with daily expansion of the Ilorin metropolis and other parts of the state with attendant increased population.

Citizens Health, Education and Development Initiatives (CHEDI) and World Bank staff have empowered 40 women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in various skill acquisition and trades. The empowerment was a collaborative effort by CHEDI and staff of World Bank’s Nigerian Country Office to assist women through interventions such as training and skill acquisition.

Speaking at the training’s graduation ceremony at Durumi, Abuja, Executive Director of CHEDI, Selina Akunna Enyioha explained that the empowerment was geared towards reducing poverty among women across

the capital city.

She stated that with CHEDI, the aim is provide proper skill acquisition, adding that, “some people claim they have skill acquisition training, but when they go there, there is nothing to show for it.

“We budgeted to train 30 participants and empower only 8 of them due to paucity of funds, but we ended up training 40 participants because it was a very difficult task for our staff to stop others who wanted to join the training. “We wish we had more funds to accommodate all that had wanted to be trained.

Based on the advice of our training consultants and also to encourage all the 40 participants, they are all to receive certificates

of participation, while the 30 originally chosen participants will be empowered.

Enyioha said, “This was not really easy, but we have to over-stretch ourselves to ensure that we empower all the 30 trained participants. It was not easy setting out and abiding by the criteria for the selection of those to be empowered, as all the participants demonstrated serious commitment to the programme. “Consequently, we have invited SMEDA and the Central Bank of Nigeria responsible for supporting small scale businesses to talk to us on how to go about sourcing funds to start and sustain these skills we have just taught you for these three weeks.

35

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͷ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“A strong and effective International Criminal Court (ICC) has the potential to send a powerful message about the international community’s commitment to accountability. It can also act as a catalyst for other justice efforts.These could include serious cases of corruption by state actors that severely compromise the development efforts of countries and throw citizens into greater povert” - PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI SPEAKING ATTHE HAGUE

Cassava Growers Train Edo Farmers on Mechanisation, GAP Edo SUBEB trains 300 teachers Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

UN Finalises First Ever Global Compact for Migration Abimbola Akosile The text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration has been finalised. It was finalised recently at the United Nations headquarters in New York, USA. According to a release, this is the first time that Member States of the United Nations have come together to negotiate an agreement covering all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

The Global Compact is the culmination of thematic discussions and consultations among Member States and such actors as local officials, civil society representatives and migrants themselves; stocktaking and reflection on the views that were shared; and intergovernmental negotiations.

In total, the open, transparent and inclusive process lasting over 18 months led to unprecedented dialogue and learning by all participants on the realities of international migration, the release noted.

The agreement now forms a basis to improve governance and international understanding of migration, to address the challenges associated with migration today, and to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.

Calling the day a “historic moment,” the President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laják, said the Global Compact’s potential was huge.

He added, “It can guide us from a reactive to a proactive mode. It can help us to draw out the benefits of migration, and mitigate the risks. It can provide a new platform for cooperation. And it can be a resource, in finding the right balance between the rights of people and the sovereignty of States. And, in December, it will formally become the first comprehensive framework on migration the world has ever seen.”

Also taking the floor was the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, who said, “Migration raises

Rescued African migrants profound issues: around State sovereignty and human rights; around what constitutes voluntary movement; the relationship between development and mobility; and how to support social cohesion.”

She added, “This compact demonstrates the potential of multilateralism: our ability to come together on issues that demand global collaboration - however complicated and contentious they may be.”

Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral (SRSG) for International Migration, Ms. Louise Arbour, added, “Human mobility will be with us, as it has always been. Its chaotic, dangerous exploitative aspects cannot be allowed to become a new normal.

The implementation of the Compact will bring safety, order and economic progress to everyone’s benefit.”

Also at the meeting were the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Switzerland to the United Nations, the co-facilitators who led the process and drafted the document.

The Permanent Representative of Mexico, H.E. Mr. Juan José Ignacio Gómez Camacho,

RED ICE TV said, “Migration was the only global issue that remained off the agenda at the UN. The Global Compact not only makes a practical difference in the lives of millions of migrants globally, but recognises that no country can address it alone. The reason why this process was successful is because we negotiated based on evidence and facts, not perceptions and prejudices.”

The Permanent Representative of Switzerland, H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber, added, “This text puts migration firmly on the global agenda. It will be a point of reference for years to come and induce real change on the ground. I view the successful conclusion of our negotiation as a strong commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation.”

The agreement will be formally adopted

by Member States at the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 10 and 11 December 2018. Ms. Arbour will serve as the Secretary-General of the Conference.

The Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) has completed training for farmers in Edo State on farm mechanisation and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

Explaining the rationale for the training, held in Benin City, the Edo State Chairman, NCGA, Donatus Imaghodor, noted that “The training will equip farmers with the tools and knowledge of how to increase and improve farm yield by deploying the right methods and techniques.

This will enable them make more profit from the same size of land with less labour.”

He said the input from farmers at the end of the programme will assist the state government fulfill Governor Godwin Obaseki’s campaign promise to create 200,000 jobs for the youth.

“It will also assist the farmers to contribute significantly to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and make the state the food basket of the nation,” he assured.

Imaghodor expressed appreciation to Obaseki for his systematic efforts towards the development of the state especially in the area of agriculture, adding, “I appeal to the governor to help open more farmland, recognise smallholder farmers as they contribute in their little way to food security.”

A farmer, who participated in the event, Imafidon Helen, expressed delight at the training, noting, “I am happy that Edo State Government is focusing on agriculture to create jobs for youth in the state.”

Imafidon added, “This training has equipped us with the necessary information needed to embrace mechanised farming to enhance our productivity and increase our income with less labour.” Marketing Communication Manager, Dizengoff Nigeria, Humphrey Otalor, explained that the training was organised to enlighten the farmers and assist them improve their yield.

“Edo state is a place we fill comfortable and encouraged to empower farmers because the government has shown interest in agriculture.

The government is serious about creating jobs through agribusiness.”

He said the training would encourage youth in the state to go into farming and help eradicate food scarcity. Meanwhile, the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has flagged off the training of 300 teachers drawn from 300 public primary schools in the state in the pilot scheme of the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme.

Acting Chairperson, Edo SUBEB and Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic Education, Dr. Joan Oviawe, disclosed this when executives of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) called at her office, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The Edo-BEST is a basic education reform blueprint that prioritises deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in teaching, harmonises teaching and learning outcomes across locations and promotes an interactive classroom management model, among others.

The meeting was to get the buy-in of the leadership of the NUT and unveil how the reforms will revolutionise the basic education subsector in the state. Oviawe said the scope of work for EDO- BEST would include governance and institutional development; teacher and curriculum development; community participation and partnership, and infrastructure and organisational development. She added that the reforms will be spread across the 18 Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs).

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

36

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 07010510430

Responding to Disease Outbreak In a country prone to disease outbreaks due to poor healthcare and its corollaries – high mortality rate, late reportage of cases, and poor diagnosis of illnesses – there seems to be a glimmer of hope as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control commences the establishment of State Public Health Emergency Operations Centres in 18 states of the federation. Martins Ifijeh writes

I

t is common knowledge that Nigerians are exposed to countless severe conditions that are largely politician-made. As they say, in Nigeria, when it rains, it pours.

This is what plays out during disease outbreaks in the country, resulting in high level of casualties.

For instance, during the worst Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in the history of Nigeria between 2016 and 2017, at least 14,542 suspected cases were recorded, leading to 1,166 deaths. Of these cases, only 1,006 samples were tested, which highlights a very low sample testing capacity in the country.

Also, 37 local government areas reached the epidemic threshold at the time, thereby showing several gaps in preparedness and response to CSM, and other infectious diseases.

In the same vein, in February this year, Nigeria recorded what could be described as the biggest Lassa fever outbreak its history, with a total of 2,845 persons placed on red alert, while at least 317 laboratory cases were confirmed. Between January 1 and February 28, 2018, the outbreak spread to 18 states, killing 72 persons, according to figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Public Health Emergency Centres Global health experts believe one of the ways to address death and high incidence of disease outbreak is effective public health emergency response, as seen in many developed countries of the world.

Thus, with the recent plan by NCDC to establish Public Health Emergency Operation Centres (PHEOC) in at least 18 states of the federation, there is hope of changing the narrative; a strategy that will strengthen the capacity of states to respond to disease outbreaks more effectively while NCDC remains a supportive and coordinating point for the centres.

Specifically, the 18 centres will serve as facilities for multi-agency incident command and control structures which will help NCDC streamline the coordination of disease outbreaks and response to incidents and events of public health importance.

Chikwe commissions PHEOC in Bayelsa

PHOTOS: MARTIN IFIJEH

Bayelsa PHEOC Kicks Off NCDC has kicked off the planting of the centres, starting with Zamfara, the Federal

In 2017, Nigeria faced one of its largest outbreaks of Cerebrospinal Meningitis caused by a relatively new sero-group. At the time, the epicentre of the outbreak was in Zamfara State where late reporting and detection of cases had contributed to high morbidity and mortality from the disease

Chikwe: Centres will strengthen states’ capacity to address disease outbreaks

Capital Territory and Bayelsa, with the hope that within the next six months, other centres in the country will be fully active and ready to any combat disease outbreaks head on.

Speaking during the commissioning of the PHEOC in Bayelsa State, Chief Executive Officer,

NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the idea behind the establishment of the centres was to strengthen disease surveillance, response and coordination across the country, adding that this will aid in reducing deaths occasioned by outbreaks of CSM, Lassa fever, Cholera,

Monkey pox and Yellow fever.

According to him, “In 2017, Nigeria faced one of its largest outbreaks of CSM caused by a relatively new sero-group. At the time, the epicentre of the outbreak was in Zamfara State where late reporting and detection of

37

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

HEALTH

L-R: Aniaku, Chikwe and Chief Medical Director, Niger Delta Teaching Hospital, Okolobia, Prof. Dimie Head of Service, Bayelsa State, Rev. Thomas Zidafamor Ogonia

L-R Commissioner for Health, Bayelsa State, Prof. Prof. Ebitimitula Nicholas Etebu_ and Dr. Chikwe

cases had contributed to high morbidity and mortality from the disease. Subsequently, the country has experienced outbreaks of Lassa fever, cholera as well as a resurgence of yellow fever and Monkeypox.

“A pivotal foundation for outbreak response activities is coordination. Unfortunately, many states across the country have performed below par in responding to disease outbreaks, including coordinating activities at various levels of government and partners.

“Against this background, the NCDC has begun a project to establish state PHEOCs. These centres will serve as facilities for multi-agency incident command and control structures during outbreaks. Our goal is to streamline the coordination of outbreaks and response to incidents and events of public health importance.

With these centres, states have a strengthened capacity to monitor, detect and respond early to disease outbreaks in the country.”

Extension On plans for extension, Ihekweazu noted that since the start of the project in January 2018, state EOCs have been established in Zamfara, FCT and Bayelsa State, adding that over the next few months, this will be extended to 16 other states in the country.

He said NCDC’s priority currently was in

states without EOCs, adding that with an increased risk of infectious diseases, it is very important for every state government to take ownership of coordinating its outbreak

Our goal is to streamline the coordination of outbreaks and response to incidents and events of public health importance. With these centres, states have a strengthened capacity to monitor, detect and respond early to disease outbreaks in the country

Deputy Director, Bayelsa State Ministry of Health, Dr. Jone Stow

response activities.

“Each state EOC is networked to the NCDC Incident Coordination Centre and a weekly coordination call is held to ensure communication lines are always open. By the end of 2018, we hope to have reached 18 states in the country and built a stronger health emergency preparedness and response capacity in Nigeria,” he added.

Ihekweazu explained that the role of NCDC in enhancing Nigeria’s preparedness and response to communicable diseases outbreaks is aimed at reducing adverse impacts of predictable and unpredicted public health emergencies.

Adding that national strengthening of this capacity requires inclusive and collaborative approach with state public health departments as a major stakeholder.

According to him, a number of strategies have been put in place at the national, including instituting multi-agency incident command and control mechanisms during outbreaks, setting up diseases specific technical working groups and providing strategic capacity building opportunities for personnel.

“At the states level, there are varying emergency response capabilities both in terms of burden of diseases, manpower availability and the readiness to act in a coordinated manner when required,” he added.

On his part, the Team Lead, PHEOC, Dr.

Everistus Aniaku, says establishment of the centres will be in phases, noting that the first phase which must have been commissioned by NCDC by the end of July this year includes six priority states, which are; Zamfara, FCT, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Enugu, and Ebonyi State.

He stated, “We have fully established and commissioned three centres now which are the Zamfara, FCT and Bayelsa. In two weeks’ time, we will be commissioning that of Cross River, then Enugu and Ebonyi will follow almost immediately.

“The second phase which is already been put together for commissioning includes the PHEOCs in Kebbi, Nassarawa, Ondo and Lagos state. Our CEO, Dr. Chikwe is very passionate about addressing all issues regarding disease response and coordination in the country, hence we are optimistic that he will lead us into establishing all 18 PHEOCs by the end of this year.”

According to him, for each centres established and commissioned, NCDC will not only equip the facilities, but trains the PHEOC staff on capacity building, while also supporting with other structures needed to run an effective and functional PHEOCs. With the proposed establishment of EOCs across the country, Nigerians are hopeful they will no longer lose their loved ones to the incessant outbreaks in the country.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

38

NEWS

Ambode Advocates IMNCH Strategy in Tackling Maternal, Child Mortality Martins Ifijeh Wife of the governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, has lent her support to the new Integrated, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) strategy adopted in Nigeria to tackle the maternal and child mortality challenge.

Ambode expressed the support at a flag-off ceremony to signal commencement of the first round of the 2018 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week in Lagos, recently. She noted that the strategy will improve demand for a wide range of high-impact and low-cost packages of protective, preventive and promotive health services.

“These includes routine immunisation; vitamin A supplementation; growth monitoring and promotion involving screening for malnutrition and appropriate counselling

or referral; distribution of de-worming medicine and information, enlightenment and communication materials,” the wife of the governor said.

Ambode, who was represented by the wife of the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Mrs. Oluwakemi Oke, said this year’s MNCH week will hold between July 16 and July 20.

She explained that during the week, routine immunisation; vitamin A supplementation; growth monitoring and promotion involving screening for malnutrition and other wide range of high-impact and low-cost packages of protective, preventive and promotive services will be provided to families in an integrated manner using existing routine structures of the primary health care platform during the week.

The governor’s wife added

that women of child bearing age will be given tetanus toxoid during the week while they will also be counselled on key household practices like exclusive breastfeeding, hand-washing, oral rehydration therapy and home management of fever.

“Furthermore, ante-natal care and family planning service will also be provided to pregnant women who attend the primary

health care clinics. They will in addition, receive long lasting insecticide nets as well as intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy,” Ambode explained.

She noted that maternal and child health has emerged as the most important issue that determines global and national wellbeing stressing that every individual, family and community is at some

point intimately involved in pregnancy and success of child birth.

Ambode stated that issues of maternal and child mortality must be brought under total control in tune with the state government’s quest for the status of a megacity that is internally respected.

While urging residents especially caregivers to take children under five years to

any of the primary health care centres or health posts nearest to them for high-impact and low-cost packages of protective, preventive and promotive services provided during the week, the wife of the governor urged mothers and caregivers to continue to avail themselves of theses health services even after the celebration of the week in order to reduce maternal child mortality in Lagos.

Experts Call for Collaboration againstAutism in Nigeria Ayodeji Ake As part of efforts to address Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among children in Nigeria, expert have called on all stakeholders and government to develop interventions against it. Speaking at the 8th Annual Autism Conference held in Lagos recently, and organized by Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) Plc, themed ‘ Raising a child with autism: the role of family and the community’, the Director, Patrick Speech and Languages Centre, Lagos State, Mrs. Dotun Akande, said children with autism also have potentials which the society must help them develop.

She pleaded with the government to wade-in and creating an atmosphere of relieve to parents who lack financial strength to take proper care of their children living with

autism.

She said: “Collaboration is about pulling strength together, sharing what you have. Disability is not a personal characteristic but a gap between personal capacity and environmental demand.

Our children will work well when there is a collaborative effort among families, schools, health practitioners, communities, government and private sectors. Lagos government is doing something but not enough,” Akande said.

Speaking on the role of government in autism management, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Social Development, Mrs. Joyce Onafowokan, said autism advocacy must be highly commended and supported by everyone who understands the core of GTB’s work in changing the narrative of disability in Nigeria.

StakeholdersCallforEndtoDental Amalgam Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Government at all levels in Africa have been called upon to phase out dental amalgam in dentistry. The call was made in Benin City, capital of Edo State, by stakeholders at a briefing on phasedown of dental amalgam in Nigeria.

The stakeholders comprised Edo State Ministries of Health and Environment, represented

by Mrs. H. C. Enunwaonye and Mr. Godfrey Edwin, respectively; Charles Brown, President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry; secretary, Nigeria Dental Association, Edo State, Dr. Abhulimen Franklin; Executive Director, SRADER Nigeria/ Chairman, Civil Society Group on phase-out Dental Amalgam use in Nigeria, Dr. Reslie Adohame; and Dr. Phillip Goddie of the University of Benin, among others.

In their goodwill messages, the various stakeholders, listed the harmful effects of amal-

gam to include, neurological and reproductive problems such damage to the brain, kidney and foetuses.

According to them, much of mercury from amalgam released into the environment can contaminate fish and damage children’s developing brains and nervous systems.

In his welcome address, the National Vice Chairman, Civil Society Group on phase down of Dental Amalgam in Nigeria, Dr. Tom Aneni, said the stakeholders meeting was a follow-up to a similar forum held October 31 last year. Aneni said amalgam was a chemical substance used by dentists to fill cavities during treatment, adding that it contains mercury, which is of global concern owing to its long range atmospheric transport, persistent in the environment.

According to him, “Dental Amalgam, a filling for cavities, is about 50 per cent mercury, a neurotoxin and a pollutant that knows no borders.”

L-R: Consultan Psychiatrist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Yewande Oshodi; Speech Therapist, United States, Adegboyega Otubanjo; Paediatrician, NISA Premier Hospital, Dr. Doris Izuwah; and MD Natural and Sazzy, Lagos, Tolulope Ajose, during the panel discussion at the 8th Annual Autism Conference sponsored by GTBank, in Lagos yesterday PHOTO BY GTB

Foundation Moves to Save 2,000 TotalTakes Fight against Malaria Men from Prostate Cancer to Rivers Communities Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Project PINK BLUE, a cancer fighting organisation, in partnership with Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation, has embarked on a lifesaving initiative across cities in Nigeria to provide awareness and free screenings for prostate cancer as part of efforts to save 2, 000 Nigerian men from the disease. Executive Director of Project PINK BLUE, Mr. Runcie Chidebe, said the initiative, known as “Men on Blue” was focused on prostate cancer awareness, free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, support, health education and navigation. Chidebe stressed that early detection was key in the fight against cancer. He stated this during the free PSA test in Abuja, recently, for men above the age of 30. According to him, prostate cancer has killed many Nigerians mostly because it was not detected on time. He said, “Several families have lost their loved ones to prostate cancer, mostly because it was presented to the doctors at a very late stage when the cancer has already spread to other parts of the man’s body like bone, and lymph nodes among others. “Prostate cancer has become the most common cause of cancer death among Nigerian men, and it develops mainly in older men.

“Researchers found that the factors that affects a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer includes; genetic factor, poor diet, obesity, smoking, exposure to some chemicals, Sexually

Transmitted Infections (STIs) and vasectomy.” Also speaking, Programme Director, Project PINK BLUE, Sarah Dantosho, revealed that despite the severity of the disease, the level of awareness was still poor. Dantosho said, “So many people are not aware and educated on this cancer because much attention is being given to breast cancer, cervical cancer.” According to her, prostate cancer happens to be the cheapest form of cancer, as the treatment is not really expensive if detected early.

“Therefore project PINK BLUE urges companies to focus on the health of their workforce by incorporating prostate cancer screenings as part of their annual event and government at all levels to match their commitments with actionable investments in addressing the burden of cancer,” she said.

In the same vein, veteran Nollywood actor, Mr. Bruno Iwuoha, who was part of the initiative, urged government to support initiatives like “Men on Blue”. Iwuoha said, “The government is not doing anything, this is supposed to be free in every community where they go to seek vote.

“As 2019 draws I call on politicians clamouring to be voted back into power to sponsor this type of programme instead of throwing rice indomie on dying people with cancer. I also call on the president to use 20 per cent of the recovered looted money to empower this kind of programme.”

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Multinational oil giant, Total Exploration and Production Limited (TEPNG) has flagged off the sensitisation of Amah, Idu and Egi communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State as part of its effort towards eradication of malaria in its host communities.

The company said the programme, held under its ‘Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria’, was aimed at raising the awareness of stakeholders on the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Speaking at the occasion held at the Obite Civic Centre in Egi Kingdom, the TEPNG’s Deputy General Manager, Community Affairs and Development, Mr. James Urho, said the aim of the programme was to expand the use of interventions in all countries where malaria is endemic.

Urho said: “Roll Back Malaria is an initiative founded in October 1988 by World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF and UNDP to control malaria. The initiative supports research and development of new products and tools to promote an effective control strategy to combat the diseases.

“It emphasises rapid clinical case detection and treatment, use of insecticide-treated bed nets, management of malaria during pregnancy. It is the ambition of Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria to expand the use of these inter-

ventions in all countries where malaria is endemic especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 90 per cent of malaria deaths occur. “It is in the light of the foregoing that NNPC/TEPNG Joint Venture supports the Roll Back Malaria campaign as one of the public health programmes that has a large benefit to our host communities.

“The objective of the programme is to raise stakeholders’ awareness on malaria treatment and prevention. The programme shall involve screening of participants for malaria parasite, administration of drugs and provision of insecticide-treated nets.”

Urho, who was represented by the Manager, Community Affairs, Mr. Okechukwu Obara, declared that malaria places a huge burden on Sub-Saharan Africa, with 300 million people suffering acute illness each year and one million dying.

He said: “Malaria places a huge burden on Sub-Saharan Africa, with 300 million people suffering acute illness each year and one million dying, at least, 70 per cent of whom are children and pregnant women.

“In countries with heavy malaria burden, the disease accounts for as much as 40 per cent of public health expenditure, 30-50 per cent of inpatient admissions and up to 50 per cent of outpatient visits. Children that do not die from malaria attack suffer brain damage or experience cognitive and learning deficiencies that has adverse effect on the development of such countries.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018

39

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; JULY 19, 2018

40

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Pressure Mounts for Cement Producers to Reduce Emissions Amid efforts to decarbonise the global economy, pressure is increasing on energy-intensive cement producers to reduce greenhouse emissions, Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Investors Service stated in a new report released yesterday.

According to the report, the industry will be challenged given expected demand growth of 12-23 per cent by 2050 and the limited options cement producers have to make large scale emissions cuts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The effects of carbon transition will vary across the cement industry due to differences in emissions intensity that stem from several factors, including clinker concentration, type of fuel used in combustion, and kiln efficiency,â&#x20AC;? Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vice President, John Thieroff explained.

Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explained that it had developed a framework to evaluate the credit impact on all sectors under three transmission mechanisms: policy and regulatory uncertainty; demand substitution and changes in consumer preferences and risk of technological shocks.

It pointed out that for cement makers, the greatest threat comes from policy and regulatory uncertainty.

The cement industry is directly responsible for six per cent of global CO2 emissions, exposing it to risk from rising carbon prices around the world.

If carbon prices rise, and the increase cannot be passed on to customers, profitability of the cement company would be hampered, the report noted.

Furthermore, it pointed

out that to date, global pricing schemes have provided cement producers high levels of allowances, generally keeping carbon prices very low. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As pressure builds for countries to accelerate efforts to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement, allowances are likely to be reduced and carbon prices should rise accordingly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Regulation of the industry is likely to increase and a rise in carbon prices under the EU-ETS combined with a reduction in allowances to the cement sector would have a significant impact on the cash flow of EU cement producers, in the event cement makers were unable to pass along the increased carbon price to consumers,â&#x20AC;? Thieroff added.

Agusto & Co Assigns Zenith Insurance â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A+â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rating Agusto & Co has assigned an â&#x20AC;&#x153;A+â&#x20AC;? rating to Zenith General Insurance Company Limited.

That was the first time the pan-African rating agency would be rating the insurer.

According to a statement

by Agusto & Co. yesterday, the rating assigned to Zenith General Insurance Company Limited was reflective of an insurer with good financial condition and strong capacity to meet its obligations as and when they fall due. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zenith General Insurance Company Limitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial condition is underpinned by good profitability jointly supported by its core insurance business and strong investment income. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is in addition to good capitalisation, moderate exposure to risk and a good liquidity profile. Furthermore, an experienced management team drives the processes adopted

by the Insurer in its 48th year of operations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rating is however constrained by claims and operating expenses impacting operating cash flow, as well as overall adverse macroeconomic headwinds which continue to impact business activity in Nigeria, even as the country recovers from recession,â&#x20AC;? it stated. The Nigerian insurance industry has grappled with rising claims typical of difficult economic periods.

This was alongside moderated premium generation as a result of subdued business activity.

As analysed in Agusto. & Co.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2018 insurance industry report released recently, profitability for insurers is a delicate balancing act between premium generation, astute pricing that is commensurate to risk carried, and strong investment management abilities yield-

ing maximum returns whilst safeguarding policy holders and shareholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funds.

The industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth potential also lies in the ability to innovatively harness retail opportunities (with life, health, motor, general accident and property/belongings insurance products).

Profitability indicators, underwriting profit margin and return on average equity for the industry as a whole, hovered around 16.8 per cent and 9.9 per cent respectively, for the 2017 financial year.

With 14 life insurers, 28 general insurers, 13 composite insurers, two dedicated takaful insurers, and two re-insurers operating in the Nigerian market, the ability to demonstrate sound financial condition is instrumental to acquiring and retaining business, as well as attracting investments.

Fidelity Bank Supports Lagos Security Trust Fund Fidelity Bank Plc has donated N50 million to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), as part of its contributions to improving security of lives and property in the state.

The cheque was presented by the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Executive Director, Lagos and South-West, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe to the Executive Secretary, LSSTF, Dr. Abdulrassaq Balogun, at a ceremony in Lagos.

Onyeali-Ikpe, who commended the Lagos State government for its commitment to preserving public peace, and

protecting lives and property of Lagosians, said security was paramount to business success.

According to her no activity can thrive in an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are encouraged to support this initiative and kudos must be given to the Lagos State Government for the peace we are enjoying in the state today. gWe have over 80 branches, about 2,000 staff and millions of customers in the state. We are concerned about their safety all the timeâ&#x20AC;? a statement from the bank quoted her to have said.

The Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, commended the bank for the gesture, saying that Fidelity had been consistent in its support to the Fund from inception to date.

According to him the bank has donated a total of N175 million to the LSSTF since the fund was established. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you Fidelity Bank.

We are most appreciative of this and what is most touching for us is your consistency. You have always come to our aid every year unsolicitedâ&#x20AC;?.

Ecobank Undertakes CSR Initiative Ecobank Nigeria has donated a water facility project to Abesan Primary School, Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos State.

This was part of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and engagements in host communities.

The project included a borehole, scaffolding water reservoir of 2000 litres, 14 taps points with pumping machines, generating set as

source of alternate power supply, 6-room modern toilets facility and renovation of part of the school fence.

Handing over the facilities to the Management of the school, Business Head, Commercial Banking and Public Sector, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Rotimi Morohunfola, was quoted in a statement to have said the execution of the projects was part of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ecobank Day,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; which is a day set aside

by the bank to reach out to the communities where it operates as part of its CSR initiative.

According to him, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programme was dedicated to promoting safe water for healthy living.

Morohunfola said Ecobank believes in making a change in the lives of people within the communities where it does business in order to improve health and to foster economic growth.

L-R: Chairman, Committee of E-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH), Stanley Jacobs; immediate past Chairman, Dele Adeyinka; MD/CEO, Keystone Bank, Obeahon Ohiwerei; former Chairman, CeBIH, Tunde Kuponiyi; Executive Director, Operations & Technology, Keystone Bank, Premier Oiwoh, at the election of new executives held in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday

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&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

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&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY JULY 17, 2018

The price of OPEC basket of ďŹ fteen crudes stood at $70.38 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $71.90 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), Djeno (Congo), 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

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͷ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

MARKET NEWS

Equities Market Hits 8-Month Low on Persistent Sell Pressure Goddy Egene Bearish sentiments persisted at the stock market yesterday, driving the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) further down by lower by 0.58 per cent to 36,748.18.

This was the lowest since November 2017. Selling pressure in banking and insurance stocks were highly instrumental to the negative session recorded at the equities market. Out of the 23

price losers, 13 counters were from banking and insurance sectors. This development led to a two per cent depreciation in the NSE Banking Index.

In all, FBN Holdings Plc led the losers’ table with 9.7 per cent to close at N9.25, trailed

by Oando Plc. Wema Bank Plc shed 8.8 per cent, while Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc and Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc went down by 7.1 per cent apiece.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Other gainers included: GTBank (6.7 per cent); LASACO Assurance Plc (5.7 per cent); Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc (5.5 per cent); WAPIC Insurance Plc, Equity Assurance Plc (4.5 per cent each); Niger Insurance Plc (3.8 per cent); Custodian Investment Plc, Diamond Bank Plc (3.1 per cent apiece).

On the other hand, Continental Reinsurance Plc led the price gainers with 10 per cent to be at N1.65. PZ Cussons

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Nigeria Plc followed with 9.7 per cent, just as International Breweries Plc advanced by 9.3 per cent. Japaul Oil & Maritime Services Plc garnered 9.1 per cent. Other top price gainers were: Linkage Assurance Plc (8.9 per cent); Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc (7.4 per cent); NPF Microfinance Bank Plc (5.8 per cent); Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc (4.2 per cent) and Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (3.5 per

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

cent).

In line with the bearish trend, volume and value of trading fell 11.0 per cent and 31.3 per cent to 181.2 million shares and N1.6 billion respectively.

The most traded stocks by volume were Transcorp Plc (16.8 million), Zenith Bank Plc(15.2 million shares) and Fidelity Bank Plc (14.9 million shares ) while Zenith Bank Plc (N361.7 million), GTBank (N225.8 million) and Nestle

O F

Nigeria Plc (N117.4 million) were the most traded stocks by value. Apart from the banking index, the NSE Oil & Gas Index and NSE Industrial Goods Index fell 1.2 per cent and 0.5 per cent in that order.

Market analysts said in the short to medium term, losses are likely to persist, amidst continued risk-off sentiments in emerging markets and the absence of a near-term one-off positive catalyst.

1 8 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

42

Nigeria Daily Stock Market Report:

d,/^ z &Z/Es ^d ϰϬ > ^ d, E^ ^/ Θ E^ ϯϬ /E y dŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ ŽǀĞƌ Ă LJĞĂƌ ĂŐŽ ;:ƵŶĞ ϱƚŚ ϮϬϭϳͿ ĐŽŶƐŝƐƟŶŐ ŽĨ ϰϬ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵƚ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ǀĂƌŝŽƵƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ^ƚŽĐŬ džĐŚĂŶŐĞ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ǁĞƌĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ůŝƋƵŝĚŝƚLJ͕ ƚƌĂĚĂďŝůŝƚLJ ;ŇŽĂƚͿ ĂŶĚ ƐŝnjĞ ;ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶͿ͘ ŽůůĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϵϰ͘Ϭй ŽĨ ƚŽƚĂů ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂƉƉƌŽdžŝŵĂƚĞůLJ ϰϮ͘Ϭй ŽĨ ƚƌĂĚĂďůĞ ŇŽĂƚ͘ Ɛ Ăƚ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ͕ ϭϴƚŚ ŽĨ :ƵůLJ ϮϬϭϴ͕ ƚŚĞ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ŝŶĚĞdž ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ Ͳϭ͘ϳϮй ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϰϵϴ͘ϰϰ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ƌĞĚƵĐĞĚ ƚŽ ͲϮ͘ϵй͘ dŚĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ dŚŝƐ ĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ƐƵƌƉĂƐƐĞƐ ƚŚĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ E^ ϯϬ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĂƌĞ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ŽĨ Ͳϱ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ Ͳϯ͘ϵй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ǁĂƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůŽī ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;Ͳϱ͘ϭйͿ͕ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;ͲϬ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ & E, ;Ͳϵ͘ϴйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϯϯ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘

Thursday, July 19, 2018

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

Current Price

Ticker

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

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1,498.44

-1.72%

-2.9%

49.8%

19.3%

7.0%

7.1x

0.8x

5.7%

1

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

37.00

-5.1%

20.0%

-9.2%

-8.8%

32.6%

5.2%

6.0x

2.1x

6.9%

11.4% 16.6%

2

Zenith Bank PLC

23.95

0.6%

12.5%

-6.6%

-7.6%

26.3%

3.6%

4.0x

1.0x

11.3%

25.0%

3

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

108.00

-0.5%

7.4%

-19.9%

-20.0%

17.4%

27.1x

4.6x

3.8%

3.7%

4

Nestle Nigeria PLC

1,527.00

0.0%

8.1%

-1.9%

-1.9%

73.3%

18.9%

35.6x

22.6x

2.8%

2.8%

5

Dangote Cement PLC

230.00

0.0%

6.4%

0.0%

0.0%

22.7%

12.0%

19.9x

4.6x

4.6%

5.0%

-9.8%

6.0%

5.1%

5.2%

6.7%

0.8%

6.7x

0.5x

2.5%

15.0%

1.0%

4.5%

-3.8%

-5.2%

12.7%

1.5%

4.9x

0.6x

6.5%

20.2%

8.5%

6

FBN Holdings Plc

9.25

7

Access Bank PLC

10.05

8

United Bank for Africa PLC

9.90

0.5%

4.3%

-3.9%

-4.9%

15.9%

1.9%

4.4x

0.7x

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

20.60

-1.9%

4.1%

21.2%

26.6%

12.9%

1.0%

6.9x

0.9x

10

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

650.00

0.0%

3.3%

3.8%

3.8%

22.3%

13.2%

3.3x

0.7x

2.8%

30.0%

11

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

47.50

-0.1%

3.4%

14.5%

16.1%

30.8%

4.1%

9.0x

2.5x

1.1%

11.1%

22.9% 14.6%

12

Unilever Nigeria PLC

51.85

0.0%

3.3%

26.5%

28.9%

19.2%

8.0%

27.7x

3.8x

1.0%

3.6%

13

Guinness Nigeria PLC

97.00

0.0%

2.5%

3.2%

3.2%

15.4%

6.1%

18.5x

2.5x

0.7%

5.4%

34.00

-1.4%

-18.1%

14

Lafarge Africa PLC

1.3%

-24.3%

-24.3%

-36.8%

-7.7%

1.9x

4.4%

15

Fidelity Bank PLC

2.00

0.0%

1.1%

-18.7%

-22.5%

10.4%

1.4%

1.6x

0.3x

5.5%

16

Oando PLC

4.75

-9.5%

1.1%

-20.7%

-20.7%

10.3%

1.5%

5.9x

0.3x

17

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

18.30

1.9%

1.1%

-8.5%

-10.1%

45.0%

20.0%

5.4x

2.0x

13.9%

18.4%

ϯͲ ĂLJ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ZƵŶ WƵůůƐ DĂƌŬĞƚ zd >ŽƐƐ ƚŽ ϮϬϭϴͲ>Žǁ͙ E^ ^/ ĚŽǁŶ Ϭ͘ϲй

18

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

83.00

-2.4%

1.4%

22.6%

22.6%

39.7%

29.4%

8.3x

2.8x

3.6%

12.1%

19

International Brew eries PLC

40.55

8.1%

0.6%

-25.6%

-26.3%

24.6%

7.4%

42.5x

9.7x

20

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

30.00

0.0%

0.7%

3.4%

3.4%

10.4%

2.8%

6.6x

0.8x

3.3%

15.2%

dŚĞ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĞdžƚĞŶĚĞĚ ŝŶƚŽ LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĚƌĂŐŐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ E^ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ Ϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϯϲ͕ϳϰϴ͘ϭϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ʹ ůŽǁĞƐƚ ƐŝŶĐĞ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ ϮϬϭϳ ʹ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ůŽƐƐ ǁŽƌƐĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϯ͘ϵй͘ Ɛ Ă ƌĞƐƵůƚ͕ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ůŽƐƚ Eϳϴ͘ϭďŶ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĨĞůů ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϯƚŶ ;ůŽǁĞƐƚ ƐŝŶĐĞ Eϭϯ͘ϮƚŶ ŝŶ ϰƚŚ ĞĐ͕ ϮϬϭϳͿ͘ ^ĞůůͲŽīƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;Ͳϱ͘ϭйͿ͕ & E, ;Ͳϵ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ d/ ;Ͳϭ͘ϵйͿ ƉƵůůĞĚ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞdž ůŽǁĞƌ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϭϭ͘Ϭй ĂŶĚ ϯϭ͘ϯй ƚŽ ϭϴϭ͘Ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ Eϭ͘ϲďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϲ͘ϴŵͿ͕ E/d, ;ϭϱ͘ϮŵͿ ĂŶĚ &/ >/dz ;ϭϰ͘ϵŵͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E/d, ;Eϯϲϭ͘ϳŵͿ͕ 'h Z Edz ;EϮϮϱ͘ϴŵͿ ĂŶĚ E ^d> ;Eϭϭϳ͘ϰŵͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

21

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

12.9%

2.8%

6.4x

0.8x

1.6%

15.7%

22.8x

0.6x

4.6%

DŝdžĞĚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ϯ ŽĨ ϱ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ǁĞ ƚƌĂĐŬ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌ͕ ĚŽǁŶ Ϯ͘Ϭй͕ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ůŽƐƐĞƐ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;Ͳϱ͘ϭйͿ͕ d/ ;Ͳϭ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ t D ;Ͳϴ͘ϴйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĨĞůů ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϱй͕ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƐĞůůͲ ŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K ;Ͳϵ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ t W K ;Ͳϭ͘ϱйͿ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƌŽƐĞ ϭ͘ϯй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͕ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ KEd/E^hZ ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ >/E< ^^hZ ;нϵ͘ϬйͿ͕ /Ed Z t ;нϴ͘ϭйͿ͕ W ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ E'^h' Z ;нϮ͘ϬйͿ͘ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϵdž ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϰdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ ϮϬ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞ ƚŽ Ϯϯ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƚŽƉ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ KEd/E^hZ ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͕ W ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ /Ed Z t ;нϵ͘ϯйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ & E, ;Ͳ ϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ K E K ;Ͳϵ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ t D ;Ͳϴ͘ϴйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ͘ dŚĞ ZĞůĂƟǀĞ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚ /ŶĚĞdž ;Z^/Ϳ ƐƚĂŶĚƐ Ăƚ ϯϬ͘Ϯ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝƐ ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂůůLJ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŽǀĞƌƐŽůĚ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ ƚŚĞ Z^/ ƐŝŐŶĂůƐ͕ ǁĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚŝƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƚƌĞŶĚ ƚŽ ĮůƚĞƌ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ǁĞ ĚŽ ŶŽƚ ƌƵůĞ ŽƵƚ Ă ƌĞďŽƵŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚĞƌŵ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƌĞƐƉŽŶĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĐŽŵŝŶŐ ,ϭ͗ϮϬϭϴ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƌĞƐƵůƚƐ͘

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

63.6% 17.0%

2.4%

1.24

-2.4%

0.5%

-15.1%

-16.2%

0.0%

0.5%

-17.2%

-17.2%

1.5%

0.6%

4.2%

0.4%

-16.7%

-20.4%

-5.8%

-0.7%

-13.0%

-13.0%

25.0%

5.3%

9.7x

2.3x

8.8%

32.9%

5.8%

0.9%

4.0x

0.2x

4.8%

24.9%

4.4%

15.5%

22

UAC of Nigeria PLC

14.00

23

Diamond Bank PLC

1.25

24

Total Nigeria PLC

0.1x

200.00

0.0%

0.5%

2.10

1.0%

0.7%

180.00

0.0%

0.5%

-7.5%

-7.5%

38.8%

15.7%

6.5x

2.2x

4.4% -58.5% 10.3%

25

FCMB Group Plc

26

11 PLC

27

Forte Oil PLC

27.00

0.0%

0.3%

-37.9%

-35.7%

17.6%

1.6%

14.6x

2.3x

28

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

16.90

9.7%

0.3%

-18.0%

-20.1%

10.7%

5.0%

16.0x

1.6x

3.1%

6.2%

29

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

11.50

3.1%

0.3%

-26.6%

-26.3%

2.0%

0.8%

53.7x

1.8x

1.4%

1.9%

0.0%

0.4%

7.3%

7.3%

35.8%

24.8%

3.1x

0.9x

2.8%

32.8%

0.0%

0.4%

8.1%

4.1%

52.3%

19.7%

9.4x

4.2x

7.5%

10.6%

0.8x

8.4%

6.9%

30

Presco PLC

73.50

31

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

20.00

32

UPDC Real Estate Investment Tr

9.00

0.0%

0.3%

-10.0%

-10.0%

33

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

5.90

3.5%

0.3%

-24.4%

-21.4%

5.3%

1.1%

8.5x

0.6x

34

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

23.50

-3.3%

0.3%

-16.1%

-16.1%

17.3%

1.8%

6.5x

1.0x

4.3%

15.4%

35

Sterling Bank PLC

1.45

0.7%

0.4%

34.3%

28.3%

10.7%

1.0%

4.3x

0.4x

1.4%

23.0%

1.2x

2.2%

4.4%

2.8%

26.4x

1.1x

44.9%

36

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

9.30

0.0%

0.2%

-23.5%

-23.5%

37

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

16.70

0.0%

0.2%

-22.7%

-22.7%

0.0%

11.8%

3.8%

38

Chemical and Allied Products P

34.50

0.2%

1.5%

-3.4%

66.2%

30.2%

16.1x

10.8x

5.9%

6.2%

39

Beta Glass PLC

81.00

0.0%

0.2%

57.9%

57.9%

17.7%

11.5%

9.8x

1.6x

1.3%

10.2%

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%

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 %

1.65

10.0%

T ra de s

T ic k er

C ON T IN SUR E PZ

16.90

IN T B R EW

by V o lum e

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

T R A N SC OR P

1 6.8

-2.4%

Z EN IT H B A N K

1 5.1

0.6%

F ID ELIT YB K

1 4.9

2.0%

1 1 .1

-9.5%

9.7%

41.00

9.3%

M C N IC H OLS

0.72

9.1%

J A P A ULOIL

0.36

9.1%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.73

9.0%

SOVR EN IN S

0.29

NP FM CRFB K

1.80

OA N D O A C C ESS

1 0.7

1 .0%

FB NH

9.6

-9.8%

7.4%

UB A

8.6

0.5%

5.9%

A F R IP R UD

7.9

-0.2%

N EIM ET H

0.49

4.3%

SKYEB A N K

6.6

0.0%

UB N

5.90

3.5%

M ULT IVER SE

6.6

0.0%

T o p 10 L o s e r s

T o p 10

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

FB NH

9.25

-9.8%

T ic k er

OA N D O

4.75

-9.5%

WEM A B A N K

0.62

-8.8%

H M A R KIN S

0.26

-7.1%

C A VER T ON

1.95

-7.1%

UN ION D A C

T ra de s Value

by V a lue P ric e C hg %

Z EN IT H B A N K

361 .7

0.6%

GUA R A N T Y

225.8

-6.8%

N EST LE

1 1 7.4

0.0%

A C C ESS

1 07.0

1 .0%

FB NH

93.4

-9.8%

0.27

-6.9%

CCNN

92.7

0.0%

36.55

-6.8%

UB A

85.7

0.5%

LA SA C O

0.33

-5.7%

P R ESC O

55.4

0.0%

M B EN EF IT

0.34

-5.6%

OA N D O

53.6

-9.5%

WA P IC

0.42

-4.5%

D A N GSUGA R

46.7

1 .9%

GUA R A N T Y

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Eronmosele Aziba | eaziba@afrinvest.com

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MARKET NEWS

Royal Exchange Records N13bn Premium, Pays N3.4bn Claims Goddy Egene Royal Exchange Plc, an insurance and financial services group, has announced its results for the financial year ended December 31, 2017, showing Gross Written Premium of N12.8billion up from N12.5 billion in 2016. Net Premium Income stood at N7.1 billion and underwriting profit at N7.6 billion.

Net claims paid for the period under review amounted to N3.4billion, a reduction of four per cent from 2016 figure of

N3.6billon. Net Income before management expenses totaled N2.4 billion, showing a slight dip from the N2.7 billion that was generated in 2016. However, loss after tax was N969 million as against N980 million.

The Group Managing Director(GMD) of the company, Alhaji Auwalu Muktari, stated that despite the very harsh operating environment, the group was able to grow its figures by participating in large-ticket financial transactions, as well as playing in the retail insurance market, which shall

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

be a key growth driver in the years ahead.

According to him, the bottom-line did not turn out as projected due to increase in cost of doing business in the country, especially in the area of power generation and the general lull in the economic activities within the corporate markets.

He said with the recent approval from the National Insurance Commission to undertake agricultural insurance, the company has entered into strategic alliances with various stakeholders in the agricultural space to

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 17Jul-2018, unless otherwise stated.

drive insurance with that sector of the economy and in the couple of months, revenues will start coming in from there.

“Royal Exchange Plc will in the years to come, continue to be an aggressive player in the retail market in Nigeria and will be looking at different strategies to increase its product offering and visibility in the marketplace, while not losing track of the corporate market, where the returns and margins, are getting thinner, yearly,” Muktari said.

He explained that the company has implemented various cost optimisation strategies and business process re-engineering measures which shall guarantee profitability in both the current financial year and the years ahead.

“Our re-engineering process will center on three main pillars, namely Digital Transformation; Efficient Distribution Channels and Business Process Remodeling, As a group holding company with five subsidiaries across the insurance and financial services landscape, it has

become of vital importance that we seek to improve our efficiency across the group by leveraging on cost discipline, astute capital allocation and investments and deployment of operational know-how to make Royal Exchange Plc a leaner, faster, smarter and customer-centric organization”, He said also “that the company has repositioned itself to meet the ever-changing needs of the clients, wherever they are, offering them products and services they want, when they want it and how they want it,” he said.

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 183.42 183.54 3.04% Nigeria International Debt Fund 245.36 245.47 6.08% 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 2.01% ACAP Income Funds 0.64 0.64 6.84% 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 12.75% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 147.93 148.97 -2.48% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.26% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.78% Paramount Equity Fund 11.86 12.16 6.95% Women's Investment Fund 104.15 106.82 3.50% NAV Per Share Fund Name Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund 105.44 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 12.52% 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 12.13% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.16 1.19 11.09% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.14 1.17 9.69% 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 1,170.88 1,171.58 8.28% FBN Heritage Fund 145.11 146.23 3.96% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.08% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 113.17 113.64 2.68% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 112.97 113.44 2.61% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 167.14 169.49 4.31% 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 1.34 1.36 2.80% Legacy Debt Fund 3.09 3.09 7.03% 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 3,122.32 3,156.16 4.61% Coral Income Fund 2,658.75 2,658.75 8.63% 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 11.95% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 102.87 104.20 3.07% 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 12.33% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.16 2.18 2.27%

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 14.23% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 121.01 121.35 5.20% 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 1.21 3.99% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,059.71 1,059.71 5.16% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 13.03 13.14 -0.52% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.26% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.35 11.42% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.71 11.90 6.66% 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 130.07 132.12 0.90% 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 1.61 1.61 8.37% 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 2,355.29 2,374.75 5.00% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 187.35 187.35 6.18% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.03 1.04 2.48% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 240.96 241.02 9.42% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 179.44 181.47 0.20% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.23% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,613.88 9,744.34 -0.58% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 3.99% 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 N/A N/A N/A United Capital Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Wealth for Women Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 12.83 13.04 3.45% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.52 13.67 3.49% Zenith Income Fund 20.55 20.55 8.59% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.95%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 136.66 51.39

1.01% 3.17% 1.10%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.93 143.30 108.07

12.13 146.24 110.05

-1.16% 0.29% -1.10%

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

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva 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

4.56 8.76 17.28 18.68 144.98

4.60 8.84 17.38 18.88 146.98

-3.70% -8.46% -1.29% -4.99% 5.96%

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͷ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018

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THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

47

FOREIGN/DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

Editor: VINCENT OBIA vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com 0805 468 1757

In Brief Defiant Trump Says Russia Not Targeting US President Donald Trump contradicted U.S. intelligence agencies again on Wednesday, when he said Russia was no longer targeting the United States, and accused his critics of being deranged.

The day after he tried to calm a political uproar over his failure to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Helsinki summit for Moscow’s alleged 2016 U.S. election meddling. Trump adopted his usual defiant posture and dismissed assessments of Russia from the intelligence community. “We’re doing very well, probably as well as anybody has ever done with Russia. And there’s been no president ever as tough as I have been on Russia,” Trump said before a cabinet meeting at the White House, adding that Putin “understands it and he’s not happy about it.” Trump’s comments followed a series of early morning Twitter posts on Wednesday in which the Republican president said his heavily criticised summit with Putin would eventually produce “big results” and accused his critics of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

It’s Not Too Late to Save Brexit, Johnson Tells UK Parliament

President Isaias Afwerki (left) welcomes Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Asmara

Ghideon Musa Aron Visafric

‘Bird of Peace’ Flies between Ethiopia and Eritrea, but Challenges Remain

The two Horn of Africa neighbours have made peace after several years of war, but their leaders must now design acceptable strategies for enduring reconciliation, writes Vincent Obia

O

n Wednesday, Ethiopian Airlines made a historic flight to Eritrea, in the first commercial flight between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 20 years. The flight was the culmination of a peace process marked by months of intense diplomatic activity between the two countries. This has been spearheaded by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since April, when he came to power.

Ethiopian Airlines described the historic flight as its “bird of peace” flying to Eritrea to mark the end of a “state of war”.

Ahmed signed a “peace and friendship” agreement with Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki on July 9, declaring an end to a “state of war” that reigned between the two neighbours since a 1998-2000 border war. An estimated 80, 000 people were killed in the war, which led to the shutting of air and routes between the two neighbours.

But following the peace deal signed in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, during the first visit by an Ethiopian prime minister to the country in 20 years, the two leaders agreed to restore diplomatic relations, and resume air and road travel.

Afwerki made a reciprocal visit to Ethiopia on July 14.

“No one can steal the love we have regained now. Now is the time to make up for the lost times,” 72-year-old Afwerki said in Addis Ababa.

Ahmed, 41 and Africa’s youngest leader, echoed the same sentiments, saying, “The reconciliation we are forging now is an example to people across Africa and beyond.”

Eritrea reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa on July 16. And Ethiopia has promised to do same soon.

The restoration of friendly relations between the two countries has been celebrated among their populations and across Africa. Warm congratulations have also poured in from other friendly continents.

Ahmed and Afwerki have made agreements

as to the general terms of peace, but they must now get down to brass tacks. They would need to design practical details on how to address the various political and economic issues within their respective countries, which are capable of upsetting the developing peace.

Perhaps, the most important issue is the territorial question. An acceptable demarcation of the border at Badme town, which caused the war in 1998, is a critical issue that needs to be addressed quickly.

A United Nations-backed boundary commission ruled in 2002 that Ethiopia should cede Badme to Eritrea, but the former had refused.

However, amid the latest diplomatic efforts, Ahmed agreed in June to cede the town to Eritrea.

When and how he plans to do this remains unclear.

What seems clear is that many in the northern Tigray region, where many soldiers died during the war, are unhappy with the decision to transfer Badme to Eritrea. People there, especially those who fought in the war, have condemned the Ethiopian prime minister’s gesture as an act of betrayal.

They have threatened violence if forced to leave.

A researcher with the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, Omar Mahmood, is quoted as saying, “There will need to be some level of local consultation to take their needs into account.”

Ahmed has taken some steps in this direction.

In April, Ahmed visited the Tigray regional state, where he addressed war veterans and members of the community. Welcomed by the Tigray president, Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael, the prime minister visited the Martyrs Monument in Mekelle and addressed a public gathering at the Martyrs Hall in the Tigray capital. The Ethiopia-Eritrea war was top on his agenda.

For his agenda to succeed, experts say Ahmed, the first Oromo leader of the multi-ethnic and second most populous country in the continent, needs to build strong regional alliances. Before Ahmed’s emergence, Tigrayans had dominated

the ruling political coalition, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Port access for landlocked Ethiopia is another issue. To restore economic ties between Ethiopian and Eritrea, sea access is key. Ahmed has embarked on an ambitious foreign policy goal of achieving a region-wide port access, which has seen Ethiopia involving in joint seaport investments with Somalia. Ahmed was at the recent opening of the China-backed Djibouti free trade zone, which constitutes a gateway to international markets for Ethiopia.

Though Eritrea’s ports are not as developed as the ones in Djibouti or Somaliland, experts say Asmara might make demands relating to usage of its ports that Addis will have to agree on to cement the budding peace effort. Ethiopia would need to bend over backward and open doors for trade and investment with Eritrea, despite the Ethiopian government’s huge investments in the search for sea access with other countries.

Already, Ethiopian Airlines has projected to save about $100,000 by using Eritrean airspace and says it will have a 20 per cent share of Eritrean Airlines, according to the spokesperson of the Ethiopian ministry of foreign affairs.

But there is also the issue of whether Afwerki would emulate his reform-minded counterpart in Ethiopia and introduce sweeping political reforms following the end of the “state of war”.

Presiding over the only remaining one-party state in Africa, he has been in power since 1993, when he led Eritrea to independence from Ethiopia. With no opposition parties, Eritrea has never had a national election.

The outbreak of a border war with Ethiopia in 1998 had strengthened Afwerki’s grip on power. Now that the war has been declared over, it remains to be seen if he would embrace reforms that are needed to drive the recent changes.

Boris Johnson, who quit as Britain’s former foreign minister last week, accused Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday of planning a phoney Brexit that would betray voters by failing to take the country completely out of the European Union. The former London mayor, who has made his ambition to be prime minister clear in the past, told parliament he backed May but then criticised her Brexit policy, saying it would leave Britain in a “miserable, permanent limbo”. Johnson led the main “leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum and is once again positioning himself as the champion of hard-Brexiteers against moderates who say Britain must compromise with Brussels to keep preferable access to the EU market, according to Reuters.

Israeli Knesset to Vote on Jewish Nation-State Bill The Israeli parliament was due on Wednesday evening to vote on a controversial bill that seeks to define Israel exclusively as “the nation-state of the Jewish people”, local media reported, according to Al Jazeera. On Monday, a parliamentary committee approved the final draft of the bill. It has been fast-tracked since the Israeli cabinet endorsed it in March, meaning that Wednesday’s vote at the Knesset will turn the bill into law, if it passes the second and third readings.

Turkey Emergency Rule Ends A state of emergency imposed in Turkey after a coup attempt two years ago comes to end on Thursday, as the government seeks to pass new legislation at parliament to keep in place some of the measure’s powers. The emergency rule was imposed five days after the failed putsch on July 20, 2016 to enable authorities “to take swift and effective action against those responsible” for the coup bid, Al Jazeera reported. The government extended it seven times, facing criticism from the opposition and Turkey’s Western allies.

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IMAGES

L-R; Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; Chairman BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal at the Grand Commissioning of BUA’s Kalambaina Cement Plant in Sokoto....recently

L R ; Rep of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Prof Sylvain Boko; Economic Adiver to the President, .Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu and Chairman Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy [ISGPP],Prof.

Akin Mabogunje at a Two Day Seminar on Policy Dialogue on Job Creation in Nigeria organized by the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy in lbadan...recently FELIX ADEMOLA

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

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

R-L; Chairman Forum of Senior Special Assistants to Osun Governor, Alhaji Bashir Lawal; Director, Awolowo Center Mr Tope Mustapha and Osun Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), MrKunleOyatomi at the press conference by the Forum of SSA to the Osun State Governo in Osogbo... recently

L-R: Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Erhumu Bayagbon; Partner & Head, Audit Services, KPMG, Tola Adeyemi and Ag. Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh during the 2018 KPMG Alumni Cocktail at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos....recently

L-R; Commisssioner for Women and Children Affairs Bayelsa State/ Focal Person NCTP, Hon Martha Jenakumo; Special Adviser to the Governor/Focal Person Abia State NCTP, Chinenye Nwaogu; National Programme Coordinator National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Dr Temitope Sinkaiye; Kebbi State Focal Person NCTP, Usman Buhari Ali; Deputy Chief of Staff to Imo State Governor, Hon Ogechi Ololo and , Special Adviser/Focal Person NCTP Sokoto State, Maiakwa Lamido, during a sensitization workshop for the new six State on National Cash Transfer Programme held in Abuja...recently

L-R; Members Board of Directors, Lara Day School, Jumoke Coker, Erelu Adesola Obafunmilola Abisoye; , Executive Director, Lara Day School, Olatomi Keleko and Head of School, Patricia Tioluwani,during the celebration of Lara Day School’s 55th Anniversary in Lsgos...recently

L-R: Vice President, Nigeria Computers Society, Prof. Charles Uwadia; Oyo State Governor and recipient of ‘Digital Governor of the Year,’ Senator Abiola Ajimobi, President, NCS, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; and Provost, College of Sciences, University of Ibadan, Prof. Adenike Osofisan, during the 27th National Conference of the NCS, in Ibadan...recently

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018

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THURSDAY JULY 19, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

PDP Accuses Buhari of Plot to Stall 2019 Elections Faults request on N242bn already approved for projects Demands cancellation of results of Ekiti election Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari had employed surreptitious tactics to frustrate the conduct of the 2019 general elections having realised that he would lose the presidential election.

The party said President Buhari’s request to the National

Assembly to vire N242 billion already approved for other projects in the 2018 budget to finance the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other agencies ahead of the 2019 general election was a booby trap deliberately set to drag the elections into a financial controversy and ultimately subvert the entire process.

This is coming as the National

Gunmen Kidnap Traditional Ruler, Kill Son in Kogi Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja Some unidentified gunmen on Tuesday night kidnapped the traditional ruler of Jakura town in Lokoja, Kogi State, Chief Usman Ajibola, and killed his son, Rufai Ajibola THISDAY gathered that the gun men were about five in number during the attack, which occurred at about 7p.m, at the Imoo and Igbonla communities, about 15 kilometers to Jakura town, in Lokoja.

Our correspondent gathered that the traditional ruler and his driver, Mr. Raphael Ilaja were whisked away, while his son was killed on the spot as he struggled to rescue his father.

Meanwhile, the people of Jakura community have condemned the kidnapping of their traditional ruler and the killing of the son.

A community leader, Mr. Julius Adeyemi, who spoke to THISDAY, said the community was in shock as a result of the incident.

He stressed that the community was doing everything humanly possible to rescue the traditional ruler by reporting to the law enforcement agents in the state.

He appealed to the state government to put in place a strong measure that would lead to the arrest of the gunmen and free the traditional ruler alive.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations (PPRO) of the Kogi State Police Command, Mr. William Ayah, said the command was already on the top of the situation, adding that the corpse of the prince had been deposited in one of the hospitals in Lokoja.

Working Committee (NWC) of the party has demanded the cancellation of the results of the last weekend’s governorship election in Ekiti State as declared by the INEC. The main opposition party said President Buhari should have sent a fresh supplementary budget to the National Assembly if indeed he meant well for Nigerians.

According to a statement issued by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party invited Nigerians and the international community to note a “deliberate plot to inject disagreements in the polity, cause confusion in the electoral system and set the stage for a political crisis capable of frustrating the conduct of the elections.”

“The president is aware that his request is in no way in consonant with the constitutional provisions and extant rules guiding legislative virement of funds already meant for constituency development

projects, yet he sent same to the National Assembly.

“If the president meant well for the country and had no ulterior motives, he should have sent a fresh supplementary budget to the National Assembly for whatever amount he seeks for INEC, instead of seeking a controversial virement.”

PDP said it had always pointed to series of signposts towards circumventing of the country’s laws and extant regulations to achieve certain unpatriotic agenda, including a possible self-succession plot.

“President Buhari must come to terms with the fact that Nigerians are eager for the 2019 general election and are not ready to be taken for a ride by any person whatsoever, in their quest for a new President

by May 29, 2019.”

“We therefore charge the president to follow the rules and immediately submit a fresh supplementary budget or seek other legitimate ways and means,

devoid of bottlenecks, to finance the election.

“Nothing must stop the 2019 general election and the process must be credible, free and fair,” the party said.

The opposition party warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) s administration to desist from actions that are capable of dragging the country into an unnecessary electoral crisis, adding that such a move will be firmly resisted by Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the NWC of the PDP has demanded the cancellation of the results of last weekend’s governorship election in Ekiti State as declared by the INEC. The party said it held a crucial meeting last Tuesday night where it received and reviewed all facts relating to the July 14 governorship election.

Ologbondiya said in a separate statement that the party said after “a thorough examination of all hard facts the NWC reconfirmed that the INEC doctored the result

of the election to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.

It noted that apart from huge discrepancies between the actual votes cast at the polling centres and the results released by INEC, there were evidence that INEC pulled down the original result from its data base to accommodate the alterations.

“The NWC also has evidence indicating that the original result was in favour of the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo OlusolaEleka, before the figures were altered.The NWC, after very exhaustive examination of all facts, reconfirms that the PDP candidate, Eleka, clearly won the July 14, 2018, governorship election.”

“The NWC called on the leadership of INEC to immediately correct their results, apologise to the people of Ekiti State and be ready to admit their falsifications before the tribunal, so as to return our mandate which was stolen at ‘gun point’ on July 14,” it said.

Atiku, PDP Leaders in Sokoto, Say FG Has Failed to Secure Nigeria Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Uche Secondus, yesterday said the federal government was insensitive to the plight of Nigerians and has failed woefully to secure the country.

Secondus, who was accompanied by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and four former governors, made the remarks during a condolence visit to Governor Aminu Tambuwal over the killing of 40 people in Tabbane village of Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

He said the federal government had failed in the area of security which is the primary responsibility of government.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari should focus on addressing the security challenges bedeviling the country rather than embarking on foreign trips.

“People are dying daily and the president is moving around the world. I believe that his recent trip to the Netherlands is unnecessary.

“For how long will they put

in place the necessary security architecture to tackle these problems? The federal government is doing nothing and the governors have no control over security in their states,” he said.

He maintained that Nigerians were going through pains and tired of wanton killings across the country.

The PDP national chairman lamented that the killings were too many while the people live in perpetual fear of the unknown.

Responding, Governor Aminu Tambuwal thanked the PDP leadership for the visit and prayed God to reward them.

The PDP leaders later held a close-door meeting with Tambuwal which lasted for thirty minutes.

The PDP Chairman was accompanied by formers governors of Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto and Ogun States, Ibrahim Shekarau, Sule Lamido, Attahiru Bafarawa and Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

Others were PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Walid Jibril, former Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Abdul Ningi, among others.

TINUBU’S ASSOCIATES FEAR BUHARI MAY TURN AGAINST HIM AFTER 2019 Tinubu’s interest and contrary to understanding they reached before Ekiti State election.

“Tinubu agreed to support the Fayemi candidacy on the ground that he would be given privilege to choose the governorship candidate in Osun State. They all agreed to this condition at

a meeting facilitated by the Presidency. But they have started breaching this agreement. Subtly, they have been funding and promoting Adeoti against Tinubu’s interest. They are simply working to whittle down Tinubu’s political influence in the South-west states,” the source explained.

CONGRATULATIONS

L-R: Independent National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Ekiti, Oyo and Osun States, Mr. Adedeji Shoyebi; Governor-elect, Ekiti of State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, during the presentation of Certificate of return to Fayemi, in Ado-Ekiti...yesterday

Dogara, Stakeholders Back Domestication of Stockholm Convention, Rome Statute James Emejo in Abuja Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and other critical stakeholders yesterday expressed strong support for the moves by the National Assembly to domesticate the Stockholm Convention and the Rome Statute.

The Speaker particularly reiterated the commitment of the lower chamber to prioritising issues related to human rights and protection of the environment.

He spoke at a one-day public hearing organised by the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreement on two bills which are ‘Bill for Act to Give Effect to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and for Other related matters and a bill for an Act to Provide for the Enforcement and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes, Genocide and for Other related Offences and to Give Effect to Certain Provisions of the Rome Statute of the

International Court in Nigeria’.

Dogara said the domestication of the bills would among other things, lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and lowering of the administrative cost of taxation.

He said the bills are particularly important to the country “because they are meant to protect human lives and secure the health of the people as well as the environment. In addition, he said: “They would lower the

administrative cost of taxation and encourage the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to our country.”

The Speaker said the House appreciated the need to be responsive and take initiative on issues of the environment and health as well as national economic challenges, stressing that the legislations will reinforce the provisions of the Right to Life in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

NEMA Delivers 13 Trucks of Assorted Relief Items to Katsina Kasim Sumaina in Abuja In response to the flood disaster in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has delivered 13 trucks of relief items to

provide immediate succour to the affected victims.

The Director General of NEMA, MustaphaMaihaja,whowasinKatsina to condole with the state government and victims over the flood incidence, in a statement by Head of Media

and Public Relations of the agency, Sani Datti, yesterday in Abuja, said: “I am here with a team from the agency to also assess the situation and identify how NEMAcould work with the state government towards providing proper assistance to the

affected persons.”

The statement revealed that the DG of NEMA and his team were received by the Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Aminu Masari, who appreciated the agency for the prompt response to the flood.

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Ekiti Poll: Fayemi, Deputy Get Certificates of Return Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti After emerging victorious in last Saturday’s governorship election, the Ekiti State Governor-elect, Dr.

Kayode Fayemi , yesterday received Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).

Speaking after being presented

FG Receives Report on Alleged Corruption in NSTIF Paul Obi in Abuja The federal government yesterday received the report of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry on the Financial State of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), which was mandated to investigate cases of corruption and other ancillary matters within the agency.

Receiving the report, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige commended the panel for the thorough job it carried out.

The federal government had on February 15, 2017 charged the panel to look into the financial state of the affairs of the NSITF. The panel was specifically mandated to investigate and render report on the accounting procedures of NSITF in order to ensure proper accounting and management of the funds, especially on how the internal audit mechanism of the establishment broke down, allowing colossal loss of funds from the organisation.

The panel chaired by Ishaya Awotu, was also tasked to conduct proper audit of the accounts of NSITF and render report.

Submitting the report to Ngige,

Awotu maintained that “the Fund had external auditors for the period 2011 to 2015”.

“The audited financial statements and the management letters for year 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 were submitted to the management. As at the time of forwarding this report, none of the years’ audited accounts has been concluded while the audit reports remained unsigned,” he said.

“The basis for the management’s re-appointment of the external auditors for the auditing of 2015 accounts could not be ascertained; the fund does not have Financial Operational Manual to guide in its financial activities while compliance with the provisions of the Financial Regulations in carrying out their financial transactions was very weak,” he stated.

Awotu also informed the federal government that “bank reconciliation of most of the bank accounts of the fund was not carried out”.

“Without the reconciliation of the bank statements, irregular payments and fraud committed on the accounts cannot be detected.

Furthermore, financial statements prepared from un-reconciled accounts cannot be reliable.”

with the Certificate of Return as the governor-elect at the INEC office in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, Fayemi promised to unite the Ekiti people and offer credible governance that would alleviate the poverty of the populace.

The INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States, Prince Adedeji Soyebi, presented Fayemi with the Certificate of Return at the ceremony.

The Deputy Governor-elect,

Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, also received his Certificate of Return.

The governor-elect commended the electoral body for doing what he described as an “excellent job” of conducting the governorship poll.

Contrary to the claim of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Fayemi contended that the election which returned him as winner was “seamless, free, fair, credible and violence-free.”

The governor-elect noted that INEC should be commended

for conducting a process of 14 steps, which climaxed with the presentation of the Certificate of Return.

Fayemi stressed that INEC did a good job in delivering the election in a credible and professional manner despite fears being expressed in the build-up to the poll.

He also commended the security agencies for providing security back-up, which gave the electorate confidence to come out and exercise their franchise.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof.

AbdulGaniy Raji, expressed delight that the election was held despite the tension that preceded it.

Raji commended the people of Ekiti State for the maturity displayed before during and after the election which he was successful.

In his remarks, Soyebi noted that the presentation of Certificate of Return marked the end of the process of the Ekiti governorship election.

APC Postpones Osun State Governorship Primary Election to Friday SDP picks Iwo indigene as guber candidate Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed the primary election to elect the party’s candidate for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election from Thursday (today) to Friday (tomorrow).

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, said a meeting between the Primary Election Committee chaired by Governor Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari of Zamfara State and the stakeholders will hold at the Osun State capital, Oshogbo today.

The Osun State chapter of the party had earlier announced that due to unforeseen circumstances,

the primary election had been postponed.

The state party spokesman, Kunle Oyatomi, noted that party members should be at alert.

Before the postponement of the primaries, one of the 17 party governorship aspirants, Kunle Adegoke, had alleged that plans have been concluded to impose a particular candidate as the party’s candidate.

He vowed to fight the process, which he described has “a game without rules,” saying the action of the party is an “advance notice of an imminent chaos.

Adegoke, who spoke at a press conference in Osogbo yesterday, said the argument of the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, on the direct primary was sound, but was dogged by certain constitutional, legal, political and moral challenges.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) yesterday held a successful primary election, where an indigene of Iwo, Mr. Munirudeen Kehinde Atanda, emerged the candidate of the party.

The primary election, which took place at the party’s secretariat

in Osogbo was held under tight security, as members of the party across the state voted for their preferred aspirants.

However, one of the prominent aspirants of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore was not seen ar the premises where the exercise took place.

Addressing party members after the exercise, the state SDP Chairman, Chief Ademola Ishola, urged them to disregard insinuation that another faction of the party exists in the state, claiming that he remained the authentic leader of SDP in the state.

Hoodlums Abduct Enugu Senatorial Aspirant’s Father, Demand N15m Ransom Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu Tension has enveloped the sleepy town of Enugu-Ezike community in Igboeze North Local Government of Area (LGA) of Enugu state, following the reported abduction of Chief Lawrence Chukwuemeka Eya, father of Enugu North senatorial district aspirant, Chinedu Eya. The 68 years old, was reportedly trailed to Kogi State from where he was abducted two days ago.

The development has thrown

his Igbo-Eze North kinsmen into anxiety, especially as the kidnappers have placed N15m ransom on him.

His son, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s senatorial aspirant who confirmed the incident, begged his father’s abductors to free him.

Eya, who said political colouration might not be ruled out, said it was unhealthy for any persons to introduce bringadage into Enugu politics.

“Right now, I really feel pain as a man; I cried, because the old man cannot be suffering; he put his life on the line for some of us

to survive. Now that he should be benefiting somebody is coming to intimidate him.

“I don’t know where it is coming from but I am only saying that people should change their style of politics, and and not do politics that old way. Let’s do politics with that mindset of sportsmanship, where the loser is still a winner.

He confirmed that the family was in talks with the kidnappers, stating that “yes, they asked us to bring N15 million; they are coming down, we believe God that something great will happen,” he added.

We Are Dying of Hunger,Tiv IDPs Cry to Al-Makura Emmanuel Ukumba in Lafia The displaced Tiv farmers at the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nasarawa State have cried out to Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of the state to provide them with food stuffs as their food had since been exhausted.

They have also appealed to the governor to intensify efforts for their safe return back to their ancestral homes.

The displaced farmers, who were sacked from their homes about seven months ago by suspected herdsmen, are being sheltered at the IDPs’ camps across the state, while others had left the state to the other parts of the country in search of food and shelter.

The president of the Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in Nasarawa State, Boniface Ifer, who spoke to THISDAY shortly after an emergency meeting with the displaced Tiv farmers held in Agyaragu town in Obi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, said the situation of the IDPs was not really funny because they had ran out of food stuff.

“The relief materials given by

the government have been exhausted as you can hear from some of them. There is no food and most importantly, they want to go back to their ancestral home.

They are appealing to the state government to intensify efforts that will pave the way for them to go back to their ancestral abode; that is what is very important, though the food is not here too.

They need all these things. But the most important thing is for them to go back to their ancestral

homes,” he said.

He lamented that some of the areas the IDPs were displaced from were not safe as there was the fear possible fresh attacks.

“So, it is my responsibility as a leader to appeal to the Nasarawa State government to fast track the going back to their ancestral homes. That is why we took time to organised this emergency meeting in order to know their condition and inform the government on what is needed to be done,” he added.

Nigeria’s Oldest Practicing Lawyer, Gomez Dies at 90 The oldest practicing lawyer in Nigeria, Pa Tunji Gomez is dead.

Gomez died yesterday. The news of his death was broken by the Lagos State branch Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazom, in a short statement.

Ikwuazom wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Pa Tunji Gomez.

Pa Gomez was, until his death yesterday night, the oldest practicing lawyer in Nigeria and a deeply

loved member of the premier Bar. “The branch had in recognition of his excellent service and uncommon devotion to the branch, celebrated his 90th birthday in style a few months ago. “Our deepest condolences go to his immediate family.

“We will greatly miss Pa Gomez and pray that his soul will rest in perfect peace.

“We will make further announcements in due course,” he concluded.

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Traditional Rulers: Nigeria’s Structural Foundation Deficient, Flawed Osinbajo canvasses monarchs’ partnership with government Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Nigerian traditional rulers under the auspices of the National

Development Summit of Traditional Rulers yesterday in Abuja said Nigeria’s corporate existence was under threat because it was built on deficient structural foundation.

Nobody Can Cage Me in Ondo Politics, Says Ex-commissioner A former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism in Ondo State, Prince Femi Adekanmbi, has said nobody can cage him in politics in Ondo State.

He described himself as a rallying point in politics in the state, saying that he was unshakeable and fearless no matter plot to intimidate and harass him.

Adekanmbi, who has a long history of always being at loggerheads with sitting Governors of Ondo State dating back to the administration of the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu to immediate past Governor Olusegun Mimiko where he served as a commissioner, has been having a running battle with the incumbent Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who is also his kinsman from Owo. It would be recalled that since the Akeredolu administration assumed office in February 2017, Adekanmbi has faced several political persecutions in the hand

of the government In a recent interview where he was asked about what he perceived could have led to the brawl between him and Akeredolu’s government, Adekanmbi said: “They saw me as a threat in Owo and they have been making all attempt to cage me. They wrote several petitions against me to frame me with security charges. When that did not work, they also wrote to EFCC to frame me with unsubstantiated corruption allegations. But God has been fighting my battle and that is why I am the Agbeti (unshakeable) of Ondo state.”

He further stated: “My only offence against Akeredolu was that I supported the candidate of my party the PDP in the last governorship election against him. As a loyal party man I couldn’t have abandoned the candidate of my party.

Delivering a welcome address at the 10th summit of the traditional rulers in Maitama, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Emmanuel Sideso Abe, said whereas Nigeria was endowed with huge natural resources, its existence was devoid of principles of equity, fairness and justice.

According to him, equity, fairness and justice are the features that make notable countries like the United States great, and advocated the need to rebuild Nigeria on the foundation of equity, justice and high moral standards.

Abe, who is the Uvwie of Uvwie Kingdom in Delta State, noted with dismay that various constitutional reviews embarked upon by the National Assembly had failed to address Nigeria’s structural flaws.

He also lamented that the federal government had failed to adopt resolutions of several national conferences, which he said had the potentials to reposition the country for progress.

The monarch said Nigeria was in dire need of a good leader who would address the country’s unemployment crisis and build bridges, disclosing that most traditional rulers were unable to attend the summit, which he said took off with over 400 members upon its inauguration by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2008 because of insecurity.

He said: “Here is a country born with incredible potentials, established on goodness and trust, with uncommon ideals and dreams that could make her soar into high altitudes of greatness. Like

the eagles, Nigeria was born with powerful wings, in the form of enormous natural endowments.

Nigeria was never meant to crawl or stagnate.

“Whatever we may say or do, the fact remains that our foundation as a nation as designed by our founding fathers has been visibly deficient and threatening. Administrations come and go but none has been courageous enough to address conclusively the issue of structural flaws.

“We cannot do anything against the truth. The only way the eagle will fly is for it to realize that it is gifted with better wings than other birds and make a decision to use the wings effectively.

“We must resolve to build a new nation on a foundation of equity, justice, fairness, labour and high moral standards. This

is what makes the United States of America and other advanced economies to tick.

“It is amazing how constitutional review has remained inclusive for over a decade at the National Assembly in spite of the exigency of the matter. It is equally disheartening that the resolutions of all recent national conferences were never considered for adoption in the interest of national survival and progress, the huge funds sunk in these projects notwithstanding.”

Also speaking at the summit, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commended traditional rulers on their roles in curtailing the threats posed to the country in the past by the Niger Delta militants and secession advocates under the aegis of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPMAN Condemns False Alarm over NIPCO’s AGM The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday condemned what it described as an attempt by some individuals to discourage stakeholders from attending the NIPCO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The IPMAN’s National Secretary, Mr. Danladi Pasali in a communiqué issued after the National Executive Council (NEC)

meeting held in Abuja, debunked the rumour and asked its members and other stakeholders of NIPCO Plc to attend its forthcoming 2018 AGM. Pasali said the national body of IPMAN felt it was necessary to put the record straight for the public to know that some there attention was drawn to a publication in one of the newspaper dated 17th July 2018

on the false allegation discouraging stakeholders from attending the NIPCO’s forthcoming AGM of NIPCO. He said that the national executive of IPMAN was aware that the chairman of NIPCO Plc, Chief Bestman Paul Anekwe has complied with the necessary provision of law.

He said that executive body

of IPMAN under the leadership of Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo respected the views of members of IPMAN on freedom of speech; the NEC of IPMAN will not tolerate anybody to hide under the association’s name to commit unlawful action to the detriment of IPMAN. According to him, the report also purported that IPMAN had petitioned the security agencies due to violation of its rules.

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Jubilation as Ugwuanyi Inaugurates Reconstructed Historic Enugu Miliken Hill Road There was jubilation in Enugu State yesterday as Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi formally inaugurated the historic and undulating Miliken Hill road, Ngwo, in Udi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, which was reconstructed and modernised with street lights by his administration for the first time since it was constructed in 1909 during the colonial era.

The all-important three-kilometre Miliken Hill section of the road, is part of the 12-kilometre 9th Mile - Ekochin-Ngwo-Miliken Hill - New Market federal road, recently rehabilited by the state government, as an alternative route for travellers plying the Enugu - Onitsha expressway.

Inaugurating the road amid excitement from residents of the

state and road users, Ugwuanyi stated that the project is a “great infrastructural asset and rich heritage of our coal city state”.

The governor also inaugurated other legacy projects in the rural areas such as the Ebonyi River Bridge in Ikem, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area (LGA) and Obollo Eke - Agala - Okpaligbo road in Udenu LGA in keeping with his administration’s grassroots development initiatives.

Describing the Miliken Hill road as “our natural roller coaster”, Ugwuanyi disclosed that “no road in our environment affords tourists and motorists the beautiful view of Enugu that this road offers”.

According to him, “I stand here today with joy in my heart, buoyed by the happy faces of Ndi Enugu,

Minority APC Lawmakers Kick against Indefinite Adjournment at Ekiti Assembly Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Crisis may soon hit the Ekiti State House of Assembly over adjournment of legislative business to October by majority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) legislators, who are in the minority, described the long adjournment as illegal and not in the interest of the people of the state who elected them.

The Hon. Kola Oluwawole-led assembly had last Tuesday moved the motion for adjournment of legislative duties to October due to fear that the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, can be impeached.

The APC assembly members led by the Minority Leader, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan (Ikole constituency 1), alleged that the long adjournment was masterminded by Fayose in

a bid to emasculate the legislative arm.

Other APC members of the state assembly are Sunday Akinniyi (Ikere (constituency 1) and Adeniran Alagbada (Ise/Orun constituency).

Aribisogan, Akinnyi and Alagbada defected from the PDP at different times and joined the APC over internal crisis that rocked their former party.

Leader of Business, Mr. Tunji Akinyele, who moved the motion for the adjournment, said this became imperative due to the political harassment of members by security agents.

Condemning the action, Aribisogan said the APC assembly members are ready for legislative business, calling on the police and Department of State Services (DSS) to give the minority lawmakers security anytime they decide to perform their constitutional duties.

Onnoghen Urges DSS, EFCC to Probe Alleged Sales of Justice by S’Court Justices

Warns politicians against maligning judicial officers Alex Enumah in Abuja The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has called on security and anticorruption agencies in the country to commence investigation into allegations that some justices of the apex court are involved in the ‘sale of justice’.

Onnoghen, who was miffed by some reports in the media credited to one Joe Igbokwe, to the effect that Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, buys justice from the Supreme Court after killings in his home state of Rivers, however warned politicians against act of maligning judicial officers, adding that such actions are capable of endangering democracy.

The CJN, in s statement made available to newsmen by his media aide, Awassam Bassey, remarked that murder is a serious offence that cannot be swept under the carpet and urged the agencies to investigate the allegations and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

“The attention of the CJN, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, has been drawn to media reports

about allegations by a certain Joe Igbokwe, to the effect that Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, buys justice from the Supreme Court after killings in his home state of Rivers.

“The comment, which states inter alia: ‘Wike will not have the audacity and temerity to kill again and run to the Supreme Court to buy justice,’ is reportedly contained in a social media platform which has made its way into online and traditional Nigerian media.

“The implication of this statement is, first and foremost, that Igbokwe has evidence to show that Mr. Nyesom Wike is a killer, and secondly that upon such killings, the governor runs to the Supreme Court to buy justice,” the statement read in part.

While the statement noted that no appeal has ever been filed at the Supreme Court wherein Wike was accused of murder, it added that, the agencies have a duty to take necessary steps, in accordance with the law, to protect the institutions of state, if the allegations turns out to be false.

to inaugurate this reconstructed historic and legacy Miliken Hill road; a renowned tourist attraction whose history is consistent with coal discovery in our state in the early 20th century.

“The great excitement that greeted the reconstruction of this legacy road is therefore consequential and our gratitude, most profound, goes to God Almighty for affording us the

means and commitment to deliver this project.”

Ugwuanyi, therefore, urged motorists to drive safely and with care. While inaugurating the other projects, Ugwuanyi noted that they were “in keeping with our policy to open up the rural areas and encourage the all round economic growth of the state.”

“We were also motivated by our resolve to alleviate the sufferings of

our people and give them a new lease of life wherever they may be in the state”, the governor added.

Earlier in his remark, a leader of Ngwo community and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia expressed gratitude to Ugwuanyi for keeping faith with his promise to reconstruct and modernise the road with street lighting and other safety measures.

Onyia stated that the road was

symbolic and very significant to the people of Ngwo, Enugu State and the entire Igbos”, saying that the governor has wiped out their tears for good.

He maintained that no government had reconstructed the road after it was built, appreciating the governor for his prompt intervention on the road.

He equally reassured the governor of the People’s unflinching support for his re-election in 2019.

Expert Raises Concern on Oil Price Rise Peter Uzoho The Chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Nigeria Council, Mr. Chikezie Nwosu, has warned on the dangers inherent in the rising crude oil price.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos yesterday, ahead of the upcoming SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference, Nwosu stated that the industry players expect all four aspects of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to be passed by the National Assembly and assented

to by the president before the 2019 elections, adding also that they expected the ‘Seven Must Wins’ to start ‘winning’.

He said: “The oil price is at a much higher level than predicted a few years back, but we must unlearn the bad practices that led to high unit technical costs when the oil price hovered at $100 per barrel. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the Group Managing Director of NNPC are driving for unit technical costs to come down to the range of $15- $18

per barrel from the high of over $35 per barrel in the past, and the industry has already come to levels of $23 per barrel” He stressed that creating the right environment for the oil and gas industry to thrive would be a strong enabler for realisation of the government’s diversification programme.

“Policy that enables this growth is clearly critical, but long-term stability of the business environment is also important. Policy will serve to trigger the first tranche

of investments, but longer term growth in these investments will only come where Nigeria has a stable investmentvclimate. We must earn the respect and trust of local and international investments.

“The single industry regulator, which is one of the tenets of the ‘Seven Big Wins’ is captured within the Governance bill as the Nigerian Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC), which in principle will take over the functions of the current DPR and PPRA.”

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

NFF CRISIS…

AITEO Threatens to Quit Nigeria Football Gives NFF 14-day ultimatum to resolve Femi Solaja Oil giant, AITEO, yesterday handed down a two-week ultimatum for the leadership crisis rocking Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) be resolved, otherwise it would withdraw all its deals with the Glass House.

The major sponsor of Nigeria football made this known yesterday in a statement signed

by AITEO’s Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Ndiana Matthew.

The statement read: “The persisting situation makes it

difficult for us, as a law-abiding entity, to operate responsibly within the demands placed on us.

“Accordingly, we are constrained to indicate that unless these issues are resolved satisfactorily in the manner dictated by the requirements of the world governing body FIFA within fourteen (14) days hereof, we will deem ourselves compelled to reconsider our position with respect to participation in the various arrangements in which we are involved.”

UNIFIED FOOTBALL CUP

Special Olympics Nigeria to Represent Africa in Chicago Special Olympics Nigeria’s Male Unified football team has been selected to represent African region in the inaugural male unified football tournament to mark the 50thanniversary of Special Olympics in USA. The unified football cup which is scheduled to hold on July 20, 2018 in Chicago, is one of the several events lined up to mark the anniversary of the global body founded in 1968.

The first-ever Special Olympics Unified Cup was presented by Toyota on July 17, 2018.

The tournament will feature 24 teams (eight women’s teams and 16 men’s teams) comprised of people with and without intellectual disabilities from around the globe - hence the theme, Unified. SO Nigeria is one of the over 170 countries which have affiliations with the Special Olympics.

According to an official of SO Nigeria, Exxon Mobil Nigeria, a strong supporter of inclusion, has already contributed towards the purchase and branding of the team’s kit and travel attires for

the tournament.

“Exxon Mobil Foundation has also displayed its support for inclusion through the Skillz for Life programme where people with and without intellectual disabilities are given quality health education on malaria and HIV/ AIDS and taught life skills.

In 2016, Exxon Mobil sponsored the Youth Empowerment Initiatives where athletes were empowered with skills such as photography, beadwork and more.

On July 20, 2018, Special Olympics will honour its history and celebrate its future with the lighting of the Special Olympics Eternal Flame of Hope monument outside Soldier Field, home of the first games, to symbolise the on-going mission of inclusion.

On July 21, the first-ever Global Day of Inclusion will be held at Soldier Field, a family event open to all.

Later that evening, Special Olympics will host the Inclusion Fest Concert featuring internationally acclaimed music acts.

The oil and gas company who called on well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the Glass House crisis also advised that this should be done on time as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are just around the corner.

“AITEO lends its voice to that of many well-meaning Nigerians to call for the quick and decisive resolution of the current issues especially as future campaigns for glory in the African Nations Cup are imminent.

“Indisputably, certainty and stability with the leadership of the NFF remain pertinent to sponsors like us to continue to commit to the growth of Nigerian football in the

manner that we have done,” the statement stressed.

AITEO has been sponsoring the Nigeria football since April 2017 and it played major role for Nigeria at the just concluded 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Apart from the N2.5billion partnership with the NFF that takes care of the salaries and allowances of all the national teams coaches, AITEO is also the sponsor of Nigeria’s oldest competition, the Federation Cup (formerly the Challenge Cup or FA Cup). For several years the competition had no sponsor which devalued its quality.

AITEO also offered $50,000 bonus for every un-replied goal scored by Super Eagles

in Russia as a way to motivate the team.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has refuted claims circulating on various WhatsApp platforms in the country that the crisis rocking Nigeria football administration has been amicably settled.

Yesterday, there were speculations on the various platforms that the Presidency ‘has ordered the Chief Justice of the Federation to vacate all court cases (relating to the NFF)’.

In a WhatsApp message sent to www.sportsvillagesquare. com, the minister responds thus: “Following recent post on different social media platforms that the Presidency

Super Eagles players before the World Cup match against Iceland in Volgograd, Russia

has ordered the Chief Justice of the Federation to vacate all courts cases, I want to state as follow: President Muhammadu Buhari has travelled since Sunday and as at the time of filling this report he has not returned.

“Also, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami is not in the country while I, the Minister of Youth and Sports is in Algiers for the African Youth Games.

“In this light, the general public should not believe the unfounded stories which are expected to fly around particularly in a time like this,” observed the message from Dalung.

PHOTO ABIODUN AJALA

CAA ASABA 2018

We Are Set to Host the Continent, Says Deputy Gov

Delta State Acting Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro

The Delta State Acting Governor, Kingsley Otuaro has stated that the state government is ready to host the continent at the 21st African Senior Athletics Championship tagged “Asaba 2018” scheduled for August 1st – 5th .

Otuaro who disclosed this today while declaring open the “African Tour/Trial”, and test run of facilities at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, venue of the championship, said all the necessary facilities needed for the championship were in place for a successful event.

He said athletes from 45 African countries including Nigeria will be in Asaba for the championship, stressing that “today marks the test running of the facilities in preparation of the African Senior Athletics Championship and as you can see we are very set for the

country, we are set for Africa.

“For everyone, both athletes and guests, as a state government, our simple message is that Delta state is set to give them a beautiful hosting; we are an accommodating people, everything that is needed to make this championship a success is set and we are welcoming them all”, he stated.

The acting Governor said adequate security and other logistics had been provided to ensure a hitch free championship, adding that the test run of facilities was organised to prove to the world that the state was 100% ready to host the continent.

Otuaro called on Deltans and lovers of sports to come out en-mass to give support to the athletes and make the event a memorable one, adding that the event would

continue to be acknowledged in the annals of history as the most successful in the series of the championship.

While reiterating the hospitable nature of deltans, He enjoined the visitors to also take advantage of the tourism potentials of the state The test run of facilities for the 21st African Senior Athletics Championship featured various track and field events by students of selected secondary schools and professional athletes from within and outside the country.

In a related development, in the tour event used as a test run for upcoming Championships, Divine Oduduru won the 100m with a time of 10.44s while the duo of Ogho-Oghene Egwero (10.46) and Enoch Adegoke (10.52) settled for second and third respectively.

After her heroics at the

Commonwealth Games, Joy Udo Gabriel continued her fine run; winning the winning the women’s 100m event ahead of Matthew Ubong and Blessing Ogundinmu.

In the men’s 400m, old war horse Isa Salihu was the top man with a time of 46.70s while the duo of Orukpe Erayoikan and Achimaya Daniel finished second and third respectively.

In women’s one lap race, Patience Okon was the top athlete wining with a time of 51.49s Yussuf Alli, the Technical Director for CAA Asaba 2018 said he was delighted with the test event though he admitted that one or two areas will be improved upon. “I can rate the Africa tour test event at 80%, we will correct the few mistakes we saw but all said and done we are ready to host Africa in August Alli assured.

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˜ ͹΁˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS CAF CONFED

GOtv Boxing Night 15: Houanvoegbe Will See Stars, Boasts Dodo

Enyimba players celebrating the lone goal yesterday

Enyimba Hit Top Spot with Slim Win over Williamsville FC Nigeria’s lone survival in continental club competition, Enyimba FC of Aba, moved to top of Group C of the CAF Confederation yesterday with a narrow 1-0 win over visiting Williamsville Athletic Club of Côte d’ Ivoire.

It was the second consecutive win by the Nigerian side and the result sees the Aba team go top of the log on six points, though CARA Brazzaville could supplant them later tonight if they defeat Djoliba in Bamako.

The Ivorian challengers WAC drop to second on four points.

Enyimba claimed the

lead as early as the seventh minute, as Ibrahim Mustapha showed great speed, power and composure to race clear of the defence before calmly sending a low shot past the goalkeeper.

Williamsville almost replied midway through the first half as Irie Zan Bi sent a header on target and the ball took a nasty bounce off the churned turf in the penalty area – goalkeeper Fatau Dauda had to react sharply to tip it over the bar.

Just past the half hour mark the visitors blew a great chance to draw level: a cross

from the right picked out Folorunsho Sesan, who got up high and sent a downward header toward goal, but was unlucky to see the ball bounce just wide of the mark.

WAC remained the better team through to halftime, but were unable to find an equaliser, while Enyimba suffered an injury blow to Ibenegbu Bartholomew, who was replaced by Chinedu Udeagha.

The second half saw the People’s Elephant put in a more controlled display, though they were unable to find a second goal to

truly put the game to bed, while the Ivorians struggled to make headway in attack against the excellent duo of Akabueze John and Nelson Ogbonnaya.

Enyimba (1) 1 (Mustapha 7’) Williamsville 0 Enyimba: Dauda, Utin, John, Ogbonnaya, Ojo, Oladapo, Bartholomew (Udeagha 45+1’), Mohammed, Joseph (Chekwube 82’), Mustapha, Bashir (Freedom 49’) Williamsville: Mandjui, Gbe, Yao, Dagrou (Mofosse 71’), Ettien, Kouassi Kouakou

Benitez Reveals Spain Wanted Him as Manager at Russia 2018 Newcastle Manager, Rafael Benitez, has revealed he was approached by the Spanish Football Federation to temporarily take charge of Spain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

BBC Sport reported yesterday that the RFEF wanted the 58-yearold to take charge after Julen Lopetegui was sacked two days before Spain’s opening match.

Fernando Hierro took charge on an interim basis as Spain went on to lose on penalties to Russia in the Last-16.

Ex-Barcelona Coach, Luis Enrique, has now been appointed on a two-year contract.

Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle yesterday, Benitez said: “There was maybe a chance, but still I am here and I am happy

to be here. There was a chance.

There were rumours about that.”

Benitez said that Newcastle may have to sell before they can buy new players in the transfer window.

Newcastle has so far signed goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a permanent deal after a loan spell last season while former Swansea midfielder, Ki Sung-Yueng, has

joined as a free agent. Newcastle re-engaged Brazilian attacker Kennedy on loan from Chelsea.

“Unfortunately it’s what we have to do,” said Benitez, “We have to wheel and deal, that is the way for us.

“We have to be realistic with our budget, and then maybe sell some players and buy some players.”

MultiChoice Signs Alex Iwobi as Ambassador Leading video entertainment company, MultiChoice Nigeria, has signed on Nigeria’s wonder boy, Alex Iwobi, as its latest DStv brand ambassador. This was announced at an autograph signing event with the striker at the MultiChoice head office in Lagos on Tuesday, 17 July 2018.

Iwobi will be the new face of DStv Compact, a value for money package that showcases the best football leagues in the world and general entertainment content at the most affordable price.

Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said the company is excited to have Iwobi on board even as lovers of football get ready for the new season.

“We are pleased that we are bringing the excitement of the new football season even closer to our customers.

Iwobi’s energy and the passion

he displays on the pitch is what endears him to fans across the world and as such, makes him a good fit for our brand”, said Ugbe.

He further said that the endorsement is a way the company is showcasing and rewarding African and Nigerian talent in football.

Speaking on his latest brand endorsement, Iwobi, the professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League Club, Arsenal and the Nigeria national team said: “It’s an honour to be an Ambassador for DStv. Their passion for promoting sports is unrivalled across Africa. It has shown over the years that it is committed to bringing the highest quality of sporting programmes and entertainment to millions of Africans. I’m looking forward to the launch of our first project and the many more to come

in the future. I’m thankful to everyone who has made this possible and excited to be part of the DStv family.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Frederik Obasi, Commercial Agent for Alex Iwobi said: “It’s been a pleasure putting this exciting partnership together with MultiChoice.

They have demonstrated their commitment to empowering the new generation of African talent.

DStv is a huge platform which gives Alex exposure not just in Nigeria, but the whole of Africa too and we are looking forward to this long term partnership.

With the new football season only a few weeks away, MultiChoice promises to deliver the best football experience on its SuperSport channels live and in HD glory to all DStv and GOtv football fans all over the continent!

Light Middleweight Boxer, Akeem “Dodo” Sadiku, has warned his opponent at GOtv Boxing Night 15, Franc Houanvoegbe of Benin Republic, to expect an explosive fight that will leave him seeing stars.

The two boxers are billed to clash in an international light middleweight challenge at the event, which holds on 29 July at the Indoor Sports Hall of Obafemi Awolowo (formerly Liberty) Stadium in Ibadan. It is one of the two international bouts scheduled for the event.

Dodo, who is famous for his fast and furious punching, said Houanvoegbe will be wobbly and see stars within the first three rounds of the encounter.

“He needs to talk to my previous opponents. I show no mercy on the ring. Once I step in, the objective is to finish off the opponent. Houanvoegbe will see stars. I am not joking,”

boasted Dodo.

In the other international bout, the biggest of the seven fights scheduled, Nigeria’s Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph will defend his African Boxing Union (ABU) lightweight title for the first time when he confronts Ghanaian challenger, Nathaniel Nukpe.

Other bouts include a national cruiserweight clash between Michael “Lion Heart” Godwin and Idowu “ID Cabasa” Okusote as well as the national light welterweight contest between Vincent “Dada” Essien and Segun “Showboy” Olalehin.

The event, sponsored by GOtv and Bet King, will be beamed live on SuperSport in 47 African countries.

The best boxer at the event will go home with a cash prize of N1 million alongside the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.

New Chelsea Boss, Sarri Vows to Improve Hazard New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he wants to keep Eden Hazard at the club and “improve” the Belgium forward.

Hazard, who has been linked with Real Madrid, said last weekend “it might be time to discover something different” after six years at Stamford Bridge.

Sarri, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, described Hazard as “one of the top two or three European players”.

The former Napoli boss said: “Hazard is a very high-level player. I hope that I will manage to improve him.”

Roberto Martinez, the Belgium manager, told Spanish radio recently that Hazard should consider leaving Chelsea to further his career.

The forward, for his part, responded to the Real Madrid reports by telling journalists last Saturday: “You know my preferred destination.

“I can decide if I want to stay or go but Chelsea will make the final decision - if they want to let me go.”

Sarri said he wanted to meet Hazard, who is away on holiday after representing Belgium at the World Cup. “I would like to have fun during the week with him.

This would mean very good results and mean we would have been very competitive during the season,” added the 59-year-old Italian.

Asked if he planned to phone Hazard - or any other player linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge - Sarri added: “A telephone call without looking them in the eye would not give me any certainty.

“I’d like to meet them face to face. I would also like a player to come on the [training] pitch four or five days to have a clear idea.”

Sarri suggested that England defender Gary Cahill has a future at Stamford Bridge, despite reports that the new manager is looking at signing centre-back Daniele Rugani from Juventus.

Sarri said he was one of the few managers who was “bored” by the transfer market and that his aim was to inject “fun” into his squad.

“I feel more a pitch manager than a general manager,” he added.

“I think that I am one of the few managers who is bored by the transfer market. I don’t want to talk about the transfer market and I am not interested in it.”

L-R: Alex Iwobi’s Dad, Chuka Iwobi; Arsenal and Super Eagles star footballer, Alex Iwobi; Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe and ChineduFred Obasi, Commercial Agent for Alex Iwobi during the signing ceremony of Alex Iwobi as the new face of DStv Compact, held at MultiChoice head office, Victoria Island, Lagos yesterday

Thursday, July 19, 2018

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Price: N250

MISSILE Jokolo to Federal Government “I do not think honestly that it is right to be refusing Sambo (Dasuki) to go home after the court has granted him bail. I don’t think I will ever accept anybody telling me now for the sixth time that he would not be allowed to go home. That is irresponsible and unacceptable” – Former ADC to President Buhari (as military head of state), Alhaji Al-Mustapha Jokolo, on the travails of former NSA, Col. Dasuki (rtd).

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

‘Let’s Kill All their Men...’

A

s I was taken through the different classrooms that have become a temporary shelter for hundreds of men, women and children who looked like refugees from a war zone, I could not but reflect on how a general climate of insecurity has practically turned Nigeria into one huge camp for the internally displaced. And the more the traumatised people of Tabanni, Allikiru, Gaidan Kare, Kursa, Dankilawa, Ruwan Tsamiya and Gidan Barebari villages in Rabah Local Government of Sokoto State shared their tragic experiences with me on Tuesday, the more convinced I became that President Muhammadu Buhari needs to do more than meaningless preachments on how his “security teams crack their brains to put an end to this horrendous violence.”

When last week the governor of Sokoto, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal spoke on the tragic incident in his state, he said something I found rather disturbing and made me to resolve to visit the state: “We buried 32 people yesterday but when we were leaving the area, they brought additional seven bodies...these marauders invaded Tabanni village, killing and maiming people.

These marauders never took away even a chicken; they only came to kill and left.”

That sounded like an invasion of the bandits that have for some years practically seized power in Zamfara State and I found it scary, especially since I am aware of how much efforts both Tambuwal and his Kebbi State counterpart, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu have invested in preventing a spill-over of the Zamfara lawlessness that could open a new flank of general insecurity in the north-west. Almost certain that there would be more to the killings, I left for Sokoto on Monday but because the flight was delayed for several hours in Abuja and we arrived the city late, my journey to the affected area was shifted to Tuesday morning.

While nine communities were affected in the invasion that has led the villagers to flee to the district headquarters in Gandi where I arrived shortly after 8am on Tuesday, it was at Tabanni that the tragic drama played out. According to Muhammadu Mani, a farmer who survived the brutal onslaught, it was around 3.30pm when the invaders arrived their village in a convoy of about 50 motobikes each carrying three persons, all of them wielding guns and other assault weapons. “They cordoned off the village by blocking the three entry and exit points before they started shooting with some of them going from house to house. Many of them were in Army uniforms and were Fulani men.”

Incidentally, majority of the victims are themselves Fulani. Asked if the bandits were on a revenge mission, Mani answered in the affirmative, confirming what Senator Adamu Aliero, a former two-term governor of the neighbouring Kebbi State, said in plenary last week. According to Aliero, “the bandits sent two people to the village to buy food for them and the villagers observed that the emissaries were armed and they were interrogated by the villagers who found the bandits to be similar to the ones operating

Tambuwal in Zamfara. The villagers apprehended and executed the two emissaries.”

Mani’s version is not somewhat different from Aleiro’s except claiming that only one of the two emissaries was killed and that the bandits, whose camps were located in the adjoining forests, had become a menace since they were always demanding ransom payments from the villagers. Interestingly, although some women and children lost their lives to the massacre, they appeared more like collateral damages than any intention by the executioners to take their lives. “We could hear these men saying, ‘Let us kill all their men and see whether their women alone can bear children’”, recounted Mani.

Malam Ali Na-Huro who was working on his farm when the attack occurred said he “passed more than 30 corpses, while many others fell into the river surrounding our village” as he and others ran for their lives. But the Tabanni village head was not so lucky. According to Mani, the traditional ruler had been receiving guests at the time “but when he heard gunshots, he and his guests ran out and tried to escape through the river at the back of the village but they were pursued and shot dead right inside the water.” The deceased traditional ruler has been replaced by his son.

The bandits came well prepared with flame throwers with which they razed the thatched houses, even as some of the villagers who tried to escape were pursued on bikes and killed. From the accounts shared by many of the victims, the bandits were used to collecting taxes and demanding ransom and they were being paid until lately when some of the villagers began to put up a resistance with the help of Vigilante. This resulted in the death of some of the bandits who appear evidently very organized. A few weeks ago, for instance, the head of Tabanni vigilante was going to Gandi to lodge a report when he was waylaid and gunned down on the way. From the account of Mani and others, an informant for the bandits gave the vigilante man away.

While a primary school provides a

temporary shelter for hundreds of people, many of the victims who have relatives in Gandi have moved in with their kins. Yarin Gandi, the district head, Alhaji Muhammadu Machido had gone to Sokoto to receive Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was visiting on Tuesday both to commiserate with them and at the same time commission the 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum ($350 million) BUA Kalambaina cement plant of Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu.

Meanwhile, there are serious concerns among the people about the security challenge in Rabah local government.

Abdulkadir Gandi, a former civil servant in the state who also worked with UNICEF on girl-child education campaign before he retired to the village to take up farming said the insecurity in the area will have far-reaching implications. “Those villages under attack represent the food basket of this area so if the people can’t farm again, and many have deserted their farms, then we will have a serious problem” said Gandi.

Aleiro’s submission at the Senate drew attention to the security challenge. He said the chairman of the local government and the village head alerted the law enforcement agencies to an advance notice sent by the bandits. “Security was provided for a period of five days after which they were withdrawn...the bandits moved in and started killing indiscriminately using AK-47 rifles. The situation now is that most of the villagers have left their homes out of fear and so many are still stranded in the bush, not to mention the injured ones still at the hospital and others rendered

homeless” said Aliero.

During the debate in the House of Representatives on the same issue, Hon. Aminu Shehu Shagari disclosed that “the armed bandits issued threat letters to the villagers warning them to pay some millions or risk being attacked prior to the invasion by about 100 of the armed bandits on motorcycles using guns. They also used improvised explosive devices suspected to be petrol bombs in carrying out their dastardly act”. In his own contribution, the House Minority Whip, Hon Yakubu Barde Umar lamented that as Nigeria becomes one big killing field, the security chiefs are only “cracking their brains”, in an apparent derision of President Buhari’s statement.

That Nigeria has lost what Max Weber described as “the monopoly of violence” to non-state armed actors is no longer in doubt. On Tuesday, another gang of armed bandits reportedly attacked Malikawa Village in Gidan Goga District, Maradun Local Government area of Zamfara State. “In today’s attack at Malikawa village, Gidan Goga district, Maradun local government, Zamfara State, gunmen entered the village and started shooting,” Amnesty Int’l Nigeria tweeted. “This is happening five days after armed bandits attacked the same village and sacked seven villages under the district.

People in this area now live in fear of armed bandits who wantonly kill or kidnap for ransom. We call on Nigerian authorities to stop the killings now!”

NOTE: This piece is concluded on page 14.

Classy Mary @ 50 When the Chief Operating Officer of Heritage Banking Company Limited (HBCL), Mrs Mary Akpobome turned 50 last week Wednesday, she celebrated by launching a foundation for the promotion of girl-child education in Nigeria. The primary focus of the NGO, according to Mary, who by the way is wife to my friend and ace comedian, Ali Baba, is to offer scholarship to young girls from underprivileged background. But it was party time last Friday night at Harbour Point in Victoria Island and that was where Mary showed class.

I have attended a number of birthday ceremonies in recent years but I cannot remember the last I enjoyed as much as

Mary’s. As you enter the hall, you are handed a pack which contained a photo album, finger food (small chops) from Saheeto and a copy of the popular Christian hymnal, Sacred Songs and Solos. But the real deal: On the bandstand was Beejay Sax (Bolaji Banjoko), one of Nigeria’s most talented saxophonists and a great entertainer who practically brought down the roof as he rendered one gospel song after another to the delight of the audience. I watched as several Lagos Big Boys and Babes practically forgot themselves to boogie down. And I also danced!

To Mary, I say welcome to the club of the Quinquagenarians.

Countdown Begins!

For every teenager desirous of success, their lives and future cannot be a laughing matter! That was Mr Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, aka Ali Baba, in August 2016.

Last year, veteran actor, Richard MofeDamijo (RMD) reminded the audience that each day, every teenager is put on stage, unscripted, while charging them to put up a worthy performance. Mrs. Dolapo

Osinbajo, wife of the Vice-President said most poignantly: “Your talents count for nothing if your conduct and character are appalling.” As the countdown to the 2018 edition of the Abuja Teens career conference begins, the web portal, www.rccgteapteens. org brings back memories of past editions as registration opens for those who seek to attend this year.

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