FRIDAY 27th JULY 2018

Osinbajo Opens 3rd THISDAY Healthcare Summit Today Govs, W’Bank Chiefs to attend Martins Ifijeh Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will today declare open the third edition of the THISDAY Healthcare Policy Dialogue holding at the Shehu Musa

Yar’Adua Conference Centre in Abuja by 10am.

The high powered summit will bring under one roof healthcare stakeholders, development partners and policy makers to chat a way

forward for the provision of basic healthcare to all states of the federation, and will also focus on honouring states that have distinguished themselves in the provision of healthcare to their people.

Other dignitaries expected to headline the summit are the Minister of Health, Prof.

Isaac Adewole; Minister of FCT, Alhaji Mohammed Bello; Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Yari Abubakar; Chairman,

Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuoso; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Kano State Governor, Alhaji Umar Ganduje; Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Anambra

State Governor, Mr. Willie Obiano; Adamawa State Governor, Mr. Jibrilla Bindow; Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade; and Founder, Continued on page 10

9mobile: NCC Extends Payment Deadline for Teleology… Page 10 Friday 27 July, 2018 Vol 23. No 8499. Price: N250

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Despite AGF’s Clearance, Police Interrogate Saraki Insists he is innocent Police: He has case to answer Deji Elumoye and Senator Iroegbu in Abuja In spite of a clean bill of health issued to Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Minister

of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, over the April 5, 2018 bank robberies in Offa, Kwara State, the police yesterday interrogated the

Senate president in his office at the National Assembly, Abuja.

The detectives from the Force Intelligence Response Team (FIRT) of Nigeria Police arrived the National

Assembly premises about 1.40p.m. and made straight for the fourth floor office of the Senate president, where they engaged him over the robbery incidents.

Malami had in a legal opinion, signed on his behalf by the Director Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Mohammed E.U., to the police, dated June 22, 2018, stated

that there was no concrete evidence to link Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the Continued on page 8

We Are Tired of APC, Says Ahmed, Hints of Defection Shehu Sani: Party’s system of iniquity, injustice led to internal revolt Oshiomhole rejects federal lawmakers’ demand, insists no automatic ticket

Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The anger in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continued to boil yesterday as Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, said members in the state were tired of the party, hinting that the time had come for them to move elsewhere.

The governor spoke at the

party’s stakeholders’ forum in Ilorin, capital of the state, and said there was no more hope for redress in the APC ahead of the 2019 general election.

Ahmed’s complaint reechoed in Abuja with the senator representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani, saying the internal revolt in the party was motivated by large scale iniquity and injustice that had Continued on page 8

Oando Records N8.5bn Profit in H1 2018 ... Page 51

LET’S SAVE APAPA...

L-R: Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Edgal Imohimi; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, during an inspection of Apapa by the vice president…yesterday

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9mobile: NCC Extends Payment Deadline for Teleology Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has extended the July 25 payment deadline given to Teleology Holdings Limited, to make the outstanding payment of $251 million to take over 9mobile.

The Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile, Mr. Boye Olusanya, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

According to Olusanya, the extension of the timeline was considered necessary to enable parties involved in the sale process to finalise the requisite transaction documentation to facilitate a smooth closure and

transition to the new investor.

The parties involved include the NCC, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and 9mobile.

"The Board of 9mobile is pleased with the progress made thus far and expects the acquisition process to be completed as soon as possible.

“Further updates in this regard will be provided in due course. We hereby thank our invaluable customers for their support and reiterate our continuing commitment to providing best-in-class telecommunication service," Olusanya further said in the

statement.

Although the duration for the extension was not stated in the statement, THISDAY, however, gathered from a source close to Teleology that the duration period is 20-working days.

All attempts made to confirm the development from NCC proved abortive as its Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, could not be reached.

The CBN’s Director of Communication, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, could also not be reached for confirmation of the extension of time.

THISDAY, however, learnt that the board of NCC was scheduled to meet yesterday

to consider the status of the transaction, particularly the report of its committee saddled with the responsibility of conducting due diligence on the technical capability of Teleology.

Barclays Africa, the Financial Adviser handling the sale of 9mobile had in February 21, 2018, announced Teleology Holdings Limited as the preferred bidder for the sale of 9mobile and Smile Telecoms Holding as the reserve bidder.

Barclays Africa had directed Teleology to make an initial nonrefundable cash deposit of $50 million within 21 days, which expired on March 21, 2018, and

then pay the balance of $251 million within 90 working days from March 21, which ended July 25.

But Teleology came up to explain that the actual expiration date to make final payment was June 30, but that it was given additional 20 working days to make payment, following delay in the approval letter from NCC. THISDAY gathered that the NCC and SEC were supposed to transmit letters of approval for the sale of 9mobile before Teleology could make payment.

Confirming the information, Teleology told THISDAY that it had already sourced the $251 million balance money

and kept same in an escrow account, awaiting the regulators’ authorisation letters for it to effect payment.

The NCC had said it was carrying out due diligence on Teleology Holdings to ascertain its financial strength and technical capabilities to take over 9mobile before it would approve the use of 9mobile licence by Teleology.

But the regulator was yet to release its findings on the due diligence carried out as well as transmit the letter of approval for the sale of 9mobile, a situation, sources said, was largely responsible for the delay in payment.

Also speaking after the meeting, Oshiomhole said the senators came in large numbers to the meeting to show that APC still had the largest number of senators and members of the House of Representatives.

According to him, APC remained focused on its goals to provide good governance to Nigerians.

He said the meeting was initiated by the senators in expression of their solidarity for both the president and his administration.

He said, “The senators have come in huge numbers to prove that the APC remains the party with the largest number of senators as well as members in the House of Representatives; also to prove that we still have what it takes to continue to provide good governance for Nigeria.

"We have agreed that going forward, the APC cannot be intimidated, and the government will not be intimidated or distracted.

We remain focused and committed to addressing the critical challenges that confront our country, namely: security, economy and fight against corruption.”

In his own submission, the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said their visit to the Villa was meant to brief Buhari on the episode, which led to the defection of 14 senators to opposition parties on Tuesday.

Echoing Oshiomhole, Lawan, who said APC still had majority membership in the Senate, claimed that some of those who left had expressed their willingness to return.

He said, “We have come to pay a courtesy call on our leader, the president of this country and then inform him about what happened yesterday (Tuesday) in the Senate and indeed the National Assembly; the defection by some of our colleagues from the APC to the PDP and various political parties. We informed the president of how we stand in the Senate.

"As at today, the APC caucus in the Senate is 53 in number, followed by the largest minority party the PDP with 48 senators and then the ADC with two senators, APGA has two senators. We have two vacant seats, which were occupied by APC senators who are late now.

By the grace of God, there will be election into those two seats on August 11 and hopefully the APC will clinch both and our number of senators will swell to 55.”

to give automatic tickets to members in the green chamber ahead of the 2019 election.

The lawmaker, who led other colleagues to a meeting with the leadership of the APC at the Secretariat in Abuja yesterday, asked the party to consider giving them automatic tickets as reward for their loyalty.

Gbajabiamila said the move would act as incentive for the incumbent members who have displayed loyalty, tenacity and commitment to the party in the face of the poaching by the PDP. Speaking on the outcome of the meeting with the party, Gbajabiamila said that they used the opportunity to express solidarity with the party and the president in view of the recent defection that hit the ruling party.

He explained that their own concept of automatic ticket was about making the party to have an "establishment candidate" without necessarily shutting out others.

He said that the period of recess by the National Assembly would be a hunting period for the PDP, which he said had turned members to commodities that could be purchased.

He, therefore, challenged the party leader to keep a communication line with members while the break lasts.

physical security. I request you, therefore, to please assign your personnel who need information on this matter, to meet me in my office, immediately after plenary today, or tomorrow or any other day at your convenience."

Idris had on Monday invited Saraki to appear before the Police Special Anti-Robbery Unit in Guzape Police Station to answer questions over his alleged involvement in the Offa robbery incidents.

Saraki had stated in an earlier response on Monday that the invitation to him by the police to report to a station in Guzape over the Offa robbery investigation was “a mere afterthought, which is designed to achieve political purpose.”

He had stated then that he had it on good authority that the police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed U.E., and that the turn around to invite him was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.

But the police yesterday denied reports that the AGF had in his legal advice to it exonerated the Senate president.

The Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jimoh Moshood, in a statement said contrary to

Saraki’s claim, the DPP did not exonerate him but only advised that further investigation be carried out.

According to the statement, "It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that the DPP of the Federation in the legal advice did not restrain or restrict the Force from investigating further, the indictments against the Senate President, Saraki, and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, by the principal suspects arrested in connection with the Offa bank robbery of April 5, 2018.

"The DPP’s advice did not exonerate the Senate president; it only called for further investigations into the matter."

The police noted that in the course of further investigations into the case, a letter of invitation dated July 23, 2018 was sent to the Senate president to appear on July 24, 2018 at 8a.m. before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.

Re-affirming that the Senate President had case to answer by virtue of the alleged statements he submitted earlier to the investigation team, the police said it became clear that the police required further clarifications from Saraki.

The police maintained that

WE ARE TIRED OF APC, SAYS AHMED, HINTS OF DEFECTION bedeviled it for so long.

Sani spoke to journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday night after a fire-fighting meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari who gathered APC senators for a fence-mending session.

But the effort of the president at pacifying the federal legislators, who are at the forefront of the ongoing revolt, almost hit the rocks yesterday when the party’s National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, firmly rejected their demand for automatic ticket as panacea for the gale of defections in two chambers of the National Assembly, contending that the field would be open to everyone to play.

In Ilorin, Ahmed continued to stoke the ember of defection, telling APC stakeholders that enough was enough. "We are only waiting for our leader, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to give us the new direction and hope so as to move forward," he told his angry audience.

According to him, "It is disheartening to note that all our expectations and aspirations that made us to defect to the APC from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014 are not met."

Ahmed, who said the stakeholders’ meeting was convened for all of them to discuss the way forward, argued that the APC could not take them to anywhere again.

He said, "We want all of you to make contributions so as to agree in unity on which party that we will move into without any hindrance."

The governor who lauded the leadership style of the Senate president, said, "We are only waiting for him to come home now and we will inform him of our decision; and then ask him to lead us to a new land of hope."

However, all the speakers at the meeting supported the view of the governor on the new agenda to quit the APC. One of the youth leaders at the meeting, Alhaji Ali Baba, said that they belonged to the Saraki political structure and not to any idealism or ideology of any political party in the state, adding that they were ready to move to another party he would lead them to.

"Please take us to where our welfare will be guaranteed and our expectations will be met," Baba said.

Also speaking, the leader of the market women in the state, Alhaja Ramat Oganija, said the people were tired of the ruling APC government at the federal level.

"We expressed joy and happiness when our leader, Saraki, led us into the APC, not knowing that they are featherweight and unreliable.

We are not afraid to leave APC for any other party. We are eagerly waiting for you to show us our next destination.

Whenever Saraki leaves the APC, it would be depleted,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sani while speaking after 42 APC senators met with Buhari following the defection of 14 of them to the PDP on Tuesday, said he had opted to attend the meeting not because his grievances had been addressed but rather because the new party leadership had shown the political will to resolve the matter.

He said he had chosen to attend the meeting because he believed in the new leadership of the party as well as the personality of Buhari.

The senator also pointed out that he believed that there was no problem that couldn't be resolved.

He said, “I’m here as a member of the APC caucus in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my presence here does not mean that my issues have been solved 100 per cent but I am of the belief that we have a leader in the party who is doing everything possible to see that the problems that we have that led to a situation of revolt against the system of iniquity and injustice are resolved.

"So, I am here because I believe in the leadership of the party and I believe also in the leadership of President Buhari, and I’m also of the belief that there is no issue that we cannot solve as human beings, as men of conscience and conviction.”

Oshiomhole Rejects Federal Lawmakers’ Demand, Insists No Automatic Ticket In a related development, the Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, urged the party

Continued on page 10

DESPITE AGF’S CLEARANCE, POLICE INTERROGATE SARAKI robbery incidents.

According to him, police need to firm up their investigation and carefully identify all critical areas before identifying the Senate president as a suspect in the incident.

Perhaps following the AGF’s advice for further investigation to mobilise evidence to nail him, the police were at the National Assembly yesterday to question Saraki, who had pleaded fear for his personal safety in declining police invitation to him to report at its Guzape, Abuja station on Tuesday.

The meeting lasted for about two hours with the detectives reportedly showing Saraki copies of the statements made by some of the suspects arrested in connection with the robbery incidents.

At a point, Saraki was reportedly asked by the detectives about 200 cars he distributed to political associates and hangers on, including some of the suspects in Ilorin last December.

The Senate president was said to have replied that as a politician he meets with hundreds of party supporters on daily basis but can't know everybody by name.

Saraki's meeting with the detectives was confirmed to THISDAY by his media adviser, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, but was not forthcoming about details

of the meeting.

Special Assistant to the Senate President on New Media, Mr. Olu Onemola, also confirmed the meeting on his Twitter page yesterday.

He had tweeted, "Further to the invitation to the Senate president by the police on July 23 and his written response to them on July 24 on why he couldn't see them that day, today about 1.40p.m., Saraki met with a team of investigators on the Offa robbery case in his office.”

He added, "Saraki used the opportunity to reiterate the fact that he has nothing to do with the robbery incident of April 5, 2018 or any other criminal activity."

Saraki had in an acknowledgement to the invitation letter by the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, asking him to report at Guzape Police Station in Abuja last Tuesday, expressed his inability to honour the invitation.

While acknowledging IG's letter with ref CR: 3000/IGPSEC/ABJ/ VOL.,131/707, dated 23rd of July 2018, Saraki had stated, "For the record, I should mention that I received your letter at 8:30p.m. on Monday, July 23, inviting me for the next day at 8a.m. The two lawyers whose advice I needed were in Calabar and Lagos and had to travel to Abuja today.”

He said further, "As you are

aware, the Deputy President of the Senate was unable to leave his residence this morning to preside over the Senate having been prevented from doing so by security agents. If he had been able to preside over the Senate, I would have honoured your invitation. The absence of both presiding officers would have voided the sitting of the Senate.

This would have been damaging to national interest, particularly in the light of very important legislative matters that needed to be addressed in view of the imminent recess of the National Assembly. These included consideration of the Electoral Bill, which was incidentally passed today.”

Saraki also in the letter alluded to the initial intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari in the matter, saying, "You will recall that Mr. President had earlier directed as a courtesy to this office, that in the event of any request for further information from me, you should either send your personnel to my office or obtain a written response from me.”

While expressing concern about his safety, the Senate president told the IG, "Following the incident of being harassed and threatened at my residence by the police early this morning, I am deeply concerned over my

investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robberies over the alleged indictment of the Senate President, from the alleged confessions of some of the arrested principal suspects.

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NGN NGN 0.17 1.89 0.038 4.38 0.06 0.68 0.06 0.69 0.17 1.97 NGN 0.04 0.39 0.04 0.40 0.54 5.56 UPDC 0.15 1.55 A.G LEVENTIS 0.04 0.42 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,501.00 Volume: 171.22 million shares Value: N2.978 billion Deals: 3,395 As at Friday 26/07/18 See details on Page 43

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Herdsmen Crisis Claims Six Times More Lives than Boko Haram Insurgency, Says Report May threaten 2019 elections, hurt APC’s chances, national stability Ejiofor Alike and Vincent Obia A new report released yesterday by the International Crisis Group, an independent organisation working to prevent wars and shape policies that would build a more peaceful world, revealed that herdsmen crisis has become Nigeria’s gravest security challenge, now claiming about six times more civilian lives than the Boko Haram insurgency.

It also indicated that the conflict between farmers and herdsmen has escalated, killing more than 1,300 people since January 2018 and might affect the 2019 general election and threaten the country’s stability.

The International Crisis Group noted that with the widespread disenchantment with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is viewed outside the north as soft on the herders, the crisis could hurt the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 2019 elections.

The report added that the conflict has evolved from

spontaneous reactions to provocations and now to deadlier planned attacks, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Taraba States.

The report said the herdsmen crisis had displaced hundreds of thousands and sharpened ethnic, regional and religious polarisation.

“Three factors have aggravated this: Decades-long conflict arising from environmental degradation in the far north and encroachment upon grazing grounds in the Middle Belt; militia attacks; the poor government response to distress calls and failure to punish past perpetrators; and new laws banning open grazing in Benue and Taraba States,” the report said.

It added, “In the first half of 2018, more than 1,300 Nigerians have died in violence involving herders and farmers. What were once spontaneous attacks have become premeditated scorchedearth campaigns in which marauders often take villages by surprise at night. Now claiming

Buhari about six times more civilian lives than the Boko Haram insurgency, the conflict poses a grave threat to the country’s stability and unity, and it could affect the 2019 general elections,” the report said.

The group accused the federal government of taking insufficient steps to halt the killings, adding that the government’s immediate priorities should be to deploy more security units to vulnerable areas; prosecute perpetrators of

violence; disarm ethnic militias and local vigilantes; and begin executing long-term plans for comprehensive livestock sector reform.

The group, however, called on the Benue State Government to freeze the enforcement of its law banning open grazing, review that law’s provisions and encourage a phased transition to ranching.

It reported, “The conflict is fundamentally a land-use contest between farmers and herders across the country’s Middle Belt. It has taken on dangerous religious and ethnic dimensions, however, because most of the herders are from the traditionally nomadic and Muslim Fulani who make up about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s pastoralists, while most of the farmers are Christians of various ethnicities.

“Since the violence escalated in January 2018, an estimated 300,000 people have fled their homes. Large-scale displacement and insecurity in parts of Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa,

Plateau and Taraba States hinder farming as well as herding and drive up food prices. The violence exacts a heavy burden on the military, police and other security services, distracting them from other important missions, such as countering the Boko Haram insurgency.”

The report blamed the conflict on climate-induced degradation of pasture and increasing violence in the country’s far north, which have forced herders south; the expansion of farms and settlements that swallow up grazing reserves and block traditional migration routes; and the damage to farmers’ crops wrought by herders’ indiscriminate grazing.

“But three immediate factors explain the 2018 escalation.

First is the rapid growth of ethnic militias, such as those of the Bachama and Fulani in Adamawa State, bearing illegally acquired weapons.

Second is the failure of the federal government to prosecute past perpetrators or heed early warnings of impending attacks.

Third is the introduction in November 2017 of anti-grazing laws vehemently opposed by herders in Benue and Taraba States, and the resultant exodus of herders and cattle, largely into neighbouring Nasarawa and, to a lesser degree, Adamawa, sparking clashes with farmers in those states,” the report added.

The report added that as the killings persist, Nigerians are weaving destructive conspiracy theories to explain the conflict.

According to the crisis group, charges and counter-charges fly of ethnic cleansing and even genocide – by both farmers and herders.

“In Benue State, once part of Nigeria’s northern region, herders’ attacks have deepened anger, particularly but not only among farmers, at the Fulani who are spread across the north.

Widespread disenchantment with President Muhammadu Buhari – who is viewed outside the north as soft on the herders – could hurt his, and the ruling party’s, chances in the February 2019 elections,” the group said.

Kachikwu to Launch Downstream Petroleum Infrastructure Rebirth Plan Says Nigeria plans to be Africa’s refinery hub

Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, would soon launch a new plan to revive operational infrastructure in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and open them up for private sector investments across their value chains, his aide yesterday disclosed to THISDAY. Speaking to THISDAY in Abuja as part of a follow up on Nigeria’s recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Niger Republic to build a 150,000 barrels per day capacity refinery at a Katsina State border town between both countries, Kachikwu’s Senior Technical

Adviser (STA) on refineries and downstream infrastructure, Mr. Rabiu Suleiman, said the rebirth plan would among other things, also consider how best to utilise the various downstream assets of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that are idle.

He noted that the country’s downstream sector was not in a good shape, and, “That is why going forward, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is planning to launch the downstream infrastructure rebirth for the country, where we will look at various infrastructure of the downstream - pipelines, tank farms and all other facilities - how adequate are they for this

country.”

He said the plan would determine the infrastructure deficiencies and how to optimise the utilisation of those ones that are currently redundant.

It would also consider necessary investments that are needed from private investors to enhance and close the gap of infrastructure and open up the place so that people could build their own pipelines and charge tariffs.

According to him the rebirth plan would ensure that marketers could put their products into somebody else’s pipeline, move and receive them elsewhere.

“These are all on the table, we are discussing them and planning

to see how we can launch the new infrastructure rebirth for the country,” Suleiman said.

He equally suggested the plan would consider the best models to get downstream assets owned and operated by the NNPC, albeit inefficiently, and which have been idle, to get them working again.

He said, “Why should we have a depot that is not utilised or has not seen products for eight months? Can we commercialise that? These are all discussions that are going on.

“All those idle NNPC assets, how do we optimise the utilisation either by way of commercialising them or making sure the NNPC set up a commercial outfit that will

optimise the utilisation and retain the proceeds within the NNPC because it is assets. These are all things that we are putting forward to see how we can develop all the infrastructure of downstream.”

Also speaking on the planned border refinery, Suleiman, who is leading the project’s technical committee, explained it was in line with Nigeria’s strategy to become a hub for refined petroleum products in Africa.

He reiterated that the project would be private sector financed with no financial commitments from the governments of both countries, adding, however, that the NNPC and its Nigerien counterpart might be allowed to

take minor strategic shareholdings in the project.

He explained, “It is a competitive world. Nigeria has the intention without excuse to be the hub of hydrocarbon business in Africa and therefore any opportunity that will give us that unique position to be the hub, we will grab it because it has a potential of business activities in all aspects of life.

“There is no justification that ships coming to Nigeria and all other African countries go to Cotonou to fuel and bunker.

If we have bunkering facilities in our territorial waters, you can imagine the volume of trades and employment opportunities there.”

has described THISDAY as a star in repositioning healthcare in Nigeria following its interest for a better healthcare for the country.

He said the dialogue will help emphasise the role of states as primary healthcare providers for the over 180 million Nigerians.

In a chat with THISDAY recently, he said while the federal government has given a fixed grant of $1.5 million to each state under the SOML last year, he believed this summit will provide a platform for accessing what has been done with the fund, and help in comparing states for a healthy competition.

“We intend to give the states more money for healthcare interventions, but accessing what they have done with the one already given is important.

States are very key to addressing healthcare in the country, but many states have been relaxed, thinking the federal will take care of their problems.

“I think the issue started when there was so much ‘money’ around. At that time, the federal government created an impression that they could do it alone, so states relaxed thinking the federal will take care of the problem. But to me, it does not represent the reality

on ground. Federal does not have the human and financial resources, so it is time states play active role. The people in the states are primarily indigenes of that state before they are indigenes of Nigeria.”

He said this era of cooperation will help in strengthening healthcare, and will make states viable partners in healthcare delivery in the country.

The minister, who likened the federal government to the roof of a house, said the states are

like the walls of a building, while the local government is the foundation. “So we will be deceiving ourselves if we put a golden roof up without good foundation and good walls. We must strengthen all levels of healthcare, and this dialogue is a step on the right direction to achieving that,” he said.

The summit, is co-organised with the Federal Ministry of Health, World Bank, Arise TV (a THISDAY sister station) Flying Doctors, UNICEF, among others.

OSINBAJO OPENS 3RD THISDAY HEALTHCARE SUMMIT TODAY Flying Doctors Nigeria, Dr. Ola Orekunrin.

Others are Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Country Head, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ms. Paulin Basinga; Chief Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank Nigeria, Mr. Benjamin Loevinsohn; UNICEF Country Director, Mr. Mohammed Fall; Senior Health Advisory, Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Abdulwahab Ahmad; and Programme Manager, Saving One Million Lives, Alhaji Ibrahim Kana, among others.

This is following the previous two policy dialogues, which focused on Healthcare Financing and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in March and April 2018 respectively.

Both earlier endeavours yielded a number of successes, including for the first time, the earmarking of N57.15 billion in the 2018 national budget for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) by the National Assembly.

This third edition, themed: ‘Funding Healthcare for All; Why States Matter,’ with a sub-theme, ‘Emergency Medicine: Need for Action,’ will honour eight states using federal government’s Saving One Million Lives

Programme Performance Index as a major tool in determining star states that have delivered healthcare to their people.

States to be honoured using the SOML Performance Index are Zamfara, Lagos, Cross River, Delta, Anambra, Adamawa, Kano State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The SOML is an establishment of the federal government which aids to support states in the improvement of health outcomes in their various states. Its key service areas are: provision of quality healthcare in primary health facilities, vaccination coverage among children; contraceptive prevalence rate; skilled birth attendance; HIV counseling/testing among women attending antenatal care; and use of insecticide treated nets by children under five, among others.

Under the programme, the federal government, in 2017 gave $1.5 million to each of the 36 states.

According to THISDAY Board of Directors, the high performing states were selected using a set of verifiable and objective indicators provided

by THISDAY Newspapers Healthcare Dialogue Team and the SOML initiative programme,

adding that state governments who are responsible for most of the service delivery should be held accountable for their performances.

The board said the poor health outcomes recorded in Nigeria, are chiefly because priority has not been given to the basic healthcare needs of Nigerians, noting that for any country to effectively achieve UHC, all levels of government must be involved.

“States and local governments are very critical to achieving UHC, but only few states have charged ahead with increased budgetary allocation of financing to primary healthcare and expansion of coverage of essential priority interventions.

Most states in Nigeria are yet to put in place the required accountability and governance framework required to change the tide for improved health outcomes. However, some states have differentiated themselves and are making efforts towards a better healthcare.”

THISDAY said it is for this reason it is focusing on high performing states, as part of efforts to encourage and stare others to making healthcare a priority.

Meanwhile, Prof. Adewole

WE ARE TIRED OF APC, SAYS AHMED, HINTS OF DEFECTION Responding, Oshiomhole said he was not bothered by the frantic moves of PDP to win more members to their fold.

Regarding the lawmaker's demand for special consideration in the run-up to the next year's general elections, Oshiomhole said the issue of automatic ticket does not arise since it was against democratic tenets.

He, however, assured the party members of the commitment of the new party leadership to ensuring level play ground for all.

He said he believed that

association with political parties must be based on ideology and service to the people.

The House of Representatives members and the party hierarchy had a closed- door session before they departed.

The crisis in the party worsened on Tuesday when 14 senators and 32 representatives switched to the PDP. Five other representatives also resigned with four crossing carpet to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) while the other simply resigned without signifying his next destination.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018

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THEME: FUNDING HEALTHCARE FOR ALL: WHY STATES MATTER The THISDAY editorial board is happy to announce the third edition of its high-level health policy dialogue. The two previous editions have focused on the chronic underfunding of the health sector as a major cause of poor health outcomes. The efforts have been part of the successful advocacy towards the appropriation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in the 2018 budget by the National Assembly. The editorial board however believes that state governments, responsible for most of the service delivery, are held accountable for their performance and will use this policy dialogue to honor high performing states as well as those states with potential to spring surprises.

SUB-THEME: EMERGENCY MEDICINE: NEED FOR ACTION SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR

CHIEF HOSTS

Prof Isaac Adewole

Professor Yemi Osinbajo

Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Dr Osagie Ehanire, Min. of State, Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria

GUEST SPEAKER

GUEST APPEARANCE

Benjamin Loevinsohn Chief, Health, Nutrition and Pop. World Bank Nigeria.

Dr. Ola Orekunrin Founder, The Flying Doctors, Nigeria

SPEAKERS

Sen. Lanre Tejuoso Chair. Sen. Cmtt., Health

A.M Abdulahi Perm. Sec. FMOH

Clare Omatseye Pres. Healthcare Fed. Nig.

HONOUR’S ROLL

Prof. B.B Shehu VC, FUBK

DELTA STATE

ZAMFARA STATE

LAGOS STATE

ADAMAWA STATE

H.E Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa

H.E Yari Abubakar

H.E Akin. Ambode

H.E Jibrilla Binddow

CROSS RIVER STATE

KANO STATE

ANAMBRA STATE

FCT

H.E Ben Ayade

H.E Umar Ganduje

H.E Willie Obiano

Mohammed Bello

Prof. Aliko Ahmed Chatham House, U.K

WHO WOULD BE THERE?

Mohammed M. Fall Abdulwahab Ahmad, Representative UNICEF Snr Health Adv., NGF

Trina Haque World Bank Group

DR. Yemi Johnson, Cardiologist, U.S.A

Dr. Ibrahim Kana Prog. Manager SOML

This high level policy dialogue will have in attendance State Governors, members of the Federal Executive Council, state Commissioners of health, SPHCDAs, development partners, high level dignitaries from the public and private sector, stakeholders and members of the general public.

For enquiries please email: hello@thisdaylive.com For participation, please call any of the following: Lagos: Ayo Arowolo Tel: 09067059433; Ronke Macaulay: 09065827737 Abuja: Iyobosa Uwugiaren Tel: 08033143902

Date: Fri. 27 July, 2018

Venue : Musa Yar’Adua Conference Center, Abuja

FMOH

Time: 10:00 am

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018

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COMMENT

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

PARADOX OF PLENTY AND PENURY (3) The challenges facing Nigeria are not insurmountable, argues Monday Philips Ekpe

A

s I conclude this series today, I know that much has been left unsaid, for it is difficult to do real justice to discussions about an evidently super-endowed but under-performing entity like ours. The easiest thing to do in writing about Nigeria now is to descend into lamentations and sarcasm but I have so far resisted the temptation. That stance is rooted in two personal premises: my own knowledge of the country’s glorious past and then my undying faith in the possibility of national rebirth and reawakening. It is for these reasons that I am often irritated by Nigerians who only see gloom ahead, especially some of those who reside abroad whose hobby it is to further destroy our corporate image on the social media. The best approach to the many challenges we have as a people is to truthfully reassess where we are at the moment in order to face tomorrow squarely. Let’s be clear. The theme of suffering in the midst of abundance is universal, well recognised not only in real life but also in fiction. “Water, water everywhere,/And all the boards did shrink;/Water, water everywhere,/Not any drop to drink� famous lines from the 19th Century poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,� have exemplified this phenomenon down the ages.

Yet, not pointing out the ills that have plagued us for so long would betray one’s insincerity or lack of understanding about the predicament. Most Nigerians are painfully aware of their inability to live the good life despite being lavishly blessed. The titles of two novels that originated from South Africa and Ghana, namely Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country and Ayi Kwei Armah’s Why Are We so Blest, respectfully, could easily headline the nation’s largely self-inflicted woes. They have continued to attract scholarly attention too. Like Tochukwu Ekweoba’s work, “Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: The Role of Social Studies Education,â€? published in the Journal of Economic and Environmental Education. This well referenced study put our miserable socio-economic situation thus: “Attaining economic freedom and breaking away from poverty entails healthy living‌ The present conditions in Nigeria seem to be in sharp contrast of her natural resource endowments. In Nigeria, despite our abundant human and natural resources with the huge oil wealth, poverty seems to remain pervasive. The masses seem to live at the margin of the society. Conditions have continued to worsen and poverty has become a major issue in the country with over 70 per cent of the population said to be living below poverty lines‌ With food shortages in the country, many find it hard to have three square meals a day. Nigeria is politically and economically unstable. Most communities in Nigeria lack potable water, decent houses, electricity, medical services, educational facilities, good roads, and good communication network‌.â€?

But are these hurdles insurmountable? The answer should be in the negative. It always makes economic sense to depend on

YES, WE LIVE IN A KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN WORLD WHERE THE CHUNK OF GLOBAL GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT COMES FROM, BUT ONE FACT HAS NEVER CHANGED SINCE HUMANITY BEGAN: PEOPLE MUST EAT

comparative advantages in any effort to get out of the mud. Take agriculture, for instance. Why are we stuck with our national colours – green and white – if we are not determined to keep faith with their symbolism? By the time they were adopted, agricultural activities were the country’s live wires. The green element of the flag portrayed a land that was very fertile and optimally utilised to bring health, happiness and prosperity to the people and buoyancy to government coffers. Even with the current less arability occasioned by desertification, erosion and industrial pollution, Nigeria is still in a position to maximise its robust natural resources that include generously distributed rainfall, rich soil, relatively warm year-round temperatures and bountiful pasture for livestock production. This enviable profile is found in virtually every corner of the country in different forms. All we need is for each state to concentrate on the aspect of agriculture that is suitable for it.

Happily, we have enough in our past to inspire us to attain new heights. The pre-colonial era was characterised by both trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic trade, dominated by farm produce transactions. In 1893, the Department of Botanical Research was established in the west. Later in 1905, the British Cotton Growers Association opened Moor Plantation in Ibadan, which metamorphosed into Department of Agriculture, Southern Nigeria, just to feed the textile mills back home. The north founded its own Department of Agriculture in 1912. And in 1921, after the Amalgamation, a national agricultural body was instituted primarily to boost the production of export commodities to sustain growth in Britain. Down the years, programmes like National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), River Basin Authorities, Green Revolution and Agricultural Development Projects (ADP) had been paraded to demonstrate official concerns for exploring and exploiting soil and other forms of farming.

No space here to go into the downsides of the oil boom that began in the 1970s, the point where we first lost our vision to cast our future in the rock. The present government lays claims to achievements in agricultural renaissance. I wonder if it can still afford consolidation or progress in this area now that the 2019 elections are here. With sanity being forced on us by the dwindling fortunes of petroleum products, however, return to land we must.

Yes, we live in a knowledge and technology driven world where the chunk of global gross domestic product (GDP) comes from, but one fact has never changed since humanity began: People must eat. The rebellion of the stomach is the worst, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, once wrote. Whatever is required to make agriculture profitable should be pursued at all times. Matters relating to physical and fiscal security for farmers, fertilisers, mechanised amenities, adequate extension services, flexible land acquisition and rural development must not be left to the vagaries of politics.

GAINS OF ALL-INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE Bisi Olufuwa writes that the Ambode administration is committed to even development of the state

I

n spite of being cosmopolitan in outlook, Lagos has its fair share of rural communities.

Approximately 12 per cent of people in the state dwell in suburbs and the country sides.

It is therefore in an effort to ensure even and accelerated development in all parts of the state that the Ambode administration anchors its development drive on ‘all-inclusive governance’.

The administration’s idea of an all-inclusive government is one in which “no one or segment of the society, irrespective of colour, race, faith, status, ability or disability is left behind�.

One area in which this philosophy is actually being radically reflected is in the state government’s partnership with Community Development Associations (CDAs). The establishment of a virile and vibrant system of community associations, has, over the years, enabled democratically elected government to partner with communities, sensitise them on its priorities and receive feedback on public policies. The fact that no development can take place in any society without peace and harmony further underscores the need for this corporation with CDAs, which are actually closer to the various communities than elected government.

Universally, true development is measured by the even distribution of basic amenities to both urban and rural areas. For a fact, urban dwellers enjoy the proximity of a metropolitan ambiance as well as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) from various corporate organisations in the areas of provision of basic amenities. Sadly, this doesn’t seem to be usually the case with hinterland dwellers.

It is, indeed, the quest to bridge perceived infrastructural gap in rural communities that gave rise to what is today known as CDAs and this explains why governments not only reach out to this group in a mutually beneficial developmental partnership, but also explores ways to further solidify the relationship.

Currently, in Lagos State, conscious efforts are being made by appropriate government agencies to encourage more communal spirit as it is being exemplified by the current dispensation in Lagos State. Before now, Lagos only boasts of 2,500 CDAs but within the last three years, the number has increased to 3,935. This is largely due to the support being given various CDAs in the state by the Ambode administration. The administration not only gives the CDAs grants, but also encourages them to oversee government projects and infrastructure within their neighbourhood.

Most of these communities have embarked on many self-help projects ranging from construction of community halls, installation of street lights, transformers, building of police posts, drainage and health centres construction as a way of complementing the efforts of both state and local governments to engender growth and development.

In the last three years, the state government had integrated the CDAs into all its programmes such as the handover of 114 roads, as well as the management of generators powering streetlights, among others.

Recently, in what could be described as unprecedented in the history of CDAs in the state and the country as a whole, the sum N5 million was provided as empowerment grant to 275 CDAs in the state for them to complete some ongoing self-help projects within their respective localities.

Some of the CDAs that benefited from the grant include Sowhekoji, Badagry; Olera , Ojokoro; Alaiyabiagba, Ajeromi; Gbaga Olorunda, Ikorodu; Orile Seriki; Oko-Ito Phase 1; Jibode, Ifako-Ijaiye; and Anifowoshe, Ikeja.

Others are Onibaba, Ajeromi Ifelodun; Ogoitan Phase I, Epe; Ifelodun Surulere, Olorunda; Ofiran Phase 1, Ibeju Lekki; Equitable Estate, Igbogbo Baiyeku; Anuoluwapo, Ojota among others.

As noble as the gesture appears, Governor

Ambode, at the presentation of the grant held at De Blue Roof, Ikeja remarked that it was in line with his promise of inclusion saying that making government felt at the grassroots is a major focus of his administration. He also disclosed that the gesture would be a yearly thing and that more CDAs are to benefit.

It should be stressed that in line with United Nations Initiative, the state government on a yearly basis usually set aside a day as Community Day to recognise the developmental contributions of the various CDAs in the state. Last year edition witnessed the distribution of three vehicles to the best three CDAs, among other largesse.

This yearly celebration has been identified as a way of promoting healthy rivalry among the various CDAs with all of them striving to emerge and be recognised as the best CDA. In the area of community electrification, some rural communities in the state that have been without light for over 13 years now enjoy power supply due to the intervention of the state government. These are Fidiso, Elepete, Alakun, Abule-Panu Gbarada, Gbetu, Agbele, Odogbonle, Government Technical College, Odomola, Lowa/ Haruna, Odo-Agba/Ofin-Ile, Ajumose in Agbede, and Oke-Ibujeun. Some communities along Seme-Gbaji area of Badagry were also liberated from the perpetual darkness that had enveloped the communities for close to 18 years.

The community electrification projects were just a few of the numerous projects the current government has bequeathed on various communities in the last two years. But then, government has exemplified his inclusive mantra in different instances and diverse areas. The construction of the Aboru Link Bridge, the 114 community roads across the various council areas; construction of bridges to connect the arteries; and the latest, construction of over 20 border communities roads in Alimosho

area of the state are a few of the many initiatives being put in place to make life meaningful for rural dwellers.

In the Badagry axis, the Imeke Bridge in Olorunda LCDA has been completed while the construction of a 17km network of roads connecting Aradagun to Whispering Palms, a major tourist resort in the state is ongoing. With all these, it could be affirmed that the state government has a systematic strategy of accelerating development in Lagos rural communities. Cheerfully, government is not resting on its oars as more developmental projects are still ongoing in several parts of the state.

Undoubtedly, Lagos population is huge and there is need to curb rural-urban migration through the provision of necessary amenities for the comfort of community dwellers. This explains why CDAs will continue to be an integral part of community administration in Lagos State.

Governor Ambode has always expressed the desire of his administration to fix all roads in the state, construct more hospitals, make power supply available to homes and make residents live a comfortable life, irrespective of where they reside. But then, fulfilment of this desire is wholly dependent on available resources to the state, hence the need to methodically address these needs without necessarily leaving any sector or section behind.

On a final note, as government strives to offer CDAs the attention they duly deserve in the scheme of things in the state, they are urged not to relent in contributing their quota to the development of the state as well as taking ownership of all government projects within their domain by ensuring their preservation. It is only in doing this that the state would continue to witness accelerated growth and development.

Olufuwa is director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Community Relation

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T H I S D AY FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2018

EDITORIAL WHEN NATURE STRIKES WITH FLOOD Government could do more to cushion the rage of floods

W

hile rainfall is a normal occurrence that people ordinarily look forward to because of its importance to the survival of plants and animals, the situation has changed so dramatically in recent years because of the havoc often associated with it. Even where there are no reliable statistics, since the beginning of this decade, thousands of lives have been lost in the country while several communities have been submerged by water. Yet these floods do not just happen on the nation by some accident.

For the current season, Ogun and Katsina States have had to face the fury of horrendous flood occasioned by torrential rainfall. In the case of Ogun State, no fewer than 11 persons lost their lives with about 3,800 families affected one way or the other.

The death toll in Katsina State was put at more than 50, even by conservative estimates. With no fewer than 500 houses destroyed, Governor Aminu Masari confirmed that aside the instant death of GOVERNMENT 44 persons following SHOULD GO BEYOND the overnight rainMERE PROMISES AND storm that ravaged RELIEF HANDOUTS the border town of AND BEGIN TO TACKLE Jibia, 20 other persons THE FLOODS HEAD-ON were also missing.

However, the THROUGH PROVISION tragedy was not OF DRAINAGES AND restricted to Katsina IMPROVEMENT OF THE and Ogun States; it RIVERBANKS cuts across the entire country. In many states, residents are still taking stock of their losses as property estimated at billions of naira had been lost to flood. From schools and shops to farmlands as well as health and worship centres, many structures have in recent weeks succumbed to the fury of nature.

Hundreds of vehicles have also been swept away as

rivers overflowed their banks. The South-West zonal spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye lamented that Nigerians have largely ignored massive sensitisation and enlightenment campaign by the agency.

Apart from the heavy rainfall, NEMA believes that there is a lack of safety consciousness in the country.

“The suspected cause of this, aside from the heavy rainfall was lack of safety consciousness on the side of the people which built on flood plains. Instead of constructing corresponding adequate drainage systems that could mitigate expected danger, shallow drainages were put in place. In some houses, the drainages were blocked with wires to glitter waste/ garbage,” said Farinloye.

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

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

imilarly, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has consistently warned that many parts of the country are likely to experience flooding due to a shift in rainfall pattern caused by climate change. In line with NiMet’s 2018 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP), so much water would be made available on the surface between the last week of July and end of August. Against the background that the havoc which the rains have wreaked on Nigeria’s coastal communities in the past five years has been monumental, it is sad that all the warnings by the relevant agencies were ignored.

As we have continued to admonish, government, at all levels, should go beyond mere promises and relief handouts and begin to tackle the floods head-on, through provision of drainages and improvement of the riverbanks. It is very likely that once the waters dry, these communities will relapse into their old ways of life. There is also the need to resettle those living close to the waters far from their flood-prone areas. Naturally, there will be resistance from people who would not like to move from their present habitat but they must be made to realise the consequences of whatever choice they make, between accepting to be resettled and staying back in their endangered communities.

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SARAKI: WILL AFFLICTION RISE A SECOND TIME?

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ow fast things change? How quickly destinies turn around? In the first week of July, 2018, the police had invited the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, for questioning over the infamous Offa Robbery. Tongues wagged, creating another round of tension in the land. Many could not understand what was happening. But then, this is Nigeria; this is the country where the lust for power makes otherwise reasonable people do unreasonable things. Many thought it was a witch hunt. How could Saraki be involved in armed robbery, remotely or otherwise?

Many thought it was political. But was it?

The events of today make it seem so. Just about three weeks after the police invitation to Saraki, the newsstands are awash with stories of President Muhammadu Buhari ‘begging’ the same Saraki not to leave the APC. Not only that, some APC leaders and governors who had kept silent and probably out of blind loyalty to the president and their party even when it was very obvious that they were not being fair to Saraki both as a person and as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are now acting sanctimoniously and speaking like a people who have just regained their decency just because of the threat Saraki’s planned defection would have on them and their party at the 2019 elections.

These same people spoke ill of Saraki whose only ‘offence’ was that he legitimately contested for the Senate presidency, something that was within his rights to do, and won. Since then, Saraki has been visited with immense political venom whose cure could only

be found in the long and tortuous road to the Supreme Court.

State agents were unleashed not only on him but also nearly on all those who stood by him particularly in the National Assembly.

Those set to destroy him did not even mind also destroying the institution of the legislature alongside. In some cases, fake civil society organisations were hired to demonise him in hurriedly arranged protest marches.

Members of the executive recklessly maligned the National Assembly. Ibrahim Magu is still the EFCC Chairman today despite being declared unfit and not qualified to head that all-important organisation having been indicted by a sister security agency, the DSS, in a number of alleged criminal breaches, and the nonconfirmation of the Senate.

It was because of the irrepressible urge to destroy Saraki and break him that made the Comptroller-General of Customs constantly and flagrantly ignore Senate summons and resolutions without any consequence. Even the Inspector-General of Police has not hidden his disdain for the institution of the legislature having serially refused to appear before the Senate to explain issues about the worsening security situation in the country, all because of Saraki, the man who must be destroyed. Or was it not the same police that told Nigerians that investigation into the mace theft at the Senate in the midst of the Omo-Agege saga would take 10 years?

Apart from being treated like a common school boy truant by his own party co-leaders, a good number of the executive have

not fallen short of labelling the whole National Assembly members as thieves and looters. This is where my worry comes from. With APC leaders including Buhari having mouthed the anti-corruption mantra for so long and so hard, why would they still want people they labelled looters in their midst? Why not just allow them to go?

The truth is that the semblance of sanity we have in our political climate today is down to Saraki’s maturity and exhibition of political equanimity. If Saraki had at any point decided to wield the enormous powers at his disposal and that of the National Assembly, the nation would have been plunged into a crisis of monumental proportion whose end no one would have been able to predict. But obviously for the sake of the nation, Saraki bore the persecution and carried his cross with meekness.

Now is the time to stamp his feet and just walk away from a party that is wired to destroy its own. When Aminu Tambuwal emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives against the arrangement of his then party, the PDP, he was never subjected to any humiliation but was given a free hand to operate. He was never persecuted. But the same cannot be said of APC. They are of a different species set up to end up destroying not only its own but also our institutions in the process.

This is why Saraki and all those who have become tired of the ugly situation in the country must dissociate and divorce themselves from those who have serially betrayed the trust of Nigerians.

Jude Ndukwe,jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk

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

POLITICS

PERSPECTIVE

Making Sense of The Antics of Migrant Politicians A bewildered Nigerian public watches as politicians enact a flurry of deft maneuveurs that throw up interesting prospects. Nseobong Okon-Ekong reports

Saraki and Dogara

T

he high wire political drama which have engaged the country for sometime now took an interesting turn on Tuesday when a significant number of federal lawmakers in the National Assembly defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The switch of political party loyalty ended weeks of speculation on the political future of the legislators, who have been embroiled in different cases of misunderstanding with their political party. The unfortunate turn of events may have signaled the disintegration of the ruling APC, which began when talks between dissenting factions, the New PDP and later the Reformed APC and the leadership of the party broke down irretrievably.

A bewildered public is watching, perhaps amused at how their representatives have reduced the serious business of making laws and checking the excesses of other arms of government to a tea party. But the overriding notion is that the seeming commotion caused in the polity as a result of the moving back and forth from one party to another is a direct pursuit of where their different interest will be served before, during and after the 2019 general election.

Though a blanket statement about political persecution and not feeling safe within their former political groupings have been mouthed by these migrating politicians, it is safe to say that none of them has defined what safety means in this context and how it relates to the well-being of the people they were elected to represent.

For instance, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki believes that his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal which lasted over three years and went all the way to the Supreme Court was a witch-hunting exercise by elements in the executive arm of government.

Like Saraki, other Senators like Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and Shehu Sani from Kaduna State have had brushes with

Buhari

law enforcement agents ostensibly for their strongly held opinions which unsettle either their governors or The Presidency. The show of high-handedness by the executive arm of government has been labeled in many instances as a threat to democracy and a steady move towards despotism. This was the conclusion of many observers who condemned the siege by the police on the residence of Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu on Tuesday. Ekwremadu was summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a letter written the same day.

The latest development has significantly altered political permutations ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution. It consists of a Senate with

In the days ahead, more influential members of the APC, particularly governors of various states are expected to take their leave from the party, reenacting a similar scenario in 2013 when leading politicians and members of the PDP exited the party to enter a merger that resulted in the APC

109 members and a 360-member House of Representatives.

The 36 states are each divided in three senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital Territory elects only one senator.

On Tuesday, 15 senators belonging to the ruling APC said they were defecting to the opposition PDP. The Senate President Bukola Saraki made the announcement during the plenary on Tuesday. Saraki read a letter from the 15 Senators who left, just as he said that he was also on his way out of the APC, confirming rumours that he had concluded his defection plans from APC sometime this week, a move that would leave the leadership of the Senate in the hands of the PDP. Foreclosing opportunities for further networking, Saraki announced an eightweek recess till Tuesday September 25, 2018.

The senators that defected include Barnabas Gemade(Benue), Shaaba Lafiaji(Kwara), Rafiu Ibrahim(Kwara), and Usman Nafada(Gombe).

Others were Senators Suleiman Hunkuyi, Ibrahim Danbaba, Ubale Shittu, Isah Misau, Suleiman Nazif, Rafiu Ibrahim and Dino Melaye.

Senator Shehu Sani from Kaduna State who many political pundits thought was going to leave the APC stayed back.

With this latest development, PDP is now the majority party in the Senate.

However, Senators Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo) and Abdul-Aziz Nyako (Adamawa) have also defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In the House of Representatives, 37 members announced their official defection from the APC to the PDP. The details include 33 lawmakers from Kano, Sokoto, Kwara, Kogi and other states, who defected from the APC to the opposition PDP. The four others are from Oyo State who defected from the APC to African Democratic Congress (ADC). Their defection was an-

nounced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.

The defection drama continued to get more complex as Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State along with 21 of the 23 local government chairmen crossed over to the PDP midweek, saying the security and interest of their people could no longer be guaranteed in the APC. This is arguably the hardest blow launched at the APC in this season of defection. A couple of other governors like those of Kwara, Sokoto and Adamawa are strongly speculated to follow Ortom’s example in the not too distant future.

For now, it may be argued that the defecting politicians are protected by Section 68(g) of the Constitution which describes a defecting politician as, “being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”

Clearly, the disintegration of the crisesridden APC provides a valid cover under which the defecting politicians can seek a safe berth in another political party.

In the days ahead, more influential members of the APC, particularly governors of various states are expected to take their leave from the party, re-enacting a similar scenario in 2013 when leading politicians and members of the PDP exited the party to enter a merger that resulted in the APC. With the known delinquent nature of the average Nigerian politician, it is not impossible that some of those defecting now may run back to their previous party, if they do not get a ticket to contest and return to the National Assembly. This is a possibility that these politicians are willing to gamble with.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018

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PERSPECTIVE

Time To Sheath Their Swords As the 2019 election draws closer, Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio have resolved to close the previously widening gap between them and approach the impending polls as one

By Ignatius Muotoh

F

rom all indications, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and his predecessor, and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio have apparently settled their rumoured differences. The tiff between the two leading politicians was a subject of speculation for a long time, until Akpabio brought it to the public space.

Not a few were taken aback when Akpabio blew open what had been discussed in the closet for a long time. The former governor was commended by many for coming faceto-face before Emmanuel to say what was on his mind. The scenario played out at get-together for the chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. When he least expected it, Akpabio went for Udom’s jugular in public. He accused the governor of neglecting his District, the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.

Following that open embarrassment last December, a wedge of separation was driven into their relationship. Akpabio had fired a clear shot in the direction of the governor.

Albeit, it was a warning shot to pressurise the state’s chief executive into doing the Senate Minority Leader’s bidding. Akpabio told the governor in very strong terms that if he did not play ball, he could mobilise against his re-election. He said: “It is less than one year to the election, all is not well, don’t allow anybody to deceive you that all is well.’’ It was an unambiguous reference to what he considered a negation of an understanding between the two, particularly on the issue of completing projects started by Akpabio in his senatorial district.

It is well-known that Akpabio is still firmly in control of the political machinery of the ruling PDP in the state. Many of the state officers, local government chairmen, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, including traditional rulers, professional and trade unions owe to their loyalty to Akpabio.

Gov. Udom Emmanuel

Though a few members in the governor’s cabinet who were spoiling for a show down urged him to call Akpabio’s bluff, Emmanuel ate the humble pie and went to beg his former boss, in whose administration he served as Secretary to the State Government. The message in the warning was not lost on Emmanuel.

He quickly sought to placate his political godfather, by making overtures and rushing to complete the projects that Akpabio complained about. Having failed, so far, to seize the moment and build a political structure of his own, Emmanuel weighed the options available to him, facing the reality that he was the weaker opponent, if he attempted to enter a duel against the obviously more politically savvy Akpabio, who has a lot of fire power in his potent arsenal to throw at the governor.

Senator Godswill Akpabio

Thus, it seems, the duo have since buried the hatchet and returned to each other’s warm embrace. One of the unmistakable signs of their re-union is that Akpabio has stopped badmouthing Emmanuel in public. Both men can be seen backslapping and throwing jibes, like old times.

This is apparently responsible for the season of endorsement from different groups who want both Akpabio and Emmanuel to continue serving in their different offices.

The two leaders are enjoying the best of relationship again, for now. The future will tell if Emmanuel, in his second tenure will summon the courage to free his administration from Akpabio’s strangle hold. Throughout the period of adversity, Emmanuel maintained a dignified calm. He denied the rift at all times in the public, while working behind

the scene for a quick resolution. At worst, he blamed detractors for fanning the embers of hatred between the embers of hatred between his former principal and him. He talked about an, “emerging political theory whereby excellence is sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity.”

Determined not to allow their enemies an opportunity to laugh at them, Emmanuel disclosed that he was aware of the divisive plans that could be traced to the 2019 elections.

He said the whole plot was an attempt to “change the narrative in order to score cheap political points.”

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

Ugwuanyi Leaves Permanent Footprints on Milliken Hill

By Louis Amoke

I

n order to rekindle confidence in good governance, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi recently inaugurated the historic Milliken Hill Road, Ngwo, Enugu, which has been reconstructed and with streetlight and other safety measures.

Constructed between 1909 and 1928 by the colonial government, the all-important hilly, undulating road hitherto neglected for many decades has become a centre of attraction for motorists driving into the Coal City through the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway.

Interestingly, the good news is that the federal road, which was closed a few weeks ago for total rehabilitation has been reopened to traffic as an alternative route for travelers plying the intractable Ugwu Onyeama section of the Ontisha-Enugu road into Enugu.

Bounded by a deep valley and beautiful pine trees, the long neglected Milliken Hill Road also boasts of other natural endowments and a rich heritage that upholds its fame as a key tourist attraction, which needs to be cherished and protected for generations yet unborn.

As a monumental edifice built close to a century ago, the hilly road has over the years kept faith with history in terms of what it symbolises to an average Igbo man.

According to history, British tourists on their way to the Middle Belt from Awka in 1908 sighted the hill at Ngwo, Enugu. In appreciation of its beauty and in anticipation of the inherent mineral potentials drew the attention of the colonial government in Lagos.

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Consequently, a team of mining engineers was reportedly sent down to Enugu in 1909 to prospect for silver in the hill. They struck coal instead. It was also reported that the discovery of coal attracted the Europeans to settle on top of the hill at Ngwo now known as ‘Hilltop’, and subsequent construction of the Milliken Hill road which was named after the head engineer, who designed the historic road.

Propelled by this noble vision and the need to protect and preserve the enduring legacy bequeathed to the Igbos in particular and the country in general, by the colonial masters, and in keeping with his administration’s urban renewal agenda, Ugwuanyi in spite

Milliken Hill Road

of the nation’s economic crunch, embarked on the reconstruction of the 12-kiliometer 9th Mile- Ekochin-Ngwo-Milliken Hill-New Market Road. The project’s attraction is the Milliken Hill section, which was completely reconstructed after being fortified with concrete walls, jersey-kerb and streetlight for its lifespan enhancement and safety of road users.

The giant infrastructural rebirth of Milliken Hill road is not only legendary and novel but also a display of exemplary leadership by the people’s governor, who has continued to remember the long-neglected and abandoned areas of the state.

It is on record that Ugwuanyi has, in the

last three years, spent over N45 billion on road construction and reconstruction across the length and breadth of the state, covering about 300 kilometers.

This act of governance is borne out of dedication to service, political will and commitment to the wellbeing of the people in fulfillment of the dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of Enugu State.

Kudos must therefore, go to Ugwuanyi for spearheading such a momentous and time-honoured intervention laced with vision and passion for the safety of road users and protection of the state’s rich heritage. His footprints on the hill will remain indelible, as history will, no doubt, forever remember him for reinvigorating the spirit and vision of the initiators and executors of this landmark.

No wonder, the jubilation and excitement that greeted the reopening of the road to traffic by the governor after its reconstruction and modernisation. The colourful event which took place at the entry point of the hill beneath the quarters of the miners at Iva Valley and Onyeama Coal Mines, a few poles away from the popular Enugu New Market, saw a large turnout of jubilant residents, including leaders and members of the religious and traditional institutions, market men and women, motorists, ‘okada’ and ‘keke’ riders, and the governor’s teeming supporters, among others, who took to their dancing steps, praising him for his remarkable feat.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͱ͵, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD

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

Ͱ ͮ ˜ Ͱ ͮ ͯ Ͷ MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

REPO 15.67 % 15 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

9% 11.38 % 11.78%

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

353.45 % -0.03% -0.21%

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

-0.21% 7.28%

EXCHANGE RATE N305.851US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Air Peace Launches NewWest Coast Routes

STAKEHOLDERS’ GATHERING

L-R: Deputy Director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Mr Olujide Iyanda; General Manager, Sterling Bank Plc, Mojisola Bakare and President/Chairman of Council, Charted Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Uche Olowu, at the 2018 Lagos Bankers and Stakeholders’ Night in Lagos…recently

Foreign Investors’ Request for ‘Visa on Arrival’ Surges Chinedu Eze The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos has disclosed that it issues between 500 and1000 visa-on-arrival daily to foreign investors and tourists.

A senior official from the Command who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told THISDAY that visa was made open to enhance ease of doing business policy of the federal government, adding that it is meant for investors and businessmen.

He said such requests are made to the Comptroller General

AVIATION of the NIS. The official said requirements needed for the federal government to issue visa on arrival to applicants include a letter from a reputable company to the Comptroller General on behalf of the applicant, a business permit, certificate of business incorporation, airline ticket, approval letter and evidence of payment for the visa.

The applicant seeking for visa is usually subjected to security checks to ensure that such a person does not pose security to the country.

The NIS official said visa on arrival issued to investors has maximum duration of one month.

The official also disclosed that Immigration gives visa on arrival for babies born overseas if one of their parents is Nigerians.

“Visa on arrival is to encourage foreigners who come to do business in Nigeria. It is part of the policy of ease of doing business and since it started foreign investors have been taking advantage of it and we make sure that only the people targeted are given the visa,” the official said.

On the issue of biometrics which was introduced and later

stopped by the Immigration, the official said suspension the suspension was temporary, noting that until enough sensitisation is done the process would not be reintroduced.

The NIS however decried the attitude of many Nigerians who just fly out of the country without purpose, disclosing that hundreds of such Nigerians are deported back to the country regularly.

The official said after spending huge amount of money to leave the country, such persons are deported is deported and the money lost, adding that such monies expended are enough Continued on page 20

Apapa Gridlock: FG to Convert Marina, Ido Jetty to River Ports Eromosele Abiodun Aside the four river ports across the country currently at the stage of inauguration, the federal government has concluded arrangements to convert two major jetties in Lagos State - Ido and Marina to river ports, to facilitate the movement of cargo from Apapa ports to other parts of the country.

The river ports, which will be developed in collaboration with Chinese consortium will be able to receive ocean going vessels.

The Acting Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr. Danladi Ibrahim disclosed this.

Ibrahim, also denied reports making the rounds that the agency has many abandoned projects across the country, said NIWA was working out plan to drive water transportation from Nigeria to Ghana and other West African countries.

MARITIME Also, he said the Onitsha River port in Anambra State and Baro River port in Niger State would be inaugurated before the end of 2018.

Ibrahim listed the three other river ports as Lokoja in Kogi State, Makurdi in Benue State and Uguta in Imo State which are between 75 and 85 percent completed.

Specifically, he stated that the Baro River port Niger State, had been completed and was ready to start operations.

The NIWA boss said the Baro and Lokoja ports would be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari before the end of this year.

He said NIWA had supplied the cargo-handling equipment which was being installed at Baro port.

“President Buhari will inaugurate Baro and Lokoja ports

before the end of 2018. There is provision in the 2018 budget for the construction of roads that will link Baro port to Lokoja and Abuja Express Way. We have engaged another contractor to fast-tack the construction of Lokoja port and also working toward completion of Oguta port in Imo,” Ibrahim said in a chat with newsmen.

He also said the concession of Onitsha Port had been completed and the concessionaires would soon start operation.

“Finally, the concessioning of Onitsha port has been completed.

We opened the financial bids on July 3, 2018 and we will pick the most competent concessionaire.

Any moment from now, the concessionaire will take over Onitsha port,” he added.

He said there was need for NIWA to continue to engage in continuous maintenance of all the channels under its jurisdiction. According to him, the authority has been calling

on international organisations to partner with it.

Ibrahim said NIWA’s Bill which had been before the National Assembly for the past 10 years had passed second reading.

“This would help the organisation to be independent like other sister government agencies. The bill would increase the capacity of the authority and also create room for Public Private Partnership (PPP) and provide numerous jobs for unemployed Nigerians,” he said.

The NIWA boss said the agency had included the dredging of River Benue to complement the River Niger in its 2019 master plan.

He said the authority would start the dredging of Baro River soon, adding that the dredging of Ajaokuta – Onitsha waterways is ongoing.

“NIWA will purchase

Air Peace has announced plans to commence flight services from Lagos and Abuja, to Roberts International Airport, Monrovia and from Abuja to Kotoka International Airport, Accra on August 6, 2018.

A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said the new routes were part of the third phase of the carrier’s network expansion project on the West Coast of Africa. Air Peace launched its first regional flight out of Lagos to Accra on February 16, 2017. About exactly a year later, the airline added Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (The Gambia) and Dakar (Senegal) to its route map.

The new routes, Iwarah confirmed, would also connect Accra and Monrovia. The carrier added that many domestic routes, including Makurdi, Warri, Port Harcourt NAF Base and Kaduna, would soon join its network under its no-city-left-behind project. Air Peace also confirmed that it would shortly reopen its Asaba and Sokoto operations. “We are pleased to announce that Monrovia, Liberia and Abuja-Accra will be joining our route network on Monday, August 6, 2018. We will also be inaugurating our Abuja-Accra service, besides connecting Accra and Monrovia on the same date.

“This is our way of expressing our sincere gratitude to members of the flying public who have continued to support and endorse the Air Peace brand. The launch of the new services will afford air travellers on the Lagos-Monrovia, Abuja-Monrovia, Accra-Monrovia and Abuja-Accra routes the option of a truly efficient, customercentric and exceptional alternative.”

Emirates Announces Special Offer

Emirates Airline has introduced a unique offer for Nigerian families travelling from Lagos and Abuja, to Dubai in Economy Class, for a limited period, by booking between July 19, 2018 and August 3, 2018.

Under the theme, ‘ Kids Fly for Free’, children under the age of 12 accompanied by two adults can travel for free and families who want to experience Dubai during the summer time can take advantage of the package offered at $2,685 for two adults and one child travelling from Lagos; and $2,583 for two adults and one child travelling from Abuja.

The travel must take place between July 19, 2018 and September 15, 2018. Families can also enjoy a range of family friendly products and services to make their trip more comfortable and convenient with special family check-in desks, complimentary strollers at Dubai International airport, priority boarding across all airports, kids meals and toys and dedicated children in-flight entertainment, including a collection of Disney movies, the latest kids TV shows and popular cartoons. On all Emirates’ flights, customers can look forward to hours of entertainment on the award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice, which offers over 3,500 channels of on demand audio and visual entertainment, from the latest movies, music, audio books and games.

Turkish Airlines Sponsors Programme

Turkish Airlines has become the exclusive sponsor of CNN International’s newest show – Quest’s World of Wonder.

The show is a digital campaign which would further raise awareness amongst business and leisure travellers on the different services and offerings ofTurkish Airlines. Starting this week through a partnership with CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), the sponsorship of Quest’s World of Wonder sees Turkish Airlines billboards around every TV episode of the new immersive travel show. Each month, the 30-minute show produced by CNNVision follows Richard Quest as he visits a different destination to dig deep into its DNA, exploring what drives a city and the people who live in it.

The sponsorship also features a ground-breaking and stylish product placement that seamlessly integrates Turkish Airlines into the title sequenceofeachshow,unitingCNNandTurkishAirlinesintheirshared passion for travel. On digital,Turkish Airlines has exclusive advertising on a dedicated online destination within CNNTravel for the show and additional content about the cities that Quest explores.

“ There are many questions that need to be answered on national carrier in terms of the management, the funding, the fleet,” Association (AfBAA)” The Chairman of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA)

Nick Fadugba Continued on page 20

20

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°ÍľËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

BUSINESSWORLD FOREIGN INVESTORS’ REQUEST FOR ‘VISA ON ARRIVAL’ SURGES to start business in Nigeria. “If you see the rate of deportation you will shed tears. Everyday Nigerians are deported from different parts of the world and they are brought back with nothing. “Some of them have spent many years overseas and they usually come back with nothing. But what surprises us is that after they are deported they still want to go back,� the official said.

THISDAY learnt that such deportees are issued Emergency Travel Document (ETD), which is usually seized by Immigration on arrival.

Also, the passport of deportees is taking over by Immigration for about five years “The passport of anybody deported is withdrawn by the federal government. This is in accordance to Immigration Act. So, it technically becomes a government document for some time. However, the passport is not anybody’ document; it is government’s government, which can be withdrawn if there is any infraction,� the Immigration official said.

APAPA GRIDLOCK: FG TO CONVERT MARINA, IDO JETTY TO RIVER PORTS barges for transshipment of bulk cargoes from Lagos ports to Onitsha and Baro ports,� he said.

Ibrahim said NIWA was employing public private partnership (PPP) approach for its channel management with some foreign partners.

Former Managing Director of NIWA, Boss Gida Mustapha had during a tour of the area offices under the agency said it was inching closer to the final concession of the Onitsha, Lokoja, Baro and Oguta River ports. He confirmed the receipt of certificate of compliance from the Infrastructure Concession Regulation Commission (ICRC) to go ahead with the concession process.

The concession, he said, would allow for private sector management and trigger improved utilisation of the inland waterways for transportation and easy conveyance of goods.

NEWS

Akwa Ibom Records Boost in Rice Production Nseobong Okon-Ekong To advance food sufficiency in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel is set to boost rice production with the inauguration of a 1.5 million metric tonnes rice mill in the state.

The eventual goal, the Governor said, was to crash the price of the produce.

Emmanuel, announced this in Uyo when members of the Technical Committee on Agriculture and Food Sufficiency led by the Chairman, Professor Edet Udoh, presented some samples of the 50kg bags of the product to the State Executive Council in Uyo recently.

While making the presentation, Udo said the new rice mill located in Ini local government area of the state, had already produced over 10,000 50kg bags ready for the market with the intention to flood the market with the product after the commissioning of the mill.

The Technical Committee chairman said the feat was the outcome of an MoU singed between the state government and a private investor, Agricon, in July 2016.

Under the terms of the agreement, according to him, the state government was to, among other obligations, provide land for both farms and mill with access roads while Agricon was to set up and manage both farms and mills with requisite training for the workforce.

So far, Udoh noted that

over 80 hectares of the 290 hectares of the farmland acquired for the exercise had been cultivated even as 176,000 metric tonnes of rice has been produced from the mill with installed capacity for 1.5 million metric tonnes.

Also, he noted that 10,000 of the 50kg bags of the Faro-52 type long-grain rice were ready to hit the market ahead of the commissioning, while the committee was set to flood

the market with the product after the commissioning with a view to crashing the price of rice in line with the Governor’s agenda to the committee.

Elated by the progress made so far by the committee, Emmanuel applauded Udoh and his team for their ability to translate his dream of food sufficiency which includes availability and affordability, for the people of the state.

Emmanuel recalled that

the committee had earlier achieved a similar feat in the area of Garri production.

He noted, for instance, that Garri-the people’s staple – was selling for between 8 and 10 cups for N1000 when he assumed office; and that worried by the near unaffordability of the produce by majority of the people of the state, he then inaugurated the technical committee with the sole agenda of raising agriculture from subsistence status to

a flourishing agro-business model, primarily to launch the state into an era of food sufficiency.

Today, the Governor noted, Garri sells for as much as between 35 and 40 cups for N1000.

He expressed delight that the technical committee, working in conjunction with the state Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, was set to re-enact that feat in the area of rice, another staple.

SAFETY CERTIFICATION

L-R: Director of Flight Operations, Air Peace, Wellington Eyimina; Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide; Chairman/CEO, Mr. Allen Onyema, receiving the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) renewal certificate from IATA’s Area Manager (South West Africa), Dr. Samson Fatokun, in Lagos‌recently

FG to Demolish, Rebuild Old Apapa Rail Station Kasim Sumaina in Abuja and Sunday Okobi in Lagos The federal government has disclosed plan to demolish, rebuild and expand the old Apapa rail station to have a warehouse, hotel and a shopping mall to serve Apapa ports and the seaport.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said this while inspecting the old Apapa rail station

after a Steering Committee meeting in Lagos.

According to him, “This is not the size of station we are looking for around here. What we are looking for is a bigger station and this is too small, since we have the whole property down to the road.�

He noted that the best thing to do was to terminate the lease and repossess the land, demolish and expand the station, saying,

“that way you can have warehouses, a better and bigger station that will accommodate shopping mall and hotel.�

The minister added, “the Lagos-Ibadan rail project is experiencing huge progress, commending CCECC for the quality work done both in the track laying and civil works from Iju to Ibadan.�

He noted that the intended massive rail station would not basically focus on

passengers but for freight purposes, where goods can be stored after clearance from the port. “The Nigerian Railway Corporation has a vast land, which needs to be reviewed and recovered for future development rather than being abandoned and leased.�

Speaking on the demolition exercise for the right of way, the minister said the NRC had already demol-

ished from the beginning to the end of Lagos, stating that the challenges now are water and gas pipelines.

The minister, however, spoke on the need to get NRC involved in the maintenance, marketing of freight and operations.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director, NRC, Fidet Okhiria, said in any project, there would be obstacles, but determination matters in resolving such.

Oil Community Threatens Showdown with Shell Over Judgement Debt Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Capital Market Editor

Oloma community in Bonny, Rivers State has threatened a showdown with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over the multinational’s failure to comply with a court judgement given seven years ago.

An Ahoada High Court presided over by Justice George Omereji had on March 10, 2011, ordered SPDC to pay N8 million as damages for breach of contract with the leadership of the community.

The court had also granted an order compelling SPDC to comply fully withor execute fully the seven clauses or components of its agreement

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ äĂ?

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Cap Mkt) ÔÓÙĂ?Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă? (Energy) Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă?ÔÙ (Nation’s Capital) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (Maritime)

with the claimants entered into on 17th of February 2005, especially the payment of N13.1 million as in clause 7 of exhibit “A�.

Justice Omereji had further granted a perpetual order restraining Messrs A.G. Hart and L.A. Sokari, second and third defendants in the suit, from parading themselves as representatives of the community.

The court upheld the prayers of the applicants, Elders. James Hart; Tamunosa Allison; T. Hart; Samuel Allison; Goodnews Banigo and Patrick Hart that by the custom and tradition of Oloma community, Bonny were in charge of the day

to day running of the community.

But seven years after the judgement, SPDC was yet to act and the community has threatened to challenge the oil company.

The community therefore called on the oil company to comply with the court order

by Justice George Omereji against it, the second and third defendant delivered on March 10,2011.

Making the appeal in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of one of the leading oil giants, a copy of which was obtained in Warri, Delta State, Solicitors to the 1st to 6th claimants (for themselves and representing Oloma

Elders council and Oloma community) Mr. J Chinwe said the alleged failure of the company to comply with the Rivers state High court judgment, Ahoada judicial division could attract a court contempt suit against it. “Our client persisted in the spirit of justice and equity and gladly on the 10th day of March 2011, the Honourable court as per O. Omerjeji J. entered judgment in our client’s favour. “It is important to point out that among the highpoints of the judgment against SPDC as 1st Defendant was the nullification of the agreement SPDC entered into with the parties sued as 2nd

and 3rd Defendants in the suit and also the perpetual injunction which restrained the 2nd and 3rd Defendants from dealing with SPDC in any capacity on behalf of our clients community.�

The Solicitors further alleged that the oil giant did not appeal against the judgment and had allegedly failed to comply with it. “It is therefore most distasteful and reprehensible that despite the orders of the court against SPDC and the 2nd and 3rd Defendants in the suit, SPDC have neglected, refused and resisted all attempts at implementing the judgment of the High Court of Rivers State.�

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

AIR WATCH

Air Peace Renews IATA Safety Certification Chinedu Eze Air Peace has again passed the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

IOSA is internationally recognised safety certification, which qualifies airlines to be in the IATA registry.

Spokesman of the airline, Chris Iwarah, said the airline set a record when it secured its initial IOSA certificate, barely two years into its operations and was admitted as a member of the global aviation body.

Also, the Area Manager (South West Africa) of IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun, who presented the IOSA renewal certificate to the airline in Lagos recently,

described the fresh exercise as much tougher than the first audit, which the airline was subjected to.

He congratulated Air Peace on scaling the tough test, urging the carrier ’s management to remain uncompromising in ensuring the safety of its flight operations.

Receiving the certificate, Onyema commended IATA for insisting on strict safety requirements for flight operations and promised that the airline would continue to raise the bar of service in the aviation industry.

Air Peace, he said, was ready to receive guidance from IATA to ensure its operations are in accordance with global best practices and standards.

Onyema observed that

industry players across the world were amazed at the huge growth of Air Peace, which recently increased its fleet size to 24.

With that number of aircraft in its fleet, Air Peace has prepared for the expansion of its domestic operations from 12 routes, regional flights to more West Coast cities besides Accra, Freetown, Banjul and Dakar as well as launch of its long-haul flights to London, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and South Africa.

Air Peace said it was set to launch its flights to Makurdi, Warri, Nigerian Air Force Base in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Monrovia and restart its Asaba and Sokoto services under its subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper.

Political Instability, Security Threat Hurt Air Transport, Says Medview Boss The Chairman and Managing Director of Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole has said political instability, policy summersault and safety threat across the nation have remained a threat to flight operations in Nigeria.

Bankole, who spoke to newsmen recently in Lagos at the arrival of the airline’s long-haul aircraft, Boeing B777, noted that there were so much government could do to improve flight operations in Nigeria.

“You know very well that the environment is not conducive, so many political issues, security threats, financial issues, so for now for those of us who are still in the business, I will say we give thanks to God helping us in sustaining this momentum.

“It has never been easy, are you talking about the

charges? We kept saying it many years back. Are you talking about the taxes, the weather, we just have to thank God that we have kept the business going,” he added.

Bankole who said he supports the establishment of a national carrier, noted that domestic airlines would not threatened if government abide by the rules by giving everyone equal opportunity.

“There is definitely no threat, once you know your onions. National carriers operate normally like any other airline, the only thing is that they should not take over government and people’s funds, it should be privately driven,” he said.

On the newly acquired aircraft, Bankole said it has been one of the dreams of his company to acquire

more aircraft.

“It has been one of our dreams. For you to survive in this business you must acquire assets. Assets in three layers: assets in terms of equipment, asset in terms of building and asset in terms of cash outlay.

“If you don’t survive in any of those areas you might not be able to survive. So today Medview is growing, we own four airplanes at the first time and we have been leasing on one of our major business which is hajj.

“You have been seen foreign carriers like Air Atlanta, Euroatlantic over 10 years ago and we thank God today, in the beginning of this year I will say we stopped the business of leasing. So today we have acquired a Boeing 777-200 ER,” he said.

Dana Air Wins Awards D a n a A i r h a s e m e rg e d the Best Customer Friendly Domestic airline 2 0 1 8 a t a n a w a rd c e remony organised by the A s s o c i a t i o n o f F o re i g n Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN) in Lagos.

The airline also clinched another award for being the most socially responsible airline at the 22nd League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) seminar and awards held recently in Lagos.

The award presented to Dana Air was in recognition of the airline’s contribution to the fight against sickle cell anemia and cancer in Nigeria across the country since its inception in 2008.

The LAAC seminar and awards brought

together stakeholders, airline operators, industry professionals, security agencies, aviation support service providers, and international airlines to brainstorm on the theme of the seminar – “Financing Aviation Development through Private Sector Partnership,’’ Reacting to the AFARN award Dana Air ’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, said every frequent flyer in Nigeria knows that Dana Air remains the best in terms of on-time departures, customer service and in-flight service.

“But I want to seize this opportunity to correct a wrong perception.

Dana Air is owned by a Nigerian, born in Jos and had his primary and secondary education in

Ibadan before proceeding to the UK for his higher education.’’

Speaking further, Ezenwa said, “With a customer service department that works 24/7 and multiplicity of booking options available to our guests, capped with a reward program that guarantees both flightrelated and non-flight related benefits and rewards, we sure deserve the award.’’ ‘’And on behalf of the management of Dana Air and our ever-committed and professional staff, we wish to thank AFARN for this award. We dedicate the award to our loyal guests who continue to fly the smartest way despite the recent efforts of some enemies of consistency and exceptional service.’’

Lopsided Air Service Agreements

Sirika

Nigeria has a large population of international travellers, which is average of about 4.5 million annually.

Over 90 per cent of these passengers are airlifted by foreign airlines. This is because Nigeria does not have local carriers that have successfully operated international destinations for a number of years.

So, most of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) signed by the federal government tended to tilt in favour of the countries whose airlines operate into Nigeria.

This is because we do not have the capacity to reciprocate.

For example, South Africa Airways operates service to Nigeria daily. Nigeria does not have any airline that flies to South Africa, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways operate to Nigeria daily.

Nigeria has no airline that operates to London. It is the same with KLM, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and others.

Now that no Nigerian airline is reciprocating these flights into Nigeria, what is Nigeria getting from these airlines? In the past these airlines pay charges in return for non-reciprocity, which is known as BASA fund. A certain administration recently wanted to abrogate it. In fact, some airlines made unique arrangement with Nigeria that they have stopped the payment. And this has been upheld by succeeding regimes.

Many industry experts believe that Nigeria is losing at least $2.5 billion annually on capital flight by these airlines. The country is also not getting adequate payment for unreciprocated routes operated by foreign airlines. Put together, Nigeria may be losing over $6.5 billion annually to foreign airlines operation to Nigeria.

It is believed that if Nigeria establishes an efficient national carrier or supports its domestic airlines that have the capacity to operate international destinations, these losses would be curbed.

In pointing out the numerous gains of a national carrier, the Minister of State, Aviation recently noted that the airline would take advantage of BASA the country has with over 70 countries. It will also take advantage of the Africa Single Air Transport Market (SAATM) as a major player.

As a national carrier, the airline would be respected in the comity of nations and it would get involved in the aero politics; that when you snub the airline from operating to your country, as UK and Europe did to Medview and Arik Air in the past, Nigeria will reciprocate and also stop the airlines from those countries from coming to the country.

Beyond the national carrier, however, how can Nigeria begin to correct the lope-sided bilateral service agreements?

Industry consultant and CEO of Belujane Konsult, Chris Aligbe, noted that before the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) went under, it was the one that negotiated commercial agreement with foreign airlines and that as far as officials in the Ministry of Transportation are doing the negotiation, Nigeria would continue to be short-changed.

“We need strong carriers. The exploitation of Nigeria by foreign airlines started after the demise of Nigeria Airways. But the fact that it is not these foreign airlines that should be blamed; it is us that should be blamed.

“This is because nobody allows a vacuum; once there is a vacuum something comes to fill it. If you know the huge amount of money that these airlines repatriate every day you will see the need why we need a national carrier,” Aligbe said.

The Chairman of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) and the former Secretary-General of Africa Airlines Association (AFRAA), Nick Fadugba had once noted that it would be difficult to renegotiate some of the agreements.

“When I look at BASA in Nigeria, it is like we opened the stable door and the horses have gone and to catch it back it is going to be very difficult. We entered into BASA agreements with numerous countries, the principle of BASA is reciprocity and yet we entered into BASA and we are not able to reciprocate.

“Why? Because we don’t have the airlines and why don’t we have the airlines? It is because they are weak, small and under capitalised.”

Nigerian airlines led by the national carrier can also help reduce the capital flight.

Industry experts believe that if Nigerian carriers can earn 40 per cent of what foreign airlines cart away from the country in foreign currency, it will up the value of the naira against other currencies and also add significantly to the nation’s GDP. A major solution is what the Minister said about Fly Nigeria Act. “As part of efforts to make airlines viable in Nigeria, the Ministry is making moves to have the National Assembly pass a fly Nigeria act. This act will require that anybody travelling on a ticket bought with public funds must travel on a Nigerian carrier unless the route is not served by a Nigerian carrier,” Sirika said.

This will be the significant move toward empowering Nigerian airlines and creating more jobs for Nigerians.

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Apapa’s Highway to Hell The neglect of Apapa, a port city, has led to the untimely death of innocent citizens due to trauma, armed robbery attacks and accidents, making it the highway to hell, writes Eromosele Abodun

For Nigerians who only hear on radio or watch on television the hell that Apapa has become, they may think it is just a one-off scenario.

No, it is not. Actually, it has been like that for over 15 years. It is not the number of years the situation has lasted that is depressing, but how every effort by the federal government to address the situation has failed. Once a thriving port city, Apapa has gradually transformed into a hell on earth. Due to long neglect, Apapa has become Nigeria’s signpost of incompetence, mismanagement, and lack of vision. The roads leading to Nigeria’s premier ports, Apapa and Tincan, are now totally impassable, source of untimely death to and businesses and people alike. Many Apapa-based companies have gone under while some managed to relocate; the inevitable result is massive revenue loss for the government itself, importers and other operators whose livelihood depends on the ports.

When the situation became intolerable last year, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote joined numerous port users and businesses to echo the daily suffering and the revenue loss by businesses and government.

Dangote had estimated that the country was losing about N140 billion weekly to traffic gridlocks on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, the access road to Nigeria’s main sea ports.

Dangote said: “The economy loses more than N20 billion daily and N140 billion weekly. It affects businesses across the country. All our operations in the hinterland in Ilorin, in Kano are operating at 40 per cent maximum capacity.�

Apapa is home to Nigeria’s key ports (Apapa and Tin Can), numerous petroleum tank farms, media organisations (THISDAY Newspaper and BusinessDay), numerous manufacturing concerns, businesses and residents.

In the last few years, particularly in the last two months, Apapa has become a no-go area for visitors, hellish for those who reside and work there, and traumatic for business owners and those exporting or importing goods.

The primary reason for the gridlock has been the complete collapse of the Wharf Road which leads from the base of Ijora Bridge entering into Apapa to the entrance of Apapa Port.

This has resulted in a long queue of trucks and

tankers on the Ijora Bridge, which sometimes extends all the way to Western Avenue making it difficult for other road users to go in and out of Apapa.

Likewise, the only other access road out of Apapa through the Liverpool Overhead Bridge and Apapa-Mile 2 Expressway is similarly in a state of complete disrepair and blocked by trucks and tankers.

Efforts are being made to decongest the traffic on Apapa road, but these are misdirected, as authorities believe that Wharf Road and the Apapa – Mile 2 Expressway will resolve the gridlock in Apapa.

But that approach failed to answer the question why these roads have gravely deteriorated.

Many readily blame the prevalence of tank farms in Apapa for this the bad state of the roads.

Yes, tank farms in Apapa have brought about a fleet of tankers coming from many parts of Nigeria to lift petroleum products.

When you add these tankers to the trucks going to the port and the trucks coming to the manufacturing concerns and other vehicles that have cause to be in Apapa, the eventual convergence on Apapa roads is like Armageddon.

The right premise for tackling the traffic crisis is in realising that the trucks and tankers that flood Apapa on a daily basis are forced to park and queue on the roads.

Holding Bay Palaver With no holding bay in Apapa for trucks and tankers, their drivers are forced to park on the access roads into Apapa and main roads inside Apapa.

So, roads and bridges not meant to be parking spaces for heavy-duty vehicles have been subjected to the unbearable weight of the trucks and tankers.

This makes life hellish for both occupants of trucks and vehicles and has turned Apapa into a nightmare for all but the government which continues to collect trillions of Naira as taxes, duties and charges.

Before the port concession exercise undertaken by the administration of former President

Olusegun Obasanjo, trucks coming to Apapa and Tin Can Ports had holding bays inside these ports for parking and queuing.

During the port concession exercise, the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) went on to concession every available space inside these ports to private companies.

Truckers Revolt With the space for trucks converted to other purposes by the concessionaires, the truckers were pushed to the roads and bridges and converted them to motor parks. Like everything Nigeria, the helpless situation became business for others as security agencies drafted to maintain law and order commercialised the call up system introduced by the Nigerian Navy and the NPA. Following the extortion by the security agencies, the truckers embarked on strike paralysing activity at the port. Irked by the truckers allegation, the personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT were withdrawn from the decongesting the hellish traffic by the naval authorities.

According to the Navy, the withdrawal was based on the attack by tanker drivers on naval personnel who were deployed to maintain sanity on the roads and bridges leading in and out of Apapa.

The tanker/truck drivers had before the Naval authority withdrew its men ganged up and attacked the naval personnel on duty, vandalising the patrol vehicle of the Operation MESA and injuring the navy men.

According to THISDAY’s findings, the grouse of the tanker drivers was that the navy, in enforcing sanity on the road, had restricted them from accessing the ports anyhow they like.

The navy had restricted the drivers on one lane all the way from Anthony bus stop to inner Apapa, a move that was not welcomed by the tanker drivers.

As a result, the visibly fed up tanker/truck drivers stormed the Ijora Badia area where the Navy patrol team were situated and attacked them.

When the navy called for backup at the base, the Commander NNS Beecroft, Commodore Okon Eyo, urged them to stand down and not

attack back.

He, however, instructed them to withdraw back to the base with the vandalised patrol van.

When contacted, the Command Information Officer, WNC, Commander Chinwe Umar, said the decision was taken after the attack on their personnel.

THISDAY had visited the Ijora and Marine bridge at the time to talk with some tanker drivers on what incited the attack, but could not meet any of them as they were said to have fled over fears of a reprisal attack by the navy.

However, on moving further down the road that leads to Costain, some of the drivers parked by the road assessing the situation before they can ascend the bridge to Apapa.

They alleged that the joint task force was set up merely to fleece them of their hard-earned money.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, they alleged that what incited them was the partial treatment some drivers got over others, as they were often allowed to jump the queue ahead of those that parked earlier.

They also alleged that the security operatives had breached the initial agreement of passing the drivers with call cards but were rather giving preferential treatment to some.

The withdrawal came exactly five months after the joint task force was inaugurated by the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abbah, at the command headquarters in Apapa.

At the inauguration, the taskforce in conjunction with the Lagos State government had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to tanker and truck drivers to fall in line or be banned from Lagos bridges and by-pass, which they have turned to their holding bays.

With the bid to find lasting solution to the irascible actions of tanker/truck drivers, who had hitherto brought Apapa and environs to a halt, foiled, the navy said they were forced to withdraw given the attack on its personnel by the irate tanker drivers.

This recent attack on security personnel is not the first, as the tanker drivers had last year Continued on page 22

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January gone on rampage at Creek Road, Apapa, over the death of one of their colleagues, setting two banks of fire.

The aggrieved tanker drivers had targeted the banks over the death of their colleague, who was allegedly shot by a mobile policeman attached to one of the new generation banks in that area.

NPA Wields Big Stick In line with its threat to sanction shipping companies whose action was responsible for the industrial action embarked upon by truckers in Apapa that led to a huge congestion at the ports, the NPA last week, announced a 10-day suspension of the services of four shipping companies, in the first instance.

The affected shipping companies whose suspension takes effect from Saturday July 14, 2018 were: Maerskline, Cosco Shipping, APS and Lansal. The NPA, in a statement said it took the action as part of efforts to resolve the protest by truck drivers at the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Ports, Lagos.

According to the NPA, “The suspension follows the authority’s checks, which revealed that the four companies have failed to fully comply with the directive to acquire and operate holding bays as they have either failed to utilise their holding bays at all or do not have adequate capacity to handle the volume of containers that they deal with.�

The NPA added that some of these companies have also been found to import a larger number of containers than empty containers exported thereby making the country a dumping ground for empties. “These conducts have contributed to the persistent congestion around the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Port, spreading to other parts of the Lagos metropolis where truck drivers with no immediate business at the ports now park their trucks. “At the expiration of this suspension, the authority will review the level of compliance to its directives and determine further actions.

In addition to this, the NPA will henceforth embark on a regular compliance check of the operations of holding bays by shipping companies and terminal operators and defaulters will be sanctioned. “Stakeholders have also agreed that while the

call up system through the ports management as advised by shipping companies will remain in force, personnel of the Nigerian Navy will discontinue the issuance of call ups, even though they will remain on the traffic management team. “Finally, the Authority wishes to state that the planned introduction of a new service charge called “Empty positioning fee� by shipping lines is illegal and should not be honoured by any operator. The authority is grateful to all stakeholders for their cooperation,� it stated.

Situation Deteriorates...

Despite the steps taken by the NPA, the gridlock assumed a worrisome dimension last Wednesday morning as traffic on major routes in and out of the port city came to a standstill.

Investigation revealed that only truck drivers that part with a minimum of N10,000 per truck are allowed access into the port by the security operatives while others are detained on the already choked road.

The stretch of traffic extended from the Tin Can Island Port end to Mile 2 with all the lanes on the ever-busy Apapa-Oshodi expressway blocked by trucks and tankers.

The Ijora Wharf end did not fare any better as trucks and tankers occupied a major chunk of the road with the queue stretching to as far as Obanikoro on Ikorodu road. Many motorists had to abandon their vehicles to trek long distances to get to their destinations.

Further findings revealed that the resurgence of the gridlock is not far-fetched as only those who pay certain amount of money were given the right of passage to the port.

A port security officer attached to one of the terminals at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) Apapa accused security operatives responsible for directing traffic in Apapa of turning the gridlock situation to “big business.�

For instance, he said only trucks belonging to Flour Mills Nigeria were allowed into the port from midnight until 5am “for reasons best known to them.�

The port security officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said, “Apart from the bad stretch from the back of Leventis through under Marine Bridge to Ijora ascent that requires urgent palliatives, Police and Naval officials aid certain categories of people to disrupt the flow of outbound

traffic.�

According to him, “On Tuesday night, all outbound traffic was stopped from about 2359 hours till 0515 hours for Flour Mills trucks to drive one-way to their facility. The window was used by Flour Mills to exit and take in trucks. Having been kept on hold for more than five hours, the outbound traffic had accumulated and disorganised, with all manners of queues and lanes formed, this coupled with the bad stretch is the immediate cause of the outbound gridlock we have been witnessing.�

Several road users, who expressed frustration at the gridlock, also blamed the traffic control officials for allowing the situation degenerate to the present level.

Oyinlola Bakare, who identified herself as a staff of a shipping agency said, “I have been here at Ijora for more than three hours.

I left my house in Surulere since 6am just to get to work before 7am but here I am still stuck between trucks with no hope of any movement. “The Army, Police and Navy who are working on this road are not helping matters.

All they do is collect money from trucks and stop those that cannot pay on the road. That is why everywhere is blocked. Government should help us. This suffering is too much.�

Another road user, Charles Omokaro who also works in Apapa said the immediate remedy to the gridlock is to stop the use of one-way by some truck drivers as it not only confers undue advantage on some truckers but is also against the traffic law. “In addition to this, the authorities must call the security officials to order. They should stop collecting money and stop preferential treatment of trucks on the road, “he added.

Customs Agents Appeal for Waivers Following the seven days industrial action embarked upon by truckers in Apapa to protest alleged extortion by security agencies that led to massive congestion at the ports, customs agents appealed to terminal operators and shipping companies to grant them waivers on demurrage which had accrued on the consignment that were trapped at the ports during the crisis.

Also, some licenced customs agents and

freight forwarders in the maritime sector threatened to stop paying customs duties and other charges to terminal operators and shipping companies on account of the strike action.

The Vice- President of the Western Zone of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Ibrahim Tanko made the call in a letter of appeal written to all the service providers.

Tanko, who was speaking on behalf of all his colleagues, noted that the strike action was not their own making, hence his appeal for demurrage waivers.

The customs agents said it was wrong for customs to keep charging duties while demurrage and rent kept accruing for agents and importers to pay.

The agents said there should be an understanding after the strike action has been called off, and the need for terminal operators to waive some demurrages. “At Grimaldi now, people are still writing TDO, I have finished my job since last week, but I have not taken the delivery, now I have to go and re-rate at N169,000. The transporters meant well, they have given enough time for NPA to address the situation and the alleged extortion� “Government is collecting duty and that is why they don’t want to intervene, and we are the cause of it, if we stop paying duty for two weeks and no money is going anywhere, they will seat up. But as it is, it doesn’t concern them, the government has collected their money, “he said.

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Administration at Apapa Customs Command, Igbita John noted that though customs was working presently, but warned that if care is not taken, the strike action might lead to a major port congestion.

Also, a licenced Customs agent, Mr Ojo Akintoye decried the nine days strike action, saying it has affected operations.

He, however, stated that, “The good news is that the truck owners are holding series of meetings with the government and they are looking for a permanent solution to the problem of articulated trucks. “The strike action has had nothing to do with revenue, the Nigeria Customs Service are collecting their revenue, the terminal operators are dropping containers for examination and they are also ready for the delivery of cargoes.�

He added, “The only thing is that it is now building up to port congestion because there is no space to put the containers. “We have written to the terminal operators, we need to appeal to them because it is a national problem, whatever affects one group in this sector affects all, and the problem of one is problem of all.�

Lagos Suspend Tank Farm But in a bid to ensure that sanity returns to the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, the Lagos State Government recently suspended approval for new tank farms in Apapa area of the city.

It also extended the work of the joint task force by one month and issued 30-day ultimatum to tank farms without adequate loading bay.

Rising from a closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the maritime and transport sectors, including the Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Tank Farm Owners, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Security and Clearing and Forwarding Agents in Lagos, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, also resolved to accelerate and complete work on the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Trailer Park in Orile in the next one month. Commissioner for Transportation, Ladi Lawanson, who briefed the media after the meeting, said all stakeholders have resolved to work together to ensure that sanity returns to the Apapa axis.

He said the state government would not hesitate to sanction recalcitrant operators who flout the resolutions on the matter going forward.

Lawanson, who was joined at the briefing

by Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza BalaUsman, Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello and other stakeholders, said the federal government in collaboration with the state government, had constituted a Security Task Force in the next 30 days to bring sanity to the roads. However, shipping companies that were sanctioned for non-compliance over utilisation of holding bays at the ports have their grace period extended by five days.

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Onyema: Successfully Established National Carrier will Create Jobs The Chairman/CEO ofAir Peace,Allen Onyema said he supports the idea of establishing a new national carrier - Nigeria Air, as long as it follows due process, insisting that the federal government must create a level playing field for all operators. Onyema, who spoke at a recent League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents seminar noted that a national carrier established in line with due process would create jobs. Chinedu Eze who was there provides the excerpts: What do you think the government should do to solve the challenges bedevilling the aviation sector since when you clamoured for the removal of VAT, the government listened?

Well, there are so many challenges out there.

The VAT issues was just one of them. There are other problems that are very debilitating. The government has done well by removing VAT and we appreciate and thank the government for doing that. We also expect government to improve first and foremost the airport infrastructure in this country. The airport infrastructure is not all that supportive of our airline operations, not just Air Peace, every other airline. Once the airport infrastructure is improved upon the airlines will start to get it right.

What is your reaction to the demand for interlining by domestic airlines?

Yes, of course, we are discussing. The Nigerian domestic airlines are discussing. The discussion has been on for the past one year. We are trying to see how we can cooperate with each other so that we ensure consumer satisfaction; so that when you have one plane down it doesn’t mean that the world will come to an end. Your brother airline can come to your rescue. Interlining is the way to go in this business and we are speaking to ourselves sooner than later you will hear something from us.

How is your operation in the West Coast and what is your view on reciprocity so far under the ECOWAS and open sky for Africa arrangement?

It is not as if the Nigerian airlines do not support the single African transport market, we support it but there has to be a level of reciprocity, it shouldn’t be one sided.

Nigeria shouldn’t open its doors unrestricted in the name of open skies while those other countries are not allowing us easy gateway into their country. We have a country in West Africa, they do about four, five operations into this country, no single Nigerian airline is going to their country; not because we don’t want to go there but because they are making it impossible for us to operate to their country.

One of the countries in West Africa is preventing us from operating to their cities because when Air Peace went there to setup, what they did was that they slammed us with about $10,000 for every landing. The total number you are airlifting to that destination may not even generate $10, 000. But Nigeria is not giving them the same treatment. In the spirit of reciprocity, we expect that when they give Nigerian airline such outrageous charges our country should reciprocate. That will force a compromise and a win-win situation, In Nigeria we are laying the red carpet for foreign airlines to rape our economy; it shouldn’t be. So, in the name of open skies we shouldn’t do unrestricted traffic to the foreign airlines because they are not doing the same thing to us. Togo even wrote me stopping me from flying to their country. They said because one other Nigerian airline has been given one right to come in, meanwhile, Asky of Togo was coming into Nigeria about five times a day until I wanted to go to court; that was when they now gave us the permit.

But they will wait for you in their countries and frustrate you; that is what we have been getting. The kind of charges we pay in these countries Nigeria does not reciprocate that.

That is against the spirit of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and all the conventions you can think of.

Onyema

So, we have to protect ourselves. I cannot get offices in my own country and foreign airlines are being given offices. I want to do international operations in the last two years I have not been able to do so. They have not allocated a lounge that can give my business class or first-class passengers a place to stay and tomorrow everybody will be shouting that Nigerian airlines are not performing.

Am I being supported? We are not being supported, so we need to support our own.

We must start supporting Nigerian indigenous airlines for them to succeed. We are not asking them for money, we are asking for enabling environment to operate. I don’t see the reason why I should not have a lounge in my own country and foreign airlines are being given preference over me. So, these are the things we are saying. We support SAATM (Single African Air Transport Market), but it must come with the right price.

The federal government has just unveiled a new national carrier. The new airline is expected to thrive on public, private partnership (PPP). Will you be willing to partner with government if possible?

The government has launched a national carrier.

As the founder of Air Peace Chairman, why did I go into aviation in the first place? I went into aviation to create jobs. I love touching lives. So, if this national carrier will bring about more job creation in the country, I support it. If this national carrier is going to improve the lives of our people, I will support it.

However, if this national carrier is going to disrupt the industry negatively and affect the local airlines negatively, then I will not support it. That is why we are calling for transparency

in everything. If it is private sector driven, I am a private sector investor; Medview is private sector, Dana, Overland Topbrass and others.

Now, if the national carrier is a private sector driven airline, we support it. I cannot say there shouldn’t be national carrier, I support it. For me not to support the national carrier is tantamount to me not wanting another airline to exist; that is not the issue here.

The issue here is that the Nigerian indigenous airlines are saying we want to be carried along; we want to know how we are going to run this national carrier. If you say it is a private sector carrier that means it is going to be owned by private person or private persons. Are you going to give these private persons the privileges of my country which you have not made available us who are existing? I have acquired four Boeing B777s, today Medview’s first B777 arrived Nigeria.

We have invested massively. The question is, what is the lot of these private indigenous airlines who have massively invested in acquiring these planes? I am sure the national carrier is not going to acquire five B 777s between now and December. Now others have acquired it are they going to come to us and say okay lets partner? So we are not against that but we are asking for a level playing field for everybody.

Because you cannot give the privileges of my country to another private person and neglecting me that has already been there, then it is not fair.

At the conference you spoke about how the experts are inuencing government to take decisions that may sometimes not be of best interest for the industry?

When we are taking advice from our so-called experts, we have to be wary about the kind of things you are reporting. I am referring to

journalists in the industry. When they talk to you, look at the ulterior motive and weigh whether it would promote the general good or for the parochial interest of a few. This is important so that you will not inadvertently promote interests that may harm the industry.

The experts canvassed that each airline should have 20 airplanes. If it is so, tell me where they will fly? The most viable airports are the triangle: Lagos, Abuja Port Harcourt. Anything outside Abuja and Lagos you will struggle with other airlines to have even 60 per cent load factor.

And it is known in the industry that you can only succeed with about 75 per cent load factor.

But that is in climes where the right fares are even paid. One hundred per cent load factor in Nigeria may not even service your planes; where some airlines are charging N16, 000, N18, 000 for one-hour flight.

If you like carry passengers on the wings of your plane tie them on the tail of your plane; you will never generate enough money you will use to maintain your fleet at that fare. So, when we say 75 per cent load factor, we are talking about where the right fares are charged. I flew from Atlanta to Miami, I bought my ticket that same day, I paid almost $400. I didn’t even have the luxury of getting a business class ticket; it was economy that was $400. This is because I bought it the same day. That amount is over N150, 000. Even our business class is about N60, 000, which is less than $200 and you are talking about why we fail in Nigeria.

Yet people are saying that each airline will have 20 aircraft. Air Peace flies four times to Owerri.

Dana goes to Owerri, Arik goes to Owerri. I don’t know who else is going to Owerri. Go and look at the passenger figures and tell me if it is something that is very encouraging. Besides going to Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt; the others you struggle.

Nigerian airlines deserve kudos for being able to operate under the current environment. We are going through a very rough patch. We are operating in most unfriendly environment. It is not something that started today. It has been there over the years. I have to agree that we the airlines have our own blame too. The so-called industry experts should stop castigating us and giving the government wrong ideas about us.

You said operators in the sector are already meeting to form partnership, can you tell us more about that?

There are different types of partnership.

Some people have called for forced merger of Nigerian airlines. I have never heard a thing like that. Why should you force airlines to merge?

What the international aviation consultant, Nick Fadugba is calling for is not forced merger, but leveraging on other airlines to succeed. That is coming together. The domestic airlines can decide to have an agreement. If my aircraft breaks down I can put my passengers on another airline and we both benefit from airlifting, then to their destination.

This will help us and also help the passengers.

Mr. Fadugba is calling for an airline leveraging on the cooperation of other airlines to succeed; to come together. We have failed to cooperate with ourselves. There is a lot of mistrust among the airlines themselves. We don’t trust each other and that is the problem. But the truth is that the sky is too wide for all of us to operate. We are blessed in Nigeria. We are over 180 million people. We have the geography and the landmass. We have everything that will make airlines succeed. Yet, a minor like Togo is succeeding in aviation than us. We should not fight ourselves. We should come together and make it work.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018

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Investing in Plantain Plantation, Processing God blessed this country with more than one type of climatic zone, many soil types for agricultural production and food crops that can be grown all the year round in many parts of the country both for local consumption, processing and export.

The major problem with Nigeria is how to feed our teeming population with the population figure growing every day.

There are so many food crops that can make Nigeria great. Apart from cassava, yam, and rice plantain and banana are another food crop.

Plantain is even more commercially viable and profitable to invest into than cassava.

Much of the plantains grown during the year, like many other agricultural produce, is perishable and have to be processed for the purpose of preservation and availability on a wide scale in areas where such produce is not available.

It can be processed for local consumption and even for export.

There is always wide price differential in prices for the raw products and processed products especially during off-season periods.

Products and uses Investment in the processing, preserving and marketing of plantain is an immensely lucrative venture. When the pulp of unripe plantain is sliced, dried and milled, the end-product is flour. This flour, apart from being eaten as gruel (‘elubo’) can be put to high commercial value in making the following products. They are Biscuits, Cakes, Bread, Pan Cakes, Pudding, Puff-puff etc.

Plantain is highly sought after because it is a delicacy, a good and readily available source of carbohydrate, protein and pro-vitamin A. it has other medicinal effects on the body. Concoction prepares from a mixture of plantains and other items are known to cure sore throat, diarrhea, and vomiting. Plantain flour is easily prepared as food and digests fast.

Raw Material Availability and Sources The basic raw material for the production of plantain flour and chips is the harvested unripe plantain pulp. Plantain & Banana is largely produced between latitudes 300 N and 310S. In Nigeria, it is grown for food and it also serves as shade for cocoa plant. It is exported and also sold locally. Plantain requires well-drained loam soil rich in organic matter and of pH range 5.0-7.5. The temperature should not be below 160C or above 350C. Hence for high yield 240C is the ideal temperature.

Rainfall should never be less than 130cm. Rainfall of about 250cm should be good, though what matters is the distribution, for the plant is very sensitive to drought.

Plantain and banana belong to the same family and have similar appearance and requirements.

Plantains are taller in height and bear fewer but larger fruits. The fruits are usually cooked or fried.

The recommended varieties are the Red Ogoni, Agbagba, Bini, Orishele and the Osaboaso. They are propagated by means of suckers or bits. The suckers could be a. Sword suckers: These are suckers without open leaves b. Maidens: These are young plantains with open leaves and c. Peepers which are small suckers just emerging from the soil.

Sword suckers are the best propagules i.e. the best planting materials. When maidens are used, it is necessary to cut them back 30cm before planting. Peepers are planted in polybags or nursery before planting into the field. This could last for 2 months provided the soil in the polybag is rich. For quicker multiplication of suckers, a mature plant is cut back near the ground. The base is consolidated with rich soil forming a mound around it. Suckers quickly force through the mound. They can then be removed and planted in the nursery as soon as they are visible. With this method, it is possible to obtain 20-30 suckers from one plant.

The following states are known to produce large quantities of plantain namely, Anambra, Akwa -ibom, Abia, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Lagos, Rivers,

Oyo, Osun and Ogun From available statistics, Cross River, Delta and Enugu states produced 2, 144, 900 out of 2, 216,500 M.T. of plantains, while Cross River state alone accounted for 1, 586,500 MT. And for any serious entrepreneur contemplating commercial production of plantains or plantain flour, both for local consumption and export, establishing and running a plantain plantation is advised in order to ensure regular supply of pulp, control of price of raw material input, of profit and the benefits to be derived from the other uses of the various parts of plantain.

Quality Control Being a food processing venture, there is need for good quality control through stringent, hygienic conditions which must accord with the internationally acceptable standards especially if the products are to be exported.

The Market Because of the nutritional values and medicinal effects of plantain, its flour and chips is highly sought after. The market is large, expanding and sustainable because it is a basic food item, its demand increases with scarcity as prices of substitutes become prohibitive, it is highly recommended for diabetic patients and a good preventive for the health conscious; It is one of the cheapest sources of iron, protein, vitamin A etc.; It is a good foreign exchange earner; Its processing lengthens its shelf life etc.

Any processor can market his finished product through established food canteens, wholesale shops, hotels, market women, individuals, hospitals, higher institutions and overseas agents in the event of export to countries where black people reside and who may cherish the product.

Location For this project to be economically carried out, it needs to be sited in the zone where plantain pulp is abundantly obtainable because of reducing transport cost as it is very bulky and heavy.

Those who reside in the above mentioned states can safely do so. The market is national and international; once processed, the flour becomes less heavy and can be transported to distant markets where it is scarce for sale.

Project cost estimate The estimate of the cost of implementing this project will depend on such factors as: The scale of production (cottage, small-scale or medium scale),The target market (the smaller the market, the lower the cost),The type, capacity and number of machinery and equipment, The location of the project

Machinery and Equipment To process plantain pulp into flour and chips, one needs the following: Peeler (peeling can also be done manually; Cutter/cracker; Dryer; Plate mill; Sieves; Packaging machine; Weighing scale; Wheel barrows, fryers, packaging machines; knives etc.; Spare parts All these are locally available at affordable cost.

Feasibility and viability The technology for this project has been tested and found to be feasible and very simple to operate. From studies carried out, the project has the following to its advantage: 1. High return on investment: 57% to 214% 2. High internal rate of return: 45% to 266% 3. Short payback period 4. Adequate manning level and local availability of both machinery and equipment, labor and raw materials 5. High demand and repeat-sales tendency because of large and increasing population 6. Plantain flour and chips is a highly acceptable staple and medicinal food 7. Good foreign exchange earner, etc For further enquiries, please contact the writer

Production Technology Briefly, the stages involved in plantain flour production are as follows- Procurement of fresh green (unripe) pulp in large quantities; Sorting, cleaning, and selection of the pulp to be processed; Manual peeling of pulp (hot water blanching can be done); Storage of the pulp in water tank to prevent enzymic browning action; Dicing or slicing (manually or with automatic machine); Drying or dehydration of the slices; Milling; Sieving (to obtain different sizes of flour required); Grading according to particle sizes and Packing and packaging for sale

Labour Requirement The minimum number of people needed for procurement, production administration to marketing for this level of project is 19. However, for the cottage type of production, a minimum of two will be needed.

– Uba Godwin Global Trust Consulting, 56, Ishaga Road (1st oor),Surulere, Lagos Tel- 08034494437, 08023664368, 09093939140 E-mail: ubagodwin@yahoo.com

GroomingYouths for Career Fulfilment Kehinde Lawal To help young Nigerians make informed life and career choices, First Bank of Nigeria Limited recently held career counselling sessions nationwide as part of its 2018 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Week.

The Executive Director, Corporate Banking, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Remi Oni, while speaking at the career counselling session for students of Fazil Omar High School, Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos. Affable, Oni came down to the level of the students and interacted with them endearingly like age mates.

He explained why the students should start thinking about their career paths right from the present.

Aware that pupils need proper guidance to understand themselves and the world of work to make career, educational and life decisions, Oni’s employer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited had included career counselling for over 3000 students of public schools across Nigeria as part of activities for its 2018 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Week (CR&W) with the theme ‘Touching Lives; You First.’ The sessions were a key component of the 2018 CR&S Week that focused mainly on four key initiatives.

Executives of the bank also visited orphanages/ less privileged homes and IDPs; Staff Promoting Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK), with the aim of encouraging people to be kind.

Also, the launch of the bank’s partnership with Vision Spring focused on empowering people

Adesola-Adeduntan

with impaired vision by providing eyes glasses and screening for low-income earners and an empowerment scheme for over 500 widows.

Prior to that day, the Managing Director/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Subsidiaries, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, had visited Yaba College of Technology Secondary School to take the career counselling session where he also touched on inculcating financial literacy and inclusion in the pupils.

Toeing this same line, Oni, shared his own life story to advise the students on making informed decisions about their lives and careers. “I will like to be re-introduced as your father,�

Oni, who had earlier been introduced as ‘a top brass of FirstBank’, began. “I also attended a public school like you are doing and it is important to be guided at the appropriate point. I started out life as a veterinary doctor and taught for four years at the Ahmadu Bello University before detouring into insurance for four years and finally coming into banking. Maybe I would have gone straight into banking with appropriate guidance, but the multi-disciplinary training is also good. It opens your mind,� he added.

The essence of career counselling, Oni continued, was that it helps pupils know their strengths, weaknesses and to make up their minds on what they want early. “It is important for you to know your innate skills; the subjects that you are good at and the ones that you find a bit tough. This will help you make the right choice and choose the career that fits into your character. “There’s no point doing a job that you wake up and you don’t feel like going to the office. You need to engage in what thrills you; what gets you�, he stated.

The mentor, who returned to the issue of multidisciplinary training he had earlier touched on, disclosed that his boss, Adeduntan, also trained as a veterinary doctor before venturing into banking and that it has proved beneficial in the long run. “You all know Funke Akindele, she trained as a lawyer but went into acting where she’s doing well,� Oni said.

The early discovery of their skills and interests, he added, would help them in imbibing qualities including creativity, critical thinking, communication

and collaboration that employers cherish and that will stand them in good stead should they decide to be self-employed.

Oni, who also touched on work readiness, and hard and soft skills including leadership, direction, strong work ethic, positive attitude, time management, accepting constructive criticism and having an entrepreneurial spirit, also reiterated the importance of personal branding.

He charged the students to know their vision, passions, values, top goals, core strengths and weaknesses that will help them decide the direction to go. Importantly, Oni didn’t fail to alert the students to the existence and impact of artificial intelligence on the world of work.

He also made them aware of how technology has changed the workplace and why they have to be innovative to be successful.

The ED, who played a short video to further buttress his point, enjoined the pupils to be open to ideas and to also consider how they can contribute to humanity.

He said, “It is a fast-changing world and some careers as we know them today are fast disappearing. You need to open your mind; the possibilities out there are very wide; they are huge. “Don’t be fixated on the boxes the society has built over the years. Don’t see your career as the end in itself but as a means to an end; to see how you can contribute meaningfully to the world when you grow up.�

Earlier, the school Principal, Alhaji Rasheed Ipaye, had commended First Bank for the initiative, telling the students that they were blessed to be beneficiaries.

WEEKLY PULLOUT

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

NEWS| P30

COLLAGE | P36

EDWARD AKINLADE

THISLIFE | P37

WHY I’M TREKKING FROM LAGOS TO IBADAN

FILE

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Edward Akinlade: Why I’m Trekking from Lagos to Ibadan A former UK-based chartered accountant, real estate guru, and Chairman of Suru Group, Mr. Edward Akinlade, plans to trek from Lagos to Ibadan, not in protest, but for the sake of charity. In this interview, Akinlade bares his mind to Mary Nnah on the reasons for the proposed walk and his passion for the underprivileged.

Let’s talk about your proposed walk from Lagos to Ibadan, what's it all about?

I want to walk from Lagos to Ibadan for two reasons. One is to raise money to support the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria; secondly to support the families of former Super Eagles superstars.

We have a lot of the superstars that have died and the families are thrown into abject poverty and even some of them still alive, have their families suffering. This planned walk is just to encourage the former Super Eagles superstars and families, telling them: ‘look, you played for us; we will be there for you.’ Suru Group will donate the sum of N10million to open a purse for that purposes. So as I walk to from Lagos to Ibadan, (Ibadan is about 100 miles from Lagos), we will do 10 miles per day for 10 days. The walk will commence on October 1, and will last for 10 days. We will start at 6am to 6pm each day. I am sure by the time we get to Ibadan; Nigeria will be a new country because everybody will win. I will personally win because it will transform my old status, in terms of publicity. We want the whole of Nigeria to support this walk. We have a couple of months to prepare and of course, who and how to join as well as the necessary infrastructural support for this walk, will be communicated to the public soon. The walk will be streamed live on Facebook and some TV stations.

members to a meeting and tell them that you need some amount of money to start a business and if you can convince them, they would give you money. What I am saying in essence is that there are so many ways of raising money but the problem is that people don’t want to take risks.

Some people are just contented with their salaries and those types of people can’t make money except through corruption.

Can you actually walk from Lagos to Ibadan?

I believe I can, since I’m going to stop at every 10 miles. Every day we will start in the 6am and end the walk by 6pm and then we would find a hotel at each locality to rest for the night and those who want will be massaged to get their energy back, then the next day we’d continue.

What is it is like doing business in Nigeria?

We have had issues here and there but for me, the biggest challenge we have ever faced, has been government’s multiple taxations from local, state and federal governments and then we pay VAT tax as well as Lagos hotel consumption tax, all of that is massive.

And then the cost of borrowing in Nigeria is another huge challenge. In the UK I can borrow for two per cent interest for a whole year but in Nigeria, hardly can you borrow for 20 per cent in a year. For example, if I borrow N1billion, I will pay N200 million in one year as interest. What business I am doing to make such money. If it were in the UK, I will pay N20million as interest.

And also to find the right staff that will remain honest and is another challenge and that is the effect of corruption. So to find staff that is not corrupt is very hard in Nigeria. But we have come up with a way to tackle that. We keep every of our staff here on six months’ probation and if we don’t like you, we get rid of you.

Apart from the planned walk, how else has Suru Group impacted on the lives of Nigerians?

One of the avenues that we have affected the lives of Nigerians is through the Suru Foundation. Everyone that works at Suru Group gives two per cent of his/her salary to the foundation’s account. We are one of the earliest companies in Nigeria that distributed helmets for motorcyclists. We must have distributed nothing less than 10,000 helmets. If you go on our website, you would see all that we have done but one of the main things that we do now is that we select three widows every month, which we support monthly with a token of N20, 000. We also support Bales of Mercy Orphanage, Gbagada on a monthly basis.

We also support individuals with health issues if it is something that falls within our jurisdiction. That is what we have been doing in terms of giving back to society.

Tell us about Suru Group?

Suru Group has been in Nigeria for over 10 years. We focus on two business core areas, which are Real Estate and Hotels. In real estate we have done so many developments here in Lagos and we also own a number of hotels all around Lagos; we own the Suru Express Hotel and Best Western Hotel.

In homes we have done development in Ikorodu, Surulere, and Ebute Meta. We are one of the first companies that did major terrace construction in Ikeja GRA. About 10 years ago, we built 56 terrace houses; we sold part of it and still own 30 of the in Ikeja GRA, which we are renting. So, we have two separate divisions, which are Suru Homes Limited that deals with homes and then the Suru Suits and Hotels Limited, which deals with Hotels. Currently, Suru Homes is involved in projects with a number of partners. At the moment we are doing development in Ikorodu, where we are developing about 40 flats, which we hope to complete by December this year.

What was your first attraction to the real estate and hospitality businesses?

When I arrived in 2006, Nigerian Airways was selling all its assets in GRA Ikeja and nobody was prepared to buy them. That was the attraction. And so we bought properties spread over 22 hectares of land. I knew from time that it was going to be a reservation area. What I did was to buy large portions of land and then cut it into bits, so that people who could not buy hectares could buy plots. So all I did then was to buy and wait and it has proved a huge success for me. And then the hospitality business came because when I arrived here, I realised that there was only one or two hotels in Ikeja GRA, in fact there were only five hotels in the whole of Ikeja. That was like 12 years ago and then we started investing in hotel business and today, in GRA alone, we have counted more than 35 hotels. Suru Group at the moment has just three and we intend to expand to more as time goes.

Akinlade

We are selling on easy payment terms, so that whatever the price is, we are asking the buyers to pay just half, and we are giving them up to two years to pay the balance.

We are also doing same in Ebute Meta, Ketu and Surulere. Suru Homes at the moment is doing Silicon Mall in Ajao Road, IIkeja.

Our target for the mall is those in hi-tech.

We want them to use the mall, so that if you want any hi-tech item, you can go there and do your shopping. That project is probably going to take another one year to do. So Suru Homes is actively at the front of real estate in Lagos, in terms of what we are doing. I think the total project size of what we have to do in real estate, is in the region of about N15billion at the moment.

In hotel, we are at every level - affordable level, budget hotel, middle level hotel and in luxury hotel. In order to provide facility for that we have people dotted all around our organisation, security, maintenance and human resource.

How has your journey into real estate and hospitality been?

I am a chartered accountant by profession. I left the United Kingdom in 2006 to relocate to Nigeria. But before then, I was into real estate in London, so it was the money that I made in London that I brought back home to continue in the real estate business. While I was in London, I used to buy properties at auctions, refurbish them and sell them to make huge money.

I did that in UK for over five years. But around 2001 I was in full time employment in the UK as a chartered accountant. I left

the UK in 2006 to Nigeria and within two years of my return, the Nigerian economy collapsed and most Nigerians have not recovered ever since.

So why did you abandon your banking job for the real estate business?

I believe that nobody makes money by working for somebody all his life. If you want to be independent and self-sufficient, you need to work for yourself but then you need experience. So from the age of 20 to 35, work for other people and gain experience, after that period, set up your own business. So being an accountant has helped me to be able to look at any business proposal with figures. So as an accountant, I can fit in anywhere. But for me, my calling is real estate. I have been successful at it in the UK and that moves me to do it in Nigeria too.

But do you think the environment here may not allow people who desire to start their businesses at 35 do so?

If you have God by your side everything is possible. And going into business involves taking risk. Some people don’t want to take risk. If you set yourself a target of ten years, to leave a job set up your own business, it can be possible. And if you set yourself a ten years target and then save your salary, even if it is five per cent of it every month, you would have something to start your business in ten years. And if you work for ten years and you still can’t save enough money, come up with a business idea and call all your family

How were you able to remain at the top of your game, in spite of the country’s economic downturn at the time you arrived in Nigeria?

For me, I think I have had God on my side and I thank Him for that. People who we had come back from London together no longer have their business running. The other thing is to be patient and that reflects on the name of our company, Suru, which is a Yoruba word for patience. Patience to me means, do not react negatively when you find yourself in difficult situation, rather seek the inspiration from God and He will lead you in the right path.

Do you have any regret in life?

I don’t have any regret in life because I believe God has a hand in whatever I am today. Yes, I have taken decisions that if I have to re-live this life, I will reverse such decisions. But whatever mistakes I have made in the past, God has helped to correct them and put me back on the right track. Again, I wish I could do more for Nigerians than I have done. For example, if I establish hotels in each of the states in Nigeria, that means more people will be employed but right now I can’t do that much with the present high interest rate on loans.

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Jim Iyke, Waje, Rico Swavey, Others Support La Mode’s Green October Ayodeji Ake Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke; songstress Waje alongside other celebrities like Big Brother Naija season three housemate Rico Swavey; Founder Kokun Foundation, Olukokun Adepeju,; Nollywood actress Belinda Effah and Dr. May Ikeora have thrown their weight behind the fourth edition of La Mode Magazine’s 'Green October Event'.

The Green October event, which usually takes place on Nigeria’s Independence Day October 1 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, is an annual project to create awareness, appreciate and support persons living with disabilities. The theme for the event is “Beyond Disabilities”.

The event promotes made in Nigeria fashion through the fashion show and exhibition and fashion awards are given

Jim Iyke, Rico Swavey, Olukokun Adepeju Founder Kokun Foundation, Belinda Effah, Waje and Dr May

to deserving Nigerians.

According to the organizers, one of the aim of the edition is to inform individu-

als and communities that people should embrace each other ’s differences.

"One of the major goals of the 'Green

October Event Project' aside the annual event is to establish a multipurpose disability job recruitment unit, awareness, advocacy and information centre”, said Sandra Odige, publisher La Mode Magazine.

She added, “Giving people living with disabilities job opportunities, all the information, support, training and education they deserve."

Green October event recognizes people that have contributed significantly to humanity in their various fields of endeavours without prejudice on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity.

The annual event is also a platform to showcase African fashion and designs.

In 2015, the event focused on Down Syndrome, in 2016 on autism and in 2017 on Cerebral Palsy.

Osun Trains Youths on Vintage Yoruba Tailoring Peter Uzoho To preserve the ancient Yoruba heritage of tailoring, the Osun State Government recently launched a social enterprise project through the training and empowerment of new generation master-crafts men and women for the fast dying skill.

Tagged: ‘Ijinle (authentic) Project”, the programme is in partnership with Mr Kabiru Durojaiye, a 56-year-old man with over 30 years vintage tailoring experience, who serves the Nigerian elite and wants to pass on the skills to the youth.

The project will train, equip and setup 15 master-craftsmen and women from Osun.

Specifically, the project which is envisioned as a ‘Train-the Trainer’ concept with a training centre in Lagos seeks to preserve the fast-dying master-craftsmanship used in producing vintage Yoruba pieces like the traditional Agbada, Kembe, Agadashi, Danshiki, among other conventional wears of the people of the South-west Nigeria.

Veteran Yoruba tailor and project facilitator, Mr. Kabiru Durojaiye, (middle), with the trainees at the training centre in Lagos.

Conceived by the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola and the Chairman of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria,

Mr. Wale Adeeyo, the facilitators of the programme seek to resuscitate the dying craft especially with young people

by placing the most willing and capable of Osun youths with requisite tailoring skills under an action-packed internship programme for five months.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Enterprise and Wealth Creation, Hon. Demola Adetoyese, said the initiative was to further strengthen the Human Capital Development Drive of the Aregbesola administration by providing job and wealth creation platforms for the people of Osun.

“The idea is that after the internship training in Lagos, successful trainees will join other creative fashion entrepreneurs at a world class ethnic fashion show after which they will be settled in a production cluster in Osun with a business development presence in Lagos,” Adetoyese said. The veteran tailor and facilitator, Durojaiye, said he was willing to offer his expertise to the young men and women willing to learn the craft as part of his own contribution to help resuscitate the dying heritage of the Yorubas.

Firm to Train Young Nigerians on Digital Marketing Ayodeji Ake Digify Africa PRO Nigeria, a digital training not-forprofit initiative in partnership with Facebook said it will train young graduates waiting for employment on intensive Digital Marketing training programme.

The programme will equip 20 smart Nigerian graduates between the age of 20 to 30 years old.

However, the programme is slated to hold for eight weeks with digital workplace and it will bring in agencies within the industry to impact some necessary skills in them.

According to Head of Strategy DigifyPro, Qhakaza Nthembu, "What we find in South Africa when we launched this initiative Digify Africa is that the university training is quite theoretical.

"When young people and graduates enter the industry with a lot of theories and not so much in the practical, they find it difficult to take up some practical challenge.

"So, we plan to merge both the theory and the practical skills, which is not so difficult in the course of the digital training, so they can have much experience.

"Meanwhile the program will also enlighten

L-R: Martha Onyebuchi APCON; Florence Atunwa Olumodimu, Program Director DIGIFYPRO; Qhakaza Mthembu, Head Of Strategy, DIGIFYAFRICA; Eki Adzufeh and Executive Director Mipan; Ms Omoeige PWC, at the event them and they can learn a lot of basics of social media, introduction to content creation, advertising page, web design and then also how to apply all they’ve learnt.

"The industry support is very vital and that is

Group Awards Leaders in Ajegunle Rebecca Ejifoma Success in Leadership Conference (SILC) in partnership with Hall of Fame awarded 17 leaders in Ajegunle, Lagos for their immense contributions to the development of the society.

The annual award, which honoured persons from all walks of life, targets those who had trailed the blaze and distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and in the society. The Convener and Founder of SILC, Mr. Ifeanyi OluebubeJesus, a pastor, said this year’s award celebrates those who set the pace in serving the people.

He said that from government officials, Arm Forces, business world to ministry, leadership means servant leaders, adding, “That is what

these awardees have portrayed”. According to him, people should enter into leadership with an intention to serve and not to be served. He continued that leadership was about serving.

A recipient, Chairman Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Ifelodun Chapter Lagos State, Mr. Paul Kolawole, said the award “means do more”.

Recognised as 'Man of the Year', he noted that although he was not aware of the reason he was deemed fit for it, he added that he was sure they saw something. “This award shows that, ‘We have seen what you have done in the past. Now, we need you to do more'. The organisers have done really well,” he lauded.

why we would bring the agencies within the industry each week to give some live brief to the young selected graduates on what the agencies are currently working on or a challenge they are currently experiencing which will be thrown out

to them for them to apply all the knowledge they have learnt.

"Of course, they need to put that which they’ve been trained into practice and then present right back to agencies."

The programme director at Digify Nigeria, Florence Olumodimu said “our end goal is to inject the Nigerian advertising industry with well-trained DigifyPRO graduates who bring with them a new burst of energy and critical cutting-edge skills.

"However, this year’s training is a more advanced digital skill program which is an eight weeks intensive digital skills training.

"In 2016, digify was in Nigeria which was a one day program so a lot of people are familiar with it and we trained over 20, 000 Nigerians then, but now, this one is very intensive one.

Olumodimu further noted that the intensive training on digital skills, employability skills and how to pass interviews alongside different things will enable the young graduates at the end of the training apply for a minimum of three month internship with different agencies in other to implement what have been impacted during the course of training.

Ize Offers Free Training on Trauma, Vocational Skills Olawale Ajimotokan Abuja based special home for children with special needs, Ize Therapy and Vocational Centre, has provided free counselling on trauma management and vocational skills to individuals afflicted with trauma.

The centre, located in Gwarimpa in the nation's capital, was conceived early this year by Aishat Ize Jatau, for children suffering from Down-Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Visual impairment, Autism, Mental and Psychological break down, Dyslexia and physical challenges, among others.

After organising free screening and therapy for children afflicted with autism to mark the

World Autism Day, the centre recently held another free training for adults on trauma management and vocational skills.

The centre's administrator, Mrs Mildred Abimbola, said it decided to organise trauma management programme to rehabilitate adults with social problems so that they can learn to manage some of their traumatic times and see other ways to handle stress.

She said that many adults suffer from trauma through abusive marriages and death of a partner.

According to Abimbola, the centre assisted via vocational training to mitigate the effect of trauma by getting social professionals to impart knowledge to the victims of trauma.

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27.07.2018

Group Expresses Concern over Delay in Passage of Disability Bill

Family Set to Immortalise King Kosoko of Lagos Ferdinand Ekechukwu

MDAs representatives at the public presentation of CCD's Research Report on Compliance of Public Institutions in Lagos State to the Provisions of the Lagos State Special Persons Law (2011) with support from Ford Foundation held in Lagos recently

Mary Nnah The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has expressed disappointment over the delay in the passage of National Disability Bill into law.

To this end, the group in collaboration with Joint National Associations of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) is working with relevant stakeholders to change narratives and stereotypes about Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in order to contribute to the speedy passage of National Disability Bill into law as well as the amendment of section 56 of the Electoral Act 2015, which allows citizens with disabilities participation in the electoral process.

According to CCD’s executive director, David Anyaele, the group is greatly concerned at the level of marginalisation of PWDs in the electoral process.

This, he said, is because polling units are not

always physically accessible to those with physical disabilities.

“The placement of ballot boxes on high tables or other inaccessible locations also make it difficult for PWD voters, especially those on wheel chairs to cast their ballots on Election Day. "The absence of sign language interpreters during some civic and voter education and political campaign messages makes it impossible for voters who have hearing impairments (deaf voters) to benefit from the information being shared in these messages”, he noted.

The National Disability Bill, Anyaele explained contains provisions that would protect people with disabilities in the country against discrimination and other harmful practices.

The bill provides for rights of persons with disabilities to have access to public premises, accessibility aids at public building, access to road and side walk, protection against risk and

humanitarian emergencies, as well as prohibition of using them to beg for alms.

In line with this advocacy, the Ekiti State Chapter of the group recently trained 45 females and males with disabilities from the 16 Local Government Areas of the State as election observers for the just concluded Ekiti State gubernatorial election.

The training was part of the activities for the implementation of its Campaign for Equal Voting Access for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria.

The eventual long term goal of this intervention is that eligible citizens with disabilities are able to participate in the electoral process on equal bases with other citizens.

“Our objectives include to: mobilize citizens with disabilities’ participation in elections, observe and analyse compliance and produce evidence-based report on citizens with disabilities participation in elections, and raise awareness on equal voting rights for citizens with disabilities”. Anyaele added.

Foreign Investors Canvass for More Skilled-Workers Yinka Olatunbosun The third Austrian German Swiss Business Outlook meeting with the media community in Lagos was recently wrapped up with the hints on job opportunities that await Nigerians.

Contrary to widely held views that there are no jobs in Nigeria, the delegate of the German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, Dr. Marc Lucassen revealed that most companies are looking to increase head counts in their staff structure.

“We are in desperate need of blue collar skilled workers. Most of our employees are office workers,’’ he said.

Lucassen’s remarks were based on surveys conducted using macro-economic parameters, study of the ease of doing business in Nigeria as well as statistics from relevant organisations.

He noted also that there is a huge market

Sunday Ehigiator

potential in Nigeria with improvement recorded in the area of company registration, access to credit facilities and the recent economic recovery.

Still, he expressed moderate optimism in business prospects in view of issues of national concerns such as power supply, infrastructure and security in parts of Nigeria which are flashpoints for ethno-religious crisis and other social unrests.

“There is a concern that the 2019 elections may affect business and growth expectations,’’ he observed.

For the commercial counsellor, Austrian Embassy in Nigeria, Ms. Nella Hengstler, exports are gradually increasing and Nigeria is still one of Africa’s top business destinations.

One of the high points of the event was the revelation by the Consul General, Consulate General of Switzerland, Mr. Yves Nicolet, that

no fewer than 35 companies will arrive in Nigeria by October.

In her opening remarks, the Deputy Consul General for Germany, Lagos, Mrs. Alexandra Herr explained the rationale behind the business coalition which aims at promoting bi-lateral relations and attract more investors to the Nigerian business sector.

“We believe we all face the same problems and have the same success stories,’’ she said while recounting some of the past and current activities of the Austrian German Swiss Business Outlook.

During the question-and-answer session, the group was charged by some of the journalists to invest in human capacity development through the establishment of vocational centres in Nigeria in order to meet with the challenges of qualified technicians and engineers in their various organisations.

SURA Traders Serve EKDC Quit Notice

Aggrieved customers of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKDC), under the aegis of SURA Complex Shop Owners, recently staged a peaceful protest to the office complex of EKDC located at Marina to demand they hands off distribution of electricity to SURA market.

The members who were dressed in all black totted different placards with their grievances well inscribed on it.

They complained that they were tired of the distribution company’s power starvation and its monopoly over the distribution of power.

They also alleged that the company has made several efforts to frustrate other options they resorted to in generating stable electricity supply for their businesses.

Speaking to journalists, Mrs. Bunmi Anne Ajayi, Chairman; Association of Shop Owners in SURA Complex said “we are small scale business people, and electricity supply is so crucial to our business.

"In SURA shopping complex we have over 1000 shops, but if you come to the complex now, the complex is half occupied. People have been going out because there is no power to carry out businesses.

"It's is a multi purpose business community where you have printers, people in production and services like legal practitioners etc. So we

have people who need constant and regular power supply."

Asked what effort she has made towards reaching out to EKDC about their needs she said “overtime we have realised that in Eko Disco, there is nothing such as customer service.

"The only thing we get from Eko Disco is; pay your bills, if you have outstanding you have to pay it or you are disconnected.

"That is the only conversations we have with Eko Disco. In terms of explaining to them that, how come we have just two hours of power supply, or three hours or some days no power supply at all, there is actually no solution to that."

On the billings, she said, “to us they are outrageous. Just of recent we even tasked ourselves to be able to offset outstanding bills. As at now, there is no effort by EKDC to resolve the matter.

"What we now need is an alternate power supply.

In fact, we have gotten a company to do that for us, but through a particular publication, we got to know that EKDC does not want that because they feel it's a threat to their businesses.

"We are business people, we are not politicians.

We are ready to do our jobs and do it well, but we need regular and constant supply of electricity.

"We are not against the government, we are customers. We have right to regular and constant uninterrupted power supply, that is our demand

and we know, they can't give that.

Also speaking, the assistant financial secretary of the association, Kayode Okunola said “ We know according to the laws of this country, Eko Disco does not have private monopoly. Nobody has monopoly to distribute light. So, anybody that is able to distribute quality light to us, we are willing to buy to satisfy our needs. " As at today, the country generates 7000 megawatts yet discos put together are only able to distribute less than 5000, so why are you fighting what you cannot meet up with?”

Meanwhile, irrespective of the chanting of solidarity songs accompanied with musical instruments such as megaphone, drums and trumpets, the EKDC complex entrance gate remained shut, and all attempts to get EKDC’s top managements attention to address the aggrieved members of SURA complex association members were initially denied.

Hours later, a staff of EKDC who identified himself as Akinola Sodiq and claimed to be representing the chief legal officer to EKDC, came out from the office and requested for closed door meeting with five representatives of association, an offer that was strongly objected by members of the group.

It finally took about two hours of waiting, singing from the members before the Managing Director Adeoye Fadeyibi of EKDC finally came downstairs to address the people.

The Kosoko Descendants Youth Forum, the umbrella body of the youths born into the royal family of the late Oba of Lagos, Oba Kosoko, is set to immortalise the late monarch.

As part of the plans to immortalise the late Oba, who reigned from 1845–1851, the family has concluded arrangements to organise an annual lecture.

The inaugural edition of the lecture, with the theme ‘The Travail and Triumph of King Kosoko: Lesson for Today’s Leaders’, is scheduled to hold at the Glover Memorial Hall, Marina Lagos on Sunday July 29, 2018.

The family had on Thursday, July 19, 2018, held a rally in Lagos Island to herald the celebration of the life and times of King Kosoko, paying homage to virtually all the white-cap chiefs’, palaces, houses of notable personalities and to embassies and some corporate organisations on Lagos Island.

Speaking during a press conference in Lagos to unveil the maiden edition of the lecture, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the first King Kosoko Memorial Lecture, Prince Abiola Kosoko, stated that the lecture was designed to describe and project late Oba Kosoko’s personality.

“The memorial lecture was designed to be an annual event with basic theme that will describe and project the personality of Kosoko as a King, ‘Oloja’ and Prince as well as in-depth analysis of his antecedents throughout his life time”, he stated.

The event which is subdivided into three sessions will have a paper presentation, socio-cultural parade, and exhibition of King Kosoko’s relics at a temporary museum set up at the venue of the event.

“This year’s King Kosoko memorial lecture will also provide the required ambient to exhibit some of these relics for public to appreciate. The relics to be exhibited shall include slave chains. The idea behind this exhibition is to immortalise the historical remains of King Kosoko for tourism purpose.

“The Kosoko Youth Forum for over a decade has been gathering relics of this great man towards the establishment of King Kosoko Memorial Museum.

“Most of those things are things that will be exhibited for people to see. And that takes us through descendants of King Kosoko because we have those things in our possessions.

"We shall also be exhibiting the 48 most important slave letters of King Kosoko that tells about how he was able to set people outside Lagos to educate them in West Indies. " Also human skulls and other relics of King Kosoko’s shrines that made people to see King Kosoko as a thin king that was worshipped.”

According to Prince Kosoko, the paper presentation is the major activity of the memorial event. Scholars are expected to give in-depth papers on the person King Kosoko within and outside Lagos.

He said, "But the good thing is that other people will come and talk about it so it’s not going to be the Kosokos’s own idea or the Kosokos’ way of presenting matters. So it’s going to be a collective thing from Hausas, Yorubas, Ibos within Lagos and outside Lagos.

“The socio-cultural parade will provide a platform for indigenous cultural parade that emanated during the reign of King Kosoko and those that got prominence as a result of his person.

"On the proposed King Kosoko Memorial Museum, the LOC chairman stated that the monument would house and preserve the relics and historical materials of the late king.

“In addition, we shall also be giving awards to individuals and corporate organizations that have continuously support and protect the fabric of indigenous Lagos heritage”.

The keynote speaker for the memorial lecture is Princess Adetope Kosoko, the former Registrar of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), while Mr Supo Sasore, former Lagos State Commissioner for Justice, would be presenting the lead paper.

Dr. Michael Olusegun Fajuyigbe of the Department of Fine Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Mr Kehinde Adepegba, department of Art and Industrial Design, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu; Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, Managing Director, Origin Gardens; Prince Jide Kosoko, veteran Nollywood actor, and others shall be presenting papers on the theme.

His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, would be the Distinguished Guest of Honour; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Special Guest of Honour and His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Osuolale Aremu Akiolu,Oba of Lagos, is the Distinguished Royal Father of The Day at the lecture. Other guests expected at the lecture are Chief Abiola Dosumu, the Erelu of Lagos, Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi and Alhaja Mutiat Alli-Balogun.

31/ENTREPRENEUR

27.07.2018

'I Want to Solve Unemployment Issues in Nigeria' In this interview with Peter Uzoho, one of Nigeria’s emerging entrepreneurs in the fashion industry, Tolu Akinola, speaks on his brands: Tsignature Bespoke and Sceptre Apparel, and how he burns with passion to solve Nigeria's unemployment problems, among other issues. Excerpts: Tell us more about yourself My name is Tolu Abaoluwase Akinola. I’m a fashionpreneur, an empire builder, worshipper and saxophonist, born to the royal family of Akinola in Ondo State. I am the 11th of 14 children from a polygamous home. I studied Biochemistry at Redeemers University, one of the first set of students of the university and graduated in 2009. After graduation I proceeded for my National Youth Service in Abia State where I served in the state's Ministry of Works between 2009 and 2010.

After service I did my post-graduate studies in Business Administration at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I was going to do my MBA but had to stop it so as to come to Lagos to register my business. I run a fashion production company of two separate brands –Tsignature Bespoke and Sceptre Apparel, located in Ogba, Lagos. Although my fashion business started when I was in school, it was in 2011, immediately after my service that the business actually started.

So as I said earlier, being an empire builder, I’m looking to solve the issue of unemployment in Nigeria; strengthen the economy; and ensure that the next person to me has the chance to live their dreams. Also, as a worshipper and saxophonist, I minister from church to church and help bring the presence of God and lift the spirit.

Tell us more about your brands As I said before, I have two brands – Tsignature Bespoke and Sceptre Apparel. I started with Tsignature clothing company which was a bespoke brand for men’s clothing – suit, shirt and top. And recently, after I left the Next Titan, an entrepreneurial reality TV contest held last year, I started a ready-to-wear brand – Sceptre Apparel. I partnered my wife, so we make caftan and dresses for men, women and children. So instead of waiting for customers to come and order for clothes we make designs in different sizes and then we sell to these customers. And this was in response to the need in the fashion industry in Nigeria since the increase in dollar rate. Nigerians began to look inward for fashion instead of going abroad to buy. We realised that more people were beginning to wear made-inNigeria products and there was high demand for that. So waiting for orders from customers were becoming too much and again customers wanted the clothes on the go. They want a cloth now that they can wear to an event tomorrow which gives little time for production. So we decided to go into a ready-to-wear brand where we produce clothes down; where customers can come and see what they like, buy it and wear it immediately. Sceptre Apparel which I started few months ago is located in Ogba-Ikeja where we do our production.

Do you sew?

I know how to sew but I don’t. Right now I have four tailors that work for me and I pay them salary monthly. But what I do is that I draw the design, communicate with tailors; if it’s a complicated design I show them how to cut it. Of course, we do patterns for male and female, then they cut, after cutting them, they start to sew.

What drove you into fashion?

Fashion for me started really early. I grew up in a home where my dad will call me in the morning when he’s going out. I am from a Yoruba family and my dad wears aso-oke, alari, all of those things. So every time he’s going out, whether for palace meeting, having a meeting with the governor or whatever it is, he would call me to put stuff together for him.

Although, he didn’t know that he was preparing me for this journey. My father actually wanted me to be a medical doctor but unconsciously, he prepared me for my journey into the fashion industry. I was on a journey to being a medical doctor, studied Biochemistry but from there I learnt colour combination – how to combine red, green with yellow. If you know aso-oke very well, they are multi-colour clothings. All those Yoruba attires have multi-colours. So I learnt how to put all those colours together. So from there to secondary school to the university I began to tell my friends how to wear cloths – look at the kind of shirt to wear, the kind of tie to wear, all those things. I know how to draw a little bit, so I just thought about it and said, why not begin to draw my

Nigerians most times see things produced here as inferior and look down on them; does that discourage you?

The truth is that that has reduced to a certain extent. Even those who can afford to buy abroad before now can no longer do that because there’s an increase in dollar rate. But then again, it can be very discouraging when you sit down, put up a design and then produce and you walk into a customer’s office or you walk into a building and the next thing you hear is: I don’t wear a made-in-Nigeria product. We still get that till now. But two things for me: I don’t totally get discouraged, I see that as an avenue to push myself further. Why because if there’s something in the brand that he’s going to buy outside, that means I must go and study that brand and ensure that I put my product in that level. For example, there’s something that’s called global relevance. One of the mentors of my youth used to say that a lizard in Lagos should be a lizard in London. So if a clothing is produced here in Nigeria it should be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with any clothing brand in a store in London. So that is the dream – to produce clothings here in Nigeria that can be worn by anybody either here or outside the country.

Where do you get your fabrics?

I buy my materials here in Lagos. Although, our fabric merchants import them either from Turkey, China, France or Egypt and all of those places where fabrics are sold but of course I buy them here in Lagos Island and they are fantastic products.

Akinola

own designs because I have ideas come into me.

Then I started drawing my ideas. And before I learnt how to sew I started looking for tailors who produce those clothes for me and that’s how the journey started.

Are your tailors Nigerians?

Yes, they are all from Nigeria. The idea of the business is not only to make clothes but also to strengthen the economy. I did a research sometime last year and I realised that Nigeria spends about $4billion annually on importation of clothing. And the reason why we set up this business is to bring down that number to the barest minimum; to produce enough clothings that Nigerians can use and wear, and also to export to Africa and export to other Nigerians in the Diaspora.

How has the patronage been like?

The most difficult part of anything is starting. We just launched and msales are beginning to pick up little by little. We’re selling to friends who know us as a bespoke brand, who want ready-to-wear clothing. We have put a call through to those who we couldn’t provide the ready-to-wear clothings before for, to tell them that we’re now offering such services. We have sent out text messages and stuffs to them; then, the social media marketing as well. So the sales are beginning to pick up little by little because the market is actually there.

We just have to put ourselves out there more so that they can know that we are here to solve this problem. This year alone I have customers from U.S. who ordered for suits for wedding who are Nigerians. And we did a test run of Sceptre Apparel sometimes last year. We made about 25 natives and sponsored posts on Instagram, and most of our patronage came from the U.S, Dubai and London. It means that Nigerians and other African indigenes in diaspora are looking to wear things from home. So that means there’s a market there and also there’s a market here at home. The plan is to broaden our production capacity enough to be able to produce what Nigeria can consume and again what we can export outside the country.

Are you also looking at partnering an online marketing hub, say Jumia to reach out to the larger market?

Yes and No. Although Jumia, Konga or any of these platforms have a marketplace but the idea is to enter into the market as quality, functional

and affordable clothing. So putting ourselves on these platforms will increase our cost, because of course, they have to take their cost for providing the platform. We thought about selling on those platforms but it will increase our price, and if our price increases it will definitely bring down our target market. So the idea is to grow our own brand, grow our own market, leverage on celebrities who have large followers on Instagram and all of that; and sponsor posts on Instagram, Facebook and other social media, e-marketing; and then grow our own market. We might still get on those platforms but for now we’re trying to grow our brand and market it in the most cost effective manner. We’re trying as much as possible to make what we have invested in the business back by reducing our cost over-head.

Do you patronise your company?

Definitely; I stopped wearing another brand’s clothing since 2008. I don’t wear any cloth made by any other brand except the things I don’t produce.

If I can make it then I’ll wear it.

What’s your assessment of the Nigerian fashion industry compared to what obtains abroad?

The fashion industry in Nigeria for me is the new oil and gas. I say this because if you look at the first five top richest people in the world we have two fashion designers there. One owns a conglomerate, I can’t remember the name now and another one is the owner of Zara. Zara is a fashion brand that sells clothes and shoes and they are among the first five people in the world.

This is to show you that there’s a huge market in the fashion industry. I know that Nigeria is yet to see that, if not, investment in places like Aba where production is a major thing would have been done so that Nigeria can be a production hub for Africa the way China is the production hub for Europe. Nigeria can be a production hub for Africa if government can invest in a place like Aba and have a production outfit. But since that is not done, that’s why we have decided to start our own production; so we produce and then sell. Usually abroad, what all these great brands do is to sub-contract their production outfits. But what we have decided to do is to produce so that we can help reduce the unemployment rate in the country and also help boost the national revenue through earning more foreign exchange.

Clothes and other wears are in their best with excellent finishing. So how do you ensure your tailors churn out clothes that meet this standard?

Finishing is the crown of a cloth; no matter how perfect it is sewn, if it is not properly finished, then it’s not saleable. What I did personally was to go for training – online trainings with top fashion schools and all of that. I learnt how all these things are done. Then, I sat my workers down and trained them. That’s why we have quality control in our production process; when there is an issue, we must ensure that correction is made. If the cloth is not sewn properly straight, you have to loosen it and ensure that it’s on a straight line. Because all of these things matter in ensuring that products are at the same level with the global brands.

Who are your target markets here in Nigeria?

My target market are the middle class; because I’ve learnt that there’s a huge market in the middle class. Sceptre Apparel is not targeting the upper or luxury class, so for now we’re focused on catering to the demands of the middle class.

How do you ensure prompt delivery of products to your customers?

Actually, this is one major issue militating against the fashion industry in Nigeria; there are many factors that can lead to delay in the delivery process. You talk about lack of power, inexperienced tailors, and so many issues like that. But for us, what we’ve done is to first master our production process. When you master your production process and you know your capacity you will not run into such problem. So for our bespoke brand, we don’t take more than we can produce. But for the ready-to-wear brand – Sceptre Apparel, we produce what we can and sell to customers. So having studied and understood our production capacity, once we get orders, we take it and stick with it. That’s how we keep to time.

How did you get funding for your business?

I got investment from friends and family. This is one of the things we learnt at the Next Titan house. When we had to raise money in few hours for a project the only people you could call were friends and family. I sat down and drafted a short business plan since I’m vast in the fashion industry – know the numbers, cost of production, all of those things. So I put everything down on paper, sent it out for editing, checked the numbers with an accountant, and put the whole thing together.

I got some notes here and there but at the end of the day, a lot of people were interested, and the rest is history.

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27.07.2018

Chris Okotie’s Tall Dream at 60 For the umpteenth time, the orator and Pastor of the Household of God International Ministries, Reverend Chris Okotie, who revels in using big grammar, is once again eyeing the nation's top job.

He recently asked 68 political parties, especially the two major ones, to roll head over heels in adopting him as their consensus candidate in next year’s presidential election. However, Nigerians seem to have grown tired of this narrative of a divine instruction to contest. Which party would do well to accept him again within the confines of conventional propriety? Is this a suggestion from the high and holy mountains or a huge joke? It’s not difficult to tell that not many Nigerian’s take him seriously.

Only a man like Chris Okotie would ask you not to question the almightiness of his ever-failing spiritual proclivities. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? If not, why hasn’t he become President? If Okotie has truly heard the Lord speak to him this time, only time will tell, else it would just be another wild goose

chase and a tall wild dream.

In fairness to the cleric, it’s understandable to be uncomfortable with the way the country is being run. There is also not harm in a priest running for the top job. But to always, in the name of God cling unto the political race, is what many find an atrocious lie and a slap to Christendom and the exalted office of priesthood.

If you haven’t heard the Lord say to you, go into politics, why run for the presidency? Is God a liar? Does He say a thing and not bring it to pass? God will no doubt judge Nigeria as a nation, and the judgement would begin from the church. Is it that Okotie doesn’t know that as a minister of God, he has a higher office than the president l of any nation?

Isn’t it ungodly for a minister of God to mention that God said he will be a president, when God said in the Bible, He has made kings and he ordained the priest over him? Has Okotie truly heard from God this time, again or it’s one of those tall dreams?

Celebrating Fashion Czar, Lanre Ogunlesi’s Significant Strides at 60 Fashion designing is all about making the best use of one's creativity and skills. It is something Lanre Ogunlesi enjoys. He is one Nigerian who loves being creative and is passionate about fashion. A career in fashion sits well on him. The amiable gentleman is popular for the uniqueness, elegance and style in the fashion business.

He’s become famous for timeless designs and trademark African fabrics. The famous and conservative fashion designer’s life and professional integrity is an attestation to true epitome of creativity.

Known for his extravagance in the fashion industry, Ogunlesi has received a couple of recognitions to his professional name and craft.

Achieving the milestone age of 60 and 40 good years on the fashion grind is no mean feat anywhere in the world, Nigeria specifically.

The debonair and sophisticated Lanre Ogunlesi, who owns and runs Sofisticat Limited, a frontline fashion showcase for the A1, B1

and C-suite of Nigeria’s socio-economic strata not only represents a rallying point for Nigerian politicians, top notch executives, and trendy men, who wish to satisfy their fashion and style appetites.

He’s repositioned sophistication, style and panache for the first class Nigerian man. His showroom, a compelling masterpiece with the aesthetic beauty, showcases a variety of garments, exotic imported fabrics with price tags on the items for the nouveau rich. In spite of tough economic meltdown, he’s attained great quality, timeless service and perfection on the fashion turf, and he’s not showing signs of slowing down.

As his esteemed fashion firm counts down to the grand celebration of its 40thanniversary (date soon to be announced), he intends to roll out the drums to celebrate his modest achievements. Call it pride or hubris; there is no doubt that Ogunlesi and the Sofisticat brands have been successful in their rights.

Femi Otedola and DJ Cuppy, the Tale of a Father’s Love I pity the person stuck with getting a gift for a celebrity.

Not only are you buying a present for someone who has pretty much everything they'd ever need, but you're also forced to compete with what other stars have given your famous friend. The bar is set high for a reason. When it comes to gift-giving, Femi Otedola goes hard. Buying a luxury vehicle for a friend may force the average person into debt or robbing a bank, but for the oil and gas mogul, doing so is as obvious as getting your office secret Santa a Starbucks gift card.

Filtering in from the United Kingdom, his daughter, Disc Jockey Cuppy, made the announcement on her Instagram page as she posed with the new white automobile and special plate number CUP 9Y. She now has for herself, courtesy her

Accolades for Alex Ekeoma Armed with a first degree in Accounting and Finance from BPP, a private university in the United Kingdom and a master’s degree in International Business from Hult International Business School in Dubai, Alex Ekeoma is the young brain driving GEO Travel and Tours as the Chief Executive Officer.

He is not your ideal spoilt rich kid. He is instead enterprising, unconventional, street smart, strong- willed and business savvy.

With a strong DNA and good genes, success, hard work, integrity and a pioneering spirit flows in his bloodline.

As the son of Elder Eme Ekeoma, Chairman Nepal Oil and Gas, it was no surprise when the young and enterprising CEO took on the feat of taking advantage of the FIFA World Cup 2018, the biggest showpiece and world sporting event, to get fans and tourists to Russia.

Having learned real, practical and practicable business secrets from his successful parents- Elder Eme and Ngozi Ekeoma, he no doubt put to test his wealth of knowledge of truly understanding the terrain, by going the extra mile to have secured the partnership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as its travel and tour partner on Russia 2018.

For tourists and fans those who just returned from the Russia world cup, the oil and gas tycoon's son lived up to, and exceeded expectations of cynics by simply showing his strengths as the numero uno preferred tour operator of choice. He has demystified Russia and made it enjoyable for Nigerian fans and tourists.

Fans and tourists attested to the most convenient, cost-efficient, enjoyable trip and travel experience. As a socially responsible Nigerian company working with agents in Russia and Europe as partners, his determination gave the needed maximum support to everyone who went to Russia to support and cheer the Super Eagles.

Rev. Funke Adejumo in the Eye of the Storm These are indeed faith-testing times for the popular female preacher, Reverend Funke Felix- Adejumo, as over 4,761 people and counting, have signed three different petitions to ban the preacher from going abroad. According to the petition, the ban was to stop her from allegedly defrauding residents of United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.

After weeks of trending on social media for allegedly demanding through her telecast, huge donations in foreign currency, three different petitions have been launched.

In a petition spearheaded by one Mayowa Olaiya on change.org, it read: "Funke Felix Adejumo is one of a group of Nigerian religious charlatans who regularly visit the UK to defraud the people and the country. They ask people to sow seeds for miracles and breakthrough and flee from the country with the funds without paying tax. They go from churches to churches; this is a religious cabal network."

Meanwhile, another petition from one Daniel Audu was for the U.S government to stop Adejumo from entering. In his petition, he expressed his seeming determination to stop the alleged extortion and money laundering going on in the United States. The third petition by Simon Peter trying to stop her from "entering the EU to defraud people and the country", has received 144 signatures out of the required 200 people. The resentment against some Nigerian pastors, who they accuse of hiding under the cloak of church and God to extort money from unsuspecting members, has reached new heights. Meanwhile, as she keeps dragged through the eye of the storm, a great show of love and support for Adejumo has risen, as evident on social media through her ardent followers.

Whilst some people are trying to stop the preacher, a hashtag, #IStandWithFunkeAdejumo, has been launched on Instagram in support of the severely criticised cleric. Notable figures like Tara Durotoye, founder, and CEO of Africa's Leading Makeup Company, House of Tara are some of the people who are showing love for Adejumo by sharing her impact in their lives.

generous father, a brand new 2018 edition of Range Rover Sport valued at whopping N24 million.

The grateful daughter heartily wrote, "Out with the old, in with the new! Thank you @FemiOtedola."

It is worthy of note that the new car is coming a month after Cuppy's sister, Temi Otedola, also got a brand new Range Rover Evoque from her parents after her graduation.

The one thing rich parents do for their kids which makes all the difference, is to spoil them with expensive gifts.

Billionaire Dad, Otedola no doubt does a good job at that.

Truthfully, it's near impossible to understand the lives of the rich and famous. Instead, let's marvel at the gifts that they give and receive, knowing full well that someday we’ll be able to either give and or receive same someday.

Scathing Remarks against Eniola Badmus over Instagram Indiscretion If the recent furor on social media is anything to go by, these are not the best of times for Nollywood Actress, Eniola Badmus, who came to the fore in 2008. She has come under close scrutiny, heavy criticisms and scathing remarks following her recent dressing in a jumpsuit posted on Instagram, which showed a poorly thought out dress.

The fashion police should be called on the actress for abusing the sensibilities and eye sights of the viewing public with the 'awful' photos. Next time she finally decides to take the plunge into jumpsuit territory, she might want to consider double-checking her reflection to make sure she doesn’t end up a disaster. In the jumpsuit, her flat waist got lost. We know Eniola has some beautiful, womanly curves under there, but we should be able to tell just by looking at the photo.

Should she want to flatter her figure in a jumpsuit, she’ll need to define the distinct sections of her body by cinching the waist, either with a belt or with a jumpsuit that has an elasticised or drawstring midsection. If she'd pulled those strings a little tighter, she'd look a lot less like a kindergarten kid in a romper. She’ll also need to ditch the match-matchy accessories, as the jumpsuit itself is already reminiscent enough of the 80s, so there is no need to go overboard with the colour palette, too. It'll look much more modern if she mixes things up. Finally, the actress needs to pay attention to proportion by identifying the slimmest part of her own silhouette, then work backwards. If she's got killer legs, fine. For a top-heavy Eniola, she might want to balance it out with a jumpsuit whose pants are wide leg or flowing. Unfortunately she's got way too much material in her midsection, and it's not doing her any favours.

33/XTRA

27.07.2018

Akideinde Wins Marketing Edge Award Stories byMary Nnah General Manager, Operations - Mobile Apps for TECNO Mobile Limited, and cofounder of 360nobs.com, Oye Akindeinde, has been recognised as a leader in the digital sector in Nigeria. This follows his emergence as the Digital Entertainment Innovator of the Year at the 2018 Marketing Edge Brand and Advertising Excellence Award. The award ceremony held recently in Lagos recognised leaders and innovators in various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The organisers of the award said Akindeinde was recognised for his outstanding performance and entrepreneurship in the digital and music space in Nigeria.

Akindeinde said the award was larger than him, but commended his team at

Akideinde receiving his award at the event

Boomplay Music for their dedication and support. He also reserved some praise

for his family.

He stated, “I am so elated to have won the Digital Entertainment Innovator of the Year award in #Marketingedge’s 2018 awards. This award is so much larger than me.

"I would like to thank the entire #BoomplayMusic and 360nobs Limited teams for the amazing teamwork, knowledge sharing and dedication put in.

“Receiving an award amongst my peers and mentors makes me more thankful than ever. This moment is about visibility and about representation. What and who is seen in the media defines our perception of Nigeria and the world around us.

"My aim has always been to impact humanity positively through innovation and ensure that Nigeria stops being seen as a consumer but as an innovator.”

Akindeinde, a University of Lagos and University of Hertfordshire graduate, has over 16 experiences working as a digital developer and entrepreneur. His job experience has been primarily in consumer goods, eBusiness, financial, media and digital sectors. He has been successful in IT, project management, strategy, product and business development, marketing, giving him a vast set of skills.

In 2010, Akindeinde, in a bid to deepen the growth of the music industry in Nigeria and provided a platform for Nigeria artistes to access the global market, cofounded 360nobs.com, a technology driven marketing and entertainment services firm. 360nobs has since become one of Africa’s biggest lifestyle and entertainment websites catering to millions of unique visitors monthly.

Brief Essential Displays Latest Lingerie Collection Brief Essentials, Nigeria's first full-fledged and largest online destination for lingerie, is presently showcasing its latest collection. The items ranges from lingerie designed with tulle base, strappy design up to K cups and 46 bands to structured lace bralette sets and 4-Section bras in addition to everyday essentials.

Others include swimwear, hosiery, underwear solutions and more for women, men and children.

Also in stock are beautiful collections of sleepwear, shape wear, swimwear, bras, briefs, accessories, nursing underwear, very sexy lingerie, baby dolls, chemises, teddies, hosiery, and active wear for women.

Whether you are an adventurous vixen, Everyday Jane, practical, ultra-feminine, sensual - you will find your match at Brief Essentials.

With Brief Essentials, everyone can have access to the lingerie they love. Take the Lois Bra for example - a three piece embroidered cup on to a tulle base with inner stabilised sling in contrast shade for a delicate more sheer finish to add a look of luxury while retaining a great fit. And this is not the only item that caught our eye from

Brief Essentials, Nigeria's online destination for lingerie

the latest season's drop. The new release has all of your underpinnings (shapewear, lingerie, loungewear and more) needs covered with pieces

like the Dana Strapless Bra, the Dionne with Harness or the Saachi in addition to longline silhouettes like the Piper and Breeze.

THISDAY caught up with Seun Tayo-Balogun, the CEO of Brief Essentials. We asked what prompted the setting up of Brief Essentials.

Tayo-Balogun said, “There was a time in Nigeria when many retailers focused on electronics, fashion merchandising, shoes etc., but lingerie was not given the attention it deserved.

"Lingerie was mostly sold in brick and mortar stores, as well as second-hand market. As if that wasn’t bad enough, lingerie options at this time were limited and mostly overpriced, or of questionable quality.

“Equipped with this knowledge and the fact that I was not alone in the search of beautiful and functional undergarments, Brief Essentials set out as an online lingerie store to cater to the needs of everyone, in addition to providing lingerie education, and highlighting the importance of fit, style and function of undergarments using digital platforms."

Brief Essentials was launched in April 2011 and since then it has revolutionised lingerie and underwear shopping in Nigeria's budding online marketplace on www.briefessentials.com.

Kids Display Exceptional Skills at Valediction It was a beautiful display of various talents and skills as youngsters staged various performances during the valediction and award ceremony of the Pottersland Schools, Lekki, Lagos, which held at the Orchid Hotel.

Highlights of the event included special fax display, orchestra, choreography, ballet, French presentation and many more.

Speaking at the event, the school’s director, Mrs. Oyebusola Olanubi, disclosed that there was a lot of improvement in the students’ level of confidence, adding that the students would go places with the level of talents displayed at the event.

“I believe the children would go places and I thank the teachers for putting up a beautiful event,” Olanubi said.

She noted, “Our mission, vision and values provide focus and direction to staff, learners, parents as well as all stakeholders

throughout the Potterslanders community.”

While thanking the teachers for meeting up to expectations, Olanubi stressed that the institute is committed to the total development of every child.

She said, “We believe that it is extremely important to provide a loving, open-door environment that allows the children to feel safe and respected, and which also welcomes them, their family and friends.

"The issue of openness and how we welcome is of great importance for the subtle but powerful lessons that are learnt in such moments by our children."

Olanubi said every child has a potential and can learn anywhere but identifying how a child can learn best was key.

Pottersland's vision is to create early childhood learning experiences that prepare children for success and build a solid foundation and passion for life- long learning.

Pottersland School graduands in a photograph with staff during the 2018 graduation ceremony in Lagos

Nigerian Comedian, Patrick Onyeke Turns Brand Ambassador

Nigerian comedian Patrick, signing an agreement with the UK-based company

A leading American-based information technology company, Finger Print Data Solutions, with a track record of great impact in the technology space in the US, has signed popular comedian, Mr. Patrick Onyeke, as its brand ambassador. Onyeke will now be the face of the company's App, "My Neighbours Kitchen". This new App is loaded with amazing features.

Already plans are in place to shoot the advert commercials which will be on bill boards, television and radio stations, road shows and several others platforms both in America and in Nigeria.

According to the comedian, “I am just super excited about this new opportunity to work with Finger Print data Solution Company. It is an honour to be chosen and I will work with them to the best of my abilities."

This is coming exactly two weeks after the company endorsed Nollywood actor,

Bolanle Ninolowo. With this recent step, Finger Print Data Solution is setting a new pace in technology.

Popularly known as Mr Patrick, Onyeke, is one of Nigerian’s seasoned comedians, who has distinguished himself with his unique comic skits, “The adventures of Mr Patrick”.

He has not relented in his effort to makie quality skits and that has put him on the frontlines in the entertainment industry.

The comedian can be proud to say he is one of those that pioneered the skit making in the country known as ‘Slap Stick,’ and today many have followed the trend.

Onyeke started his career as a stand-up comedian over a decade ago. He has appeared in many stand-up comedy shows in Nigeria including, Nite of a Thousand Laughs, Africa kings of comedy, Ay live, Basket mouth uncensored. He has also performed at corporate events and government functions home and abroad.

34/FEMALE CORNER

27.07.2018

‘The Music Industry is Harder for Females' Call her an all rounder and you won't be far from the truth. Uwaye Annette Eigbedion, whose stage name is WAYE, is a fast rising Nigerian music artist, model and stylist. In this interview with Sunday Ehigiator, she speaks on her childhood, love for fashion, her soon to be released single, 'Your Love' and of course how hard the music industry is for female artists. Excerpts: Tell me about your next big move?

Now it wouldn't be so big if I'd let you know. Allow yourself to be surprised.

Who is WAYE? I am a recording and performing artiste, my stage name is Waye from Edo-State.

I also really like fashion. I love art and I also love to take pictures. So I think I am really just a random person; not so random though.

You have on several occasions been sighted with top Nigerian artists, is there anything cooking that your fans should know?

I’ll just say, watch out! Trust me.

How did you come about your stage name “WAYE”?

My real name is Uwaye and the "U" is almost silent. So I just took out the "U" and here we are now.

What's the level of support from family and friends towards your career advancement?

Wow! I am so blessed! My parents, siblings, aunties and uncles, friends all support me 100 per cent. They have never for a day doubted or misunderstood it. They have been by my side. Supporting every way that they can. And it's a beautiful thing. I love them all.

How was it like growing up?

Growing up was the best thing. I am grateful for my parents, the teachings and the things they exposed me to really shaped who I am today. My dad; Mr Sylvester Eigbedion is a lawyer and my mum; Mrs Latifat, is a business development manager in a developmental NGO. I have two sisters, an elder one and a younger one but no brother. We all grew up in Kano. Because of the way I was brought up I have great knowledge of myself and how to relate with people and how I see things. My parents never let me lack a single thing I needed but we were always taught to be content and not to be greedy. And because of this I believe I have been able to go through some life issues smoothly. Funny enough my parents disciplined us but not with cane or shouting. They literally scold you with words. As a child, I was the one always getting in trouble in secondary school; smiles. Now that I think about it. My sisters were peaceful.

Give insight on your educational background?

I went to Air Force Primary School and St. Louis Secondary School in Kano.

I was an art student and I definitely hated mathematics. Ironically, I liked science subjects. Then I went to university of Benin, where I obtained a BA in Mass Communication, which was really an eye opener for me.

How did it all start, how did you find yourself doing music?

I started writing in secondary school at Kano. And started officially at UNIBEN. What inspired you into music?

As a child I've always been able to sing. Even before I started rapping. I was the choir mistress in secondary school. Don't say it's just secondary school, because it was a Catholic all girls school and music was actually quite serious. But yeah, I've always been doing music even before I started recorded. I have been on about two tracks before I went to university which is where I started officially.

But I think the people that really made me fall in love with music were my elder sister and my mum. My mum listened to so much of good music and my elder sister always pushed on and bombarded us with good and trending music too.

But generally, I pick my inspiration from everything that happens to me and around me.

You are likewise a stylist, what is the Style WAYE brand about ?

I really love fashion a lot.

I like to put things together to create looks and it makes me really happy to do that.

Waye as a stylist is called "Style WAYE".

The initial idea was to focus on my own style as much as I can. But then,

Eigbedion

I collaborate with brands that pay me to wear and style their designs and clothes they sell. I have a website called stylewaye.com. Its currently down due to work upgrading and rebranding, but would be back up soon enough. Then along the line, I started getting requests to style people and it was a really good pay and from there I kept on getting jobs and getting paid for styling other people. It is one of the most favourite things I do daily as a craft.

By saying, it has been really though in the industry, with regards to you being a female artist; how do you mean?

I think the industry is harder for females because a lot of label owners and mangers have told me that it's harder to work with women. That is a lot of stress and also money! At this beginning stage, money will go out more than it will come in and it makes a lot of things really hard.

What is the unique features of Style WAYE? I will say its my ability to express either the mood of my clients, theme of an intended occasion or myself through the dresses I styled.

Again, I can't actually put it all in a box. But when you see elements of it you would know. My style just speaks for itself and people that knows me recognizes its mine whenever they see it. You can follow my style page on IG @stylewaye to see more of my styles.

Are you under any record label?

No I’m not. Well, not at the moment.

Some other things are going on the background though. You will know soon. But I have been approached by some and I didn't like the deal or the contract so I just passed, of cause I have a lawyer as a father. I have approached so many labels as well. Sometimes I end up not liking the offer or I get curved!

But that's okay because it gave me time to work more on myself by myself.

What motivated you into styling?

Actually, my friend. He just asked why I don't take styling serious since I have a great sense of fashion. Then boom, I just started, and its been great.

What has being your greatest lessons so far in your musical career pursuit?

Just do you. Everyone else will conform.

Lets go back to music; How has been your experience so far in the music industry?

Eye opening I must say. I've gotten the opportunity to see and learnt a lot. It's been really tough. Considering the fact that I am a female artiste in Nigeria.

What has been your greatest challenge as an artist?

Money. Like I said earlier, at the beginning stage of music you spend more than you earn. And would need a lot of financiers.

What has been your greatest heights so far in your career pursuits?

I don't think I know that right now. I just know I am still a work in progress.

And when I really know my greatest heights would be a time that everyone would know and wouldn't need to ask because you will see it. I have performed at some popular events like Star Trek, Headies and Industry nights. For Star Trek it was really a great and wonderful experience. It was almost really deep for me. Because I never knew I'd be allowed to perform on that stage. At the time I was interning at a media company as a camera girl. I learnt how to shoot really fast though. So we used to cover the Star Trek and I would have to shoot!

Set up and cover the mic checks and all, then at night I would change to my performance clothes. Oh! I didn't even mention that my fellow camera crew members got me that slot! Anyways so I performed my songs and I was perplexed with the love I got! I almost didn't know anyone in the crowd and they cheered me up like I was their sister or a big name brand. After I performed, I will wear my camera girl shirt and get back to work. I feel like I had a lot of learning and adjusting to do and I did it.

How can people get to listen to your songs, which platforms are they on?

I have a few songs online like Stronger, Pull-up, Oji Oji, wonderful, Jowumi among others. You can get them all on Notjustok.com and also Apple Music.

For my new song “Your Love”; you can get it on all digital platforms from July 30.

Tell me more about “Your Love” what inspired you and what message does it conveys?

I think the song speaks for itself. I was inspired by love. All-round love. And the message is simple, "Regardless, love is a beautiful thing". That’s the message. It doesn’t matter what you have suffered, who had treated you wrongly, or who doesn’t appreciate you enough, love is still a very beautiful thing that all must embrace. If there is love, there would be peace and progress in any community.

We all must just keep loving each other irrespective of our differences.

How do you unwind and what are your social media handles addresses?

I usually lie on my bed to watch cartoons (mostly adult cartoons), use my phone and then eat food! I also love to take pictures. I’m on Instagram, Twitter, snapchat as @waa_yay and on Facebook as Waye.

35/LIVING

27.07.2018

FERTILITY WITH DR. KEMI AILOJE

Tel + 2348033083580, Email:Info@lifelinkfertility.com, Website: lifelinkfertility.com

DIABETES AND INFERTILITY (PART 1) As of 2015, it was estimated that 415 million people suffered diabetes worldwide, with equal rates in male and female. Diabetes doubles a person’s risk to early death.

From 2012 to 2015 it was reported that 1.5 to 5 Million death resulted from diabetes.

Diabetes has also accounts for infertility both in male and female.

While the information above may seem threatening because of the very high burden of diabetes this week’s topic is intended to resolve some vital mind bugging questions like: r XIBU JT %JBCFUFT BOE IPX DBO POF LOPX he/she is diabetic r 8IBU BSF UIF DBVTFT PG EJBCFUFT r )PX DBO EJBCFUFT BGGFDU NBMF BOE GFNBMF fertility r 8IBU JT QSFHOBODZ JOEVDFE EJBCFUFT BOE IPX DBO JU CF NBOBHFE r .BOBHFNFOU BOE QSFWFOUJPO PG %JBCFUFT Diabetes Mellitus (DM) commonly referred to as Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders in which there are high blood sugar level over a prolonged period.

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of diabetes develop high blood sugar level.

Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Fertility *OGFSUJMJUZ BT EFGJOFE CZ 8PSME )FBMUI 0SHBOJ[BUJPO 8)0 JT UIF JOBCJMJUZ UP conceive an offspring. Depending on the age of the individual, if less than 35 years, one year of unprotected timed intercourse, if over 35 years only six months of unprotected timed intercourse before being labelled as infertile. Timed intercourse means the intercourse at the ovulation of the egg of the female.

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Types of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) r 5ZQF %. PDDVST EVF UP GBJMVSF PG UIF 1BODSFBT UP QSPEVDF FOPVHI *OTVMJO 5IJT GPSN PG %. JT BMTP SFGFSSFE UP BT *OTVMJO %FQFOEFOU %JBCFUFT .FMMJUVT *%%.

PS Juvenile diabetes its cause is unknown r 5ZQF %. CFHJOT XJUI JOTVMJO SFTJTUBODF a condition in which the cells fail to respond to insulin properly. As the condition progresses a lack of insulin may develop. The most common cause is excessive body weight and physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption. r (FTUBUJPOBM %. UIJT PDDVST XIFO B pregnant woman with no previous history

Effect of Diabetes on Fertility of Males Men can suffer erectile dysfunction or difficult erection of the penis, delayed ejaculation and reduced sperm quantity and even reduced testosterone (or sexual desire). Men that suffer infertility from Diabetes, their erection difficulties are caused by nerve damage and slower circulation in the small blood vessels due to poorly controlled diabetes.

When the nerves of the male organ, the penis, are damaged, there is lack of sensitivity and the ability to ejaculate or eject, the sperm is also impaired and in some cases there is delayed emission of the sperm. Backwards or retrograde ejaculation occurs from damage of the nerves of the penis when the bladder remains open during ejaculation and the sperm enters the bladder instead of exiting normally from the penis. This backwards movement of the sperm would delay the fertilization of the awaiting egg thereby causing infertility of the male partner. r 7BSJPVT SFTFBSDI TUVEJFT PO UIF FGGFDUT of Diabetes have revealed a reduced sperm quality, therefore reducing the male fertility. r %JBCFUFT BMTP MPXFST MFWFMT PG UIF NBMF hormone, testosterone, which leads to low sperm count and reduced libido (sex drive).

Effect of Diabetes on Fertility of Females r 1PMZDZTUJD 0WBSJBO 4ZOESPNF 1$04

r 0*JHPNFOPSSIFB JSSFHVMBS QFSJPET

r 4FDPOEBSZ "NFOPSSIFB QFSJPET UIBU stop and restart) r 1SFNBUVSF NFOPQBVTF $PNQMFUF BSSFTU of periods earlier than usual) r %JBCFUFT DBO DBVTF QSFHOBODZ UP CF B nightmare with Gestational Diabetes 1PMZDZTUJD 0WBSJBO 4ZOESPNF 1$04 QSFWJ ously presented in This Day health column, deals with women that have multiple cysts in the ovaries leading to missed periods and infertility. There is a close association with PCFTJUZ BOE %JBCFUFT 4UVEJFT IBWF TIPXO that females with 5ZQF $IJMEIPPE BOE 5ZQF "EVMU onset) Diabetes is prone to 1$0T Women with Diabetes have disorganized cycles of periods in the form of missed periods (oligomenorrhea) and even long intervals of no periods (secondary amenorrhea). This is as a result of the pituitary gland hormones losing its control of the reproductive organs.

Managememt Most of these infertility issues can be handled with ease through Assisted Reproductive Technology "35 VTJOH *O 7JUSP 'FSUJMJ[BUJPO *7' UFDIOJRVFT "U UJNFT consultation with an urologist and use of special surgical UFDIOJRVFT 5&4" BSF OFDFTTBSZ UP FOTVSF delivery of a single normal and viable sperm to the awaiting egg. $MPTF DPMMBCPSBUJPO XJUI ZPVS GFSUJMJUZ specialist will help with the understanding of the proper medications and lifestyle changes needed to be at the peak of Reproductive health even in Diabetics…… TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

OPINION

Egena Attah of Igalaland at 70 Ken Nwosu

and made us feel so much at home FWFO UIPVHI ZPV IBE PUIFS 7*1 HVFTUT UP BUUFOE UP * UIBOL (PE men like you are still around as constant reminders of the rich heritage we have as a nation, our outstanding past that schooled your ilks in public schools, worked hard in our public institutions and left footprints of hard work, dedication and strong family life.

With your type, we can’t help but ask our new leaders where they discovered and appropriated the arrogance that has become the signature of public service, gover nance, interpersonal relationships, indeed of virtually everything. *U JT JO UIJT XJTF UIBU * QSBZ UIBU the good Lord will keep you more as a memorabilia of a rich heritage, maybe our new czars will learn a lesson or two from you and a few others like you who have inspired so much hope in a land yearning for role models.

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will ring a bell in your honour and echo happy birthday to you PO ZPVS TQFDJBM EBZ TVSF TJUT well on you and the septuagenarian clan must be agog with celebration for having such a quality member JO ZPV )BQQZ CJSUIEBZ BOE NBOZ IBQQZ SFUVSOT PG UIF EBZ 4JS

5IF &HFOB "UUBI PG *HBMBMBOE Engr. Joseph Oyenani Makoju, mni, 00/ $0/ IBT DMPDLFE 4FWFO decades of life here on planet earth. * DPOTJEFS JU B SBSF QSJWJMFHF UP have met you through your daugh UFS &OF[F 0TBSJFNF .BLPKV "LBCB unarguably one of the most exposed police officers in Nigeria today. .FBOXIJMF * IBE TPNF LOPXMFEHF of you before my contact with Eneze but her further revelations about you and my little probings revealed what an enigma you are.

Nigeria is in dire need of men like you who are selfless, patriotic and nationalistic. For years, you XFSF UIF OBUJPOhT )POPSBSZ "EWJTFS on Power pro bono publico; a rare feat in our clime where virtually everybody sees such appointments as ‘come chop’!

You are in touch with the greats across the world but exudes a level of humility and humanity almost strange to comprehend.

0G BMM ZPVS GBNJMZ BDUJWJUJFT * have attended, you were always present even at your grandkid's birthdays, and yet you are the special adviser to the richest man in Africa! Guys on lesser pecking order don’t even find time for such Makoju things. You inspire! t4JS ,FO /XPTV ,4$ B $IJFG 0ODF XBT * PO B USJQ UP 0LFOF IPNF JO 0LFOF * EPO U OFFE UP UFMM MVODI * IBWF IBE GPS BT MPOH BT * 4VQFSJOUFOEFOU PG 1PMJDF XSJUFT for a colleague’s wedding and we you that the conviviality of that can remember. got an invite for lunch in your lunch makes it the most memorable You had time to chat with us GSPN "CVKB

36/COLLAGE

L-R: Chairman of the Abuja Housing Show Awards Night, Chief Gabriel Aduku; CEO, Abuja Housing Show, Barr. Festus Adebayo; Head, Media Relations, Julius Berger Nig. Plc, Prince Moses Duku (who received the ‘Furniture Company of the Year’ Award on behalf of Julius Berger Plc); and Sales Manager of Julius Berger AFP, Uche Uzoewulu during the Abuja Housing Show award ceremony in Abuja... recently Photo: Kingsley Adeboye

L-R: Organizer, Face of Trek Africa Beauty Pageant and awards, Mr. Samson Oki; Vice Chairman, Ikorodu Local Government, Mrs. Folashade Oba; APC Presidential aspirant, Mr. Adamu Garba and Country Director, Glead Foundation, Mr. Dayo Israel, during the second Face of Trek Africa show at Ikeja, Lagos...recently.

PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R: Director, MultiChoice Talent Factory, Femi Odugbemi; Nigeria Film Director and Producer, Mildred Okwo; Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe and President, Independent Television Producer Association of Nigeria (ITPAN), Yinka Oduniyi during the regional interviews for the MultiChoice Talent Factory in Lagos...recently

27.07.2018

A cross Section of Central Chor of The Lord's Chosen Charistmatic Revival Ministries Singing at the Crusade tagged ''And the Enemies Submitted'' ’ held at the chosen revival ground ljesha ,Lagos.. recently PHOTO: EYOP UKUTT

L-R: Executives of Atiku Wazobia Nigeria Smiles, National Women Leader, Chief (Mrs) Blessing Ngozi Njoku; Mrs Joan Albert; National Adviser, Chief Oscar Albert; President, Comrade Chukwuemeka C. Gabriel; Vice President, Jibo Garba Chiroma; National Grand patron, Chief Christopher Okwudili Ogbumuo; and the Lagos State Cordinator Abiodun Raheem Hazzan at the presentation of certificates to Zonal coordinators and Lagos State executives of the Atiku Wazobia Nigeria Smiles in Lagos... recently

L-R; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Alh. Zakari Sabiu; Minister of State Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika; Capt Bob Hayes and Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Chidi Izuwah shortly after unveiling the new name and logo of the Nigeria flag carrier "NIGERIA AIR" at the Air show in Farnborough, England. ...recently

L-R: Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold; Deputy Director/Area Manager, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mrs Olutimehin Mercy Olushola; Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed; State State Commissioner for Sports, Alhaji Muideen Alalade and Head of Training, ITF, Rilwan Baba Jubril, during courtesy visit to the Governor by ITF at Government House, Ilorin....recently

37/THISLIFE

27.07.2018

When Ndoma-Egba Donated Building to Catholic Mission Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Ndoma-Egba, recently fulfilled a vow he made to God when he was 11 years old by building a Catholic Church. Bassey Inyang writes While Nigerians were busy celebrating the 2018 Democracy Day on May 29 to mark the country’s return to civil rule in 1999, a significant event was taking place in Akarabong community, Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State. A building was being dedicated at a Catholic mission in the community. The church was built by an illustrious son of Akparabong, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), the current chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The history of what eventually materialised into the new church building has its foundation in a very bizarre incident that happened to NdomaEgba when he was just 11 years old. The day was March 8, 1956. However, he commenced the construction of the new church building in 2003.

According to Ndoma-Egba, that incident compelled him to strike a deal with God at that very young age. He said God had fulfilled His part of the deal on many occasions so many years ago, and as a loving God, waited patiently for him over the years to fulfil his own part of the deal.

His Story Ndoma-Egba told the story of the building before the clergy, among them, the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese of the Catholic Church, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; the Bishop of Ogoja Diocese of the Church, Most Rev. Donatus Edet Akpan; the Pioneer Parish Priest, Rev. Father Mathew Odah Otuji, other reverend fathers, and reverend sisters, the church laity, and thousands of guests.

He said, “Your Eminence (John Cardinal Onaiyekan), that song, just before my speech, 'When you make a vow' is because I made a vow. And that is why we are here today. I will give you a very short background to that vow. I did not grow up in the village, but I use to come here on short holidays with my uncle whose wife is sitting right in front. And there was an incident at home where I was falsely accused. And my uncle did not give me a chance to defend myself.

I was 11 years old.

“That incident defined my life. Maybe that is why I became a lawyer to fight for justice. But, like they say, in every bad thing, there is fruit if we are patient, and if we look carefully. The bad side of that incident led to a worse incident, because I was crying and my late eldest brother was passing by. He took me in that situation to visit a friend of his, and he and his friend were drinking what we call ' ogogoro' or 'kai kai', or 'ufofob' or 'omire' or 'push-me-I-push-you.

“And I took a shot of that lethal drink on an empty stomach. But, it did something to me.

It gave me the courage to face my aunty who made the false allegation. And I said to her, I pray that God keeps you alive to see me become a man! When the effect of the ogogoro cleared, I realised that I may have made an empty boast. So, I rushed to this old church here and told Father Otuji that the old church should be preserved. It must not be pulled down so that it will tell the story of our humble beginnings. And I rushed to the church, and I said Father God, I may have boasted emptily, but please let’s do a deal. Make me a man and I will build you a church. God has kept his own side of the deal. He has kept his side of the deal for a very long time. At 22; I was a lawyer, at 23; I was on a federal board; at 27, I was commissioner when we had 19 states, and it’s been on and on.

“However, God was patiently waiting for me to keep my own part of the bargain. This project was started in 2003. Along the way, I ran out of money, and my dear wife decided to take it over.

She took it over and here we are today."

At this point he digressed. Ndoma-Egba told the obviously captivated congregation, “I have seen newly married couples. Let me say to the men who are married today, and the men in this church, going forward to marriage, If God blesses you, bless your wife double because the day you are in need, she will be the first standing, and perhaps the last standing."

History It is imperative to state that the old church building, St. James Catholic Church, Akparabong, which Ndoma-Egba pleaded with the Rev. Father

The newly constructed Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church

Otuji to preserve, derives its history years ago when it was established in 1958. But, despite the initial challenges it faced due to the existing influence of the Presbyterian Church in Akarabong, which already had a primary school, it was used for evangelism.

Nonetheless, the catholic faithful in Akarabong never gave up until they had a Roman Catholic Mission, which metamorphosed to the present Our Lady Queen of Peace parish that was dedicated

by Most Rev. Donatus Edet Akpan.

Describing how the church was rechristened, Ndoma-Egba said, “My Lord Bishop of Ogoja, to show you that my prayers are always heard, my wife and I preferred two names for this church, either, Our Lady Queen of Peace or Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We prayed about it, and God through you answered our prayers. You answered our prayers. You chose the first name we preferred."

Homily After the first Bible reading taken from 2 Samuel 7: 1-17 and read by Ndoma-Egba, and the Second Bible reading taken from Acts 7: 44-50 read by his wife Amaka Ndoma-Egba, as well as the Gospel reading taken from Mathew 21:12-17, Onaiyekan proceeded to deliver the homily.

Onaiyekan said the building of the church was an indication that Ndoma-Egba, like King Solomon, understood the importance of building for God a place of worship. The Archbishop stated that the building of the church was a form of reciprocation of what God has done for Ndoma-Egba, but most importantly, he stressed that what the donor has done should serve as an example for those whom God has blessed, to always extend such blessings to others, especially the church.

He said God was happy with Ndoma-Egba for building a house for him, where the people could worship, and uplift themselves spiritually.

After the dedication of the church by the Bishop of Ogoja Diocese of the Catholic Church, the pioneer parish, Father Otuji expressed appreciation to God, Ndoma-Egba and his wife, Onaiyekan and all others who contributed immeasurably to make the dedication of the new church building, a dream come true.

Birthday The occasion was spiced with the celebration of the birthday of Amaka Ndoma-Egba in the church. Ndoma-Egba stated that the day was carefully selected for the dedication of the church as a unique gift and blessing to his wife whose birthday falls on May 29, adding that she has been a pillar of support.

He said, “I had thought and thought what kind of birthday gift I should give to a woman who is not just the mother of my children, but my partner, my soulmate, and my support. What

L-R: Ndoma-Egba, his wife, Amaka and His Eminence, Onaiyekan

could I give her? The only gift I could give her was to dedicate this church on her birthday, so that she and the church will share the same birthday.

"My dear wife, the love of my life, before God, before His Eminence, before all the priest and reverend sisters, before my people of Akparabong, before my friends, I love you, I thank you. As your husband, let me add my blessing in public.

You have the blessings of your husband.”

Goodwill Those who attended the dedication service comprised top government dignitaries, including the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Uguru Usani Uguru; and Third Republic governor of the state, Mr. Clement Ebri.

Former Senate President David Mark sent a goodwill message.

Mark, a family friend of the Ndoma-Egbas, who was unavoidably absent, sent in his goodwill message which was read by the chairman of the NDDC. The message read, “Hearty Congratulations: “It is with a deep sense of gratitude, respect and pleasure that I write to congratulate you and your family for this wonderful edifice built and donated by your humble self and amiable wife to Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church Akparabong, Ikom, Cross River State to serve God and humanity.

“Fulfilling your childhood promise to build a Church for God certainly is a mark of good upbringing. Having known you and what you stand for over four decades, I am not surprised that you made good your promise to build a

House for God. "I know you will continue to uphold these values and attributes which have earned you high regards, trust, respect and confidence of anyone who comes across you. You have been steadfast, result-oriented and patriotic. You always make the difference among Nigerians. You have continued to leave your footprint anywhere you go.

“By providence, our paths crossed in Calabar when you were about going to Bauchi for your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1978.

Innocuously, we exchanged contacts, but we never met again until 2003 when fate brought us together as Senators of the Federal Republic under the same platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was a happy reunion after so many years.

“By 2007, fortune smiled at us again when we were re-elected by our constituencies to the senate. With the support of our colleagues and the grace of God, I was elected President of the Senate and you were elected as Deputy Senate Leader.

“In a manner akin to a repeat of history, both of us returned to the senate in 2011. This time, I was returned unopposed as the president of the senate while you were elected as senate leader, as I fondly call you, Leader of the Senate. Your deep knowledge of the law, mastery of legislative processes and procedures was unparalleled.

"Your oratory prowess and high sense of political dexterity in the 6th and 7th Senate, made us proud. Unarguably, you led the Senate excellently to the admiration of both friends and foes."

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27.07.2018

‘At 60, I Feel Accomplished But…' As Pastor Gbola Sokoya, a chartered accountant and Chairman, Pinnacle Leadership and Entrepreneurial Academy, clocked 60 on July 25, he didn’t throw a party to mark his birthday but chose to do something very unusual and remarkable. Sokoya who is the helmsman at the Redeemed Christians Church of God, Faith City, instead, held a lecture that x-rayed the present state of the Nigerian economy and the way forward. In this interview with Mary Nnah, he reveals what informed the lecture while reminiscing on his life in the past 60 years looking forward and once you are looking forward, even if there are mistakes in the past, it can be corrected. And I always pray that nothing in the past should affect my future. That is why I say to people that there is a perspective to life that goes beyond what one sees here and now. And when one has a focus beyond the here and now, it gives you a drive for tomorrow, so I always believe in tomorrow and that tomorrow will always be better than today.

You chose to hold a lecture instead of throwing a big party to mark your 60th birthday. Why was that?

I actually clocked 60 years old precisely on July 25, 2018. A thanksgiving service was held on that particular day. But usually, you would have people say that after the thanksgiving service, they would go and throw a big party but I decided that I do not want to have a party. I wanted instead to contribute something to what I call the greater Nigeria project. And so the idea of a public lecture came up. The lecture titled: “Sustainable National Development in Globalised Economy”, was held a day after my birthday thanksgiving service. The lecture was spearheaded by Pinnacle Leadership and Entrepreneurial Academy and had a discussion panel which paraded high profile individuals who are accomplished in their fields of endeavour. Prof, Sesan Sokoya, a doctorate degree holder in Economics and Management, delivered the main lecturer for the day. Prof Sokoys is a lecturer in the United States of America and has been teaching management for almost 25 years.

He has done extensive work in China and Finland. You would know that China is probably the most vibrant economy in the world today and Finland can be said to be the best country that anyone can live in today and I believe that with the amount of research work he has done in those major economies, he would be able to contribute positively to the Nigeria content.

Incidentally, I happen to serve as Chairman of Pinnacle Leadership and Entrepreneurial Academy. We started three years ago as a vehicle to promote entrepreneurial discussion and training for the society and we are a training outfit. We are into training and developing entrepreneurs from the grassroots to the top. So the lecture was organised by Pinnacle in commemoration of my birthday.

What more do we expect to see from you after 60?

If God grants me breath for many more years, I will continue doing what God has given me the mandate to do which is to preach the gospel and to raise divine champions. I love talking to young people because I see them as potentials. Everyone must strive to keep going forward. Like we have a theme that we developed at my parish for this month of July which says, “Faster, Further and Higher”, every one of us must strive to go faster, to go further and to go higher. In that way, we would achieve excellence in many things.

Sokoya

As a pastor, are you not expected to veer more into spiritual aspect rather than the economic aspect like you are doing now?

As a former banker with a 25-year banking experience who retired from Union Bank of Nigeria as Deputy General Manager in charge of Compliance and Corporate Governance, I have been a major player in the nation’s economy for many years. So the Nigeria economy is my concern. I believe the Nigeria economy is not achieving its full potential and so I decided there was need for us to contribute our little quota.

How do you think the lecture would impact on the Nigeria’s economy generally?

It will stimulate discussion. There is a lot of government involvement in the economy, which shouldn’t be so. So we are trying to simulate a lot of private sector discussion on the issue of the economy going forward and this is coming at a time when in another few weeks or a couple of months down the line, we are going to gather the budget for 2019, so I am believing that we can begin to pick up bits by bits of what we can do to assist in building a good budget for next year for the country; so the issue of sustainable development is very key. We cannot say that we have not had development but it is like Nigeria keeps going back and forth and with a lot of other problems down the line, we are not fulfilling our potential yet.

After this commemorative lecture, do we hope to have more lectures of this nature in future?

Pinnacle will have to decide on that. Of

course like I said, we intend to streamline discussion on the area of the economy. So there would be regular seminars from Pinnacle but not necessarily tied to my birthday.

How do you feel at 60?

I didn’t just clock 60 but I grew into it one day at a time. So I think by and large, one can say that it has simply been God who has kept me. I have had my benefits from this nation and I believe that it is important for me to also try and put something back into the system and that is what informed a lecture to commemorate my birthday. At 60, I feel accomplished to a large extent but, I will also say that my best is yet to come.

Take us back to your childhood days.

What was it like growing up?

I grew up as the last child of a family of four. My father was an educationist while my mother was a nurse. My father was never at home because he was always on tour of inspection of works all over Western region in those days, so it was my mother that brought us up. I went to Government College Ibadan for my secondary school education and I had a very normal upbringing. Essentially, there was a very close family relationship. We called ourselves Osusu Owo, which literally means a bunch of brooms that cannot be broken. I was trained as a chartered accountant and today I am a chartered account by profession. I qualified in 1985. I am a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria.

You were once a banker and now a pastor. Did your parents or upbringing influence what you are today?

Parents don’t raise pastors.

However, we had a godly upbringing and I remember that even in my college days I was in the choir but being a pastor didn’t come till much later. I actually gave my life to Christ in 1988 and became a pastor in 1996. It has been worth it all. It has been a good journey so far and it will not end until I see Him in glory.

You traversed from a banker to a pastor. How did it happen?

It was not a transition. I became a banker in 1990. I got born again in 1988. I became a pastor in 1996. In RCCG, you are allowed to do your secular and pastoral works together and that was what I did and neither work suffered because I was able to commit myself to both. I had a good banking career. I retired as a Chief Compliance Officer from Union Bank Plc in 2015 and as a provincial pastor in RCCG in charge of Lagos Province 5; I think God has been good to me.

What have been the challenges of being a pastor?

I discovered a long time ago that the pastor is only a steward. It is God that builds the church. And so for me I do not see any challenge. My only challenge is to make sure I follow God. Once I follow God, He would build this church and that is what God has been doing.

Looking back at the past 60 years of your life sir, are there things you wish were done differently?

I think that question is a tough one …

I would just say that I do not believe in regrets. I just keep moving on. I believe in

What would be your advice to Nigerians, particularly as it concerns the economy of the nation?

I believe we need to involve more of the private sector. We need to simulate the private sector. If we need to see the nation through these difficult times, there must be more of private participation in the running of the economy of this nation. There is too much of government involvement in the day to day running of the economy in Nigeria.

Government is involved in everything that happens and this, to a large extent retards the economic growth of the nation. If more money is invested in business by the private sector, the development of this economy of this nation would be more rapid. Private sector has better efficiency than public sector, which is a proven case everywhere. No doubt, the plan of the present administration to stimulate the economy is good. I have read the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of this administration and I think it is in the right direction. That is why I want to stimulate the private sector, so that we do not just sit down and criticise the government but take initiatives to contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy. I don’t know how many people have looked at the ERGP document, which the budget of 2018 is based on; there must be involvement by everybody. You don’t need to talk to government before you know that the 180 million people in Nigeria must eat, start something. Even if your own business is going to feed just hundred persons, just start it. Even if it means for you to sew cloths, everybody has to wear cloth, just start something. We have a huge market.

You need to see the numbers of foreigners that come into this country on a regular basis looking for business opportunities.

They are even trading in businesses that you and I can easily handle. There is too much of government in the economy, we need more of the private sector presence.

Sir don’t you think a lecture like this should have come earlier than this?

May be I should have been 60 earlier than this. I don’t know. Or the lecture should have come when I was 50, I don’t know but wherever it comes, let us just move in the right direction. I want to encourage Nigerians to keep believing in a greater Nigeria. Nigeria will not turn to dust. Nigeria will not be destroyed because God has interest in Nigeria and all of us must have interest in Nigeria and all of us must work it out.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018

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War against Paedophiles in Edo Rebecca Ejifoma writes on measures by the Edo State government to tackle the menace of adults’ criminal desire for sex with children

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all it child defilement, molestation or sexual abuse, the issue of adults preying on children sexually has been a source of constant irritation to society. Day in, day out, the media is awash with stories of such paedophiles, who delight in molesting underage kids.

By the very nature of complex societies, deviants abound. Over time, however, society has come to regulate and weed itself of behaviours and actions that impede progress, and abuse the rights of others for personal, parochial desires. To do this, laws are passed to punish those who fail to live up to acceptable societal norms.

The depraved indulgences of paedophiles, who prey on children for their primal urges, pose serious threat to society, as they alter the psychology of children and predispose them to be troubled adulthood in future. Much as there are laws to curb this deplorable behaviour, the raging question remains, how many governments have the will to tackle it head-on?

Strategy The Edo State government has for the past couple of months embarked on a war against paedophiles. The war launched against them by the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration is already yielding result across the state. The governor has vowed to rid the state of paedophiles and create a safe society where children can pursue and actualise their dreams.

The strategy includes a mandate handed to the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to train teachers in its Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo BEST) programme to identify children who are being abused emotionally and physically, shame the paedophiles and hand them over to the law enforcement agencies for prosecution. There is an inter-ministerial committee to drive the campaign, among other responsibilities.

The thinking is that the pupils will not fully benefit from the goodintentioned programmes of the state government if they are continuously exposed to paedophiles, whose actions alter their psychological and emotional balance.

Mandate The mandate for the war against paedophiles began at one of the state’s weekly executive council

meetings at Government House in Benin City. Obaseki, after listening to a report of the abuse of a pupil by a grandfather in a primary school in the state, immediately ordered the arrest and prosecution of the grandfather.

Going forward, a visibly worried Obaseki gave a directive for the arrest and prosecution of any person found to be molesting children of school age. This he did by kickstarting a state-wide campaign against paedophiles.

Ever since, the state government has initiated an unrelenting campaign against such adults who molest children, taking the mandate even to the hinterlands.

Inter-ministerial Committee Although Edo State has the Child Rights Law in place, Obaseki went ahead to constitute an interministerial committee to give bite to the campaign against paedophiles in the state. The committee is made up of representatives of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Edo SUBEB, the media, and civil society organisations. It is charged with the task of coordinating efforts to arrest and prosecute those caught in the act of molesting primary school pupils. In the few months that the committee has been in existence, a number of arrests have been made and other cases are still being investigated.

Defilement Cases One of the cases that have been unravelled is that of a 65-year-old man, Matthew Omokhafe, who was arrested for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 13-year-old Primary four pupil in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state.

The recently inaugurated inter-ministerial committee will help curb the antics of paedophiles, as they are developing a framework to help identify, arrest and prosecute those involved in child defilement in the state

Ezomo and his two sons, Nosa and Festus, were accused of abusing a minor

At the time of the arrest, Acting Chairperson of Edo SUBEB, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, disclosed that Edo SUBEB played active role in the arrest, adding, “We took a course of action by visiting and ensuring that the case was transferred from the Akoko-Edo Area Division of the Nigeria Police Division to the State Criminal Investigation Department in the state capital, Benin City.”

She said, “With the collaborative efforts of the Child Protection Network (CPN), SUBEB was able to handover the child’s custody to the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.”

Assuring that the culprit will be charged to court, she said the state government would make sure that justice is served in the case.

Another milestone in the campaign against child molesters in the state is the arrest of 70-year-old Francis Ezomo, and his two sons, Nosa Ezomo, 26-year-old, and Festus Ezomo, 29- year-old. They were subsequently handed over to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo, for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, who is a relative of Ezomo’s wife.

The development came to the notice of the state government when the headmistress of the school the minor attends, reported the incident to Oviawe.

Oviawe said, “The issue came to

the limelight when the headmistress of the minor ’s school noticed a change of behaviour in the minor and decided to ask her what the problem was. The nine years old girl narrated her ordeal to the headmistress, who then informed the Education Secretary of the local government council where the alleged crime took place. We then swung into action and got the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development involved.”

She continued, “When we could not get the necessary action required from the police, the state government swung into action and these three men were apprehended almost immediately.”

She explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has taken custody of the child who is now in a safe place and assured that SUBEB would ensure that her education is not truncated.

“What the men have done is bad and their actions have attempted to destroy the life and future of the minor. The three men took advantage of the child and exposed her to trauma. We have waded into the case to ensure justice prevails,” she added.

Meanwhile, Oviawe said the reason for parading the culprits of child defilement is not only to shame them, but to communicate the state government’s avowed stance against

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CITYSTRINGS

Photos: Crusoe Osagie

what they have come to represent in society.

A 58-year-old man, Mr. Lambert Ighodaro, who was publicly paraded, was also later handed over to the state police command for prosecution after he raped a 12-year-old girl in Benin City.

Oviawe said, “After the case was reported by SUBEB to the police, Lambert was apprehended by the police. This was after SUBEB received report of the incident from the class teacher of the 12-year-old girl, who is a pupil in one of the primary schools.

She had observed that the girl was always absent from school and contacted the girl’s guardian to find out the cause of her absenteeism.

“The girl told her class teacher how she was being sexually abused

by Mr. Lambert Ighodaro, in his house during school hours since 2017. She alleged that the man gives her money after defiling her," she added.

Police Intervention With the arrest of the three men, the police swung into action in building their case. Already, a doctor's report has established that the young girl's hymen was torn.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, assured that his men would investigate the allegation and charge the case to court.

Kokumo said, "Scientific investigation on the minor was sent to the

Ighodaro, another suspect arrested for allegedly raping a teenager

hospital and a doctor report has shown that her hymen has been broken. The scientific report has established that the minor was sexually abused. We will investigate the case and charge them to court."

Sustaining the Tempo The state government maintains that the inter-ministerial committee will help curb the antics of paedophiles, as they are developing a framework to help identify, arrest and prosecute those involved in child defilement in the state.

Teachers who participated recently in the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation programme were trained on ways to identify children who have been abused physically and sexually

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State

Explaining that the state has trained teachers on how to identify children who are being abused physically and emotionally, Oviawe said, “Teachers who participated recently in the Edo

GOOGLE

Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo BEST) programme were trained on ways to identify children who have been abused physically and sexually.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

FG Restates Commitment to Entrepreneurial Devt Kehinde Lawal Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has reiterated the commitment of the federal government towards entrepreneurial development in the country. Osinbajo said this while speaking yesterday at a co-creation conference with the theme, ‘Catalyst for Innovation,’ organised by Venia Business Hub in Lagos.

While noting that co-working and collaboration remains key for sustainable development, he lauded innovators in the country. According to Osinbajo, innovators who had taken the risk to invest in providing co-working spaces to spur innovation and ideas that would be commercialised in the country, are contributing to the growth of the economy.

He said: “I want to emphasise

that this is an economic and social phenomenon and I say that most profound idea of the industrial revolution was probably the concept of division of labour and am sure many of us are practically familiar with that concept and the government is fully in support of this. In this age, in the knowledge economy, it is co-working and co-creation that would define the way we work and progress.

“But let us first understand that the deconstruction of the conventional work environment as important as it is, is the least profound of the implication of the co-working. As a matter of fact, a lot of people are sharing working space. A lot of us today are sharing working space. That is profound.” The vice president described co-creation as the process by which groups of people from across boundaries,

come together with a shared purpose, to create value through improving or developing services and products.

“The work spaces will be liberating not restrictive, allowing for flexibility, not just in working hours, but in modes that we work. But more importantly, it will allow for collaboration, co-innovation, and co-value creation. It emphasizes the power in the interdependence and crosspollination of ideas, not as an inadvertent occurrence, not as a mistake, but as a currency, as a way of creating, marketing and selling value.

We must prepare for the creative disruption of this phenomenon. It will redefine how we teach in our schools, how the students learn and to some extent, the content of learning in schools.

‘Country-by-Country Reporting for Multinationals, Game Changer for FIRS’ Nosa Alekhuogie The Senior Manager, Tax Services and Transfer Pricing, Ernst & Young (EY), Temitope Oni, has described the countryby- country reporting (CbCR) introduced in the Nigerian tax system as a game changer for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Oni said this during a knowledge sharing session organised by EY in Lagos on Wednesday.

The CbCR regulations took effect from January 1, 2018, and forms part of the enhanced tax disclosure requirements set out by Action 13 of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The regulations aim at providing tax authorities with improved information to enable them better assess international tax

avoidance risks.

Under the CbCR regulations, where the Ultimate Parent Entity (UPE) or a Constituent Entity (CE) of a Multinational Enterprise Group (MNE Group) is tax resident in Nigeria, such Nigerian resident entity will be required to file a Country-by-Country Report with FIRS for an accounting year where the Group has a total consolidated revenue of N160 billion or more in the immediate preceding accounting year.

Oni, while commenting on the reason behind the knowledge sharing session said: “We saw the need to have our clients come together and have a knowledge sharing session to share the best practise as to how this can be done. CbCR reporting is

actually a development that came from BEPS action plan.

“BEPS is tax avoidance strategy that exploits gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no tax locations where there is little economic activity resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.”

Speaking further, Oni said: “We have discovered that multinationals over the years have been shifting profit from high tax jurisdiction, to low tax jurisdiction and the reason is because they want to reduce their overall corporate tax rate and they have been relying on the tax laws to do that.

There are loopholes in the tax laws, so what they have been doing was to exploit the gaps in the international tax laws to shift profit here and there.

Promasidor Secures N5.6bn BoI Facility Promasidor Nigeria Limited (PNL) has secured a N5.6 billion facility from the Bank of Industry (BoI) to support its expansion programmes.

PNL Finance Director, Mr. Per Kristensen said the facility would be used for additional machinery, factory expansion and value chain development, which would create jobs for Nigerians and increase the company’s capacity to support the country’s economy.

A statement quoted Kristensen to have stated that repayment of the loan was structured over a seven-year tenor, including a 12-month moratorium. He added that the

facility was a vote of confidence on the company’s untainted financial integrity, high credit rating and exceptional corporate governance practice.

“The near single digit interest loan is guaranteed by First City Monument Bank Limited. You cannot compare this with any other commercial loans in the country. What this means is that Promasidor has the needed funds to pursue its growth in machinery, backward integration, production plants and create more jobs.

“The loan comes with comfort because it is denominated in local currency. For the period of seven years, the only risk

is the interest rate, which is minimal. We are going to repay in Naira and the process is very transparent. We are excited about the development. It will give us additional opportunity to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.

The business is expanding and we need a lot of capital to support that. The injection of the BoI facility gives the management the needed stability and relief to continue to pursue the expansion plans. A lot of expansion activities are ongoing at the factory, and we will continue to see more of that in the next 24 months,” the statement added.

CBN Deputy Gov Disowns Fake e-mail The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said its attention had been drawn to the activities of fraudsters impersonating some of its principal officers in an attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

Specifically, the central bank in a statement signed by its acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, stated that of particular concern was a recent message sent from an e-mail purportedly belong-

ing to its Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr. Edward Lametek Adamu, transacting a phony business deal. It therefore warned members of the public, particularly members of the social media community that its officials do not communicate with emails outside the @cbn.gov. ng domain.

“No principal officer of the Bank will transact business or ask you to transact business with any other platform outside

those ending with @cbn.gov.ng .

“The CBN also wishes to warn the public that it will not be liable for any financial transaction which may have transpired between people and scammers who have created emails or social media accounts in the name of principal officers of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Central Bank of Nigeria maintains only the social media platforms as listed on the CBN website, www.cbn.gov.ng

L-R(standing):Regional Retail Head, Lagos & South-west, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Funmilola Paseda; Commandant, Police College, Ikeja; Commissioner of Police Gbemisola Akinpelu; Zonal Head, Lagos Island, FCMB, Mr. Emmanuel Comla; Zonal Head, Victoria Island, Mrs. Omowunmi Kalejaiye and Zonal Head, Ikeja 2, Mrs. Adejumoke Arije, with some of the new recruits into the Nigeria Police Force, during a donation by the bank to the police in Lagos…recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA) 2018

Month

MARCH

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 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Month Inter-Bank Call Rate

MARCH 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 • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT, WED, 25, JULY , 2018 The price of OPEC basket of fifteen crudes stood at $72.87 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $72.01 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), Zafiro (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

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018

43

MARKET NEWS

Custodian Investment Declares 10 kobo Interim Dividend, Posts N3.7bn Profit Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie

ings per share of 60 kobo for the H1 2018, out of which the directors approved an interim dividend of 10 kobo.

According to the results, Custodian Investment posted gross revenue of N23.739 billion in 2018, up from N19.798 billion.

Gross written premium rose from N16.291 billion to N18.8 billion in 2018, while gross premium income stood

Custodian Investment Plc yesterday announced an interim dividend of 10 kobo for the half year (H1) ended June 30, 2018.

The interim dividend came on the heels of 42 kobo paid by the company for the full year ended December 31, 2017.

The company recorded earn-

at N17.098 billion, compared with 14.186 billion in the corresponding period of 2017.

Investment income rose from N3.107 billion to N3.759 billion, while fees and commission improved from N1.602 billion to N2.174 billion.

The company ended the H1 with profit after tax of N3.703 billion, showing a marginal decline from N3.806 billion

in 2017.

Shareholders had in April changed the new name of the company from Custodian and Allied Plc to Custodian Investment Plc in a bid to enable the company expand its operations within the financial services industry.

Custodian Investment Plc comprises Custodian and Allied Insurance Limited,

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED AS OF

Custodian Life Assurance Limited, Custodian Trustees Limited and CrusaderSterling Pensions Limited.

Addressing shareholders at the annual general meeting (AGM), Chairman of the company, Mrs. Omobola Johnson observed that after a moderate growth in the previous year, global economy witnessed steady improvement in 2017

on the back of accommodative monetary and fiscal policies as well as robust global trade.

According to her, following the meltdown of the stock market and the relatively low interest rate regime of 2016, the environment in 2017 was more favourable to companies with net investible funds such as Custodian and Allied Plc among others.

A S AT 2 5 / 0 7 / 2 0 1 8

Price List (Equities) PRICES FOR PREMIUM BOARD SECURITIES FINANCIAL SERVICES

S/N 1 2 3 BANKING S/N 4 OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRIAL GOODS S/N 5 6 BUILDING MATERIALS INDUSTRIAL GOODS OIL AND GAS S/N 7 EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION OIL AND GAS PREMIUM BOARD TOTALS Price List (Equities) PRICES FOR MAIN BOARD SECURITIES AGRICULTURE S/N 8 9 10 CROP PRODUCTION S/N 11 FISHING/HUNTING/TRAPPING S/N 12 LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES AGRICULTURE CONGLOMERATES S/N 13 14 15 16 17 DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES CONGLOMERATES CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE S/N 18 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION S/N 19 20 INFRASTRUCTURE/HEAVY CONSTRUCTION S/N 21 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT S/N 22 23 24 REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE CONSUMER GOODS S/N 25 AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS S/N 26 27 28 29

BANKING ACCESS BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FBN HOLDINGS PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm) 290,726.11

10.05

0.50

TRADES 121

VOLUME 39,218,652

30 BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS S/N

324,894.50

9.50

3.83

164

51,696,669

729,968.48

23.25

0.65

334

20,395,987

619

111,311,308

32

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

33

269

88,103,288

34

269

88,103,288

888

199,414,596

TRADES

VOLUME

71 171 242 242

1,566,520 3,389,126 4,955,646 4,955,646

TRADES

VOLUME

MARKET CAP(Nm) 337,415.75

MARKET CAP(Nm) DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 4,004,519.24 LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. 238,519.28

BUILDING MATERIALS

EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD

PRICE %CHANGE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 382,488.96

9.40

2.17

31

35 36

PRICE %CHANGE 235.00 27.50

-5.98

PRICE %CHANGE 650.00

-

1

23

1

23

1 1,131

23 204,370,265

37 38 FOOD PRODUCTS S/N 39 40 FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED S/N 41 42 HOUSEHOLD DURABLES S/N

MARKET CAP(Nm) 440.00

43

CROP PRODUCTION FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC

0.20

-

1

6,000

79,174.53

83.00

-

5

52,070

59,550.00

59.55

-

4 10

2,331 60,401

FISHING/HUNTING/ TRAPPING ELLAH LAKES PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 511.20

TRADES 0 0

LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC.

DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. JOHN HOLT PLC. S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION ARBICO PLC. INFRASTRUCTURE/ HEAVY CONSTRUCTION JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. ROADS NIG PLC. REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (REIT) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,890.00

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,217.75

PRICE %CHANGE

PRICE %CHANGE 4.26

-

PRICE %CHANGE 0.63

-10.00

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

44 PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CONSUMER GOODS FINANCIAL SERVICES

TRADES

VOLUME

20

1,381,338

20

1,381,338

30

1,441,739

TRADES

VOLUME

47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 BANKING

41,429 2,484 0

45,932.23

1.13

-0.88

141

15,088,087

55

38,033.11

13.20

3.41

57 211 211

918,564 16,050,564 16,050,564

57

TRADES

VOLUME

59

0 0

0 0

60

TRADES

VOLUME

61

8

44,977

-

165.00

6.60

-

MARKET CAP(Nm) 4,417.27

S/N

56

58

24.30

PRICE %CHANGE 1.70

-

62 63

0

0

8

44,977

64

TRADES

VOLUME

65

6

10,032

66

6

10,032

67

TRADES

VOLUME

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,900.00

95.00

-

0

0

11,300.89

45.20

-

0

0

70

24,014.43

9.00

-

0

0

71 72

AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm) 954.53

BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 16,363.65

PRICE %CHANGE

69

0

0 55,009

TRADES

VOLUME

74

-

2 2

50,000 50,000

75

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

76 77

73 0.20

2.09

10.00

9

181,940

242.22

0.89

-

0

0

210,276.75

96.00

-

29

56,204

322,344.82

68

14 PRICE %CHANGE

37.50

-

10

MARKET PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CAP(Nm) P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA 60,152.73 PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA 301,900.03 PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 28,255.67

46

1 0

32,076.00

3,387.70

0 0

12

PRICE %CHANGE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,680.31

DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNA366,991.02 TIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC 54,762.37 GUARANTY TRUST 1,141,929.75 BANK PLC. JAIZ BANK PLC 16,499.98 SKYE BANK PLC 9,299.80 STERLING BANK PLC. 40,882.39 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 163,076.22 UNITY BANK PLC 10,052.83 WEMA BANK PLC. 29,702.34

-

MARKET CAP(Nm)

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. VITAFOAM NIG PLC.

45

-

-

FOOD PRODUCTSMARKET -DIVERSIFIED CAP(Nm) CADBURY NIGERIA 20,096.76 PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 1,149,351.57

VOLUME

0.58 3.25

4.79

FOOD PRODUCTS DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR 186,000.00 REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 117,680.89 HONEYWELL FLOUR 13,639.94 MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTE1,340.10 GRATED FOODS PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS 1,167.21 PLC. NASCON ALLIED 52,988.77 INDUSTRIES PLC UNION DICON SALT 3,676.41 PLC.

BANKING

0.46

PRICE %CHANGE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 43,500.00

S/N

225.71 2,111.93

MARKET CAP(Nm) 711.32

NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 835,676.26

26,600

78 79

INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC SUNU ASSURANCES NIGERIA PLC. UNIC DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC VERITAS KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm)

104.50

-0.95

PRICE %CHANGE 8.70

120

1,838,853

168

2,103,597

TRADES

VOLUME

-3.87

111

1,855,941

15.50

-8.82

137

3,475,870

28.70

-3.37

41

399,972

1.72

-

23

413,062

0.36

-

0

0

6.55

-

1

100

20.00

-

20

148,647

13.45

-

0

0

333

6,293,592

TRADES

VOLUME

-0.93

36

214,832

-

58 94

85,880 300,712

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

PRICE %CHANGE 10.70

22.10

-

0

0

3.25

-

18 18

418,355 418,355

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

15.15

-

18

93,754

52.55

0.86

59

672,868

PRICE %CHANGE

77

766,622

692

9,932,878

TRADES

VOLUME

79

17,963,392

1.22

-6.15

20.00

-2.44

30

1,206,671

1.89

9.88

153

13,867,658

38.80

-0.51

132

7,843,882

0.56 0.67 1.42 5.60 0.86 0.77

-8.20 -1.49 1.43 -2.61 -4.44 2.67

29 36 753 55 10 44 1,321

3,220,000 4,050,686 6,526,046 1,313,640 580,262 3,616,619 60,188,856

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

4,117.00

0.20

-

0

0

4,296.73

0.62

-

18

78,231

26,775.00

2.55

-

1

1,000

1,890.00

0.27

3.85

6

805,985

16,388.94

1.58

-0.63

6

213,004

4,271.56

0.29

-

0

0

2,411.47

0.53

-

0

0

1,913.74

0.50

-

0

0

2,333.20

0.38

-

0

0

539.32

0.42

-

0

0

2,416.73

0.33

-

4

502,470

4,296.33

1.00

-

2

4,000

6,400.00

0.80

-

4

19,550

2,400.00

0.30

-9.09

13

1,065,386

15,577.48

2.95

-1.67

22

1,065,441

2,012.26

0.26

-

3

99,952

1,985.05

0.52

4.00

6

421,754

1,667.19

0.25

-

14

4,507,300

1,918.39

0.23

-8.00

10

1,094,489

5,422.63

0.42

-

0

0

4,483.72

0.48

-

0

0

2,800.00

0.20

-

2

50,100

516.46

0.20

-

0

0

8,000.00

0.50

-

0

0

4,160.00

0.30

-

0

0

˾ FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018

44

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 dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ͕ ϮϲƚŚ ŽĨ :ƵůLJ ϮϬϭϴ͕ ƚŚĞ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ŝŶĚĞdž ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ Ϭ͘ϱϱй ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϰϵϯ͘Ϯϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ʹϯ͘Ϯй͘ 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 Ͳϰ͘ϳй ĂŶĚ ʹϲ͘ϲй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ǁĂƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ 'h Z Edz ;Ϭ͘ϲйͿ͕ E/d, ;ϭ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ E ^d> ;ϯ͘ϱйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϰϭ͘ϲй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞdž͘ >ŽĐĂů ŽƵƌƐĞ ZĂůůŝĞƐ ŽŶ ĂƌŐĂŝŶ ,ƵŶƟŶŐ ŽŶ ĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌƐ͙ E^ ^/ ƵƉ ϮϮďƉƐ dŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ƌĞƚƵƌŶĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ŝŶ ďĞůůǁĞƚŚĞƌƐ ʹ E ^d> ;нϯ͘ϱйͿ͕ E/d, ;нϭ͘ϵйͿ͕ & E, ;нϮ͘ϳйͿ ĂŶĚ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϲйͿ Ͳ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ůů ^ŚĂƌĞ /ŶĚĞdž ; ^/Ϳ Ϭ͘Ϯй ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ƚŽ ϯϲ͕ϰϮϳ͘ϮϮ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ůŽƐƐ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϰ͘ϳй͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ EϮϵ͘ϭďŶ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ƚŽ Eϭϯ͘ϮƚŶ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϰϴ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϭϴ͘ϯй ƚŽ ϭϳϭ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ Eϯ͘ϬďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ E/d, ;ϯϬ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ h ;Ϯϭ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ĂŶĚ & D ;ϭϵ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E/' Z/ E Z t Z/ ^ ;Eϳϲϭ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ E/d, ;Eϳϭϳ͘ϮďŶͿ ĂŶĚ E' D ;EϰϮϯ͘ϰďŶͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ ƵůůŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ Ă ďƵůůŝƐŚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ĂƐ Ăůů ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ͘ dŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͕ ŐĂŝŶŝŶŐ Ϭ͘ϴй ĂƉŝĞĐĞ͕ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ E/d, ;нϭ͘ϵйͿ 'h Z Edz ;нϬ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ KEd/E^hZ ;нϳ͘ϬйͿ͘ /Ŷ ůŝŬĞ ŵĂŶŶĞƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĂŶĚ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂƉŝĞĐĞ͕ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ďƵLJ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ E ^d> ;нϯ͘ϱйͿ͕ E ^ KE ;нϮ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ EE ;нϲ͘ϬйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ DK /> ;нϳ͘ϱйͿ ĂŶĚ &KZd ;нϰ͘ϯйͿ ďƵŽLJĞĚ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ;нϬ͘ϭйͿ͘

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

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

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

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

1,493.28

0.55%

-3.2%

49.3%

18.6%

6.7%

6.7x

0.8x

5.6%

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

39.05

0.6%

21.2%

-4.2%

-3.7%

32.6%

5.2%

6.3x

2.2x

6.9%

15.8%

2

Zenith Bank PLC

23.70

1.9%

12.4%

-7.6%

-8.6%

26.3%

3.6%

4.0x

1.0x

11.4%

25.2%

3

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

3.8%

4

Nestle Nigeria PLC

5

Dangote Cement PLC

11.8%

104.00

-0.5%

7.2%

-22.9%

-23.0%

17.4%

26.1x

4.4x

4.0%

1,501.00

3.5%

8.0%

-3.5%

-3.5%

73.3%

18.9%

35.0x

22.3x

2.8%

2.9%

234.00

-0.4%

6.5%

1.7%

1.7%

21.7%

9.9%

23.9x

5.6x

4.5%

4.2%

6

FBN Holdings Plc

9.65

2.7%

6.3%

9.7%

9.8%

6.7%

0.8%

6.9x

0.5x

2.6%

14.4%

7

Access Bank PLC

10.05

0.0%

4.5%

-3.8%

-5.2%

12.7%

1.5%

4.9x

0.6x

6.5%

20.2%

8.8%

8

United Bank for Africa PLC

9.65

1.6%

4.2%

-6.3%

-7.3%

15.9%

1.9%

4.3x

0.7x

9

Ecobank Transnational Inc

20.00

-2.4%

4.0%

17.6%

22.9%

12.2%

1.0%

6.5x

0.8x

10

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

11

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

23.5% 15.4%

650.00

0.0%

3.3%

3.8%

3.8%

22.3%

13.2%

3.3x

0.7x

2.8%

30.1%

48.50

0.0%

3.5%

16.9%

18.6%

30.8%

4.1%

9.2x

2.5x

1.0%

10.9%

12

Unilever Nigeria PLC

52.55

0.0%

3.4%

28.2%

30.7%

20.4%

8.7%

29.0x

3.8x

1.0%

3.4%

13

Guinness Nigeria PLC

87.10

-9.3%

2.2%

-7.3%

-7.3%

15.4%

6.1%

16.6x

2.2x

0.7%

6.0%

14

Lafarge Africa PLC

27.50

0.0%

1.0%

-38.7%

-38.7%

-54.0%

-10.1%

1.7x

5.5%

-32.7%

15

Fidelity Bank PLC

1.85

0.0%

1.0%

-24.8%

-28.3%

10.4%

1.4%

1.5x

0.3x

5.9%

16

Oando PLC

4.85

1.0%

1.1%

-19.0%

-19.0%

10.3%

1.5%

4.3x

0.3x

17

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

15.00

-3.2%

0.9%

-25.0%

-26.3%

41.5%

18.1%

5.1x

1.8x

8.1%

19.7%

18

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

83.00

0.0%

1.4%

22.6%

22.6%

39.7%

29.4%

8.9x

2.8x

4.0%

11.2%

19

International Brew eries PLC

35.50

-5.3%

0.5%

-34.9%

-35.4%

24.6%

7.4%

37.2x

8.5x

20

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

27.20

-5.2%

0.6%

-6.2%

-6.2%

10.4%

2.8%

5.9x

0.8x

3.7%

16.8%

1.18

4.4%

0.5%

-19.2%

-20.3%

12.9%

2.8%

6.1x

0.7x

1.7%

16.5%

21.5x

0.6x

4.9%

68.8% 23.4%

2.7%

21

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

22

UAC of Nigeria PLC

13.20

0.0%

0.5%

-21.9%

-21.9%

1.5%

0.6%

23

Diamond Bank PLC

1.30

6.6%

0.5%

-13.3%

-17.2%

-5.8%

-0.7%

-13.0%

-13.0%

25.0%

5.3%

9.7x

2.3x

8.5%

10.3%

24.7%

5.8%

0.9%

3.8x

0.2x

5.6%

26.6%

4.4%

16.2%

24

Total Nigeria PLC

25

FCMB Group Plc

26

11 PLC

27 28

0.1x

4.7% -56.3%

200.00

0.0%

0.5%

1.97

9.4%

0.7%

180.00

7.5%

0.5%

-7.5%

-7.5%

38.8%

15.7%

6.2x

2.2x

Forte Oil PLC

24.00

4.3%

0.3%

-44.8%

-42.9%

17.6%

1.6%

13.0x

2.0x

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

15.15

0.0%

0.3%

-26.5%

-28.4%

10.7%

5.0%

14.4x

1.5x

3.4%

7.0%

29

Cadbury Nigeria PLC

10.70

0.0%

0.3%

-31.7%

-31.4%

2.0%

0.8%

50.0x

1.7x

1.5%

2.0%

30

Presco PLC

59.55

0.0%

0.3%

-13.1%

-13.1%

35.8%

24.8%

2.5x

0.8x

3.4%

40.5%

31

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

20.50

2.5%

0.4%

10.8%

6.7%

62.4%

20.6%

9.7x

5.6x

7.3%

10.3%

0.8x

8.4%

32

UPDC Real Estate Investment Tr

9.00

0.0%

0.3%

-10.0%

-10.0%

33

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

5.60

0.0%

0.3%

-28.2%

-25.4%

5.3%

1.1%

8.5x

0.6x

34

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

24.30

0.0%

0.3%

-13.2%

-13.2%

17.3%

1.8%

6.7x

1.1x

4.2x

35

Sterling Bank PLC

1.41

-1.4%

0.3%

30.6%

24.8%

10.7%

1.0%

36

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

8.25

-5.2%

0.2%

-32.1%

-32.1%

0.0%

0.0%

37

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Niger

16.40

0.0%

0.2%

-24.1%

-24.1%

4.4%

2.8%

38

Chemical and Allied Products P

35.00

0.0%

0.2%

2.9%

-2.0%

66.2%

39

Beta Glass PLC

78.00

0.0%

0.2%

52.0%

52.0%

17.7%

40

Transcorp Hotels Plc

7.45

0.0%

0.1%

3.3%

3.3%

5.3%

2.9%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϭ͘Ϭdž ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϲdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŽŶ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ ĂƐ ϮϬ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ϮϬ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƚŽƉ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ,KEz&>KhZ ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ hd/y ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ĂŶĚ // K ;нϵ͘ϳйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E /D d, ;Ͳϵ͘ϯйͿ͕ t W/ ;Ͳϵ͘ϭйͿ ĂŶĚ h^dK / E ;Ͳ ϴ͘ϵйͿ ǁĞƌĞ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͘ tĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ͕ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ŝŶ ĨƵŶĚĂŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ ƐŽƵŶĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂƐ ŽďƐĞƌǀĞĚ ŝŶ LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛Ɛ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͘

(A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

Current Price

1

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ

Afrinvest Securities Limited (RC 603 315)

Friday, July 27, 2018

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 %

1.89

9.9%

C UT IX

4.38

11.8% 4.2%

14.9% 23.7%

0.4x

1.4%

1.1x

2.4%

25.9x

1.1x

45.7%

30.2%

16.4x

10.9x

5.9%

6.1%

11.5%

9.5x

1.6x

1.4%

10.6%

19.5x

1.0x

1.8%

5.1%

T ra de s

T ic k er

H ON YF LOUR

7.7%

by V o lum e

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

Z EN IT H B A N K

30.3

1 .9%

UB A

21 .7

1 .6%

FCM B

1 9.0

9.4%

F ID ELIT YB K

1 6.7

-2.1 %

NB

7.3

-0.5%

9.8%

A IIC O

0.68

9.7%

LIVEST OC K

0.69

9.5%

FCM B

1.97

9.4%

CCNN

28.50

8.8%

T R A N SC OR P

6.6

4.4%

SOVR EN IN S

0.25

8.7%

J A P A ULOIL

5.0

-7.1 %

C A P OIL

0.25

8.7%

D IA M ON D B N K

4.4

6.6%

C ON T IN SUR E

1.69

7.0%

A IIC O

4.2

9.7%

D IA M ON D B N K

1.30

6.6%

C UT IX

3.9

9.8%

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er

T o p 10

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

0.39

-9.3%

T ic k er

N EIM ET H WA P IC

0.40

-9.1%

C UST OD IA N

5.56

-8.9%

T ra de s

by V a lue

Value

P ric e C hg %

NB

761 .2

-0.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

71 7.2

1 .9%

D A N GC EM

423.4

-0.4%

UB A

205.7

1 .6%

M OB IL

1 85.0

0.0%

UA C -P R OP

1.55

-8.8%

A GLEVEN T

0.42

-8.7%

N SLT EC H

0.44

-8.3%

N EST LE

1 30.2

3.5%

J A P A ULOIL

0.26

-7.1%

GUA R A N T Y

1 1 0.7

0.5% -5.3%

C H A M P ION

3.9%

1.96

-6.2%

IN T B R EW

53.9

IN T B R EW

35.50

-5.3%

WA P C O

43.7

0.0%

F LOUR M ILL

27.20

-5.2%

FCM B

36.0

9.4%

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Eronmosele Aziba | eaziba@afrinvest.com

T H I S D AY ˾

45

˜ ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸͹Ͷ

MARKET NEWS

Caverton Offshore Support Group Records Profit of N1.56bn in Six Months Goddy Egene Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, (COSG), provider of marine, aviation and logistics services to local and international oil and gas companies in Nigeria, has recorded improved financial results for the half year(H1) ended June 30, 2018. The results show significant increases in the revenue, profit before tax (PBT) and profit after tax (PAT), earnings per share among others.

For instance, revenue rose by 40.6 per cent from N10.11 billion in 2017 to N14.22 billion.

PBT improved by 65.9 per cent from N938 million to N1.56 billion in 2017, while PAT appreciated by 62 per cent to N962.45 million in 2018.

Gross profit margin improved from 35 per cent to 38 per cent, while net profit margin is seven per cent, up from six per cent in 2017. Earnings per share stood at 29 kobo compared with 18 kobo in the corresponding period of 2017.

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

Speaking on the results, the Chief Executive Officer of COSG, Mr. Bode Makanjuola, said the success recorded is as a result of the continued professionalism and support of the staff, management and directors of the group. “As we move into the second half of 2018, we are confident that we will continue to deliver high quality services our clients are accustomed to, while delivering profitable returns for our shareholders. In addition, COSG continues to explore

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 25Jul-2018, unless otherwise stated.

other innovative solutions in support of deep and shallow water operations in both marine and aviation business while exploring opportunities to diversify revenue streams.”

The company had posted highly impressive performance for the 2017 full year with PAT rising by over 300 per cent.

The Chairman of COSG, Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola had explained at the annual general meeting (AGM) that stability of exchange rate and increase in revenue during the year

impacted positively on the company’s bottom-line.

“Our performance reflected continued effective execution of our bold strategy as we innovate and break barriers to boost our bottom-line in building a Client-centric Group and generate sustainable long-term value to our shareholders,” Makanjuola added.

Makanjuola expressed confident that COSG would improve on its revenue as well as bottom-line. According

to him, more contractors signed by the company in 2017 would boost its revenue.

The chairman disclosed that COSG was able to add 11 new helicopters to its fleets by April 2018, adding that would further boost its revenue base.

Part of the company’s strategy to weather the current challenging business environment of the past couple of years has been to continue to focus on cost efficiency without compromising on its safety standards.

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 178.42 178.65 0.26% Nigeria International Debt Fund 262.08 262.30 13.20% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 1.35% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 3.98% 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 12.50% 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 18.28 18.83 0.06% ARM Discovery Fund 391.03 402.82 0.51% ARM Ethical Fund 28.50 29.36 4.32% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.63% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A NAV Per Share Fund Name Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund N/A CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 12.22% 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 1,175.38 1,176.09 8.85% FBN Heritage Fund 144.63 145.73 3.61% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.14% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $113.79 $114.18 3.23% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $113.66 $114.04 3.22% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 163.11 165.40 1.95% 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 1.30 1.32 0.00% Legacy Debt Fund 3.10 3.10 7.28% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.35% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 102.33 103.70 2.55% 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 12.20% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.14 2.16 1.48%

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 14.21% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.84 121.17 5.05% 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 1.18 1.20 2.99% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,061.98 1,061.98 5.37% 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 12.30 12.40 -5.73% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.99% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.23 128.90 -1.04% 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 8.63% 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 2,317.62 2,336.37 3.31% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 183.27 183.27 3.87% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.00 1.01 -0.50% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 241.54 241.58 9.68% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 171.56 173.46 -4.21% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.94% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,301.82 9,426.88 -3.81% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 4.13% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.16 1.16 -2.35% United Capital Bond Fund 1.52 1.52 6.90% United Capital Equity Fund 0.77 0.78 -0.25% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.54% United Capital Eurobond Fund 103.99 103.99 3.97% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.09 3.72% 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 12.56 12.76 0.64% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.18 13.32 0.91% Zenith Income Fund 20.60 20.60 8.83% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.21%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 136.73 51.39

1.01% 3.22% 1.10%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.90 138.25 105.36

12.10 141.12 107.29

-1.42% -3.23% -3.58%

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

4.49 8.42 16.86 17.62 145.34

4.53 8.50 16.96 17.82 147.34

-5.28% -11.95% -3.63% -10.36% 6.20%

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.

46

FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN/DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

Editor: VINCENT OBIA vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com 0805 468 1757

Trump’s Tape Scandal Makes No Difference

Americans don’t tend to care about the audio recording of their president discussing buying a playboy model’s silence about their alleged affair. Vincent Obia reports Late on Tuesday, a day dominated by talks between European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker and President Donald Trump on how to ease recent Trump-inspired trade tensions between the United States and the EU, Trump waded into even more turbulent waters. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, released a tape in which he and Trump are heard discussing paying off a woman who claimed a past sexual relationship with the president, a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal.

The recording of the conversation about the affair that happened more than a decade ago was done two months before the 2016 US presidential election.

The scandal sparked angry responses from politicians and sections of the elite. But ordinary Americans do not seem to bother.

Trump wondered why the recording was terminated at a point he appeared to be saying positive things. His attorney, Rudy Giuliani, accused Cohen and his lawyer of misrepresenting Trump’s language from the tape.

Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, stated, “Just as Richard Nixon learned, tapes don’t lie.” He said the recording wasn’t about innocence or guilt. “It’s about lies and truth,” honesty with the American people, Davis said.

The tape offers a glimpse into Trump’s awareness or otherwise of the payment to the model – which he has since denied – and whether it violates the law or campaign finance rules. Trump denies the affair with the model. But McDougal has given extensive interviews alleging she had an affair with Trump while he was married to his current wife, first lady Melania Trump.

This month, Trump faced another scandal, when BBC’s Panorama programme revealed that he behaved like a “predator” at parties that had many teenage girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

It included the testimony of Barbara Pilling, then a young model, who recalled Trump asking her age. On hearing that she was 17, Trump allegedly said, “Oh, great. So you’re not too old and not too young. That’s just great.” Pilling added that she “felt I was in the presence of a shark”.

Cohen also secretly recorded a conversation with CNN’s Chris Cuomo and admitted in the tape to arranging—on his own—a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

The about two-hours long recording included topics ranging from the alleged years-old Trump affair with the former porn star to the payment, the report said.

Cohen, reportedly, assured Cuomo he was not taping their conversation, and but the phone, which appeared to record the whole conversation, in his desk drawer.

Davies has said there are more tapes and more information set to come out about Trump. But all that do not seem to matter to most Americans, who think their president is doing well on the crucial economic front.

A spokeswoman for the US first lady, reportedly, responded to a question about the tape scandal with a written statement: “Did you know that every 15 minutes a baby is born with [neonatal abstinence syndrome]?

“Maybe you’d like to talk about the 160,000 kids who skip school every day for fear of being

Iran’s Special Forces Chief Warns Trump A powerful commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday Donald Trump should address any threats against Tehran directly to him, and mocked the U.S. president as using the language of “night clubs and gambling halls”, Reuters reported.

The comments by Major-General

Qassem Soleimani, who heads the Quds Force of the Guards, were the latest salvo in a war of words between the two countries. “As a soldier, it is my duty to respond to your threats ... If you want to use the language of threat ... talk to me, not to the president (Hassan Rouhani). It is not in

our president’s dignity to respond to you,” Soleimani was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Soleimani’s message was in essence a warning to the United States to stop threatening Iran with war or risk exposing itself to an Iranian response.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss NANCY EDISUA NSA, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. NANCY EDISUA UZUAKPUNWA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OGUNNIYI OMOLAYO BUNMI, now wish to be known and addressed as ADEBAYO OMOLAYO BUNMI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, Formerly known addressed as PATRICIA

to be known and addressed as PATRICIA JASPER. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ABATAN OLUWATOSIN OLUWAFUNMILAYO, now wish to be known and addressed as OGUNSULIRE OLUWATOSIN OLUWAFUNMILAYO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as IFEBUCHE NANCY EWEH, now wish to be known and addressed as IFEBUCHE NANCY All former MUOGBO. documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as IGBASI FLORENCE DILICHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as CHIDI EMMANUEL FLORENCE DILICHUKWU. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ONWURAH ANTHONY MOWETA, now wish to be known and addressed as ANTHONY ONWURAH MOWETA. All former documents remain valid. ARM Limited, National Pension Commission and the general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ABIDEMI YETUNDE BADEWA, now wish to be known and addressed as ABIDEMI ESTHER ADEWALE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as THEOPHILUS ENYINNAYA NWAMMA, now wish to be known and addressed as THEOPHILUS ENYINNAYA UKWU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SOKWO GRACE JOHN, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs CHINEDU GRACE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as JUDITH OKWUKWE OBIUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as JUDITH OKWUKWE ADIBE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

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and

ISA’AC, ISAAC, PATRICIA

PATRICIA HEMBAFAN PATRICIA ISAAC PEV, JASPER ELECHI now wish

I, formerly known and SUBERU addressed as ENESI AKEEM, now wish to be known and addressed as ENESI GIDEON AHMED. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKONKWO CHINENYE OLUCHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS IKEJI CHINENYE OLUCHUKWU. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

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bullied, or that 280,000 students are physically attacked in schools every month.

“Seems kind of silly to worry about what channel [Melania Trump] watches on TV (any channel she wants btw) or if she heard some recording on the news.”

That response seems to capture the attitude of Trump supporters to the many scandals surrounding him.

Opinion polls do not appear to reveal significant effect on his popularity by the scandals.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 46 per cent of likely US voters approve of Trump’s job performance, 53 per cent disapprove. The latest figures include 32 per cent who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 44 per cent who Strongly Disapprove. The result is consistent with his recent approval history.

Presidential Tracking Poll for July 25 shows 32 per cent of voters Strongly Approve of the president’s ways at the wheel of power, 44 per cent Strongly Disapprove, with 46 per cent total approval and

52 total disapproval. Trump’s total disapproval rating has remained mostly between 51 per cent and 52 per cent in July, while his total approval has stayed largely between 46 per cent and 47 per cent, according to Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Generally, polls indicate Trump’s popularity has shrunk, but that appears to have little to do with his scandals.

However, the tape scandal could surely have caused a storm if it had come out at two months before the 2016 presidential election, the time Cohen and Trump had the conversation. It could have had a devastating effect on Trump’s bid for the presidency.

For now, it seems the Cohen tapes would just dominate the media headlines for a while and fade away.

But the story may not be the same for other Republicans as they head to midterm elections in November. Democrats seem to be bolstered by the recent humiliations of Trump. Whether this would translate to votes remains to be seen.

Guterres Raises the Alarm over UN Cash Shortfall Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, yesterday warned of a serious cash shortfall at the UN, telling staff in a message that cost-cutting measures are in store.

Guterres said the cash crunch was caused primarily by the failure of UN member states to pay their dues on time, adding that he had asked countries to quickly pay their share of the UN budget.

“Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer,” Guterres wrote in the message posted to the UN’s

internal communications website.

The UN chief said “we will need to take measures to reduce expenses, with a focus on non-staff costs” and added that he had tasked the UN management department to come up with ways to cut spending.

The General Assembly in December approved a $5.4 billion two-year budget for the UN, which is separate from the UN peacekeeping budget.

A total of 112 out of the 193 countries have paid their dues in full as of July, but this list did not include the United States, the UN’s number one financial contributor.

The US pays 22 percent of the UN budget, but the payment occurs

later in the year, in line with its national budget cycle.

During last year’s gathering of world leaders at the UN, President Donald Trump complained that the United States was shouldering too much of the cost of the world body.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “no one is withholding dues” from the UN but that Japan, China, Germany and France — which rank just behind the US in the list of top financial contributors to the UN — have all paid their dues.

At the end of June this year, the amount of money paid by member states was nearly $1.5 billion — some $200 million less than at the same time last year.

Ethiopian Engineer ‘Killed By a Bullet’ Simegnew Bekele, the top Ethiopian engineer who was found dead in a car in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday morning, was killed as a result of a bullet wound, the police have said, according to BBC. A handgun was found in the car.

But at a press conference, Police

Commissioner Zeynu Jemal did not say whether police thought the wound was self-inflicted or if Simegnew was killed by someone else.

The death of the engineer, who was in charge of Ethiopia’s high profile Grand Renaissance Dam

project, has shocked many in the country.

As news of his death spread, there was a spontaneous demonstration outside the state broadcaster’s offices in Addis Ababa, with people calling for “justice for the engineer”.

South Sudan Spends $16m on Cars for MPs South Sudan’s 400 MPs have received a government loan of $40,000 (£30,300) each to buy cars for themselves, causing public anger, according to BBC. A presidential spokesman defended the $16m expenditure, saying MPs could not be expected to “use motorbikes”.

Critics have accused the government of rewarding MPs two weeks after they voted to extend President Salva Kiir’s term to 2021.

The government says elections cannot be held because of the on-going civil war. More than half South Sudan’s population is

threatened with starvation – the food crisis is blamed largely on the conflict which broke out in 2013 between forces loyal to Kiir and his sacked deputy, Riek Machar. It has forced 3.8 million people to flee their homes, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Imran Khan ClaimsVictory in Pakistan Election Former cricketer Imran Khan has claimed victory in Pakistan’s election, amid accusations of vote rigging by rivals. In a television address, he said: “We were successful and we were given a mandate,” BBC reported.

His PTI party is still expected to fall short of an overall majority, so it would have to seek coalition partners in

order to form a government.

Campaigning has been marred by violence. On voting day, a bomb killed 31 people at a polling station.

Khan, the charismatic patrician who captained Pakistan to a World Cup victory in 1992, has long shed his celebrity playboy image and has recently faced

accusations that his election challenge was benefiting from military interference in the nuclear-armed republic.

An official confirmation of the vote is still to come.

The party of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected the results, as have a host of smaller parties, all alleging vote-rigging and manipulation.

47

˾ FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018

WORLD OF ISLAM How Abraham Initiated Globalization Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Omar Abdel Haleem/IslamiCity/Al-Jumuah

S

ocial scientists, historians, and economists have been running something of a competition to theorize the origins of the two hallmarks of our time: The catalyst that occasioned the modern era, and the event-onset of globalization.

They’ve mostly spun sightlessly from speculation to conjecture, blinded by the cowls of secularism they must wear. This causes them to miss the real driver of social transformation among humanity—the divinely ordained brotherhood of the prophets of tawhîd, or revealed monotheism.

Anyone who studies prophethood can easily discern the celebrated harbinger of both. Abraham (pbuh), father of prophets. Two aspects of his advent are decisive in history: His coming ushers in a new era for humanity, and he enters as the inspired herald of the end of time, the vast bulk of humanity’s generations having already passed from the earth before him. So in mission and message, Abraham (pbuh) proclaims the inevitability of the modern era and globalization.

Before Abraham (pbuh), humanity is not nearly as connected as it is after him. Peoples in the eras preceding him fundamentally live in their own worlds. That is why, as the Quran tells us, to each one God sends its own messenger, a brother from among themselves, with a specialized message directed exclusively to them.

That is also why there is so little meaningful continuity between the nations before Abraham (pbuh). A people would rise to prominence. A messenger would be awakened among them. He would call them to Oneness and away from their self-styled idols. He would condemn their treatment of their downtrodden and poor — for always the exploited were the “necessary” by-product of a people’s propagated identity. And bleakly he would censure the very particular vices that they claimed their beliefs arrogated to them.

Then the people would disbelieve. Then God would bring down a shocking cataclysm upon their heads, or from beneath their feet, or from before their very faces, or from behind them,

unaware — until the unmoved earth and tearless sky swept their faceless corpses and traces into silence. Then another messenger would arise among a successor people.

The Run Up to Abraham Yet there is perceptible motion among humanity preceding Abraham (pbuh). In travel. Gradually the trade routes become more established and better. In recording. It grows easier to keep records of human events, and so to obtain them. I would guess that improvement in political organization could similarly be detected, until out of these sophistications a people like the Romans can envision a global empire; whereas in pre-recorded history, the notion of empire as such is unrealized (not to say that expansive realms didn’t exist).

But when the new era verges, nothing but a change in prophethood can usher it in and match the unprecedented capaciousness of its mind.

So it is the mission of Abraham to reintroduce monotheism in the globalizing world —and this time for good. For the world will never after return to a state vacant of monotheism.

And how could it? The elaboration of travel, the capacity for capture of datum and occurrence — and now the expansion and elevation of prophethood — all the elements of returning man to a wholeearth, human-wide level of home, place, and space existence would make it forever unnecessary to reinstate monotheism in the world.

Abraham, and the Sacred Way Ever After This speaks to Abraham’s unique God-given characterization in the Quran as a nation, or community in entirety, in himself (Sûrat Al-Na^l, 16:120).

Thus Abraham — exemplar of monotheism, devoutly obedient to the immutable morality set

by God for all humankind — goes where God commands him in the earth, his purpose to sow the seeds of tawhîd, the Oneness of God, therein, and to set its geo-spiritual axes for all human beings and nations after him.

Centrally, in this quest, Abraham raises the foundations of the Kabbah, the very First House of God established on earth, and simultaneously purifies it for worship and reestablishes the human obligation of pilgrimage in the season of Hajj to it.

This is crucial. For had humanity not come full circle to the threshold of globalism, Allah would not have had Abraham (pbuh) raise up the Kabbah’s foundations to reintroduce it to us for these four specific purposes: (1) For the Hajj as the unifying focal point of humanity; (2) as our human origin in the world; (3) as the source of the cardinal directions, from which east becomes east, west west, and north and south the left and the right respectively; and (4) as the culminating place and rite of all human worship of Him as Sole Divine. Before Abraham, it would have been too much to expect a person on the other side of the world to make Hajj.

This leaves us with an important question.

Where did God command Abraham to go, aside from the Valley of Tears, Bakkah, where Makkah stands? He went to three other places: Iraq (where he was born and started his call to tawhîd). Al-Shâm (Greater Syria, which hosts the Furthest Sacred House, Al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem).

And Egypt. Indeed, the event of building and re-sacralizing the Ka’bah of Makkah comes last on this inspired itinerary, and thus does the last become first.

If we look at these four regions, we see that today they share certain defining characteristics: 1. All are predominantly Muslim 2. All are Arabic-speaking, which naturally keeps them closely tied to the Quran, the Sunnah (Way) of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and Islam 3. All have tangible connections between them and Heaven: (1) The sources of the Nile and Euphrates are in Heaven. (2) The Ka’bah in Makkah holds the Black Stone, a stone of Heaven, and is connected with Al-Bayt Al-Ma’mûr (The Much-Frequented House (by the Angels in pilgrimage) in Heaven. (3) And in Al-Shâm, in Jerusalem, within the Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque (established by Abraham pbuh 40 years after the Ka’bah), there is a Stairway to Heaven

from The Sakhrah—the Stone from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven during the Mi’râj, Ascent to Heaven 4. All exist in or near the desert 5. In the case of Makkah, Iraq, and Egypt, civilization has been made possible by miraculous water: Zam Zam, the Nile and Euphrates (as above-mentioned) 6. They hosted the oldest civilizations in the world 7. They occupy the most central geographic position in the world, and hence its central trade routes must pass through them 8. The region as a whole God has blessed with rich natural resources 9. None of the Holy Scriptures (The Torah of Moses pbuh, The Evangel of Jesus pbuh, or The Quran) specifies any place outside of this region.

Rather, all the events of the Revealed Scriptures occur within these places.

Makkah enjoys a special station as the place of the Hajj-Pilgrimage, we’ve noted. But set it aside and look at the modern-day political conditions of the Abrahamic countries, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

Each is in calamitous upheaval, metamorphosis from which they shall not return to their previous socio-political states.

In this context, let us recall the command of God to Abraham (pbuh), to call people — all humanity! — to His Oneness and worship, to make the Hajj-Pilgrimage to His House.

What does Abraham, stark in the desert value, do? He ascends Mount Abî Qubays near the Ka’bah and cries out, against all the odds, in this wilderness to the far-flung family of man, who cannot hear him. He calls man to return to his origin, to the sole worship of his Sole Creator, to the singular, most unifying, comprehensive, and equalizing Pillar of Worship, the Hajj-Pilgrimage.

He proclaims and Allah conveys.

It is as if we can hear his prophetic, clarion voice ring out upon the winds and through the ages today, calling humanity to return all together, in unified peace, to the pure, easy, and upright belief in God, the One, and to the faith and prophetic conduct this entails.

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FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

FG to Decentralise Ports to Ease Apapa Gridlock To build narrow gauge rail for containers May review concessions Chiemelie Ezeobi The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has promised that the federal government would decentralise the ports to ease the gridlock at Apapa Lagos State, adding that he would personally pursue the approval for the roads leading in and out of the Apapa area.

The vice president added that the federal government has entered into talks with a new contractor for the refurbishment of the narrow gauge rail, which would take some of the containers out of the port area, adding that an earlier arrangement with General Electric (GE) did not yield result.

Osinbajo, who, stated these at the stakeholders meeting held at Western Naval Command, Apapa, noted that the government was taking steps to address the security situation preventing the proper usage of the six ports around the country, in order to ease the traffic gridlock in Lagos.

Also, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, alleged that concessionaires, that is the terminal operators, were not sticking to the terms of agreement, threatening that he might be forced to go back to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and ask for a revocation of the agreement.

In a bid to find lasting solution to the perennial traffic snarl that besieges Apapa and its environs, the stakeholders met in Lagos yesterday to brainstorm on workable solutions.

Stakeholders present were the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Transportation, PTML, Apapa Residents Association, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers, APMT, Lagos State Government, Nigerian Navy, the police and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among several others.

The vice president in his speech said the federal government has no excuse in the current traffic situation bedeviling Apapa and

its environs.

Touching on the issue of bad roads, which was cited by stakeholders as the major cause of the traffic snarl, he said plans had been put in place to ameliorate the situation.

He said the major reason the six ports around the country are presently not used to their full capacity was because of security challenges.

Presently, he said a maritime security arrangement has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), adding that soon security arrangement would be in place to enable the ports become fully functional.

On the repairs of the Apapa road he said the government was working hard to get approval for the repair and rehabilitation of the roads, particularly the ApapaOshodi expressway and other roads around the Liverpool, and the Tin Can Island port area.

He said the approval for the rehabilitation of Apapa/Oshodi expressway, which had hitherto being delayed would be secured within two weeks.

Osinbajo said the government has no excuse not to repair the roads in Apapa and that no excuse for its deplorable state is tenable considering the huge revenue being realised from that area.

He said: “We have a responsibility to ensure things work properly. We are working hard to get approvals to do all the roads, especially OshodiApapa expressway and Mile 2 to Liverpool. We are trying to look at the immediate steps that could be taken to speed up the process.

“We will get all approvals within two weeks to do the work. We know the state of the road especially Coconut, TinCan Island, Warehouse, Leventis and Creek Road.

“Also, the government has entered into talks with a new contractor for the refurbishment of the narrow gauge rail, which would take some of these containers out of port area.

“There was an earlier

FG Increases Duration of Passport to 10 Years Chinedu Eze The federal government has increased the duration of international passport from five to 10 years.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede during the inauguration of the Guaranty Trust Bank POS Passport Fee Terminal at the Ikoyi Passport Office, Lagos.

Babandede explained that the 10 years duration would be for adults, while that of minors would remain five years.

He said the increase in the duration of passport has been endorsed by the National Assembly and also approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

According to him, the 10 years’ extension would take effect from next year, adding that the current backlog of requests for passports waiting for issuance would still be five years.

The Comptroller General also said to end the enduring scarcity of passport, which has lasted over

two years, the document would now be printed in Nigeria with indication that it would no more be given out as concession.

Nigerian passport for years, has been printed overseas and given out to concessionaires.

THISDAY also learnt that immediately the new passport duration takes effect from next year, renewal of passport would automatically be 10 years.

A senior official of NIS told THISDAY that this has become the trend all over the world, adding that it is a service the government must offer to its citizens.

The official said this would reduce the pressure on passport holders who throng passport offices all over the country to renew their passports.

According to him, it would also ease the pressure on Immigration officials who attend to thousands of applicants every working day.

He also noted that the increase in the duration of passport would in no way reduce the revenue generated by Immigration to the federal government.

arrangement with General Electric (GE) but that did not yield result.

So we have started consultations with another company and they are coming in for negotiations.”

Also speaking, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwumni Ambode, said the Apapa situation is a national emergency that needs immediate solutions before the long term solutions.

On the approval to kick-start construction, he said: “I was once a civil servant and I know how we push things if we want result.”

As one of the immediate solutions to the crisis, he called on the relevant agencies to open

up the additional two gates leading in and out of the ports.

He said: “From intelligence gathered, Customs only operates on one gate and there are three gates at the port.

“This is making us not have good inflow and outflow. Allowing trucks to operate from the three gates will create efficiency in operation.

“This issue is not within my jurisdiction; so, I will plead with the NPA, Ministry of Transportation and Customs to do something about that.”

On the burning issue of tank farms in residential areas Ambode

said: “There is also need to talk to the Minster of Petroleum Resources to review why there are 86 tank farms within Apapa and they have proceeded to approve another eight at Ijegun.

“These are residential areas.

Where are things like these done? It means there is a problem somewhere. How did we get to a stage where a residential axis is compounded with tank farms, ignoring the essential national security challenges that might arise from it?

“We need to relocate these tank farms to border towns and ensure our pipelines are working. With

this, products can be moved from Atlas Cove to other places.

“Moreover, most of these tank farms do not have holding bays, do they? You cannot have six to eight outlets and tankers will be parking on or under bridges. How much do you pay in tax that you will now be inconveniencing others?”

Addressing the stakeholders, the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi, said concessionaires, that is the terminal operators, were not sticking to the terms of agreement.

He said he might be forced to go back to the FEC and ask

Cont’d on page 50

BANKING MADE EASY

L-R: Managing Director/CEO GTBank Plc., Mr. Segun Agbaje; Controller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede; Executive Director, New Works Solution Limited, Alhaji Usman Kuso, and Executive Director, GTBank Plc., Mr. Haruna Musa, during the inauguration of GTBank payment centre (GTExpess) in Lagos... yesterday Mubo Peters

Gunmen Abduct Melaye in Abuja We have not received formal complaint, say police Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The embattled senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, has been reportedly abducted by unknown gunmen in Abuja.

Senator Ben Murray Bruce disclosed this on his twitter handle, @benmurraybruce yesterday.

According to him, the Kogi West senator was abducted on his way to Kogi State from Abuja.

He said: “I have just been informed

by Moses Melaye, @dino_melaye’s brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi State to answer to Dino’s

court case. Let’s be on the watch out.

Will keep you updated.”

But the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has said it has not received any complaint or report in any of its stations or divisions throughout the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) or any other state of the country from any of Melaye’s family member, friend, associate or staff to indicate that the Senator had been kidnapped.

Melaye was billed to appear before a Magistrate’s Court in Lokoja yesterday for his trial on alleged gunrunning. but failed.

His lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who was represented in the court by Yemi Mohammed, told the trial Magistrate, Suleyman Abdalah, that he had it on good authority

that Melaye was attacked in Gwagwalada last Wednesday on his way home from the court.

“I learnt that he was attacked yesterday in Gwagwalada on his way home from the court and up till now, I have not been able to reach him. I don’t know where he is at the moment,” he said.

He said the prosecution counsel was not ready to open up due to the reason best known to them.

However, the officer in charge of police prosecution, Theophilus Oteme, told the court that the prosecuting counsel had an emergency yesterday that made it extremely difficult to appear in court.

He therefore asked for long adjournment to 23 September which was opposed to by the trial

magistrate who said: “It contravens administration of criminal justice law of Kogi State as amended.”

He therefore adjourned till August 9 for commencement of trial.

However, the NPF said it has not received any complaint or report indicating that the Senator had been kidnapped. The Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), DCP Jimoh Moshood, in a statement yesterday, said the Force “has commenced investigation into the purported kidnap of Melaye”.

He implored any of his family members, relatives or friends who witnessed the kidnap or have information about the purported kidnap of the Senator to report the incident at the nearest police station to assist the police in the investigation.

Four Killed as Bandits Invade Zamfara Mosque NAF arrests 16 armed men in Gusau Gunmen have killed at least four people at a mosque in Kawddi village, Zurmi Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.

This is coming as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) arrested 16 bandits in the state through the on-going Operation Sharan Daji being coordinated by the Defence Headquarters.

The Zamfara attack, which also

injured at least eight people, occurred around 8p.m. last Tuesday.

The spokesman of the state police command, Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the incident.

He said the gunmen invaded the village in large numbers and started shooting sporadically.

Situated in a thick forest and surrounded by rocks, Kwaddi

village shares boundary with the Niger Republic, a terrain which the police spokesman said made it difficult for security operatives to respond swiftly to any distress call.

He, however, said security operatives had been deployed in the village to forestall further attacks and restore calm to the area.

Last week, three people were killed

in a similar attack on five villages in Gidan Goga district of Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said its 207 Quick Response Group in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, has arrested 16 men bandits through the ongoing Operation Sharan Daji being coordinated by the Defence Headquarters.

FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Arrest, Punish Those Responsible for Killings, US Tells FG The United States Deputy Chief of Mission in Nigeria, David Young, has urged the federal government not to allow perpetrators of deadly violence in many states to get away with their crimes.

He called for a crackdown on deadly attacks that have led to over a thousand deaths in the various northern states.

Young suggested ways the federal government could end the ongoing killings in Zamfara, Kaduna and Plateau States.

While addressing journalists in Kaduna yesterday, Young described the killings as tragic and very complex to deal with.

He explained that part of the

solution to the problem would be for the government to arrest those behind the killings.

Young, who said he visited the three states affected by the herders/ farmers crisis, also said it was very important for justice to take place to stem the tide.

“As Nigeria deals with its issues of insecurity and violence, I know it is a major concern, that I heard about from people here in Kaduna as well as Zamfara and Plateau States, about the issue of loss of lives and how tragic that is. It is important to emphasise that for us (US) and our people, all lives are sacred and we mourn the passing and tragedy that happened.

“I learnt that in Kaduna and Zamfara States during my trip that all communities are touched by this violence between farmers and herders. All are touched by this violence and again it is a tragic loss that we mourn and we stand in solidarity with people who lost loved ones.

“I learnt that there are very complex causes for the criminality that we see across different states. I met with many people in Abuja as

well and around the country and our team at the Embassy looked at these issues, talked to folks all across Nigeria.

“With great concern, I realised that it is very complex and there is no particular simple solution that is easily available,” he explained.

He said those indicted for the violence should be arrested.

“Obviously the critical importance is cracking down on the criminality and having effective

and efficient law enforcement agencies that really focus on issues of impunity. It is very important that criminals and others are not able to get away with this kind of impunity and violence,” he said.

He also said the government should create opportunities for the youth so as to divert their attention from criminality.

“We are partnering Nigerian leaders in some of these areas and

in terms of improving education and health, economic opportunities, agriculture and other sectors. It is critically important that people have opportunities and hope to envisage a better future so that young people do not go into criminality.

“Another important message is that it is important to have individuals acting as peace makers and working to promote dialogue across communities, ethnic groups and religions.

Gunmen Abduct Rev Father, Pastor, Lecturer in Kogi Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The presiding Priest of Saint Micheal Catholic Church Obajana, Reverend Father Leo Michael and a pastor have been abducted in Kogi State by unidentified gunmen.

The priest was allegedly abducted on Wednesday night at Irepeni village in Adavi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Similarly, a yet to be identified pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was also abducted on the same spot on his way to Okene while a lecturer with the Kogi State College of Education, Technical, Kabba, Mr. Samuel Babatunde, who teaches chemistry in the school was kidnapped along Okene Kabba road.

THISDAY yesterday reliably gathered that the lecturer has not collected his salaries since Governor Yahaya Bello took over the government three years ago.

According to Bishop Peter Adinoyi, the Diocesan Chancellor of Lokoja Diocese, the abductors came from the bush near the Irepeni village, very close to an army road block and dragged down Reverend Micheal and

one other person believed to be a pastor with RCCG and sped off into the bush, abandoning the two vehicles parked along the road.

The bishop stated that the abductors have established contact with some members of the Church, adding that they have brought down the ransom from N50 million to N8 million, threatening to wait for the worst if their demand is not met before 1p.m yesterday.

He noted that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the army have swung into action to track down the perpetrators.

He lamented that abduction is mostly targeted at the poor people, stressing that by now the insecurity of lives and property would have been improved but it got worsened by the day.

The bishop called on the government to quickly address the ugly situation to prevent the country becoming a failed state.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Willam Ayah, confirmed the abduction of the reverend father but said he was not aware of the abduction of the other pastor and a lecturer and the pastor.

EFCC Arraigns Stella Obasanjo’s Brother, Abebe for Forgery Akinwale Akintunde The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned Dr. John Abebe, the younger brother to the late former First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, at the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.

Abebe, who is the Chairman of Inducon Nigeria Limited, was arraigned on a four-count charge of forgery, fabricating evidence and attempt to pervert the course of justice.

The defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charges and he was subsequently reamnded in Ikoyi Prison by the court pending the hearing on his bail application on August 2, 2018.

According to the charge sheet, the EFCC is accusing Abebe of knowingly forging on June 22, 2010, a letter dated November 30, 1995 and belonging to BP Exploration Nigeria Limited to that of his company, Inducon Nigeria Limited.

The commission said the defendant forged the alleged letter by inserting in page 2, the following words: “Also note that the ‘Buy-Out Option’ only applies to the pre-production stage of the NPIA. The $4million buy-out is

thus irrelevant from production of oil in any of our fields.”

It said Abebe purported same to have been issued by BP Exploration Nigeria Limited.

The EFCC also accused Abebe of an attempt to “pervert the course of justice” by tendering the allegedly forged November 30, 1995 letter “as a fabricated evidence” in court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/224/2010 between Dr. John Abebe, Inducon Nigeria Limited and Statoil Nigeria Limited.

Abebe was further accused of attempting to “mislead the court” by using fabricated evidence, contrary to Section 120 (2) of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

The EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that by attempting to pervert the course of justice, Abebe violated the law.

He added that forgery was a violation of Section 467 of the Criminal Code Cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

Despite the move by the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Uche Nwokedi (SAN) to argue his client’s bail application, Justice Mojisola Dada adjournined further hearing till August 2, 2018 and ordered that Abebe be remanded in Ikoyi Prison

COURTESY VISIT

R-L: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Chairman, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Edo/Delta Branch, Dr. Alofoje Unuigboje; Managing Director, Okomu Oil Plc, Dr. Hefer Graham; and the Managing Director, Nomagbon Pharmaceutical, Mr. Emwinoma Osadolor; during a courtesy visit by MAN to the governor, at the Government House, Benin City...recently

PDP Alleges Plot to Impeach Fayose Police: We were in Ekiti assembly to provide security Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of embarking in a plot to impeach the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose.

The party cautioned APC that such an action would attract dire consequences.

In a statement issued by the national body of the party, PDP said the impeachment plot, which is being arranged in connivance with the police, is a recipe for crisis in the peaceful state.

The party said it is aware that the plot is a desperate bid by the APC to rush into the state

Government House to remove and tamper with documents and evidence confirming the rigging of the July 14 governorship election, ahead of the sitting of the election tribunal.

“Having realised that there is no way their daylight robbery at the poll can stand in the court, the APC is now employing all desperate means to subvert the course of justice.

“This explains why a detachment of the police can be hurriedly deployed to besiege the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex last night without a formal request by the Speaker, the Clerk or the Sergeant-at-Arms, who is the chief security officer of the complex.

PDP further stated that any resort to underhand measures to impeach

Fayose without the constitutionally required two-third of the members of the assembly at this time, “when the lawmakers are currently on their annual recess, will surely be resisted by our members.”

However, when journalists visited the assembly at 10.00 a.m., the policemen have been withdrawn and the complex was under lock and key.

In its response, the state police command yesterday justified the deployment of armed policemen in the premises of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, saying it was an act to guarantee safety of the lawmakers and staff of the assembly.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, said there was nothing wrong with the deployment.

According to him, “Anytime you see the deployment of policemen, it is to ensure the safety and security of that place and the people therein,” adding that “there was no need for people to be curious about the deployment of security men in the quest to ensure the security of life and property, except for those who have some form of crime to hide.” Also, as the PDP and APC are preparing to square it up at the Election Petition Tribunal over the outcome of the July 14 governorship election in the state, lawyers to the Ekiti State Governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, have alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has granted the PDP lawyers unhindered access to electoral documents.

House Passes Proceeds of Crime Bill James Emejo in Abuja The House of Representatives has passed the Proceeds of Crime Bill.

The legislation provides a legal and institutional framework for the confiscation, seizure, forfeiture, recovery and management of assets or proceeds derived from unlawful activities, including instrumentalities used or intended to be used in the commission of unlawful activities.

Sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon. Kayode Oladele (APC, Ogun), it further seeks to harmonise and consolidate the existing legal frameworks and establish a central agency to manage the proceeds recovered from illegally acquired properties.

Mr. Godwin Iheabunike of the Federal Ministry of Justice had canvassed for the passage of the bill, which he described as a product of far reaching consultations and collaborations with stakeholders and development partners all in a bid to ensure that its provisions are in conformity with global best practices while also meeting Nigeria’s legal framework for rule of law.

He said if properly applied, the system that is envisaged will create a comprehensive toolbox of measures designed to effectively remove the proceeds of criminality from criminals.

Iheabunike:”It will allow for a full financial investigation of the criminal and criminally acquired

proceeds.

“The limitations of criminal forfeiture including the fact that the sentencing process is an inappropriate forum to confisticate all crime-tainted property informs recent trends in some jurisdictions that incline to civil forfeiture process.

“Civil forfeiture represents the second generation of modern forfeiture laws. It is obvious that the in rem character of civil forfeiture which avoids the need to prove a persons guilt beyond a reasonable doubt would have an obvious appeal to policy-makers.”

An International lawyer, Mr. Akinwole Ogunlola, praised Oladele and the lower chamber for passing the bill before proceeding on recess.

He noted that when signed into law, the bill would supersede the controversial Executive Order Number 6 of 2018 on the Preservation of Suspicious Assets Connected with Corruption, which was recently signed by the President on the same subject-matter and raises a lot of constitutional and due process questions.

Furthermore, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, had severally stressed the urgent passage of the bill which would greatly assist the government in its anti-corruption campaign.

The bill had also scaled through second reading in the Senate and is awaiting consideration by Committee of the Whole.

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EU Explains Nigeria’s Exclusion from $240bn Honey Market Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The European Union (EU) has explained Nigeria’s nonparticipation in the $240 billion honey market and export the product to the EU market.

The Head of Trade and Economic Section, EU Delegation to Nigeria

and ECOWAS, Filippo Amato, yesterday explained the reasons behind Nigeria’s ineligibility to export honey to Europe, unlike some of its neigbouring countries.

Speaking at the official flag-off ceremony of Api Expo Africa Launch event in Abuja, Amato said in spite of the EU being a very interesting destination for honey,

2019: El-Rufai’s Deputy, Bala Bantex, Declares for Senate John Shiklam in Kaduna The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Barnabas Bala Bantex, has declared his intention to contest for the Southern Kaduna senatorial seat in 2019.

His declaration came amid confirmed speculations that ElRufai will not run with him in the 2019 governorship election.

In a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, Bantex said he wanted to offer beatter representation to the southern Kaduna senatorial zone.

He said since 1999, the southern senatorial zone has had the “poorest senatorial representation.”

According to him, the performance of El-Rufai has given him the confidence to run for the senatorial election.

“With utmost confidence in the fair mindedness, the results accomplished, and the work being done by the All Progressive Congress (APC) government of Kaduna State, under the leadership of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, I have decided to offer myself as the APC candidate for the Kaduna South senatorial district in the forthcoming 2019 election,” he said.

Bantex said his personal and official relationship with El-Rufai has given him every confidence in every part of the state.

Nigeria’s honey is not exported to EU because of the strict sanitary and marketing requirements to guarantee the safety of honey for human health.

Amato added that Nigeria is also not a signatory to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that guarantees the signatories, notably Ghana and Cameroon, to export honey to EU at zero duty.

“Indeed, if Nigeria started to export honey to the EU, an import duty of 17-30 percent would apply to any export of these products, making them not very competitive in terms of pricing. The risk is that when Nigeria is ready to export non-oil products, such as honey, the EPA will still not be in force,

and this will put Nigeria’s export to competitive disadvantage compared to other exporting countries that have decided to enter into trade agreement with the EU,” Amato said The global honey trade is worth $240 billion but only 10 African countries- Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are listed among the countries eligible to export honey to the EU market.

The world honey production as at 2016 was 1.8 million tonnes with China accounting for 500,000 tonnes.

The EU is the second largest with an annual production of 250,000 tonnes of honey.

Ironically, in spite of being only 60 per cent self-sufficient in honey, EU member nations still have to import 40 per cent of their honey demand to satisfy the consumption needs of over 500 million consumers.

But speaking to journalists at the Api Expo Africa Launch, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, expressed Nigeria’s readiness to key into the lucrative global honey market business by encouraging younger people who are showing enthusiasm for agriculture.

“We need to find cheaper funding for agriculture. Even the nine per cent interest rate imposed

by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not good enough. Every other part

of the world is doing 31/2 percent.

With funding, encouragement and interactions like this, we will be there in two to three years,’’ Ogbeh said.

He stressed that the federal government would support local bee keepers by ensuring that the bee boxes currently imported from Turkey are produced locally.

“We have the wood, but we don’t do much because we don’t treat our woods. We have to link up with Afe Babalola University, Ado –Ekiti, where they have a wood processing industry and they treat the wood. We can process and lend to people who need bee boxes at very competitive prizes,” he added.

NSITF Will No Longer Be a Cash Cow, Says Ngige Paul Obi in Abuja The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, yesterday said the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) would no longer be a cash cow.

He stated this during the inauguration of the Seven-Man Implementation Committee on the Report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the financial affairs of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund( NSITF).

The members of the committee were drawn from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Private Sector and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ibukun Odusote is to chair the committee.

The minister recalled the high premium placed on the religious implementation of the report by the federal government. He described the implementation committee as key to charting a new course for the agency, adding that its constitution is a presidential directive.

“The federal government finds it desirable that that report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the Financial affairs of the NSITF be religiously implemented in

order to give the agency a new lease of life. The president gave approval for this Inter-Ministerial Committee because of the humongous nature of the problem so as to ensure broad participation of experts from other ministries and preclude any accusation of narrow interest .

“You are aware that in the last seven months or thereabout have directly tried to salvage that agency from going the way of similar Federal agencies like National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) where massive looting became an albatross, sinking the organisation.

“There is no law and order as per financial spending, no vote book, no internal audit mechanism, no transparent procurement plan that gives government value for money , no audited account for the last six years, occasioning massive loss of funds, inability to pay compensation, death benefits , and even investment on behalf of the organization,” he added.

Ngige further charged the committee to strictly abide by the directive of the President to work expeditiously and round off assignment within two weeks from the date of inauguration so as to pave way for the inauguration of the board.

VALEDICTORY LUNCHEON

L R: Director, Vale College, Mrs. Funso Adegbola; Head Girl, Miss Ebunoluwa Adekanbi; Guest Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; and Head Boy, Abdul-Azeez Jelili-Ibrahim, at the Vale College Valedictory Luncheon for the Class of 2018 held at Afe Babalola Bar Centre Ibadan ... recently Felix Ademola

FG TO DECENTRALISE PORTS TO EASE APAPA GRIDLOCK for a revocation of the agreement.

Amaechi also wondered why importers are not using the six other ports across the country as much as Lagos port is being used, adding that if importers send their goods to other ports, it will go a long way to decongest the roads leading in and out of Apapa.

He said: “Concessionaires not sticking to terms of agreement. We might have to go back to FEC to ask for a revoke of the concessions.”

On the solution to traffic crisis he said: “The solution to this crisis is technology. We have had stakeholder meetings. We have discovered that a similar problem was experienced in Iraq and Jordan but it was fixed with technology.

“Also, all Nigerians cannot import through one place. We have six ports across the country, so, if all of the imports come through Lagos, that certainly will not work.

“We cannot have these kinds of trucks we see on the road coming to the sea port. We need to discipline the terminal operators because they are unto themselves.”

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hajia Bala Usman, addressed the issue of

non- compliance by shipping companies, idle tankers and trailers littering the road and the illegal empty container repositioning fee On the three shipping companies that were suspended from operating in Nigeria, she said: “The antedant disregard by shipping companies to patronise holding bays cannot be tolerated.

“Shipping companies are not above the law in Nigeria, and they must act in accordance with the law.

“We have sanctioned three shipping companies, which are among the largest operating in Nigeria. We withdrew their licences for 10 days.

“Upon the review of their 10 days suspension, it was extended to additional five days. Presently, they do not have vantage services within Nigeria. They do not have holding bays.

“Again, we have noted the concerns about empty containers.

What we need to do is ensure that the same volume of containers that come into the country go out.

“Shipping companies have over the years, made Nigeria a dumping ground. They have also instituted a fee whereby, every

importer is rushing into the port to drop their containers or risk losing their money.

“Shipping companies are refusing the operationalisation of holding bays. Ordinarily, when you import goods, the empty containers should be returned to the holding bays of the shipping companies. It is their responsibility to move it from the bays to the port.

“The shipping companies are not above the law. We will keep sanctioning them until they comply and operationalise their business.

“Also, another issue is the additional empty container repositioning fee. It is not acceptable.

The vice president has written to us demanding clarity and we have cleared that nobody should pay for empty container repositioning.

“What we need to do is to define a location and day, possibly Saturdays and Sundays, where empty containers are moved into the port locations in preparation for them to be taken out to the vessels.

“The Nigerian Government and its people will not continue to absorb the cost of your none

operationalisation of holding bays.”

On the issue of idle drivers who litter the road looking for business she said: “About 60 per cent of the trailers on our roads are empty or hawking. They come out without having any business and hope to secure one.

“So, NPA is working on licencing trailer parks. In fact, only trailers from such parks can come into the port. We have received four proposals on that, and we are working in collaboration with Lagos State Government on it. The trailers would be at the parks and only come out when called upon.

“Then, truck owners association must ensure compliance of their members because any truck found idle on the road would be impounded and the association dealt with.

Federal Ministry of Works should accelerate all procurement processes.

This is a national emergency and should be treated as such.”

Other stakeholders who contributed blamed the terminal operators for the problems being experienced, calling on the government to review the operations of the concessionaires.

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Oando Records N8.5bn Profit in H1 2018 Oando Plc has continued to defy skeptics as it recorded N8.5 billion profit-after-tax (PAT) in its half-year (H1) results ended June 30, 2018.

The impressive result comes in the wake of increase in the price of oil and gas commodities.

Following the fall in crude oil prices, Oando like other companies took a significant hit in its revenues and ultimately reported losses.

But with perseverance and hardwork, the company has since actively worked towards reversing its fortunes and reminding its shareholders that an investment in the company will indeed pay off.

With its H1 2018 results, the company has posted its 7th quarter consecutive profit.

An analysis of Oando’s financials shows that the company’s turnover grew by 11 per cent to N297.3 billion from N267 billion recorded in H1 2017; gross profit increased by 53 per cent to N51 billion compared to N33.4 billion earned in H1 2017, and profit-after-tax increased by 86 per cent to N8.5 billion compared to N4.6 billion in H1 2017.

In its upstream business, Oando recorded a net profit of N27.1 billion or $75.2 million, compared with N16.3 billion or $53.2 million in the comparative period of H1 2017.

According to the company’s statement, the increase in net income between the quarters was primarily due to higher revenues as a result of a general increase in the price of oil and gas commodities.

Oando picked up on the industry recovery witnessed in 2017.

Brent prices averaged $69.87 per barrel, resulting in a 38 per cent increase in realised crude selling price compared to the same period in 2017.

Oando’s performance was further buoyed by sale price increases of 19 per cent for Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) and 13 per cent for natural gas deliveries.

Commenting on the results Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Wale Tinubu, stated that he is pleased to report that Oando PLC has made significant progress in 2018, evidenced by the company’s substantial free cash flow generation and profitability.

“Oil prices have rallied over the

last year, a direct consequence of increasing demand and reduced supply. Higher oil prices, and the resolution of Joint Venture funding challenges with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has driven increased investment in the upstream sector.

This stable operating environment, coupled with our fiscal prudence, has reinforced our solid financial footing as we continue to build on the momentum garnered in 2017,” Tinubu explained.

The company’s performance in the first half of 2018 is a continuation of the strong financial performance delivered last year and in the first quarter of 2018. Oando continues to increase its market share in the downstream sector through its trading business, Oando Trading (OTD).

OTD recorded average trading volumes of 8.1 million barrels in the six months ended June 30, 2018 with a total of 6.6 million barrels of crude oil and 195,497 Metric tonnes (MT) of petroleum products traded in the first half of the year.

Speaking on Oando’s H1 2018 financials, Oando shareholder with the Sokoto Zone Shareholders Association, Alhaji Kabiru Tambari said the company’s results reaffirmed his commitment for the management of Oando.

“Seven profits in a row is no small feat. Not all companies who have gone through what this company has gone through in the last year would be able to come out this strong. I commend the management team and I hope they continue the good work,” Tambari added.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) added Oando to the most influential stocks group this year.

The NSE picked Oando alongside Beta Glass Company as two of the 30 most capitalised stocks.

With the federal government’s announcement of outstanding subsidy payments due to various companies including Oando, the company’s share price increased by 9.8 per cent.

Despite being in the middle

Jibrin: APC Defectors Working to Return Back As Buhari plans monthly parley James Emejo in Abuja The spokesman of the Parliamentary Support Group, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) yesterday claimed that some of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives who recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were currently “working behind the scene to find their way back to the party.”

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari recently met with his group and promised to carry the members of the National Assembly along “in everything he does.”

The president reportedly promised to have monthly engagement with lawmakers to strengthen relations.

Addressing journalists yesterday, both Jibrin said Buhari had further assured that “till the end of this tenure, we will work hand in hand and there will be no rancour

anymore.”

The lawmakers said the president addressed the group for over 45 minutes and among other things, stressed on his commitment to the development of infrastructure.

Jibrin, particularly claimed that the group had the support of the Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara as well as its principal officers in their effort to drum support for the president.

“We are working with the blessing of the leadership of the House of Representatives; we’ve the support of the speaker and other members of the principal officers and we also wish to commend the national chairman who has done a lot in the last few days to see that he unites the party and see that he stabilises the party and I can assure you that as at today, we are cruising at the highest altitude.

“And for your information, even a lot of members and senators that have decamped are working behind the scene to find their way back to the party,” he added.

of an indirect shareholder dispute which has led to a yet to be concluded SEC forensic audit, a review of other activities pertaining to Oando in the first half of 2018 has indicated that the company is committed to creating value for its shareholders.

Speaking on the forensic audit, an Oando shareholder from the National Coordinating Committee of Shareholders Association, Mrs. Oludewa Thorpe explained that she is happy that Oando allowed the SEC to do a forensic audit, adding that she is hopeful that the outcome of the audit will be further evidence that the company is being managed well, in the interest of shareholders and is here for the long haul.

Barely a month ago, Oando, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and other indigenous

and international oil companies in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) achieved a commendable feat with the signing of an agreement to implement Gas Projects worth $3.7 billion. The gas projects tagged ‘Seven Critical Gas Development Projects (7CGDP)’ is set to bridge the gas supply shortfall in the country.

In April, the NNPC announced that a consortium consisting of Oando PLC, through its Midstream affiliate Axxela, and OilServe Limited were awarded the Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) mandate for the construction of gas pipelines stretching from Ajaokuta to Abuja as part of the Ajaokuta-KadunaKano Pipeline. The pipeline is a section of the Trans-Nigerian Gas Pipeline under the gas infrastructure blueprint designed to enable the industrialisation of the Eastern and

Northern parts of Nigeria and will also enable connectivity between the East, West and North, which is currently non-existent.

Axxela has continued to grow its customer base and is now delivering natural gas to over 175 industrial and commercial customers via its gas network infrastructure.

To improve the local economy and promote self-sustenance in its host communities, Oando and its Joint Venture (JV) partners commissioned an agro-storage facility in the fishery community of Twon Brass, Bayelsa state at the start of the year. Since then, they have commissioned other notable projects including, NYSC Corpers Lodge in the Tuoma community in Burutu, Delta state, a water scheme in Agbere Community, Bayelsa, which will save over 5,000 lives; and several road projects in Imo Rivers and Bayelsa state.

Speaking on the outlook for the remainder of the year, Oando in a press statement said it would continue to drive growth and profitability via its dollar earning portfolios.

“Our plans in the upstream involves production growth via investment in targeted profitable projects whilst maintaining fiscal prudence, to ensure we remain less sensitive to short-term price fluctuations. In our Trading business, current plans for growth include expansion of our trading structures in Africa, capitalising on expanding scope in Southern and East Africa, as well as developing key supply mechanisms into the Middle East and North Africa,” the company explained The company expressed the hope that all indices would continue to remain strong and positive for it to end 2018 winning as a proudly Nigerian brand.

HAPPY RE-UNION

L-R: Associate, FBN Quest Merchant Bank, Tobi Fatimilehin; Director, Jones Lang Lasalle, Lanre Fatimilehin, and Associate, Jones Lang Lasalle, Rafael Santos, at the 2018 Oxford and Cambridge of Nigeria Alumni in Lagos...recently

I will Support the Right Presidential Candidate, Says Obasanjo Femi Ogbonnikan In Abeokuta Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Thursday evening, vowed to throw his weight behind any Nigerian that would lead the country out of the wood and take it to a promise land.

Obasanjo made the disclosure when he played host to a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a Presidential aspirant in the upcoming 2019 general elections, who paid him a courtesy visit, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

Obasanjo reiterated that he would

not rest until the fortunes of the country turns around for good, told the former minister who had on his entourage a former governor of Adamawa State and his campaign Director General, Boni Haruna, Obasanjo, however, identified dearth of qualitative leadership as one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria as a country.

He then called for concerted efforts from the political class towards providing the country with a better leadership.

“Let me say that what is happening here today or what you’re making to happen with your delegation particularly gladdens my heart.

“You are firming up and stabilising

our democracy. Democracy is not a destination but a journey and there is no country that can claim to have reached the final destination.

“It is good for us as a country and our democracy. We have said a lot of things that we have identified about what we need to put right as a country. What do we lack? Why are we not where we should be?

“We are so divided today the way we have not been before. People are deprived socially and economically.

But you know I have never lost hope.

The reasons are many but one of them is why we are having here today.

“This country has been blessed

by God with men and women of calibre, who can stand their

onions anywhere in the world.

Why are we underperforming?

Simple, leadership.

“What you are saying in simple language is that we are not short of leadership that can perform and that leadership should be given an opportunity.

“A country can be destroyed not necessarily by people who are doing bad things but people who keep quiet when bad things are being done. They are worse enemy of the nation as much as those who are doing bad things.

“For me, I will continue not to rest until we get this country to where God wants this country to be.

There is no permanent arrangement for the indivisibility of Nigeria.

Aspiring Lawmaker Says Atiku Most Suitable For Presidency Glory Menionyewie in Abuja The Coordinator of the National Youths Mobilisation (NYM), Hassan Waziri Chinade, has said that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s presidency would help fix the huge socio-political and economic challenges currently enveloping the country, if elected in the 2019 presidential election.

He stated this at a rally organised by the youth of the six geopolitical zones of the country in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, to drum

support for the former vice president.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, Mr. Waziri-Chinade, who is aspiring to the House of Representatives, was quoting as saying that ‘’Nigeria is in an auto-pilot’’ with no one in charge.

“Atiku Abubakar has promised to reverse these negative trends by leading a government that will invest in its people because people constitute the wealth of any nation,” he said.

Even before President Muhammadu Buhari signed theAge

Reduction Bill, known as the “NotToo-Young-To-Run” bill, Chinade said he was not concerned about the bill, as he was busy touring the length and breadth of the Katagum Federal Constituency of Bauchi State.

He added, ‘’While welcoming the Age Reduction Act, why should I be bother about the bill, when I know that great men like Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule of blessed memory became a member of the Federal House of Representatives at 24 and became the Minister of Mines and

Power under the government of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, my own compatriot from Bauchi at age 29,” he said.

“Also take the person of Alhaji Shehu Shagari who entered politics at the age of 25, became a member of the House of Representatives in 1954 at the age of 29, while he was Secretary of the famous Northern People’s Congress and a parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in the House of Representatives.

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Court Gives Adeleke Six Days to Present His Certificate Candidate dismisses allegation Yinka Kolawole in osogbo An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, yesterday, ruled that Senator Ademola Adeleke, be given the opportunity to present his certificate before the court by Wednesday, August 1, 2018.

Meanwhile, Adeleke has dismissed all allegations leveled against him by one of the aggrieved aspirants.

He said the allegations that the primary election was manipulated and that he lacked the requisite qualification was baseless.

Mr. Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwaseun Idowu had approached the court claiming that Senator Adeleke did not possess certificate as required by Section 177 (d) of the 1999 constitution and told the court to set aside the July 21, 2018 primary election which produced him as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state.

While ruling on the ex-parte application filed by the duo, the Judge explained that granting the leave to restrain the PDP from presenting Adeleke as its governorship candidate over his inability to present his certificate may subject the court to mockery if the Senator thereafter presents the certificate.

Justice David Oladimeji noted that, “It will be inequitable not to allow the respondent to come and show his certificate if he has any but if given the opportunity to present his side of the case, the balance which is necessary for interlocutory injunction would be adequately considered.”

Justice Oladimeji stressed that the ex-parte injunction as only seven days lifespan and that there are still window left open till August 8 according to the affidavits sworn to by the applicants.

The presiding judge added that “being an election matter, it is my conviction that the public will not be uninterested in the proceedings of this court”, explaining that the importance of the matter would make the court not to grant the injunction and warned that, “once a matter is before a court any party cannot take a further step without the express permission of the court”.

Justice Oladimeji thereafter adjourned the motion on notice till Wednesday, August 1, 2018, for definite hearing, adding that no form of excuse from the litigants would be tolerated by the court.

The PDP’s candidate however, expressed confidence over the chances of the party to clinch victory at the polls.

Addressing a press conference at

the national Secretariat of the PDP in Abuja, Spokesman of the Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Rasheed Olawale, said “It is open to the public that the Osun PDP primaries election was one of the most transparent in recent Political history.

“The entire electoral activity was televised live and the counting was done in the open. The challenger requested for recount and this was done twice.

“No process can be more open than what the Governor Seriake Dickson

election committee did in Osun last Saturday,” he said.

On the issue of school certificate, Olawale said Section 177[c] of the Nigerian constitution and section 317 were explicit on educational requirements for the office of the governor, adding that SenatorAdeleke is eminently eligible and qualified to seek the office of a governor.

While expressing concern over the dimension in which the dispute over the governorship ticket has taken, Adeleke’s spokesman said

there seems to be a grand design by fifth columnist to scuttle the chances of the party in the election.

“A grand design appears to be under execution to discredit and weaken the party and denigrate the candidate. The actions and conduct of the challenging camp now border on deliberate plot to pull down the party as evidenced by court action launched even before the appeal panel of the party could sit as well as the barrage of media attacks.

“The MOU was explicit enough

on the need for unity and common front after the primaries. Like all other aspirants, Senator Adeleke signed the MOU and his challenger also did the same.

“While accepting the rights of any aggrieved aspirant to seek redress, the recent developments raise discomforting questions about the real motive of the challenging camp. The situation is taking a new dimension bordering on destructive anti-party activities,” he said.

Ugwuanyi Sets New Agenda for Robust Economic Growth Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has disclosed his administration’s plan to adopt new strategies towards stepping up actions that would meet the developmental needs of the people of the state.

Ugwuanyi stated that his administration has in the last three years raised the bar in both infrastructural and social development, which has left indelible marks on the citizens of the state, as well as entrenched peace, political stability and good governance. He said that these were actualized through boosting of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue

(IGR) base.

The governor, who spoke during a one-day retreat for all key policy makers of the state organized by UNICEF in partnership with the state government pointed out that the programme was “designed to review the Policy Thrusts of Sectors in Enugu State” with a view to guiding the development of an Economic Blueprint and Growth Plan for the second tenure of his administration.

He explained that “This Growth Plan is indeed, a vision for the future of Enugu State, as it will state what we intend to achieve in the next 4 to 5 years”, and appreciated members

of the state’s Economic Advisory Committee for facilitating the retreat and for the selfless service they have continued to render to his administration in the form of advice.

Speaking, the representative of UNICEF, Mrs. Ruby Okoro, commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for his administration’s commitment to the rapid socio-economic development of Enugu State, saying that the initiative will “address strong development issues in the state”.

Ugwuanyi further explained that his administration has in the past three years developed and reviewed the state’s Medium

Term Implementation Plan (MTIP) and Sector Plans to ensure proper alignment of policies and budget, stating that the government “has decided to develop a growth plan that will sustain our efforts towards making Enugu State one of the four most economically and self-sufficient states in Nigeria”.

According to him, “We have boosted the IGR base to provide more funds for capital development in the state; built and rehabilitated key infrastructure; empowered our youth and women; secured lives and property of our people to ensure peace and political stability.

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

FRIDAYSPORTS

Nigeria Dominates Cadet Wrestling in AfricanYouth Games Duro Ikhazuagbe Christinah Ogunsanya, Sunmisola Balogun and Esther Kolawole all won gold medals yesterday in the female cadet wrestling events of the ongoing African Youth Games in Algiers.

Mercy Adekuoroye who lost in the final settled for the silver medal same as four other cadet female wrestlers in the various categories. The silver medalists include, Esther Ashaolu, Yetunde Oluwatuyi, Jumoke Adekoye, Aina Ohida and Mercy Adekuoroye.

Three other Nigerian cadet female wrestlers won bronze medals. The winners are: Adijat Idris and Natasha Davids.

Also, Nigerian athletes won two gold, two silver and seven bronze medals at the on the ongoing games.

Today, champions Nigeria that defeated hosts Algeria 2-0 in the football event on Wednesday night is to play Morocco in final today at the August 20 Stadium.

The Future Eagles came from

two goals down to defeat the Moroccans with a brace from Divine Nwachukwu and one by Chidera Ejiofor on Thursday last week at the P. C. Bab Ezzouar Stadium, before a commanding 5-0 win over Djibouti at the same venue on Saturday.

The Moroccans, who edged Cameroon in the other semi final played at the Sidi Moussa Stadium, will be angling to avenge their 2-3 opening match loss to Nigeria this evening.

Nigeria won the football gold at the last edition of the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana four years after winning four of five matches and drawing one, in what was a round-robin format.

Apart from last Thursday’s explosive opener, Nigeria and Morocco faced off in two friendly matches in Marrakech a year ago, with the Moroccans winning the first 1-0 and both teams drawing the other 1-1.

THE MEDALISTS IN CADET WRESTLING Team Nigeria’s cadet female wrestlers displaying their medals yesterday in Algiers (1) Kolawole Esther (Gold) (2) Sunmisola Balogun (Gold) (Gold) (5) Yetunde Oluwatuyi (silver) (7) Aina Ohida (silver) (3) Christianah Ogunsanya (4) Esther Asaolu (silver) (6) Jumoke Adekoye (silver) (8) Mercy Adekuoroye (silver)

(9) Adijat idris (bronze) (10) Natasha davids(bronze)

Victor Moses Back in Training with Chelsea

By Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Super Eagles forward, Victor Moses, has returned from his short vacation after the World Cup to join his Chelsea first

team mates in training ahead of the 2018-2019 season.

Chelsea confirmed the return of Moses and others at their Cobham training groun. Other Russia 2018 participants who were in camp yesterday include; César Azpilicueta, Willy Cabal-

lero and Antonio Rüdiger.

Moses was not in Chelsea’s 25-man traveling squad for the tour of Australia last Wednesday as he had not returned to work before Maurizio Sarri named the roster.

The Italian manager will

certainly make an adjustment to Moses’s position in the new season as he is expected to lineup in a 4-3-3 system, meaning the Nigerian will play either as a right winger or right fullback, the latter looking unlikely as he has

more offensive qualities.

With the Super Eagles dazzler back in training, he has come into contention to make the squad list for Saturday’s International Champions Cup match against Internazionale in Nice.

It will become clear whether Kenneth Omeruo, Ola Aina, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham are in the plans of manager Maurizio Sarri for the forthcoming season when the squad is announced later today.

Nigeria Names Final Squad for GOtv Boxing Night 15: Boxers CAA ASABA 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup TalkTough Zenith Bank Charges Team Coach Christopher Danjuma Duru Joy (Nasarawa Amazons); Ahead of the 15th edition of opponent, Franc Houvanegbe Nigeria to Go for Gold has picked his final 21-woman Ologbosere Mary (Rivers Angels); GOtv Boxing Night holding of the Republic of Benin, to list for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup billed for between August 5 and August 24 in France. The squad was composed of three goalkeepers, six defenders, seven midfielders and five forwards.

FULL SQUAD Goalkeepers: Okeke Onyinyechukwu (Edo Queens); Nnadozie Chiamaka (Rivers Angels); Akarekor Rita (Sunshine Queens) Defenders: Ogbonna Glory (Ibom Angels); Famuditi Oluwakemi (Confluence Queens);

Sunday Opeyemi (Sunshine Queens); Ezekiel Blessing (Rivers Angels) Midfielders: Saiki Mary (Rivers Angels); Ucheibe Christy (Nasarawa Amazons); Efih Peace (Edo Queens); Saheed Adebisi (Bayelsa Queens); Amoo Bashirat (Confluence Queens); Igboamalu Grace (Nasarawa Amozons); Odueke Taibat (Edo Queens) Forwards: Monday Gift (FC Robo); Ajibade Rasheedat (FC Robo); Imo Anam (Nasarawa Amazons); Okeke Chidinma (FC Robo); Bello Aishat (Nasarawa Amazons)

Nigeria’s U-20 women’s football team set for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in France

at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, on Sunday, boxers billed to fight have been talking tough.

Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph, the reigning African Boxing Union (ABU) lightweight champion, who will be defending his title against Ghana’s Nathaniel Nukpe, has boasted that his challenger will regret coming to fight. Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi, ABU welterweight champion, has similarly promised his opponent, Kazeem “Iberu” Ariyo, hell in the ring.

On his title defence, Joe Boy said: “The belt will remain with me. Nukpe will return to Ghana badly beaten and empty-handed. He is here for sightseeing and punishment.”

Fijabi, a knockout specialist is of the view that Ariyo is way beneath him in boxing terms.

“I once defeated him and I will repeat the trick. He calls himself Iberu (fear), but he will experience the greatest fear when we get into the ring,” bragged the explosive boxer.

Ibadan-based Akeem “Dodo” Sadiku, who reputed for his savage punching capability, has also warned his

prepare for the worst. Dodo, whose last fight ended in a knockout in his favour, boasted that he will finish off the Beninoise in the same fashion.

Promising heavyweight boxer, Daniel “Big Shark” Emeka, in an interview, said he is happy to make his professional bow in Ibadan and promised to make it one that his opponent would not wish to remember.

Other fights on the card include a national cruiserweight clash between Idowu “ID Cabasa” Okusote and Michael “Lion Heart” Godwin; a national lightweight duel between Prince “Lion” Nwoye and the fast rising Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola; and a 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.

¢ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ Ĵ

The Management of Zenith Bank Plc has charged the Team Nigeria athletes preparing for the forthcoming African Senior Athletics Championship to go all out and make Nigeria proud at the event which starts on Monday in Asaba, Delta State.

Group Managing Director of the bank, Peter Amangbo, said that it was important that Team Nigeria athletes put up a great performance at the continental event.

He stressed that the bank would continue to always support sports as part of its social responsibility to Nigerian youths and the country in general.

Amangbo said: “We have always been very supportive to sports and so we decided to also do so with this athletics championship to enable Delta State to be a good host and also to give the country’s athletes an enabling environment to excel.

“This is an opportunity for the athletes to show their potential against the rest of Africa. We urge them to work hard and go

all out for gold medal so that they make the country proud.”

Zenith Bank Plc led donors at the fund raising event recently with N300m while Bube Dan gave N20m, Levant Construction N20m, Gomene N11m, Delta State House of Assembly N7m, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development N5m, among others. Some corporate organisations and individuals made their donations anonymously.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, his wife, Dame Okowa, Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, LOC Chairman Solomon Ogba, his deputy Tony Okowa, Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, among numerous others attended the fundraising.

Top athletes like Blessing Okagbare, Ese Brume, Divine Oduduru, Tobi Amusan, Queen Obisesan, Seye Ogunlewe, Kelechi Nwanaga and Mike

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018

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Eden Hazard at training with Chelsea team mates at Cobham… yesterday

Madrid Ready to Meet Chelsea’s Valuation of Eden Hazard Sir Alex Ferguson

Ferguson Thanks Hospitals after Surgery Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said that he would “not be sitting here today” without the “great care” of hospital staff after his surgery for a brain haemorrhage in May. Ferguson, 76, spoke publicly for the first time yesterday since going home from hospital in a video on social media.

The Scot also thanked wellwishers “for the support you have given me”.

“It has made me feel so

humble, as have all the messages I have received from all over the world,” he added.

Ferguson had emergency surgery on May 5 and was in intensive care for several days at Salford Royal Hospital.

His last public appearance was on April 29 at Old Trafford when he presented former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger with a commemorative trophy.

In a 48-second video posted

on Manchester United’s Twitter account, Ferguson said: “I want to thank the medical staff at Macclesfield, Salford Royal and Alexandra hospitals.

“Believe me, without those people who gave me such great care I would not be sitting here today. Thank you from me and my family.

“The good wishes do resonate very strongly with me. Thank you for the support you have given me.

“I will be back later in the

season to watch the team and, in the meantime, all the best to Jose Mourinho and the players.”

Ferguson retired as United manager in May 2013 after winning 38 trophies during 26 years in charge.

The most successful manager in the history of the British game, his trophy haul at Old Trafford included 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Real Madrid is believed to be ready to finally meet Chelsea’s £177.5m asking price for Eden Hazard this summer, out of fear that the Belgian might move to Barcelona instead of Los Blancos.

The fact that Las Blaugrana have signed Malcom (and ended their pursuit of Blues winger Willian) has allegedly not deterred the Spanish champions from wanting yet another winger to add to their ever increasing catalogue of wide talent.

With the Brazilian’s arrival, Barca now have Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom himself as natural wingers, with Philippe Coutinho more than comfortable to operate in the wide position.

However, according to El Confidencial, this hasn’t stopped Madrid President Florentino Perez from worrying about what could happen between his desired

Galactico in Eden Hazard and the Catalan outfit.

As a result, the report claims that Perez will agree to Chelsea’s demands for their star player, and Madrid will stump up a hefty £177.75m for the 27-year-old.

Hazard is believed to be desperate to move to the Spanish capital, and rumours over in the country suggest that he has already agreed personal terms with the club, and is simply waiting on the good news that a bid has been accepted.

As for Chelsea, should they lose Hazard, the Blues are expected to turn to Leon Bailey of Bayer Leverkusen.

The 20-year-old has long been a target of the London outfit, and is understood to be desperate to leave Germany before the transfer window closes. With only just over two weeks left before transfer season closes, there’s not much time to get things sorted.

Giants of Africa, the notfor-profit co-founded by Toronto Raptors President, Masai Ujiri, on Wednesday announced they will visit seven countries across the African continent this August.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Giants of Africa has committed to hosting basketball camps and community outreach initiatives in Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Ujir said, “Over the past 15 years, I have seen the impact basketball can have not only on one kid, but also on their entire community.

“When I started Giants of Africa, I envisioned providing African youth access to the game and empowering them to achieve their greatest potential.

With 63% of Africa’s population below the age of 25, we have a huge goal and responsibility to help them develop.

We are excited that this year we are able to extend our reach further across the continent to help realize that dream.”

Giants of Africa youth camps will kick off in Rwanda from August 6 to 8, Democratic Republic of Congo from August 10 to 11, Uganda from August 13 to 14, Kenya from August 16 to 19, Nigeria from August 21 to 24and conclude in Senegal from August 26 to 28.

The organization will host girls’ camps in tandem with its boys’ camps in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. Giants of Africa will also activate local outreach initiatives in the communities of Kakuma, Maiduguri as well as Bingereville, Ivory Coast.

Ujiri launched Giants of Africa in 2003 in Nigeria, with aspirations to leverage basketball as a tool for young boys and girls to Dream Big, and maximize opportunities for their future in Africa.

Since its’ inception the not-for-profit organization has expanded its footprint and programming across the continent and beyond the game prioritizing skills training and personal development encompassing basketball, health and wellness, leadership and social impact.

‘Sicilian’ Adu, Kigigha Lead Egyptian Star Aiming to Others to Chess Olympiad Step into Assar’s Shoes in Masai Ujiri’s Giants ofAfrica Lagos Celebrate 15th Anniversary in the selection and affirmed

Femi Solaja

The duo of International Masters Dapo Adu (2299), Bunmi Olape (2252) are set to lead other World Chess Olympiad veterans, Bomo Kigigha (2317), Oluwafemi Balogun (2275) and Anwuli Daniel (2267) to the forth coming event in Batumi, Georgia from September 23 to October 6.

All the five men have qualified in the open section and will represent Nigeria at the biennial event which is in its 43rd installment.

According to the President of Nigerian Chess Federation (NCF), Mr. Lekan Adeyemi, their qualification was based on their respective FIDE ratings which is a clear departure from open trials.

In the female section, the qualified players include; Precious Agbazue (1902), Oluwaseun Assa (1881), Chinyere Chukwuemeka-Ehirim (1871), Deborah Akintoye (1853) and Eloho Ogbiyoyo Perpetual (1830).

Interestingly, all the representatives in the female category will be making their debut at the biennial tournament, the Chairman of Technical Committee of the federation, Alhaji Bode Durotoye, explained that the board was very sensitive

its decision to stick to the conventional norm, instead of an abridged selection format that will pave way for another round of mini trial that could throw up unnecessary distraction.

“Everybody knew that after the last edition of the event in Baku, Azerbaijan, the qualification process for this edition will be the same global standard practice that we have been using since 2014 in Tromso, Norway.

“We have been fair to all but it’s unfortunate that it turned out that all the women that will represent the country are first timers and if they are not good they won’t be in top five,” he pointed out.

The forth coming event will be the return of the duo of International Master Dapo Adu (7th cap) and FIDE Master Bomo Kigigha (4th cap) aiming to bring back the nostalgic performance of the male team when they led the team to claim first position in Category E at the edition held in Istanbul, Turkey 2012 and same year the female team largely debutants came third in the same category.

International Master Bunmi Olape will also be making his 7th appearance at the 13-round Swiss event pairing.

Mohamed El-Beiali, 29, who has cemented his place in the Egyptian national team and has become an integral member of the Pharaohs squad to several tournaments within and outside Africa will be embarking on another journey to Lagos, Nigeria soon.

He’s coming for the 2018 ITTF Challenge Seamaster Nigeria Open with one mission in his mind – to win the title like his compatriot – Omar Assar.

But El-Beiali is aware of the task before him when he gets to Lagos and he is optimistic that despite the growing profile of Africa’s elite tournament, he is primed to clinch the title despite missing it narrowly in 2014 when he was beaten in the semifinal in 2014 by compatriot – El-Sayed Lashin.

“Nigeria Open is getting stronger every year particularly with the quality of players and this year, I am ready to fight for the title. I am aware of the quality of players coming this year but I will try my best to make something out of it as I am ready to fight till the end,” he said.

Like every player who is always willing to return to Nigeria, El-Beiali described Nigeria Open as a unique tournament in Africa particularly with the friendly nature of Nigerians whose understanding of the sport cannot be underestimated.

“I like people in Nigeria and I like Nigerian players and for sure Quadri Aruna has made us proud in Africa.

Being my fourth appearances in the competition, I am hoping that I can replicate my 2014 feat where I made it to the semifinal stage,” he added.

El-Beiali has admitted that with the array of stars coming to Nigeria Open this year, it promises to be exciting and tough for every player but as an optimist, the Egyptian star is not giving up on his dream of claiming his first title in Lagos.

“I have seen the quality of players coming this year and I must confess that it promises to be explosive this year with huge support from the very understanding and supporting Lagos fans. I am hopeful that I can make it this year amidst the stars coming to Lagos.

Friday, July 27, 2018

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MISSILE Saraki to Police “This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalized without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail” – Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, giving an insight on why he did not honour the invitation by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

As Opposition Gathers Steam “A s I said in my first appearance at the CCT, this is a politicallymotivated case. The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate, against the wishes of certain forces. Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago.

As many have rightly observed, it is plain to see that the anti-corruption fight is being prosecuted with vindictiveness, to target perceived political opponents. I believe in the need to fight corruption, but I will never be party to the selective application of the law or the rhetoric of an insincere anti-corruption fight”-Senate President Bukola Saraki on the occasion of his discharge and acquittal by the Supreme Court “The police have obviously corrupted and politicised their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witch hunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambitions and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.

This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.”-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on his recent recall by the police on the Offa bank robberies The background to the exoneration of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, by the Supreme Court was his role in the rejection of the subordination of the National Assembly to the Presidency of General Muhammadu Buhari inclusive of the political intrigue implicating him in the violent activities of a criminal syndicate in Kwara State. Somehow, the preliminary police investigation into the particularly bloody armed robbery siege on the ancient town of offa (targeting bank branches) had evolved to become an investigation into an alleged godfather role of Saraki in a gangland mafia style enterprise encompassing the whole of Kwara state. According to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, some of the robbers (caught) confessed they were habitual errand boys of Saraki and hinted that one of such errands was the celebrated armed robbery attack on Offa.

And the Nigerian public collectively did a double take, really?

Whatever else he may be, Saraki is a most improbable armed robbery mastermind.

What other extrapolation can one possibly draw from the publicly available biographical data on his family circumstances and the highly ‘materially’ rewarding succession

Saraki

of public offices he had held? It would certainly require uncommon credulity to entertain the remote possibility of Saraki contemplating bank robbery as a favorite pastime. On the contrary, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, right from his posting as Kano State police commissioner, has established the reputation of a police boss whose job definition reeks of a rough and ready willingness to play the emissary and fixer for deadly intra political elite targeted missions. And it is to this utility, rather than acuity in the maintenance of law and order, he owes his job security and elevation to the height of police professional attainment.

Idris is so unique, that in order for him to be enthroned as Inspector General, the careers of upwards of thirty senior police colleagues had to be abrupted and brought to a premature end. It was on his case that the famed incapacity of President Buhari to hold his appointees accountable was brought to public glare. It is nothing short of curious to discover that haven been publicly found wanting in the discharge of his duties including disobedience of a specific presidential directive, the offending public official suffers no consequence. It is difficult to quantify the resultant degeneration of the Benue state genocidal violence, what is not difficult to discern is the propensity of the IG to prioritise the extra mural obligation of serving as partisan instrument of intimidation over the constitutional assigned role of the maintenance of public order, safety and security.

Recall how the non-issue of a press statement (critical of the Buhari government) issued on behalf of President Ibrahim Babangida by his spokesperson was declared a treasonable equivalent of national emergency crisis-the pursuit of which requires no less the total sequestration of the Nigerian police headquarters for days on end? Recall the commitment of 300 policemen to the cause of preventing a wounded senator from absconding from his sick bed even

as hoodlums held Nigeria to ransom and intensified their reign of terror-unchallenged by a critically undermanned police force.

As it was with the case of the wounded senator, so it became with the deployment of 30,000 police contingent to complement 10,000 soldiers to secure the Ekiti State governorship election. Any wonder then at the seeming intractability of the degenerate security crisis bedeviling Nigeria? Yet rather than look inward and undertake a critical self-appraisal, the president seeks the escapism of seeing the ghosts of Libyans and frustrated political opponents behind the spiraling genocidal bloodlust of a rampaging Fulani militia.

This recurring mindset of hiding in plain sight was at play when the president embarked on shedding crocodile tears over the judicial discharge and acquittal of Bukola Saraki. Feigned the President: “I have seen many instances where individuals and groups seek the destruction of the judicial institution in the foolish thinking of saving their skin, instead of going through the painstaking process of establishing their innocence. In the case of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, I have seen him take the tortuous path of using the judicial process. He persevered, and in the end, the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, says he is not guilty as charged. This is what I have done in the three elections in which I was cheated out, before God made it possible for me to come here the fourth time I ran for the office.” Here we are confronted, once again, with the typical hypocritical muddle of the President, in the confused approbation and reprobation of the Nigerian judiciary in the same breadth.

While commending and identifying with the courts for the judicial vindication of Saraki, Buhari proceeded, unabated and oblivious of the contradiction, to condemn the same courts for cheating him out of victory in three successive Presidential elections. Are there honest and enlightened Nigerians who still require education on why Buhari lost those three Presidential elections especially in view of the political instruction of the 2015 election? Beyond the assumption that those elections were rigged (not forgetting that the 2015 presidential election was also rigged), was it really conceivable that Buhari could have won any of those elections?

Need we reiterate such contraindications and tell-tale signs that in all the elections, (beyond the predominantly Muslim Northern states), in no other state of the federation did Buhari’s political parties post a viable presence. And in at least two of those elections, he did not even venture on a state by state campaign in the South. Is there any logic to the inherent assumption that his stronghold in the North was all he needed to win a Nigerian presidential election? What was the primary lesson of his victory in the 2015 election if not that the complement of a substantial block

of votes from the North and South was indispensable to success in a Presidential election in Nigeria?

Yet here we are in 2018, six months to another Presidential election and Buhari is still able to convince himself that he won all the elections he had ever contested. The subordination of contradictory evidence to the falsity of messianic pretentions has of course become a trademark of the Buhari Presidency. It is the reason why a President who is campaigning for reelection on the self-adulating platform of anti-corruption sees no contradiction in seeking out Adams Oshiomhole to lead the APC campaign for the 2019 elections. It is the reason why a man proven to have forged his school leaving certificate remains the presidential assistant on anti-corruption.

Against this backdrop of willful inability to come to terms with reality, it is a moot point whether the president, now that he is the commander-in-chief of the powers of coercion, will accept an electoral verdict that is at variance with the prior sense of his own political invincibility. It similarly raises the concern whether we should not attribute an ulterior motive to the fact that never in the history of Nigeria have we had a national electoral agency and security agencies so lopsidedly composed and amenable to the wish and command of the president as we have today. Do we have here the inherent logic of working to the answer?

Yet we thank God for the little mercies of the Supreme Court and Bukola Saraki.

In a remarkable twist of fate, the latter has emerged an improbable and immensely flawed hero of this political season of anomie.

I am well aware of the perils of premature applause and the plausibility of the dog returning to swallow its vomit. Regardless, Saraki has proven a profile in courage, albeit survivalist courage, and served the precedent of how the legislature can assert a meaningful measure of autonomy in a system loaded against its independence.

Whatever his motives, he has wittingly or inadvertently advance the cause of taking down, perhaps, the last bastion of the old virulent political order. The unfolding drama would have been so much more comically gratifying were it not so tragic. Imagine the artless political delinquency of pitching Saraki with the choice-accept to become my political accomplice (and all your sins are forgiven inclusive of added-on political and economic goodies) or I frame you for armed robbery in an instant. Nigeria is characteristically sliding into the thick of another political darkness-with no silver lining discernable on the horizon. Yet it is no reason we should fold up and crumble without the dignity of giving it a fight.

The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny admonished the old lion. The admonition speaks to Nigeria, as it always does.

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