FRIDAY 24TH AUGUST 2248

CBN Prohibits Trading, Loan Refinancing in New Credit Scheme Limits maximum facility to N10bn Repayments to be remitted quarterly Obinna Chima and Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday prohibited operators involved in trading

activities from accessing its real sector support facility and warned banks that attempt to “falsify through presentation of projects that do not meet the eligibility criteria/specified

terms and conditions shall attract severe penalties.”

Also, it stressed that refinancing of existing loans is prohibited for funding under the programme, saying that

attempt to falsify information would also attract severe sanctions.

These formed part of the guidelines for accessing the Real Sector Support Facility

(RSSF) through Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR) and Corporate Bonds (CBs) released yesterday, a copy of which was obtained by THISDAY.

The activities to be covered under the programme would be Greenfield (new) and expansion (Brownfield) projects Continued on page 8

Telcos’ Incursion Stifles Internet Service Providers… Page 10 Friday 24 August, 2018 Vol 23. No 8528. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

TODAY'S WEATHER

ABUJA 25°C-33°C

MAIDUGURI 31°C-31°C

UT H

& RE A S O

ENUGU 25°C-28°C

N

KANO 27°C-33°C

LAGOS 24C-27°C

PORT HARCOURT 20°C-30°C

Buhari Rallies Base for 2019 Titanic Battle Says he won’t be distracted by defectors, their sponsors FG tackles South-east govs, reveals 69 projects ongoing

Omololu Ogunmade and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in his Daura, Katsina State country home, met with some governors and senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in an apparent move to rally his base for the impending presidential election scheduled

for February next year.

Led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, the top party brass were hosted to lunch by the president who told them that the combined efforts of defectors and their backers in the opposition would not Continued on page 8

Poor Power Supply to Persist as Gas Shortage Lingers Chineme Okafor in Abuja There is no end in sight for the country’s poor power supply with five generating plants remaining shut down as inadequate gas supply to the plants lingers, THISDAY has learnt.

A report obtained by THISDAY from the Advisory

Power Team in the Office of Vice President showed that five gas-fired plants were not generating electricity on account of gas supply shortage, while one unit of the Egbin Power Station was also down due to inadequate gas supply to fire the six-unit capacity Continued on page 10

Arise TV Goes Live in Europe... Page 8

GETTING SET FOR BATTLE...

President Muhammadu Buhari with some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and senators during a meeting in Daura, Katsina State… yesterday

2

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

3

4

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

5

6

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

7

FRIDAY, ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ T H I S D AY

8

PAGE EIGHT

Arise TV Goes Live in Europe Now on Sky channel 519 New York, Washington DC imminent ARISE TV, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, has gone live in Europe, a statement by its Chairman, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, said yesterday in Lagos.

Currently broadcasting on Sky channel 519 in Europe, the statement said it would soon hit the airwaves in New York and Washington DC.

An elated Obaigbena thanked and congratulated all the people who made the station the success it had become.

According to him, “We have done this without accepting any state funding or becoming an instrument of propaganda between competing worlds from East to West: from Russia,

China, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Middle East to the UK, France, Germany, Europe, USA and the Americas.

“We are our own channel, fiercely independent in the pursuit of journalism of reason at the crossroads of a changing world, and the crosshairs of technology.”

This, he said, did not

come easy, explaining that the organisation had to go through some rough times before it stabilised.

He said, “Today, five years later, the entrepreneurial spirit has won over some harrowing and challenging moments; hope has won over despair; truth is triumphant over lies; though we’ve had some tears along the way –

not of our making, it has also been lots of fun and laughter and your one and only global news channel, that is truly Black and African, is standing taller today than ever before.

“We thank all of those whose sacrifices contributed to bringing ARISE to live and salute those who keep it thriving.”

Arise TV already

broadcasts out of Africa, and its ARISE News Channel is on TV in 54 African countries, Europe and the USA as well as robustly online on every platform.

“With news centres in Africa – Lagos, Abuja, Johannesburg and Nairobi; we remain in London and back and conquering in New York,” he said.

run.

no business with Miyetti Allah. PDP is just crying wolf and trying to make baseless allegations. As for the National Assembly, we are determined to fulfill the constitutionally mandated two third majority at the Senate to remove Saraki," the party said in a statement by its Acting National Publicity, Mr. Yekini Nabene.

Regarding the allegation by the PDP that the APC and Miyetti Allah were in cahoots over plot to forcibly remove the Senate president, the APC said the party had nothing to do with the statement credited to the group or its members.

"It's laughable that PDP is trying to link such a group to APC. PDP is merely clutching to every straw in its desperation to remain relevant," the party said.

PDP had in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola

Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday alleged that the Miyetti Allah was taking a cue from the threat by the National Chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, to remove Saraki from office.

The main opposition party said the unguarded statement by Miyetti Allah had exposed the synergy between the ruling party and some troublesome elements, who were being used to stoke division and create violent crisis that had resulted into daily bloodlettings in various parts of the country.

"However, in the light of these treasonable and inciting utterances by Miyetti Allah, we demand that President Muhammadu Buhari, should within the next 24 hours, order the arrest and commence immediate trial of the leadership of this group, otherwise Nigerians will

institutions and general public are eligible to participate in investing in CBs. “A borrower shall be an entity incorporated in Nigeria under the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

Such borrower must not have a non-performing facility with any financial institution.”

Under the programme, the PFIs are expected to undertake due diligence based on normal business consideration; forward an initial credit request on the proposed project to the CBN for pre-funding assessment/ approval-in- principle to

proceed; forward final approved requests to CBN for funding after meeting all conditions precedent to disbursement of the facility; and disburse funds to obligors through their banks in agreed tranches, based on disbursement schedules submitted by the banks to the CBN within five working days of release from the CBN. The PFIs are also expected to render periodic returns as specified by the CBN from time to time, monitor the projects and comply with the guidelines of the facility, among others.

BUHARI RALLIES BASE FOR 2019 TITANIC BATTLE distract his administration from the good work it is doing for the benefit and development of Nigeria.

According to him, the APC has the full understanding of Nigeria’s challenges and is encouraged by the support of Nigerians in addressing them.

His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who in a statement gave snippets of what transpired at the closed door meeting, said the APC governors were accompanied by some members of the national and state assemblies as well as commissioners.

He quoted the president as saying, ‘‘We are always encouraged when all our constituents are happy with the work we are doing and our genuine efforts to make sure that what we campaigned for in 2015 is still very much in our minds and we have not lost focus.

‘‘In terms of security, economy and the fight against corruption, we have maintained focus. Even the opposition with all their resources cannot fault our identification of Nigeria’s priorities and the efforts being made to better them. ‘‘We will continue to do what we ought to do in the leadership position God has placed us and we thank the constituents for the support."

The statement said the president reiterated his earlier message to defectors, emphasising, ‘‘for those who have decided to change camp for whatever reason, we wish them good luck.’’

The statement noted that the leader of the delegation, Okorocha, commended the president on what he described as his great efforts in keeping the nation together through visionary leadership.

It added that Okorocha said Buhari had remained

focused and unshaken by situations and circumstances, adding, “It shows that your administration is approved

by God.’’ The statement further quoted Okorocha as saying, “We are here to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing as Nigerians are very pleased with you. ‘‘We also want to inform you that we had wonderful and peaceful Sallah celebration across the country because of security of lives and property you have guaranteed in our nation.’’

It said Okorocha was accompanied to the meeting by the governors of Katsina, Kebbi, Kano and Niger States.

On Tuesday, Buhari undertook 800 meters walk from the prayer ground in Daura to his residence in what Shehu said was sufficient evidence of the president’s physical fitness for the rigours of the presidential

APC: We Will Unseat Saraki In a related development, the APC said yesterday that it had not relented in its desire to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki from office, stating that it would work harder to secure the constitutional requirement to achieve its objective.

Section 50(2)( C ) of the 1999 Constitution requires two third of members of the Senate to support the removal of its president, translating to 73 of 109 legislators in the upper chamber.

The ruling party also disassociated itself from the outburst by one of the leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association that the group would forcibly remove Saraki from office.

“APC is a law abiding political party and we have

Continued on page 10

CBN PROHIBITS TRADING, LOAN REFINANCING IN NEW CREDIT SCHEME in manufacturing, agriculture and other related sectors approved by the CBN. It, however, pointed out that emphasis would be placed on Greenfield projects.

The facility shall have minimum tenor of seven years and two years moratorium.

Also, participating financial institution (PFI) shall bear the credit risk.

At its July 2018 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the CBN had emphasised the need to increase the flow of credit to the real sector of the economy in order to consolidate and sustain economic recovery.

To achieve this objective, the central bank had also stated that banks would henceforth be incentivised to direct affordable, long-

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN % WAPIC 0.03 0.37 8.8 VERITASKAP 0.02 0.28 7.6 DANGCEM 15.00 230.00 6.9 DANGFLOUR 0.50 8.20 6.4 OANDO 0.25 5.00 5.2 TOP LOSERS NGN % LIVESTOCK 0.06 0.61 9.8 REDSTAR 0.55 5.15 9.6 JAIZBANK 0.05 0.48 9.4 NSLTECH 0.02 0.21 8.7 JAPAUL 0.02 0.24 7.6 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,500.00 Volume: 220.710 million shares Value: N2.531 billion Deals: 3,287 As at yesterday 23/08/18 See details on Page 43

term bank credit to the manufacturing, agriculture, as well other sectors considered as employment and growth stimulating.

Also, it had stated that Corporates/Triple A-rated companies would be encouraged to issue long-term corporate bonds (CBs).

But under the new guidelines, the CBN pointed out that banks interested in providing credit financing to Greenfield (new) and Brownfield (new/ expansion) projects in the real sector (agriculture and manufacturing) may request for the release of funds from their CRR to finance the projects, subject to the bank providing verifiable evidence that the funds shall be directed at the projects approved by the CBN. It stated, “This programme involves investment by the CBN and the general public in CBs issued by Corporate subject to the intensified transparency requirements for Triple A-rated entities.

“Such requirements would include publishing through printing of an Information Memorandum spelling out the details of the projects for which the funds are required together with terms and conditions showing that these are long term projects

that are employment and growth stimulating.”

The new guidelines stressed that priority would be accorded projects with high local content, import substitution, foreign exchange earnings and potential for job creation.

According to the CBN, the objectives of the facility includes to improve access to affordable finance to the manufacturing, agricultural, and other related sectors that are employment and growth stimulating to the economy.

In addition, it is aimed at stimulating growth in employment-elastic sectors.

Providing insights into the differentiated CRR (DCRR) system, the guidelines stated, “It shall comprise loans to Greenfield or expansion projects using CRR. Emphasis shall, however, be on new projects.”

In terms of CBs, which are financing instruments issued by corporates that meet eligibility criteria as specified by the CBN, the tenor shall be as specified in the prospectus by the issuing corporate but not below seven years. Also, the moratorium for such CBs shall be as specified in the prospectus by the issuing corporate.

It specified, “The maximum facility shall be N10 billion

CORRIGENDUM In an article, Business Registration Made Easy, published on page 31 of our August 6, 2018 edition, the author, Dr. Ojiaku Kalu, was erroneously referred to as the Acting Registrar of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The Acting Registrar is actually Mrs. Azuka Azinge, whose photograph that appeared in the publication was also wrongly captioned as Kalu.

The error is highly regretted as we apologise for any embarrassment it might have caused Mrs. Azinge.

- Editor

per project. Facilities are to be administered at an all-in interest rate/charge of 9 per cent per annum. Bank customers are encouraged to report any bank to the CBN’s Director of Banking Supervision, where such DMB may have charged interest rates above the prescribed maximum of nine percent per annum.

“Repayments shall be amortised and remitted on quarterly basis to the CBN. “Only CRR contributing DMBs shall be eligible to participate under the DCRR. For CBs, all financial

CBN: How It Will Work

Throwing more light on the new guidelines, the Acting Director, Corporate Communication, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, who spoke on Arise TV, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, said, "We understand this economy and increasingly we are getting to understand some of the tricks, and of course you have seen the success we have recorded in the foreign exchange market because of the greater and deeper understanding of some of the tricks that the dealers, including banks play.

"Now on this one, we know that this economy is large and we have a large population with high consumption. We know that with time, there are opportunities everywhere even including funding for infrastructure. And so, we have set up the guidelines and we have set up the machinery for the monitoring and we

believe it would work."

He said the central bank would effectively police the policy and ensure its success through strict monitoring.

According to him, "We already have a system of monitoring projects in addition to what the governor is setting up, which is an economic intelligence unit that reports directly to him.

Of course there are risks everywhere but for projects that are in manufacturing, the risks are not so much, but they are there and of course the normal process of risk management would be employed."

In terms of the level of capital outflows recorded by the country in recent time, Okorafor said compared with other emerging economies, Nigeria had not performed badly.

He said, "We heard yesterday Angola is going for an IMF programme,

Sierra Leone has suffered depreciation and South Africa is not finding it easy.

Indeed, the rate of outflow of investors from this economy is far less than what ordinarily would have happened, which shows that there is huge confidence in the Nigerian economy.

"Otherwise, we wouldn’t still have our foreign reserves at about $47 billion. We have suffered a lot of drain but investors believe that this economy is strong, resilient and offers the best opportunity."

He added, "At times like this, with the economic growth in the US and the expectations about the political situation in the country as we are going into the elections, of course that is normal. But what I am saying is that if you look at the outflow, it is very commendable at this stage that we still sustain this level."

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

9

FRIDAY, ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ T H I S D AY

10

NEWS

Telcos’ Incursion Stifles Internet Service Providers

Emma Okonji

The continued drop in the number of licensed internet service providers (ISPs) in the country may lead to their extinction in the once vibrant sub-sector, experts have warned.

They attributed the slide in the activities of the ISPs to the incursion of the telecommunication companies into the market.

According to findings by THISDAY, since 2011, the number of licensed ISPs has dropped significantly, following the incursion of telecommunication operators such as MTN, Globacom, Airtel, 9mobile and ntel, as they currently offer mobile internet service, which hitherto was the traditional service offering of ISPs.

Statistics obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) website showed that 205 ISPs were licensed between 2007 and 2015.

But the number has reduced to 92 as at January this year, before additional seven were licensed, bringing the total figure to 99 presently.

The seven newly licensed ISPs include: Bava Network and Technologies Limited; Netzplan Resources Limited; Sentient Networks Limited; Standard Communications Limited; Service Aggregation & Distribution Limited; Passage Telecommunications Nigeria Limited; and IP Express Limited.

Some of the ISPs that spoke to THISDAY, blamed the situation on harsh business environment occasioned by

the sharp practices of GSM operators, who now compete with ISPs in retail service offering, instead of sticking to wholesale service offering.

CEO, Swift Network, one of the ISPs, Mr. Charles Anudo, said the major challenge the operators face is the arbitrary fixing of prices by bigger operators just to stifle smaller operators and force them out of market.

He stressed the need for regulatory control and the reintroduction of Data Floor Price by the NCC. Also, the Marketing Lead at WiFi.com.ng, Mr. Awani Jesse, noted that GSM operators who have huge broadband capacity from their submarine cables compete with traditional ISPs to chase them out of business.

Similarly, another operator who pleaded to remain

anonymous said, “We buy broadband data in wholesale from Broadband Companies like Main One, Glo 1 and MTN WACS, who have berthed their submarine cables with huge broadband capacities at the shores of the country and in turn, we retail the broadband data bundle to individuals and organisations, but the same broadband company that sell to us are now competing with us and selling directly to our customers even at reduced price, thus making competition and survival extremely difficult for ISPs," he said.

He further explained that most of the ISPs could not cope with the competition and could not renew their licences after the five years duration.

Reacting to the development, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said, "We have seen distortions in the ISP market, especially where telecommunication operators have diversified into offering internet services to their subscribers.

“The distortion is squeezing smaller operators out of market, but one way that could better address the distortion is to divide the market into wholesale and retail trading in order to separate the bigger operators from the smaller operators."

Danbatta, however, said he was in doubt if the current market is matured enough for such separation but said the regulator would look at the situation and sensitise the market going forward.

NCC's statistics on internet penetration showed that Nigeria currently has 102.8 million mobile data subscriptions as at June this year, with MTN taking the lead with 38.9 million active mobile internet subscriptions, followed by Airtel with 26.7 million active internet subscribers; Globacom with 26.6 million active internet subscribers and 9mobile with 10.6 million active mobile internet subscribers.

Of the 102.8 million active mobile internet subscriptions, NCC statistics further revealed that the fixed and wired internet subscription from ISPs was still at its lowest ebb of less than two per cent penetration, a situation that has led to the continued drop in the number of licensed ISPs in the country.

House PDP Group Kicks against Alleged Plot to Impeach Dogara James Emejo in Abuja The Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG) in the House of Representatives yesterday kicked against an alleged plot to impeach the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caucus in the lower chamber against distracting lawmakers from performing their legislative functions with their 2019 ambitions.

Spokesman for the group, Hon. Timothy Golu (PDP, Plateau), said his group has watched with apprehension, the series of accusations and counter-accusations of support groups among the APC caucus which have the potential to derail the legislative performance of the lawmakers in the lower chamber.

He cautioned the APC

lawmakers in a statement issued yesterday against the idea of impeaching Dogara, adding that it would be resisted.

There are allegations that lawmakers from the ruling party within the green chamber are plotting to impeach Dogara when the National Assembly resumes from its long recess in September.

The plot was alleged to have been spearheaded by a principal officer of the House, who is alleged to be facing similar impeachment threat from his aggrieved party colleagues.

But Golu said, “We believe it is the aftermath of the gale of defections that had hit the party in recent times, of which more is being expected. In as much as we will not delve into their personal caucus matters.

“However any issue that concerns the larger House will not cease to get our attention, especially the accusation by one group that another group is contemplating the impeachment of the Speaker."

Golu, who chairs the House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, also cautioned that all the discussions about impeaching Dogara should start and end at the APC secretariat or the secretariat.

“We are keeping our eyes and ears wide open for any such eventuality and to restate our readiness to return fire for fire on anyone thinking of it.

“If they claim that someone is thinking of becoming Speaker in 2019 when the tenure has not ended, it will not be out of place to suspect such motives especially when the same people have

been talking strongly on the urgent need to address critical legislative issues.”

Golu added that Dogara is on top of his job and has been doing excellently well, “respecting his colleagues and leading with the fear of God and in accordance with the constitution and our House rules.

“He has performed very well in providing the expected legislative leadership. If anyone is thinking of replacing him even when this tenure is not yet ended, then it means a lot may be happening underground.

“We call on our colleagues leading the various splinter groups in the APC to allow the house go on smoothly until June 9, 2019.

“We do not want the externallyinfluenced distraction taking place in

Dogara

the red chamber where some anti-democratic forces want to truncate democracy to happen in the house. As

true democrats, we are at alert, keeping vigilance and monitoring happenings with eagle eye wherever they are.”

POOR POWER SUPPLY TO PERSIST AS GAS SHORTAGE LINGERS

BUHARI RALLIES BASE FOR 2019 TITANIC BATTLE

power station.

According to the daily report, the Gencos that could not produce electricity were Calabar and Geregu plants in Cross River and Kogi States, respectively, which belong to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

Others were Ibom Power Plant in Akwa Ibom State; ASCO Plant and Unit 6 of Egbin Power Plant.

Despite the recent claim by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that there was enough gas for power production in the country, the report revealed that gas shortage remained the dominant challenge of the power sector between Sunday and Wednesday.

For instance, the report indicated that the average power generation on Sunday was only about 3,605 megawatts as the plants could not generate 1,942.5MW due to unavailability of gas.

Also, 70MW was not generated due to weak transmission infrastructure, while 1,814.5MW was not generated due to a high frequency resulting from inadequate distribution infrastructure.

The report also showed that only 3,473MW was generated on Monday, while

henceforth hold him directly responsible for the utterances and actions of the Miyetti Allah," it said.

PDP also alleged that before now, majority of Nigerians had thought that the Miyetti Allah represented the military wing of the APC and the Buhari Presidency.

3,721MW was constrained due to gas shortage and line constraints.

On Tuesday the report showed that 3,571MW was generated, while 4,488MW was constrained due largely to gas shortage and a number of other factors.

“The dominant constraint on August 19, 2018 remained unavailability of gas - constraining a total of 1,942.5MW from being available on the grid,” the report explained, while indicating that 1,792.5MW; 1,792.5MW; 2307.5MW; 2,265.5MW; 2,327.5MW; and 2307.5MW were not generated between August 18 and 13 respectively due to gas shortage.

“On August 21, 2018, average power sent out was 3,571MWh/hour (up by 97.82MWh/h from the previous day). 1,792.5MW was not generated due to unavailability of gas.

73.4MW was not generated due to unavailability of transmission infrastructure, while 2,621.9MW was not generated due to high frequency resulting from unavailability of distribution infrastructure.

“On August 22 2018, average power sent out was 3,654MWh/hour (up by 82.79MWh/h from the previous day), while 1,792.5MW was not generated

due to unavailability of gas; 2,541.7MW was not generated due to high frequency resulting from unavailability of distribution infrastructure,” the report added.

Despite the poor power generation, the NNPC had claimed it had enough gas for power generation.

According to the corporation, the drop in power production was as a result of some factors outside its control.

While pledging to work with other stakeholders to resolve challenges in the power sector, the corporation blamed the poor current supply to what it described as the continuous rejection of load by the distribution companies (Discos) as a result of frequency management.

However, the government’s report showed that a lot of the power plants have been unable to produce enough power because of gas shortage.

For instance, the power stations at Alaoji in Abia State; Sapele in Delta State; Afam VI in Rivers State; Omotosho 1 and II in Ondo State; and Olorunsogo 1 and II in Ogun State plants could not generate 240MW; 112.5MW; 490MW; 120MW; 120MW; 114MW and 76MW, respectively.

APC yet to Release Timetable for 2019 Primaries The APC also said yesterday that it was yet to issue the timetable for its state and National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries for next year’s general election.

According to a statement by Nabene, any time-table being circulated is fake and should be disregarded.

"Our attention has been drawn to a timetable circulating in the social media and published today purportedly for the APC primaries for state House of Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential positions.

"The timetable is fake and should be disregarded. The party is yet to announce its official timetable for the listed primaries."

FG Tackles Southeast Govs, Reveals

69 Projects Ongoing Meanwhile, the federal government has denied it shortchanged the South-east geo-political zone in the execution of infrastructural projects.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who issued the rebuttal yesterday, said a statement credited to the governors of the five south-east states that the region had been sidetracked in the implementation of infrastructural projects in the zone, contradicted available evidence.

Speaking at a lecture by Mr. Festus Keyamo, the spokesman for Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mohammed said there were 69 ongoing projects in the zone alone.

The minister averred that the federal government had implemented massive projects valued at N16.6 billion in the South-east out of the N100 billion from the Sukuk Bond.

Mohammed insisted that the zone received the same amount from the Sukuk Bond like other zones to ensure that no part of the country was left out from infrastructural projects. ''While this claim may have made headlines, it is totally untrue. Their excellencies were either misquoted or they were quoted out of context.

Either way, this allegation

flies in the face of available evidence,'' Mohammed said.

He promised that federal government would publish the full list of the projects and the breakdown in the states.

According to the minister, the four projects financed with proceeds from the Sukuk Bond in the South-east included, Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Section II, Umuahia; Tower-Aba Township Rail/Road Bridge Crossing in Abia State; Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Section I (Lokpanta-Umahia Tower) in Abia State; outstanding section of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Amansea-Enugu State Border) and the EnuguPort Harcourt Expressway Section III (Enugu-Lokpanta) in Enugu State.

He also said he recently embarked on a media inspection of the roads, including the Aba-Port Harcourt section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, where the contractor had already completed the first three phases of the project. ''In conclusion, the South-east has never had it so good in the area of infrastructure. Had the previous administrations done even half of what we are doing now in that region, no one will be complaining today.

It is alright to ask for more, but it is unfair to say nothing has been done,” he said.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

11

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018Ëž T H I S D AY

12

NEWS

ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ăš Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ejiofor Alike Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

PDP BoT Condemns Call for Saraki’s Resignation Senate president preaches unity among Nigerians

Nseobong Okon-Ekong Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă?Ëœ Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Femi Ogbonnikan Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ?ÙÕĂ&#x;ÞË The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jubrin, yesterday condemned the call by the Miyetti Allah’s National Coordinator in Benue State, Alhaji Garus Gololo, that the President of Senate, Bukola Saraki, should resign his position immediately or be forced to do so.

This is coming as Saraki has also admonished Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds, to promote oneness among one another.

Also, a pressure group, the Draft Saraki Movement (DSM) has handed the Senate president a seven-day ultimatum to announce his readiness to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, Jibrin challenged the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACABAN) to openly condemn Gololo’s statement, so that it would not be misconstrued as the general position of the association.

Jibrin, who is also the Seriki Fulani of Nasarawa State, noted that the Fulani association is now up to 25 years old.

He said when people talk of Miyetti Allah, the association should not be misconstrued as the generality of Fulanis in Nigeria. “I will try my best to see that I bring them together, so that they would not shy

away from their responsibility of defending the course of the entire Fulani. That is to say they should never engineer crisis; they should only safeguard the interest of the entire Fulani by not being agents of attack. “We the Fulani concerned elders are now trying to bring all these Fulani associations together, so that we can talk with one voice,� he said.

The BoT chairman highlighted his efforts to address the issue of herdsmen attack in Taraba State and how he is planning to meet Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, the leadership of Tiv and the Fulani people to look at the pros and cons of the herdsmen issues. “Like I earlier did, I went to Taraba State to meet with the governor, the leaders and Fulani elders, and the meeting is yielding results. I intend to go to Benue State to meet the governor, the leadership of Tiv people and the Fulani people to look at the pros and cons of the issues of Fulani herdsmen. This can only be solved by dialogue and mediation. We should not be tired of discussing these issues, so that the matter will die down and everybody will appreciate one another. “We, Fulani will also educate our people to understand the Nigeria problem, the problem of rearing and also to find many alternatives and most importantly, to educate our Fulani children so that most of these problems will reduce,� he explained.

Meanwhile, Saraki has admonished Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic

backgrounds, to promote oneness among one another.

Saraki stated this yesterday at the 2018 edition of OjudeOba festival held at Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

The Senate president, who was the special guest of honour, was greeted with applause on his arrival.

He highlighted the importance of “Ojude Oba� as a cultural festival that “fosters unity� among the Ijebus.

Accompanied by Senators Dino Melaye (Kogi State); Ben

Bruce (Bayelsa State); Mrs Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti State); Duro Faseyi (Ekiti State); Buruji Kashamu (Ogun State); Shaba Lafiaji (Kwara State), Sam Anyanwu (Imo State); his media aide, Olaniyonu Yusuph, and others, Saraki urged Nigerians to emulate the Ijebu people, who despite their diversity of faiths, live and interact harmoniously with one another.

He further described the over 100 years old festival as a “noble culture� that

has continued to serve as a veritable rallying point for all the sons and daughters of the Ijebu nation.

The Senate President said whenever the issue of “resilience and dynamism of culture� is being discussed, ‘Ojude-Oba’ readily comes to mind, adding that the festival has continued to grow from strength to strength, because of the leadership quality of the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona.

Saraki noted that it has

also become obvious that only quality leadership could engender progress and development, such as the type witnessed in Ijebuland.

He commended the Awujale whose unifying force, he said, is an attestation to his good leadership, not only in Ijebuland and Ogun State, but also in the entire country.

He however, described the horse-riding by the family of horse riders and descendants

Cont’d on Pg .51

ROYAL BLESSINGS...

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (left) and the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, during the Ojude Oba Festival 2018, in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State...yesterday

South Africa Detains Russian Ship Allegedly Tinubu: Three Years Not to Lagos Enough to Reshape Nigeria Bringing Weapons port outside the eastern city Olwethu Mdabula, told AFP. matter. It is receiving attention,�

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has stated that three years of the party in government is not enough to re-engineer the country.

He said despite the looting of the country’s treasury in the previous years, President Muhammadu Buhari is gradually restoring the hope of Nigerians.

Speaking in Lagos, the APC leader added that treasury looters have “eaten�

Nigeria’s seed of growth and development. “Nigerians adopted democracy; we are going to live through this democratic government.

We need President Buhari to retool and re-engineer it, that is what he is doing in the economy and he is doing it gradually, otherwise we don’t want it to fall apart again. “We ate the seed of growth for breakfast, therefore, there is nothing for lunch or dinner.

Nothing to harvest that is why

we talk about looters. But it will not take a magical touch to bring it to reality. It takes patience and perseverance. “Three years is not enough time for retouching, redevelopment and reengineering the country. There is a lot of hope; there is a lot of expectation. “Economic development and the future of the youth are crucial in the growth of any nation and we are taking care of that. You have to re-grow the economy, re-engineer it from bottom, and during that process, it is always very difficult for ordinary people,� he said.

Tinubu, according to The Cable, added that he was proud of his achievements during his time as governor of Lagos State. “We were meticulous, dedicated and focused and we lifted the spirits of our people and that is why it is important for Nigerians to be focused now,� he said.

South African police yesterday said they had boarded a Russian-registered cargo ship allegedly carrying illegal weapons and explosives en route to Lagos, Nigeria.

The vessel, named Lada, had reportedly left Madagascar before stopping at Ngqura

of Port Elizabeth, where it was detained after a security check last Sunday. “We are aware that she has dangerous cargo - explosives and weapons - on board,� spokeswoman for the Transnet state transport company,

She declined to give further details.

The spokesman for the Hawks police investigative unit, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, confirmed to AFP that the vessel was carrying weapons. “This is a very, very sensitive

he said.

Local reports said police had searched the vessel after an anonymous tip-off and found weapons and explosives worth about $3.5 million in 20 containers on board.

Sanusi Urges Collection of PVC, National ID Card Hamid Ayodeji Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, has urged registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in preparation for the 2019 general election.

Sanusi made the call yesterday during the traditional Hawan Nasarawa at the Government House in Kano.

The Emir also urged Nigerians to get their National Identification Cards.

He described the PVC as an important means of voting and identification, which all Nigerians of voting age must possess to

avoid being disenfranchised.

The monarch praised the state government for its efforts in providing level playing field for all politicians. Sanusi urged politicians to avoid conducts capable of causing violence, and sued for peace, tranquility and unity in the country.

He also commended the state government strides in the health sector, while also wishing safe return of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

The Emir advised residents to clear the drains in order to avoid flooding in the state, appealing to them to dispose waste responsibly and be

hygienic.

Also at the event, the state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said the government had completed two well-equipped hospitals with a total of 500- bed capacity.

He said his administration would continue to invest in quality education at all levels, as it remained paramount to the development of the state.

Ganduje also disclosed that the government had constructed YanTebura Mall, in Kwari Market, at the cost of over N4 billion. “This project is part of our market reforms. It is sad to see traders in the sun, enduring

heat and rain in the open, as their wares get ruined,� he said.

Ganduje urged the people to continue to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as for peace, stability and progress of the country.

Similarly, he called on the electorate to obtain their PVCs and vote in the coming general election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that also at the occasion were Senators Kabiru Gaya and Barau Jibrin, commissioners, members of House of Representatives, members of the Emirate Council and the diplomatic corps.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

13

14

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

COMMENT

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

WHEN IRRATIONALITY ANDVENOM MIX

Frank Onyezili argues that the anger we see reflect the mood of the nation at this moment

T

he youthful Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Professor Richard Kimbir could barely conceal his shock and outrage on Thursday, the 16th of August 2018, as he reported to the University Senate the horror unleashed the day before on his campus by rampaging gangs of violent protesters. Dr Omeche Onoja, the Director of Medical Services at the University was even more graphic as she recounted how she and her staff narrowly escaped with their lives still intact as the very facility caring for students became the target on which the students vented their irrational anger and misdirected venom.

And the video recording of the colossal damage inflicted on university and personal property told its own story of the aftermath of an oncampus motor accident, a collision of a commercial bus with an ‘okada’ motorcycle, in which one student lost his life and five others sustained varying degrees of injury This unfortunate mishap, which ordinarily should have evoked empathy and sober reflection, became the fodder that fed the lightning rod which then escalated into an inferno. The riotous students came in waves, first carrying just sticks and chanting solidarity songs. Soon lectures were disrupted and students were forced out of their classrooms.

Succeeding waves became increasingly stringent and ferocious, armed with dangerous weapons and petrol, lighting bonfires, blocking access roads in the school and causing sheer mayhem. They first descended on and reduced the security offices to rubble, before heading to the health centre, academic blocks and laboratories, smashing up anything in sight, looting drugs and stealing monies. Nothing was spared. The university was forced to shut down and commence an indefinite mid-semester break and, by when the Police had manned the school gates to ensure the orderly exit of all students, colossal havoc had been wreaked, the estimation of which is in the terms of reference of the Senate committee constituted to look into the disaster Protests by university students are fairly commonplace globally and Nigeria is no exception. Here at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, such protests are a rarity, the last serious one dating back to about 25 years ago. However, what puts this most recent one on a pedestal entirely of its own is the extreme to which a mixture of irrationality and ferocity reached in just a few hours. To attribute the carnage that took place to youthful exuberance is to be overly simplistic. This was not the action of simply new-breed social media-savvy young men (and ladies) and it would be more realistic to scour the mindset of these young folks who reflect the microcosm of young folks in our nation today, whether they are in the universities, in the offices or job-searching on the streets.

What goes on behind those poses they present and the conversations they engage themselves in? Clearly, we are confronted by self-seeking young people who, in the main, demonstrate open disdain and lack of empathy for others. They display a sense of entitlement and powerseeking behaviour well beyond the realm of sensible rationale, different from just being self-confident and bordering on narcissism There is scientific evidence that narcissistic personality disorder is heritable and individuals are more susceptible if they have a family his-

WHILE NOT CONDONING ACTS THAT ARE CLEARLY UNLAWFUL ON THE PART OF THE RIOTING STUDENTS, OUR SOCIETY, PARTICULARLY ITS LEADERSHIP, MUST TAKE THE LION SHARE OF BLAME

tory of the disorder. Environmental and social factors are also thought to have a significant influence on the onset of narcissism. Could that mean that, unwittingly we are breeding a generation of youths who fit into the narcissistic mould and cannot help or extricate themselves?

Are our youths the victims of the circumstances their forebears should be held accountable for? And how do we explain their violent and destructive dimension?

For answers, we must look back. In this country two years ago, the story goes, Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria perpetrated what a sizzling Nigerian termed an “incestuous, hermetically sealed employment farce”, handing unadvertised vacancies to relatives of the country’s political elite. Before him, Abba Moro once Nigeria’s Minister of Internal Affairs advertised vacancies in the Nigerian Immigration Service, vacancies that, reportedly, had already been shared out to kids of rulers of that era. To add salt to injury, he packed thousands of ‘ordinary’ youth in stadia across Nigeria, and had them stampeded, with about 12 dying. There are many more examples from our past of our country being a secret cult of sorts, its modus operandi known only by the privileged insiders. There is a sense in which a generational theft is being consummated, with the children of the elite controlling the levers of the next age and the rest of a restive youth decidedly marginalised, angry and spitting venom at any and everything. And why not?

While not condoning acts that are clearly unlawful on the part of the rioting students, our society, particularly its leadership, must take the lion share of blame. No longer should change be expected whilst the leadership is not at the vanguard leading that change, by example.

Leadership must demonstrate change if it is to expect change from the followership. No longer should leadership blame whatever goes wrong on the citizenry. Leadership must take responsibility in practical terms and put first things first: make it less difficult for the citizenry to have food on their tables, pay the lengthy backlog of arrears of salary owed parents and pensioners who have to keep these students in school, go beyond political rhetoric and the blame game to proffer real, not cosmetic, solutions to the nation’s economic mess. The unending call for sacrifice and patience is itself breeding restiveness, anger and venom. Those whose parents have sacrificed much in patient expectation of returns are themselves becoming impatient for tangible change in their own prospects. And their anger is being vented under all guises. We err in believing that our nation is best served by luring the citizenry into a false sense of security when insecurity is rife. The spin doctors of national leadership need to first interrogate themselves as to whose interest is being served when the leader is clearly out of synch with the led, when the dancing had ceased long ago, the music now empty rattling, and when only the truth will stand the test of time, including election time. Our country is at the very precipice, the anger we see reflect the mood of the nation at this moment and it is up the leadership to pull up its socks and get us out of the quagmire, with the truth about the state of our nation rather than blatant lies that only further infuriate an already-frustrated youth.

SOFT SKILLS FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY Making good use of your time is critical to productivity, writes Akintola Benson-Oke

L

et us consider the beguiling habits and practices that kill productivity in workplaces today. The first and perhaps, the most prevalent, is the Internet and the Social Media. Given the ubiquity of these otherwise helpful and extraordinarily useful platforms, many people unknowingly waste their time in chatters that are not productive by any measure whatsoever under the guise of keeping abreast of news and happenings around them. Instead of these platforms assisting individuals to make better decisions through the access they offer to current and curated knowledge, many utilize these platforms simply to catch up with gossip and to spy on foes and friends.

Before addressing the question of how we can remain productive in the presence of the things that tend to distract us, I will explain the main reason why we should prioritize productivity. John Rompton argued that, because “there are only so many hours in the day…making the most of your time is critical.” In saying this, he was, in fact, echoing ancient wisdom commonly regarded as axiomatic and yet routinely ignored. One business titan who echoed the wisdom of the ancient thinkers and philosophers was Mr. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, who, in his famous speech to the Yale University Convocation, emphasised that everybody’s time is limited.

Summarising Mr. Jobs’ views, George Ambler wrote as follows: “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share.

No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared

away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it…”

Thus, what the ancient wisdom is telling us is this: the most important reason why you should take the issue of productivity seriously is because our time is limited and each of us ought to make his/her time count for something worthwhile.

Of course, productivity is also important in many more ways. Andy Core, an author and speaker on Work-Life Balance, Wellbeing, and Peak Human Performance, wrote an article where he explored how productivity impacts an organisation and its major stakeholders. He posited that the organisation’s customers are the first to benefit from a productive workforce.

According to him, “Productivity in the workplace will often translate into good customer service and interaction. This total client experience is the key to satisfying customers and clients, and almost all highly productive companies use this to gain customer loyalty. When a customer is loyal to your business, they will share their experience with others, which is a marketing advantage coming out of high levels of productivity.”

In our own case, our customer is the general public; the good people of Lagos State. When each officer of the Lagos State Civil Service is productive, the members of the public interfacing with the civil service will obtain such huge benefits and satisfaction that will positively rub off on the reputation and morale of the civil service as a whole.

The organisation is second in line to benefit from increased productivity, according to Andy core. He wrote that, “the employees themselves are an investment, and like any investment, they should yield a healthy or worthwhile return to the organisation. Therefore, when employees are highly productive, the organisation achieves its goals of investing in them in the first place. Productivity also

helps to motivate the workplace culture and boost morale thus producing an even better company environment.”

In the third place, employees themselves will benefit from increased productivity in the organisation.

More often than not, when an organisation is highly productive, it eventually becomes successful, and because of this, incentives are bound to be made available to the employees. These may include pay raises, bonuses, and so on. This will also motivate employees. Indeed, productivity in the workplace is an important aspect of every organisation and when all stakeholders understand this concept, success is just around the corner.

In light of the above, it is therefore important for each person to consider how to make each moment count in their own interest and in the interest of the organisations they serve. On this matter of increasing productivity, John Rompton said, “There are two ways to increase your output--either put in more hours or work smarter. I don’t know about you, but I prefer the latter.” Working smarter has now been established as better than working harder.

Also, behavioural scientists have found that while being more productive at work is not rocket science, it does require being more deliberate about how one manages one’s time. I will now take you through the seemingly obvious but very important strategies formulated by John Rompton for increasing productivity in the workplace every day.

The first strategy is to track and limit how much time you are spending on tasks. You may think that you are pretty good at gauging how much time you are spending on various tasks. However, some research suggests only around 17 per cent of people are able to accurately estimate the passage of time.

The second admonition is to take regular breaks. This may sound counterintuitive, but taking scheduled breaks can actually help improve

concentration. Some research has shown that taking short breaks during long tasks helps you to maintain a constant level of performance; while working at a task without breaks leads to a steady decline in performance.

The third strategy is to set self-imposed deadlines.

While we usually think of stress as a bad thing, a manageable level of self-imposed stress can actually be helpful in terms of giving us focus and helping us to meet our goals. For open-ended tasks or projects, try giving yourself a deadline, and then stick to it. You may be surprised to discover just how focused and productive you can be when you are watching the clock.

Another useful strategy is to follow the “two-minute rule.” Entrepreneur Steve Olenski recommends implementing the “two-minute rule” to make the most of small windows of time that you have at work. The idea is this: If you see a task or action that you know can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately. According to Olenski, completing the task right away actually takes less time than having to get back to it later.

Implementing this has made him one of the most influential content strategists online.

Another recommended strategy is to say no to meetings whenever you can. Meetings are one of the biggest time-consumers around, yet somehow we continue to unquestioningly book them, attend them and, inevitably, complain about them. According to Atlassian, the average office worker spends over 31 hours each month in unproductive meetings. Before booking your next meeting, ask yourself whether you can accomplish the same goals or tasks via email, phone, or Web-based meeting (which may be slightly more productive).

Dr. Benson Oke is Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions

15

T H I S D AY FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

EDITORIAL AGAIN, SOLDIERS ON THE RAMPAGE

The military authorities should look into the complaints of the affected soldiers and deal with them professionally

N

igerian soldiers of the Special Force deployed in Borno State where there is an on-going counterterrorism operation against Boko Haram insurgents recently barricaded the Maiduguri Airport gate in protest, firing gunshots sporadically into the air and forcing many residents around the area to flee for safety. The shootings by the soldiers were said to be protests against their redeployment from Maiduguri to another location in the northern part of the war-torn state.

For sure, the battle to contain Boko Haram has been difficult. Until lately, the insurgents were carrying out their grisly atrocities particularly in the Northeast, at will. And the feeling out there was that if the insurgents were causing such murderous havoc, then it stands to reason that our armed forces were not doing well enough. This was further accentuated by reports of shortage of vital supplies in the frontlines – from ammunition to food, complaints that can do a lot of damage to anyone’s morale. But there are procedures IT IS NOT IN LINE WITH for dealing with THE GLOBAL MILITARY those challenges.

It is sad that the PACT OR PRACTICES war-wearied soldiers TO KEEP FIGHTING have to resort to SOLDIERS IN A WAR violent protests ZONE FOR OVER THREE anytime they want to YEARS draw the attention of the military authorities to their inhuman conditions. This is not the first time the soldiers, under special squad operation, will be protesting about their plight since the war against the terrorist Boko Haram group started many years ago. According to reports, the soldiers, who had been deployed since February 2015, said they ought to have been released to return to their original unit to see their families after serving over three years at the same operational location. There are reports

that many of the soldiers have resorted to taking hard drugs in order to muddle through both the psychological and physical trauma of their long stay in the war zone.

W

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

hile it may be convenient for the military authorities to describe the affected soldiers as acting illegally and that they must be dealt with according to the Military Act, we will like to once again, say that it is not in line with the global military pact or practices to keep fighting soldiers in a war zone for over three years. Apart from the urgent need to allow them have access to the immediate families, it is unwholesome and a huge risk to the counter-terrorism strategy. Apparently because of the precarious situation, there are reports that many prominent persons in the country now regularly lobby military authorities for their relatives not to be posted to the war zone.

Rather than threatening to deal with the protesting soldiers for their perceived unlawful action, we advise the military authorities to look into the complaints of the affected soldiers and deal with them professionally; after all the soldiers are humans. They deserve a good life like us; they need to have access to their families in spite of the national duties. They are patriotic Nigerians who stay awake day and night in order to make our nation a better place for us to live in. They are our heroes, fighting the enemies of our country. They also deserve to be treated humanely and with respect.

The huge international embarrassment of regular protests by aggrieved soldiers can be avoided if the military authorities keep to best practices in the deployment of troops and other welfare matters. The military must face up to the question of what led to the incident in the first place. The point here is that if the issues of trust in military leadership are not addressed, we will continue to witness this short of unruly behaviour within the military which may not bode well for our democracy

TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Letters to the Editor

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

ON GOVERNOR BINDOW’S PLAN TO DEFECT TO PDP

R

ecently, there were reports that Governor Muhammadu Jibrill Bindow of Adamawa State is planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but Mr. Bindow and some of his aides have vehemently denied it. In fact, Mr. Bindow was quoted to have aid “he will die in APC”.

This continuous build-up of rumours about a possible defection to the PDP by Governor Bindow is based on facts that are potent. Recently, there was a rare, high-level interaction between Governor Bindow and one of the closest aides to former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, Jidda Pariya. Pariya was in Dubai for medical vacation and Bindow, purposely visited Dubai just to see Pariya. Reports stated that it was in fact, Pariya’s vehicles that conveyed Bindow from the airport to see Pariya at his quarters. When Pariya came back to Nigeria, Bindow, with the fanfare of governor’s office, went to Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport to receive him. Pariya was given special treatment with the governor’s convoy.

Governor Bindow’s cabinet is populated with many of Atiku’s men: Commissioners of Justice, Heath, Commerce and Land & Survey and other aides were handpicked by Atiku. Recently, the commissioners of Commerce and Land & Survey resigned from the cabinet to join Atiku’s presidential campaign. Though two of the most educated commissioners - Atiku’s biological daughter Dr. Fatima Abubakar and Commissioner of Justice, Mr Silas D. Sanga are still in Bindow’s cabinet. During the swearing-in of the two commissioners’ replacements, Governor Bindow openly said he still missed the former commissioners, covertly implying a political connection with them.

Governor Bindow has a history of divided loyalty to APC and Buhari Presidential campaign. On many occasions, he has shown that his political interest is skewed towards Atiku’s presidential ambition. Governor Bindow always appears ‘self-confident’ in the foggy cloud that is

Adamawa politics, because of his clandestine reliance on Atiku’s pedigree of victory in political battles and arsenal, which is renowned for rightly dealing with weak adversaries.

As a top level politician, Bindow has failed woefully. This fact is earmarked by his failure to manage the broadening disaffection within his own party and the continuously growing chasm between himself and the top echelon of the APC in the state. Governor Bindow erred by sidelining many members of the legacy parties- ACN, CPC and the ANPP. The strongest of the stakeholders, the Murtala Nyako group was so aggrieved, that they left the APC to pitch tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). With the emergence of strong governorship contenders like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (MNR) and Dr. Mahmood Halilu (Modi) in the Adamawa APC, Governor Bindow will not find it easy to secure a return ticket. Thus, the governor and his supporters are strongly opposed to the APC conducting direct primaries to select governorship aspirant for the fear of losing the ticket. With the odds seemingly against Bindow, the PDP appears to be the only place for a soft landing for him.

Atiku owns the soul and body of Adamawa PDP. The PDP can serve as a relief for Bindow, while Bindow’s modest achievement of roads construction, though one of the most expensive roads in the world, will serve as a basis for Atiku to give Bindow the PDP Adamawa gubernatorial ticket and at the same time use it as a campaign weapon for the governorship elections.

Notwithstanding all these permutations, Bindow still has the resources and incumbency, which gives him a coveted advantage. He simply lacks established political structures and strong grassroots party support. Thus he is always in need of someone to fight his own battles for him. Bindow is like a general in a war with lots of sophisticated weapons, but easily gets frightened by a single shot.

Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State

A TRIBUTE TO KOFI ANNAN

O

n August 18, the world lost a leader and a statesman: Kofi Atta Annan.

And we lost a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and an uncle – a man of deep conviction who was as committed to instilling the values of fairness, integrity, kindness, and service in each of us, as he was to advocating for peace and human rights around the world.

He was as present with each of us and the family as a whole, as he was with every crisis, every mission, and every intervention.

No call, email, or text went unanswered.

No personal crises unaddressed.

No major family milestones or celebrations unattended, no matter what was happening in the world.

So while we shared him with the world, we were never poorer for it.

Today, buoyed and comforted by the outpouring of love and support we have received from around the world, we are richer for having shared him with you. Stubborn optimist that he was, he would want us all to look forward with hope, and keep striving to create a freer, fairer, more peaceful world.

Daddy, may you rest in perfect peace knowing the depth of our love for you and gratitude for the tremendous role you played in each of our lives.

Atta says, “Bye bye Grandpa, enjoy heaven!”

The Annan Family

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

16

NEWS

Presidency Berates Chieftain of CNM over Claim of Sallah Day Bombing Nigeria has become an abbatoir under Buhari, Osuntokun replies Jonathan Eze The Presidency yesterday berated a chieftain of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM), Chief Akin Osuntokun, for allegedly claiming on Tuesday that a bomb blast occurred on Eidel-Kabir day in Maiduguri, Borno State, killing 88 people.

But in a swift response, Osuntokun came down heavily on presidency for describing him as an enemy of the people over his comment, adding that Nigeria has become an abbatoir under Buhari.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and

Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said telling lies of that kind betrayed a mind taken over by ill wishes against his own country.

Adesina urged Osuntokun and others to realise that Nigeria is the only country they have and they cannot swallow poison and expect it to kill the next person.

He said till the Sallah holidays ended, no bomb blast was recorded in any part of the country.

This, he said, was contrary to what used to happen before the advent of the present administration, when insurgents turned such festivals to an orgy of

killings in many parts of the country.

The presidential spokesman said the administration was making strides in securing the country, fighting corruption, and reviving the economy.

The statement read, “On Tuesday, August 21, 2018, Akin Osuntokun, a chieftain of the stillborn Coalition for Nigeria Movement, appeared on Politics Today programme of Channels Television, and made the false claim that a bomb blast had gone off earlier in the day, killing about 88 people in Maiduguri, Borno State.

“Osuntokun, a newspaper columnist and public affairs commentator, has never

hidden his antipathy towards the Muhammadu Buhari administration, but to go on national television and tell lies of the most heinous kind betrays a mind taken completely over by ill wishes against his own country.

“Sallah Day had passed quietly and peacefully, without even a firecracker going off, let alone bomb blast. That was contrary to what used to happen before the advent of the Buhari administration, when such festivals were turned to orgy of killings in many parts of the country by insurgents.

Responding, Osuntokun berated presidency for describing him as an enemy of

the people over his comment, adding that Nigeria has become an abbatoir under Buhari.

He noted that no serious and humane government quibbles with figures when lives are being lost on daily basis.

The statement read in parts: “Further to what I have said, the two incidents happened the same day-and they occur with such frequency that it is difficult to keep pace with the orgy of bloodletting all over the country almost on a daily basis.

“Take note that the presidential spokesman made no mention of the one reported by Reuters on

the same day-that 68 people died. If I am the enemy of the people by highlighting the failure of the government, what then do you call a government under whose dispensation Nigeria has become an abbatoir?

“Whether it is 68 or 88 people that were killed, should a serious and humane government be quibbling about figures? This is yet another confirmation of the cruel and blundering insensitivity of this government-ignoring leprosy while chasing after guinea worm-as the Yoruba would say. And remember this is a government that claimed it had defeated Boko Haram since two years ago.”

2019: Yoruba Leader Cautions Politicians against Violence Hamid Ayodeji As the 2019 general election draws nearer, the PresidentGeneral of the Yoruba Community in the19 Northern states, Dr. Jimpat Aiyelangbe has called on politicians to play by the rules of the game, so as to avoid plunging the country into unwarranted violence that could lead to breakdown of law and order.

Aiyelangbe who is also the President of Ethnic Community Leaders in Kano (ECLAK), urged Nigerians to resist being drawn into unnecessary ethnic conflicts by unpatriotic politicians who are bent on destroying the unity and of the country for their quest grab power by all means.

According to him, “As we prepare for the 2019 elections, I implore all politicians to play the game with the fear of God by eschewing those societal ills that could drag the country into chaos “I want to seize this opportunity to caution Nigerians, including both the religious and political leaders to shun hate campaigns and hate speeches.”

Aiyelangbe who is also the Medical Director of Lafia General Hospital, however, identified lack of equity and lack of employment opportunities among the youths as the basic

reasons for violence and hate speech in the country.

Aiyelangbe insisted that, “Inequity in employment opportunities among the youths directly leads to hate speech and violence. Peace is equity and the greatest manifest of violence among youths is unemployment. Credible employment opportunities can bring and restore peace in the country.”

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption, adding that, “President Buhari is a firm and resolute leader who is thorough and fearless in his crusade against corruption. So, there is need for us to give him support to succeed.”

He also hailed Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for ensuring peace and harmony among various ethnic groups in the state, pointing out that the recent title awarded to him by the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers was welldeserved.

Aiyelangbe further stated that, “I commend His Highness, the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi 11, the Sultan of Sokoto and other Emir’s in the 19 northern states in the country for their leadership qualities and, love for other ethnic nationalities resident in the North.”

No Crisis in Kogi PDP, Party Insists Yekini Jimoh ÓØ ÙÕÙÔË The Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has denied that there is crisis in the state chapter of the party, described its rising popularity as the fear of its detractors.

The PDP in a statement issued yesterday the party described the allegation that it imposed candidates on its members as baseless, and false.

The party in the statement said the state governorship primary is due for next year, and wondered why some mischief makers would be crying foul over a process that has not

commenced.

According to the statement signed by the party’s Director for Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, PDP having repositioned itself to take over the state in 2019, it is now more concerned about the State and National Assembly Elections.

The party acknowledged that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, who is a former governor of the state remains the leader of the party.

PDP commended Idris’s efforts to rebrand the party, saying the efforts have brought back former members to the party.

PEACE MOVES

L-R: Chief Executive Officer of Fresh FM, Ibadan, Mr. Yinka Ayefele; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; and Special Adviser on Efficiency to the governor, Dr. Isaac Ayandele, during the musician’s visit to the Government House, Ibadan... recently

Ekiti Workers Embark on Indefinite Strike Victor Ogunje ÓØ ÎÙ ÕÓÞÓ

Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of insensitivity for owing one month Angry Ekiti State workers salary in 2014 to have betrayed the yesterday stormed the state trust and confidence the workers secretariat in Ado reposed in him that earned him Ekiti and chased away their victory in 2014. colleagues who have resumed The Nigeria Union of Local duty over crisis surrounding their Government Employees unpaid salaries.

(NULGE) in a statement by its The workers, led by former state President, Bunmi Ajimoko, Chairmen of Nigeria Labour had earlier told his staff across the Congress (NLC), state to commence strike yesterday, Ayodeji Aluko, and his but was later called off due to counterpart in Trade Union undisclosed circumstances.

Congress (TUC), Kolawole Olaiya, The irate workers also dissolved who led the protest, accused the state executives of the NLC the government of deceit over and its commitment to defray between TUC headed by Ade Adesanmi six and 10 outstanding salaries and Odunayo Adesoye being owed. respectively, alleging that they The former labour leaders have become passive and shying under the auspices of Ekiti away from carrying out their Workers Rescue responsibilities as labour leaders.

Team, who started the protest Adesoye, however, described at about 8.25a.m., addressed the the dissolution as not only illegal, workers at the secretariat, where null and void but flies in the they ordered their members to face of the law as prescribed by leave their offices and commence International Labour Organisation an indefinite strike.

(ILO).

They said it was wrong for The TUC chairman also refuted the state Governor, Ayodele the accusation that the labour Fayose, who accused former state leaders collected a sum of N14

million to mobilise for Fayose in the recently held governorship election, saying the ex-labour leaders were only trying to malign their personalities to gain recognition from Fayemi.

During yesterday’s protest, the ex-labour leaders had hardly ended their speeches when the workers stormed the offices and started chasing away their members with cudgels.

They also observed a minute silence in honour of their members who had died due to financial incapacitation engendered by epileptic salary payment.

Addressing the workers, Aluko said: “Today, we are dissolving the executives of NLC and TUC in Ekiti State, and they stand dissolved because their leaders, Adesanmi and Adesoye, have lost their values. They are no longer talking about the welfare of the workers they were expected to defend.

“We decided not to do this protest before election so that they won’t read political meanings to it. Workers have died just because they are not paid. In 2014, Fayose

said any governor who owed just a month salary because he is building infrastructure doesn’t worth being a governor.

“Today, the governor is owing pensioners 10 months, local council workers eight Months; civil servants and teachers are owed six months.

We are not fighting Fayose but he must pay the workers.

“Shortly after the election, Fayose quickly paid six month salaries and furniture allowances of political office holders, then what becomes of our teeming workers?

“It was sad that Adesanmi and Adesoye decided to give Fayemi three months moratorium to pay workers when he assumes office, when they were practically doing nothing to ensure that Fayose doesn’t leave office a debtor governor as he promised.

“We hereby declare indefinite strike commencing from today and only the national secretariats of both TUC and NLC can negotiate on our behalf, because we no longer trust the state leaderships of the two congresses,” he said.

17

˾ ˾ ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

PERSPECTIVE

When the Worst of the Best is Better

Instead of fuming for being ranked the 138th ‘livable’ city out of 140, Kehinde Bamigbetan argues that the managers of Lagos deserve accolades for a sustained effort to enter the league of the finest metropolis

T

he set theory is a commonsensical heritage of Arithmetic. By defining a selection from a universe as a set, it makes value judgments that could relate to the mass. The Economist Intelligence Unit, the research arm of the highly prestigious Economist newsmagazine experiments with the set theory every year. To execute its livability survey, it selects 140 cities out of millions of cities across the world. This means a set of 140 cities out of one million plus universe of cities.

That a city qualifies to be among this chosen few is a loud announcement of its arrival in the league of international destinations of commerce, industry and tourism. It means it is being benchmarked in its region as the most important place people are likely to visit and companies are likely to open shop in that region. That is the positive message for Lagos: that its struggle to modernise its infrastructures and services has attracted the attention of the international players so much that is has been recommended for this study.

Curious to know why and how Lagos got into the select group of 140 cities, I sent a tweet to Roxanna Slavcheva, the Head of the City Practices Unit of the EIU, who put together the research.

Her reply: “To answer your question simply, the inclusion of Lagos in the survey was motivated by client demand. Currently, we have a fixed list of cities that we conduct the livability survey for. The ranking is globally focused on business centres around the world. That is why our survey is global and seeks to quantify tangible challenges to lifestyle according to the same set of criteria across all 140 locations.”

The livability report is an advisory data motivated by the need to give multinational companies seeking to send their staff to locations across the world a guide on what to pay them while there. How does the rating work? Read the EIU: “The concept of livability is simple: it assesses which locations around the world provide the best or the worst living conditions.

Assessing livability has a broad range of uses, from benchmarking perceptions of development levels to assigning a hardship allowance as part of expatriate relocation packages. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s livability rating quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an individual’s lifestyle in any given location, and allows for direct comparison between locations.

Every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure. Each factor in each city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. For qualitative indicators,

Ikoyi-Lekki Link Bridge...one of the landmark infrastructure in Lagos

a rating is awarded based on the judgment of in–house analysts and in–city contributors. For quantitative indicators, a rating is calculated based on the relative performance of a number of external data points.

The scores are then compiled and weighted to provide a score of 1–100, where 1 is considered intolerable and 100 is considered ideal. The livability rating is provided both as an overall score and as a score for each category. To provide points of reference, the score is also given for each category relative to New York and an overall position in the ranking of 140 cities is provided.”

The EIU, a private research consultancy, did not survey all the cities in the world. Rather, it looked at locations “around” the world. Therefore, it couldn’t have reported on an assignment it did not undertake. It chose 140 cities across regions and ranked them based on its livability indicators such as social stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructures.

This report is an annual research product or book sold to countries, companies and individuals. In marketing the report to attract the patronage of this global clientele, the EIU put a nice spin on it by branding it as a “world” report.

That is not the problem. The problem is that the media gullibly swallowed it hook, line and sinker and misrepresented a survey of 140 cities as a survey of the world’s millions of cities. This hasty generalisation is logically fallacious and calls to question the failure of rigour among the gatekeepers who are responsible for interrogating information disseminated by a company in a bid to sell its product before uploading for public

consumption.

It is more depressing that no controversy over the indices used is trending on Facebook, blogs and twitter handles of the country’s commentarial. For instance, this report uses New York, United States as its reference city. To demonstrate the contradictions of this modernisation model which has been criticised by Third World scholars such as Samir Amir, Bade Onimode and others, resource mobilisation influences the provision of infrastructures and services by cities.

Considering prudent management as a constant factor between Lagos and New York, the massive difference in the resources available to both cities already shows which lags behind the others. In 2017, New York City Council budgeted $82.2 billion (N29.5 trillion). Same year, Lagos budgeted N813 billion, about $2.3 billion.

Or consider population. With hourly migrant figure of 186 persons, Lagos chokes under a population weight of 22 million people. New York’s most current census of 2015 puts its population at 8, 556, 405. Let us add the increase over the years generously to estimate as 10 million today. Matching both resource and the population for both cities, we can see where the pendulum swings. Vienna, the best of the report’s 140 countries, spent 4 million US dollars to service its population of 1,800,000 residents in 2017.

The failure to critically review the report from the perspective of economic development and appreciate the location of each of these cities in the international system of trade and development is a recent handicap of Nigeria’s media

scholarship. It is indeed surprising that few, if any has bothered to read the report .The drawbacks in Lagos’ strive to catch up with the world such as the neglect it has suffered since the movement of the federal capital to Abuja and the denial of resources needed for its development due to its political distance from the party controlling the federal government for 16 years of the current democratic dispensation are well known. Today, 37 of the 57 local authorities of Lagos State still demand and deserve federal allocation.

Despite these challenges, the reality is that Lagos is not resting on its oars. With the bold and daring push of its helmsmen-Bola Tinubu and Raji Fashola- since the resumption of democratic rule, the megacity has been experiencing transformation in all spheres and playing catch up with centuries –old metropoles. This momentum has been scaled up in the last three years under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode with the massive investment in infrastructures earning the city the description of “a huge construction site”.

Lagos not only means business, it is reforming its processes digitally and humanly to set up shop as the most desirable destination for commerce, industry and tourism. The emerging landscape of the 10-lane Murtala Muhammed Airport Road, Oshodi Transportation Interchange, the JK Randle Cultural Centre, the development of waterways and rail infrastructures, Oshodi-Abule-Egba Bus Rapid Transport route and first DNAcentre in West Africa gradually rises into view.

But it is not all about brick and mortar. More powerful testimonies are being recorded in entrepreneurship as billions of credit to small and medium scale businesses through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund drive the jobless from the streets to factories. The deployment of massive security personnel and equipment, including CCTV technology and street lights elongate the city’s business into the wee hours of the morning. Social inclusion policies have brought the disabled, the youth and the women closer to public resources. Town hall meetings have shown an administration committed to good governance and transparency. These have contributed to the resilience that was globally acknowledged last year.

Ranking 138th among business locations across the world is the recognition that Lagos has left behind millions of many other cities, including the federal capital, Abuja, to be among the 140 demanded by businessmen. And that is enough reason to conclude that the allegedly worst city among the world’s best 140 is, indeed, better than the rest.

-Bamigbetan is Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy

The Man to Beat in Kaduna Abubakar Danladi

T

here is no gainsaying that the best and brightest is needed for public service. When Jack Lew said “I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world”, he might have had Muhammad Sani-Sidi in mind.

As the race to the Kaduna State Government House gathers momentum, the former DirectorGeneral of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sani-Sidi, OFR, has thrown his hat in the ring. The people of Kaduna don’t deserve less than a quintessential public administrator like Sani-Sidi. He is a disaster management guru; a politician with heart flowing with milk of human kindness. He has turned a political gladiator and unarguably the man to beat by any candidate produced by any of the political parties in the next governorship election.

The gentleman, whom many have described as an accomplished administrator, has indicated interest to slug it out under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. He is confident, just as everyone that keenly follows the political developments in Kaduna are without doubt that Sani-Sidi is the only man with an enviable profile

Sani Sidi

that can unseat the ruling party in the state. He is an uncommon achiever who has been tested and trusted. Delegates at the party’s primary election cannot but give him a nod to fly the party’s flag. He is a strong advocate of people-oriented governance. He sees and believes that any public service without putting the people at the centre is a misplaced priority. His exemplary lifestyle is his unique selling point.

No wonder the clamour for Sani-Sidi to become their governor became a daily song in the lips of the people of Kaduna until he finally succumbed. This is not unconnected with his intimidating profile and the robust relationship with the common man on the street. In him, there appears a new hope and a breath of fresh air.

He appears to be the most qualified to become the next governor of Kaduna judging from his political antecedent and vast experience in public. As at the time he was appointed as NEMA’s DG, he was a member of the Kaduna State Executive Council where he served variously as the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources; Works and Transport as well as Culture and Tourism. During same period, he was also assigned at various times to supervise the ministries of Health and Finance.

His leadership qualities, especially in the area of disaster mitigation and management, began to manifest while he was in the state cabinet.

Thus, he was credited with the successful demolition of unhealthy and defective structures that were hazardous to the people of Kaduna State and was also responsible for the prompt and timely interventions of the state government in curtailing the spread of contagious diseases.

He, at various time, chaired the committees on decongestion of Kaduna metropolis; removal

of carcasses in public places; decongestion of the federal highways, particularly Tafa and Mararaban Jos; and the cleaning and clearing of garbage in Zaria.

Prior to his appointment into the Kaduna State cabinet, he served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance between 2003 to 2007, having been a senior manager in the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

While he held sway as NEMA’s boss for seven years, his charisma, team spirit, intellect, humility and transparency endeared him the more to his co-subordinates. His landmark, uncommon achievements and record had since set a new and uncomfortable standard for his predecessors.

Through his position and selfless leadership at NEMA, he redefined stewardship and kept the agency’s vision and mission alive. Some of his progress included expanding the coverage of NEMA through its zonal operation offices. The initiative enhanced its timely response to sudden onset emergencies throughout the country.

Above all, the move took disaster management to the people after all disasters like politics are all local.

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

18

T H I S D AY ˾ ˾ ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀

PERSPECTIVE

Understanding the Season of Decamping, Defection and Confrontation Ignatius Muotoh writes that political defection or decamping have always been the trademark of Nigerian politicians,

especially towards the end of each administration for selfish reasons and never in the defense of democracy

T

he set theory is a commonsensical heritage of Arithmetic. By defining a selection from a universe as a set, it makes value judgments that could relate to the mass. The Economist Intelligence Unit, the research arm of the highly prestigious Economist newsmagazine experiments with the set theory every year. To execute its livability survey, it selects 140 cities out of millions of cities across the world. This means a set of 140 cities out of one million plus universe of cities.

Amongst other definitions, politics is described as activities associated with governance of a country or a group. It is embedded in ideology which is a body of doctrine, myth, belief and so on. It guides an individual’s social movement.

With ideology as the heart, politics includes the activities associated with improving people’s lives.

It is very often said that politics is about power. And a political system is a framework which defines acceptable political methods within a given society. Its objective is not to defraud, deceive or shortchange the electorate.

But in some situations, that may be the case.

I’m going to begin by defining two key elements which is in the body and soul of politics.

The two key elements according to a worldwide and acceptable concept, are the words-service and reward.

Service is said to be an act of helpful activity.

It’s a help rendered. It aims to ease a burden on the people.

In other words, it is the action of helping or doing work for the people. In politics therefore, service may include the provision of utilities or commodities like water, electricity and gas as required or demanded by the public. Above all, and in most cases, the provider of such service, volunteers the service. It is not forced on the individual by the community.

Whereas reward, on the other hand, is something given or received in return or recompense for service, merit, or for hardship rendered. It could be a sum of money or an act or prize offered for service rendered.

The interesting link between these two key words is the absence or should be the absence of a violence act or words in rendering a service or accepting a reward for a voluntary act.

However, since service on its own is a voluntary act by a person to render a service to his community, reward is what one receives for services rendered.

The former is devoid of violence, while the later may, even though service rendered was voluntary, the renderer may feel shortchanged.

Saraki

Akpabio

And such instances, may lead to a dispute where reward for services rendered may be considered inadequate by the receiver.

However, one is yet to see where a man or a woman will fight, borrow, sell, steal, kill or cheat on others simply to serve his community. People do not go to war over allocation of work to be rendered. No one fights because he or she was excluded from performing a voluntary service.

Please, if you know of one, let me know and I’ll eat my words.

Perhaps it’s logical to war over reward for service rendered. But illogical to war to render a service.

We are currently, witnessing a tsunami of political decamping from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and vice-versa in the ‘defense’ of democracy. Why is this happening?

I wonder if these movements in defense of our so called democracy are for real, or for other ulterior motives?

May I direct your attentions to the remuneration of our law makers in both the Senate and Representatives, in relation to the rest of the people, since such a picture might throw some light and assist in answering the question.

Is it not a fact that ‘if you must come for equity, you must come with clean hands’?

A closer look at the salaries and allowances for our legislators, is at best shocking and at worst, evil.

Certainly, it’s devoid of equity and definitely not in the defense of democracy. Their hands are

not clean for equity.

May I now, draw your attention closer to specifics.

The United States of America gross domestic product (GDP) for 2017 was a whopping $19.4 trillion, and her economy, absorbed a minimum wage of $9.20cents/hour for her citizens during the same period.

Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the same period 2017, was $413.7 billion (estimated) while the minimum wage for her workers was a paltry N18,000 per month (approximately N75/hour which was equivalent to $0.20 cents/hour.

While a US member of the House of Representative pockets a monthly $1.43 million on salary and allowances, his Nigerian counterpart goes home with a monthly salary and allowances of $1.67million.

These comparisons are mind boggling and ‘ungodly’.

Now, we are all witnessing the ‘show of shame’ recently in the name of ‘Defending our Democracy’ and I beg to ask these questions.

‘Who wouldn’t defend this sort democracy if your take home cheque is $1.67 million monthly in a nation where the majority are hardly paid the miserable N18,000 monthly income ($52 approx.)?

I watched with amazement the legislators protesting at the gates of the National Assembly against the blockade into the House by hooded gangster (security men) and I did a ‘facepalm’ on the pathetic situation we have found

ourselves.

Make no mistake about this. I’m not against the acts or protests by our legislators if such are carried out in good faith.

Again, my questions are.

Where were these legislators when President Buhari and his APC government, appointed exclusively his Fulani clan into the nation’s security services in contrary to the Federal Character principle as laid down in the constitution?

Where were these legislators when the same black hooded security men were aiding and abetting (and still do) the killings by the herdsmen in Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa and Enugu owing to their inactions?

Doubtless, some of these legislators may have verbally spoken against Buhari’s policies on security, but that’s not enough.

Why will these legislators, wait until their offices are blocked and their livelihoods threatened to react?

May I ask, is criticising this ‘show of shame’ by legislators indicative of a tacit support for this Buhari?

Our people should not be hoodwinked into believing that the two Houses are fighting in defense of democracy. These politicians (legislators and the presidency) are the same people, and in the same boat. Sucking and milking the treasury at the expense of poor Nigerians.

I will label these brouhaha and the so called protests in defense of democracy as a ruse.

And the 170 million Nigerians (less the members of the two Houses) must not fall for this.

Political defections or decamping have always been a trademark of Nigerian politicians most especially towards the end of each administration for selfish reasons and never in the defense of democracy.

Imagine for a brief moment, waking up to read that the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has announced to the bewildered House of Commons, that he crossed over from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party lead

by Jeremy Corbyn.

Or to read in the Washington Post that the Republican Senate Leader Speaker Bob Ryan has crossed over to the Democratic Party.

Such news are not only inconceivable but unthinkable since ideological differences is the key to political leanings.

These politicians should stop deceiving Nigerians. And it’s high time the people should also stop falling into this trash.

-Ignatius ‘Nat Muotoh, writes from Langley, United Kingdom

Wali as the Game Changer in Kano Politics Yusuf Daawah

T

he merger of two or more opposing political groups to achieve a common goal is not new in Kano politics. The Second Republic Minister, Aminu Wali happens to be a long time key player in the success of all the coalitions in the state. In the history of Kano politics, Wali’s camp in the NPN produced Kabiru Gaya as governor.

Coming down to the segregation of the PRP, the DPN vs UNCP saga and formation of the PDP in the Fourth Republic which emanated from the two opposing groups‘Tabo’ and ‘Santsi’ that produced Kwankwaso and Ganduje as their gubernatorial candidate respectively. This later became a combined ticket. Wali was a key player in the victory of the ANC group in the PDP. During that period, Ganduje from the Santsi group had more experience and qualification to be the governor, but the ANC and Wali outsmarted Santsi by making Kwankwaso spearhead the ticket.

Kwankwaso has enjoyed the control of the Peoples Democratic Party from 1999-2014 by virtue of his offices and his tremendous achievements. Notwithstanding, Wali, a reputable politician, peace maker, ambassador and a minister, who served in many capacities is the only leading politician in Kano who has never deserted the PDP since inception. When Kwankwaso decided to desert the PDP in 2014, he decamped with a large number of his supporters.

Statistically, it could be concluded that the long-term political rivals in Kano - Kwankwaso and Mal. Ibrahim Shekarau have almost equal political strength approximately 51% to 49% respectively as the

highest number of votes differences recorded in which the former defeated the latter was not beyond 50,000 and vice-versa. The 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections in which the duo competed directly and by proxy is a clear confirmation of the above statistics.

When Shekarau realised that the APC which was formed with his toil and sweat was trying to sideline him by giving the captainship of the party to the then governor and his rival Kwankwaso, he decided to switch to the ruling party PDP to seek political asylum. He moved from APC with his followers. He emerged the Minister of Education, giving him a chance to place his die hard loyalist in the party structure. Wali’s camp remained intact while all these were going on.

Kwankwaso, as an APC Senator, an erstwhile governor whose former deputy and loyalist took over the administration had a rift with his protégé, leaving him no choice but to vacate the party since all efforts to reconcile them were not fruitful. Kwankwaso was stranded as neither him nor his loyalist could make it in the primaries. He couldn’t form another party due to his presidential ambition which can’t be achieved in virgin political space. That was why he decided to return home, though it would not be home as it is used to be, with the quest to dethrone Ganduje. He does not care with whom to join forces (foe or a friend), the ultimate goal is to defeat Ganduje. One thing needs to be clear. Among the supporters of Kwankwaso that decamped to the APC with him, not all of them followed him back to the PDP. He lost almost 45% to Ganduje. Therefore, his weight in PDP is reduced. He lacks the political structure, which Shekarau and Wali already control, and the party cannot

dismantle its existing structure to accommodate him due to legal and constitutional implications.

As the three long term political movers (Wali, Shekarau and Kwankwaso) decide to join hands in dethroning Ganduje, it would be very hard for Ganduje to fight back. I don’t know if Ganduje realises it or not, the truth is that among his loyalists, there are power mongers, who only pledge their loyalty to incumbents in order to receive appointments. Such constitute a chunk of Ganduje’s supporters.

The problem lies in the sharing formula amongst the three PDP chieftains. Which side is to produce the governor, deputy governor and SSG? How many commissioners should each side take? Among the reasons why Kwankwaso defected to PDP is the strong belief that the APC will be unfair to him in the presidential race, by giving Buhari an automatic ticket. But he is now insisting that each serving member of the House of Representatives that followed him to the PDP must be given an automatic ticket. Will that not bring another chaos in the PDP at the constituency level? Is there any assurance of getting re-elected if given the automatic ticket? If some of them are given automatic tickets and happen to lose in the main election, would he not try to compensate them with other appointments?

To win the 2019 election, Ganduje has to make hard choices which could possibly ignite internal resistance and political mayhem within his APC. One of the things he needs to adopt is to break the alliance between the three political movers who are out primarily to end his political career. Among the three big wigs, Aminu Wali would be more suitable, vulnerable and most valuable asset

because his team has been intact. Another leading factor is that Wali may face challenges in persuading Kwankwaso and his cronies to accept Sadiq as the gubernatorial candidate, if his future is assured by the APC and Ganduje.

Making his son Ganduje’s running mate in 2019 as he hails from the Kano central, could make Wali leave the PDP and give his unwavering support to Ganduje. Some rumours going around lately point to the fact that the Presidency is trying to exploit this option of Aminu Wali in order to help Ganduje and Buhari. It is not yet certain what the APC is bringing to the table, but the big question is: Will Kwankwaso and Shekarau be able to sort things out if Ganduje succeeds in absorbing Wali considering their long time rivalry? Will Mallam Salihu Takai and his co-directors remain loyal to Shekarau or will they switch to the Kwankwasiyya camp?

Expect more drama to come from this state.

On the flip side, the 44 year-old Sadiq Wali (son of Aminu Wali) has been favoured by a research conducted by a non-governmental organisation, the ‘Voter’s Rights Forum, VRF’ . The research shows that Sadiq Wali is the only aspirant from the old PDP political group. He is a new page without a single blot. He is seen by party members as a well behaved person, enjoys support of Kano youths and has been an active member of the PDP since 1999. His campaign team consists of representatives from all the major political groups in the Kano PDP. He is the only aspirant that has visited all the 44 local governments and met with the delegates. He has an excellent public relations and is a very successful businessman.

-Daawah writes from Kano Municipal

19

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ AUGUST 24, 2018

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 9.25 % 8.42 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

7.17% 10.24 % 11%

A U G U S T S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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

1 7 , , 2 0 1 8

355.72% -0.03% 0.18%

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

0.43% 7.96%

EXCHANGE RATE N306/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Paucity of Manpower Worries IATA

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT

L-R: Glo Regional Manager (Secondary) Lagos/Ogun, Mr. Victor Kalu; Head of Dept., Education Management, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Virgy Onyene; Mr. Jide Ibigbami of Glo Enterprise Sales and Director, Entrepreneur and Skills Development Centre, UNILAG, Dr. Sunday Adebisi, at a Glo sponsored summit on Entrepreneurship held in Lagos...recently

Freight Levy Review Lifts Nigeria’s Cargo Volume by 31.2% Eromosele Abiodun The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stated the inward cargo throughput of Nigeria’s seaports recorded a 31.24 per cent increase between January-June 2018, following the decision of the agency to carry out a downward review of its three per cent freight levy.

The NIMASA core mandates include regulating shipping, especially in terms of ensuring navigational safety, maritime domain security, and promoting the development of shipping in the country, among others.

Statutorily, the agency collects

MARITIME three per cent freight levy from all vessels that call at the nation’s seaports as its statutory source of funding.

Speaking exclusively with THISDAY, during an interactive session with journalists on the activities of the agency in Lagos, the NIMASA boss disclosed that the agency decided to do a downward review of its three per cent freight levy to reflect current realities in the global shipping business, a development that scaled down its revenue but boosted cargo throughput.

Available statistics showed

that a total of 96.427 million metric tonnes of cargo was handled at the nation’s various seaports between January and June 2018, as against that of 73.629 million metric tonnes of cargo handled in the comparative period of 2017, representing a growth rate of 31.24 per cent.

According to him, “Within the period, the agency reviewed freight rates benchmark for the three per cent billing. The review was done to reflect prevailing realities in shipping based on the request by operators.

“The significance of this new benchmark is that it has fostered harmonious regulator-operator relationship.

“Also, the review brought about positive trends in the

industry, leading to more patronage. So far in 2018, total cargo throughput (January-June) is 96,626,737.96 metric tonnes, showing 31.24 per cent increase from the cargo throughput of same period in 2017, which stood at 73,628,546.62 metric tonnes.

“By reviewing our three per cent freight levy, we do not insist on revenue generation alone, but rather to grow investments, create a level operating environment and by so doing achieve a lot of improvements in the relationships between the regulator and operators, which builds more confidence in the Nigerian system.”

Continued on page 20

FG, ECOWAS to Review Flight Charges Chinedu Eze The federal government has started series of meetings with some countries in West and Central Africa to review airport charges on Nigerian airlines.

Nigerians that operate West Coast destinations complain that they are made to pay exorbitant charges by some countries in the sub-region and insisted that there must be uniform charges for the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to be successful.

This was confirmed by the Director of Consumer Protection, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Adamu Abdullahi who said that the civil aviation authorities in the sub-region had met to review the charges.

Abdullahi, said if the charges are not reviewed downward, Nigeria may be forced to apply the principles of reciprocity in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

AVIATION He said any country that levelled exorbitant charges on Nigerian airlines, Nigeria would reciprocate by doing same to airlines from same country.

“This issue is currently under discussion. The Director-Generals of the Civil Aviation Authority of these countries met, and the matter has been raised by the Director General of NCAA. “This matter has been discussed and that is why our airlines are getting a better deal now. That explains why our airlines are now operating to some of those destinations, especially the West Coast countries. This means that things are looking up.

“We have the highest number of air passengers in West and Central Africa, so it is high time we reciprocated all the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) we have with these countries.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If we

don’t overcharge them here, they should not over charge us, but if they do, we are free to also over charge them,” Abdullahi said.

On his part, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, said some African countries charge Nigerian carriers outrageous taxes in order to discourage them from coming to their countries but when they come to Nigeria they are charged moderate fares.

He said that such operations to West Coast destinations would be unprofitable for Nigerian carriers if the charges are not reviewed downwards, noting that Nigeria has the highest number of passenger traffic on most of those routes.

“In Africa Nigeria seems to be too liberal; allowing all airlines from the continent to come to the country. But recently our request to go to Togo was snubbed until we threatened court action. In diplomacy there is the principle of reciprocity. So when they are harsh to us, we should also be harsh to them;

in that way we would protect our own and also be respected,” Onyema said.

Another Nigerian airline operator whose airline has serviced those routes for years told THISDAY that if African Union wants SAATM to work they must introduce uniform charges across the continent, the way it was done in Europe.

He said that both domestic charges and charges on regional destinations must be the same, noting that this is the only way SAATM would be successful.

“For example, Ethiopia Airlines pay almost nothing to the airports it operates in Ethiopia.

For SAATM to work the airline must be paying what another airline from another African country will pay if it comes to Ethiopia.

“In Europe, charges are uniform, whether the airline belongs to that country or another country, as long as it is part of the European Union, Continued on page 20

TheInternationalAirTransportAssociation(IATA)publishedtheresults of a global survey of Human Resources professionals in the aviation industry highlighting key challenges in talent acquisition, training and retention.The world body said more than 73 per cent of respondents expected the major areas of job growth to be in ground operations, customer service and cabin crew. Also, it showed that 48 per cent of the respondent stated that finding new talent was a challenge. This was attributed to lack of availability of candidates with the right skill levels and qualifications as well as, in some cases, salary demands of new applicants. In addition to the salary and benefits package of each employee, the HR professionals identified career progression opportunities (49 per cent) and development and training (33 per cent) as high priorities in job satisfaction and retention. Only 28 per cent of respondents reported that current training was effective, with many organisations seeking to complement their in-house training with external partners to improve the effectiveness of the training. Safety and customer service skills are priorities for hiring managers across the industry. While technology is indeed changing the customer service role, it is not replacing it. IATA said approximately 75 per cent of respondents expected an increase in customer service, ground operations and cabin crew jobs over the next two years. It also revealed that 65 per cent of respondents expected growth in security jobs and that 63 per cent anticipated growth in regulatory positions.

US Airlines Cut Chinese Flights

Two US airlines, American and Hawaiian, are dropping flights to China, with fuel costs and increased competition cited as reasons.

According to airwise.com, American Airlines would end its daily direct flight between Chicago and Shanghai in October, maintaining just a codeshare flight with Japan Airlines via Tokyo Narita. The airline previously announced it was ending its daily O’Hare service to Beijing, also in October. “Our Chicago–Shanghai service is unprofitable and simply not sustainable in this high fuel cost environment and when we have opportunities to be successful in other markets,” American VP Vasu Raja said. Connecting flights are still available to Shanghai via the airline’s Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles hubs. Hawaiian Airlines announced the suspension of its three-times-weekly service between Honolulu and Beijing’s Capital Airport, again from October.

The airline gave no reason for ending the direct flights. “These decisions are never easy and this one is especially difficult because we believe in China’s future as a robust market for the Hawaiian vacation experience,” the airline’s chief executive Peter Ingram said.

“We will continue to market one-stop options to Honolulu from cities throughout China on our airline partners.”

SAA Regional Airlines Begin Flight

South Africa Airways regional airline, SA Express marked its inaugural flight recently, after the country’s aviation regulator reinstated its operating licenses. The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) had re-awarded both the airline’s air operator certificate and its maintenance approval.SA Express said it had also received certificates of airworthiness for most of its 11 aircraft fleet, with the rest expected soon, airwise.com reported. “We are delighted that we have now satisfied the concerns that the regulator had leading to our temporary grounding at the end of May this year. This has paved the way for us to prudently and incrementally reintroduce our flights as from August 23, 2018,” interim CEO Siza Mzimela said.

Filmhouse Cinemas to Open at Lekki

Circle Mall has announced that Filmhouse Cinema will be joining the Shopping Centre. In a statement, it stated that the plan was to open a number of auditoriums in the mall which would be officially unveiled at a grand opening event December 1st 2018.

Centre Manager for Circle Mall, Ayo Amudipe said, “The Cinema will offer exceptional comfort in each auditorium, allowing movielovers to stretch out and focus on the film. “The cinema will feature designs and operation style that largely incorporates complimentary multifarious services such as games arcade, food concession, digital cinema and 3D cinema, ultimately enhancing the movie-experience.

“ Indeed, the commission’s ongoing strategy implementation aims at attaining an increase in the ratio of pension funds to GDP to at least 10 per cent by 2019”

Acting DG, PenCom

Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Umar

20

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

BUSINESSWORLD FREIGHT LEVY REVIEW LIFTS NIGERIA’S CARGO VOLUME BY 31.2% The NIMASA boss, who also gave insights into other operational activities of the agency, disclosed that the country recorded a 10.3 per cent growth in the number of foreign vessels that call at her various seaports, which is above the 15 per cent benchmark of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in response to the improved port state regulatory functions of the agency.

He stated further gathered that the country recorded a 27 per cent growth in the number of vessels registered in its ship register as a result of improvements in the agency’s flag state control regulations even as 21 per cent growth rate was achieved in the coastal activities in response to the improved coastal state functions.

Dakuku insisted that due to the tremendous improvements in its coastal regulatory functions, the country can no longer be described as safe haven for substandard vessels.

FG, ECOWAS TO REVIEW FLIGHT CHARGES it must pay the same charges.

Abdullahi accused ASECNA (Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar) of introducing discriminatory charges and charging airlines from English speaking African countries higher than those from French speaking nations in the region. “Most of these complaints have to do with ASECNA and ASECNA is the body that has solid control over the airspace of these French speaking countries in West and Central Africa. Our own carriers keep complaining that their charges are too high and that they are discriminatory in what they charge airlines from English speaking countries and French speaking countries. While they charge the former highly; they charge the later low,� he said.

However, THISDAY learnt that African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) is writing regulatory guideline for SAATM, which would determine the charges, the airlines that would benefit from the treaty and other guidelines.

NEWS

Pilotage District Board Members Recommend Review of Ports Act Eromosele Abiodun Members of the newly reconstituted Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) Pilotage Districts Boards have recommended an urgent review of relevant sections on pilotage in the Ports Act of 1999, to reflect the present dynamics of the industry.

The members in a communique signed by 21 participants at a workshop also resolved that the, “NPA Marine Pilots Training Manual,� be reviewed to ensure the proper and effective capacity for the Authority’s trainee pilots.

These were part of the eleven-point communique adopted by the Pilotage Districts Board members at the end of their two days’ workshop, which took place in Abuja.

Other highlights of the communique prioritised the fact that there was need to integrate the evaluation and appraisal of pilots in the authority’s human resources process as highlighted by a presentation from the Human Resources/ Operations Division of the NPA. The workshop also showcased the imperatives of clearing the backlog of promotion of pilots so that they can measure up with their peers in other departments.

According to the communique the board called for the provision of adequate marine craft to other pilotage districts outside Lagos, to make them function optimally and further enhance safety of navigation

and operational efficiency amidst greater efficient customer service delivery.

On the engagement of Escravos pilot to provide services in some segments of Delta port channel, the board stressed the importance of the certification of pilots and

regulating their services in order to ensure safety in the nation’s maritime domain.

Also, the board commended the Management of NPA for responding to the enforcement of Electronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS) which will facilitate the train-

ing and equipment of the pilot.

Meanwhile, in his remarks at the inception of the workshop, the Executive Director Marine and Operations, Dr. Sokonte Davies, assured members of the Board that Management will render her maximum and an unflinching

support to enhance the success of pilotage activities in all the districts. Davies called on them to bring their wealth of experience and professional competence to bear on Port operations with a view to moving the Nigerian Maritime Industry and the NPA forward.

MOU SIGNING

L-R: Team Lead, SME Channel and Collections, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Henry Anokwuru; Head, SME Liability, Mr. Paul Adebo; Acting Regional Director, Sage Software Nigeria Limited, Mr. Abiola Adegbite and Business Development Executive (Accounting and Payroll) of the firm, Funmilola Akeju, during the signing ceremony of an agreement between both institutions in Lagos‌recently

6,670 Plateau Rice Farmers Benefit from Anchor Borrowers’ Programme Seriki Adinoyi in Jos At least 6, 670 rice farmers in Plateau State have received seedlings, fertilisers, herbicide, pesticide, water pumping machine and other rice farming inputs from the ongoing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

Disclosing this on Monday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Yakubu Dati attributed it to the strategic engagement

of Governor Simon Lalong with the central bank.

The initiative resulted to empowerment for about 13,000 rice farmers in Plateau State.

While inspecting the distribution of implements and materials from the stores of the Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP) in Jos, Dati said, “about 6, 670 rice farmers in Plateau State have received seedlings, fertilisers, herbicide, pesticide, water pumping machine and other rice farming inputs from

the ongoing Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the federal government.�

He added that the distribution was on-going simultaneously at the PADP stores in Jos, Mangu and Shendam, to the benefiting farmers who are mostly women and youths.

He noted that the programme was aimed at empowering the farmers to boost food production, create employment and reduce youth restiveness.

According to him, “We applaud the efforts of Governor Simon Lalong for quietly returning the state as the hub of agriculture in the nation, more so with the potatoe value chain project on-going in the state.�

Explaining the modalities for distribution, the secretary of the state chapter of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Mr. Dauda Aku, said the farmers had been receiving their items since the past three weeks

at the secretariats of Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP) in Jos, Shendam and Mangu local government areas.

According to Aku, the beneficiaries were drawn from the 17 local government areas of the state.

He confirmed that, “6,670 people were approved in 3 geo-political zone of the state and about 36 truck-loads, each with 600 bags of fertilizers were allocated to the rice farmers in the state.�

of production in accordance with international requirements and best practices could be inculcated in our agricultural production systems.

This, he said, would also build confidence in international markets for Nigerian agricultural production and make conformity with the standards of those markets and required certification easy.

Oluyede applauded the Nigerian organic Movement, which had for several years been quietly working on creating such a culture amongst its members, in accordance with International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) standards, but pointed out that this was not enough because it

was the duty of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the States Ministries across the Federation to lead such a revolution.

He added that the appropriate standards in this regard were statutory in Europe, North America and Japan and Nigerian producers stood to gain a lot if they could meet those standards.

He gave the example of cashew, which could be sold raw at $4,000 if certified organic, but only $2,400 as UTZ certified conventional. “Most Nigerian cashew is organic in the wild but 90 per cent of it is bought

by Vietnam raw at slavery prices because of lack of any certification at all,� he said.

He offered the technical experience of his company.

Firm Seeks to Boost Nigeria’s Agric Exports Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ äĂ?

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ 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) Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ ĂœĂ™Ă•Ă? (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)

Nicert Limited, a Nigerian conformity assessment and certification company in partnership with the Ecocert Group, France, its technical partners, have offered the Ministry of Agriculture their services in form of advisory, consultancy, training and sourcing of certified inputs for Nigerian farmers.

A statement explained that the initiative was to ensure that Nigerian agricultural products conform to commercial or legal international standards, obtain necessary certification accordingly and gain unhindered direct access to the lucrative formal international markets.

The statement quoted the Chairman of Nicert, Ajibola Oluyede, while speaking during a presentation made

on the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s Agri-business and Market development Department, to have decried the spate of rejection of Nigerian agricultural products in the international market.

He emphasised that the unwholesome trend was creating a negative image for Nigerian goods generally and making it even more difficult for Nigerian goods to access the lucrative formal international markets.

He provided facts and figures showing that Nigerian agricultural goods were now being trafficked through other countries that repackaged or processed them in accordance with required standards and got

all the value which Nigerian farmers are being denied.

He gave examples of yam, Shea butter, cashew and Ginger, which Nigeria was a leading producer of, but which were trafficked or exported as raw materials only to create thriving processing industries in Ghana, Vietnam and China respectively.

He stated that the losses to Nigeria in employment opportunities, transfer of technology and industrialisation were unquantifiable.

Therefore, he urged the ministry to take the lead in setting standards that reflected global standards such as Global G.A.P., Fair-trade and even organic standards for Nigerian agricultural producers so that a culture

21

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Foreign Airlines Increase Frequency to Nigeria Stories by Chinedu Eze Records of passenger traffic on inbound and outbound flights have indicated that foreign airlines are increasing frequencies into Nigeria as a result of an uptick in economic activities. In a recent data released by African Aviation Services Limited, foreign airlines operate over 300 frequencies weekly into and out of Nigeria.

This showed an increase of 22 per cent from about 220 weekly frequencies operated by foreign airlines two years ago.

Ethiopian Airlines has the highest entry points into Nigeria, which is five airports.

Ethiopian and ASKY together operate 54 frequencies weekly into Nigeria. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operate 21 frequencies weekly into Nigeria.

The breakdown further showed that African World Airways (AWA) has 49 frequencies per week; Cronos Airlines (proposed); EgypAir with 16; Air France 15; Saudi Arabian Airways 13; Emirates 11; Lufthansa

11; Air Cote d’Ivoire10; Qatar 9; South African Airways 7.

Others were Delta, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir, Sudan Airways, Turkish Airways, which enjoy seven frequencies without reciprocity from Nigerian airlines.

Also, Etihad has five frequencies; Fly Mid Africa has four; Middle East Airlines - four and Air Italy formerly Meridiana has three weekly flights to the country.

Industry expert and Chief Executive Officer, Aglo Limited, Tayo Ojuri, that the airline business is often the first hit during recession and will improve once the economy recovers.

Ojuri, explained that the direct implication of improvement in the economy is that there will be increase in the purchasing power of people, which will enable them buy tickets to travel.

There are indices that indicate economic rebound for the country. Oil production recovered to 1.8 million barrels as at January 2018, according

to OPEC data, from as low as 1.2 million barrels daily in the thick of militant disruptions.

These factors contributed to lifting the economy from recession in the second quarter of 2017, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The economy has consolidated its exit from recession after growing 0.8 percent in 2017 compared to a 1.6 percent contraction the previous year.

These developments are coming two years after foreign airlines operating in Nigeria had their $600 million blocked at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which final tranche was paid in March this year.

Emirates Airlines which reduced its three frequencies daily in Lagos and Abuja airports reduced their daily service to one. The airline has returned two flights daily to Lagos and one flight daily to Abuja.

Some of the airlines have increased the size of their operating aircraft, which those yet to change theirs are recording high load factor per flight.

International Carriers Recover Blocked Fund from African Nations The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it has recovered all the blocked revenues of international airlines from African countries.

Many African nations that rely on oil revenue for their foreign exchange sourced had experienced a hit when the prices of oil nosedived in the international market and they were unable to pay foreign airlines their revenues in dollars.

Nigeria was able to finalise the payment of these foreign airlines in March this year, which rose to a total of $600 million, while some countries in the region like Egypt and Angola still owed the airlines till recently.

According to IATA the total amount of the blocked fund was $5 billion and late last year African nations still owed foreign airlines about $1

billion in blocked funds.

“These countries were overly dependent on natural resources for a substantial portion of their revenue, and they were dependent on imported products to sustain their own economies,” said IATA’s vice president for Afric, Raphael Kuuchi, said.

He said progress was being made, as Nigeria and Egypt have cleared all blocked funds, while Angola has reduced the amount it owes to airlines to around $250 million, from $580 million.

“There is definitely still a lot of work to be done. During my last visit to Angola, I received assurance that the government was going to clear the remainder of the blocked funds by the end of August,” said Kuuchi.

“From just under $1 billion, today we stand at around $500 million in funds blocked across

Africa.”

That includes $180 million still locked up in Sudan, $100 million in Zimbabwe, $40 million each for Algeria and Ethiopia, $29 million in Libya, and $11 million in both Mozambique and the Central African Republic.

IATA attributed the progress being made to a number of factors, which include the rise in commodity prices improving foreign exchange earnings for countries, carriers have used the ‘stick’ of reduced capacity and frequencies to spur action.

“Some airlines have gone ahead and cut back, because they could not continue to sustain operations without getting funds out of the country.

“But governments are now realising that air transport is critical to their economies,” said Kuuchi.

Ethiopian Airline, IDC to Re-launch Zambia Airways Ethiopian Airline and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have signed an agreement for the establishment of Zambia Airways.

The agreement was signed by the chief executive officers of both companies, Mr. Mateyo C. Kaluba and Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam respectively in Lusaka on August 19 2018, as shareholders of Zambia Airways.

A statement from Ethiopian Airlines, said as strategic equity partners on the national airline project of Zambia, IDC would hold 55 percent equity in the carrier while Ethiopian holds 45 percent.

“The initial investment as we start-up the national carrier will be $30million. Obviously, as we operate the airline, we will

facilitate the finance necessary to support the growth.

“It is expected that the new airline will operate 12 aircraft and carry 1.9 million passengers by 2028.

“As shareholders, we have a clear sense of direction we need to take in order to ensure the fortunes and secure growth of the national airline. We will instil a performance-driven culture through corporate governance structures and make Zambia Airways commercially viable. Zambia Airways will launch local and regional routes, while the international routes, including Europe, the Middle East and Asia will be added in the near future”, the statement said.

Also, Ethiopian Airline Group CEO said, “For Ethio-

pian airline, this investment is consistent with our vision 2025 Multiple Hubs Strategy in Africa. “As an indigenous and truly pan-African airline, we believe that African carriers will only get their fair share of the aviation industry and African market through partnerships with other African carriers.”

IDC CEO said, “For IDC, this investment represents our commitment to deepening and strengthening Zambia’s industrialisation, the establishment of the national airline will spur growth in the tourism sector and will have significant multiplier effect on job creation through the different business in the aviation supply chain such as hotels, restaurants travel agencies, publisher and others.”

AIR WATCH Creating Conducive Environment to Attract Foreign Investment International investors eye the African market, which is described as new frontier for economic development.

This has attracted global companies to invest in the aviation sector of some African countries.

But Nigeria despite its vigorous campaign for foreign direct investment and huge opportunities as the most populous country in the continent, has been unable to attract foreign investors in its aviation sector.

The only interest shown in the sector by foreign institution was the loan given to the country by the Chinese Exim Bank for the development of four terminals in major four airports in the country with a proviso that those facilities must be built

by Chinese company.

But elsewhere, foreign investors commit funds and technical expertise to development of airport facilities.

For example, the Blaise Diagne International Airport, Dakar, which is one of the biggest airports in Africa, was completed and is being managed by SUMMA Airports.

The Turkish company believes that Africa’s aviation sector growth would exceed global average in the near future, so the time to invest in the sector is now.

A director in the company, Yildirim Ören said the company is now building several airports in Africa.

“The aviation sector in Africa is booming and has very good light for the future and we are very much excited about this.”

“We are also excited to commit these investments in African countries because we believe in the growth of the sector. We will do our best to support the aviation sector in Africa and we will continue in this business,” he said.

In addition to operating the airport in Dakar, SUMMA is constructing airports in Niamey Airport in Niger and Khartoum Airport in Sudan, all under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) contracts of between 25 and 30 years operating periods.

In the same vein, many international carriers are partnering with African airlines or are operating as local carriers in some countries, like the British Airways Comair in South Africa.

Travel expert, Ikechi Uko, said China has invested major stakes in Ghana’s African World Airline (AWA) and the airline operator has invited foreign investors to build Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and aviation training school at Ho airport in Ghana.

Also, Ghana Airport Management Company has taken commercial loans to build the new Kotoka terminal, it is also building a new terminal at Tamale and the company is attracting foreign partners to invest in the airports.

But in Nigeria, international airlines that have been operating for several years do not have any investment in the country.

Their operating offices are on rent, but some of them are willing to invest in other African countries.

Uko told THISDAY that one of the major reasons why Nigeria is not attracting foreign investment is policy inconsistency, noting that all the airport concession agreements Nigeria entered into ended up in controversy.

While it is acknowledged that BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) build the best airport terminal in the country, the domestic terminal at the Lagos airport, MMA2; the Federal

Sirika

Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and BASL are in court over the tenure of the concession.

Also, the joint venture between Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Nigeria Airways ended in controversy because of what some industry experts attributed to policy inconsistency and lack of respect for agreements.

A major airline operator in Nigeria said, “Whenever you invite foreigners to come and do business in Nigeria, they will remind you of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Richard Branson’s frustration with Nigeria.

“I suggest that Nigerian government should go, and hold talks with that man because he was not treated well. Before you sign any agreement make sure that you don’t leave possibility of afterthought.

We are suffering from what he said about us,” the operator said.

When the Chairman of Virgin Atlantic pulled out of the now defunct Virgin Nigeria Airways, he said, “We have Virgin’s ill-fated footsteps by setting up a new airline in Africa in conjunction with Nigerian government the details of the doomed attempts to crack the Nigerian market in the 2000s is better imagined… we put …together a very good airline-the first airline in West Africa that was ever IOSA/IATA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) operational safety audit accredited but unfortunately it got tied down to the politics of the country…we led the airlines for 11 years…

Industry observers said the Nigerian government should review its institutions and develop policies that would encourage foreign investment in all sectors of the economy.

Executive Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Nogie Meggison said for Nigeria to build a hub and improve passenger traffic, it must change its policies in the aviation industry.

“We need to improve our infrastructure and our policy. Buying airplanes and setting up airlines do not make a hub. It is the infrastructure that makes a hub. So once you put the infrastructure on ground, more airplanes will come and passengers will also come,” he said.

22

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

Abdullahi: NCAA Condemns Unhealthy Competition among Domestic Airlines The Director of Consumer Protection, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Adamu Abdullahi, has said airlines in the country will gain more by cooperating and maximising opportunities through interlining. Abdullahi, who said this in an interview, also said Nigeria may reciprocate the high charges levelled on Nigerian carriers by other African countries. He spoke to Chinedu Eze. Excerpts: Let’s start with your evaluation of the airlines’ relationship with passengers, do you think it has improved?

It has improved tremendously. What is happening now is unprecedented. You have seen what happened to Medview Airline.

It sent most of its aircraft on checks. At some stage, it didn’t have any aircraft on ground. But it continued to operate. It was operating because it entered into interlining arrangement with Dana Air, with Arik Air and so passengers that come to the airport, who had already bought tickets, as Medview did not envisage it would send out its aircraft, it assigned these passengers to other airlines. Most times, we say as long as the passengers do not complain, we don’t have any issues. And passengers did not really complain. It is only when passengers become choosy and say that I bought the ticket from this airline, why are you asking to use this other airline, that we explain to them that every aircraft flying in Nigeria is airworthy, as far as NCAA is concerned.

If the airline you bought the ticket from endorses you to fly another airline you go ahead and take that flight.

I will say the situation is encouraging, in the same instance, when airlines lose aircraft without notice because you are dealing with machines and machines can fail at any moment.

A particular airline has three AOGs (Aircraft on Ground) in one day, but all the same, it went ahead, merged flights; gave all the things to the passengers, according to the regulator; such as the refreshment that is needed after two hours of delay; they refunded those that want their tickets refunded and merged flights to ensure that passengers were taken from point A to point B. These are the things we have encouraged, and they are becoming norm and that is what we wanted to achieve all the while, as long as there is no issue between the passengers and the airline. We feel that we have done our job, as long as no one feels that he has been short-changed in any way.

We are happy. Overtime we will reach the stage with the domestic airlines where we are with the foreign airlines. Whenever foreign airlines have issues we just see it as a report that airline A has AOG and passengers have been taken to a hotel, so another time has been fixed for the flight and passengers have been informed. The passengers who could not wait have been endorsed to other airlines. This is where we want domestic airlines to be in the near future.

This means that NCAA is strongly in support of the on-going plan for domestic airlines to interline?

This is something NCAA has always encouraged, and it was part of the meetings NCAA has held with all airlines, stakeholders in which we encouraged them to go into this interlining arrangement. Come to think of it, it does not make sense for three airlines to leave at the same time to the same destination with each aircraft having few passengers. Rather than that; why not put all the passengers in one aircraft and have a full load? In that way you maximise your profit. Once you have a flight form you will know who flies who, where the money goes to and this is cleared at the clearing house that will be established.

We have always encouraged airlines to be part of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Billings and Settlement

of those destinations, especially the West Coast countries. This means that things are looking up. We have the highest number of air passengers in West and Central Africa, so it is high time we reciprocated all the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) we have with these countries. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander. If we don’t overcharge them here, they should not over charge us, but if they do, we are free to also charge.

Abdullahi

Plan (BSP). If domestic airlines will do that, we will be most glad. They are now in the process of doing that. I know they are holding discussions among themselves and IATA is spearheading it and let’s see if it will work out; if it does, it will be very good for the airlines themselves as well as passengers. This is because this issue of passengers getting stranded and all the flight delays and cancellations will be a thing of the past. This is possible because at any given time you will have one of the airlines going to one of the three major destinations of Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. So, we are looking forward to the interlining.

Recently there were text messages being sent to people, warning them not to y some airlines because if they do they might be involved in accidents.

One of the messages was attributed to a well-known pastor. What was NCAA’s reaction when it saw the message?

It was a desperate de-marketing strategy, caused by this intense competition among the airlines. We believe that it is the airlines that were fighting each other to the extent that they went ahead to damage each other’s name.

They were even posts on social medium, Whatsapp by pilots, telling you not to fly an airline they just left; that they left the services of that airline because they don’t maintain their aircraft. But that is not true because all the pilots and crew of the accused airline would have left if there is any of such danger. This is because no one would want to go and commit suicide if by any chance the aircraft is not maintained, and they go and have an accident. People should think twice about all these fake news that go on air. NCAA has given assurances that any aircraft you see in Nigeria’s airspace is safe and airworthy.

We have warned all the airlines and we are warning them again to desist from such practices and as I said earlier, this interlining arrangement will encourage them to be collaborating with each other rather than be on each other’s neck. So I suggest and I strongly recommend that people should not worry about such postings because our airspace is safe and our aircraft are safe to fly.

Nigerian airlines are complaining that some countries in the West Coast use high charges to discourage them from ying to those destinations, while they are not charged as much when airlines from those countries come to Nigeria.

What do you think the domestic airlines should do?

Most of these complaints have to do with ASECNA, and ASECNA is the body that has solid control over the airspace of these French speaking countries in West and Central Africa. Our own carriers keep complaining that their charges are too high and that they are discriminatory in what they charge airlines from English speaking countries and French speaking countries.

While they charge the former highly; they charge the later low. This is really out of my purview but a complaint from airline operator that comes to me certainly will be investigated because consumer protection does not begin and end with passenger. It covers everybody that uses the service of aviation. The airlines can lay their complaints if they have. This issue is currently under discussion. The Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of these countries met, and the matter has been raised by the Director General of NCAA. This matter has been discussed and that is why our airlines are getting a better deal now. That explains why our airlines are now operating to some

What is your view about fares charged on domestic ights?

Civil aviation authorities also act as consultants to airlines. Low cost carriers have been success stories all over the world because there is less cost associated with their flights. Low cost carriers cut off refreshments. It is no frills flights. You just take your light bags and jump onto the flights.

No air hostess to serve you refreshments on the flight. Nigeria can adopt this and because most of the domestic flights are one hour, passengers can manage. So, if Nigerian airlines can change their business plan and start thinking in those terms of low cost flights, they would spend less on cost of flights. But come to think of it, the average cost for one-hour flight worldwide is $100 and that is about N36, 000. Most flights in Nigeria are about one hour and if you check well, you will see that the cost of ticket is around that amount, unless you booked your flights in time. So, what this is telling us is to book our flights on time so that we can pay less. The less the ticket cost the more people that will fly, but the fact remains that we don’t have enough aircraft in our airspace. We have many aircraft that have gone for checks and the average age of our aircraft makes maintenance a major issue.

If we can get new aircraft in our fleet, airlines will save more money on maintenance and make more money. Maintenance is a no go area. There is no way you can cut corners on that and the older the aircraft the more maintenance that you do. So, we keep advising the airlines as their consultants, on how they can operate at lower rate and then make more revenue out of their operation.

VIP movement makes airlines lose fuel, cause flight delays and also make passengers anxious. Is there any way such delays can be curtailed, or the airlines be compensated, as it is done in some countries?

This issue has been raised during Consumer Protection Directorate, airlines and airport service providers. VIP movement has been identified as major cause of delays in flight operations.

Such delay that can sometime be as high as 40 minutes affect the operations of that aircraft for the rest of the day because each aircraft is scheduled for services and any delay in one flight affect the schedule of other flights operated by that aircraft. During the meeting, we agreed that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Director of Airport Operations and NCAA’s Director of Aerodromes and Airspace Standards should take up this issue with their respective heads to that we can get a shorter span of time for VIP movements.

Better still, on the long term; we have spoken severally about having a separate airport for the Air Force as it is with Saint Andrews in Washington, so that civil aviation can be separated from military flight operations.

23

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

Resolving Port Costs and Port Charges Eromosele Abiodun posits that the federal government should take a look at the solutions provided by maritime sectors stakeholders at the third annual maritime conference to resolve the problem of port costs and port charges

Some time ago, one of Nigeria’s leading accounting firm, Akintola Williams Deloitte, in a report, blamed the high cost of doing business at the nation’s seaports on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other government agencies, claiming that Customs processes are responsible for not less than 82.1 per cent of the charges incurred by consignees.

The report was titled: “Public Private Partnership (PPP) as an anchor for diversifying the Nigeria economy: Lagos Container Terminals Concession as a Case Study.�

Akintola Williams Deloitte stated that its value chain analysis of a 20-foot container laden with cargo worth N36.42 million ($100,000) imported into Nigeria from China, revealed that about N6.5million would be required to clear and transport the container out of the port.

Of this amount, it said about N5.3million (representing 82.1 per cent) is paid to NCS as Import Duty, Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS), ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), Port Development Surcharge and Value Added Tax (VAT).

According to the report, other actors in the value chain include: shipping companies, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), terminal operators, clearing companies and haulage services providers.

It said shipping companies are responsible for 13.8 per cent of the port cost (N897,000); terminal operators 1.8 per cent (N117,000); NCS 82.1 per cent (N5.3million); transporters 1.1 per cent (N71,500) and clearing agents (N78,000).

According to the report, “The value chain of a typical container terminal operation begins with the shipment of the goods through a shipping line to the host country. The consignee pays the freight charges for the shipping as well as the container deposit fees. Demurrage charges may apply where the consignee fails to return the containers on time. “Upon arrival of the container at the Nigeria port, the consignees pays terminal handling charges, storage charges, delivery charges and customs examination charges to the terminal operators. In addition, the consignees also pay the relevant customs import duty. Consignees pay for logistics services to get the goods out of the terminal. Consignees pay for the services of the clearing agents (where applicable). Large companies are directly responsible for clearing

their goods.�

Notwithstanding their huge investment and meager earnings, the report stated that terminal operators bear the burden of most of the challenges at the port. “Terminal operators face huge challenges in the area of storage as the terminals are used as “cheap storage warehouse alternatives� by cargo owners.

Meanwhile, there are many questions as to why or what is responsible for the high port charges persist across the nation’s sea ports. While some say shipping companies deliberately rip Nigerians off, others believe government over the years has failed to do what is necessary to avert unnecessary charges that drive business away from the ports.

Taiwo Afolabi’s Solution At the third annual Taiwo Afolabi Maritime Conference under the auspices of Sifax Group, held in Lagos, stakeholders called on the regulatory agencies to formulate policies that will be beneficial to every player in the maritime industry.

In his keynote address, titled: “Port Costs and Port Charges: Issues in the Port Reform Policy,� Chairman, Nigerian Ports Consultative

The issue of rising port costs and charges which has soared unabatedly can be solved if political will which includes the implementation of all agreed process and terms without delay and transparency is entrenched

Council, Kunle Folarin said a typical shipping company debit note in Nigeria contains nine different charges such as shipping line/agencies charge, container cleaning/maintenance, container deposit, MOWCA charge, NIMASA sea protection levy, MOWCA Fee, freight levy, document release, demurrage charges, NIPOST Stamp Tax and VAT. He further explained that disputed charges between the NPA and shipping companies include- provision billing, under declaration of weight and volume, excessive extra service charges between NPA and terminal operators, throughput charges, royalty, lease fees, use of foreign currency in computing charges, berthing fees.

To curb the effects of these charges on the port system, Folarin submitted that there must be a deliberate government policy to reduce Customs duties and taxes and that the revenue target placed on the NCS commands should be discontinued to reduce port cost and charges.

He also suggested the setting up of an effective and efficient single window platform and regulation of the port and shipping sector to include both service and costs, port infrastructure development especially in port environment and common user areas.

He also advocated the establishment of a port community system as a framework for stakeholder dialogue to improve service quality and reduce costs and the encouragement of Public-Private partnership in port business, investment in modern facilities and IT enablers and provision of good quality human services. “The issue of rising port costs and charges which has soared unabatedly can be solved if political will which includes the implementation of all agreed process and terms without delay and transparency is entrenched. The landlord model must be administered in the very technical, ethical and objective structure such that concessionaires obligations are not to replace the responsibilities of the port authority and including an inclusive port reform strategy.

As a way forward, he said there must be political will to ensure meaningful change adding that all agreed processes and terms must be implemented without delay.

He added that transparency must be entrenched in the concessioning and port reform process adding that, “laws are made to promote port

productivity and fair trade and competition and not to create monopolies. The landlord model must be administered in the very technical, ethical and objective structure. Concessionaires obligations are not to replace the responsibilities of the port authority, a modern productive infrastructure in an element in a Landlord model. “Port reform must be total and all inclusive of the key players who provide and consume port services including NCS, statutory agencies, freight and logistics operators, and law enforcement agencies. NPA must monitor performance and compliance of their own obligations as well as those of the concessionaires and other service providers in the enforcement of the Concession Agreement.�

Determining Appropriate Cost In his opening remarks, former Managing Director of NPA and the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, explained that the regulatory agencies should formulate policies that will be beneficial to every player in the maritime sector.

He said: “To curb the rising port costs and charges, operators should determine appropriate cost of services in the maritime sector. This is because at present, terminal operators are going through a tough time meeting up with their lessee obligation due to a volatile exchange rate order between the Naira and the Dollars. The private sector should be allowed to run the port because the government is not adequately equipped to run it.�

On his part, Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi said there is a need for the regulatory authorities to harmonise and balance the conflicting viewpoints in order to satisfy all who do business in the maritime sector. “I am very hopeful that the a suitable framework for determining the appropriate costs of services in the Nigerian port system will be developed very soon without making our ports unfriendly to users either internally or within the sub-region, �he said.

However, Afolabi recognised that the gap and in the last three years, has been bridged successfully with the TAAM conference, himself CONTINUED ON PAGE24

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

24

RESOLVING PORT COSTS AND PORT CHARGES being a product of the law department of the University of Lagos.

In a communiquĂŠ issued at the end of the conference, stakeholders agreed that the Nigerian maritime sector has been too detached; a situation where everyone in each field was locked up in its own cocoon should be discontinued.

Meanwhile, stakeholders also agreed that the port reform exercise of 2006 was carried out because NPA was not providing the best of services.

According to them, the ports were characterised by a lot of challenges, NPA was using a tariff of 1993 as at yesterday 2006, and ship turnaround time was slow, shallow channel among others.

Terminal operators, they said, were however able to turn around the fortunes of the port in the past twelve years, hence the port concession exercise has been successful.

Stakeholders agreed that, “there is need to break monopoly and encourage competition among terminal operators, especially in cargoes handled by each terminal, the port were concessioned in a monopolistic manner. Stakeholders suggested a review of the exercise while charging the NPA to address these attendant flaws. It was settled that the maritime sector performance is indeed a major contributor to the economy and therefore must be given attention on any discussion on port cost and port charges. “Nigeria is blessed with 200 nautical miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Nigeria husbands at least 70 per cent of the political economy of the West African Region with importation of over 100, 000 million metric tons of non approximately 2 million units of containers a year. Ships traffic into Nigeria by latest data exceeds 5,307 per annum. Over 85 per cent by value of all the goods and services that enters the country comes through the sea ports. The current aggregate exceeds $5,000,000,000 a year through formal import order.�

Origin of Port Charges They said port cost and charges originated in 1993 when the port reform policy of the federal government started and was finalised in 2006 when all Nigerian operating ports were concessioned. “That core areas of shipping services that attracts port charges and dues are; scheduled liner services, chattering stevedoring, terminal operations, shipping agency, freight forwarding, destination inspection service, bunker suppliers, hull and marine supretending, equipment leasing and hiring, manning agency for seafarers. That nine elements of charges are being collected by shipping companies, they include: shipping line agency charge, container cleaning and maintenance, container deposit, MOWCA charge, NIMASA sea protection levy, MOWCA fee, freight levy, document release, demurrage charges, NIPOST stamp tax, and VAT. “That issues of dispute between port authority and shipping companies include; provision billing, under declaration of weight and volume of cargo, excessive extra service charges. That issues of dispute between the ports authority and terminal operators include: throughput charges, royalty, lease fees, use of foreign currency in computing charges and Berthing fees. That issues of dispute between import-

ers, exporters and terminal freight forwarders operators are: terminal landing charges, cargo transfer charges, cargo storage charges, delivery charges,� they said.

They added that: “issues of dispute between shipping companies and importers and exporters, freight forwarders include: demurrage charges, administrative fees, container deposit refund, publication and notification of operating tariff and arbitrary amendment. That port costs is a collective responsibility of both government and the private sector, it is the monetary measure of what port users pay to the port authority, terminal operators, and other ancillary service providers for using facilities and services of a port. Port cost is an important component of total transport costs. “That the port economic regulator has a critical role to play in setting port costs, Port charges and costs cannot be imposed, it has to be discussed, hence, the port economic regulator which is the Nigerian Shippers Council must ensure fair hearing, anti-monopoly and fair trade practice, ensure rights and obligations of all practitioners, ensure mediation, conciliation and arbitration.�

They added that strategies to reducing port cost should include deliberate government policy to reduce Customs duties and taxes, to set up an effective and efficient single window platform, to regulate the port and shipping sector, to develop port infrastructure especially in port environment and common user areas.

Also, they said port community system should be established as a framework for stakeholder dialogue to improve service quality and reduce costs.

They stressed that PPP should be encouraged in port business; invest in modern facilities& IT enablers; provide good quality human resources.

Landlord Model The landlord model, they said, must be administered in the very technical, ethical and objective structure. “Concessionaires obligations are not to replace

the responsibilities of the port authority, a modern productive infrastructure in an element is a landlord model. The NPA must monitor performance and compliance of their own obligations as well as those of the concessionaires and other service providers in the enforcement of the concession agreement. Both the technical and economic regulation enforcement guidelines that protect and ensure the realisation and sustenance of the objectives of the Reforms must be established. “Major restructuring of the port industry must commence with the review of the applicable laws and building of capacity for the management and staff of the NPA, NIMASA, NPA, NCS and NSC. The terminal operators must consent to yearly operational plans that can be measured. The economic regulators must issue guidelines that are open, transparent and enforceable. Its operations must exhibit very professional ethical behavior and must not be compromised, “they submitted.

The stakeholders in the communiquĂŠ warned that corruption which is clearly endemic in port must be challenged adding that documentation processes must be IT Compliant.

They said: “That given the externally dynamic and mercurial unpredictability of the movement of the exchange rate of the Naira to the dollar, special consideration should be given to terminal operators especially in payment of lease agreement to NPA Naira. A review of the charges by terminal operators and shipping companies should be effected to reflect the present economic especially, the astronomical changes in the foreign exchange regime. “Despite appointment of the NSC as the port economic regulator, much result has not been achieved in enforcing sanity in the maritime sector. The Shippers Council has met stiff opposition and has not been able to function properly as a result of a suit filed by Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) and shipping lines. The court case should be withdrawn while arbitration should be embraced.�

They said responsibilities of the port reform must be borne by all parties both NPA and the terminal operators should fulfil their bargain as signed in the concession agreement.

NPA, they said, has been failing in its responsibilities and terminal operators now bear un-anticipated cost of running the ports including provision of electricity, bore hole and so on. “That all operators must work hard to reduce the economic impact of delays in positioning containers for examination, the attendant traffic gridlock on access to Tin Can and Apapa ports.

That a platform for periodic dialogue among operators should be created, where there are increase in port charges by terminal operators and shipping companies, it must be communicated to the clearing agents and importers for downward transmission to the consumers. “That indigenous terminal operators are doing fine and are more customer friendly than the foreign owned terminals. A review of the port concession exercise is imminent with a view of reducing the number of concessionaires currently in play. The ports were concessioned out in 2006 based on political considerations. The concession agreement should also be backed by law.

That collaboration and synergy is important to efficient port system, there is need for building of strong relationships among all operators to work together.�

Stakeholders called on the 8th National Assembly to ensure quick passage of the Ports and Habours Authority Bill, saying that the Bill remains one of the solutions to reduction of high port charges and port costs They concluded that the problems emanating from disparity in charges and misunderstanding between maritime regulators and operators is as a result of the inconsistent policies of the federal government. “Government needs to be sincere in all its policies while an enabling environment should be created for business to thrive,� the stressed.

Bello: Automation Solution to Cost Reduction at Ports Eromosele Abiodun The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has said full automation of the port processes remains the only solution to the current increasing cost of doing business at the seaports.

The Executive Secretary/ CEO of the council, Mr. Hassan Bello, who spoke at the third edition of the Taiwo Afolabi Maritime Conference held in Lagos, insisted that the current clamour by stakeholders for the reduction in the cost of operation at the ports may remain unrealisable until

a common Single Window Platform was introduced and embraced by all.

The theme of this year’s event, which is an initiative of the Maritime Forum, University of Lagos and the SIFAX Group in honour of the Executive Vice-Chairman/ CEO, SIFAX Group Dr Taiwo Afolabi, was “Port Cost and Ports Charges: A Recurring Decimal Under Port Reform Regime�.

Bello, who was represented by the Deputy Director Monitoring and Enforcement, Chief Cajethan Agu, insisted that

until a port community Single Window Platform that will accommodate all stakeholders is introduced, the quest for the reduction in ports’ cost and charges would remain an illusion under the current manual system.

He also argued that in addition to reducing cost of operation, the single window platform would bring about a regime of efficiency by reducing human contact to the barest minimum, increase government revenue and by so doing, make the nation’s seaports more efficient and

competitive with their peers in the region.

According to him, most of the seaports in West Africa have all adopted the full automation option by embracing the single window platform, which in turn has enhanced efficiency, boosted revenue for the government and reduced cost of doing business. “For instance, in the Republic of Benin, the introduction of the single window platform led to a 39 per cent growth in government revenue, reduced cargo dwell time from over 40 days to less than 10 days.

“Full automation of the port systems through the single window platform remains the panacea to rising port costs and charges. Most ports in West and Central Africa are fully automated except those of Nigeria’s, so we all need to embrace the automation option to reduce cost, increase revenue and enhance port efficiency and competitiveness�, Bello said emphatically.

On calls by stakeholders that the port regulators and service providers should close ranks with a view to addressing the

issue of rising cost and other myriads of problems plaguing the port industry, the NSC-boss noted that the terminal operators and shipping companies sued the council, which is at the Supreme Court, saying that no negotiations would be done until the matter is dispensed with.

He however pledged that the council as a regulator will continue to ensure fairness, equity and justice and would continue to protect the interest of all stakeholders including service providers and users of port services.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

25

26

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ Í°Í˛Ëœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś

Investing in Cassava Farming, Processing Plants for chips, flour and pellets respectively while moisture content is 14 per cent, fibre five per cent and ash-three per cent content for all the three products. Details would be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

Chips are normally white or near white, clean, free of mould, foreign matter insect damage and without off odours. Length of chips should be 4-5mm. It should be noted that if quality standard is not maintained the export project is bound to collapse. Therefore must be worked out carefully.

Godwin Uba The Federal Government announced its intention to discourage importation of some items that can be easily be produced in this country including cassava, rice and wheat products. At the same time encourages those interested in local production and export to develop the local production of these crops and at the same time encourages self-reliance on local food consumption. The present government has paid attention on the development of agriculture and other non-oil exportable products. Cassava production, processing into chips & pellets, industrial starch, ethanol, garri, cassava flour and foo-foo is still a very lucrative agro- industrial project.

In 2013 the Federal Government has come up with lots of packages to benefit farmers to develop agriculture. Some of them are N4.1Billion for cassava farmers only; N60Billion for Agro-farmers to enable them purchase stocks, seeds, stems, fertilizers etc; N200billion through Bank of Agriculture. These are great opportunities to exploit.

Every hand should be on deck to encourage cassava production either through provision of funds or through encouragement of production for export market.

Here some of those potentials are discussed.

Cassava is an important annual food grown throughout Nigeria.

It is tuberous and has the ability to thrive in poor soils and has considerable resistance to drought.

It is also used to refer to the root of this tropical plant. It is botanically called manihot-esculenta and also called maniac or tapioca. Cassava is seen as readily available raw materials for establishment of small and medium scale industries in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s staple garri is produced from the root of this crop.

Export Types Cassava for export includes dry cassava leaves, chips, pellets, cassava meal, flour and starch and ethanol. All these products can be export. Detailed research reports and feasibility studies report on establishment and running of any these aspects of the project are available and would be given to prospective investors.

Uses Cassava is used mainly for producing animal feed. The dry roots chips and pellets are usually preferred by industrial animal feeds producers in America and Europe. Alcohol is also extracted from cassava. Textile industries and food industries need starch.

Production Nigeria is a major producer of this tropical crop with output conservatively put at over 89, 000 metric tons as the end of 2017Apart from

Export Globally, only 15 per cent of total production of cassava is exported with Thailand being the major exporter of cassava products. As earlier stated cassava and its derivatives were de-listed from the export prohibition lists since 1996 and any Nigerian can invest and export any processed product(s). Its export is now encouraged among other food crops for which Nigeria is a major producer by present administration.

main attraction for cassava. About 90 per cent of the traded cassava in the Europe is from the developing countries, Such as Nigeria. Main suppliers are Thailand (about 85 per cent), Indonesia (about six per cent), sub Saharan Africa is yet to contribute significantly to world trade in cassava with about three (3) per cent recorded in the early part of the millennium.

The principal buyer of cassava in the Europe is Netherlands, (accounting for over 40 per cent of total Europe imports); Germany (about 20 per cent), Belgium and Luxembourg (about 13 per cent), France (eight per cent), U.K (10 per cent) and Italy (two per cent). Details breakdown would be given to prospective investors the exportable quality standard.

Directionof export The direction of cassava export is mainly Europe and North America with European Union accounting for about 90 per cent of the total buyers. Details of the foreign buyers of industrial starch, cassava chips & pellets and cassava flour would be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

About 30 per cent of cassava production globally s used for starches and other industrial products and only less than one per cent is processed into ethanol particularly in Brazil. It is a choice animal feed material because of its high carbohydrate content. It is however mixed with protein source such as Soya beans.

Transportationand handling Transportation and handling constitute high levels of cost of inputs in preparation of cassava for export. This is due to the bulky nature of the product. This cost could be as high as 50 per cent of total cost.

Proper management of cost reduction programme is therefore recommended for those who wish to venture into the export of cassava as reduction of costs will afford better competitiveness. Cassava pellets are usual cheaper to transport and handle than other exportable processed cassava products like industrial starch. The standard of the product is very important.

Europe Market Overview The Europe is the major importer of cassava for animal production. Details would be given to prospective investors. Animal production being the main attraction of Agriculture in Europe, accounted for about 70 per cent of total agricultural output. The compound feed formulation is the

Quality Feed millers are very critical about quality.

Consistency of quality is very important for them to maintain the standards of their products.

Quality is usually in terms of nutritive value.

Minimum standard specifications are as follows 70 per cent, 70 per cent and 62 per cent stand

Nigeria other major tropical developing countries that produce cassava include Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia and Zaire.

Nigeria’s over 60,000 metric tons is almost totally processed and consumed locally.

Packing Packing is done in sacks of cotton, multi-craft paper bags or clean jute bag; pellets should be uniform in shape and size, less fragile and should be compatible for handling, storage and transportation.

Palletising equipment exist for production of pellets.

Prospective investors should not afraid of the quality control because the writer through years of experience can guide any investor to success.

The current price of Thailand hard pellets (Nigeria’s equivalent) is as high as 3,500 DM per ton, industrial starch $2,500 US per ton as at January 2011(please note that the international price fluctuates and project plan market price) would be worked out based on the current.

The processing plants The plants and machinery for setting up the cassava chips and pellets, industrial starch and flour are locally available. The raw materials, labour and all other required inputs are locally available.

Prospective investors would be given the details and would be comprehensively worked out in the bankable feasibility studies report. All other essential details including accommodation, manpower, production technology, packaging and marketing will be embodied in a bankable and comprehensive feasibility report for prospective investor. There is another good advantage that is worth mentioning that prospective investors will derive from investing into this project. The EPZ (export processing zones) can provide accommodation to serious investors. At the same time would ensure quality processing of their export products. Details would be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

The writer will guide prospective investors professionally to ensure that all opportunities are tapped (including government’s incentives and funds for Agriculture) good packaging, quality products and efficient/effective management is installed for profits. The writer will also assist in the sourcing of the required funds (where necessary) and obtaining NAFDAC approval.

For details contact the writer Uba, Godwin Global Trust Consulting Group, 56, Ishaga Road (1st oor), Surulere, Lagos Tel: 08034494437, 08023664368

TEXEM Holds Strategic Leadership Training for Executives Oluchi Chibuzor From marketing, operations to HR, supply chain, finance to strategy, there is no doubt that organisations are operating in the era where information and data are extremely critical.

In fact, every driver of organisational performance and value creation is increasingly shaped by the digital revolution.

Leaders know that the present socio-economic landscape in Nigeria is volatile, but the million-dollar questions are how could they do more with lessdrive sales in an effective and efficient way, innovate, develop new revenue streams, improve service delivery, survive, consolidate and grow? The answer is Strategic outcomes from big data.

With Big Data analysis being the process of analyzing large volume, variety, and velocity of data to discover buried patterns, hidden correlation, and other useful information to shape decision making and unlock value, Texem Uk has developed an executive development programme that

would help Leaders to improve individual, team and organizational performance.

During this programme, executives would be opportune to learn how Big Data creates value for their business, how it enables decision making, how it helps to narrow segmentation of customer for targeted clients, and how it opens new business opportunities by developing new and innovative products (for private sectors) and services (for public sectors).

All the possibilities that Big Data can bring to a business will be learned and how it can be implemented in your organisation will be discussed.

For example, Big Data can create new opportunities for your business in areas such as Product/service development, design, marketing, sale or support, that is why you cannot afford to miss Texem UK’s forthcoming programme on Harnessing Big Data: Insights and Action for Strategic Outcomes which would hold from 3rd to 6th September 2018 at Oracle

University, Reading, UK. Executives who attend this programme would learn the secrets of modern-day competitive intelligence, the importance of virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence and how this could improve policymaking, gain insights to develop, implement, and manage collaborative forecasts, how to develop transparent, interrelated and aligned processes, analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making, actionable insights in leading an analytics transformation, case studies of Superlative Results from Harnessing Big Data and ways to avoid business analytic failures. The programme would be facilitated by world-renowned

faculties grounded in actionable insights and over two hundred years real-life experience in total: Professor Rodria Laline (Visiting Professor of Harvard, Insead and IESE and Chair of Intrabond.

Capital), Michael Connaughton, Head of Analytics & Big Data, EMEA - Oracle Others are Neil Sholay VP Innovation, Oracle; Andrew Sutherland - Senior Vice President, Systems, and Technology, Oracle; Andrew SORDAM Oracle Vice President Sub-Saharan Africa and Obi Ejimofo, CIO, Asoko Insight The cost is ÂŁ3000, that is N1,500,000 (which covers study materials, meals during the programme, group picture,

and certification).

Commenting on the programme, Laline said, “In an era of very scarce resources, roller-coaster paced innovation and cut-throat competition, how do we challenge today’s board governance and leadership practices when artificial intelligence and cognitive computing power is aggregated in the hands of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and the likes? “Will we outsource our brains?

Will we connect our human mental states to the dynamic interfaces of modern intelligent systems? Are we underestimating how technology is shaping us? “What happens if we leave all algorithms affecting our lives obscured in black boxes? “What kind of values do we embrace? Who are we? How do we want to live? Big data and predictive analytics are transforming practices in the new business ecosystems. “What goes into big data, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence many of us

don’t know? Discover how to strengthen your own contribution and overall board effectiveness to truly drive business value, competitive advantage, and board engagement.�

Speaking about his experience from previous programmes attended, the CEO and Publisher Businessday, Frank Algbogun said, “I found this program very, very rewarding. In the past, I always had a way of thinking that the matter of sustainabilityrelated only to policy matters but during this programme it has been broken down into the company level and for me there are a number of takeaways that I hope to begin implementing once I get back home.� “Executive Development programme at Oxford and designed by TEXEM was perfectly conducted-The Faculties were very high profile with excellent communication skills. The tours were educative, informative and enlightening,� Member House of Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tijanni Ibrahim Kiyawa said.

WEEKLY PULLOUT

WEEKEND

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

NEWS| P30

COLLAGE | P36

THISLIFE | P37

LATIFAT MOMUDU MY LIFE AS AMBASSADOR OF YORUBA GODDESS, OLOKUN

FILE

28/COVER

24.08.2018

Latifat Momudu: My Life as Ambassador of Yoruba Goddess, Olokun Edo-born international fashion designer and Chief Executive Officer of Revissant International Limited, Princess Latifat Wuraola Momodu, has over the years remained consistent in promoting African tradition and culture beyond the continent. She was early this year appointed Ambassador of Olokun, the Yoruba goddess of the sea and wealth. In this interview with Mary Nnah, Momodu talks about her role and the challenges of being an emissary for a supernatural being as well as the reason she keeps away from men. Excerpts: You have been away from the fashion scene and social gatherings in Nigeria for a while. What have you been doing?

I have been busy outside the country doing my own thing, as well as promoting Nigeria and African culture around the world. I have been designing with African fabrics and all that. I decided to stay abroad for a while so that I can serve what I have to the people over there. I have also been learning more about a business strategy that I have come up with. That is why I have been away from Nigeria, but now I am back.

So at what stage did you accept your fate as Olokun?

Right from when I was young. In school, most of my friends knew that there was something about me and they wanted to cling to me because when they are around me, no evil come to them. They had protection whenever they were with me and people never looked for their trouble.

One of my friends in those days knew there was something special about me so she asked me to pray for her. I told her right then that I knew her dream was to travel to America after school. I assured her that her dream would come true. Immediately we left school, she travelled to America and till date she is still in America.

People have been coming to me for prayers. I do all these spiritual stuffs too and would tell them things about themselves. I have seen that a lot of people are tied down by enemies and wicked people who don’t want them to move forward. But when they come to Olokun, Olokun prays to God and God gives the power to set them free.

Now that you are back to the country, what should we expect from you?

I would be doing what I have been doing back home, promoting culture and doing my things which you all know. I have a dance group, a kind of live band, which I am promoting so passionately. Right now, I sing and dance with the band.

Soon after you returned to Nigeria, you were made the ambassador of Olokun. Was that what prompted your return to Nigeria?

Not really. I think God just directed me to come back home. God is directing my life, telling me what to do. When He said ‘go outside the country, I had to go and when He said, ‘it is time to go back home,’ I did. Olokun, the Yoruba goddess of the sea and wealth, is revered as the ruler of all bodies of water and has the authority over other water deities. The Ooni of Ife, Kabiyesi Enitan Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, sighted me and just knew that this is Olokun and decided to give me what he thinks rightly belongs to me. He made me the ambassador of Olokun and that’s how I became the Yeye Olokun.

Have you encountered any challenges since you accepted the role as Yeye Olokun?

I don’t know of any challenge because people accept me wherever I go. I’m not a religious person but a godly person, and I know when I call to my God, He answers me. People come to me and miracles happen when I pray for them. And if I come to worship in your church or mosque, it doesn’t stop me from being who I am.

Momodu

What is your role as ambassador of Olokun?

Part of my role is to promote the Olokun Festival, a yearly event held in Ile Ife. It is my duty to look for sponsorship for the event. My job is to make Olokun festival lively and interesting to people. Another is for me to educate people about Olokun because a lot of people don’t know what it is. Olokun is very pure. Those who are Olokun are not wicked people.

They are very clean in and out. I’m one of them and that is why I am clothed in white attire always. They fight for the oppressed. That is why people who do evil to me, get into trouble.

Some people have negative perceptions about Olokun. What is your reaction to that?

We have a problem in this country.

We love the Western religion and its way of life than our own culture and tradition. We have forgotten that in the days of our forefathers, they worshipped Olokun and what happened? They were well and healthy. Olokun is one of the angels of God sent to the world.

Olokun is very pure.

Most people who don’t know anything about Olokun get scared. I have been wearing my beads and cowries all along and people used to stare at me and they are always like ‘what’s wrong with her?’ When people see you dressed in white apparel, white beads and cowries they are afraid of you and

call you an idol worshipper. And I said to them, if I was worshipping idols, God wouldn’t be answering my prayers and blessing me, like He does every day. People just think Olokun is fetish and dirty, but it is not so.

Olokun is white. White is pure and clean. And that is the way Olokun is.

Part of my role is to promote the Olokun Festival, a yearly event held in Ile Ife. It is my duty to look for sponsorship for the event. My job is to make Olokun festival lively and interesting to people.

Another is for me to educate people about Olokun because a lot of people don’t know what it is

Olokun is one of the angels sent to earth by the almighty God and that is why she is worshiped. A chief once told me to forget about my beliefs since I have lived in the western world for many years but I told him that Olokun is what makes me special. I believe in Olokun and I’m going to be in it for all the days of my life. That was why Ooni chose me when he set eyes on me. He sees everything. He’s very powerful spiritually.

The general belief is that the Olokun people commune with mermaids. How true is this?

That isn’t a lie. Olokun is from the water. Whether they call it mermaid or any name they attach to it, it does not change anything. But all I know is that they are clean, in and out. They are pure people, they fight for oppressed and God has given me that power to set people free. You can never find an Olokun harming people. If you even have a neighbour that is Olokun, you are blessed, because all they do is pray and bless their neighbours all the time.

Talking about being Olokun, were you born into it or you got into it at a stage in your life?

I was born Olokun. I came into the world as Olokun.

Did your parents tell you that?

I know so from my childhood. I’m Olokun, so just accept who I am.

You are a beautiful woman and a lot of men must be having their eyes on you. Does being Olokun affect your relationship with men?

Olokun is very pure and very clean.

That is how my own Olokun is. And that is why I run away from men. I have to be very pure and clean all the time so that I can communicate with God for Him to answer me quickly.

That is why I have kept away from men. Most men didn’t understand that aspect of me initially but when the Ooni now made me the ambassador of Olokun, they now understand why I continuously run away from men and then kept to myself. I don’t need any man around me because of whom I have been chosen to be.

What do you do for a living?

I’m a designer who promotes Nigeria and African culture. I bring expatriates from the Western world, to invest in Nigeria and I go into partnership with them.

What lessons has life taught you as a person?

Life is very good if you know how to live it but we complicate life. I tell people that they should try to be nice to everybody they come across. There’s one particular thing I say all the time: Eni afe la mo, a mo eni to fe ni de nu (You only know those you love, you don’t know those who love you genuinely). I’m a very jolly person and if you don’t like me, there must be something evil about you. I always tell people to be careful in life. Be nice to people, watch your step, don’t trust people totally because a friend sitting next to you might be your worst enemy. Life is so beautiful if you live it well, but be careful.

29/XTRA

24.08.2018

For Mama Alice Gidson-Jofortan, It’s a Life Well Spent

L-R: Children of the deceased, Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Joe Gidson-Jofortan with Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Adewale Owolabi during thanksgiving service for the late Madam Alice Ayodele Gidson-Jofortan held at the RCCG Divine Glory, Lagos Province 14, Okota, Lagos.... recently

Funke Olaode Sweet they say is the demise of the righteous and happy is one who finished the labour of life well. And for those who touched many lives, community, impacted humanity and also committed to God till the end, their names indeed will remain in the sands of time. All these saying without doubt suit Madam Alice Ayodele Gidson-Jofortan a.k.a Mama Saro perfectly well.

Without doubt, she left an indelible mark that cannot be easily erased in her community, church of God and her family.

It was therefore a celebration of a life well spent for Madam Jofortan, mother of Pastor Joe Gidson-Jofortan of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 14, when he and his siblings rolled out the drums to celebrate their mother who many described as hardworking, compassionate, kind, loving, upright, caring and above all, a committed and devoted Christian.

Though she died on May 2nd 2018 and was buried the following day, her celebra-

Late Mrs. Alice Ayodele Gidson-Jofortan tion of life and thanksgiving service missed.”

One of her daughters, Hajia Maryam a.k.a Mama Saro was born on the 21st was held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Divine Glory, Abdulmalik, also expressed what their of November, 1932 in Freetown SierraLeone, to Mr. Joseph Tamuke and Mrs. Okota Parish on Saturday, July 14, 2018. mother meant to her.

"She was always there for me and my Abiodun Tamuke both highly respected As early as 12 noon, well-wishers, church members, area, zonal and parish pastors siblings. She sowed so many wonderful of Sierra-Leone.

She began her early education at Mrs. in Lagos RCCG Province 14 turned out and unforgettable seeds into us. She had in a large number to support one of so many qualities such as integrity, a Elizabeth home school, from where she high sense of responsibility and deep moved to St. Methodist School Sierratheir own.

The sonorous voice of the choir cre- love for humanity. She was the best mum Leone for her primary education. She ated an ambience of spiritual and merry anyone could dream off. I will miss her.” would later commence her secondary making, all for Gidson-Jofortan.

Paying tribute to his mother whom he education at Hussein College, Warri, In a short sermon, Pastor Adewale usually to call ‘Mamie’ because of her Delta State of Nigeria.

Owolabi thanked God for a life well unfailing love and superb care for her She got married to her beloved and spent for the deceased. children, another son of the deceased, pre-deceased husband, Mr. Wilcox EmHe said, “Living and dying isn’t the Pastor Joe Gidson-Jofortan in emotional manuel Gidson-Jofortan, who was an ultimate, the main thing is the legacy left voice talked glowingly about his mum. accomplished educationalist in 1952. They behind”. Ending the sermon, Owolabi “I doubt if anyone on planet earth can were married for 33 good years and the marriage was blessed with nine children. asked rhetorically. “What legacy would ever love me the way you did.

She passed on peacefully on May 2nd, you like to leave behind?”

"You tolerated my excesses, felt my Extolling their mother whom he pains and you taught me how to be 2018. Mrs. Ayodele Gidson-Jofortan was described as one in a million, one of strong. You gave me what was good for an elegantly fashionable and adorable the children of the deceased, Edward me, most times beyond what was due. woman, who had a serene and confident Gidson-Jofortan said, "She was a "You taught me how to love and care for disposition. The secret of her success disciplinarian who inculcated strong a wife, you were my friend and a sister. was her undaunting faith in her saviour values in her children. I am proud to I would continue to cherish your memory as she spent the rest of her life serving be associated with her. She will be sorely for the rest of my life,” he concluded. her maker.

Foundation Partners FCMB to Empower Youths Activate Success International Foundation has partnered First City Monumental Bank (FCMB) under the aegis of ‘Activate Success Int’l Foundation Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme’ to mentor members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on practical steps to become successful entrepreneurs.

The event tagged ‘Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme’ (YEEP) has already held in Abuja, Imo and Benue at the orientation camp auditoriums and was led by a team of professionals and celebrities such as Nollywood actor-Desmond Elliot; CEO of Vodi Tailors- Seyi Adekunle; Samson Itodo Executive Director YIAGA and the

founder of Activate Success International Foundation- Love Idoko, among others.

The last part of the event which will hold in a soon to be announced date will be the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries.

This practical mentorship with the aim of giving a well-defined career direction to the next generation has been a learning and development partnership between the facilitators and the youths present at the event.

The speakers constantly drew from their own personal experiences and industrywide view to offer career guidance to the aspiring youths, to help them navigate

Firm Pledges Enhanced Welfare The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Chemstar Paints Industry Nigeria Limited, manufacturer of Finecoat and Shield Paints, Mr. Remi Awode, an engineer, has reassured the workers that their welfare would continue to top scale of preference of the company in all its dealings.

He pledged the commitment of the management in providing enhanced condition of service, through regular promotion as well as provision of incentives and reward of excellence performance.

Awode made the pledge during this year’s edition of the 2018 GMD/CEO Annual Merit Awards (GAMA), an annual event instituted by the GMD to reward outstanding staff members and those who have served meritoriously between 10 and 15 years in the company.

At this year’s event, no fewer than 29 members of staff, who have served between 10 and 15 years were rewarded.

The GMD, who praised the workers for keeping

the vision and mission of the company, noted that Chemstar Paints Industry in the face of the nation’s challenges of economic downturn, resulting to high cost of production and low turn-over, still found it necessary to reward its workers for their dedication and commitment in sustaining the company in its 23 years of operation.

Top management staff rewarded at the event, include the Deputy Managing Director (DMD), Mr. Adedayo Paseda, who has served for over 15 years; the General Manager CPIN Chemicals, Dr. Tunde Olaniya, who has served 10 years; and Head, Human Resources Development, Mrs. Toyin Robert for serving over 15 years, among others.

The award recipients went home with various awards and gifts items such as split air conditioners, generators, cash reward, certificates, plaques, home theatres, refrigerators, generators, LED Plasma TVs, DVD players, burners, toasters, pressure pots and blenders, among others.

the difficult business terrain.

Aside providing access to a wealth of knowledge and experience including opportunity to relate with the seasoned speakers, Activate Success International Activation and FCMB also gave N1million grant to the corp members.

One of the speakers gave N1.2million grant to 12 corps members and another speaker gave a sum of N500, 000 as grant to 10 members making a sum of N2.7million in all.

Commenting on the initiative, Idoko said giving a well-defined career direction and support to the next generation has always been her passion.

She said, “I am very passionate about youths and their future. I feel so concerned when they are out of school and have nothing to do. Most of them are businessminded but lack direction and funds to kick start their ideas. In so many cases, they are looking for who they can talk to for counseling and even mentorship.

So we hope that this mentoring and empowerment programme we are organising for the youth corp members at all the locations will make a lot of difference in their lives and help shape their future.

She also appreciated FCMB and INTELIA for partnering her foundation to make the event a success.

Jandor Foundation Sponsors Indigent Pilgrims to Mecca Funmi Ogundare A total of 10 indigent Islamic clerics will be sponsored by Jandor Foundation to Mecca to enable them perform the Hajj and fulfill their spiritual obligation at the Holy land.

Asides sponsoring people to Mecca, the foundation; a non profit and non government organisation also empowers and strengthens the educational, socio-economic and cultural sectors. Speaking at a ceremony organised by the foundation for the intending pilgrims recently in Lagos, the Chairman and Founder of the foundation, Mr. Olajide Adeniran affirmed that impacting the lives of the less privileged in the society has become imperative for him, considering the experiences he had gone through when he was growing up. “We are doing this not because we have money to throw around, but because I know what it's like not to have.

There is need for one to extend a hand of

fellowship to your brothers to impact their lives if God has blessed you, ” he said. He believes that rather than wait for government or selfish politicians for everything, whatever one has to do to make impact in the society, he should go ahead and do it, adding that this year makes the 8th year of sponsoring people to Mecca. Adeniran appealed to the intending pilgrims to eschew vices and be focused on the essence of their going there.

Congratulating the intending pilgrims, Oba Abedeen Durosimi, urged them to guide their utterances when they get there, rather than saying things that may be detrimental to their faith. In his remarks, the Executive Secretary for Transportation, FCT Abuja, Honorable Kayode Opeifa said, “the founder has provided you the platform, by the time you get to Mecca, be good ambassadors of Nigeria. "You are there to fulfill your obligation as part of the five tenets of Islam, you should be mindful of your utterances.”

30/ NEWS

24.08.2018

Ad Takes Another Dimension with In- Taxiads in Nigeria

Stakeholders to Tackle Issues on Land and National Development Mary Nnah

Chief Executive Officer In-Taxi Adverts, Miss Aminat Ayeni (middle) flanked by president of MOTPA, Mr. Timothy Adelaja (fourth from left) and other members of MOTPA at the event

Mary Nnah Advertisement has taken another dimension in Nigeria with the entrance of an exceptional taxi advertisement format, which comes in digital taxi headrests device showing information/ entertainment for customers’ viewing pleasure as they journey to their various destinations.

According to its Chief Executive Officer, Miss Aminat Ayeni, In-Taxi Adverts, is an advertising agency that provides service for companies that are looking to employ taxi marketing techniques as tactics in their marketing strategy to get the full exposure they require.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative and signing of a memorandum with its partner, Moving Train Pilots Association (MOTPA), in

Lagos recently, Ayeni explained that as an innovative advertising company in Nigeria, In-Taxiads is set to give brands maximum exposure of their contents to their targeted audience.

“In-Taxiads is digital adverts running inside taxis; we deal with taxis all over Nigeria. The drivers are actually brand ambassadors so you can advertise just anything inside the taxis - whether you sell cloths, do wigs, you have a new video, you are a politician or anything, we are here to advertise your brands just to be sure you get more popular, make more money and get your point across to the general public”, she said.

Ayeni noted further that aside being poised to strategies with creativity; In-Taxiads will also grant employment to many in a country

of about 197 million people, where 61.6 per cent which occupies half of the population, are unemployed, adding, “We are also giving drivers opportunities to earn extra income as low as 600/day every day to add to their daily income.”

She explained further that In-Taxiads is fashioned in such a way that it allows businesses to leverage their advertisement campaigns in an innovative and entertaining way. The digital taxi headrests are mounted onto the back of the headrests at passenger eye level and play a round of broadcast style advertisement.

Taxis with In-Taxiads are located at vantage areas where the masses patronise taxis and are primarily affiliated with MOTPA, a registered professionals association with over 2,500 drivers.

Sujimoto Engages Nigerian Youths in Mentorship, Internship

Sujimoto (middle in green top) flanked by guests at the mentorship event

The MD/CEO of Nigeria’s most creative and innovative luxury real estate company, Sujimoto Construction, Sijibomi Ogundele, recently held an intensive and engaging one-day Internship and Mentorship Program for Nigerian youths.

The event was widely attended by young Nigerian students aged 12- 22 years, specially selected from different institutions from all over Nigeria.

According to Ogundele, the internship and mentorship program was part of the company’s CSR initiative, aimed at equipping young Nigerians to be self-sufficient and reminding them of their true potential.

Ogundele, who has constantly been vocal about his empathy and passion for helping young people achieve their dreams and not waiting for the government, shared his success story with the students and took them through the creative process of the Sujimoto Brand, using their company’s recent project in Banana Island – The GiulianoBySujimoto, as a case-study.

He spoke about the difficulties encountered during the Lorenzo Era and the challenges faced while raising money for Giuliano but with perseverance, he was able to achieve success and satisfy the needs of clients.

He encouraged participants to have two fundamental qualities- diligence and integrity.

The event was chaired by the chief mentor of the day- Chief Dele Momodu, who compared the Sujimoto entrepreneurship story with the Ovation vision, adding that successful entrepreneurs take ordinary situations and make them extraordinary.

A host of successful celebrities including, Mr.P of Psquare, Architect Tosin Oshinowo, Nedu the on-air-presenter, Bankole Omishore, Debola Williams, Seyi Tinubu, Bovi, Fuad Atanda Lawal, Hon. Folajimi Mohammed, Dr. Chima Anyaso, Stephanie Busari, TJ Saro, Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, Yemi Adefarakan, McLively, Dabota Lawson, and many more stormed the event to share their own success stories and inspire the young attendees.

Momodu, who urged young people to go beyond innovation to have solid plans, added that they need to put in the hardwork required to earn them success and recognition.

He shared his experience with his own mentor and hero of Nigerian Democracy, Chief MKO Abiola and how being under Abiola’s tutelage set him on the path of greatness.

At this year’s event, over 200 students and young entrepreneurs were given the royal treatment. They all went home with luxury gift bags loaded with exciting gifts.

One Mac Air Laptop, two Iphone X and 10 Luxury Smart Watches were given out exclusively to participants with the most innovative business ideas.

Among the winners of the Iphone X Luxury Smart phone, was 17-year-old Sofowa Fisayo, a secondary school leaver whose dynamic 'Movie Set' idea fascinated the celebrity judges and entire audience.

Behind the Success Story of Hero Larger Beer, is Dijo Communications Mary Nnah The story of Hero larger beer cannot be fully told without a generous mention of Dijo Communication, the agency that provided the insight, creativity and marketing strategies that drove and still drives Hero larger beer’s unprecedented performance in the market; which now extends beyond the South-east into other regions, even given rise to considerations for the international beer market.

In 2012, when SABMiller entered into the Nigeria market and sought an opportunity for instant impact, the brand observed that while there was intense competition at the national level of the beer segment, the regional markets got very little attention.

Consumers at the regions were orphaned and left at the mercy of whatever was in vogue in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other big cities.

The marketing campaigns were also designed with

such stereotype.

This discovery gave birth to Hero Larger beer, Nigeria’s first beer brand that will be developed, produced and marketed specifically for the Igbo people of South Eastern Nigeria.

The experiment didn’t just work; it practically revolutionised the topography of the beer market.

Within four months of the launch, 10 million bottles were sold, an unprecedented history in beer mileage of 1 million hectolitres.

Hero beer’s performance also got international recognition as it was awarded the prestigious MONDE award for taste and quality.

Dijo Communications is credited for being the first agency in Nigeria to extensively leverage culture and history of Nigeria of a part of the country to drive a campaign.

In doing so, the agency crafted a brand message with strong emotional correlation and resonance

with the Igbo people, with a narrative around their pride in heritage and culture.

“It is credit to the agency’s deep thinking and ingenuity that they were able to execute such campaign without offending the ethnic prejudice of Nigerians.

Because even though the brand was formulated for the Igbos and branded for that market, it is widely accepted and proudly enjoyed in other regions.

"People don’t event view it from ethnic prism, because of the quality and brilliant marketing concept,” Ganiyu Olowu, a Lagos based brand analyst said.

Coming shortly after Dim Emeka Ojukwu’s passing, a legend of the Igbos, whose war heroics still inspired his people, Dijo Communication, saw a gap, and immediately developed a communication using the identity of the rising sun, which for the Igbos symbolises new hope, new leader and a real Hero that can be looked unto after the death of Ojukwu.

Land affects every aspect of a city and national development at large and it is believed to be the central issue in the development process.

Its ownership and uses have always played an important role in shaping identities, defining power relations and understanding the political, economic and social process at work.

However, there are issue associated with its acquisition, management and use that often evoke controversies and emotions which requires much attention on an almost daily basis.

To this end, stakeholders in the real estate sector will converge to address issues that have to do with land and development in Lagos State and its environs during an international conference organised by the Research and Innovation Office in conjunction with Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development both of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

Billed to take place from October 24 to 26 at the Jelili Adebisi Omotola Multipurpose Halls, Unilag, and tagged, “Land and Development in Lagos”, the event among other things, aims to assist government in formulating appropriate land policies that bring about development in the state and nation at large.

The conference, according to organisers, will attract scholars from all over the world as well as features experts in land matters, policies makers, researchers and practitioners on land in its multifarious dimensions. It will also feature an honours award ceremony for sponsors and partners.

Speaking during a press briefing at Unilag to announce the forthcoming international conference, the Convener and HOD, History and Strategic Studies, Prof Rufus Akinyele, said the conference aims to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss various issues relating to land in metropolitan Lagos.

He said, “When you talk about the issue of land and development, it is not just the issue of housing but a verse field. So we want to look at it holistically, bringing different stakeholders together for discussions.

"One thing is that you cannot even isolate one dimension of it from the rest of them because the evolution of land use also has legal implication. We will also be talking about valuation, so everything is interconnected."

Speaking, Dr. Mayowa Fasona of Geography Department, Unilag, said, “If we look at Lagos, we would discover that what we call Lagos today has extended far beyond the boundaries of Lagos State. Almost 40 percent of the population in Lagos State, if not more than, lives in Ogun State.

"So when you bring that into planning, you need the kind of planning we call Supra Urban planning, that a supra urban space rather than just saying we want to do something for Lagos, you have to look at the cities and states surrounding it.

"There shall be exhibitions by both local and international organisations during the conference to showcase wares and services in land procurement, development, usage and commercial value chain for which interested exhibitions can contact organisers for more details."

“When to talk about land in Lagos, people relate to it based on personal circumstances and here we have the issue of housing shortage, this is something we want to address during the conference” said the event coordinator, Dr. Edmund Chilaka.

“It is one of the reasons why we included the exhibition aspect. We want people who come to this conference to be able to go to the exhibition boots and talk to people about the kind of plots of lands they have and the arrangement attached to them. So the exhibition is a very key aspect of the conference which we encourage people to be part of. It is a very rich conference which will carter to everyone in the real estate sector”, Chilaka added.

L-R: Dr. Mayowa Fasona of Geography Dept.; Event Coordinator, Dr. Edmund Chilaka; Director, Research and Innovation, Prof. Wellington Oyibo and HOD, History & Strategic Studies and Convener of the event, Prof Rufus Akinyele during the press briefing in Lagos...recently

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

31

32/ E-TRENDS

24.08.2018

Northsidekingz Wins 2018 Korean Pop Nigeria Dance Competition Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The 'Northsidekingz' dance group from Kano has emerged overall winner in the seventh Korean pop (K-POP) dance competition with a chance to represent Nigeria in the 2018 World K-POP festival in South Korea.

This year's competition finale was held in Abuja with the winner claiming the new grand price of N500, 000 against N300,00 in past competitions.

The Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Lee In-tae, said that the group have qualified for the preliminary rounds to represent Nigeria at the world K-Pop festival in Korea alongside 'Classic Royals' dance group from Port Hacourt that won second place clinching N300, 000 reward.

In-tae who noted that Nigeria is blessed with abundant talents said: " I am happy that K-POP competition is providing a platform to promote creativity and entertainment, enabling Nigerian youths showcase their talents, improve their skills and prepare for future challenges and success.

"This year's competition witnessed a record submission of entries by professional crews and 30 crews initially contesting for a place in today's final. The price money for the winner in the professional category is now half a million naira while 300,000 is now the prize for the winner in the school category."

Last year's event was won by the 'Fragiles Dance Crew' who represented Nigeria in the 2017 K-POP world festival in Korea with commendable impact.

But this year ’s edition of the K - POP competition that saw seven dance groups competing in the adult category and six others in the students category, cash rewards was also increased.

The dance group ,' Julimore' won the students category with a cash reward of N300,000; while the 'K-PODIANS boys' and 'K-PODIANS girls' won first and second runner up with a cash prize of N200,000 and N100,000 respectively.

Other contestants in the students category includes; K-Stromers girls, JSS Zuba and G.S.S.

Is Trace in Your City Yet? Vanessa Obioha Urban entertainment TV channel, Trace Naija continues its first-of-a-kind city tour this week with more thrilling performances. Targeted at university students, the whirlwind campus tour themed 'Trace In The City' features a fusion of music, games and movies, offering entertainment lovers the best of life’s experiences at campuses and cinemas.

In addition, young creatives will have the opportunity to showcase their talent in a unique 'Content Festival'.

In partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the festival will avail the creatives the platform

to display their creative and cinematographic skills by submitting videos or skits which will be aired on NTA. Also, fans will get a chance to meet and connect with the faces behind the channel.

Speaking on the channel's decision to embark on the campus tour, Managing Director for Trace in Anglophone Africa, Sam Onyemelukwe said that the decision was based on the channel's mission to empower youths in the society.

"The country’s entertainment scene is dominated and consumed by young people and they are eager for opportunities to have their creativity recognized. To respond

to their aspirations, we partnered with NTA so they can drop their videos and submit content to air on TV,” he said.

Although the first leg in Zaria was cancelled, other cities such as Abuja, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Benin, Lagos and Ibadan are guaranteed an unforgettable experience when the train visits their campuses.

Artistes like Ice Prince, Mayorkun, Reekado Banks, Harrysong, Falz, Dj Neptune and a host of others will thrill with music, while movie lovers can catch latest blockbuster movies in a movie theatre. The tour will last till September 17.

Skye9 Sets to Redefine the Entertainment Landscape Mary Nnah Skye9 is set to redefine the entertainment landscape by creating viable and preferred options across the world, especially for Nigerians at home and in the diaspora with the launch of its movie application, Skye9TV. The mobile app provides platforms for users to pay for and obtain instant access to over 5,000 Nollywood films tiles. Skye9 operates a subscription business model where user can access Nollywood movies via android App and iOS App through a worldwide web affording people the choice to watch anything, anytime and anywhere as long as they

are subscribers.

The company works with most of the Nollywood’s top film production houses and has purchased exclusive licenses to distribute these films to global audience.

To this end, the firm recently engaged 50 young people from each state of the federation. The exercise which started in Lagos would move first to Ogun, Oyo, Port Harcourt and consequently to other states in Nigeria, where 50 young people will be employed from each state.

Jumoke Awe, Brand Strategist for Octo Consult, the major marketers and PR Agency for Skye9 Movies, said, “Today we are rebranding to employ more youths who would serve as marketers of Skye9

movies and who would be handsomely rewarded for their efforts.

"Skye9 has been in existence for about two years now but we just came up with a new Movie App called, Skye9tv. The App is totally new and its visibility is very friendly. Our customer care had been rebranded and we would now work 24hour around the clock.”

Head of Sales, Tosin Shidipo said Skye9TV movie App was born out of the quest to come up with something more innovative and competitive adding that viewers should expect more excitement as they get to watch premium and cinema content movies that they cannot get anywhere else.

The Creative Mind Behind AFMA Vanessa Obioha

Falz, Style Plus Partner MAAHT in Concert against Human Trafficking Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The fight against human slavery has received a boost through a music concert featuring popular Nigerian artist 'Falz tha Bahd Guy', veteran artist 'Style Plus' and others to increase awareness against human trafficking in the country and beyond.

This first music concert of its kind was organised in Abuja

by Music Assembly Against Human Trafficking (MAAHT), in collaboration with National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Speaking at the event, the Director General of NAPTIP, Mrs. Julie Okah-Donli, noted that music is a good platform that can be used to sensitise everybody, especially the youths.

According to Okah-Donli, most people are interested in music, hence the need to utilise it as a useful medium to spread the message against human trafficking.

Also speaking, the Co-founder of MAAHT, Mr. Matthew Ohio, said that the issue of human trafficking is a serious national issue which people are still ignorant of.

Ohio said, "I see how Nigerians are being taken advantage of, we want to show young people that all hope is not lost. We are taking the popularity that Nigerian music is enjoying right now and channel it to promote and raise awareness, because of the attention music has, people are going to be better informed."

He added that in addition to music concerts, which will be ongoing across rural areas in the country, MAAHT will also create a scholarship fund for trafficked victims.

His name is not loudly whispered in the entertainment industry, though his platform African Film and Music Award (AFMA) is well recognised in the city of London and its environs.

Since he launched the film and music award festival which celebrates the musical and film achievements of both past and present African stars three years ago, the event has remained in the consciousness of entertainment buffs and aficionados. This is good news to P Tee Money, whose real name is Prince Iyamu.

An electronic artiste, DJ and a royal descendant of Nigeria bloodline of Benin, Edo State, P Tee Money was born in London, England, well over two decades ago.

He studied Aeronautical Engineering in the military academy, though he discovered his undying passion for music at a very young age, drawing influence from a variety of genres and especially from frontline performing artistes of yore like George Duke and Earth Wind and Fire.

From his love of music, he eventually settled down in Progressive House, the genre that he connected with most. His productions cut across a wide range of electronic music styles, from House, Deep House, Indie-dance, Progressive, Future, Afro-pop and Chill out, just to mention a few.

Aside being a prolific musical artiste, P Tee Money is also a published author, an ex-fashion model, who also made some rounds in the acting world, playing sensitive roles in popular motion pictures like the popular block buster, ‘The Mummy 1&2’, among others.

Reiterating the need for AFMA and its attendant aims, P Tee Money said, “Our mission is to appreciate the efforts that have been made by past film and music practitioners and to inspire upcoming actors, actresses, musicians and film practitioners who are thriving in the African film and music industry, with the AFM Award.”

Tidbit Dapo Releases New Single X3M Music artiste, Dapo Arogundade recently released a new single titled 'Sisi Shade'. The new hit is coming on the heels of his debut single 'Necessary' which enjoyed massive airplay.

Produced by Lush Beatz, Sisi Shade tells the love story of a young man who shuns societal prejudices as he pursues his love interest.

Dapo who was discovered on the MTN Project Fame by former contestant and judge Praiz, who is also signed to X3M Music, is optimistic that his new single will be a great success. He boldly declared his intention to set the music industry on fire.

Raji Bamidele Set for Debut Solo Exhibition Vanessa Obioha The Lagos-based hyperrealism artist known for his works that consider natural laws, mathematical, philosophical and scientific principles is set to host his first solo exhibition.

Titled 'Ti Oju Ri: An Inquest into the Perception of Distorted Realities', the works will be displayed at the International Institute for Creative Development (IICD-Center) in Abuja from September 7-14.

Using hyperrealistic drawing style, Bamidele explores the concepts of escapism and embracement of reality.

He draws attention to the subjectiveness of focus, that is, how one’s mental and physical state hones their definition, acceptance or rejection of what goes on around them.

The exhibition is in all, a thematic exposition of the artist’s background that makes up his ideology.

Currently a student at the University of Lagos, Bamidele's works have been exhibited at the 2015 and 2017 editions of the Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF) as well as in galleries such as Omenka Gallery and Thought Pyramid.

He is a recipient of the Prix de la Jeune Création, a Young Talents Award from the French Embassy in Nigeria in the frame of the LIMCAF event, and a silver member of the Africa's Young Entrepreneur (A.Y.E).

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

33

34/FEMALE CORNER

24.08.2018

I am not Abandoning Pharmacy for Writing UK-based Nigerian writer, Amby Chizaram Ezem, recently spoke to Olawale Ajimotokan and Udora Orizu during the launch of her books, on why she won't abandon pharmacyfor writing, despite her love for the latter. Excerpts: knew I would definitely include it in my second book, aha m bu (my name is) Chizaram. While working on it, the IPOB movement was topping the news of which I have my reservation, confusion and concerns about, but that is a discussion for another day. Back to the Biafra War of 1967-1970, there are so many stories to be heard and told from those that experienced it and the hardship faced. I heard of how my grandmother had to dress my aunty as a mad girl so the soldiers don’t molest her. I heard of the famine. I heard of many painful experiences.

So the pieces I dedicated to that was truth and a call for truth telling no matter how painful it is or whether it is for, or against us.

What is your view on the reading culture among Nigerians and how can it be improved, particularly among children of school age?

I believe the reading culture is improving especially with the younger generation due to the introduction of the Internet and e- books. For children of school age, I believe they spend more time on gadgets and online so that’s usually the preferred mode of reading instead of paperbacks. I would also add that people aren’t patient these days to go through lengthy literature whether online or in paper form and this I believe is the main issue with the reading culture in Nigeria and in most places.

Is there anything like writer’s block or is it a myth? Have you suffered a writer’s block?

There is a thing like writer ’s block; however, I hardly suffer from that because I draw my inspiration from everything and every experience around me. I mean the world is bursting with stories to tell and inspiration but in the course of writing through an inspiration, there are times words stop flowing despite the obvious presence of inspiration. I guess that’s still writer ’s block.

What was your hardest scene to write in Soul Exhale?

For Soul’s Exhale (breathing and bleeding), I would say when I was working on chapter two collection of poems and prose, which had to do with hurt and anger towards past experiences of deceit, manipulation and lies; issues of the rape culture from true stories heard, and a piece for aunties and uncles without children who have been fathers and mothers to their nieces and nephews. It was an emotional journey for me. A few pieces had me in tears while writing.

Writing Soul’s Exhale (breathing and bleeding) was really therapeutic and for new readers, I believe it would also be therapeutic.

How did you select the names of your characters?

For my three books, I had initially used a mix of English names and tribal names but when working on the final drafts, I decided to have all my characters carry names that make the tongue dance to culture. I chose names related to each piece. For example, in my second book, aha m bu (my name is) Chizaram, there is a piece titled Ndidi, which is about the strength of women and the need for men who have such wives to be patient and understanding. Ndidi means patient.

Why did you switch from pharmacy to writing?

I am a Pharmacy graduate of University of Reading, UK and I have a Masters as well in Pharmacy. I didn't entirely switch to writing; I am also practicing pharmacy on the side.

I am just taking a little break and concentrating on my writing to see how it fares. Writing is soul healing for me and pharmacy is the chemical aspect. So, I think everything sort of reflects.

Who are the writers that had the biggest influence on you?

Quite a handful but it was more of an influence in bits. However, when I started working on my first book, I stuck to further developing my own style of writing then I discovered new

Ezem

writers (new to me) whose work I found really excellent and captured my heart due to its simplicity and ease of comprehension, which was what I was going for. I would mention two writing legends that I absolutely love:

Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison; but I wouldn’t say they were a big influence.

When in the day is most suitable and convenient for your writing and how many hours a day do you write?

I believe during the early hours of the morning, so like 2am- 4am most times, but it can vary with the flow of inspiration through the day.

Where is your favourite place to write?

My favourite place to write is in my room or where I am alone and in my space on a train or on a journey.

In my second book, aha m bu (my name is) Chizaram, there is a piece titled Ndidi, which is about the strength of women and the need for men who have such wives to be patient and understanding. Ndidi means patient

Chimamanda Adichie set her bestseller, “Half of the Yellow Sun”, in the Biafran War experience. For a young writer of Igbo stock, how does the war influence and affect your innermost being?

In my second book, aha m bu (my name is) Chizaram, I have a few pieces dedicated to that. I always heard of Biafra while growing up but I never knew it had to do with the Igbos.

I mean, my uncle, George, showed us his scar on his chest, grandma mentioned it and dad spoke of it, but it never really dawned on me to ask. I knew of Biafra in 2014 when I visited Nigeria from the UK and we went to the museum of war. That day, my heart boiled with rage hearing in part what happened. Through the years, I started asking questions and I

What is your view on chivalry and feminism?

Feminism to me is standing up for women and the rights of women both born and unborn so that is the girl child that has been born and is yet to be born. My feminism is subject to the biblical feminism that is the Deborahs, the Esthers, etc. I share more on this in my third book, Cinnamon Letters and I also focus on women empowerment, without demeaning men in my first book, Soul’s Exhale (breathing and bleeding). Deborah and Esther were women who understood their power as women not in comparison to men but in being who they were meant to be: women. On chivalry, I heard the uproar but didn’t really pay close attention. I like being treated nicely and with respect and I believe everyone should be too no matter the gender. I grew up with the mind-set of ladies first or the door being held open (this doesn’t always happen) but would I bang my head if that is not done? No I won’t; so my stand is, treat everyone with respect and be kind one to another. Finally, I would say this about a few feminism debates, I have seen many trying to fight for the right to do the silly things some men do and get away with for example, how a man can sleep around with as many women as possible and a woman can’t. What exactly is the fight about?

Do you think you have the connection within the country to write for the Nigeria public, because you have not been in Nigeria for a long time?

Definitely, we all have souls and experiences, shared stories and emotions that are similar. I think it is the flair of the moment for women to stand up. Nigerian women are getting to that point we have to stand up and speak up for ourselves. It's also talks about relationships and love which I believe Nigerians go through that as well. For 'a ham bu Chizaram', I think that might be the one that the question of it does apply to us so far.

Yes it does because I addressed the issue of most Nigerians looking for a way out. I also addressed the part of culture taking the side-lines and foreign culture taking over. I also addressed the issue of selective amnesia of those in authority who tend to black out those parts of history they don't want us to know. So I know there is a place for the books in the Nigerian market.

With the age I'm in, I think I am an adult, and I'm trying to decide whether to move back to Nigeria finally or not. Growing up sometimes we do visit home in Ubakala in Umuahia, Abia State, though I can't speak my language properly, my parents did imbibe our culture in us.

35/LIVING

24.08.2018

FERTILITY WITH DR. KEMI AILOJE

Tel + 2348033083580, Email:Info@lifelinkfertility.com, Website: lifelinkfertility.com

BALANCED NUTRITION TO ENHANCE FERTILITY (PART 2) r 7JUBNJO $ *NQSPWFT IPSNPOF MFWFM BOE GFSUJMJUZ JO XPNFO *NQSPWF TQFSN RVBMJUZ NPUJMJUZ BOE QSPUFDU TQFSN GSPN %/" EBNBHF UIVT SFEVDJOH UIF DIBODF PG NJTDBSSJBHF BOE DISPNPTPNBM QSPCMFNT JO DIJMESFO 'PPE TPVSDFT "CVOEBOU JO QMBOU BOE GSVJUT JODMVEJOH SFE QFQQFS CSPDDPMJ DSBOCFSSJFT DBCCBHF QPUBUPFT UPNBUPFT BOE DJUSVT GSVJUT MJLF PSBOHF BQQMFT FUD r 7JUBNJO % 5IJT JT OFFEFE UP DSFBUF TFY IPSNPOF OFDFTTBSZ GPS PWVMBUJPO BOE IPSNPOBM CBMBODF 'PPE TPVSDFT &HHT GBUUZ àTI EJBSZ DPE MJWFS PJM DBO BMTP CF HPUUFO CZ TJUUJOH PVU JO UIF FBSMZ NPSOJOH TVO GPS BU MFBTU NJOVUFT EBJMZ r 7JUBNJO & JNQSPWFT TQFSN IFBMUI BOE NPUJMJUZ BMTP QSPUFDUT FHHT TQFSN %/" GSPN EBNBHF CZ GSFF SBEJDBMT 'PPE TPVSDFT "MNPOET TQJOBDI QBQBZB EBSL MFBGZ HSFFO WFHFUBCMFT TVOáPXFS TFFET PMJWFT r *SPO 8PNFO XIP EP OPU HFU TVGàDJFOU BNPVOU PG JSPO NBZ TVGGFS MBDL PG PWVMBUJPO BOE QPTTJCMF QPPS FHH IFBMUI XIJDI DBO JOIJCJU QSFHOBODZ BU B SBUF PG IJHIFS UIBO UIPTF XJUI TVGàDJFOU JSPO TUPSFT 'PPE TPVSDFT -FOUJMT TQJOBDI QVNQLJO TFFET SBX CFBOT CFFG EBSL MFBGZ WFHFUBCMFT MJLF QVNQLJO MFBWFT CJUUFS MFBG XBUFS MFBG &TTFOUJBM 'BUUZ "DJET 1SPUFJOT 'JCFST r 0NFHB BDJET IBWF CFFO TIPXO UP IFMQT UP SFHVMBUF IPSNPOFT JO UIF CPEZ JODSFBTF DFSWJDBM NVDVT QSPNPUF PWVMBUJPO BOE JODSFBTF CMPPE áPX UP UIF SFQSPEVDUJWF PSHBOT 0NFHB DPOUBJOT BDJET %)" "/% &1" UIBU IBWF CFFO TIPXO UP MPXFS NBOZ GPSNT PG EJTFBTFT 'PPE TPVSDFT 'MBY TFFE XBMOVUT àTIFT TBSEJOFT TBMNPO PVS MPDBM 5JUVT àTI TISJNQT FUD r 'BUT 4BUVSBUFE GBUT BOE DIPMFTUFSPM BSF BMTP FTTFOUJBM GPS GFSUJMJUZ $IPMFTUFSPM JT B QSFDVSTPS UP BMM IPSNPOFT QSPEVDFE JO UIF CPEZ JODMVEJOH QSPHFTUFSPOF +VTU NBLF TVSF JU JT GSPN UIF SJHIU GPPET 'PPE TPVSDFT $PDPOVU PJM HSBTT GFE NFBUT àTI OVUT TFFET BOE BWPJE IZESPHFOBUFE PJMT BOE WFHFUBCMFT PJM DPPLFE BU B IJHI IFBU r 1SPUFJO &BUJOH IFBMUIZ BNPVOU PG QSPUFJO

GSPN B XJEF WBSJFUZ PG TPVSDFT JT BO JNQPSUBOU QBSU PG B IFBMUIZ GFSUJMJUZ EJFU BT BNJOP BDJET BSF UIF CVJMEJOH CMPDL GPS DFMMT JO UIF CPEZ "OJNBM BOE WFHFUBCMF TPVSDFT PG QSPUFJO JO BQQSPQSJBUF RVBOUJUJFT BSF SFDPNNFOEFE r 'JCFS "TTJTU UIF CPEZ JO HFUUJOH SJE PG FYDFTT PFTUSPHFO BOE YFOPIPSNPOFT JO UIF TZTUFN BOE LFFQTZPVS EJHFTUJWF USBDUT GVODUJPOJOH QSPQFSMZ 'PPE TPVSDFT $PPLFE XIPMF XIFBU CBOBOB BQQMFT TUSBXCFSSJFT FUD

Important Foods Specific for Fertility r "WPDBEP 1FBS 5IFZ BSF SJDI TPVSDF PG QMBOU

TUFSPMT BT XFMM BT NPOPVOTBUVSBUFE GBUT XIJDI SFEVDFT JOáBNNBUJPO *U BMTP IFMQT JO CBMBODJOH PFTUSPHFO TVQQPSUT UIF CPEZ T OBUVSBM BCJMJUZ UP QSPEVDF QSPHFTUFSPOF DSJUJDBMMZ GPS PWVMBUJPO BOE IFBMUIZ QSFHOBODZ r 4BMNPO 5IJT àTI IBT QMFOUZ PG 0NFHB GBUUZ BDJET XIJDI IBWF CFFO QSPWFO UP QSPWJEF SFHVMBS CMPPE áPX UP UIF SFQSPEVDUJWF PSHBOT *U SFHVMBUFT QSPTUBHMBOEJO XIJDI JT JOWPMWFE JO IPSNPOBM QSPEVDUJPO r 1JOFBQQMFT 5IJT KVJDZ GSVJUT BSF MPBEFE XJUI #SPNFMBJO BO FO[ZNF XIJDI BDUT BT QBJO SFMJFWFS BOUJ JOáBNNBUPSZ BOUJ DPBHVMBOUT UIJT QSPQFSUJFT BMMPXT JU UP GVODUJPOT BT OBUVSFT "TQJSJO DBVTJOH JODSFBTF CMPPE áPX UP UIF XPNCBOE QSPNPUJOH JNQMBOUBUJPO :PV TUBSU DPOTVNJOH QJOFBQQMF BGUFS DPOàSNJOH PWVMBUJPO PS BGUFS BO FNCSZP USBOTGFS JG ZPV IBWF EPOF BO *7' r :BNT 5IJT "GSJDBO EFMJDBDZ JT SJDI JO WJUBNJOT " BOE $ XIJDI BDUT BT TUSPOH BOUJPYJEBOUT QSFWFOUJOH PYJEBUJWF EBNBHFT UP CPUI FHHT BOE TQFSN :BNT BSF BMTP CFMJFWFE UP CF SJDI JO QIZUPFTUSPHFO BOE B GPSN PG OBUVSBM QSPHFTUFSPOF 5IJT IFMQT UP SFHVMBUF UIF PFTUSPHFO BOE QSPHFTUFSPOF CBMBODF OFDFTTBSZ GPS PWVMBUJPO 'PS GFSUJMJUZ QVSQPTF JU TIPVME CF CFTU FBUFO JO UIF àSTU IBMG PG UIF NFOTUSVBM QFSJPET r 8BMOVUT XBMOVUT BSF TJHOJàDBOU TPVSDF PG 0NFHB ) BOE 0NBHB GBUUZ BDJE BOE IBT QMBZFE TJHOJàDBOU SPMF JO UIF JNQSPWFNFOU PG TQFSN WJUBMJUZ NPUJMJUZ BOE NPSQIPMPHZ 4UVEJFT IBWF TIPXO UIBU XBMOVU DPOTVNQUJPO DBO MPXFS DISPNPTPNBM BCOPSNBMJUJFT JO NBMF TQFSN r /VUT BOE 4FFET $POUBJO PNFHB [JOD BOE WJUBNJO & 5IFZ QPTTFTT FTTFOUJBM GBUUZ BDJE BOE [JOD TFOTJUJWF UP IFBU BOE DBO CF EFTUSPZFE JG PWFSDPPLFE 5IF CFTU OVUT BOE TFFET GPS WJUBNJO & BSF TVOáPXFS TFFET BOE BMNPOET 5IF CFTU TFFET BOE OVUT GPS JSPO BSF QVNQLJO TFFET BOE TFTBNF TFFET r %BSL -FBGZ 7FHFUBCMFT $POUBJO JSPO GPMJD BDJE WJUBNJO# BOE WJUBNJO & BOE BSF QBDLFE XJUI NJOFSBMT FO[ZNFT DIMPSPQIZMM BOUJPYJEBOUT BOE WJUBNJOT FTTFOUJBM UP IFBMUIZ GFSUJMJUZ &YBNQMFT JODMVEF TQJOBDI QVNQLJO r 'SVJUT $POUBJO WJUBNJO $ áBWPOPJET BOE B

WBSJFUZ PG BOUJPYJEBOUT 'SVJUT BSF UIF GPPET IJHIFTU JO BOUJPYJEBOUT 3FNFNCFS UIBU BOUJPYJEBOUT BSF IFBU TFOTJUJWF TP UP HFU UIFJS CFOFàU FBU ZPVS GSVJU GSFTI SJQF BOE SBX r 'JTI BOE 4IFMM 'JTI QPTTFTT WJUBNJO % PNFHB [JOD TFMFOJVN WJUBNJO # BOE $PFO[ZNF 2 $P2 .VTDMFT DMBN FUD BSF TPNF PG UIF NPTU OVUSJFOU EFOTF GPPET XF DBO FBU QSPWJEJOH BO BCVOEBODF PG FTTFOUJBM GBUUZ BDJET r 'VMM 'BU 0SHBOJD 6OTXFFUFOFE :PHIVSU 8IJMF MPX GBU EJBSZ EJFU DBO CF B GFSUJMJUZ CMPDLFS GVMM GBU ZPHIVSU JT BO FYDFMMFOU QSPUFJO TPVSDF GPS GFSUJMJUZ 1SPUFJO CBTFE BNJOP BDJET BSF UIF CVJMEJOH CMPDL GPS IFBMUIZ DFMMT JO UIF CPEZ :PHIVSU DPOUBJOT QSPCJPUJDT UP TVQQPSU IFBMUIZ WBHJOB áPSB WBHJOBM JOGFDUJPOT DBO QVU B SFBM EBNQFS PO GFSUJMJUZ FGGPSUT

FOODS TO AVOID r 4VHBST 3FàOFE 4VHBS TPEB BOE QBTUFVSJ[FE KVJDFT TVDI BT CPUUMFE BQQMF KVJDF PSBOHF KVJDF BOE PUIFS CPUUMFE KVJDF DBO UISPX PGG ZPVS CMPPE TVHBS MFWFMT BOE OFHBUJWFMZ BGGFDU ZPVS JNNVOF TZTUFN BOE IPSNPOBM CBMBODF "MTP BWPJE BOZ QSPDFTTFE SFàOFE BOE BSUJàDJBM TVHBST 4PNF BMUFSOBUJWFT BSF 4UFWJB IPOFZ BOE NBQMF TZSVQ r $BGGFJOF "GGFDU ZPVS IPSNPOBM CBMBODF JODSFBTF ZPVS DIBODF PG NJTDBSSJBHF BOE QSFWFOU ZPV GSPN PWVMBUJOH r 4PZ GPPET LOPXO UP DPOUBJO FTUSPHFO NJNJDLJOH QSPQFSUJFT *U JT CFTU UP BWPJE QSPDFTTFE TPZ GPPET TVDI BT TPZ NJML TPZB CVSHFST TPZB QSPUFJO QPXEFS TPZ DIJQT TPZ NFBUT BOE TPZ DIFFTFT UP BWPJE B OFHBUJWF JNQBDU PO ZPVS IPSNPOFT r 'BU 'SFF 'PPET 'PPE XIJDI JT BMUFSFE UP CF SFEVDFE JO GBU PS GBU GSFF JT IJHIMZ QSPDFTTFE BOE DBO BMTP CF IJHI JO TVHBS "MXBZT DIPTF UIF GPPE BT OBUVSF JOUFOEFE GVMM GBU EJBSZ JT POF FYBNQMF UIBU XBT TIPXO JO B TUVEZ IVNBO SFQSPEVDUJPO

UP JODSFBTF GFSUJMJUZ PWFS UIF GBU SFEVDFE PQUJPOT 'BU JT XIBU PVS CPEZ OFFE UP QSPEVDF IPSNPOFT &BUJOH B OBUVSBM GFSUJMJUZ EJFU JT BEWJTFE GPS FWFSZPOF SFHBSEMFTT PG GFSUJMJUZ JTTVFT BHF UJNF NPOFZ BOE MPDBUJPO 8F BMM FBU TP XIZ OPU EP JU JO B XBZ UIBU TVQQPSUT ZPVS GFSUJMJUZ BOE HFOFSBM IFBMUIZ MJWJOH

OPINION

Keystone Bank: Emerging Whiz-kid on the Banking Block Felix Onajite 4JODF UIF àOBODJBM DSJTJT UIBU FOWFMPQFE UIF HMPCBM NBSLFU B EFDBEF BHP UIF QSPàUBCJMJUZ BOE SFQVUB UJPO PG CBOLT IBT CFFO VOEFS USFNFOEPVT QSFTTVSF XPSMEXJEF /JHFSJB JODMVTJWF 8IJMTU UIF CBOLJOH JOEVTUSZ JT OPX SFHBJOJOH JUT IFBMUI UIF FOUSBOU PG àOUFDIT BOE OFP CBOLT JO UIF JOEVTUSZ JT QPTJOH B OFX UISFBU 5IJT EJHJUBM EJTSVQUJPO JT DIBOHJOH UIF USBEJUJPOBM XBZ UISPVHI XIJDI DVTUPNFST PCUBJO àOBODJBM TFSWJDFT IFODF QVUUJOH NPSF QSFTTVSF PO CBOLT QSPàUBCJMJUZ )PXFWFS B CBOL JO /JHFSJB ,FZTUPOF #BOL -UE JT DIBMMFOHJOH UIF TUBUVT RVP CZ NBLJOH USBOTGPSNBUJPO BOE QSPàUBCJMJUZ BQQFBS MJLF B NFSF XBML PWFS BT SFWFBMFE JO JUT BDIJFWFNFOUT XJUIJO B TIPSU UJNF TQBO 'SPN UIF QFSTQFDUJWF PG UIF SFTVMUT PO HSPVOE JU BQQFBST UP CF B HSFBU UJNF GPS ,FZTUPOF #BOL *O KVTU POF ZFBS PG ".$0/ T EJWFTUNFOU UIF CBOL IBT DIBOHFE JUT OBSSBUJWF GSPN iPOF PG UIPTF CBOLTu UP B àOBODJBM JOTUJUVUJPO UP CF SFDLPOFE XJUI BOE BT B SFTVMUJT FYQFSJFODJOH BO JOá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

JO )PXFWFS JUT BDRVJTJUJPO CZ 4JHNB (PMG m 3JWFSCBOL DPOTPSUJVN TFFNFE UP USJHHFS B UVSOBSPVOE BT JU QSFDJQJUBUFE B DIBOHF JO UIF NBOBHFNFOU UFBN UP UIF POF UIBU IPMET UIF NBHJD XBOE GPS UIF QPTJUJWF

Ohiwerei

PVUMPPL JU IBT CFFO FYQFSJFODJOH UP EBUF 0O UBLJOH PWFS UIF OFX NBOBHFNFOU UFBN MFE CZ JUT (SPVQ .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS $&0 .S 0CFBIPO 0IJXFSFJ ESFX VQ B IPMJTUJD BOE JOUFHSBUFE BQQSPBDI UP CVTJOFTT NPEFSOJ[BUJPO XIJDI FMFWBUFE UIF CBOL UP EFMJWFS B TVQFSJPS DVTUPNFS DFOUSJD FYQFSJFODF 5IF JNQBDU PG UIJT DIBOHF SFáFDUFE QPTJUJWF SFTVMUT JO JUT 2 SFQPSU DBSE XIJDI GSPN BMM JOEJDBUJPOT JT B SFTUPSBUJPO PG DVTUPNFST USVTU JO JUT TZTUFN 5IF CBOL GPS UIF IBMG ZFBS FOEFE +VOF UI SFDPSEFE B QSPàU CFGPSF UBY PG / CO DPNQBSFE UP B MPTT PG / CO PWFS UIF TBNF QFSJPE JO %FQPTJU HSFX CZ GSPN / CO UP / CO CFUXFFO +VOF BOE +VOF 'SPN FWPMWJOH UFDIOPMPHJFT UP DIBOHJOH DVTUPNFS

FYQFDUBUJPOT UP OFX SFHVMBUPSZ EFNBOET m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i 5PQ $&0T $POGFSFODF m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àUT BDDFTT TFMG TFSWJDF PQUJPOT TVDI BT FBTZ BDDPVOU PQFOJOH DPOWFOJFOU TFMG CPPLJOH BOE MJRVJEBUJPO PG àYFE EFQPTJUT BO FYQBOEFE MJTU PG CJMM QBZNFOU PQUJPOT BOE FBTZ BDUJWBUJPO PG TUBOEJOH JOTUSVDUJPOT SFDVSSFOU GVUVSF QBZNFOUT 0UIFS OPUBCMF GFBUVSFT PG UIF NPCJMF "QQ BSF B i4XJUDI $BSE 0/ 0'' PQUJPOu XIJDI BMMPXT VTFST UP EJTBCMF UIFJS DBSET UFNQPSBSJMZ JG NJTTJOH SF FOBCMF BU UIF DMJDL PG B CVUUPO UIF i)JEF #BMBODF 'FBUVSFu TBGFHVBSET BHBJOTU UIJSE QBSUZ WJFXJOH BOE UIF i.FFU :PVS 3FMBUJPOTIJQ .BOBHFS 0QUJPOu BMMPXT

VTFST UP DBMM PS FNBJM UIFJS BDDPVOU PGàDFST SJHIU XJUIJO UIF BQQ *O BEEJUJPO UIF #BOL XBT UIF àSTU JO UIF TFDUPS UP JOUSPEVDF UIF $IBU CPU GFBUVSF DBMMFE 09:(&/ XIJDI FOBCMFT CBOLJOH PO 5FMFHSBN BOE 'BDFCPPL *U HVJEFT VTFST UISPVHI B XIPMF SBOHF PG EFTJSFE USBOTBDUJPOT TUFQ CZ TUFQ "OPUIFS àSTU GSPN UIF #BOL JT UIF ;FSP %BUB #BOLJOHGFBUVSF UIBU FOBCMF DVTUPNFST USBOTBDU PO UIFJS QIPOFT XJUIPVU EBUB ,FZTUPOF #BOL IBT SFNBJOFE UIF POMZ #BOL XJUI UIJT GFBUVSF PO JUT #BOLJOH "QQ "OE GPS UIF àSTU UJNF JO JUT PQFSBUJPOT ,FZTUPOF #BOL BMTP JOUSPEVDFE B OFX 4."35 OVNCFS GPS DVTUPNFS TVQQPSU UIJT FMJNJOBUFT UIF OFFE GPS DVTUPNFST UP SFNFNCFS NVMUJQMF OVNCFST XIJMF SFNPWJOH UIF VODFSUBJOUZ BT UP XIJDI PG UIF MJOFT BSF BDUJWFMZ FOHBHFE 5IFTF BOE NBOZ PUIFS NPWFT MFWFSBHJOH UFDIOPMPHZ BOE CVJMEJOH B DVMUVSF PG JOOPWBUJPO JT GBTU SFQPTJUJPOJOH UIF CBOL BT B OFX XIJ[ LJE PO UIF CBOLJOH CMPDL XIJDI BDDPSEJOH UP JUT HSPVQ NBOBHJOH EJSFDUPS .S 0CFBIPO 0IJXFSFJ JT B QSPPG PG UIF IBSE XPSL BOE SFTJMJFODF PG UIF CPBSE NBOBHFNFOU BOE TUBGG PG UIF CBOL 5PEBZ ,FZTUPOF #BOL T CSBODIFT BSF GBTU CFDPN JOH B IVC GPS USBOTBDUJPOBM BDUJWJUJFT XJUOFTTJOH B IVHF GPPUGBMM PG DVTUPNFST USPPQJOH JO UP DBSSZ PVU USBOTBDUJPOT PQFO CBOL BDDPVOUT BOE FYQFSJFODF UIF JOOPWBUJWF USFOET UIBU UIF CBOL IBT JOUSPEVDFE UP JUT CVTJOFTT 5IJT PWFSBMM FYQFSJFODF IBT BMTP CFFO CPPTUFE CZ UIF FOIBODFNFOU PG TUBGG NPSBMF XIJDI JOIFSFOUMZ ESJWFT UIF DPNNJUNFOU UP TFSWF UIFJS DVTUPNFST CFUUFS 'SPN UIF MPPL PG VOGPMEJOH FWFOUT BU ,FZTUPOF #BOL JU T DMFBS UP TFF UIBU JU T KVTU B NBUUFS PG UJNF CFGPSF UIF CBOL TUBSUT PQFSBUJOH JO UIF àSTU UJFS BHBJO - Felix Onajite, a financial analyst writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

36/COLLAGE

24.08.2018

L-R: Mr. Isreal Ikut; Pastor Emmanuel Inokon; Former Marketing Manager, Newswatch Media Ltd, Mr. Mfon Ukutt; the couple, Mr. Akaninyene Robert Ukutt with his hearthrob Esang;Mrs. Gloria Isaac Ukutt; and Hon. Isaac Ukutt, at the wedding ceremony of the couple in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State....recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki (middle); anked by Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Monday Osaigbovo ( right); and the Chairman of the 13-member Caretaker Committee on the State's Butcher's Union, Comrade Paul Akhere Odigie (left); after the inauguration of the committee, at Government House, Benin City, Edo State, recently

L-R: The Oloro of Oro Kingdom, Oba AbdulraďŹ u Ajiboye; Chief Imam of Oro, Abdulhakeem Gbangbalasata and Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed during the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at Oro, Kwara State...recently

L-R: Informal Channel Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, David Idem; Marketing Manager GOtv, Chidozie Bede-Nwokoye; GOtv Brand Ambassador, Daddy Showokey, and General Manager, GOtv, Akinola Salu during the Value Chains Engagement Session & Award party for Canvassers/M&Ps/Sabimen in lkeja...recently

L-R; Chairman of occassion, Chief Ziggy Azika; MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Ernest Ebi:,Publisher, Business Hallmark Newspaper, Prince Emeka Obasi and Chairman,SEPLAT, Dr.ABC Orjiako at the launching of the book; ''Rising menace of fake prophets and prophecies in many churches in Nigeria'' by Obasi in Lagos...recently

Oluwole Kayode Michael and his wife, Margaret, during their wedding ceremony at the Chosen Vessels International Ministries, Lagos recently

L- R: Minster of Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shittu; Governor of Ogun State, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun; President Muhammadu Buhari; former Abia State Governor and newly installed Dan Baiwan Hausa of Daura, Dr. Orji Kalu; DG VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, and Sen. Ayogu Eze during Kalu's visit to the president in Daura...recently

37/THISLIFE

24.08.2018

Exploring Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland It was a mind blowing experience for Nigerian nightlife enthusiasts and entrepreneurs as they recently explored Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland. Rebecca Ejifoma writes on their voyage

The Nigerian entrepreneurs and nightlife enthusiasts at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland

It was a three-day electrifying tour, as Nigeria’s finest crème de la crème and nightlife enthusiasts like the Cubanas and the Play Network Africa and five others had a smooth trip to Scotland’s whisky estate – William Grant & Sons, distillers of the world's most awarded whisky – Glenfiddich.

Known for its finest and trusted single malt Scotch whisky worldwide, Glenfiddich gave these blend of aficionados men known in Nigerian nightlife and hospitality a taste of real of its estate.

The blend of seven Nigerian biggest entrepreneurs and nightlife enthusiasts were given a luxurious three-day hospitality tour to the finest estate in Scotland.

They were invited to the world-renowned William Grant and Sons Estate in estate in Dufftown, Scotland and given a once in a lifetime experience exploring the tales of the Glenfiddich distillery in a nostalgic order.

Among the entrepreneurs were Nigeria’s most popular bigwigs, who have printed their names in the hearts of entertainment lovers and kept nightlife in Nigeria abuzz and ever-thrilling. They are: CEO Grasshoppers Place, Marshall Onyia; CEO Play Network Africa, Charles Okpaleke; CEO and Principal Partner CUBANA Group, Obinna Iyiegbu.

Others are: MD, Opium Nightlife Cubana, Owerri, Okechukwu Paschal; CEO Bite United Limited, Olawale Faniran; CEO/Chairman Ice Entertainment, Mr. Chuks Iroche; The Traffic Bar and the Principal Partner of EddieMPR, Eddie Agbo-Madaki; and iBlend Services and COO of The Dome Abuja.

Experience of Scottish Culture and Cuisine For these seven bigwigs, it is an August to remember, indeed. They described their voyage as an exhilarating weeklong experience. From the Mansefield Hotel, Elgin where they were treated to exquisite refreshments to the overwhelming Scottish culture and thus kicked off the wondrous journey through every

A toast to the future

part of the Glenfiddich tradition.

Interestingly, they were taken on an exclusive tour of the Glenfiddich Distillery grounds and its original warehouses (warehouse 1, 8) containing generations of gently maturing casks of whisky. At warehouse number 12, which is home to the Malt Master ’s selection; they were invited to fill a 20cl bottle from a cask of their choice, which they took home.

“They also had a tutored masterclass of a selection of five of Glenfiddich finest whiskies along with delicious canapés prepared by the head chef,” says Head of Sales and Marketing for LEDROP Nigeria, marketers and Distributors of Glenfiddich in Nigeria, Miss Angela Gordon.

Accordingly, she narrated the thrilling moments the entrepreneurs experienced the wealth of craftsmanship and traditions that are still used at the distillery till date from cask making to the whiskies creation.

For Glenfiddich, these Nigerian influencers were selected and taken on the tour because they embodied and share similar values with the Glenfiddich brand which is the Maverick way of doing things differently. “This is the way of doing things their own way, creating their own paths and rules”.

Spirit of Entrepreneurship All to spur a spirit of entrepreneurship in more Nigerians, Gordon enthused that Glenfiddich is trying to tell the world of the niche it has carved as an award-winning whisky worldwide.

"The Glenfiddich range has received more awards since 2000 than any other single malt Scotch whisky in two of the world’s most prestigious competitions, the International Wine & Spirit Competition and the International Spirits Challenge," she noted.

As part of their objective, Glenfiddich is trying to inspire the Maverick in everyone, so they can explore their

purpose, live on their own terms and forge their own paths in life.

About Glenfiddich Today, however, Glenfiddich is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky owned and produced by William Grant & Sons in Dufftown, Scotland. Glenfiddich means "valley of the deer" in Scottish Gaelic, which is why the Glenfiddich logo is a Stag.

The Glenfiddich Distillery was founded in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland, in the glen of the River Fiddich.

The Glenfiddich single malt whisky first ran from the stills on Christmas Day, 1887.

Indeed, there is no gainsaying then that it pays to be an entrepreneur. These seven Nigerians have trailed the blaze of the global whisky distillery, an event that has ignited their passion to keep the wheels moving. It may have been for three days only, but they are sure it will last in their memories for a lifetime.

38/INTERVIEW

24.08.2018

Onyemali: We’ve made People Patronise Made in Nigeria Goods Collins Onyemali is founder of CEO’s Designers, a one-stop fashion establishment for the clothing needs of male top executives. He prides himself on meeting all male fashion expectations that are strictly made in Nigeria. In this interview with Mary Nnah at his showroom in Lagos, Onyemali talks about the professionalism he has put into his work to make his clients stand out and how he has tried to make Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria goods. Excerpts: of those wearing natives outweigh the people wearing English. It is no longer an English affair. You see people going for conferences wearing natives. So it has become a style in the world and even the whites are doing that already.

So the reform is starting and it’s moving as compared to how it was 10 years ago.

What motivated your interest in fashion?

Paying more and getting less. First and foremost there are three issues in patronising the tailor. One, he is possibly going to give you what you never bargained for, especially in terms of finishing. Then he may also not deliver the job to you as and when needed, some give you less quality, others give you unfinished products, and to get them, you have to involve the police. All these variables are the reasons why we decided to make it a bit conducive for people to patronise made in Nigeria goods and services.

What is the toughest thing about making clothes for CEOs? Getting a CEO to come for pre-fitting is the toughest. It is called pre-fitting because first time you make a cloth for someone you expect that there could be one or two adjustments because some people like their clothes to be smart, some want it fitted, and some want it good. Good means free, not like bodyhugging cloth, so you find out that you have an issue when it comes to getting a CEO to come fit their clothes, they are hardly available. Time is of essence to their business, we quite understood that. So you have made cloth and want the customer to come fit it, but the man is in America or in the UK and you are in Nigeria. That is the challenge with the CEOs.

Can you tell us more about your brand?

We cover virtually everything that has to do with fashion. We make native outfits, agbada, dashiki, kaftan, djalabia, suits, corporate trousers and shirts. We also make shoes and perfumes and we stock accessories that are all designed and made in Nigeria by us.

You call your brand CEO’s Designers.

Is it only CEOs you attend to?

Yes, we are fashion maker for the bosses, chief executive officers, people who appreciate values, that is what it connotes. Our fashion outfit is not for everybody; it is for people who understand taste and quality. Those are the people we are there to serve. However, if you are not yet a CEO, we pray you become one soon so that we can give our services to you. By saying we offer our services to CEOs only do not mean we do not want the patronage of the aspiring CEO. Anybody who can afford our services in our sight is a CEO. Onyemali

What made you narrow it down to CEOs? Being a professional at the same time an executive officer, I found out that in the Nigerian society, CEOs do not have readily available fitted clothes that befit their standards and status and they end up going abroad to get fitted clothes. So we decided to make this happen so that these persons do not go abroad anymore to spend our naira to buy dollar, instead they have these products readily available to them at their disposal. It is one of the things that inspired us to be CEOs’ designers.

How have you been able to win the hearts of these CEOs? The answer is a big yes. Now you understand that good things are appreciated by the bosses and the people under them. No CEO sees anything good and walks past it. So if you are good and your collections are refining and tastefully made for people, a lot of CEOs will jump at it. So we have been working for CEOs and we are looking forward to having more of them patronise us.

What is unique about CEO’s apparels?

At CEO’s, we don’t just make clothes for making sake; we have targeted fittings that we expect from our outfit. For instance you are coming to attend a function, we take detail body measurement, to know the structure of the person so that whenever you put on the cloth, people will see that the cloth is tailored and suited for you. It is not like those days when tailors would make cloth for you,

you wear it and you feel like you are wearing ‘buba’ and ‘sokoto’ and you can’t see the body structure. Men also have body structure like women do, but it is only here you see that people make clothes without detailing the body structure to suit men. So we decided to make it our trademark, strictly tailored to size. Tailored to size means taking into consideration all the joints and body

There are three issues in patronising the tailor.

One, he is possibly going to give you what you never bargained for.

Then he may also not deliver the job to you as and when needed, others give you unfinished products. These are the reasons why we decided to make it a bit conducive for people to patronise made in Nigeria goods and services

structure of a person to give you a nice fitting.

Again, what makes my process different are the finishing and quality of fabric. A lot of fashion houses in Nigeria today stock low quality fabrics but we don't compromise on that. We give the best fabric quality to whoever can afford it.

That is why we are not for everybody.

How do you ensure customers’ measurements are accurate?

We have a pre-section wherein we sit with the customers and they give us an idea what they want. Everyone has a history of what has made him run from one fashion house to another. So we start our interview section with knowing what you suffered in the past, and then tell us what you expect of us. We make a sketch or presentation of what we think you want based on your description, we come up with a sketch and once it is approved for production, we take body measurements which are called body detailing. This is to ensure that the measurement with which the outfit will be produced is suited for that person.

So, it will be difficult if you give that person's shirt to someone else to wear, it will not be the same because it is not tailored to suit that body structure and joint.

What would you consider the biggest change in Nigeria’s fashion industry?

In Nigeria, a lot of the big bosses are beginning to appreciate our local styles. Take for instance in church, you will be surprised that the population

Which CEO would you like to dress if you were to make a pick?

I will like to dress Femi Otedola. I have been following him on Instagram and when I see some of the outfits that he wears, I think we could make him look better. I will like to dress Dangote as well as a lot of them. If you have money, your look should be very sharp and different from every other person who is struggling. If you have made money, what really defines your person is the cloth you wear because from a distance, it speaks louder than even a trumpet could sound.

There are also women CEOs. Are they part of your clientele?

We have chosen our path. Our path is to make clothes for men and male CEOs. This is our niche.

We hear about the expression, “business casual”. What does it mean?

Business casual is dressing in the mildest form but still looking attractive and rich.

Business casual entails wearing something that to you is not serious like slippers that are worth thousands of naira, a pant that is worth good money and a top that complement all your outfit. Business casual means to be well dressed, without an intention of going for a board meeting, but still looking very adorable.

Business casual comes in different patterns. You could have a top and pant combination where your shirt could be blue and black and you choose any of the colours of the pant to make a cap, your shoe or slippers in such a way that it complements all of these colours. At the end of the day, you have this very casual outfit that looks like a Xmas cloth.

What vision do you have for CEO’s Designers?

Our vision is to become one of the most sought after fashion house in Nigeria and Africa. Our vision is to deliver on our promises. If a client comes in and says I want to make a cloth, we have you interviewed, get what you expect from us and deliver on those promises without any hitch or setback.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

39

40

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

CITYSTRINGS

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ ÍÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ˛ÏäÏÙÌÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͖͕͔͑͑͒͑͒͑͑͘

Festival of Food as Vehicle for Cultural Orientation Yinka Kolawole writes that the 2018 Ife Festival of Food and Identity organised by the Institute of Cultural Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, provided an avenue to reawaken African cultural consciousness

Some drummers trilling the guests at the festival

T

he air was filled with the steaming aroma of local dishes like Ofada rice and sauce, Fufu and Egusi soup, fried plantain, Asaro (yam porridge), Moi- Moi (bean pudding), Robo (corn flour cake) and Akara (bean cake), among others. Not left out was Lafun, a local sweet desert.

Indeed, it was an array of colourful and sumptuous dishes that left the spectators drooling.

Suffice to say, it was indeed a fiesta of food at the premises of Institute of Cultural Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, as the Ife Festival of Food and Identity thrilled guests with mouth-watering local dishes, cooked with local sauces.

To add colour to an already colourful event, traditional dancers from Nigeria, Rwanda, Cuba, and Republic of Benin, scintillated the guests with their moves.

Also, adding flavour were traditional moves from Osirigi, Apepe, Osara, all from Ile-Ife. The Bolojo was not left out.

It was such a moment of cultural orientation and reintegration when dignitaries from African countries, like Benin Republic and Rwanda, and other nations like Brazil and Cuba, among others, not just tasted the local dishes, but also learnt the process of preparing them.

Cultural Heritage Although cultural experts often lament that modern civilisation has crippled the growth and progress of African cultures as a result of import of the foreign cultures, it's still a given that one of the five top things that place African nations ahead of others are their rich colourful cultures, food, fashion, music and dance.

Undoubtedly, each country has its own unique way of life and traditions. As a people, Africans are very proud of their culture and heritage. They express their

culture through food, fashion and music, dancing, eating, greeting and mode of worship. This distinct way of life gives Africa a unique cultural and traditional inheritance.

As a matter of fact, what distinguishes African from other countries may not only be food but their attitude to others.

However, the food can also serve as their identity because food itself is culture. This often ranges from its preparation, mode of eating it and even the ingredients used in the preparation of their traditional soup as well as food.

There is such a variety of dishes from the continent, guaranteed to get the taste-buds tingling, from Ofada rice to Amala and Efo with Egusi Soup, which are signature traditional dishes.

The festival was in line with the spirit of revival and resuscitation of the deep religious convergence, heterogeneity and conference, which the Ife civilisation represents, which also aligns with the motto of the 56-yearold institution; “for learning and culture”

The Reawakening The 2018 Ife Festival of Food and Identity organised by the Institute of Cultural Studies at OAU was an effort to reawaken African culture and consciousness. The festival sought to enshrine the place and memory of indigenous food culture in the psyche of youths and also reiterate Nigeria's capability to survive as a people through the adoption and preservation of close and relevant food and material culture.

Speaking at the opening of the festival, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame underscored the need for all African countries to promote African food as a means of improving the economy of the continent and developing its culture. Kagame, who was represented by the country's Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, emphasised the need to approach food issues in a more pragmatic way towards achieving vision 20:20.

The Unveiling Echoing a similar view, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, after unveiling the official logo of the 2018 OAU Festival of Food and Identity, said the festival featured an exhibition of prepared indigenous dishes from different parts of Nigeria and from across Africa, which makes them proud as a people.

Soyinka said the festival would help to showcase Nigerian dishes as part of the country’s rich cultural heritage to the rest of the world. He said, “It is a good thing to celebrate and showcase our rich cultural heritage to the outside world in all areas, food inclusive, which distinguishes us from other cultures.

Honour for Soyinka Speaking at the ceremony, OAU Vice Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, noted that Soyinka was worth being celebrated at the festival

given the need to project Africa's cultural heritage. Ogunbodede spoke glowingly about Soyinka's contributions to the development of culture in Nigeria.

On the festival, he said food remained the epicentre of man's wellbeing and humanity. He explained that since food was central to man’s overall wellbeing, the festival was a good way to showcase local dishes, adding that the exhibition also highlighted some of the rituals, drumming and dances associated with the harvest of special crops, such as New Yam festival, especially among Yorubas and Igbos.

He reiterated that the festival was in line with the spirit of revival and resuscitation of the deep religious convergence, heterogeneity and conference, which the Ife civilisation represents, which also aligns with the motto of the 56-year old institution; 'for learning and culture'.

Support for National Food Security Speaking at the festival, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said the government of the old Western Region under Papa Obafemi Awolowo had demonstrated “the huge benefits that we stand to gain in agriculture. What is more, this beautiful university is one of such proofs. We must try to embark on agriculture which is our native occupation instead of depending on oil at all time.”

The governor who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, also announced that the Ogun State government would support the 2018 food festival by donating 1000 bags of rice to the students of the institution, adding that the state government will continue to promote culture and tourism, as well as support all initiatives on national food security.

He said, "Ogun State is one of the rice producing states in Nigeria and as the state government, we believe that agriculture can change the narrative of the Nigerian economy away from oil.

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

CITYSTRINGS

A Celebration of Young Highfliers Day Waterman College (DWC) recently organised a valedictory service for the class of 2018. Ugo Aliogo, who attended the event, reports

The class of 2018 on their graduation day

I

t was an event wrapped in splendour, judging from the musical renditions from the orchestra and the thrill of dance performances at the 2018 Day Waterman College valedictory service. As the class of 2018 filed in for their valedictory service, it was to the delight of their parents, who described the set as one of the most talented in the annals of the college. They were also described as the “vibrant highfliers”.

Admonition To set the ball rolling was the principal of the college, Mr. Stewart Cowden, an academic and administrator par excellence. His track record and success in the academic space speaks of a man who clearly knows his mettle.

In his capacity as father and friend to the students, his address weaved around admonishments to build on the trainings and teachings they had received during their stay in the college. Cowden expressed confidence that the values instilled in them would prepare them for the challenges of the future, noting that there is no doubt that they would be excellent ambassadors of this school. He advised them to be bold, confident and show great humility at all times, urging them not to take anything for granted, and always keep in touch with the school either by email or visitation.

According to Cowden, “Naturally, I wish you well for the future. I am more than confident that the values instilled in you as you depart will prepare for the challenges of the future. I have no doubt that you will be excellent ambassadors of this school. I say to you go forth, be bold, be confident and show great humility. Don't take for granted the sacrifices that your parents made to bring you here."

Board Chairman When the Chairman, Board of Governors, Mrs. Olufunlola Aderinokun, climbed the podium to give her address and parting message to the graduands, the emotions from the students was palpable because her mental strength had helped in leading them in the right direction. Aderinokun brought so much experience and expertise in driving the growth of the school, especially from the angle of administration, discipline and academic excellence.

She congratulated the graduating students for their hardwork, commitment, and passion during their stay in the college, adding, “We are here to recognise all the exploits that the students have made during their stay in this school, particularly this academic year. Excellence is not a small thing that could be put out of sight; it is something that

is visible for all to see.”

Aderinokun said they had accomplished bright and excellent works evident enough for all to see through their faces glowing in glory, adding that each of them has shone very brightly through the years. She urged the graduating students never to stop learning and always strive for self-improvement.

She admonished them to behave in a dignified manner at all times and remember to obey all rules because it is for their own good.

She stated, “For things to move better for you in life and achieve greater heights, you must be mindful of rules and regulation. I want to draw your attention to two words, persistence and honesty. I will like you to understand persistence in the face of odds and life challenges because in many areas of life, human beings are abound to face challenges in life. Not everything in life is always assured or is always forgone conclusion.

“You must try to work hard, diligently and most importantly, be honest at all times. Some of your mates going through life have not had the opportunities that you have had; some have gone through life with trials and tribulations. For some, it is a distant fantasy to have the kind of opportunity that you have today. Whatever happens in life remember that there are no assurances in life for every step you have to pass through, you just have to be persistence and be focused. The

We will battle for our beliefs and convictions.

Whatever the world has for us, we will overcome. The first formidable step has been taken. Now, it is time to build our future and write our stories on our own tabs

important thing is not losing hope, there is need to believe in yourself and pray and know that you can make it in life.

“Remember to be honest at all times, choose the honest path. Make your decisions in utmost good faith. As humans, we make mistakes, but what is important is to learn from those mistakes and move with life. This is the 10thacademic year of the school but it is not the 10th valedictory services of the school. I appreciate the parents and students for their support over the years because without them there will be no school, even if we have the structure and the teachers. The teachers will not teach an empty wall. In this school, we have zero tolerance for indiscipline.

“I will like to appeal for donations into our scholarship funds. We award scholarship to indigent students from humble backgrounds who are extremely brilliant. Our scholarship students are doing very well. The criteria for selection have to be extreme brilliance. Please don’t hesitate to donate to the funds. I employ you to allow the teachings of God guide you at all times.”

Making Every Moment Count In her remarks, the Commencement Speaker, the Commissioner for Education, Ogun State, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, told the students to make every moment count. She also charged them not to remember the emotional shape of the ceremony, the feeling of transition that it represented, and how the ending of one phase ushers in a new phase in their lives’ journey.

She noted that it was the mobility of life that made it worth living, adding that they were once new entrant at the college, but today they have graduated to a fresh journey, “it is on this note that I express my heart felt journey to witness this occasion. I felicitate with the management of the school for sending forth another set who have been acclaimed vibrant flyers.”

She advised them to make every moment they spend with people count by extracting value from every relationship and also put in some value. Mujota urged them to remember those who encouraged them when the chips were down and those who believed in them even they needed not to, “all these personalities are part of your lives history, hence part of your success.”

Mujota added, “Without mincing words the challenges of parenting have become difficult in a technology driven age. This is a critical age in their lives and they question everything and I advise we exercise a lot of patience and do more explanation, rather than nagging. Let’s us give them

the opportunity to air their views and be slow to enforce ours. Let them know the importance of thinking through a matter before acting because no action is without consequence. Let them understand the values of standing out in a degenerated world.”

The Valedictorian Favour Okpapi walked to the podium amid a buzz of voices from the guests and parents. She had an air of confidence that set her apart from the rest of her classmates. She began her address by reflecting on their days in the school, the sacrifices made, the sleep deprived, the seeds of hard work sown, the vitality of the relationship they built, and their ability to break through the odds and defeat their fears.

Okpapi considered hard work as the measure of all things. During her stay in the college, she was exceptional and had an extraordinary life. The ingredients of her academic breakthrough are hidden in her vision to succeed again and again. Her ability to breakthrough academic barriers earned her legendary status as the valedictorian of class of 2018. The multiple awards she won during the valedictory service ceremony served not only to confirm her status as the one of the college’s true greats, but has successfully raised the bar of hard work and success for those left behind.

For Okpapi, her biggest pillar of support in her rise to the top was her mother, who she drew inspiration and motivation from. She said one of the life lessons she learnt from the mother was that despite whatever life throws at you, square your shoulders up and pick your dignity up and move on.

According to her, “As the valedictorian of 2018, I tell you with joy in my heart that we made it.

Without God Almighty none of the successes we recorded would have been possible. He saw us through the stress and the long nights of reading. I will like to thank the school and the generosity of Mrs. Olufunlola Aderinokun without the scholarship I was given, I will not be standing here today.

“We will battle for our beliefs and convictions.

Whatever the world has for us we will overcome.

The first formidable step has been taken. Now, it is time to build our future and write our stories on our own tabs. I want to use this moment to appeal to parents seated here to donate to the scholarship fund because the fund is being invested in something great. I want to thank the teachers of the school who have been very supportive to us during our stay here. Their willingness to sacrifice so much to get us here is wonderful. All the teachers have inspired our lives today.”

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

30

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

ABCON Opposes Banks’ Suspension of FX Dealers’ Accounts Obinna Chima The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) yesterday kicked against ongoing banks’ suspension of bureau de change (BDC) accounts, and demand for tax remittances on turnover volumes.

A statement yesterday, quoted the ABCON President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, to have alleged that the banks acted under the directive of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to demand that BDCs pay taxes on funds used to bid for their dollar allocations sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on weekly basis through the commercial banks.

The ABCON boss said many banks have written BDC operators and are implementing a

‘Post No Debit’ order on the operators’ accounts even where there is no evidence of tax default.

“The BDCs are high turnover sector and their funding cash for dollar collections cannot be subjected to taxes. An average BDC does over N30 million weekly turnover and paying taxes on such funds will affect their cash flow and ability to meet their statutory role of foreign exchange supply to the retail-end of the market,” Gwadabe was quoted to have said.

He said many of the affected BDC operators were already facing major funding challenges that needed to be addressed immediately by concerned stakeholders.

“In fact, we will be writing to the Central Bank of Nigeria

–CBN- to complain about the illegal policy of the ‘Post No Debit’. Presently, most of our members funding with the deposit money banks for their bidding obligations are being trapped in the banks. This scenario if not checked, will affect our members funding capacity, derail the sustainability of their businesses with the resultant liquidity spikes,” he said.

He cited a letter from one of the commercial bank’s to have stated, “The bank has pursuant to section 49 of the Companies Income Tax Act LFN 2004 and Section 28, 29 and 31 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act No. 13 of 2007 been appointed by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS as collection Agent over your accounts.

Delta Economic Summit Group Sets up Global Network Nume Ekeghe Following increasing requests

by Delta State indigenes for credible information about social and economic activities in the state, the Delta Economic Summit Group (DESG) has created a platform called ecoVine which is basically a global list of indigenes.

EcoVine is open to professionals from Delta state around the world, providing members with valuable social and economic information and networking opportunities. The platform gives Deltans an opportunity to become affiliate members of DESG at no cost.

The Chairman of DESG Ese Onosode said, “Ants are successful creatures because they know very well that the

mind of the team is superior to the mind of the individual.”

Once ecoVine is launched, DESG would publish informative content for the benefit of all Deltans through digital media and traditional platforms and ecoVine would be a reliable platform for accessing social and economic information on Delta State, he added.

The DESG is a private sector led thinktank established in 2015 to promote socio-economic development in Delta State. It is a non-partisan, not for profit organization of professionals of Deltan origin.

The executives of the group include the Director General, University of Oxford Alumnus and Managing Partner of Ciuci Consulting, Mr Chukwuka Monye and Brian Hammond,

Deputy Director General, an alumnus of Imperial College, UK and a financial expert.

Others are Isioma Udeozo, treasurer and expert in business development and Hamilton Esi, a public relations officer.

“The value of networking platforms has gone beyond marketing or communication.

It has morphed into new channels for collaboration and innovation.

“Networking platforms have been instrumental in bridging relationships that have stimulated economic value in many cases.

“The value of Facebook is currently $434 billion, while the business and professional social network platform, LinkedIn was recently acquired for $26 billion.

GreenHouse Lab, Google to Launch Cohort Chinedu Eze GreenHouse Lab, the first female-focused tech accelerator programme in Nigeria, recently launched its first cohort.

It comprised nine promising ventures. With the accelerator located in the heart of Lagos, a subsidiary of GreenHouse Capital and Venture Garden Group, a catalyst for much of the tech ecosystem’s growth and development in recent years, has teamed up with Google Developers Launchpad to support Nigeria’s growing start-up industry. This partnership with Google is the first

of its kind in Africa. Google Developers Launchpad is a branch of Google that operates a global acceleration programme that helps start-ups grow. The GreenHouse Lab “Powered by Google Developers Launchpad,” initiative would connect GreenHouse Lab to an elite group of the world’s top accelerators, allowing it to share information and leverage resources.

GreenHouse Lab would also access Google’s global network, insights from the company’s Silicon Valley-based start-up programmes, and twenty years’ worth of Google research and best practice insights on build-

ing businesses, products, and teams at massive scale. These resources would help GreenHouse Lab’s startup portfolio - which already includes some of the fastest-growing companies in the region - scale its businesses exponentially. Speaking on the partnership, Kevin O’Toole, Head of International Growth at Google Launchpad said, “Google is thrilled to begin working with GreenHouse Lab. GreenHouse Lab’s mission to elevate women in technology is incredible, and we are humbled to work with their amazing leadership team to accelerate the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

Agusto & Co. Assigns ‘A’ Rating on FBNQuest FBNQuest Merchant Bank has been assigned ‘A’ rating by Agusto & Co. Limited.

According to a statement, the rating agency explained that the rating recognises FBNQuest’s strong capitalisation and profitability during the period, supported by its acceptable asset quality, investment banking expertise and trading activities.

The statement further said; “The rating assigned to FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited reflects the bank’s affiliation with FBN Holdings, the non –operating holding company of one of the largest banking and

financial services organisations in Africa with an asset base of N5.2 trillion ($15.7 billion @ 331/$) as at 31 December 2017.”

It added, “FBNQuest ranked first on local currency deposits of the five merchant banks operating in Nigeria as at full year 2017, but ranked fourth by total assets and contingents.

“The bank has an experienced and stable management team which provides oversight of its daily operations.

“Nonetheless, FBNQuest’s rating is constrained by concentration in its loan portfolio

which renders it vulnerable to adverse changes in the performance of its lending sectors and obligors. The opinions expressed in this rating release do not represent investment or other advice and should therefore not be construed as such.”

Agusto & Co is Nigeria’s first Credit Rating Agency and a Pan African leader in credit ratings and credit reports.

It has assigned well over 1,500 ratings across various sectors. Our ratings are globally accepted, and a wide client base utilises our ratings as benchmark for business.

L-R: Executive Director, Global Initiative Against Illegal Migration (GIAIM), Emmanuel Obinyan and Director General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah-Donli, during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NAPTIP and GIAIM in Abuja...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, 22, AUGUST , 2018 The price of OPEC basket of fifteen crudes stood at $71.75 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $71.01 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, AUGUST 24, 2018

31

MARKET NEWS

Zenith Bank Shareholders to Receive Interim Dividend August 29 Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie

translates to 30 kobo per share.

The lender had the interim dividend will be paid to shareholders whose names appear on the bank’s register on August 17, while payment will be made on August 24, 2018.

However, following the federal government’s announcement of Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays

Shareholders of Zenith Bank Plc will next Wednesday receive the interim dividend recommended for the half year ended June 30, 2018 as against today earlier fixed.

The bank recently announced an interim dividend of M9.42 billion, which

to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir festival, the management of Zenith Bank shifted the payment date to August 29, 2018.

Zenith Bank in a statement explained, “Following our announcement of August 6, 2018, in respect of payment of interim dividend for the half year ended June 30, 2018, we have been informed by our registrars, Veritas Registrars Limited, that

in view of the two days public holidays recently declared by the federal government of Nigeria for the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir, the payment date of August 24, 2018, will no longer be feasible as same is affected by this development.

“Payment date will now be August 29, 2018, while both the qualification date and the closure date of register remain

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED AS OF

the same. The payment date will now be August 29, 2018.

However, the qualification date and the closure date of register remain the same, August 17, 2018 and August 20, 2018 respectively.”

In the result for the half year (H1) ended Zenith Bank Plc posted gross earnings of N322.2 billion in 2018, down from N380.4 billion in 2017.

Net interest income stood at N154 billion compared with 139 billion in 2017.

Impairment charges fell from N42.4 billion to N9.7 billion, while non-interest income reduced from N118.2 billion to N93.5 billion. Profit before tax improved from N92.2 billion to N107.4 billion, while PAT stood at N81.7 billion, compared with N75.3 billion in 2017.

A S AT 1 7 / 0 8 / 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) 277,708.53

TRADES

VOLUME

30 BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS S/N

9.60

-

76

1,661,352

285,565.17

8.35

0.60

203

9,626,390

717,409.88

22.85

-0.44

283

15,871,230

562

27,158,972

32

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

33 34

MARKET CAP(Nm) 351,773.87

MARKET CAP(Nm) DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 3,748,911.63 LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. 241,121.31

BUILDING MATERIALS

EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD

PRICE %CHANGE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 382,488.96

9.80

-0.51

157

4,754,734

157

4,754,734

719

31,913,706

TRADES

VOLUME

56 49 105 105

347,702 6,757,359 7,105,061 7,105,061

TRADES

VOLUME

31

35 36

PRICE %CHANGE 220.00 27.80

6.80 -0.36

PRICE %CHANGE 650.00

-

5

344

5

344

5 829

344 39,019,111

37 38 FOOD PRODUCTS S/N 39 40 FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED S/N 41 42 HOUSEHOLD DURABLES S/N

MARKET CAP(Nm) 440.00

CROP PRODUCTION FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC FISHING/HUNTING/ TRAPPING ELLAH LAKES PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 511.20

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

43 PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME 5,000

0.20

-

1

71,113.99

74.55

-

11

69,082

60,000.00

60.00

-

8 20

11,111 85,193

TRADES

VOLUME

0 0

0 0

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,830.00

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,164.81

PRICE %CHANGE 4.26

-

PRICE %CHANGE 0.61

-7.58

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

13

1,219,115

13

1,219,115

33

1,304,308

TRADES

VOLUME

44 PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CONSUMER GOODS FINANCIAL SERVICES

46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 BANKING

-

0

0

-

0 0

0 0

46,745.19

1.15

2.68

82

17,405,011

55

36,304.34

12.60

-

30 112 112

192,251 17,597,262 17,597,262

56

TRADES

VOLUME

59

0 0

0 0

60

TRADES

VOLUME

61

6

6,348

MARKET CAP(Nm)

57 58

-

PRICE %CHANGE

33,000.00

25.00

-

165.00

6.60

-

MARKET CAP(Nm) 4,443.26

S/N

PRICE %CHANGE 1.71

-

62 63

0

0

6

6,348

64

TRADES

VOLUME

65

2

10,594

66

2

10,594

67

TRADES

VOLUME

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,900.00

95.00

-

1

2,500

11,300.89

45.20

-

0

0

70

24,014.43

9.00

-

1

140

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) 14,406.27

PRICE %CHANGE

69

2

2,640

10

19,582

TRADES

VOLUME

-

1 1

3,862 3,862

75

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

76 77

73 PRICE %CHANGE 0.20

1.84

-0.54

9

10,198,900

242.22

0.89

-

0

0

197,134.45

90.00

-

38

185,996

302,574.34

68

35.20

-

19

5,312,785

74

78 79

PRICE %CHANGE

151

851,644

217

16,549,325

TRADES

VOLUME

85

1,151,192

177,600.00

14.80

-1.99

51

891,240

90,208.35

22.00

0.45

88

1,871,852

12,529.71

1.58

0.64

44

1,552,600

1,340.10

0.36

-

0

0

1,158.30

6.50

-

1

2,960

52,988.77

20.00

-

24

1,181,110

3,676.41

13.45

-

FOOD PRODUCTSMARKET -DIVERSIFIED CAP(Nm) CADBURY NIGERIA 18,782.02 PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 1,188,984.38

PRICE %CHANGE 10.00

58,779 16,216 74,995

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

14.05

315,975.30

55.00

4,117.00

VOLUME

20 32

MARKET CAP(Nm) 55,785.20

MARKET CAP(Nm)

TRADES 12

PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 25,244.82

11,703 6,662,657

-

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,680.31 3,377.28

2 295

-

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. VITAFOAM NIG PLC.

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

-0.10

1.32

DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNA386,258.05 TIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC 48,098.16 GUARANTY TRUST 1,118,384.81 BANK PLC. JAIZ BANK PLC 15,910.69 SKYE BANK PLC 6,662.54 STERLING BANK PLC. 36,275.93 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 161,620.18 UNITY BANK PLC 9,468.36 WEMA BANK PLC. 25,073.40

47

103.00

7.70

45

0.58 3.25

4.79

MARKET CAP(Nm) 38,500.00

BANKING

0.44

PRICE %CHANGE

FOOD PRODUCTS DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC UNION DICON SALT PLC.

S/N

225.71 2,111.93

MARKET CAP(Nm) 711.32

NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 823,680.91

22.10

-

1

200

3.24

-

9 10

24,849 25,049

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

-

30

135,874

3.77

25

233,396

55

369,270

610

23,685,158

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

1.09

-1.80

51

3,847,569

21.05

0.24

32

311,295

1.66

3.11

95

7,170,381

38.00

-0.13

149

5,769,685

0.54 0.48 1.26 5.55 0.81 0.65

-7.69 0.79 -2.63 -10.00 4.84

2 48 61 27 9 18 492

109,300 6,161,380 4,841,584 200,778 713,162 161,281 29,286,415

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

-

0

0

0.20

4,712.54

0.68

1.49

18

1,274,516

26,775.00

2.55

0.79

3

94,489,040

2,100.00

0.30

-

6

390,197

14,521.84

1.40

-

9

322,014

3,387.79

0.23

-4.17

8

373,672

2,411.47

0.53

-

0

0

1,913.74

0.50

-

0

0

2,149.00

0.35

-

2

1,310

539.32

0.42

-

0

0

2,270.26

0.31

-

8

385,030

3,480.03

0.81

-10.00

2

200,000

5,920.00

0.74

-

0

0

2,400.00

0.30

-9.09

20

2,538,582

15,049.43

2.85

-

19 130,487,918

3,095.79

0.40

-

15

1,099,993

2,175.92

0.57

-

1

1,000

1,533.81

0.23

4.55

9

1,781,738

2,168.61

0.26

-3.85

10

2,237,844

5,422.63

0.42

-

0

0

4,483.72

0.48

-

0

0

2,800.00

0.20

-9.09

7

420,846

516.46

0.20

-

0

0

7,040.00

0.44

-

0

0

3,605.33

0.26

8.33

5

5,000,000

44

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹Ͷ

45

MARKET NEWS

SEC: Why Crowd Funding is Not Functional in Nigeria The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said crowd funding is not yet popular in Nigerian financial market because the country’s investment laws do not have provisions for it.

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.

While some companies are raising funds using

this window, it has is not common in Nigeria.

But speaking on this situation recently, the Acting Director General of SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk, said although the commission is desirous of having crown funding, some legal challenges have not been able to make the desire come through.

“I want to assure you that he SEC is very desirous in having rules on crowd funding. We have severally

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

discussed it and we want to have crowd funding in this market but we have a challenge. Firstly, the CAMA which is the primary regulation for all companies does not have provision for crowd funding and even if it has, Investment and Securities Act (ISA) does not support it. I want to assure you that with the review of ISA that provision is now there and when it is approved we will be able

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 2008-2018, unless otherwise stated.

to have it,” Uduk said.

Meanwhile, she has disclosed that the forbearance given to investors with multiple subscriptions would boost liquidity in the market.

Uduk had recently said the forbearance deadline had been extended to December 31, 2018.

She said: “Today those shares are not in the system, because If you are unable to identify yourself properly

those shares cannot be properly captured in the system. We are saying come and regularise that situation and get back your shares which are being warehoused somewhere.

There is absolutely no punishment attached to it, the SEC is not punishing anybody. We just want such individuals to come and regularise that transaction between now and 31st December 2018.

“The objective of doing

that is that it will increase liquidity in the market because the shares are just there no trading on them, not only that, the investors cannot claim their dividends too and that increases unclaimed dividend. Let them come and regularise so that there will be increase in trading of those shares and they will also claim their dividends so that the balance of unclaimed dividends will also go down”.

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 171.69 172.14 -3.46% Nigeria International Debt Fund 263.77 264.23 13.97% 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 0.45% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 4.63% 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 12.30% 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 17.68 18.21 -3.24% ARM Discovery Fund 373.09 384.34 -4.11% ARM Ethical Fund 28.47 29.33 4.20% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 29.33% 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 139.19 140.17 -8.24% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.13% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.55% Paramount Equity Fund 11.74 12.04 5.88% Women's Investment Fund 103.19 105.84 2.55% 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 12.72% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.17 1.20 11.63% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.20 1.23 16.26% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A 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 N/A N/A N/A FBN Heritage Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.26 1.29 -2.45% Legacy Debt Fund 3.12 3.12 8.12% 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 12.11% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 102.72 104.28 3.04% 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 11.87% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.13 2.15 0.83% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 14.25% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 120.65 120.92 4.86%

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 3.20% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,068.91 1,068.91 8.37% 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 11.68 11.78 -10.08% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.21% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.35 11.47% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.81 11.88 7.00% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.37% 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 127.55 128.12 -1.60% 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 1.63 1.63 9.68% 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 2,291.70 2,308.27 2.11% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 183.65 183.65 4.08% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.97 0.98 -3.47% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 238.26 238.30 8.19% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 167.73 169.56 -6.36% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.77% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,830.15 8,938.00 -8.75% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.08 1.08 2.17% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Wealth for Women Fund N/A N/A N/A ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.34 12.54 -1.28% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.92 13.05 -1.89% Zenith Income Fund 20.76 20.76 9.66% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.56%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

N/A 137.61 51.52

N/A 3.89% 1.36%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

11.74 129.19 98.56

11.84 131.94 100.41

-3.13% -9.55% -9.78%

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

SPECIALIST FUNDS*

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

4.25 8.20 16.38 17.47

4.29 8.28 16.48 17.67

-10.39% -14.22% -6.32% -11.12%

142.40

144.40

5.90%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

105.44

17.63%

FOR HNI & PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS ONLY

Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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.

˜ ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹Ͷ ˾ T H I S D AY

46

FOREIGN/DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

Editor: VINCENT OBIA vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com 0805 468 1757

In Brief Sessions Hits Back At Trump after Justice Department Criticism

US President Donald Trump at a press conference in Brussels following the recent NATO summit.

AP.

The Impeachment Hammer Dangling Over Trump Cohen’s guilty plea and Trump’s own admissions look dangerously implicating for the US president, but the issue of his impeachment is open to debate, writes Vincent Obia

U

nited States President Donald Trump has received rough treatment at the hands of judges and erstwhile associates in recent times. Trump has been put under pressure by revelations bordering on his past deeds. On Tuesday, his former long-time lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges of tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations, in what was seen as an attempt to implicate the president. Cohen, a man so close to Trump that he was once quoted as saying he would “take a bullet” for Trump, told a federal court in Manhattan that Trump directed him to pay off adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to silence the women, who said they had affairs with Trump, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump denied sexual relationship with the women, but admitted paying off Daniels. In May, he admitted reimbursing his lawyer, Cohen, for a $130,000 payment made on the eve of the 2016 election to porn actress Stormy Daniels as part of a settlement about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Trump claimed the payment was in no way connected with the poll campaign.

The president tweeted on May 3, “Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as CLIFF VINCENT CHINEDU OKWUANYUSI, now wish to be known and addressed as CLIFF CHINEDU CLETUS OKWUANYUSI͘ All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as NNEKA OBIAGERI NWAGBOGWU, now wish to be known and addressed as NNEKA OBIAGERI All former USIFOH͘ documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed MISS STEPHANIE as OMWANGHE IGBINEVBO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS STEPHANIE OMWANGHE Ez D ͳ/' E/͘ All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONYINYECHI SONIA OGBONNA, now wish to be known and addressed as ALEGBE ONYINYECHI ^KE/ ͘ All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OBICHUKWU UDODI MICHAEL, now wish to be known and addressed as OBICHUKWU UDODI D ͘ All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OSHO OLUMIDE, now wish to be known and addressed as OSHO OLUMIDE z/E< > y͘ All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as NWOSI JONATHAN IKEBAGBO, now wish to be known and addressed as OKONKWOR JONATHAN /< ' K͘ All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

(Daniels).

“The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair, despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no role in this transaction.”

There is controversy as to whether the payments, which Cohen accused Trump of directing, amount to campaign finance violation, and whether this constitutes an impeachable offence.

Larry Noble of The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group that preaches strong enforcement of US election campaign finance laws, has been quoted as saying, “We’re talking about campaign finance laws and the contribution limits and disclosure provisions.

If Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels, and it was done for the purpose of stopping her to talk

about this during the election, then it was an excessive contribution by Michael Cohen. And the campaign should have reported it as a contribution

by Cohen and as an expenditure by the campaign.

“The question here is, was this related to the election? And I think there’s strong evidence it was.”

But Fox News contributor Alan Dershowitz says the payment is too minor an offence to constitute an impeachable crime.

Reacting to threats of impeachment against Trump from Democrats on Wednesday, Dershowitz, Harvard law professor, was quoted as saying, “You can’t impeach on the basis of minor derelictions or even crimes.

“You need a high crime and misdemeanour, and you know every campaign has violated some technical election law.

“I think there are going to be some Democrats ... who will run on ‘give us the House, we’ll impeach the president. I think impeachment will be an issue, but I think the law on impeachment, at least according to my research, is fairly clear.”

The constitutional standard for impeachment set out in Article II, Section 4 of the US constitution, states, “The president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours.”

The constitution only specifies a candidate’s interference with the Electoral College as impeachable, leaving the rest open to debate.

But members of the House of Representatives, who must start an impeachment process, have a great deal of latitude to determine offences that qualify as “high crimes and misdemeanours.”

As the debate over the revelations about Trump rages, what seems sure is that the disclosures, which have already put Trump under enormous pressure, would affect Republicans in the November elections. Though, many Democrats and Republicans view the Trump scandals with unconcealed disgust, the Democrats who are pushing for his impeachment, do not have the numbers to carry out a successful impeachment.

Experts believe the Democrats realise this and seem comfortable with just targeting the forthcoming elections.

President Donald Trump drew a sharp reaction from his attorney general on Thursday after the president accused Jeff Sessions of inability to take control of the Justice Department.

Trump step up his criticism of the Justice Department in a Fox News interview on Thursday as the White House grappled to respond to the conviction of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on multiple fraud counts and a plea deal struck by Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that implicated the president. Trump recounted a litany of complaints about the Justice Department and the FBI, attacking both institutions. Trump also blamed Sessions for what he called corruption at Justice. “I put in an attorney general who never took control of the Justice Department,” Trump said.

But, in a rare rebuttal to Trump, Sessions issued a statement, saying, “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in... While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.” Sessions, a long-time U.S. senator and early supporter of Trump’s presidential bid, drew Trump’s ire when he recused himself in March 2017 from issues involving the 2016 White House race.

Popular Ugandan Opposition MP Charged With Treason AUgandan musician-turned-MP, Robert Kyagulanyi, whose arrest prompted protests, has been charged with treason. His indictment at a civil court on Thursday came shortly after military prosecutors dropped weapons possession charges against him. There was celebration as the court dropped the weapons charges, and supporters of the man better known by his stage name, Bobi Wine, were seen hugging the pop star. But he was rearrested moments later. Acivilian magistrate ordered Kyagulanyi remanded in custody until August 30 and granted him access to private doctors, citing the “health of the accused”, according to footage broadcast on state channel UBC. Kyagulanyi has been under military custody since August 14 for allegedly leading people to pelt Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy with stones ahead of a by-election in a northern town.

US Woman Jailed FiveYears for Leaking NSA Document Aformer US government contractor who pleaded guilty to mailing a classified report to a news organisation has been sentenced to more than five years imprisonment as part of a deal with prosecutors. Reality Winner, 26, pleaded guilty in June to a single count charge of transmitting national security information. The formerAir Force translator worked as a contractor at a National SecurityAgency’s office inAugusta, Georgia, when she printed a classified report and left the building with it. Winner told the FBI she mailed the document to an online news outlet.

In court on Thursday, Winner apologised and acknowledged wrongdoing, taking responsibility for “an undeniable mistake that I made”. She told the judge, “I would like to apologise profusely for my actions. My actions were a cruel betrayal of my nation’s trust in me.”

Pompeo to Travel to North Korea with New Special Representative U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit North Korea again next week to try to persuade the country to abandon its nuclear weapons, and will take a new U.S. special representative, Stephen Biegun, with him in an attempt to break the deadlock, according to Reuters. Pompeo on Thursday named the Ford Motor Co executive, a veteran Republican foreign policy hand, as the U.S. special envoy to North Korea. “Steve will direct U.S. policy towards North Korea and lead our efforts to achieve President Trump’s goal of the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea as agreed to by Kim Jong Un,” Pompeo told reporters. “He and I will be traveling to North Korea next week to make further diplomatic progress towards our objective.”

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

47

48

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͲ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2018

49

50

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Mining: FG Commences Nationwide Integrated Exploration Project Eight companies shortlisted Kasim Sumaina ÓØ ÌßÔË The federal government yesterday commenced a nationwide integrated

exploration project, saying eight out of 44 companies that submitted bids for the process were successful.

The Minister of Mines and

Third Mainland Bridge Closure: FRSC, LASTMA Assure Free Flow of Traffic Emmanuella Igwe The Lagos State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC) yesterday assured residents of the state of free flow of traffic in spite the temporary closure of the third mainland bridge.

The Sector Commander of FRSC in the state, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said 200 personnel had been deployed in the critical corridors to facilitate free flow of movement of vehicles.

Omeje said the agency was working in synergy with other law enforcement agencies to check gridlock on the road as a result of the ongoing repairs on the bridge.

“We have about 200 FRSC personnel joined with LASTMA, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the police.

“All efforts have been put in place to make sure there is free flow of traffic at various alternative routes for motorists.

“The traffic officers have mapped out strategic and alternative routes where the personnel will be positioned to direct the motorists accordingly and ensure their compliance to the traffic rules,” he said.

The FRSC chief said motorists coming from Lagos-Ibadan can use alternative routes to connect Ikorodu-Funso Williams,Western Avenue to Eko Bridge.

“Other alternatives are from Tollgate to Alapare-Ogudu, Iyana Oworo to Gbagada and Anthony

then down to Ikorodu road.

“The rest are from OshodiApapa expressway to Orile to Eko bridge or Ijora Olopa,” he said.

According to him, moving out of Lagos Island, motorists can make their way to Adeniji Carter Bridge, Idumagbo down to Oyingbo, then to Herbert Macaulay to Ijora Olopa to Eko bridge.

Omeje advised motorists to make use of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and waterways, if they find it not necessary using their personal vehicles.

“If you don’t have anything to do on Island for those four days, you can stay away to avoid gridlocks or make use of BRT and waterways.

“At least, that is even much faster and less stress pressure from Ikorodu to CMS.” Contributing, the Chief Executive Officer, LASTMA, Mr. Chris Olakpe, also said about 150 LASTMA officials had been drafted to ensure free movement of vehicles during the closure of the bridge.

Olakpe said the personnel were stationed at various critical routes to monitor the movement of the vehicles and give directions to them.

“LASTMA is on top of the game and we are joining forces with other law enforcement agencies to handle the traffic, especially at the Eko Bridge.

“My advice to motorists is that they should adhere to instructions from the officials and drive safely to ensure sanity on the road during the closure of the bridge.

MRA, KICTANet Launch AU Guide for Human Rights Defenders Emmanuella Igwe Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) have announced the launch of “The African Union: a guide for human rights defenders in the digital age,” an advocacy tool designed to enhance civil society engagement with the African Union system on digital policy issues.

In a joint statement, the two organisations hinged the publication of the advocacy guide on the fact that the AU is an important political actor on the African continent and a regional interlocutor in the international arena, which makes it imperative that organisations seeking to advance respect for human rights in digital policy have the right knowledge and skills to engage the AU. They explained that the aim of the 43-page guide is to help civil society organisations who are conducting or intend to conduct

policy advocacy within the African Union system on the human rights aspects of any ICT or digital policy issues at the AU, including for example network disruptions.

MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo and Co-Convenor of KICTANet, Ms Grace Githaiga, said, “Whether you have experience of engaging with the AU but are lacking ideas on how to use the AU to advocate for human rights in the digital age, or an experienced digital rights defender unfamiliar with the AU, this guide is for you!”

The guide presents an overview of relevant organs, departments and agencies of the African Union, outlines how they operate and provides guidance on the opportunities that exist for civil society as well as strategies for ensuring effective advocacy engagement on relevant digital policy issues.

Steel Development, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who launched the scheme, noted that the project, which is under the Natural Resources Fund, would be executed by his ministry.

Bwari, while flagging off the exploration, said Nigeria is blessed with diverse mineral resources, which can only serve their purpose if they are properly and comprehensively harnessed to enable stakeholders make investment decisions The minister stressed that

following the policies laid down in the ministry’s roadmap to help actualise federal government’s diversification agenda, the ministry intends to advance the development and use of different mineral commodities.

According to him, the industrial minerals will be used for local consumption and import substitution; metallic minerals for generating foreign exchange; and energy minerals for power generation towards

the country’s growth and substantial development.

According to him, “This integrated project is therefore long overdue, and its success will be critical in determining how far government can go in its efforts to reposition the sector.”

“Actually, the credibility of this ministry, as well as the seriousness with which the international community will evaluate our efforts at becoming a viable mining jurisdiction, will

be dependent on the way we handle this critical project.”

The minister particularly thanked all who worked hard to make the event possible, he expects maximum commitment in the execution of the project because a lot is at stake.

He urged all to strictly adhere to the job specifications and contractual agreements stipulated in the terms of engagement while also ensuring that local expertise is adequately employed.

COURTESY VISIT

Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sylvanus Agada Abbah; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and Commander, Nigerian Navy Beecroft, Apapa, Commodore Okon Edet Eyo, during a courtesy visit to Ambode at his Epe residence, Lagos...yesterday

South-east Govs Inaugurate Committee on Health Christopher Isiguzo ÓØ ØßÑß Governors of the five Southeast states yesterday in Enugu reaffirmed their readiness to tackle the myriads of health-related challenges facing the people of the zone and set up a 12-man consultative committee on health to implement this agenda.

The governors also vowed to ensure that maternal and child mortality, disease outbreak and poor response to immunisation occasioned by inadequate primary, secondary and tertiary health care delivery systems are totally stamped out in the area.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu spoke as the South-east Governors’ Forum inaugurated its consultative committee on health as one of the thematic areas of priority for the development of the zone Represented by his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, the governor who inaugurated the 12-member committee on behalf of the forum, said the body would harmonise health-related issues in the zone.

Ugwuanyi said the committee would also create a multi-sectoral platform in improving health outcomes in the zone.

He said the forum would

harness and mobilise abundant private resources to complement government budgetary allocations towards public health improvement.

The governor said the forum was desirous of optimising health service delivery and overall wellbeing of the people of the area.

“This committee will serve as a medium for community level mobilisation and information dissemination on guidelines for achieving improved health outcomes and social wellbeing,” Ugwuanyi said.

In his speech, the Director General of the forum, Prof.

Simon Ortuanya, described the inauguration of the committee as ‘a dream come through’.

Ortuanya said the primary focus of the committee was to foster regional integration and economic development within the context of a united Nigeria.

He said that the committee would also seek partnership with international donor agencies.

“I am happy to say that we have kept faith with our mandate.

We are working assiduously with our strategic partners, DFID, south East Knowledge Hubs, the Bureau for Public Service Reforms and others,” he said.

Nigerian Women,Youths are Most Neglected, Says Aspirant Sunday Okobi A Federal House of Representative aspirant in Abia State, Lady Blessing Uwaoma Nwokenneya, has lamented that despite the Nigerian women’s active participation and commitment in the country’s political process, it is still being the most neglected.

The politician disclosed this when she declared to contest and represent Isialangwa North and South in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress

(APC) in Abia State.

According to her, women and youths are numerically advantaged, hence, during any election, they form the bulk of voters at every polling units but regretted that they are not reckoned with in political affairs or after elections.

Nwokenneya noted further that her decision to contest the forthcoming election was to rescue her people from underdevelopment, with a pledge to attract developmental projects to the constituency.

Supported by her husband, Ezeji Ephraim Nwokenneya, she vowed to repay APC for its confidence towards her if she gets the ticket of the party during the primary election.

She said: “Our women form the largest group of voters during elections; they patiently wait in the sun or rain to cast their votes.

What do they get in return?

Nothing! Our youths are used before the elections but abandoned to roam in poverty after elections, but I will end that vicious slide when elected.’’

At the event, the National Auditor of APC, George Muoghalu, said the aspirant has demonstrated the capacity to represent her people, and should therefore be supported.

He also pledged that his party would transform the Ngwa nation in the state and other parts of Igbo land if its mandate is renewed in 2019 polls.

Other notable chieftains at the event were former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu; Senator Nkechi Nworgu, among others.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018Ëž T H I S D AY

51

NEWSXTRA

Abacha Loot: Cable Foundation Sends FoI Request to Adeosun on N7bn Payment to Lawyers Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), a not-for-profit

media organisation, has stated that it sent a Freedom of Information request to

ASUU: Why Nigeria May Not Experience Accelerated Growth The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for accelerated growth and development may not be realised until its leaders stop paying lip-service to the development of education.

The unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)Â yesterday in Lagos.

Ogunyemi was speaking against the backdrop of the persistent crisis bedevilling the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho.

Lecturers of the university are set to embark on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their salaries, decaying infrastructure among other issues.

The university, jointly owned by the governments of Oyo and Osun States, is alleged to be facing total neglect.

According to the ASUU boss, there is no way Nigeria can achieve the much -needed transformation if its leaders continue to see education as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;foot mat.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our union will have no choice than to permit the LAUTECH branch of ASUU to go ahead with the proposed indefinite strike. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You cannot force someone with a family and who is hungry to go and teach. There is a limit to which you can suppress them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their families are suffering and citizens of these two states must

jointly rise against what is evil and get the respective governors to do the needful. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We, on our part as a union, have written several letters to those concerned but it seems the leadership of both states are impervious to wise counsel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have taken up the matter but yet to come up with a final decision because there are specific things we will want Nigerians to know.â&#x20AC;?

According to him; it is sad to know that both state governments, who are the co-owners of the institution, are shying away from the truth and their responsibilities.

He alleged that such development was the general disposition of governments at various levels across the country, towards education.

The unionist added that the ruling class in the country had taken education to be their foot mat, paying lip service to its importance and development.

Ogunyemi said most leaders across the country, had become insensitive towards the development of education, which should be the bedrock of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is sad that the governments of Oyo and Osun States have abandoned the university they inherited, which should serve as a model university in Nigeria as it is being funded by two state governments.

the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on the payment to lawyers in the recovery of $321 million Abacha Loot from Luxembourg.

According to a statement by the CNJF, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had engaged two Nigerian lawyers, Oladipo Okpeseyi and Temitope Isaac Adebayo, for the recovery after the money was returned to Nigeria with $1.5 million interest by the Swiss government.

However, The Cable online newspaper, a partner organisation to Cable Foundation, reported that Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss lawyer, had done all the legal work and completed all the recoveries for which he had been paid in full

by the Goodluck Jonathan administration as far back as 2014.

The statement added that Monfrini denied allegations that he was asking for extra payment to complete the job, maintaining that the recovery had been finalised and all that was left was for Malami to write a simple letter to the Swiss government.

CNJFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Programme Officer, Mrs. Abiose Adelaja Adams, said in the statement that Malami still engaged the services of two lawyers for a fee of $16.9 million (about N7 billion).

According to her, CNJF had sent an FoI to Malami to make available copies of the agreements signed with Monfrini, but the attorney-general did not respond to the request.

Cable Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawyers,

Kusamotu & Kusamotu, are now in court seeking an order of mandamus to compel the AGF to make the documents available in line with public interest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the FoI request to Adeosun, the Cable Foundation is seeking a breakdown of the amount approved and released for the Nigerian lawyers between the time they were appointed and today as well as records showing payment timeline for the services of the Swiss lawyer,â&#x20AC;? the statement said.

This request is in line with Sections 2(3) & (4) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 which require all â&#x20AC;&#x153;information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public or other funds of the institutionâ&#x20AC;? to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;widely disseminated and more readily available.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are trying to help President Muhammadu Buhari in his war against corruption,â&#x20AC;? the statement added.

The House of Representatives had set up an ad-hoc committee to probe the payments to lawyers.

The Cable also reported earlier in the year that the American government has told Buhari it would not entertain the involvement of private lawyers in the return of another $500 million Abacha loot which was domiciled with the US Department of Justice in 2014 after the recoveries by the Jonathan administration.

The US government would only deal with Nigeria on a governmentto-government basis, TheCable reported.

Delta Increases Jurisdiction of Magistrates Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has increased the juridiction of magistrates in the state.

The Head, Public Relations/ Protocol Department, Delta High Court, Mr. Timothy Agbaragu, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Asaba, the state capital.

The governor said the order took effect from August 20, 2018.

Okowa said the order was in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 24 (1) of the Magistrate Court Law, Cap M1, Vol. 3, Laws of Delta State, 2006.

The law empowers the governor to increase the jurisdiction of magistrates in civil and criminal matters.

By the order, the maximum monetary limits of Chief Magistrates (Special Grade), Chief Magistrate Grade 1 and Chief Magistrate Grade 2, has been increased to N10 million, N8 million and N5 million, respectively. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Senior Magistrate Grade 1 and Senior Magistrate Grade 2 now have jurisdiction on matters within N3 million and N2 million. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Magistrate Grade 1 and Grade 2 shall have jurisdiction on matters within in N1 million and N500, 000,â&#x20AC;? he stated.

The governor said the order followed the recommendation of the state Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Umukoro.

The recommendation provides that in all actions relating to landlord and tenant, the claimant may in addition claim arrears of rent and the profits.

This is irrespective of the fact that the total claim exceeds the amount assigned to the cadre of magistrate concerned.

Okowa also increased the criminal jurisdiction of magistrate courts to Chief Magistrate Special Grade.

The governor said Chief Magistrate Grade 1 and Grade 2 were now empowered by the order to impose sentences/fines of 14 years or fine not less than N250, 000.

He said they now had powers to impose sentences of 10 years or fines not less than N200, 000 and six years imprisonment or fine not less than N150, 000.

The governor said these were applicable where the law creating the offences did not make any specific provisions.

Similarly, Senior Magistrate Grade 1 and 2 can now sentence convicts to four years and three years, while their criminal jurisdiction has been expanded to sentence convicts to two years and one year.

EYEING OIL AND GAS INVESTMENT

L-R: President Integra Capital, Dr. Jose Luis Manzano; Chairman Chrome Oil; Chief Emeka Ofor; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, and CEO Eland Oil and Gas, George Maxwell after a meeting at the State House, Abuja...yesterday

PDP BOT CONDEMNS CALL FOR SARAKIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RESIGNATION of the Baloguns which was a noticeable feature of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ojude-Obaâ&#x20AC;? carnival as one that depicts the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nobleness.

According to him, Nigeria should draw strength from her diversity, like the Ijebu people, and not use her diversity to create barrier or draw a wedge to threaten national unity and progress.

He urged Nigerians, particularly leaders, to create programmes that would engender unity and peaceful co-existence among the people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ojude Oba fosters unity among all Ijebu people, and this is another way in which we, as a nation, could take a leaf from this festival.

Unity is paramount; unity

is key. When we are united, we achieve more. When we are united, we record monumental progress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I urge us all, therefore, to pursue more activities that will unite our various peoples.

Our diversity is our strength.

We must, therefore, continue to initiate programmes that will bring us together and further highlight the fact that we are one and the same. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In over a century of Ojude Oba, Ijebu citizens have shown us that unity will always lead to progress, and that there is strength in unity.

This is a shining example for us all,â&#x20AC;? Saraki explained.

In another development, a pressure group, the Draft Saraki Movement (DSM) has handed Saraki a seven-day

ultimatum to announce his readiness to contest the 2019 presidential election.

According to the group, Sarakiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refusal to heed the call would be termed a great disservice to the Nigerian people.

The group stated that given Sarakiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pedigree and sacrifice in standing with the Nigerian people despite all forms of intimidation, his wealth of experience in public service would be deeply appreciated if he applied it on the governance of the nation.

The DSM in a communiquĂŠ released after its inaugural meeting in Abuja yesterday and signed by its National Coordinator and Secretary, Dr. Abdallah Maiyaki Anas and Rev Ephraim Egbuojah

Japheth, respectively, stated that the youthful and rare leadership qualities exhibited

by Saraki have endeared him to the Nigerian electorate, and given hope to the common man that with the right president, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest for security, growth and development would be speedily enhanced, just as would be its pride of place in the international community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His sacrifice to keep the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s democracy intact despite all manner of intimidation, harassment, onslaught, mudslinging and various acts of humiliation , shows the resilient Nigerian spirit which our founding fathers were known for, with some sacrificing their lives for it,â&#x20AC;? the group said .

52

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Election Monitoring Groups Urge N’Assembly to Pass INEC Budget Iyobosa Uwugiaren ÓØ ÌßÔË The Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group (ISDMG) has called on the National Assembly to pass the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) budget without further delay, saying the delay may jeopardise the preparations for the 2019 elections.

The ISDMG faulted the delay of the INEC budget by the Executive arm of the government, alleging that the budget was submitted to it since January 2018 by INEC. In a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day meeting on the 2019 Election Budget Empasse held in Abuja, the group warned that all forms of intrigues and politics associated with the budget should cease immediately for national interest and good.

The stakeholders are drawn from different groups, which include the civil society, the political class, the media and citizens, among others.

They also condemned in strong term, the use of thugs and irresponsible police and other security personnel to harass citizens, INEC officials and disruption of elections, adding that the development portrays Nigeria in bad light before the international community.

The ISDMG decried the delay of the INEC budget by the Executive arm of the government, alleging that the budget was submitted to

it since January, 2018 by INEC. According to the group, the logjam regarding the INEC budget is unacceptable and unnecessary as the Executive arm ought to have submitted the budget to the National Assembly long before now.

In the communiqué signed by Dr. Chima Amadi for the ISDMG; Faith Nwadishi of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy; Abdul Mahmud of Public Interest Lawyers League, and Sheriff Mulade, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, among others, the group urged INEC to continue to be proactive by submitting their budget proposal in good time in a transparent and open manner.

The group also stressed the urgent need to review the appropriation process, especially when it involves the needs of INEC, in view of the importance and role the electoral body plays in the stabilisation of the country’s democracy.

According to the group, “We note the hard fact that the INEC budget is not like contracts that can be hidden from public purview as activities of INEC are open and easily verifiable by citizens, stakeholders and in fact, any interested party. “ While commending the openness of the budget process and urging INEC to continue with the practice, the group noted that this should be encouraged.

The group urged Nigerians to support INEC as it strives to

conduct credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria.

The communiqué further read: “That suspension of elections where there are infringements and security breaches as was done in the Rivers State constituency bye-election to protect lives and property and the integrity of the electoral process and elections should now be the norm.

“All perpetrators of election violence must be severely punished according to the law to serve as deterrence to others.

“The allegations of budget padding draw from mischief or an inadequate appreciation of the issues involved, therefore ,we recommend that all parties should strive to verify issues and INEC should operate an open door policy for these clarification.”

The group also recommended that stakeholders should utilise the quarterly stakeholders dialogue by the INEC chairman to seek information and clarify issues.

While condemning the actions of the police and other security agencies that were used by unscrupulous politicians to disrupt the elections thereby putting the lives of INEC staff and citizens in danger, the election monitoring group described the action as bizarre, shameful, embarrassing, disgraceful and condemnable.

It however, commended INEC for taking quick measures to suspend the election so as to protect the integrity of the election .

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018˾ T H I S D AY

53

NEWSXTRA

NAPTIP: Human Traffickers Must Be Treated as Terrorists Alex Enumah ÓØ ÌßÔË

The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah – Donli, has said that human trafficking should be treated as one of the components of terrorism and a major threat

to good governance and rapid economic recovery of any country.

She argued that human traffickers should be treated as enemies of the state, adding that the phenomenon should be tackled the same way as the current fight against terrorism in some parts of the country.

According to a statement

by Vincent Adekoye of the agency’s Press and Public Relations Unit, the NAPTIP boss stated this while delivering a paper titled “ Mass Exodus of Youths and National Development: A Case of Nigeria – Libya – Europe Migration Trend “ as parts of the activities marking the 16th Ika Ka Mma Annual Lecture

Law School Class of 85 to Honour Varsity VC, Monarch, Others at Abuja Reunion A group of lawyers under the aegis of Nigerian, Law School Class of 1985 will on Monday, honour their highflying classmates and Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof Enefiok Essien and a retired Army General and a first class traditional ruler in Delta State, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, General Felix Mujakperuo (rtd) at their annual reunion luncheon slated for Abuja.

The popular annual reunion will hold on the sidelines of the 2018 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association taking place in Abuja According to a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the class, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) and the chairman, local organising committee for the reunion, Senator Ita Enang, two judicial officers, five Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), five top executives in the federal bureaucracy and in the organised private sector and practitioners within and outside the shores of Nigeria will also be honoured at the annual reunion holding at the prestigious Abuja Sheraton Hotel.

A peep into the list of the honorees show that among the class members to be celebrated at the occasion include Justice Abubakar Talba of the Court of Appeal, five Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) namely, Mr Sylvester Elema, Chief Abayomi Alliyu, Mr Wilcox Abereton and Chief Ikenna Victor Egbuna, a newly

appointed judge of African Court of Human & Peoples Rights, Arusha Tanzania, Mrs Stella Anukam, a serving permanent secretary in Akwa Ibom Ministry of Justice, Mrs Gloria Umoren, a Criminal Defence Attorney in the Office of Public Defender, State of Maryland, United States, Mrs Pauline Onyemaechi, an INEC National Commissioner, Mr Festus Okoye, a maritime law practitioner and director in the Nigerian Shippers Council, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi, a former AttorneyGeneral of Niger State, Alhaji Umar Kawu, a retired Air Commodore and former Head of Legal Services Directorate, Nigeria Air Force, Ademola Onitiju, a Life Bencher and former chairman of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria, (MULAN) Alhaji Tajuddeen Oladoja, the Head of Human Resources Department in South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO) Ltd, Mr Dele Aloko, an oil and gas expert and Executive Director/General Counsel, Aiteo Group, Mr Obinna Kalu Onyearu, and a former Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal who successfully overturned his sack by the Federal Judicial Service Commission, Mr Bode Thomas. Two members of the class who got married as husband and wife, Mr Bolaji and Salewa Oninenla are also listed to be honoured.

A health awareness talk would be delivered by the Chief Medical Director of National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Jaff Momoh.

The Vice President, Prof

Pa Isaac Onibonoje for Burial The funeral of an accomplished businessman and exemplar community leader, Pa Isaac Onibonoje, 90, will be held on September 7, 2018 in his hometown, Igbara-Oke, Ondo State.

There will be funeral service at the Baptist Church, Igbara-Oke, which will be followed by internment.

A Christian wake will be held in the evening of September 6 at his Igbara -residence after a parade to be led by the children.

Before taking the body to Igbara-Oke, there will be a commendation service on September 5 at the Baptist Church, Broad Street,

Lagos, and a Service of Songs at his Lagos residence, Alli Lane, Onipanu, Lagos.

Pa Onibonoje is survived by wives and children.

Onibonoje

Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha and the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as the Director-General Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Chiroma, are among the special guests expected to grace the occasion.

The leader of the Class, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) is expected to chair the proceedings at the occasion.

The statement enjoined members of the class to turn out in their large numbers for their exquisite reunion luncheon.

organised by the Onu Ika Socio- cultural organisation, an umbrella organisation for the Ika nationalities of Delta State.

The event was aimed at enlightening people across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria on the dangers of human trafficking, child labour and irregular migration among others, so as to reduce the human casualties that have characterised the ugly development.

She said, “Nigerian government over the years and particularly, under the current administration, holds a unique philosophy for national security which is to establish a safe and secure environment.

“Gaps in national security portend a great threat to social and economic goals. Research has proven a strong link between weak migration system and insecurity as migrants sometimes become objects of criminal exploitation,” she explained.

She identified illegal border crossing, document forgery, abuse of human rights, kidnapping, money laundering, drug trafficking, weapon trafficking and violence against persons (VAPs) as offshoot of human trafficking and major components of illicit crime networks that are capable

of breaching and sabotaging the positive elements of national security.

On the human trafficking profile of Delta State, the NAPTIP director general said, “Delta State ranks third among source states for victims of human trafficking; after Edo and Kano States.

She added, ”As stated earlier, almost all the states in Nigeria are affected by migration and human trafficking”. Ika community is under the jurisdiction of Benin Zonal Command of NAPTIP which covers Edo and Delta States.

“From inception to June 2018, the agency has rescued a total of 12,939 victims across Nigeria. Out of this number, 822 are from Delta State and 132 representing 16.06

per cent of victims from Delta State, are from Ika community.

“This figure comprises 84 from Ika South and 48 from Ika North -east. From NAPTIP’s record; Ika South Local Government Area (LGA) has the highest number of rescued victims in Delta State, followed by Ugheli North.

“The third in the list is Ethiope East and Ika North-east is in the fourth position. The most affected communities include; Agbor, Umunede, Abavo, Ozanogogo, Owa-Oyibu, among others.”

She added that as at July 2018, the number of victims rescued from Delta State alone rose to 831 from 822, with the addition of nine more victims recorded as at June 2018.

ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ T H I S D AY

54

FRIDAYSPORTS

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

Coaches Pressure Victor Moses to Rescind Retirement from Eagles AFCON 2019 QUALIFIERS Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report Victor Moses’ retirement from the Super Eagles has not gone down well with handlers of the senior national team as they have began subtle moves to woo the Chelsea star back to fold.

Moses shocked Nigerians a fortnight ago when he announced his withdrawal from the senior national team. Although no excuse was given by the former England Under-19 star to quit Eagles, many attributed his decision to his unhappiness with Nigeria’s performance in the two World Cup outing he has been part of in 2014 in Brazil and Russia 2018.

Now, the coaches are optimistic that Moses may still be named in the Nigerian squad when the list is released today.

According to KweséESPN, Nigeria’s coach, Gernot Rohr, is making efforts to get Moses out of his international retirement.

The coach’s trump card is telling the Chelsea wing back of the abundance opportunity of winning the Africa Cup of Nations a second time after being part of the 2013 victorious side.

“We spoke already and I hope that his decision is not definitive,” Rohr was quoted

by KweséESPN as saying.

“I think it depends on his motivation. If he really wants to commit himself again, he is welcome. “Maybe the chance to win the AFCON is motivation.

We will see.”

According to KweséESPN, some other Super Eagles’ players were stunned at Moses’ retirement at 27. Central defender, William Troost-Ekong, told KweséESPN: “I didn’t expect it.

“I was just as shocked as

Victor Moses is not likely going to be part of the squad to take on Seychelles on Match-day 2 of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers

everyone else when I heard.

It is a massive loss for Nigeria because Victor has been fantastic for us.

“I have only played with him the last year and a half.

Everyone sees what he can do.

But at the same time it would be exciting to see what other

players stand up now.

“Players come and go and it’s not one player that makes a team. I think it should be exciting for Nigeria to see what players stand up now.”

If Moses does not rescind his decision, he will be the second high-profile Super

Osimhen Moves to Belgium on Loan for First Team Football Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has joined Belgian club Charleroi on a season-long loan from German side Wolfsburg in search of regular first-team football.

The 19-year-old striker joined Wolfsburg in January 2016, but injuries mean he has made just 16 appearances for the club in all competitions.

His lack of games meant he missed out on going to the World Cup with Nigeria.

“It’s important to focus

on what lies ahead and I’m prepared to do my best,” he said.

He was the top scorer as Nigeria clinched a fifth Under-17 World Cup title in 2015 with 10 goals in Chile, which saw him win the Golden Boot and Silver Ball.

After the tournament Osimhen decided against joining English side Arsenal, to sign with the 2009 German champions.

Osimhen was also part of the Nigeria side that won the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal in November 2015, which also qualified them for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

His exploits saw him crowned the 2015 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Youth Player of the Year .

He has played for Nigeria at all levels from under-17 to the full senior side, for whom he has won two caps.

Eagles player that will be conspicuously missing when the team takes on Seychelles in Victoria on September 8 in the Match-day 2 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Meanwhile. Super Eagles Captain, John Mikel Obi, has been excused from the Africa

Cup of Nations qualifiers against Seychelles next month.

The 85-capped Nigerian captain is not nursing any known injury. NFF officials admitted yesterday the team’s gaffer who arrived Nigeria from extended post World Cup holiday during the week granted the Tianjin

Teda enforcer the break from the Seychelles match.

The former Chelsea star will however be available for the other fixtures in the AFCON 2019 qualifying series, especially the November revenge-taking clash with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

At Last, D’Tigress Arrive Lagos from USA At last, the D’Tigress arrived Lagos from their camp in Atlanta, USA in continuation of their preparation for the 2018 FIBA Women World Cup in Spain.

The team which left Atlanta on Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airline, arrived Lagos at 7:15pm yesterday evening.

The first batch of players on that flight were led by Coach Ujoh Alexander. They include; Evelyn Akhator, Cecilia Okoye, Jasmine Nwapei, Dominic Wilson and Sarah Ogoke.

This evening, the second batch which will be led by Coach Otis Hughley will touch down in Lagos same time aboard the Turkish Airline flight.

This batch will be made up of Aisha Mohammed, Ezinne Kalu, Atonye Nyingifa, Elo Edeferioka, Imovbioh Sarah and Promise Amukamara.

The trio of Nkem Akaraiwe, Nkechi Akashili and Uju Ugoka will join the squad today for their first

training session holding at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

Team Captain, Adaora Elonu, who currently got signed by WNBA side, Atlanta Dreams will join the team at a later date.

Flight cancelations have kept the players at the Atlanta camp till now. They were scheduled to return last weekend and open the business of preparing in the Lagos this past Monday.

won the Ballon d’Or and is still the only African player to win either award.

Wenger who arrived the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia on Wednesday ended his 22-year union with Arsenal at the end of last season,

During his stay at Arsenal, Wenger coached 16 players from the continent including Nigeria’s Kanu Nwankwo and Cote d’Ivoire defender Kolo Toure who were involved in the club’s last success in the English Premier League in 2004-05.

Weah to Honour Arsene WengerToday in Monrovia Liberia’s President George Weah is to honour former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger in Monrovia today on the occasion of the nation’s National Flag Day. The Frenchmanr is being recognised for his role in developing Weah’s football

career. Wenger took Weah to Europe from Africa in 1998 when he was the manager of French side, AS Monaco.

Weah is also bestowing an honour on former Cameroon and current Togo Manager Claude Le Roy

who first alerted Wenger of the player ’s potential.

“He (Wenger) was a father figure and regarded me as his son, Weah told UK’s The Guardian.

“This was a man, when racism was at its peak, who showed me love. He wanted

me to be on the pitch for him every day.”

After starring under Wenger at Monaco, Weah went on to play for AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

He was named World Footballer of the Year and

ͺͼ˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ T H I S D AY

55

FRIDAYSPORTS

Golf: Woods, Mickelson to Face off in $9m Vegas Duel in November Golf greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go headto-head in a winner-takes-all $9m exhibition match in Las Vegas, USA. The Americans, who have 19 major championship titles between them, will face off in the 18-hole event at Shadow Creek Golf Course on 23 or 24 November.

The contest, which coincides with Thanksgiving weekend in the US, will be screened on pay-per-view.

Woods confirmed “The Match” on social media, saying: “It’s on”.

Mickelson, who has attracted almost 100,000 followers in less than 24 hours on Twitter, replied to Woods, saying: “I bet you think this is the easiest $9m you will ever make.”

At present the US Open delivers the largest winning pay cheque of the four major championships at about $2.16m, though the winner of the FedExCup - awarded for an accumulation of points on the US PGA Tour - can expect to earn a bonus of $10m.

The possibility of a duel between the former Ryder Cup team-mates has been mooted repeatedly down the years.

Woods, a 14-time major winner, has won over £88m prize money on the PGA Tour in comparison to Mickelson’s £68m.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period

where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf,” Mickelson told ESPN. “It’s a way to show a side you don’t normally see by having us mic’d up to hear some of the interaction between us.”

Despite the good-natured approach, there is no chance of the duo sharing the purse, with Mickelson saying that the event had to be winnertakes-all.

“If you [don’t] do that, it undermines it,” Mickelson said. “The whole point is the winner-take-all thing. That’s the exciting part about it.”

The money on offer for the four-hour long 18-hole round between Woods and Mickelson dwarfs the prize money available to an individual at any other golf tournament.

It is also larger than the £2.25m figure handed to the winners of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Wimbledon singles titles in Tennis.

However, the winners of the UEFA Champions League in football, the World Series in baseball, American Football’s Superbowl and the Rugby Union World Cup could all expect to earn more if they were victorious.

Real Madrid’s efforts in the Champions League last term for example, equated to in excess of €54m (£48.5m) of performance-related money and a market pool share of over €35m (£31.4m) in prize

money.

The distinction of course is that those competition are team events. Whereas the Pegasus World Cup Invitational in

Florida, the World’s richest horse race, offers a total prize fund of $16m (£12.4m).

The Woods versus Mickelson showdown does not

though compare to Floyd Mayweather’s defeat of Conor McGregor in 2017, which ranks as one of the richest bouts in boxing history.

Mayweather, 40, who came out of retirement for the fight is reported to have earned around $300m for stopping the Irishman in the 10th round.

Mickelson (left) and Woods who have 19 major golf championships titles between them will be up in arm over $9million next month

SERIE A: Ancelotti Faces Old La Liga Players ‘Outraged’ over Deal to Play Match in USA unilateral decisions”, Footballers in Spain have not Liga sides met in Madrid on it, they are unanimous.

Team Milan in Home Debut ruled out strike action over Wednesday to discuss the “It does not make sense. adding: “La Liga is Carlo Ancelotti will make his home debut on the Napoli bench on Saturday against the team he turned into world beaters during an eight-year spell as coach.

In one of the delightful twists that football has a habit of providing, AC Milan will be Napoli’s first opponents of the season at the San Paolo as last season’s runners-up aim to build on their opening 2-1 win at Lazio.

Ancelotti, who ended a nineyear exile from Serie A when he agreed to take over at Napoli in May, won the Champions League twice and Serie A once as AC Milan coach before leaving in 2009.

He went on to collect trophies around Europe, winning domestic league titles in England, France and Germany, plus the Champions League with Real Madrid.

Milan, on the other hand, fell on hard times as they struggled to adapt to the new financial realities of Italian football.

In Ancelotti’s absence, they have changed owners twice, suffered several seasons of midtable mediocrity and are enduring their fifth season without Champions League football. Gennaro Gattuso is their ninth different coach since his departure.

Ancelotti also spent five years of his playing career at Milan and he said in a recent interview with La Repubblica that it was a match at the San Paolo in 1988 when he first began to think of

a career in southern Italy.

“It was a unique show and the passion of the crowd in the stands left me speechless,” he said, adding that Saturday’s game would be a “reunion between friends”.

“It must have been from that magical afternoon that I really began to cultivate my dream of working in the South, which then became reality at the beginning of this summer with the offer of (Napoli president) Aurelio De Laurentiis.”

Even so, it was a huge surprise – and boost for Serie A - when he accepted the offer to replace Maurizio Sarri who had turned Napoli into the most entertaining side in Serie A and led them to second place last season with a club-record points haul.

Ancelotti’s debut last Saturday, which was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game for Juventus, was notable for his idea to reinvent team captain Marek Hamsik as a deep-lying playmaker rather fielding the Slovak in his more familiar position on the left of midfield.

Playing alongside Allan, Hamsik quickly adapted to the position left vacant by Jorginho’s move to Chelsea, one of two major departures in the close season along with goalkeeper Pepe Reina’s move to Milan.

“This is a quality squad, despite what some might say,” said Ancelotti after the win over Lazio. “I’m here to give satisfaction to the Napoli fans who have been waiting a long time.”

a plan to stage a top-flight league match in the United States, the players’ union announced yesterday.

Real Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos and Barcelona Vice-captain Sergio Busquets were among the high-profile players to attend a meeting on Wednesday to discuss their “concern” over the issue.

La Liga agreed a 15year deal with US media company Relevent last Friday.

The players’ union - the AFE - says its members were not consulted by La Liga.

Players from all of the La

issue with AFE President David Aganzo.

Among those in attendance were Ramos and Real Madrid teammate Nacho, Barcelona duo Busquets and Sergi Roberto, Leo Baptistao from Espanyol, Bruno from Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid players Koke and Juanfran.

Aganzo said: “The problem is the lack of common sense, a schedule where only the export of soccer benefits - nobody counts on the fans.

“We need to fix it with the bosses. The captains are outraged, they’re against

We are talking about an agreement that has a validity of 15 years without consulting the players.”

On the possibility of strike action, he added: “We will try not to reach that extreme but we are willing to go to the end if necessary.”

Aganzo said the players would meet again in September.

Asked last week when the US-based match would take place, and whether it would be a regular fixture, La Liga told BBC Sport it “cannot confirm the teams, match, date or season”.

The AFE said players “do not understand the

distancing the fans of the players, something that harms the show and the essence of football.”

La Liga, meanwhile, said the organising body plans to meet the AFE to discuss the proposals and that the plan for the game in the US would go “hand in hand with clubs and institutions”.

In an interview with newspaper El Mundo on Thursday, La Liga President, Javier Tebas, ruled out the possibility that the league’s most famous game, known as “El Clasico”, between Real Madrid and Barcelona would not be one of the games played abroad.

Premier Cool Five-a-Side Tourney Begins The five-a-side football competition designed by Premier Cool, a brand of PZ Cussons, tagged ‘Turf Wars’, kicked off on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to the organisers of the tournament matches have been scheduled to run from August 22 through Saturday, September 1, 2018 at the sports ground of Children’s International School, Lekki, Lagos.

16 teams emerged in the voting phase and proceeded to complete their medicals to ensure that every player was certified physically

fit to be part of the competition.

The official draw of the competition was officiated by the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), who are also supporting partners of the competition.

Speaking after the draws, Brand and Activation Manager of PZ Cussons, Busayo John, stated that the Premier Cool Turf Wars is an initiative borne out of “love for the game” and its social impact.

“Football is a widely loved sport especially in Nigeria, it has the power in uniting millions and

changing lives. This is no different from what we want to achieve with the Turf Wars five-a-side football competition.

“We want to reward the passion of our consumers, who still make time out of their work schedules to play and enjoy the game of football. This event is not just about the football, as we have created a cool atmosphere for relaxation, networking, good food, as well as music to make it a worthwhile experience for everyone,” she said.

The matches will spread across two days; match-day

one will feature the qualifiers, while match-day 2 will feature all the final matches.

The winning team will get a cash prize of N3million, while the second and third runners up will walk away with N1.5million and N750, 000 respectively.

The Premier Cool Turf Wars is endorsed by the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA); the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF); and also proudly supported by SociaLiga, a sports entertainment company that aims to bring people together by creating an ambience where people can network and enjoy fun activities.

Friday, August 24, 2018

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N250

MISSILE Sagay to N’Assembly “On the contrary, elections and democracy which they support, constitute what the whole Constitution is about. If the National Assembly refuses or fails to approve the budget for election, the doctrine of necessity will validate the provision of the funds without the National Assembly’s approval.” – Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay, saying that the federal government could fund the 2019 general election by invoking the doctrine of necessity if the National Assembly refuses to pass INEC’s budget.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

Osinbajo: In Buhari’s Shoes I

was once a fan of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. They don’t come to office better prepared. And he lived up to the billing. And then he did not, and then he did…..Enthused the BBC ‘A former law professor, the vice-president comes across as quiet, unassuming and hardworking. But he is an eloquent and jovial person, who is usually seen with a smile on his face. Last year when Mr. Buhari went on medical leave, his deputy took some far-reaching economic measures to prop up the country’s currency, the naira.

There was a scarcity of US dollars at the time, which is needed by importers. So he asked the Central Bank to inject millions of dollars into the market to help stabilise the naira on the foreign-exchange market’.

Unlike the BBC, my admiration of him is not infinite. And the departure point for me was his escalating penchant for the gross exaggeration and delusory self-celebration of the embarrassingly below par achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

He has this provocative way of stretching and embellishing facts and sometimes given to outright falsification especially when he seeks to paint a contrast with their hapless predecessor. The penchant is particularly galling when the overwhelming evidence indicates that the Buhari regime fares no better or fares worse in key performance indicators. There should be a limit of the extent to which character excess-(such as proclivity for demonisation and lies against another regime) is deemed tolerable in a Vice President who wears his elevated Christianity status as a badge of moral authority.

The joke is of course on his principal whose routine and regular absence from his desk has become a study in how poorly he compares to the governance performance standard of his deputy. Little wonder at the contemporary Nigerian quirk of wishing and hoping for more frequent and longer absences of the President as a panacea for the order and good governance of Nigeria.

The case is even more pathetic when it is realised that Osinbajo himself is no leadership rock star but then Nigeria doesn’t need superlative leadership to get going.

The BBC case against Buhari continues ‘The previous week, Osinbajo took the huge step of sacking the controversial head of Nigeria’s spy agency after a siege of parliament by men in masks, who turned out to be operatives from the Nigerian equivalent of the FBI. Critics have long wondered why President Buhari, who appointed him, has failed to take action against Mr. Daura. By contrast Mr. Osinbajo did not delay. He took the figurative bull by the horns, calling Mr. Daura’s actions “unacceptable” and “a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order” Yet gratifying as the Osinbajo regency is, there really is nothing extraordinary about his rescue mission interlude-the celebration of which would have caused consternation and wonder in any country with less poor governance standards. The

Osinbajo

major extrapolation from this interlude is the utility of serving to underscore how untenable Buhari’s leadership and bid for second term has become. Of equal essence is how the interlude has highlighted the obstructionist and cog in the wheel negative potential of the President for the prospects of Nigeria.

Would Osinbajo, for instance, have handled the gangster collusion of the Nigerian police in the orchestrated brigandage of seven Benue state house of assembly members purporting to suspend twenty two other members (and serving notice of impeachment on the governor), in the manner his principal did? Would a President who saw nothing wrong in this build-up be roused to moral indignation and commensurate action at the additional consummation of the trend towards fascist subversion of the culture of the rule of law?

Bear in mind that the Benue State outrage was the immediate backdrop to the departure of Buhari for another mysterious trip to London-prompting the pertinent question, what was his response to the outrage? The response came in a formal statement that was a remarkable exercise in escapism, mockery and abdication. The President chose that moment to rub in the dysfunction of Nigerian federalism-which, in his understanding, precludes him from intervention in state matters and that those of us finding fault in his inaction (tacit connivance) should be advised accordingly.

From this typical precedent-of willfully looking the other way when confronted with grave and fraught national situations (or when French President Emmanuel Macron begins to talk about the Fulani militia crisis); and a penchant for affecting authority helplessness when his goons run riot, the logical presumption is that Malam Lawal Daura would still remain untouchable at his SSS post daring his boss to rein him in. Was he not in the habit of writing to countermand the recommendations of the President to the National assembly? And then Mr Osinbajo would be required, once again, to clean up the mess with ponderous

professorial logic and the unfailing distraction spell of pressing Goodluck Jonathan to service. And since the Nigerian public has an insatiable appetite for dirt on the previous dispensation, no concoction is too salacious to savor and none too questionable to accept.

Here is a typical scandal mongering by the master interlocutor himself-meticulously calculated and calibrated at inducing the imagination to run riot “In one single transaction, a few weeks to the 2015 elections, sums of N100billion and $295million were just frittered away by a few… Corruption that completely makes nonsense of even what you are allocating to capital projects.

We saw from the presentation of the minister of finance that N14 billion was spent on agriculture in 2014, transportation N15 billion, so the total spent on infrastructure in those three years were N153 billion and in two weeks before the elections, N150 billion was essentially shared. So, if your total infrastructure spending is N150 billion and you can share N153 billion, that is completely incredible.’

To keep the trademark culture of sham selfrighteousness alive and burning, President Buhari returned from London last week and unloaded with a characteristic whooper ‘most Nigerians are expecting that we are going to jail more of the thieves that brought economic problem to the country. I think that is being expected of me and I will do it’.

Uttered at his inauguration on May 29, 2015 and against the background of overblown reputation for integrity, this fanciful claim of patent rights to anti-corruption might have a ring of reality to it. By the equal

measure of his real time performance and body language on corruption (since 2015) such chest thumping bragging rings totally hollow and ridiculous but consistent with a governance profile of being long on deceit and falsehood and falling critically short on truth and integrity.

And we don’t need to look far to illustrate the point. A most conspicuous and proximate example-of action speaking louder than rhetoric, was provided by the President himself. It is the story of Buhari and Akpabio.

It is the story of how the Presidency of the former have been hawking absolutions at the point of conversion from the opposition party faith to the new faith of the Buhari writ large APC. Is there a consistent and logical thread between prioritising Akpabio as your VIP guest (all the way to London) and then arriving a few days hence to Nigeria with a renewed mission statement of jailing looters?

The common position of all the stakeholders at the governorship elections in Ondo and Ekiti states is the redefinition of elections as bidding rounds of political stock exchange in which the highest bidder prevails. And as we are condemned to accept-those bidding rounds went to APC. As a student of political science including course 202 on political\electoral behaviour and culture, I get inevitably confronted with the question-is there a positive correlation between the heightening of public service corruption and the intensification of the culture of purchasing elections? Is it plausible for a genuine anti-corruption dispensation to be accompanied by the escalation of the culture of ‘it is a matter of cash’?

On Ajimobi Just when you think the political degradation can’t get worse, then it all bottoms out-when people who look like you and I and used to behave like the average omoluabi suddenly snap and run awry. It is difficult for me to project the contemporary Governor Abiola Ajimobi from the same personality I encountered at close proximity a few years ago. At the burial ceremony of Chief Omowale Kuye, I suddenly found myself at the centre of a commotion while trying to exit the crowded hall. I was surprised to discover that the commotion centred on me. Feeling embarrassingly self-conscious, I looked around to discern what the fuss was all about. Without fully realising how I got there I discovered I was standing right in the path of Mrs. Ajimobi followed by her Governor husband and their offended entourage. The couple calmly took the situation in their strides and ensured that overzealous security aides got the message.

Even though I did not deliberately obstruct them, their mature disposition roused respect and obligation to apologise in me.

How do I reconcile this display of high culture, noblesse oblige, with a Governor

who subsequently got convinced that the best legacy he could bequeath to Ibadan tradition was the desecration and subversion of a traditional institution that has served the proud ancient Yoruba military sanctuary city rather well. Why fix it, if it ain’t broke?

The personality free fall continued with the unconscionable, loud and distasteful display of classless opulence at the wedding festival staged for their son in the midst of grinding mass poverty in Oyo State (the consciousness of which poverty should be the topmost guide to the conduct of an elected chief public servant). And the moral regression proceeded with the mean spirited gubernatorial hooliganism of a preemptive demolition of an iconic monument; a symbolic testimony to the indomitable spirit of mankind to rise and triumph over physical and psychological limitation. I am quite familiar with the history of this worthy object of Ajimobi’s depraved fury and no one similarly familiar with the location can surmise any public extenuation of the governor’s act of brigandage; a deliberate megalomaniac act of first selecting a target and thereafter shop for reasons to demolish it.

Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085, 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090, 0811 181 3085. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com