THURSDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2018

In Dramatic Twist, FG Suspends Nigeria Air Project NCAA: Aircraft leasing companies may blacklist Nigeria Chinedu Eze in Lagos and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja In a move that jolted local and international investors, the federal government yesterday suspended the implementation of the national carrier project,

Nigeria Air, which was scheduled to commence operations in December.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this in Abuja,

however, pledged that the federal government would honour all its commitments to investors.

This development is coming as strong indications have

emerged that aircraft leasing companies may blacklist Nigeria over the failure of domestic operators to keep to terms of agreements in leasing aircraft, spares and

engines.

Sirika further clarified that the decision to suspend the airline project was strategic and has nothing to do with politics and pressure from

CBN Engages MTN, Banks over Fines ... Page 8

stakeholders.

The minister who said this shortly after meeting with the President, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Mr. Pereri Taalas, who paid him a courtesy visit Continued on page 6

Thursday 20 September, 2018 Vol 23. No 8555. Price: N250

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Ambode: GAC Meets, Decides Gov’s Fate on Saturday Buhari, Osoba seek end to impasse Beijing investors may end $1.4 billion rail deal

Gboyega Akinsanmi After a brief deliberation on the rift between the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator

Bola Tinubu, and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the state's highest advisory political organ, Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), yesterday adjourned

till Saturday its decision on the governor’s re-election bid.

Also at another meeting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari

reportedly appealed to Tinubu, Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, and other parties on behalf of Ambode to resolve all issues threatening the governor’s

re-election bid amicably in the spirit of oneness and unity.

Multiple sources gave THISDAY the updates on the Ambode-Tinubu standoff yesterday, lamenting that

the rift had already taken international dimension and warn that the state might lose foreign direct investments Continued on page 6

Osun: Buhari Intervenes as Police Invite, File Charges against Adeleke Stop acting APC script, says PDP Reject continuity in hardship, Saraki urges voters Omololu Ogunmade, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo With three days to the governorship election in Osun State, the police yesterday summoned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for alleged examination malpractice and criminal conspiracy.

The summons which came a few hours after the management of the

West African Examinations Council (WAEC) cleared the governorship candidate in the suit filed to challenge his eligibility in the election, was however, suspended on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari.

A presidency source said the president directed the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to suspend the invitation until after the election on Saturday ostensibly to prevent a possible backlash Continued on page 8

APC Reschedules Presidential, Gov Primaries, Hold September 25, 29… Page 8

POSITIONING NIGERIA… L-R: Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi, during the opening of 2018 African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity Regional Conference in Abuja...recently

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APC Reschedules Presidential, Gov Primaries, Hold September 25, 29 Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has approved a revised timetable for the conduct of the 2018 primary elections.

Under the new schedule issued yesterday by its National Organising Secretary, Mr. Emma Ibediro, the presidential primary election will now take place on Tuesday, September 25, while

the governorship primary election will hold on Saturday, September 29.

The Senate and House of Representatives primaries have been fixed for October 2 and 3 respectively.

The party also said that state House of Assembly primary would hold on October 4 with the national convention (presidential) coming as grand finale on October 6.

According to the earlier

schedule put out by the party, the presidential primary was to hold on Thursday, September 20, where the presidential candidate was to be elected.

In the old timetable signed

by Ibediro, the party had fixed the governorship primary for September 25, Senate and House of Representatives aspirants were to hold on September 27 and 29 respectively.

In the same vein, APC fixed

to end on October 27, 2018.

primary election for the state House of Assembly seats for October 2.

According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), party primaries for the Presidential, Governorship, Federal and State Elections were to begin on August 18 and end on October 7, 2018, while that of the FCT Area Council elections will commence on September 4

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, last night met with governors elected on the platform of the party to resolve the disagreements over mode of primary election to be adopted in selecting candidates for the 2019 elections.

THISDAY gathered that the meeting dwelt on the crisis rocking state chapters of the party over use of direct or indirect

primary election.

At the last APC NEC meeting, the party resolved on the adoption of direct mode of primary for the presidential ticket.

It also resolved to use direct for other primary elections at the state level, except for situations where majority of the stakeholders endorsed the use of indirect mode.

Governors who attended the meeting were Imo, Borno, Niger, Kogi, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, and the Ekiti State

meeting between Tinubu and Ambode on Monday night in Osogbo, though the APC leader could not give categorical answer on whether he would intervene in Ambode’s uncertain political future.

Despite Tinubu’s unyielding posture, THISDAY reliably gathered that Osoba pleaded with Tinubu to intervene in Ambode’s travail. “Even though Tinubu did not give any specific answer, the meeting was promising.

Other party leaders are intervening. The way things are now, there is green light already, especially with the intervention of Mr. President and Aremo Osoba,� a source said.

Even though Ambode has issues with some party leaders, the APC source noted, none of them, he said, “can deny the fact that Ambode’s performance is impressive under three and half years. Aside, the crisis has also energised the PDP in the state. Mr. Jimi Agbaje’s declaration has changed the

governorship race in the state.

Ambode's performance has been a challenge for Agbaje.

That is why he did not declare until yesterday.�

Also, the source noted that there “is internal wrangling in the rank of the party leaders.

The leaders from Lagos East are not in support of taking the governorship from the senatorial district for any reason. Lagos East has started agitating against the choice of Sanwo-Olu because the zone will lose the governorship slot.�

With the lingering political crisis, a business leader confided in THISDAY last night that foreign investors “now see Lagos as high-risk market,� which according to him, might cost the state foreign investment worth of $1.4 billion if Ambode’s reelection does not sail through.

About a fortnight ago, the business leader explained, Ambode attended the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, during which Ambode signed memoranda of understanding

(MoU) on power, rail, road and light-up Lagos projects.

After the summit, he said, “There should be follow-up meetings in Lagos.

Representatives of Beijing investors, especially Power China, were in Alausa this week. But they could not really get things done due to this intra-party crisis. We are talking about $1.4 billion investment coming to Lagos alone. “This crisis has already taken international dimension.

The investors are agitated that if Ambode loses out, the new government may not key into the projects. Apparently, their confidence is becoming weak about this market. “The projects include the Okokomaiko-Badagry wing of the Lagos Light Rail (Blue Line), red line, light-up Lagos and embedded power project.

Apart from Beijing investors, the crisis has started taking toll on an agreement the Ambode administration signed with a French multinational, Alstom SA to complete the rail project.�

now."

conditions repudiate them after possessing the aircraft.

Usman said that there is a clause in the Cape Town Convention that authorises the Civil Aviation Authority to deregister the aircraft in contention and allow the lessor to repossess his aircraft. “The Cape Town Convention allows airline operators to lease aircraft at affordable prices. In the past, before the Convention was introduced, people leasing out aircraft (lessors) were having difficulty repossessing their aircraft when there was default. So that Convention took care of that by providing irrevocable deregistration authorisation for the Civil Aviation Authorities where there is default should be able to deregister their aircraft and for the owner (the lessor) to repossess his aircraft. “That has made it possible for our operators to access leases. It is not only Nigeria; so many countries have signed to the Convention and Nigeria has domesticated it.

But unfortunately because of the acts of two operators, Nigeria is about to be blacklisted and this would make it difficult for other operators to have access to access aircraft on lease,�

Usman said.

The airlines’ inability to lease airplanes, he explained, has affected the number of aircraft in operation in the country.

This, it was learnt, has forced the airlines to hike

their fares in order to meet their operational cost, as demand outstrips supply due to fewer operational aircraft.

Without the ability to lease, some Nigerian airlines are left with only one choice outright purchase of aircraft at high cost occasioned by the depreciating value of the naira.

Usman disclosed that Nigerian airlines that want to lease aircraft might not be able to do so because the country is now identified as a pariah state that cannot keep

AMBODE: GAC MEETS, DECIDES GOV’S FATE ON SATURDAY (FDIs) valued about $1.4 billion if the Mandate Movement, a political group loyal to Tinubu, succeeded in thwarting Ambode’s reelection bid.

Ambode’s political future has been uncertain since the Mandate Movement endorsed the Managing Director of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu to challenge him at the party’s primary.

Shortly after SanwoOlu’s emergence, former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state and a godson of the APC leader, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, indicated interest in the governorship contest, thereby making the contest a three-horse race.

Ambode’s travail had attracted the intervention of the presidency and some governors, including Oyo State’s Senator Abiola Ajimobi that pleaded for reprieve for him.

Confronted with a possible mutiny by his foot soldiers,

however, Tinubu insisted that Ambode should test his popularity at the direct primary contest for the party’s ticket, noting that he did not want to be accused of imposing any candidate on the party.

Contrary to public expectation yesterday, an APC source disclosed that the GAC postponed its meeting till next Saturday after taking briefings on the political uncertainty that the governor had been facing since Tinubu’s powerful political machine threw up Sanwo-Olu to challenge Ambode in the primary contest.

According to the source, the GAC members convened as planned. After they were briefed about Ambode’s reelection bid, however, they could not really deliberate due to the need to consult wider.

The meeting has been deferred till September 22 while the governorship primary will now hold on September 29.

At Tuesday’s meeting in Osogbo, another APC source revealed that Buhari had a

brief meeting with the key actors, pleading with them to resolve all issues causing dissension and resentment in the ranks of the party leaders in the state.

Apart from Aregbesola and Ambode, the source disclosed that Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, and two other governors “were at the meeting. At the meeting, Buhari reportedly appealed to all parties on behalf of Ambode that all issues about his re-election should end.

None of the parties raised objection. “The meeting was positive.

But there will be another meeting in Abuja tomorrow and Friday. Buhari has directed all parties to resolve their differences in the interest of peace and unity. The meeting informed the decision of Tinubu to consult with the GAC for deliberation,�

THISDAY source revealed.

Before Buhari’s meeting on Tuesday, it was also gathered that former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, facilitated another

IN DRAMATIC TWIST, FG SUSPENDS NIGERIA AIR PROJECT in his office, said, "I regret to announce that the Federal Executive Council has taken the tough decision to suspend the national carrier project in the interim."

According to him, "All commitments due will be honoured. We thank the public for the support as always.

"Today in council, the Federal Government of Nigeria has decided to suspend the national carrier project for some strategic reasons and we would advice you in due course.�

He explained that the decision had nothing to do with the pressure from stakeholders because, "We have explained as a government that for 40 years since 1978 to 1980 when decision was made to liberalise the sector, we saw the coming of Okada, Aero, ADC, Bellview; we have seen their coming and their exit and right now, we have got Medview, Air Peace, Arik; we have got all of these people with permission to go international."

Sirika, when pressed further to state the reasons for the suspension of the project, said, "We have given them Banjul, Dubai, London, South Africa and everywhere. Of course none of them is meeting the need

by Nigerian people to have robust national carrier and that is to say that something is amiss.

"That was the intention

of government to be able to set up a carrier that would deliver this service to the Nigerian people.

"So, the service is needed and that is why the federal government went ahead to appoint transaction adviser to continue the process.

"So, it has nothing to do with pressure. There is no pressure and you and I know that the service is not being delivered in Nigeria; locally here and internationally as well.

"Prices of tickets are astronomical within international routes and certain routes in Nigeria that ought to be developed are not developed. In the past, Nigerian Airways was doing Makurdi, Sokoto, Calabar, Maiduguri with DC10 and full.

"So, this absence, this gap is there. With all the number of airlines flying the country, this sudden growth to 20 airplanes, we have seen it in Okada, Kabo, Arik and many others but the service is not being delivered. So there is no argument from stakeholders to say we should not proceed, no.�

On whether it is political or not, he said, "I think those saying it was politically motivated are being very unfair to the president.

"Sitting to my right is the Rector of Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Captain Abdulsalam Muhammed. Even before I was made the minister,

shortly after Mr. President was sworn in, he was made the Chairman of the task force to establish a national carrier and once I became minister, they handed over the report to government and government gave me the report and asked me to implement to set up a national carrier. So, it had nothing to do with politics. It is strategic and let us leave it at that. It has been suspended for now."

On how the international stakeholders would perceive the decision, he said, "Since there is lot of international engagements and banks, consulting companies and all and how do they believe in us that we are serious again in future.

"I believe it is very clear and they know we are serious. The amount of time and resources spent in the last two and half years trying to get to the end of this procurement speaks for us and also the viability of the project especially the Outline Business Case that has been developed has shown to the world that this is a serious venture and this is serious government and we are serious to do it and since I said it is strategic, it is part of the strategy. Whenever we come back, our government or a future government to do it, I am sure the international community will believe in us and will believe as to the reasons which would advance the reasons to suspend it for

NCAA: Aircraft Leasing Companies May Blacklist Nigeria In a related development, there are strong indications that aircraft leasing companies may blacklist Nigeria over failure of domestic operators to keep to terms of agreements in leasing aircraft, spares and engines.

This development was disclosed to THISDAY in an exclusive interview by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Muhtar Usman.

According to him, Nigerian airlines are now finding it difficult to lease aircraft and spares from international lessors.

He said the development was due to the actions of two airline operators who reneged on their contractual agreements with the lessors to return their leased aircraft as enshrined in agreement they signed.

Usman added that rather than return the aircraft, the operators went to court to stop the lessors from repossessing their airplanes.

The director general also explained that Nigeria is signatory to Cape Town Convention, which allows an airline of member nations to lease aircraft and return them as agreed, but some Nigerian airlines after signing agreement to abide by these

Continued on page 8

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CBN Engages MTN, Banks over Fines Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday disclosed that it had been engaging MTN Nigeria and the four banks that were recently sanctioned over allegation of illegal capital repatriation.

The development, the apex bank said, followed the provision of additional information by the affected institutions, which it said was being reviewed.

The central bank disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

Following a fine of N5.87 billion the CBN recently

imposed on Stanbic IBTC, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Citibank and Diamond Bank, the banking sector regulator had about two weeks ago, debited the accounts of the respective banks.

The banks were fined over an alleged violation of extant laws and regulations of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995, and the Foreign Exchange Manual, 2006, on behalf of MTN Nigeria.

The CBN had also directed

MTN to immediately refund $8,134,312,397.63, which was illegally repatriated by the telecoms company, to the coffers of the bank.

For the banks, the highest fine of N2,470,604,767.13 was slammed on Standard Chartered Bank, while Stanbic IBTC Nigeria was fined N1,885,852,847.45.

Citibank also got fine of N1,265,541,562.31, just as Diamond Bank was directed to pay N250 million penalty.

But in its latest statement that was signed by its Director, Corporate Communication, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, the CBN

explained, “In response to the recent regulatory actions, the banks and MTN are engaging the CBN and have provided additional information which is currently being reviewed with a view to arriving at an equitable resolution. “The CBN acknowledges the public interest over sanctions recently imposed on four deposit money banks.

We wish to restate that the CBN will continue to welcome foreign investments and investors. “Indeed, some of our recent innovations and reforms of the foreign exchange regime

such as the introduction of the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange (NAFEX) window are designed to simplify foreign exchange regulations.�

Furthermore, it pointed out that the delegation of the issuance of Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) to commercial and merchant banks some years ago was done to instil confidence in the investor community and encourage the flow of foreign direct and portfolio investments into the Nigerian economy. “The recent sanctions

on the banks arose due to irregularities with respect to repatriations made on behalf of MTN Nigeria Limited and were not in any way designed to restrict access to investor returns. “We assure all investors that the integrity of the CCI regime remains sacrosanct and there shall be no retroactive application of foreign exchange rules and regulations. The CBN welcomes all legitimate investors to take advantage of the enormous investment opportunities in Nigeria,� it added.

Adeleke is the next governor of Osun State."

In his speech, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, argued that the APC-led government had collapsed.

He said, “The government of APC has collapsed. From our way from Ibadan to Osogbo, all the roads there have collapsed.

Adeleke would fix it. The salaries that have not been paid over the years would be paid

by Adeleke. He would fix the economy of Osun. Please, it is time for the people of Osun to take their destinies in their own hands.

"Don't listen to APC propaganda, enough is enough. The APC government of Buhari is swimming in ocean of corruption. They took $1 billion and say it is for security. People are dying every day in Borno, Taraba, Zamfara, Benue States. What did they use the $1 billion to do? Killings in Nigeria are at the highest level. There is highest level of impunity and I, therefore, present to you a person who will restore and reform government in Osun State beginning from election

on Saturday, September 22.

You will vote for PDP.�

Also speaking at the rally, a former Vice President and presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, noted that from what he was seeing in the state, the PDP was going to win the election and charged the voters to stand and protect their votes.

He urged the people of Osun State not to allow what APC did in Ekiti State to repeat itself, saying the ruling party should be voted out.

Also speaking, a chieftain of the party in the state, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, stressed that this is the time to liberate Osun State from APC, adding that the light has come. “There is no more darkness; therefore, vote for the PDP; we have different things on the pipeline; stay with your vote, don't let anybody steal your votes,� Ogunbiyi added.

Speaking, Adeleke said Saturday would be the end of APC in the state.

He noted that pensioners are suffering and pledged to pay workers’ salaries and pensions if elected.

OSUN: BUHARI INTERVENES AS POLICE INVITE, FILE CHARGES AGAINST ADELEKE from a weary public that might think the opposition candidate was being harassed.

Expectedly, the invitation drew the ire of PDP, which cautioned the police to desist from acting the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against its governorship candidate.

Adeleke, who also represents Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, was dragged before an Abuja High Court by two chieftains of APC, Mr. Wahab Adekunle Raheem and Mr. Adam Omosalewa Habeeb, over alleged certificate forgery.

But when the case came up in the court yesterday, WAEC confirmed that the PDP governorship candidate sat for the May/June examination of the council in 1981.

The council in an affidavit deposed to by one Osindeinde Adewunmi and filed at the registry of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, confirmed that Adeleke sat for the West African School Certificate Examination (WASEC) in May/ June 1981.

The confirmation was contained in a four paragraph affidavit filed in compliance with the order of Justice Oathman Musa, requesting the examination body to confirm whether the governorship candidate sat for the 1981 examination or not.

Justice Musa had in a ruling delivered on September 11 directed that WAEC should depose an affidavit, to either deny or confirm that Adeleke, who is currently representing Osun West Senatorial District, sat for the examination, the council conducted at Ede Muslim High School in Ede, Osun State in 1981.

WAEC, however, in the sworn affidavit confirmed that Adeleke with centre number 19645 and candidate number 149 indeed sat for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in May/June 1981 conducted by the council at Ede Muslim School in Ede, Osun State.

No sooner did WAEC clear Adeleke than the police summoned him for alleged examination malpractice and criminal conspiracy.

In a statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said the PDP governorship candidate and Sikiru, his brother, sat for the National Examinations Council Examination (NECO) as internal candidates in 2017,

“impersonating� students of Ojo/Aro Community Grammar School in Osun State.

Moshood said the alleged crime was facilitated by the principal of the school, and two other members of staff who are under investigation and being charged to court.

The force asked the senator and the four others allegedly involved to report to the force headquarters in Abuja for “immediate� arraignment in court.

Moshood said charges of examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, impersonation and breach of duty had been filed against the five at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The police gave the names of the other accused as Aregbesola Mufutau, Principal of the school; Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo, school staff responsible for the registration of candidates for NECO; and Dare Olutope, school teacher “who facilitated the commission of the crime.�

PDP, CUPP Caution Police to Stop Acting APC Script Angered by the development, the PDP cautioned the police to desist from acting the script of the APC against Adeleke.

The party, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said, the sudden realisation of allegations that Adeleke was involved in a National Examinations Council (NECO) examination malpractice in 2017, as well as his subsequent invitation by the police, barely two days before the governorship election, was a ploy by the APC to distract the PDP candidate and if possible, put him out of circulation before and during the election.

The opposition party described the latest twist in the Adeleke certificate circus as laughable, trumped-up charges by the police, horrible, nauseating and displeasing.

Ologbondiyan stressed, “While the PDP is in no way against any legitimate effort by any security agency in the discharge of its duties, we totally reject this unrelenting attempt to use trumped up charges to take down our candidate, simply because the APC has realised that he is coasting to victory. “Perhaps, the police need to be educated that WAEC has already confirmed that Senator

Adeleke wrote his WASC examination in 1981, thus ending the earlier unnecessary controversy about his WAEC status. “Moreover, this is the same police that have not been able to invite the disgraced erstwhile Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who confessed to having a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate or the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution and Chairman of the Special Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, whose certificate, WAEC openly told the National Assembly, is fake.�

Besides, the PDP said that there are several leaders in APC, whose certificates have been questioned and which the police have not considered it needful to conduct the littlest investigation.

The PDP therefore, called on the IG to protect the integrity of the Force by immediately calling his officers hounding Adeleke to order.

It noted that the issue of who becomes the governor of Osun State resides with the people of Osun and nothing should be allowed to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election.

Also, the Coalition of United Political Party (CUPP) has challenged President Buhari to present his certificate, after WAEC had confirmed the certificate of Adeleke.

CUPP in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its national spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, alleged that the APC had perfected plans with security agencies to arrest and detain leading opposition governorship candidates, Adeleke and Senator Iyiola Omisore of Social Democratic Party (SDP) including their supporters in Osun State 24 hours to Saturday governorship election.

According to him, “The CUPP is pleased with the information that the WAEC has filed the certificate of Senator Adeleke in court clearing the way for the trouncing of the misgoverning APC in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State by any of the political parties in the CUPP.�

Ugochinyere noted that the last desperate option of causing confusion among voters by pushing for the disqualification of a candidate of one of the coalition’s parties has failed and the APC is on the way out.

He said, “It gladdens our

hearts that Senator Adeleke did not hire 13 SANs to frustrate the hearing of the case by filing numerous frivolous applications and appeals like President Buhari did when summoned to court to produce his own certificate.�

Reject Continuity in Hardship, Saraki Urges Voters Meanwhile, Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday urged the eligible voters in the state to use their sacred votes to reject continuity in suffering and hardship.

Speaking at the grand finale of the mega rally held at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, for Adeleke, the Senate president charged them to vote for the PDP candidate and put an end to the days of misery and hardship.

He said, "I don't have too much to say. Yesterday some people came here and told the people of Osun to vote for performance. They said the people should vote for performance and continuity.

I have been governor for eight years and chairman of Governors' Forum, I don't know any state since 1999 since we started democracy that would have three years not paying their workers and they said that is performance. “People of Osun, is that performance? Then they said vote continuity. If they say you should vote for performance, is that performance? Will you do that? The story is not long, even where there is Boko Haram, they are paying salaries. Some are owing three months, some one month or maximum five months. There is nowhere in Nigeria for three years, people are not paid salaries.

It is enough. This patience is enough. " "This election on Saturday is not about all of us. It is about the people of Osun. We must send a message to the entire Nigerians, a government that can owe for three years needs to be sent out. Those of you here, it is enough.

"There is no state that is as heavily indebted like this state. On Saturday, let them know that this one cannot be allowed to happen in Osun again. Come out enmasse and vote for PDP. Now that election is about few days, they are paying money. They don't like you. By the grace of God, Senator Ademola

IN DRAMATIC TWIST, FG SUSPENDS NIGERIA AIR PROJECT to terms of leasing agreement.

Usman also denied a claim that any aircraft was taken out of the country, adding that the aircraft said to have been taken out of the country are still in Lagos.

He explained that there were two aircraft and two helicopters that were leased

by Topbrass Aviation Limited, which the company allegedly failed to return according to the terms of the leasing agreement, which prompted the lessor to request for the re-possession of the aircraft.

The director general said in line with the Cape Town Convention, NCAA had to deregister the aircraft and grounded their operations in Nigeria, after the Managing Director of Topbrass Aviation, Captain Roland Iyayi, had claimed that the aircraft was stolen. “We thank God that such has not happened. Such cannot happen in Nigeria’s airspace. In fact, it came to me as surprise when I saw it as the front page headline of a major newspaper; that aircraft was stolen from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. We are not aware

of that,� Usman said.

The CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, also told THISDAY that Nigerian airlines had already been blacklisted by some lessors because it is difficult to lease aircraft, engines and spares. “It is because of this that my requests to lease nose wheel from some companies were rejected. I have made efforts to lease aircraft spares but the request was rejected. This is a problem caused by those who cannot abide by the terms of agreement when they leased aircraft,� Sanusi said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Topbrass, Capt. Roland Iyayi, had told journalists that his company kept to the terms of agreement in the leasing of the aircraft, but the lessor later failed at execution. “Our belief is that there is a group somewhere trying to manipulate the system to the detriment of Topbrass, doing everything to see that we are taken out of business completely. The truth is that we have completely moved out of the rule of law to impunity. But in the long run, it is not in the interest of the country,� he said.

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NEWS

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

BPE Explains Sale of FG’s 21% Shares in Minting Company to CBN Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has explained that the sale of 21 per cent shares of the federal government in the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc, otherwise known as ‘Mint’ to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was in furtherance to Section 1 (3) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act. The apex bank and the BPE had on Tuesday signed an instrument for the sale of 12.69 billion shares, representing 21 per cent of federal government’s interest in the NSPMC to the CBN. The BPE, in a statement issued by its Head, Public Communications, Amina Tukur Othman, recalled that the earlier effort to privatise the Mint between 2002 and 2004; pursuant to Section 1 (3) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act were unsuccessful necessitating the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) to formulate a different transaction strategy and approved the strategic investment by the CBN in the company.

“The purpose of the strategic investment was for CBN to manage, restructure and restore the company to profitability within a period not exceeding five years, following which it would be privatised by the Bureau, “ the privatisation agency said.

Quoting the BPE Director General, Mr. Alex A. Okoh, the statement noted that the sale of 21 per cent shares of the federal government in the NSPM Plc to the CBN will contribute over N17 billion to the national treasury.

It added that at the signing ceremony for the sale of the federal government’s 12.4 billion shares, Okoh also stated that the conclusion of the transaction represented another success in

the implementation of the federal government’s privatisation and commercialisation programme.

Okoh maintained that the federal government was handing over to the CBN; a company with tremendous potential to achieve significant growth. This, he said, could be attested to by the global market for security printing estimated to be worth $27.2 billion in 2017 and is estimated to grow at about 4.8 per cent annually to $34.3 billion by 2022; According to him, Africa is a fast growing market for security printing, adding that the industry is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 9.6 per cent over the next five years.

“This growth is fuelled by high population growth and increased mobility across the region as well as increased spending on identity programs. The global market for passports and ID cards is valued at around $3.7 billion and is growing at six per cent per annum.

“In the area of its core operation which is currency printing, the total amount of cash in circulation is growing at four per cent per annum globally and is expected to increase at a similar rate in future,” he explained.

He recalled that the earlier effort to privatise the Mint between 2002 and 2004;pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act were unsuccessful necessitating the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) to formulate a different transaction strategy and approved the strategic investment by the CBN in the company.

“The purpose of the strategic investment was for CBN to manage, restructure and restore the company to profitability within a period not exceeding 5 years, following which it would be privatised by the Bureau.

Cultists Murder 10 Students, Female Corps Member in Edo Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Ten persons have been reportedly killed at a graduation party organised by a student of the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma.

The ugly incident occurred on Tuesday night at Ekpoma, headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The incident is also coming few days to the 29th memorial remembrance of a former Governor of old Bendel State, now Edo and Delta States, Prof. Ambrose Alli, who is the founder of the university.

The dead, according to information, include a female corps member, and three former students of the university invited to the party, while others were those who just concluded their final examinations.

Among the dead was a final year medical student known as Dr. Chibudum Eistein and son of a former chairman of the local government council.

The source said the victims were shot dead by a student and his friends who earlier fought with another student

over a girl.

It was gathered that the suspect angrily walked out of the party after his shirt got torn but returned with his friends and shot seven persons dead.

Upon receiving information about the killings, friends of the runaway student were said to have organised a reprisal where three of those who launched the first attack were gunned down.

A Professor in the university who pleaded anonymity confirmed the incident but said it happened outside the campus.

The university spokesman, Edward Aihevba, did not pick calls made to his cell phone.

However, the Edo State Police Command confirmed the killings.

The police command Public Relations officer, DSP Chidi Nwabuzo, described the incident as a cult-related matter.

He disclosed that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings, while investigation was ongoing to unravel those behind it.

“In compliance with NCP’s directive, the Bureau warehoused 12.69 billion shares of the Federal Government’s holding in the Mint with the CBN at a par value of 0.50k per share amounting to N6, 344,900,000. It was further agreed that this consideration would be refunded to the CBN from the proceeds of sale realized from the eventual privatization of the company”.

He said the CBN’s strategic investment in the company was a success, achieving its objective of turning around the fortunes

of the company and returning it to profitability.

Following the expiration of the strategic investment period, the director general added “the CBN indicated its strong intention to acquire the company on an arm’s length basis, noting the sensitive and strategic nature of the security printing and minting services rendered by the company which include immigration and electoral materials”.

He added that after a careful consideration of the pertinent

issues, the Bureau submitted a proposal to the NCP to formalise the sale of 21 per cent of the Federal Government’s interest in the company to the CBN whilst Government would retain an equity holding of 10.1per cent.

This proposal was duly approved by the Council.

Also speaking, the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said that the NSPM is a national asset treasured by the government.

He noted that the company had consistently being a loss maker

until the intervention of the CBN, adding that the intervention of the CBN brought to an end the importation of currency to the country.

The governor announced that the company had ceased producing international passports though it has the capacity to execute the task and the company, if well positioned, would sufficiently provide national security materials for the public sector and specialised security materials for the private sector, such as bank cards.

CONDOLENCE VISIT …

L-R: Representative of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Sidi Bage (JSC); Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; Deputy Governor, Ipalibo Harry Banigo, during a condolence visit to Wike over the death of the Attorney General of Rivers State at the Government House Port Harcourt... yesterday

Zainab Ahmed is Substantive Finance Minister, Says Presidency Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, is the substantive Minister of Finance, Presidency confirmed yesterday in Abuja.

The clarification cleared the uncertainty about the real status of Ahmed who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to “oversee” the Ministry of Finance following the resignation of Mrs. Kemi Adeosun at the weekend.

Adeosun had resigned over allegations that she forged National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.

But against the background of the uncertain status of Ahmed in view of the earlier presidential pronouncement that she should only oversee the ministry, and her eventual movement into finance minister’s office as well as taking over Adeosun’s seat in the council chamber yesterday, the presidency was asked to clarify the real status of Ahmed yesterday.

Responding, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Ahmed was no longer the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, saying following her recent deployment to finance

ministry, she had automatically relinquished her initial status.

“You know she was Minister of State, Budget and National Planning. She will relinquish that or she has relinquished that to go and oversee the Finance Ministry. So, that is her status for now,” he said.

Probed further if she would only be playing supervisory roles or just serving as the acting Minister of Finance, Adesina said, “it is a matter of nomenclature, yes but she is overseeing the ministry.”

Not yet satisfied, journalists probed him further, asking if she should be addressed as the overseer of Finance Ministry, Adesina again responded,

saying, ‘what you call her is a matter of nomenclature but if she is overseeing the ministry, then she is.”

He added: “But note that she is no longer Minister of State, Budget and National Planning for now until anything contrary happens.

But for now, she is in charge of the Ministry of Finance.”

Still dissatisfied, journalists asked the president’s spokesman if Ahmed should then be described as the substantive Minister of Finance.

At this point, he opened up, after referring to his earlier statement announcing Ahmed as the overseer of the ministry.

Military Winning War on Terror, Says DHQ Kingsley Nwezeh Nigerian military authority yesterday reiterated its earlier stand that it was winning the war on terror in the face of mounting criticisms to the contrary.

The Defence Headquarters also took a swipe at an unamed foreign news agency it alleged was discrediting the efforts of troops in the north-east region where it battled terrorist group,

Boko Haram.

A statement issued last night in Abuja by Defence spokesman, Brigadier-General John Agim, said unlike what obtained between 2014 and 2015, the military was better equipped to take on any terrorist group.

He said such media reports were designed to dampen the morale of troops.

“At the heat of Boko Haram insurgency in 2013 to 2014 the Nigerian Armed Forces with

limited weapon chased Boko Haram out of Abuja and other cities into Sambisa Forest.

“How much more now that the military is well equipped with determined troops to take on any terrorist group, be it Boko Haram or Islamic State In West Africa.

“If this is still seen as ‘struggling’ by the purveyors of the false report, then the word may have assumed a new meaning.

“The truth remains that the military strategy of drawing out the enemy has been a great success as hundreds of terrorists have met their waterloo in their desperate attempts to recapture some cities in the North East.

“This, the military will continue to do until terrorists and terrorism are completely annihilated. It is however insensible to attempt to rewrite the script and make the military look like the losing side.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Apapa Gridlock: Taskforce to Commence Impounding Trucks Monday Chiemelie Ezeobi The Presidential Task Force on Apapa Gridlock, yesterday said it would on Monday next week commence the impounding of errant and idle articulated vehicles on Lagos bridges and roads.

The resolution was made yesterday at the meeting of all stakeholders in Apapa gridlock, which held at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT conference room, in Lagos. The taskforce Chairman, Commodore Okon Eyo, who made this disclosure at the stakeholders meeting, said the punitive measure only applies to noncompliant drivers of articulated vehicles- either tanker and truck drivers.

Eyo, who is also the Commander NNS Beecroft, said the enforcement took this long because the holding bays to accommodate the trucks and other modalities needed to be put in place.

The stakeholders meeting was a fallout of the previous meeting held with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and other critical stakeholders in the efforts at decongesting Apapa gridlock.

Some of the proposed measures to effectively decongest the roads were for empty containers heading to the ports without any business there to desist, while export containers/ sided trucks and flat beds are left inbound to the ports.

Others include coordinating large haulage companies or anyone wishing to move 10 trucks or more in one day, monitoring the operation of holding bays, parking instructions and management of broken down vehicles, as well as stopping non-ports bound traffic like tankers and trucks going to private premises.

The stakeholders meeting

also addressed the issue of complaints of extortion, brutalism, preferential treatment and ineffectiveness of the applied strategies by the security taskforce. They also addressed the challenge of poor road network, recalcitrant drivers, intimidating and threatening posture of groups and unions, sometimes even to the extent of blackmail, as well as transporters’ subtle and overt inducement of traffic personnel and uncooperative attitude of terminal operators and shipping agencies.

Other challenges include ineffective NPA call-up system, unprofessional conduct of the taskforce personnel, continued use of the bridges as parks, nonoperationalisation of the holding bays, use of dilapidated and rickety vehicles and losgistics shortfall for the taskforce including manning shortage.

In an interview with journalists afterwards Eyo said, “Before now, we have had series of meetings on the gridlock but now, we are going to return all empty containera on the road to the holding bays “Articulated vehicles henceforth are no longer allowed to be on the roads and bridges but at the holding bays and from there, they would be programmed between the agencies, terminal operators and NPA management.

“These agencies will then generate call cards for the articulated vehicles. The call cards is what the security agencies will be checking on the roads.

“When we brought up the idea a month ago, the operators were not ready so we gave them time to put the required infrastructure for holding bays in place. Right now, we are very serious and they do not have a choice than to comply.”

Also speaking, the Chairman, Ajeromi Local Government Area, Ayoola Fatai, lamented that lots of people were benefiting from

NLC Demands Negotiations on Minimum Wage Insists on nationwide industrial action Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would make good its threat to call out workers on a nationwide industrial action at the expiration of its 14-day ultimatum if the federal government fails to reconvene the tripartite committee on negotiations for a new minimum wage.

Speaking to THISDAY yesterday at the end of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the President of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba said the NEC meeting mandated the leadership of the labour union to liaise with other stakeholders to review positions if need be before the end of the ultimatum.

“We used the opportunity of today’s meeting to brief our organs on stoppage of minimum wage negotiations and why the process was stalled,” he said.

Explaining why the negotiations broke down, Wabba said: “The process

was proceeding very well until in fact we were on the verge of negotiating a figure when the federal government requested for the meeting to be adjourned indefinitely to allow its team to consult and come up with a figure.

“However we feel that in tripartite negotiations, all the parties must agree on rules of engagement and a decision of one party cannot be imposed on others. If they are going to adjourn negotiations, they would have give a specific timeframe to reconvene. This was why we decided to give the 14-day ultimatum on industrial action.”

As part of its resolutions, NEC also enjoined workers to participate fully in the forthcoming general elections in 2019.

The leadership of the NLC had earlier in the day met with the officials of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) over issues matters relating to pension rights and benefits of federal civil servants.

the chaos, which he said explains the lingering situation.

He said: “A lot of people are benefiting from the situation and that is why the solution is being delayed up to this moment.

“My take on this is that it has made the business in my

local government paralysed. We have about 1.6million people resident in Ajegunle who cannot go out of their houses talk more of going to their businesses.

“People are dying everyday because of these containers and trucks. We need to be realistic

in this approach. I have written a letter to the commander informing him of our resolution in our community not to allow these trucks to pass through our community anymore.

“Already, 198 culverts have been damaged, about 14 streets

have being destroyed because of these containers and the the government is not coming to our aid.” Also, the Chairman, Apapa Local Government, Elijah Owolabi, harped on the dangers the gridlock portends on the health of residents.

YOU ARE WELCOME...

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right), welcoming the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, shortly on his arrival to condole with the governor over the death of his mother, Mrs. Goldcoast Dickson at Toru-Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State...yesterday

I’m Back in Lagos Governorship Race, Says Agbaje The Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 general elections, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, yesterday ended speculations about his re-run bid, saying he was back in the race.

Agbaje made the confirmation via a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“It is true that initially I did not want to re-contest, but I had so many people

urging me to run.

“I bought and submitted my nomination form shortly before it closed. I will be part of the PDP Lagos governorship primaries, billed for September 28, “ he said.

Agbaje said he was confident he would win the elections in Lagos, if he picked the PDP guber ticket to run.

On the upcoming primaries, Agbaje said he was confident that the leadership would create a level playing ground for all the aspirants, as has

been the norm of the party.

“Our primaries have always been open, fair and free for all.

“This is what we are known for, and that is the way I expect it to be,” he said.

Agbaje, who also contested for the National Chairmanship of the PDP in 2017, won by Uche Secondus, said the recent defections from the party in the state would not affect him if he picked the ticket.

“It is the people of Lagos State that will decide. The issues in the party will not

impact negatively on votes.

“Most Nigerians now vote for individuals rather than party,” he said.

Agbaje, popularly known as JK, was born March 2, 1957 in Lagos State to late Chief Julius Kosebinu (Banker) and Mrs. Margaret Olabisi (teacher).

A pharmacist, Agbaje is the second born and first male child of five children - two female and two male siblings including Segun Agbaje, the CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank.

Ekiti Election Petition Tribunal Relocates to Abuja The Election Petition Tribunal hearing the dispute arising from the July 14 governorship election has shifted base to Abuja.

The tribunal chaired by Justice Sulaiman Belgore had on Monday ordered the relocation of its sitting from Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, owing to insecurity at the Ekiti State High Court, the former venue.

The action followed alleged violence by some party members at the inaugural sitting which put the lives of lawyers, litigants and court workers in jeopardy.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Prof.

Kolapo Olusola, are challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, before the three-man jury.

Lawyers to all parties at the tribunal demanded the change of venue to Abuja but the panel in its ruling promised to communicate a new venue to them within 48 hours.

Counsel to Fayemi, Chief Rafiu Balogun and Ekiti PDP Legal Adviser, Mr. Sunday Olowolafe,

confirmed the change of venue in a telephone chat yesterday.

The hearing notice communicating the change of venue to Abuja yesterday which was signed by the Tribunal Secretary revealed the relocation.

Although the date on the hearing notice read September 24, a member of the Tribunal Secretariat who asked not to be quoted said pre-hearing will commence on Tuesday, September 25.

The statement reads in part: “Take notice that the above-named petition is slated for pre-hearing

and will be heard at High Court No 17, Apo FCT High Court, Abuja, before Shoprite Apo, FCT Abuja on Monday, September 24, 2018 at the hour of 9.00 am forenoon or soon thereafter on such other day as the Tribunal may determine.”

Balogun had disclosed that the change of the date of commencement of pre-hearing might have been necessitated by the fact that it falls on the day of the opening of a new legal year and swearing-in of the new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).

Oyetola ‘ll Deliver on Healthcare, Says Tinubu All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, will deliver on his healthcare promise, party’s national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu said yesterday.

He spoke at the Osogbo Stadium during a visit to the venue of the free health mission

initiated by Oyetola.

The free health care mission which started about 10 days ago, had been taken to major towns in the state with about 30,000 people now treated. It will end today with a round of treatment in Oyetola’s hometown Iragbiji in Boripe local government area today.

Tinubu, who received big ovation from those who turned out for treatment, told them that the APC candidate would “deliver on his promise to make good healthcare available to citizens” after taking office.

He urged the beneficiaries to take their destiny in their hands by voting for Oyetola

on Saturday.

Tinubu told them that in democracy, “the only way to put a government in place is through the ballot box when people vote in their leaders.

“You must ensure that you use your votes to bring in a credible leader who can deliver on his promise, by voting Oyetola.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

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COMMENT

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

THE ROAD MAP OF A NATION

Twenty years after, things seem to be getting worse, writes Wole Soyinka

F

ollowing an increasingly commonplace epic journey between Lagos and Abeokuta this last weekend – five hours 10 minutes outwards (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Saturday Sept 15) and four hours 25 minutes return journey the following day via Otta - I feel compelled to offer this article in recognition of a national commitment to the predictable, and a passion for time travel – backwards! It formed part of a recent publication – THE ROAD-MAP OF A NATION for the 30th Anniversary of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). It did however appear in the dailies over two decades ago. Hopefully it will contribute to the general debate on the existence or not, of what is known as a‘national character’.

The four-lane Expressway that links Lagos with the interior – two inwards and two outwards from Lagos - advertises the most conspicuous characteristics of the educated elite, albeit with keen competition from the commercial driver. Let us however concentrate on the nature of what example is set for the ‘illiterate’ classes by the presumably better educated, and often more travelled car owner – businessman, lecturer, technocrat, senior bureaucrat, banker, medical doctor, etc. Less sanguinary in the main, the manoeuvres executed along these ill-maintained ‘Express’ motorways, differ in routine from the junior, interior dual carriageway spectacle, where the ‘luxurious buses’ exercise their unique, undisputed laws.

The provocation is, shall we say, a normal back-up from a toll-gate – now dismantled – or a mild hiccup caused by any of the arrogant conduct of those religious camps that now infest both sides of the Expressway, presumably on the divine authority of whatever deity they claim to worship. One moment, the traffic is sanity itself. The next moment, whatever the cause of the temporary delay, at the first break in the otherwise solid barrier of concrete blocks erected to keep the permanently warring troops apart, or drains dug abnormally deep to serve the same purpose – that is, keeping inbound and outbound lanes separate - our educated, sophisticated, ‘been-to’ motorist decides that, rather than suffer a delay of a few minutes, he or she must encroach on the lane assigned to oncoming traffic. Each commences the process of slithering down, then clambering up those trenches, wheels churning mud and often becoming firmly held. Does it serve as a warning to others? No, that warning is translated in the brains of his fellow sophisticates, not as a signal to desist altogether, but to try “a little to the left or a little to the right� of the pioneering voyager, now firmly held prisoner by the mud!

Sometimes, motorists even make a U-Turn on their own lane, attempting to return to starting point, thus confronting other traffic going in the legitimate, outbound direction, especially if they are still not too distant from Lagos. Retain that scenario as Look me, I look you. I no fit go, you no fit pass!

Next, Rain! The effect of rain on most of the living species is tranquilising. Rain slows down motion, cools the brain, and soothes the viscera.

Rain on the Naijaman/woman motorist is however the harbinger of a collective, infectious dementia, and most especially in the heart of Lagos.

An imaginative entrepreneur would make a fortune with helicopter tours just after a downpour, although of course, the moment to begin would be with the very commencement of rain. Still, one cannot have everything, and the spectacle that is unveiled the moment a puddle has formed on the streets beats any stampede of rhinos, elephants, giraffes or warthogs in a National park. Even an aerial still photo would reveal the

ON THE MAIN HIGHWAYS, THE EXACTION IS INSTANT AND BRUTAL. I HAVE JOINED IN CLEANING UP AFTER THE MESS AT MANY SUCH SCENES, BUT IT IS ALWAYS A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE ALTOGETHER TO WITNESS AN IMPACT, TO SEE IT COMING AND WATCH IT HAPPEN

trademark spectacle of these variegated objects in steel and wooden frames caught in the final throes of motion. Animate that photo just a little and you will observe the last illusions of motion, a succession of still frames as these strange objects in total frenzy head for the same space as if they would clamber over one another.

The initial appropriation is always the hesitant stage. After that, attitudes harden - if one lane, why not both? A newly aggressive column comes up from behind the first marauder to reinforce that challenge and expand the front, eating voraciously into the second Lagos-bound lane. There is no more nibbling, no more prospecting, the headlamps are ablaze, the hazard lights have gone demonic, and the throttle foot has found its resting place. Motorists on the Lagos bound lanes - suffering from varying degrees of cardiac arrest – although of course many have become inured to it - swerve madly onto their own fast lane shoulder, and begin to scrape along as best as they can, bouncing over discarded tyres and tyre rims, wood blocks, rusted hubs, rocks and logs abandoned by broken down trailers. Yet even this inhospitable territory becomes contested by outward bound interlopers from across the barrier as reinforcements are brought up from the rearguard of the invading force until...again the inevitable!

An absolute immobility, a snarling, frustrated bunch of directionless ants in the midst of whose columns a little stone has been thrown, corrupting the scent of orientation that was laid by the head of the advance - not yet defeated, not yet conceding self-defeat, simply incapable of confronting their total loss of both rational and moral compass. The sight of any unoccupied patch of space - sidewise, forward, backing up in a futile endeavour to gain an inch of advantage over the neighbouring vehicle - each niggardly opening is the signal for a new round of multi-directional manoeuvering, a starting pistol for a new race towards individual salvation, yes, a mirage of individual salvation that guarantees collective perdition - get in there quickly, get in there, occupy that space - never mind that it is only a cul-de-sac barricaded by other contenders, and that the maximum span of motion before a final shutdown is perhaps no more than the circulation of a car wheel. It would be kind to imagine a populace in flight from some man-made or nature disaster - a volcanic eruption, an expanding Chernobyl bubble, an invasion by aliens from outer space or by pitiless, hostage-eating rebels swooping down from hidden redoubts.

Or maybe to imagine a people caught in a gold-rush - in short, to see them merely as deluded human beings whose rush for wealth or salvation comes up against and reinforces a solid, implacable grid that holds them firmly, sometimes till the early hours of the following morning. No, that would be much too unkind to genuinely menaced humanity, terrified by the unknown, or the maddened sand-elves of Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode. Much more truthful an image is the progression of woodworms scampering from rotted wood under a fire, or maggots scrambling from a freezer after the notorious NEPA – the Nigeria Electric Power Authority - has inflicted a blackout on a household blissfully away on vacation for over a month. Or perhaps, most apposite of all: a pack of rats fleeing a flooded edifice. And the scene repeats itself again and again, day after day and week upon week, its participants incapable of grasping that the unchecked ego of one is the guaranteed ruin of any community.

Professor Soyinka, Nobel Laureate, is a poet and playwright

THE BATTLE FOR OSUN GOVERNMENT HOUSE Niyi Akinnaso contends that Gboyega Oyetola is the most fitting candidate in the race

O

ne of the primary functions of party leaders in a democracy is to ensure the emergence of candidates for political positions, who would uphold party principles, respect its constitution, and effectively implement its agenda. The leaders of all political parties which fielded candidates for the Osun governorship election to be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018, engaged in various manoeuvres in performing this essential function. Some arranged elaborate party primaries, while others endorsed so-called consensus candidates. In yet other cases, candidates were swapped in the last minute to accommodate party switchers.

Gboyega Oyetola emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress after an elaborate direct (open) primary. ĂŒlĂŠrĂ­ OlĂşwa (God’s promise) is the inspirational slogan of his governorship campaign. How he came about the slogan is a story for another day; let it suffice that he believes strongly in its divine inspiration.

Oyetola is one of 48 or so candidates for the Osun governorship race. However, it is generally believed that there are only five top contenders, namely, Oyetola (APC); Demola Adeleke (Peoples Democratic Party); Iyiola Omisore (Social Democratic Party); Moshood Adeoti (Action Democratic Party); and Fatai Akinbade (African Democratic Congress). As the race moves nearer and nearer to the finish line, close observers would argue that it is between the candidates of APC and PDP, because of the profiles of the two political parties and their candidates.

I know all five top contenders. I am familiar with their backgrounds, qualifications, and political experi-

ences. I also have closely monitored their campaigns from the early days of the party primaries to the ongoing march toward election day. Moreover, I was involved in three successive opinion polls, which tracked the campaigns and the voters’ reactions and voting decisions to date.

To be sure, each candidate has his strengths and weaknesses; but Oyetola is far ahead of the field in several respects. First, he has the most relevant qualifications and experience to be the Governor of Osun State at this time in the state’s history. Of the top five candidates, he is the only one with university credentials and broad experiences in financial management as well as business and public administration, having attained his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in these fields from the University of Lagos.

These are extremely relevant qualifications, given the financial challenges facing the state. Armed with these qualifications, he had served in top management positions in various insurance companies before establishing his own company, which he successfully managed with handsome returns until he was appointed the Chief of Staff to the outgoing governor, Rauf Aregbesola. It was in this position that he brought his financial expertise to bear on steering the state through these austere times.

He was involved in negotiating the payment of modulated salaries by which workers on levels one-seven (a whopping 72 per cent of the workforce) got full salaries, while workers on levels 8-11 (20 per cent of the workforce) were paid 75 per cent of their salaries. The top echelon of workers on level 12 upwards, which constitutes only 8 per cent of the workforce, got 50 per cent for their salaries.

Oyetola was also involved in the arrangements for the recent payment of full salaries and arrears as well as pension for all affected workers. As he indicated on Sunday, September 16, during the governorship debate, he is committed to the continued payment of full salaries, if elected.

Second, Oyetola’s eight-year service as the Chief of Staff puts him in the best position to sustain the developmental strides of the government. In particular, his involvement in implementing the government’s Six-Point Integral Action Plan puts him in good stead to sustain it. Today, the plan, which is ongoing across various sectors, includes massive development of township roads, including the ring road around Osogbo, and the Rural Access and Mobility Project, partly funded by the World Bank and the French Development Agency.

Particularly notable in the plan is the focus on improving the school’s educational attainments, including the restructuring and reclassification of primary and secondary schools in order to facilitate the free feeding of vulnerable children in the elementary grades, while preserving the country’s 6-3-3-4 system of education; the provision of free meals and free school uniforms; the development of centres of excellence in the primary and secondary education system through the construction of mega schools, while also renovating and preserving existing school buildings where necessary; and capacity building workshops for teachers, especially in English Language and Mathematics.

Other aspects of the plan include a focus on agriculture; improved healthcare facilities and delivery; social welfare for the vulnerable elderly; the provision of recreational facilities, such as Mandela

Park in Osogbo; and a vigorous drive to improve the state’s internally generated revenue.

The sustainability of these projects is crucial to the development of Osun State, which is presently considered as (a) one of the fastest growing state economies in the country and (b) the best state in the provision of social welfare programmes. Unlike arm-chair columnists, brown-envelope journalists, and expatriate citizens of Osun who hardly go back home, permanent residents of Osun state, in various opinion polls, have adjudged Aregbesola as the most achieving governor in the state’s history as a result of the successful implementation of the Integral Action Plan. Oyetola is the only candidate who campaigned on consolidating and sustaining this plan, while others have vowed to disrupt it, beginning with verbal disruption through misrepresentation and outright falsehoods. To be sure, there are holes in the plan, which need to be filled, just as there are necessary modifications in the light of current financial realities.

Oyetola acknowledges these gaps and plans to take appropriate measures to fill them.

Third, Oyetola is a solid, reliable, and loyal individual, endowed with enviable temperament and noble mien. He confronts difficult situations with a muted smile and then goes on to do the right thing. He certainly is more of a doer than a talker. His loyalty to courses has been demonstrated times without number. For example, he is the only one among the top five contenders who has never switched political parties. Rather, he has consistently aligned with the progressive trajectory of Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, and now APC. Professor Akinnaso wrote from Akure

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

EDITORIAL THE FALLING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS There must be minimum standards for the establishment of universities

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We must point out here that we are not opposed to the idea of private universities but we abhor the current cynical approach to education in Nigeria. That explains why we have been calling for a total overhaul of the sector. That of course will go beyond the universities, private or public.

iven the manner in which many of the private universities in the country, including those with ramshackle facilities and second rate faculties, award First Class degrees to many of their graduating students, several pertinent questions have come up. The questions speak to the concerns of critical stakeholders as a result of the proliferation of these institutions of higher learning in our country and they include: What are the standards? Who is accrediting the courses? What are the minimum infrastructure requirements? Is there a national minimum standard for university education?

Ordinarily, the increase in the numbers of universities need not be a matter for alarm if several other questions are posed and answered satisfactorily, namely: Are there adequate and equal numbers of high quality technical colleges? Are there competitive ‘community colleges’ supported by, and relevant to, needs of local authorities for training locally required personnel? Are local communities involved in monitoring the quality of the culture of learning, quality of favourably THE SAME THING THAT remunerated teaching and administrative HAPPENED WITH THE BANKS WHEN WE HAD staff? Are local primary and secondCLOSE TO A HUNDRED ary schools endowed OF THEM IS NOW with high quality HAPPENING WITH THE staff, infrastructure, UNIVERSITIES teaching material and innovative teachers?

There are many more questions to pose but the main worry stems from the fact that the sheer incompetence in tackling the problems in the existing public universities is being waived by this reckless recourse to all manner of low-standard private universities. Lecturers who can’t hold their own as senior lecturers in respectable universities are being hired as professors and even vice-chancellors in some of these universities. The same thing that happened with the banks when we had close to a hundred of them is now happening with the universities.

Letters to the Editor

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

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

he late Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once argued that since the vast majority of Africans work in the agricultural sector, and since room for training youths are severely limited in pyramidal tertiary educational sectors, it is vital to invest the largest percentage of budgets for education in providing very high quality pre-primary and primary schools so that the products can creatively transform rural economies with their inventions and local manufacturing and processing activities.

The competition between the United States and the former Soviet Union was manifested in the former copying the focus by USSR on community libraries holding high quality books including classics from ancient cultures worldwide. The communist ideology of developing higher quality human beings / citizens fuelled this investment. In the United States, the belief that the defence of democracy depended on well informed citizens also drove the focus on holding high quality neighbourhood libraries.

Rulers of feudal Britain were as fearful of educating their low classes as the Hausa ruling classes whom Mallam Aminu Kano attacked and fought against.

Fear of foreign domination pushed Japanese leaders in the same direction for reasons of producing local personnel who can match feared invaders by also using their own model for training leaders. Africa needs a combination of this defensive model with the Soviet model.

The ideological guide needs to be openly discussed.

What a Brazilian minister has called the “idiocy’’ of betraying national sovereignty by shutting out the geniuses of hundreds of millions of Nigerians by denying them access to high quality education must be combated. In this regard, high numbers of universities must be matched with ensuring high quality teaching and learning within their precincts.

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.

LAGOS AND THE PROSPECT OF WATER TRANSPORTATION

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agos has great potential to develop its water economy to a highly competitive level. If this is done, fishery, tourism, water transportation and the likes would immensely benefit.

Lagos State occupies 3,577 square kilometres with water bodies accounting for 23% of its geographical position. Residents of these communities convey themselves on ferries and boats to their various points of trade in the state. The commercial nature of the state has contributed immensely to the saturation of the road ways; many people migrate from other states to explore the opportunities and carry out transactions in various sectors of the economy.

This in turn has increased the static population in Lagos to cover 23million people at the moment and it is expected to hit the 50 million mark by 2030. As a result of all of these, immense pressure has been placed on the infrastructural amenities, especially the transport system. Buses, cabs are filled to the brim and during harsh climate seasons, commuters are trapped in traffic gridlocks for hours.

Even heavy duty trucks that transport petroleum products from the Lagos ports to other parts of the country are caught in the bottleneck. With the number of vehicles that now ply Lagos roads, many of the interstate roads are urgently in need of repair and constant maintenance because of the strain of weight endured daily. Considering these staggering facts, the Lagos State government has set the ball rolling towards creating an alternative via water transportation.

A few years ago, the state government began exploring its

littoral environment and how best this can be utilized to generate revenue and improve the livelihood of its citizenry. The use of local materials to build ferries and boats has discredited them as a possible option for the average Lagosians for movement within the state because boat accidents have occurred in the past. These have been gruesome due to lack of rapid response, location and high tides due to increased rainfall in certain seasons. This has made water transportation very unpopular among the residents of the state.

Towards popularizing it, awareness on safety was one of the very first steps the state took, visiting littoral villages and providing life jackets and insisting on its constant usage anytime they are on board a boat or ferry. The advantage of water transportation extends to its impact on the immediate environment. For instance, pollution risks are reduced to the barest minimum.

Expectedly, the regular use of ferries and boats are not strange to residents in areas like Badagry, Tarqua Bay, Amuwo-Odofin, Ayobo, Ikorodu, FESTAC, Mile 2, Ijede, Egbin and Lagos Island, just to mention a few. To further improve on existing system, the state government has drawn up projections to develop water transportation. Working through the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), the government has created policies and established rules and regulations to guide water transportation in the state. The regulation has set standards for safety, ownership of privately -run jetties and other critical areas of water transport.

LASWA manages and controls activities of boat operators in the state on the identified 14 routes on the water ways that will also be dredged and channelized to avert future boat mishaps in the

state. The Lagos State Ferry Services Company, which has been in existence since 1980, has been revamped for optimal performance.

To this end, LAGFERRY was established to provide a safe, efficient and affordable means of alternate transport on the inland waterways for the people and businesses in the state.

Exploring and developing water transportation in the state is, no doubt, a beneficial venture. For one, it has tremendous economic possibilities; especially in terms of job creation and reduction on time spent on the road. It will also encourage fishermen to rebrand their aquatic enterprise, creating room for innovations in the trade of seafood and petroleum products within the state.

Water transportation could also attract foreign investment, especially with deep consideration to the policies that have been established by the state government through its water transport agencies. The commercial nature of Lagos will be further diversified with an effective waterway system. The expansion of trade to the Lekki Free Trade Zone will be easy to access by water from international waterways to local inland waterways, inter costal trade will experience ease such that traders will be able to move their commodities via ships and other water transport modes.

Tanker and heavy duty trucks will be reduced drastically on our roads.

All stakeholders must, therefore, join hands together to develop this mode of transportation in order to maximize its potential.

However, it needs to be stressed that proper compliance to rules and regulation guiding the use of the waterways must be strictly adhered to without hesitation by all concerned.

Olajumoke Bello, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation,

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

ECOWAS: Drug Cartels with Local Partners Turn Region to Transit Route Adedayo Akinwale and Palvin Namero in Abuja

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said that drug cartels had collaborated with local partners to turn the region into a significant transit route to Europe and North America for illicit drugs produced in South America and Asia.

The Overseeing Director, Drug Demand Reduction ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Sintiki Ugbe, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the 13th Biannual International Conference on Drugs, Alcohol and Society in Africa with the theme; ‘Substance Use and Sustainable Use in Africa’, organised by Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC).

She said cocaine trafficking remains a significant concern with evolving models of transportation through air and seaports, while cannabis is widely cultivated and consumed in the region.

According to her, “Drug cartels have collaborated with local partners to turn the region into a significant transit route to Europe and Northern America for illicit drugs produced in South America and Asia.”

Ugbe stressed that drugs, once viewed as a marginal actor on the development stage, are now viewed as a distributing obstruction to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 on health and Goal 16 on peaceful societies.

She noted that ECOWAS space had rapidly metamorphosed from a

transit zone for illicit drug trafficking to a region of illicit drug producers and users.

Ugbe added that the region had gradually become prominent for Amphetamine - type stimulation ( ATS ) production and trafficking essentially East and South East Asia, South Africa and Oceania.

“Local drug use has intensified and growing use of crack, cocaine, heroin and amphetamine -type stimulants have been recorded.

“A successful means to reduce drug related harm involves adopting policy that incorporates a balance use of measures from several key intervention strategies including drug demand reduction, supply reduction, early intervention, treatment and rehabilitation, social reintegration and assistance with acute health problems, to the control of illicit financial flows.”

Ugbe noted that tackling the region’s drug problem therefore demands a strong regional and international collaboration and commitment, adding that with direct EU financial support to the implements of Drug Action Plan, the ECOWAS Commission now has a full - fledged drug control unit.

The Director of CRISA, Prof. Isidore Obot, said that in spite of growing problems of drug use in different countries, drug policy in much of Africa has remained the same with overwhelming emphasis on law enforcement and near total neglect of treatment for people who have become addicted to different types of psychoactive substances.

He noted that in terms of drug use, cannibals remains the most consumed illicit

166, 215 PVCs Await Collection in Katsina, Says INEC Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, said about 166, 215 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) belonging to Katsina residents were still lying uncollected in its office in the state. This is even as the commission said it was committed to conducting free, fair and credible general elections in the state, come 2019.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Jibril Ibrahim Zarewa, stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting with political parties, civil society organisations, media and other relevant agencies in the state.

He said: “As of 2011 to 2015, we registered 2,842,678 persons but only 2,787,087 collected their PVCs. In 2017, 111,317 persons were registered while 6,1955 collected.

“In the first quarter of 2018 we have about 61,262 PVCs. From this period under review, we have a grand total of 3,015,257 PVCs. 2,848,650 persons collected their own,

while 166,215 PVCs are yet to be collected as of Tuesday, September 18, 2018.

“It should be noted that the figure do not include those of the second quarter of 2018 whose PVCS are being processed and will be collected by registrants before the 2019 general election as collection of PVCs will continue up to one week to the elections”.

He reiterated that all necessary measures had been put in place by the commission to enable registered voters in the state to collect their PVCs without hitches.

The resident electoral commissioner explained that the suspension of the Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) on August 31 had not affected the collection of PVCs, hence the need for registered voters to collect their PVCs. “Collection of PVC continues up to one week to the 2019 general elections proper. It is the responsibility of the public, I mean residents of the state to collect their PVCs”, he explained.

drug in Africa, and alcohol is overall the most problematic drug judged by its casual association with premature death, disease and disability.

“What has changed is that in the past two years we have heard a lot about Tramadol and codeine especially in West Africa. Prescription

opioid have come to be associated with high level of disease burden in affected countries,” he added.

Obot said treatment should

be readily available to anyone in need and such treatment should be professional in nature and based on the very best available evidence.

SOLIDARITY VISIT...

L-R: Goveror Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State; former Governor of the state, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, raising their hands in solidarity when the senator visited Gaidam to concede the Yobe East senatorial ticket to him at the Yobe Governor’s Lodge, Abuja.... yesterday

Ganduje Swears in New Deputy Governor Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Nuraddeen Sagir Umar.

The new Kano State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf-Gawuna, was yesterday evening sworn-in at a ceremony presided over by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The event was conducted at the Coronation Hall, Government House Kano and was attended by thousands of supporters.

The State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Ibrahim Mukhtar, performed the ceremony on Gawuna in the presence of the state acting chief judge, Justice

In his remark, Govenor Ganduje called on the new deputy governor to discharge his duties diligently and abide by the rule and regulations that guide his official conduct.

Ganduje said he had taken the decision to pick Gawuna as his deputy on the premise of confidence and trust, a quality needed in nominating the man to hold the plum job.

He pointed out that nominating a man of such calibre entailed a painstaking scrutiny into his experience in politics and governance for

him to be widely accepted and judge within the confines of his capacity and ability to assist the governor on how to propel the state to greater height.

Ganduje affirmed that from all intents and purposes, he had not made a wrong choice.

He said” As I am speaking today, I want you people to know that a good and credible choice is made. I and the new deputy governor had many things in common going by our respective pedigree.

“He was a two term local government chairman and I was a three term local

government chairman. He was a Commissioner and I was a Commissioner too. As you can see, we are bound together by an act of providence”.

“Gawuna as you know is a man of considerable experience and knowledge of leadership who can be entrusted with any given responsibility that he is expected to shoulder without disappointing anyone”.

“The position of deputy governor is demanding and entailed the commitment of a person who is ever committed to executing his assigned responsibility diligently” he added.

Emmanuel Explains Delays on Ibom Airport Project Okon Bassey in Uyo Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has given reasons for the delays on the multi-million naira Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) unit of the Ibom International Airport after 15 years of its conception Speaking while receiving a report on the assessment of the MRO project from the former governor of the state who initiated the project, Obong Victor Attah in his office,

Governor Emmanuel said the delay was as a result of the need to commit an operator to the facility.

“We want that assurance that at least the regional flight here, all those aircraft, will be maintained here because this is one asset that activity must bring revenue and revenue is what will bring sustenance and return of whatsoever investment that we are making.” he stated.

The governor said the Chief of Air Staff had given his words to partner with the state for air

force planes to be maintained in the state once the facility is completed and put to use.

“We have reassessed what is there; we have conducted what I could call, an expert opinion on the stage of completion on that and also what we need to do.

“We brought in our international valuation expert too who did the valuation because we are in talks with so many partners, we’ve also visited a whole lot of aviation maintenance cooperate bodies

across the globe”, the governor added.

The state government, he said, was ready to collaborate with the proposed national carrier, promising to give concession on the 70 per cent completed MRO, to whoever is ready to accept the offer.

“We are willing as a state to give a whole lot of concession to whoever will come in, in terms of equity, sharing, and we can also forgo our goodwill because of probably what we’ve invested on this project so far.”

SDP Urges FG to Honour Falae Nseobong Okon-Ekong The National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Gabam, has described the 80th birthday celebration of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, as a unique opportunity to recognise his contributions to the progress and development of Nigeria.

Gabam said that Falae’s exemplary life as a Nigerian patriot and political colossus who has contributed immensely to the political and economic development of Nigeria is worthy of emulation by current and younger generation of leaders as a way of deepening the country’s political leadership and democratic culture.

According to the party official,

Falae’s foray into the political space after his retirement from public service in 1991 has signified a turning point in Nigeria’s political history.

Falae, popularly called ‘Awalu Falalu’ of Nigerian politics as a result of his acceptability in different parts of Nigeria, especially in the core North, has remained committed to the dreams of Nigeria’s founding fathers of

making Nigeria one indivisible great and strong country. His two failed attempts at becoming Nigerian president have not diminished his commitment to the country.

According to Gabam, “Chief Falae is a true political leader with credible antecedents; a respected party man and a patriotic Nigerian who believes in the promotion of the ideals of good governance.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

‘There is Nothing Bad in Borrowing’ Nseobong Okon-Ekong encounters, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State who is confident that his clarity of vision and rare sense of service can add value to the people

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ill it be true to say that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has positioned you to cover his track, after leaving office?

What has he done? You see we have this funny insinuations. I want to say categorically that the governor is very transparent. There is nothing to cover. It’s just that he believes that majority of the members of the party believe that I should continue the transformation agenda of the state, having worked as Chief of Staff for eight years. With my experience in the private sector, spanning over 30 years, I think I have what it takes to run the state and I have been very much involved in the running of the state. It’s natural to say in a situation where you know somebody who is that experienced, he should be given the opportunity to take over. I emerge as the flagbearer through a very free and transparent process- direct primary, which allowed every member of the party to participate. I came first. I had 127,000 votes. The second had 21000.

Looking at the result, you are talking about someone anointing me, maybe it is God who anointed me but I can assure you that I worked very hard to be where I am today. I visited all the wards, we have 332 wards, I visited all the local governments. I have coordinators in all, the 332 wards, and in all the local governments and I have canvassers in the units that are seriously engaged with the structure of the party. I am not surprised that I did very well in the primary election.

Are you bothered in any way by the challenges that you will be confronted with some of which you are very well aware of-the issue of debt, salary arrears; what really are you continuing?

Life itself is full of challenges. In your life, you have challenges. If you have several companies, you have challenges. What is important is for you to prepare yourself for these challenges.

The way to go about it is to identify those challenges and prepare to tackle them. They

plants where you can convert cassava to starch or ethanol. A few areas like that will bring some reasonable revenue which invariably will allow your people when you empower them to be able to contribute meaningfully to your idea. Another area is the area of tourism, there are lots of sites that have not been developed.

IN THE MIRROR

Oyetola

are not insurmountable. Debt is a necessity, sometimes, when you want to do massive restructuring. You can’t save the money you use on roads. How many years will it take you to have such amount to build a road? You borrow to look after projects; that is expected.

What is not good enough is for you to borrow for your personal project. There is nothing bad in borrowing. What is important is what have you applied the fund to. Is it capital project? Don’t forget that if you don’t do those things at that time, there is no way you would have started doing that by now, given the foreign exchange content. When you look at the vulnerability of the exchange rate, by the time you start looking at when the exchange rate was N150 or N200 to USD1, then. Now, you are talking about N360 per USD1. The cost would have been 600/700 per cent more. The challenge

is such that you continue to service the debt and creatively find a way of generating more revenue to ensure that you are able to meet your obligations in terms of repayment, to meet your obligation to workers and expenditure of government. What we are trying to do is to seriously develop our capacity to generate more revenue internally. We want to ensure that we block all the leakages. You must keep the economy at a level that you expect your people to have a level of revenue coming from their state. One of the ways is to look at the agricultural sector. This state is an agrarian state.

If you are able to develop agriculture reasonably, particularly commercial farming, agriculture will be very profitable. Then you look at the value chain in agriculture, ask farmers to plant cassava, you should be able to provide a kind of value addition by encouraging processing

• Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola is a certified insurance broker, entrepreneur and politician • Oyetola hails from Iragbiji in Osun State.

He recently celebrated his 60th birthday • Possesses cognate experience in political administration and governance, having served in Governor Rauf Aregbesola's eight-year administration as the Chiefof-Staff since 2011 • Widely acknowledged as the strategist and pillar of support that helped Governor Aregbesola confront the challenges of the lean revenue, indebtedness, contractual obligations, collapsed infrastructures and unpaid salaries • Area Manager, Leadway Assurance Company Limited between 1980 and 1987 • Underwriting Manager, between 1987 and 1990 at the Crusader Insurance Company Limited before he joined the Alliance and General Insurance as Technical Controller till 1991 • Established SilverTrust Insurance Brokers Limited • Appointed Executive Vice Chairman at the Paragon Group of Companies, with interests in Oil and Gas, Mining and Real Estate from 2005 to 2011 • Oyetola was Chairman of Ebony Properties Limited, having served as a director at Pyramid Securities Limited NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

...Oyetola Responds to ‘Burning’ Issues

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n the impression that he is an ‘Ajele’ (Foreigner/Usurper) from Lagos My father, Alhaji Oyetola, is the current Chief Imam of Egbeda in Iragbiji, a position he has occupied for over 20 years. My late mother used to be the the Iyalaje Adini of Iragbiji land. I attended the L.A Primary School, Iragbiji, Ife-Oluwa Grammar School, Osogbo before proceeding to University of Lagos. Oyetola disclosed he started investing in Osun as far back as 1992 when he built a shopping complex in Omo-west, Osogbo.

He added he built his current house in Iragbiji was built 22 years ago. “My wife, Kafaya, from Osogbo. As a very progressive party loyalist and unapologetic backer of NADECO, I was one of those who struggled for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria Oyetola said. I was the first promoter of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Osun and donated its first operational bus in 1999 and continued to donate to the cause of the progressives, even as the party mutated from AD to AC, ACN and APC. On the purported for Lagos boys Is it Lagos people that are in OYES (60,000+ cadets, thousands of tailors shoe makers, suppliers.), O-MEAL (3000+ caterers, thousands of farmers and suppliers), O-REAP (10,000+ farmers) as beneficiaries and contractors? Is it Lagos children that are in the state of the art model schools

with free uniforms and meals? Or the Agba Osun? Are the roads constructed across the state for Lagosians? People should realise it is indeed a lie peddled by failed politicians mostly of PDP, SDP and ADP who, even when you give them jobs (contracts), don’t do them, but pocket government money. Government implemented contracts using two formats, i. direct government financing and ii. Contractor financing. Several modern world class high schools, middle schools and elementary schools were constructed by local contractors. Also, several roads including 10km roads in each of the 30 local governments and area office were constructed by local contractors. For some important and strategic projects that are capital intensive, which government did not have immediate financing to execute, contractor financing which required the contractor to execute on credit was used,” the APC torch bearer said.

On Osun debt burden Oyetola noted that the state debt is exaggerated.

According to him, Central Bank (CBN) and Debt Management Office (DMO), gave Osun State clean bills as far back as December 2013.

On the half-salary debacle/unpaid pension (modulated salary) Oyetola maintained that the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola in the State of Osun is friendly to workers, adding that government

has consistently been paying full salaries to all workers from levels 1-7 till date. Government paid full salary and introduced 13th month salary in appreciation of workers. Government also paid workers’ leave allowances regularly and aligned it with birthdays of staff. This means workers then got bank alerts on their birthdays.

Remember the governor increased housing loan from N200,000 per staff to N700,000, increased car loan from N250,000 to N500,000 for junior staff and N350,000 to N750,000 for senior staff.

He also started the culture of paying workers’ salaries before or by 25th of every month.

On the planned sack of workers Oyetola explained, Ogbeni has not sacked a single staff since resuming as governor. He does not believe sacking people is the solution. He has employed thousands of people and is still employing more particularly teachers, and has also empowered tens of thousands of people through OYES, O-MEAL, O-BOPS, O-FOPS, O-REAP. It is a wicked lie because they don’t have anything reasonable to say against him On the purported needlessness of committing huge funds to road/school infrastructure Oyetola said, “How can people reasonable enough condemn the over 1000 kilometre roads Aregbesola has constructed? The current administration has segmented road construction into three, comprising outer and inner cities, and those in-between. So far, the governor has done quite

a lot on all three segments. Roads in our towns have been significantly revamped. Go to Ilesa, Ila, Okuku, Yakoyo, Ikire, Ede, and Iwo, you will see what I mean. Osogbo here has taken a significant chunk of the state’s earnings in terms of commitments on road construction because of its centrality as capital. Osogbo belongs to all of us, serving as it were as the window, and as basis for improved acceptability and attractiveness for potential investors.

The network of bridges, including AbdulKareem Bisi Akande Bridge, Gbongan, among others, has reversed what we used to experience prior their completion. But a lot still remains to be done on inter-township roads, and some intra, as well. If the immediate past administration was one/tenth as committed as we now experience, the story will be better.

My administration’s focus, while it will continue to maintain the roads of Aregbesola, will move into the inner city, where quite a number of roads have been listed for urgent and quality renovation/reconstruction. This is the essence of continuity which we have explained time and time again. Various other programmes have helped the state promote peaceful environment, curtail thuggery, violence, robbery and vandalism; proactively prevent perennial flooding as it engaged in unprecedented dredging of 123km of waterways earning, national and international commendations for the initiative,” the APC governorship candidate said.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

POLITICS

‘Direct Primary Gives the People a Better Deal’ Dr. Ajibola Basiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Osun Central Senatorial District seat considers his aspiration as a bid to strengthen Nigeria’s laws, Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes In many Nigerian states we have governors who are leaving office to become senators.

Right now, 22 out of the 109 senators are former governors. Is this a good development?

I don't come from the same senatorial district as my governor. The governor comes from Osun East and I come from central senatorial district.

My governor is a progressive to the core. He believes that it is not part of the tradition of progressives to leave governorship to the senate.

That is usually more of the conservative ideas of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) extraction of our polity. The governor has a lot of roles that he will play by the grace of God in our government after he must have left office. He need not go to the senate.

You are the state Attorney General, what areas of legislation will you pay attention to in the senate?

You need to find out essentially what the functions and responsibilities of the legislator at a national level, particularly the senate level are. One, is law making activities; second is oversight function and then also the power of appropriation. These are the topical areas I will look out for. In terms of law making, I believe that with my experience in governance places a serious role on me in the area of law reform and also to work with other federal legislators to ensure that our laws are in line with modern realities, particularly in the area of public finance management and also in terms of social protection programmes in government.

With the experience of somebody who was in charge of policy coordination and law reform in Osun State, for the first term of the Governor Aregbesola government and now as Attorney General, I believe that I'm well informed and experienced to discharge responsibilities in the senate to take critical look at our laws, consider their continuous relevance and make necessary reforms where it is necessary and also to articulate the position of our own tendencies in politics which is as to restructuring Nigeria in a way that will bring about the devolution of powers and ensuring that human beings

Basiru

are the focus of any administration. That I will pursue vigorously if I'm given the mandate in that regard. In terms of oversight function, it is very critical that the experience I have garnered as part of the executive will also assist in areas where oversight function needs to be exercised in a functional way that will ensure that the nation's resources are used in a way that will give optimal performance and results for the people. In terms of the third aspect which has to do with appropriation, I will ensure to the best of my ability to collaborate with the leadership of National Assembly in ensuring that we are able to attract good projects, collaborating with the legislature both at the state and national level as Osun Central Senatorial District. I don't believe that the jobs of legislators is essentially to perform the roles of an executive but even when there is separation of powers there must be collaboration and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms in ensuring that projects that are beneficial and will uplift the people and ensure primary purpose of governance as stated in section 41(not sure) of the constitution which is that security and welfare of the people should be paramount role of the government are put in

place in exercise of the functions of legislators in National Assembly both in terms of lawmaking, oversight and exercise of power of appropriation.

meaning to our people and that power is not just held for power sake but for the purpose of accomplishing humanness and greatness of our people.

This 8th National Assembly seems to be the most challenged in terms of relationship with the state executive. What do you think the issue is?

Of course everybody knows the issue. Rather than focus after politics, they should pay attention to governance. But when you mix governance and politics,that is the end result of what you see in the National Assembly, particularly the Senate. You see a situation whereby people are saddled with the leadership of an important arm of government decide to look at everything, take decisions and make plans only from the paradigm of political benefit that they will derive now and in the future, that is the genesis of the crisis. Of course it has taught our party a lesson that ultimately we cannot leave decisions as to who heads and who are the officials of such important organ to just personal ambition.

It must be something that is articulated and built upon party supremacy to ensure that the ideals and vision of the party are put in such places. What we have in the senate is like this senate is peopled by an opposition party which is really not the case. There is really no cooperation, no synergy and no proper articulation of decisions in a way that ensures that the programmes and vision of our leader, Muhammadu Buhari is actualised.

You have situations whereby the leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate sees it as a platform to strengthen opposition, weaken the party and pave way for those who are in the leadership. We know that by the grace of God, the Nigerian people will give mandates to many members of our party the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ensure that we have a leadership that is in sync and believe clearly the programmes and policies of President Buhari and the APC, in transforming Nigeria and ensuring that governance makes

Who occupies the office you seek now?

The incumbent Senator is Professor Shola Adeyeye. He has done very well in the two terms that he has been in the Senate and he is a voice we are very proud of in the senate.

My aspiration is based on understanding. He is not contesting again. The coast is clear and I believe with my ideological orientation, I seriously believe that he will be a big supporter of my ambition.

Supposing you have a situation where the other two senators are not from APC, how do you hope to work with them?

As I said, there are two stages in this process.

There is a stage of politics and that of governance. At the stage of governance we have to promote the interest of our people and energise democratic processes. We have to collaborate in a way that the principles and ideologies of our parties will not be compromised. The battle has been won and lost at the election, we can’t still take it to the level of governance.

I'm very optimistic that the three senatorial seats in Osun will go to the APC. How do you hope to manage the fallout from the primaries where some very notable names in the APC left the party because they couldn't get the governorship ticket, will that affect the chances of the APC not just in the governorship election but in the general election as well?

I don't see it affecting the fortune of our party, to a very large extent and that is not meant to say we do not appreciate the effort of the ones that left the party but they are best left to take the decision that they have.

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

‘I’m on a Mission to Halt Environmental Terrorism in the Niger Delta’ Mr. Douye Diri who represents Yenagoa/ Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State fields questions from Emmanuel Addeh on his aspiration to become a Senator You have been in the House of Representatives, what do you think qualifies for the Senate I have been in the Green Chambers for over three years and we believe that having that experience behind us, having the convention of some rotation within the three local governments that make up Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, we believe that we have the capacity, the experience, the network, to move to the Red Chamber.

Can you give us highlights of your major achievements in the Lower House?

When I was going to the House, I told my people that the voice of Bayelsa is not heard in the House. The work of the legislator as you know is not like the work of the executive to bring in infrastructure, works, roads and all that. That's not the work of a legislator.

The work of a legislator is to be a voice of your people on the floor of the House. I told them I am going to be an effective representative of the constituency in the House. I have been able to achieve that.

In the history of the representation of this constituency, nobody has moved even up to five motions. For those who stayed up to one term, even two terms. Within three years, I have to my credit, 19 motions and three bills. I think that's the height of my achievement.

Others are peripheral. People judge us as if we are the executive. We don't give contracts.

Everywhere we have constituency projects, we don't even know who the contractor is and most times the constituency work has been

Diri

delayed. It is not 100 per cent implemented and sometimes implementation is 50-60 per cent. But as a representative, sometimes, you also lobby other representatives to ensure that things, infrastructure that should rightly be in your constituency is awarded. It's the same zeal that I want to take to the Red Chamber.

Part of what I am proud of in that house was the constitutional amendments. I represented Bayelsa State because every state has one member in the constitutional amendment committee and it was a joint committee of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

It was my belief that the obnoxious Land Use Act which I felt was a short-changing of the people of Niger Delta, needed to be repealed.

One of my colleagues from the other side who heard about it said 'what your fathers have been doing and not achieve you want to do it through the back door'?

We succeeded up to the constitutional amendment of the bill, passed it to the Committee. But as usual when you finish with committee work, you come back to the House for voting. We were defeated on the floor of the House. I think that was one of my lowest moments.

When I finished that, I came out after the voting and did a press interview in Abuja which went viral where I said land does not belong to the federal government and that the resources belong to communities, individuals, and at times clans and local governments and that the way we have been treated, even after me, people will come and continue to fight for justice.

Besides that, our people will always ask, ‘what has he done?’ We have done a lot of constituency projects, we have solar light. It is there in the wards. We have produced solar light across my constituency, solar water, examples are in Azikoro and Tombia.

Also through the state government, we are trying to do a One kilometre Road at Kaiama, the headquarters of Kolokuma/Opokuma local government. On that side, we are achieving quietly.

We even assisted students where they could not pay school fees especially in Niger Delta University when they cry to us. We try to discharge our responsibilities to the best of our ability.

Who is responsible for the constituency projects that are not fully implemented?

It is the executive. Constituency projects are not given to legislators. Legislators identify it and it is included in the budget but implementation is the work of the executive. It is in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

What's your own idea of restructuring, considering the recent debate between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Atiku Abubakar ?

It's not a vice president thing because I am also part of the leaders in the house talking about restructuring.

That's one reason I want to go back to the National Assembly. I believe that there has to be devolution of powers and that's the basis of restructuring. When we say restructuring, we are not talking of physical, geographical restructuring, we are saying that there is too much power concentrated at the centre at the expense of the federating units.

In a federal system you have the units and the centre, so under the rules of federalism these two units are co-equal, none is bigger than the other and you can see that in the United States and in Canada and Australia. There is no where there you don't have state police but that's lacking in Nigeria.

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

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

Engaging More Platforms in the Fight Against Maritime Crimes To carry out surveillance patrols against piracy, smuggling of drugs and arms, as well as illegal immigration and fishing activities in the nation's maritime domain and by extension in the Gulf of Guinea waters, the Nigerian Navy recently boosted its fleet with two fast patrol crafts and 10 inflatable rigid hull boats. Chiemelie Ezeobi report

T

hat the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region is bedeviled by maritime crimes such as piracy, sea robbery, smuggling of arms and ammunition, illegal fishing, among others, is a well known fact. In fact, the GOG is often regarded as one of the most problematic maritime spaces in the world.

According to statistics, in 2016 alone, about 53 piracy attacks or attempted attacks and more than 50 per cent of global kidnappings for ransom were recored in the region. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), in its report has also stated that in 2016, the recorded 53 piracy attacks or attempted attacks in region, represented 28 per cent of worldwide attacks.

The GoG also accounted for more than 50 per cent of the global kidnappings for ransom, with 34 seafarers kidnapped out of a total of 62 worldwide.

The high figure can be attributed to increased trafficking of arms, drugs and persons, widespread unregulated and unreported fishing activities, severe environmental damage and pollution that have remained constant challenges in the region.

Thus, with all these challenges, the GoG nations, Nigeria included, have since recognised that security in the region is a challenge to maritime safety and significant threat to their economic prosperity. This is because the GoG is perhaps one of the most strategic maritime geographies in the world on account of its proximity to the European and North American markets and it also hosts one of the most important regions for oil and gas production and transportation and contains some of the largest hydrocarbon deposits ever discovered.

Some of the newly acquired vessels

Regional Efforts To counter these vices, the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) was established and the member states have made individual efforts to improve the capacity and capability of their navies, and other relevant agencies to enable them perform their duties more effectively. This is complemented by the establishment of Regional Centres for Maritime Security by the Regional Economic Communities, ECOWAS and ECCAS, as well as the establishment of the Inter-regional Coordination Centre based in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Nigerian Navy's Efforts One of the chief drivers of safety in the maritime domain is the Nigerian Navy (NN).

Already, they have championed several national, regional and international operations like Operations FARAUTA, OBANGAME, PROSPERITY, TREASURE GUARD, EAGLE EYE II, RIVER SWEEP, OPIA TOHA, amongst several others.

It is therefore noteworthy to state that the successes recorded by the navy's transformation has been anchored on the provision of extensive upgrade to the fleet. Already, as a key driver to patrolling the vast waterways, the navy had in the past inducted and injected over 350 riverine crafts, procured six long endurance platforms, with three more under construction. As at 2017, the Nigerian Navy (NN) already had 200 platforms in its fleet, but in the fight against criminalities, especially in the vast maritime domain, more is never enough.

From nine assortments of riverboats, the NN fleet has grown to over 200 platforms of various configurations and capabilities, including multi-purpose frigates, offshore patrol craft and combat helicopters, Seaward Defence Boats (SDB) and inshore patrol boats.

The Acquisition Like Oliver Twist, the navy makes no bones about its desire for more patrol vessels given the

L-R: Chief of Defence Sta, General Gabriel Olonisakin; Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Alli, and Chief of Naval Sta, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas at the commissioning of the patrol vessels

vast maritime space Nigeria controls, including the backwaters.

Recently, the navy acquired two Fast Patrol Craft (FPC), four Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) and 10 Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB). These were to boost the fleet in the fight against maritime crimes and illegalities, especially within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

The latest additions have increased the navy's platforms acquisition in the last two years to over 200...I must however be quick to observe that, despite this commendable stride, we have barely scratched the outstanding deďŹ cit in the Nigerian Navy eet

However, what stood out was the FPC. Manning the two 110 MK II FPC are Commanders Emmanuel Fingesi and Andrew Zidon, for NNS NGURU and NNS EKULU, respectively. While NGURU is a town in Yobe State, EKULU is a town in Rivers State.

Both River Town Class crafts have an overall length of 35m, with a water line length of 29.80m and an overall beam of 7.10m, maximum draft of 1.80m and midship moulded depth of 3.50m. It's operation profile include a cruising speed of 12knots, maximum speed of 35knots.

Both vessels also have a 36-man crew each and was built at the Ocea crew yard in France.

Zidon is a navigation speciality and intelligent officer, whose experience has seen him climb the ranks from that of a sub-lieutenant. The same holds true for Fingesi, little wonder they were picked, sent to France with their crew to go and understudy the vessel.

The vessels have been tasked to undertake a general coastal patrol and policing duties within the EEZ, conduct search and rescue operations, carry out surveillance patrol given that it's equipped with surveillance, interception and boarding against offenders, protect the marine environment including vessels and

their crews, fight against piracy and illegal activities such as smuggling of drugs and arms, as well as illegal immigration and illegal fishing activities.

For the 72 MK II IPC; NNS GONGOLA, NNS OSE, NNS CALABAR, and NNS SHIRORO, their mission is as a multipurpose craft designed to carry out maritime safety security missions such as surveillance and police operations, fishing surveillance, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and illegal immigration control, as well as control of vessels at sea. Characterised by an overall length of 24m with speed of 20-35knots and endurance of 600 nautical miles at 12 knots. All crafts have 14- member crew each.

Already, the two FPCs have been deployed to participate in the joint regional patrol with its counterparts from Republic of Benin and Togo. The deployment was to further solidify the presence of the navy around the GOG and to also curb activities of sea robbers and pirates attacks on key installations and merchant vessels disrupting economic activities at the West African maritime domain.

The Parade The commissioning ceremony of the newly

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For a littoral state with huge dependence on her offshore resources, maritime security is vital to the nation’s well-being.

Against this background of threats the entire nation would invariably be at risky situation if we do not insist on a motivated and virile navy like ours

the nation’s maritime expanse.

He said: "Their commissioning and induction into service is therefore another operational milestone for the NN as they will complement existing Maritime Domain Awareness Capability in the face of its inherent need for a potent interdiction capability. I must however be quick to observe that, despite this commendable stride, we have barely scratched the outstanding deficit in the NN fleet. Capacity building therefore is a running priority of the NN. The NN continues to apply its double pronged approach of platform sourcing from both foreign shipyards and local manufacturing.

"Domestically, local boat building associates like messrs Epenal Boat Builders and John Holt Plc which have accounted for the delivery of over 200 boats in the past, continue to be patronised. The NN dockyard remains productively engaged as it is on course for the delivery of a third straight SDB, now a 42 meter boat. Internationally, the construction of the 20 additional RHIBS with Messrs Suncraft has reached an advanced stage, with the recent second milestone inspection reporting their possible delivery on schedule and within the next few months.

"Furthermore, efforts are ongoing towards acquiring more fast patrol vessels for littoral waters up to the EEZ, while the construction of a hydrographic vessel and landing ship would further reinforce the NN's regional maritime dominance. They will help to make life more difficult for the criminals in our maritime space.

Their coming is also deemed quite timely as it would widen the nation’s options to make a robust contribution to multinational collaboration of countries of ECOWAS ‘ Multinational Maritime Coordination Zone E, comprising Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Togo and Niger.

Only last week, these countries signed to a combined operation platform to suppress piracy, hijacking and hostage taking, including IUUF and other abuses of our waters. These boats and others could find for themselves, critical roles in this regard."

Commanding OďŹƒcer NNS EKULU, Commander Andrew Zidon, anked by oďŹƒcers and men

Some of the newly acquired rigid hull inatable boats

L-R: Executive OďŹƒcer, NNS NGURU, Lieutenant Commander SO Adewale; and his Commanding OďŹƒcer, Commander Emmanuel Fingesi, with the Commanding OfďŹ cer, NNS EKULU, Commander Andrew Zidon, with his Executive OďŹƒcer, Lieutenant Commander SN Ebute after the induction of their ships

acquired platforms happened on a certain Monda at the Nigerian Navy Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos. As with naval traditions, the guards first formed up before the ships's companies did same and marched on the guard. Dressed in their ceremonial dress, the parade kicked off at exactly 10.06am. This was after the guards had formed up earlier.

The arrival of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas, other service chiefs was heralded by the general salute, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.

The Induction At the induction of the six Fast Patrol Crafts (FPC ), and 10 inflatable boats, were Defence Minister Mansur Dan-Ali; Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Usoro Usoro; Inspector General of Police (IG) Ibrahim Idris; Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Senator

Isa Misau; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Navy, Abdulsamad Dasuki; and Director General, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala-Usman, heads of military, paramilitary institutions in Lagos as well as captains of industries.

The ceremony witnessed the reading and handing over of Commissioning Warrant to the COs of NNS NGURU AND EKULU, Fingesi and Zidon, respectively, by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas. In handing over NNS EKULU to Zidon, Ibas said: "You are required to implement these orders, dispatch, bringing to my notice immediately, any complaint in the command or any part of her and in particular, the welfare of the ships company given under my hand this third of September, 2018". To this, Zidon replied in the affirmative signaling his agreement to the charge read to him. Earlier, the same process

had been done for Fingesi before the warrant was handed over.

With this tradition out of the way, the ships' companies for both vessels marched onboard their respective ships before the COs read the act of dedication. This was immediately followed by prayers from both the chaplain and Imam.

Having done that, the commissioning and unveiling of the ships went underway and this was done by the Special Guest of Honour (SGOH), Minister of Defence, Masur Dan Alli.

The COs then hoisted their ensign and broke the mast head pennant, another navy tradition.

Narrowing Capability Gaps In his address, the CNS said the latest additions have increased the navy's platforms acquisition in the last two years to over 200, adding that the new acquisition will narrow the capability gaps in enhancing security of

A Promise Kept Inaugurating the platforms, Dan-Ali said it was a promise kept by the Federal Government.

He noted that the nation was challenged by multi-faceted threats from both continental and maritime fronts with grave manifestations and increasing threats to maritime security, adding that crimes such as piracy, sea robbery and attack on strategic oil installations have complicated the nation’s maritime security environment and threatened with dire consequences, the overall wellbeing of the nation.

He said: "For a littoral state with huge dependence on her offshore resources, maritime security is vital to the nation’s well-being. Against this background of threats the entire nation would invariably be at risky situation if we do not insist on a motivated and virile navy like ours. The induction of the platforms is in line with the current administration’s promise to keep our nation safe.

"This commissioning ceremony is yet another demonstration of this administration's resolve of protecting the nation’s maritime domain through the provision of appropriate military platforms and operating equipment.

The procurement of these vessels by the Ministry of Defence again demonstrates this administration’s unwavering commitment and willingness towards strengthening the navy through provision of modern operating equipment and infrastructure."

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

Kwara State All Progressives Congress Chieftain, Dele Belgore (SAN), addressing his supporters as he announced his intention to contest for governor in the 2019 election in Ilorin... recently L-R: Former Permanent Secretary, Education District 2, Mrs. Ayodele Bamiro; Chairman of the occasion/ Principal Emeritus of Nigeria, Chief Michael Olasoji; State Coordinator and Chairman, Association of Retired Principals of Secondary Schools of Nigeria(ARPSSON) Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Kola Sodeinde; and Representative of Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Permanent Secretary, Teaching Service Commission Lagos, Mrs. Olatokunbo Adeleye, during the Inauguration of Association of Retired Principals of Secondary Schools of Nigeria in Lagos...recently

R-L; Senior Media Relations Officer of the Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria, Sani Mohammed, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, Spokesperson, Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria, Mr Glenn Guimond and SSAP Media and Publicity, Mallam Shehu Garba during a courtesy visit at the State House in Abuja...recently STATE HOUSE

Pupils of Gold Academy Nursery, Primary and Secondary School (Citadel of Greatness), Unity Crescent, Oloke Asese, Ogun State, during resumptionl after the long holiday...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Senator Abdul Ningi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Gbong Gwom Jos, Dr. Jacob Gyang Buba and Director General of Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, at a courtesy visit of Atiku to the Gbong Gbom Jos in Jos, Plateau State,..recently

L-R: A former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala; state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; and the Chief hostess, Mrs. Vicky Iyayi-Falope, during her 70th birthday celebration, in Ibadan...recently

L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, President, Historical Society of Nigeria/Head, Department of History, University of Ibadan Christopher Bankole Ndubisi Ogbogbo and the Registrar, UI, Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi at the Inaugural Lecture of Prof Ogbogbo tagged: ‘‘In defense of Tradition’’ at the University of Ibadan...recently

L R ; PDP Chieftains,Chief,Wole Oyelese and Chief.Olayiwola Olakojo with PDP Presidential Aspirant,,Dr. Bukola Saraki at the PDP Secretariat in Ibadan, Oyo State...recently FELIX ADEMOLA

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

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Quick Takes Itel Mobile Launches S13 Smartphone

Itel Mobile has launched the new iconic S13 smartphone.

According to a statement signed by the Marketing Communication Manager, Itel Mobile, Oke Umurhohwo, Itel S13 is created to capture clearer, brighter and sensational selfie with its 13MP front camera with soft selfie flash.

The company also noted that its innovated 4-in-1 big pixel technology enhanced the selfie quality in various light condition. “With the customised feature - Face Beauty V2.0, which is created for the chocolate skin color, user’s face looks slimmer, ruddy and smooth in real-time. The dual rear camera of S13 also brings professional portrait experience. Now users can take artistic portrait with blurred background effects. Itel S13 comes with a vibrant range of colors including the new eye catchy color – Bordeaux Red. The device is now available nationwide in all smartphone stores,” the firm said.

Dell EMC Unveils New Solutions

NIGERIAN INVESTMENT FORUM IN SOUTH AFRICA

L-R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta; Managing Director, GalaxyBackbone, Mr. Yusuf Kazaure and Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development, Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), Honorable Samson Osagie, during the Nigerian Investment Forum, organised to woo investors to invest in Nigeria, during the 2018 ITU Telecoms World conference in Durban, South Africa...recently

NITDA: FG Saves N13bn through IT Clearance in Two Years Stories by Emma Okonji The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) the country’s information technology (IT) regulator has revealed that the agency was able to save N13 billion for the federal government through IT clearance among government owned agencies and parastatals within two years.

Director-General of NITDA, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who made the disclosure in an interview, said the figure showed an increase of 30 per cent compared with the N10

ICT billion in 2017.

He said NITDA was able to save as much as N3.3 billion from a single project it supervised and cleared, thus saving the federal government a lot of money through IT clearance.

According to Pantami, “Usually many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government will come to NITDA for clearance on IT projects that they are working on for the year.

Most of them either inflate the cost of the project or

present projects that are not relevant to the agency for approval.

“So what we do when they come to us, as mandated by law, is to ask if there is value for the project before we begin the clearance process. We try to look at previous projects to ensure that projects are not being repeated. What we discovered is that organisations and parastatals do not have maintenance culture.”

“If a project was executed last year, then in the subsequent year, we are expected to see project maintenance and not the presentation of the same

project as new project. What most of them do is to repeat the same project every year and this is just a way of wasting resources and funds,” Pantami said.

“At NITDA, we try to ensure maintenance culture in already done project and maintenance usually do not gulp the same huge amount that a fresh project should gulp. We also look at the technical capabilities of handling a new project, and we look at the usefulness of the project before we clear Continued on page 24

CTO Report Backing OTT Services, Gets African Regulators’ Nod The report of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Orgnisation (CTO) on the opportunities and challenges of over-the-top (OTT) services, which was skewed in favour of OTT operators, has been unanimously accepted by African regulators.

The acceptance followed the presentation of the report at the 9th African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), which held recently in Cape Town, South Africa.

The AfPIF conference addressed the key interconnection, peering, and traffic exchange opportunities and challenges on the African continent and provided participants with

ICT global and regional insights for maximising opportunities that would help grow internet infrastructure and services in Africa.

The findings of the OTT study, which was completed in June 2018 by the CTO, showed that the stakeholders recognised and appreciated the innovative nature of over-the-top services (OTTs) and did not want the services stifled as OTT services offer numerous benefits to consumers.

According to a statement released by CTO, there was a general agreement at the just concluded AfPIF meeting

in South Africa that a better understanding of challenges and opportunities highlighted by the report is required among all stakeholders. These issues were discussed during the panel discussion at the AfPIFconference.

The presentation of the CTO report at AfPIF, allowed both the private and public sector to understand better the challenges and opportunities of traffic generated by OTT services and how this will impact future interconnection and peering of networks.

In Nigeria, telecoms operators under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators (ALTON), had written the

Nigerian telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), asking the commission to intervene in the activities of OTT operators in Nigeria, who are riding on the network of the telecommunications operators to provide free of charge services to subscribers, to the detriment of the telecoms operators. They argued that OTT operations were fast affecting the revenue strings of the telecoms operators, since telecoms subscribers enjoy free voice and data services and do no longer see the need to purchase airtime from telecoms operators for Continued on page 24

Dell EMC is launching Dell EMC PowerEdge MX, the industry’s newest high-performance, modular infrastructure, designed to support a wide variety of traditional and emerging data centre workloads.

PowerEdge MX offers the first modular infrastructure architecture designed to easily adapt to future technologies and server disaggregation.

With its unique kinetic infrastructure, customers can break free from the bounds of technology silos and time-consuming, routine operational management while also dynamically assigning IT to optimally match different applications and needs.

President and General Manager, Dell EMC Server, Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, said: “While emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, IoT and software-defined storage and networking, offer competitive benefits, their workloads can be difficult to predict new challenges for IT departments.”

The PowerEdge MX is designed for the software-defined data center – able to support a combination of dense virtualization, software-defined storage, software-defined networking, artificial intelligence and big data projects.

AIF Nominees Get $185,000 Prize

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) has announced its top 10 nominees, which is a reflection of Pan African flavour of Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) with representation from north, west, east, central and southern Africa.

This year’s innovations address critical challenges in ICT, agri-business, public health and the environment/ energy sectors. This year’s call for applications with its theme “African innovation: Investing in Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems” attracted more than 3, 000 applications from 52 African countries. Building on the AIF mandate, submissions this year demonstrate significant breakthroughs in ICT, agribusiness, public health and the environment/ energy sectors to improve the lives and economic prospects of Africans.

AIF Chairman, Walter Fust, said: “Now in its seventh year running, we have witnessed multi-million-dollar businesses emerging from the IPA initiative, and that the theme this year prompted the need for increased collaboration between government, business, industry, innovation enablers and the community to further realise African prosperity and economic freedom.”

Managing Director of AIF, Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, who has steered the IPA programme since its establishment in 2011, said: “Africa, and indeed the rest of the world, must keep an eye out, as these innovations are ready to propel our continent’s global competitiveness in the market.”

“As economies become increasingly dependent on information and communication techology, it is critical that governments, especially African governments to work more closely with industry to maximise the value of digital innovations”

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa

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BUSINESSWORLD NITDA: FG SAVES N13BN THROUGH IT CLEARANCE IN TWO YEARS

NCC: 30%ReductioninIncomeTaxWillBoostForeignInvestments Stories by Emma Okonji

them,” Pantami added.

He, however, explained that some of the agencies partake in most projects not because the projects are useful and required, but because they want to justify the monetary aspect of it.

“Most of them feel that the best way to go to National Assembly to defend their project is when they present projects that are IT related because they are sure that members of the National Assembly will not want to go into technical details of IT projects because they do not understand the technicalities very well,” he said.

“The National Assembly members have resorted that going forward they would always ask agencies with IT projects to first seek clearance with NITDA before coming to them, and through that process, we have been able to save the country over N13 billion as at June this year, up from N10 billion in 2017,” Pantami added.

CTO REPORT BACKING OTT SERVICES, GETS AFRICAN REGULATORS’ NOD voice communication. The OTT services providers ride on the network of traditional telecoms operators to provide free services like Skype, WhatsApp, and Imo, over the internet. Disturbed by the perceived dwindling of their revenue from voice services as a result of the free services offered by OTT operators, the telecoms operators had in a letter written to NCC, asked the Commission to stop the activities of OTT operators in Nigeria. In response to their letter, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC. Prof.

Umar Garba Danbatta, said he would rather wait for the outcome of the CTO report on OTT services before taking any action. Danbatta had equally said he would not want to do anything that would make NCC regulate evolving technologies like OTT, owing to the large volume of data it is generating in the telecoms industry, which he said, was a boost to broadband access and penetration.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

NEWS

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof.

Umar Garba Danbatta has said the 30 per cent reduction in Company Income Tax, which is a pioneer status for prospective investors coming into Nigeria to invest, will boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the telecoms sector.

Danbatta, who made the disclosure in Durban, South Africa, during the 2018 ITU Telecom World conference, where Nigeria showcased its investments potential to the world, advised foreign investors to take advantage of the reduction and invest in the telecoms sector.

Danbatta told investors that the 30 per cent reduction was part of other incentives from the Nigerian government such as the Executive Orders 5 and 6, to create enabling environment for investors.

According to Danbatta, “There are other opportunities for investors in Digital transmission system including microwave, satellite and optic fibre, such as submarine cable communications; digital exchanges for both wired and wireless lines; billing systems; data communications networks; broadband and integrated service digital network (ISDN).”

He said Nigeria needed 120,000km metropolitan optic fibre coverage for ubiquitous network connections nationwide, but that the country had only 38,000km coverage now.

This situation, he said,

was an opportunity beckoning on both foreign and local investors to take advantage of, and invest in the country.

“Indeed, the NCC is intensely focused on bringing efficient, qualitative and affordable ICT platforms within the reach of individuals and corporate bodies through the implementation of our 8-point agenda, the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and the ICT roadmap to drive synergies, which will expand opportunities for disruptive technology innovation and

global competitiveness,” Danbatta said.

The NCC boss listed the 8-point agenda which NCC unveiled about two years ago to boost investment in Nigeria to include: facilitate broadband penetration; improve quality of service, optimise usage and benefits of spectrum; promote ICT innovation and investment opportunities, and facilitate strategic collaboration and partnership. Others are: to protect and empower consumers; promote fair competition and inclusive growth; and ensure regulatory excellence.

“We have made it a deliberate policy to ensure availability, affordability and accessibility,” Danbatta said, while encouraging investors to invest in Nigeria.

Addressing GDP contribution by telecommunications in Nigeria, Danbatta said the emphasis was to boost broadband penetration as the next major frontier because more access to telecoms and broadband means more contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Secretary-General of International Telecoms Union (ITU),

the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), Mr. Houlin Zhao, also encouraged investors to take advantage of opportunities offered by Nigeria, especially in the area of her huge population and untapped investments, to invest in the country.

Speaking on the issue of security, Zhao said he had visited Nigeria and experienced the security of the country, which he said, was encouraging enough for investors.

PROMOTING CASHLESS ECONOMY

L-R: Executive Secretary, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund LSETF, Akin Oyebode; CEO, Ventures Garden Group, Bunmi Akinyanju; Team Lead and winner of the Cashless Lagos Hackathon, Okoi Ibiang; General Manager, Visa, West Africa, Kemi Okunsanya; Executive Director, Retails, FCMB, Olu Akanmu and CEO, Ecobank, Patrick Akinwuntan, during the Cashless Lagos Hackathon held in Lagos... recently

FEC Approves Implementation of Roadmap for Digital Identity The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the immediate commencement of the implementation of a strategic roadmap for a new digital identity ecosystem in Nigeria.

FEC at its weekly meeting held last week and chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, opened a new chapter in giving Nigeria a credible and robust identity management system with the approval of the new identity ecosystem strategy for the enrolment of Nigerians and legal residents into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

The FEC approval of the new digital identity ecosystem will bring into full force the implementation of the provisions of the NIMC Act 23, 2007, which include the enforcement of the mandatory use of the

National Identification Number (NIN) and the application of appropriate sanctions and penalties on defaulters as provided under Section 28 of the NIMC Act. The new digital identity ecosystem is a framework that leverages on the existing capabilities and infrastructure of distinct government agencies and private sector organisations to carry out enrolment of citizens and legal residents nationwide as well as issuance of digital identity, known as the NIN. Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, explained that the step was in line with the federal government’s efforts to reposition the country as a

leader in the global economy, which resulted in the launch of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in April 2017.

A major outcome of the FEC’s approval of the strategic roadmap for the new digital identity ecosystem is the mandatory enforcement of the use of NIN, which NIMC has announced to come into full force on January 1, 2019.

The NIMC boss said identification was fundamental to the federal government achieving its new policy for the overall economic development of the country, but regretted that many Nigerians lacked basic identification documents despite significant government efforts over the years.

Explaining the powers of

NIMC, under its Act, Aziz said: “NIMC is empowered to ensure strict compliance with the NIN requirement and can demand evidence of compliance from a person or entity; caution a non-compliant person or entity in writing; sanction a non-compliant person or entity by the imposition of administrative fines or institute criminal or civil actions against the non-complaint person or entity.”

Aziz reminded all agencies of government and the private sector, who are directly or indirectly into the business of data capture, that cut-off date for data eligible for harmonisation with the National Identity Database (NIDB) is 1st of December 2018. He said only data captured as

at 30th November 2018 will be subjected to harmonisation as is currently on-going, and that fresh data capture of persons shall be in compliance with the provisions set out in the Nigeria Biometric Standards; Mandatory use of the NIN Regulations 2017 and guidelines issued by the Commission.

Aziz expressed gratitude to President Buhari and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as well as members of the FEC, National Assembly (NASS), the World Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Union/EIB and members of the harmonisation committee, including industry stakeholders for their contributions towards the development of the roadmap.

‘Ignorance Bane of Local Investors in Protecting Intellectual Property’

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

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

Adedayo Akinwale and Palvin Namero in Abuja The federal government through the Trademark and Designs Registry has said lack of knowledge of what a patent or industry right is hindering local inventors from filing for patent rights for their inventions and protecting their intellectual property (IP).

The Registrar, Trademark and Designs Registry, Mrs. Stella Ezenduka, disclosed this in Abuja during the recently held

2018 edition of the African day for technology and intellectual property, organised by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP).

Ezenduka, who was represented by the Assistant Chief Registrar, Ms. Jane Igwe, revealed that in 2017, the registry had a remarkable number of patents and design filings, and that 86 per cent of these were from foreign inventors, while local inventors accounted for only 14 per cent.

She noted that one factors the registry has identified as hindering the number of inventions filed was ignorance.

According to Ezenduka “most of the grassroots inventors have little or no knowledge of what a patent or industry right is, or how it could be benefit them economically and even socially.”

He said the registry has therefore decided to foster effective collaboration with key agencies that are critical to intellectual property regime in Nigeria in order into enlighten and pass the

message of intellectual property to the grassroot inventors and as such bring their invention to the limelight. The registrar stated: “As a registry we are determined to see an increase in the number of local filings of patents for mention and their accompanying industrial design.

“I am delighted to inform you that in this year 2018 we have witnessed a 12 per cent growth in the number of local filings in the registry. In 2019, we have hope to see this percentage grow to 50 per cent,” she said.

Also, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said intellectual property culture would create a veritable platform for the acquisition of technical skills and add value to local raw materials.

He noted that in today’s knowledge based economy and globalised business environment, absorption of new technology, has become a vital component for companies to survive through maintaining their competitive position in the market place.

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Telcos’ Worries in Mobile Money Penetration Nigerian telecoms operators are worried about the slow penetration rate of mobile money, while blaming the situation on the bank-led model, which they insist lacks the capacity to bridge the existing wide gap in the country’s financial exclusivity ratio, writes Emma Okonji In 2009 the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) presented a brilliant idea to the general public of its intention to introduce a smart and cashless economy for Nigeria, through the cashless policy, designed to drive mobile money operations that would reduce physical cash flow among Nigerians. High cost of printing naira notes, the risk and cost of moving physical cash to different banks, including the individual risk of carrying cash about for every financial transaction, were some of the reasons given by CBN for the planned introduction of cashless economy.

Nigerians, who saw the great need for a cashless economy through mobile money, commended the CBN for its brilliant idea, and gave their full support for its implementation.

Pleased with the support, CBN in 2009, commenced the issuance of the first mobile money licences to drive financial inclusion in Nigeria.

In 2012, CBN commenced implementation of the cashless policy with a pilot scheme in Lagos.

In 2013 it extended cashless policy initiative to additional five states, namely Ogun, Rivers, Abia, Anambra and Kano, including the federal capital territory, Abuja.

Having perceived as success, the implementation of the cashless policy in the six states, including Abuja, the CBN in July 1, 2014, commenced nationwide cashless policy by extending it to the remaining 30 states of the federation.

All through the implementation stages, the CBN decided to use the bank-led approach, which technically knocked out telecoms operators from participating in the cashless policy that seeks to drive cashless economy through mobile money operations, allowing only the banks to drive the entire process. Although the telcos frowned at the position of CBN on the bank-led approach, but it could not do anything to upturn the decision of the CBN. Nine years after the commencement of the issuance of mobile money licences and six years after the implementation of the cashless policy, Nigeria is still rated as a predominant cash nation because of the weak penetration of mobile money in the country, which is put at one per cent, thus making the journey towards financial inclusion to be very slow, with the current financial exclusion level, which stood at about 40 per cent. Based on the slow penetration level, the telcos are calling on CBN to reconsider its position on bank-led approach and then consider licensing of telecoms operators to further drive mobile money penetration in the country.

Telcos’ initial position From the inception of the issuance of mobile money licences by the CBN in 2009, telecoms operators presented a position and made it known to the apex bank that it would be more profitable to Nigerians if the implementation of cashless economy through mobile money, was telcos-led as it is the case with M-Pesa in Kenya. The telcos had justified their position with the fact that telecoms operators have the infrastructure and network as well as the number in terms of subscriber number, which they said, far surpassed the number of bank customers who are bank account holders across all the banks.

The Chairman of Globacom, Mr. Mike Adenuga (Jnr), was the first to raise the alarm, when the telecoms operators first discovered that the CBN was only interested in the banks to drive the entire process. Adenuga then argued that telecoms operators have the capacity to drive the initiative, owing to their large network rollout and huge subscriber number.

He gave example with the huge success in mobile money recorded in Kenya, through M-Pesa, and called on the CBN to involve the telecoms operators in the Nigerian cashless initiative. But in spite of his argument, the CBN instead it must be bank-led, while riding on the network of telecoms operators to achieve the cashless initiative of the federal government.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

CBN’s position Despite agitations from the telecoms operators and the strong position of Adenuga, the CBN went ahead to use the banks alone to drive the initiative, thus excluding the telecoms operators from the entire financial inclusion processes.

According to CBN, cashless economy is all about financial transaction and that it would be wrong to leave financial transactions of the country in the hands of telecoms operators to manage, since they are not financial experts.

Telcos’ current position Contrary to CBN’s position on bank-led in the entire process of cashless economy, the telecoms operators are still insisting that they are in the best position to drive cashless economy through mobile money. Their current position, which is not different from their earlier position, was based on the poor performance of the county’s mobile money penetration, nine years after, which is put at one per cent since inception, coupled with the rating of Nigeria as a predominant cash economy, where its citizens still prefer physical cash for all transactions, despite the associated risks.

Worried about the situation, four telecoms operators: Globacom, 9mobile, Airtel and MTN, penultimate week, had a meeting that was facilitated by the Academic Director and Senior Fellow at Lagos Business School, Yinka David-West, where the telecoms operators resolved to invest more in the financial inclusion initiative of the CBN, that is currently driven by the banks. At the meeting, they resolved to clearly articulate their commitment to deepening financial inclusion and providing Nigerians with access to a range of affordable financial services.

Reiterating their commitments as industry stakeholders, the telcos said they remained the largest investors in telecoms in Nigeria, and have decided to come together to deliver a concrete commitment to Nigeria - a promise to materially improve financial inclusion rates and to deliver access to financial services to

Adenuga (Jnr)

90 million customers over the next 30 months.

According to the telcos, following the issuance of Nigeria’s first mobile money licences in 2009, the journey towards financial inclusion has been slow, as current financial exclusion levels stand at over 40 per cent.

“There is a significant gap to be covered in order to meet Nigeria’s target of 20 per cent financial exclusion by 2020. In Nigeria, telcos are excluded from accessing mobile money licences directly under current guidelines, while in most sub-saharan African markets where mobile money is successful, telcos are given a level playing field,” the telecoms operators said collectively at the recent meeting.

According to David-West, “It is clear that as a country, we have to work, not just to drastically increase the number of financially included persons, but also to increase the quality of inclusion and access we give, especially if we hope to positively impact the economy and the quality of the lives of Nigerians in any meaningful way.”

The projection The projection of the telecoms operators, which is based on statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, shows that the telecoms industry has a coverage of 86 per cent of the country, with 162.3 million customers, representing the single largest customer base of any industry in Nigeria.

They explained that industry players have a combined presence in 773 local government areas across the country, which further emphasised their ability to reach, especially the hard to reach areas of the country in a bid to deepen access to financial services.

They also have one million unique agents already in place selling airtime across the country, creating a strong distribution network that can quickly be converted to established mobile money agent networks.

The telcos argued that the telecommunications industry recognised that with an issue as critical as financial inclusion, it is important

to focus on sustainable solutions. This requires inclusivity and collaboration of varied solutions providers in order to achieve real results.

The telecommunications industry has the capabilities, technology, infrastructure, distribution network and subscriber base that can quickly be leveraged to provide these solutions, they said collectively.

NCC’s position Reacting to the situation, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta told THISDAY that the penetration of mobile money in Nigeria is still at its lowest ebb at one per cent penetration because it is bank-led.

“With a population of about 190 million, one per cent mobile money penetration is still on the low side and it has not improved and not encouraging also. I have it on good record that about 40 per cent of the total 190 million population of Nigeria is financially excluded,” Danbatta said.

According to him, the reason for the low penetration of mobile money service in Nigeria is because of the modules of operation, which is bank-driven, yet the banks leverage on the infrastructure and network of the telecommunication operators to drive mobile money in Nigeria.

It appears they do not have the capacity to drive mobile money and the telecoms operators have expressed their desire to be part of the driving processes, but this has not been approved by the CBN that regulates mobile money and financial services operation in Nigeria.

The telecoms operators have said severally that they have the capacity and infrastructure to drive mobile money and that they are willing to provide additional capacity, yet mobile money is still bank-led and the penetration level has been too slow,” Danbatta added.

“I am convinced that once CBN licenses telecoms operators to provide mobile money service, the penetration level will increase and the level of financial exclusivity will be drastically reduced,” he added.

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Danbatta: Digital Transformation Key to Nigeria’s Development The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, spoke on Nigeria’s participation at the International Telecommunication Union Telecom World conference in Durban, South Africa and how Nigeria intends to drive her digital transformation, using modern technologies. Emma Okonji who attended the world conference, presents the excerpts: expand opportunities for disruptive technology innovation and global competitiveness in Nigeria.

Nigerian delegation led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Mrs. Nkechi Ejele, attended this year’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World conference in Durban, South Africa, which attracted global participation. What necessitated Nigeria’s attendance?

Nigeria participated in this year’s ITU Telecom World conference in Durban, South Africa to explore policies, technologies and innovations that can lead to a smarter Nigeria and assist in transforming our country, including the different sectors of the Nigerian economy like the telecoms sector. We want to see how we as a nation can use the policies, technologies and innovations that were displayed at the conference to transform our industries and organisations. We plan to apply the knowledge gained from the conference on the telecoms sector and other sectors, in order to enhance Nigeria’s smart city initiative. NCC for instance, sponsored some Nigerian startups to this year’s ITU Telecom World conference who are the future technology disrupters, to showcase their solutions and talents to the world. Last year, at the ITU Telecom World conference in South Korea, NCC also sponsored some of them and they were able to impress international audience with their solutions and they returned with international awards, just like this year.

NCC has been at the forefront of wooing foreign investors to invest in Nigeria, especially in the telecoms sector of the country. What is government doing to attract these investors through tax incentives?

The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) document of the federal government clearly shows government willingness to create the enabling business environment for investors to thrive in Nigeria. For example, in the ERGP document, there is a pioneer status given to investors who are coming in to invest in any sector of the economy, including the telecoms sector. The pioneer status incentive is 30 per cent, which means a reduction of Company Income Tax by as much as 30 per cent. This is in addition to other incentives like the relaxation of monetary policy of the federal government, access to foreign exchange, physical policy, reduction and waivers on custom duties, among others like the Executive Orders 5 and 6 of the ease of doing business.

All these are measures put in place by the federal government to make business in Nigeria very easy and profitable for willing investors, and we at NCC will continue to encourage investors to come to Nigeria and invest in the telecoms sector, and our efforts are beginning to yield good results. The telecoms space is big enough to accommodate more investors and we will continue to encourage Foreign Direct investments in Nigeria.

Last year, NCC gave an update on telecoms investment in Nigeria, which was put at $70 billion. What is the current investment figure and the contribution of the telecoms sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

I must make it clear that we get statistics about telecoms contribution to GDP from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure we gave last year about telecoms investment in the country was $70 billion, and the figure was what the NBS released as at last year. Although the bureau has not released statistics for this year, but I can confidently say that the total telecoms investment in Nigeria has surpassed $70 billion. This is true, based on the reliable information we have that telecoms investments, which include foreign direct investment ( FDI) and portfolio investment, has currently reached 10.5 per cent, up from 9.15 per cent in the

Danbatta

previous year. The NBS quarterly report puts the contribution of telecoms to GDP at $5 billion

In Nigeria, we have identified about five strategies of the digital ecosystem, but to successfully achieve these strategies in Nigeria, we need government enabling polices and the right institutions that will enhance digital transformation in Nigeria, because digital transformation is key to Nigeria’s development. As part of the Nigerian strategy for digital transformation, we have considered the youths, women and SMEs in our policy

per quarter, which is 2 per cent rise per quarter.

This of course is a steady quarterly growth and when you calculate the four quarters in the last one year after the $70 billion figure was released, it becomes clear that telecoms contribution to GDP has surpassed $70 billion in the last one year, and this is a significant contribution to the Nigerian economy. In the last one year, Nigeria recorded a steady growth in voice and data services offering, including broadband penetration and all these put together in monetary terms, clearly shows the immense contribution of the telecoms sector to the Nigerian economy.

What are some of the opportunities for additional foreign investors that may be interested in investing in the Nigeria’s telecoms sector?

There are lots of opportunities for investors in the county’s digital transmission system including microwave, satellite and optic fibre, such as submarine cable communications, as well as digital exchanges for both wired and wireless lines. We also have investment opportunities in our billing systems and data communications networks, broadband and integrated service digital network (ISDN). Nigeria needed 120,000km metropolitan optic fibre coverage for ubiquitous network connections nationwide, but the country has only 38,000km coverage now, which I see as an investment opportunity beckoning on both foreign and local investors to take advantage of, and invest in the country.

NCC is intensely focused on bringing efficient, qualitative and affordable ICT platforms within the reach of individuals and corporate bodies through the implementation of our 8-point agenda, the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and the ICT Roadmap to drive synergies, which would

What are some of the regulatory measures taken

by NCC to deepen broadband penetration in the country?

Several regulatory measures have been put in place by the NCC to further grow broadband penetration in the country. The commission had earlier assigned 2.3GHz licence to Bitflux Consortium and six of the 14 slots available on 2.6GHz to MTN Nigeria and two slots to Openskys, and six slots are still available for assignment.

Nigeria had a mere five per cent broadband penetration in 2012 but now we have attained 22 per cent and hope to hit the 30 per cent recommended by National Broadband Plan

by December 2018, through various initiatives including granting subsidies to Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) licencees, and for spectrum trading. In line with our initiatives to encourage investment for InfraCos’ roll out, the commission created subsidy provisions in its 2017 and 2018 budgets for the InfraCos, which is expected to be disbursed by piecemeal to the InfraCos as the deployment of their infrastructure progresses.

We have, however, assured all the licencees that the subsidy is based on the implementation and milestones of their rollout obligations As part of the flexible approach to regulatory management and constant stakeholders’ engagement, the commission introduced spectrum trading only a few months ago. This is to enable holders of such spectrum that is not in use to transfer, lease or share such spectrum with those who may have a need for it. We see this as a cutting edge regulatory initiative to safeguard the use of this scarce national resource. The NCC undertook these regulatory steps in line with the National Broadband Plan (NBP) of 2013-2018, where it is anticipated that 30 per cent broadband penetration will be attained by the end of 2018.

At the opening ceremony of the ITU Telecom World 2018, the President of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted three pillars on which his country is driving digital transformation. What are the strategies for Nigeria in driving her digital transformation?

Yes, I heard clearly, the South African president’s speech at the opening ceremony of ITU Telecom World 2018 conference, when he listed the three pillars on which his country is driving digital transformation, to include Women, Youths and SMEs. The truth is that every county has its own strategy and I subscribe to the position of his Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on the country’s drive in digital transformation for a digital economy. The Nigerian strategy is similar to the South African strategy as enumerated by their president, but we have additional strategies beyond that of South Africa.

In Nigeria, we have identified about five strategies of the digital ecosystem, but to successfully achieve these strategies in Nigeria, we need government enabling polices and the right institutions that will enhance digital transformation in Nigeria, because digital transformation is key to Nigeria’s development. As part of the Nigerian strategy for digital transformation, we have considered the youths, women and SMEs in our policy. In all of these, the role of NCC in the digital transformation of the country is key and the NCC is currently giving access to telecommunication services in the underserved and unserved areas of the country, more so in a situation where only 50 per cent of Nigerian households have access to telecommunication services. Again we are Continued on page 28

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FG’s Disbursement of Collateral- Africa 50 Names New Independent Board Members free Loan Excites Abuja Traders She is a generalist with and Denel SOC Limited, both Shareholders of Africa50 have a wealth of experience at the Sunday Okobi The Trader-Moni loan disbursed by the federal government in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to traders in Abuja elicited excitement recently at the Nyanya market, in the federal capital as traders hailed the decision to disburse the sum of N10,000 to each of them.

The disbursement, accordingly, was part of the current administration’s drive to empower over two million petty traders and artisans across the country through a loan scheme tagged: ‘TraderMoni’.

The scheme being implemented by the BoI allows each beneficiary to get a collateral free loan of N10,000 payable within six months.

Once a beneficiary pays back, they progressively qualify for higher sums; N15,000, N20,000, N50,000 and N100,000. The loan is aimed at not just expanding their businesses but changing their socio-economic class.

The collateral-free loan is part of the social intervention programmes under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.

The Executive Director, BoI, Toyin Adeniji, while speaking at the event, said the bank partnered the federal government to empower small traders.

Adeniji said the project

which is wholly driven by the government is expected to give N10,000 grant each to the traders to boost their businesses.

She said about two million petty traders and artisans would be empowered under the scheme with each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) having a minimum of at least 30,000 beneficiaries.

She said: “The initiative is to give capital to petty traders, as you can see, this place is full of petty traders and to create market awareness to encourage them to embrace the loan and teach them the modalities for getting the loan.

“It starts from N10,000 and you can pay back between three to six months. BoI is the executing agency basically partnering the federal government to implement this.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the disbursement of the fund to them, some of the traders commended the federal government for coming up with the timely initiative.

One of the beneficiaries of the scheme who gave her name as Eunice Idris said the fund would help grow her salon business.

According to her, “I applied for the scheme because I believe in the federal government’s policy in growing small business.

approved the expansion of the board of directors of the bank to include at least half independent directors. The five new board members, hailed from France, Lebanon, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and are recognised senior experts in infrastructure or related fields, and have substantial experience as non-executive directors in Africa and globally.

They are Imoni Akpofure, Monhla Wilma Hlahla, Sophie L’Helias, Assaad Jabre and Albert Mugo.

“I am pleased to welcome the new members to the Board. They bring with them

highest levels in infrastructure, corporate governance, public service, law, sustainability, and development finance.

“I am convinced that they will make a substantial contribution to the work of our Board as Africa50 ramps up its activities to help close the continent’s infrastructure gap,” the President of the African Development Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Africa50, Akinwumi Adesina said. Akpofure is an experienced finance and sustainability professional with 30 years of developed and developing country experience.

wide industry and geographic coverage and has a deep understanding of Sub-Saharan Africa.

She most recently served as the Regional Director for Africa at CDC Group Plc, where she focused on investments in West Africa and in Lusophone Africa. Prior to joining CDC, from 1995-2013 she worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), rising to the rank of Director for Western Europe.

Also, Hlahla is an experienced director of companies and currently serves as Chairperson of the Boards of Royal Bafokeng Holdings

in South Africa.

She spent most of her career in infrastructure, starting from the Development Bank of Southern Africa where she worked in financing of bulk infrastructure projects, to her distinguished role as Managing Director of the Airports Company of South Africa between 2001 and 2011.

Similarly, L’Helias is an expert on governance and sustainability issues. She started as an attorney in M&A and stock market law in New York and Paris and has also served as Managing Director of an arbitrage fund.

SGF Tasks Procurement Officers on Accountability, Transparency Oluchi Chibuzor, Hamid Ayodeji and Judith Obaze The Secretary General to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has urged public procurement officers in Nigeria to promote the values of transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.

Mustapha, disclosed this in Lagos at the opening ceremony of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), 2018 Procurement Officers’ Conversion Training, for fresh entrant into procurement cadre in Lagos on Monday.

He stated that transparency

and accountability were critical to economic development and good governance, “as people’s expectation of service and infrastructure from government has not change.”

Mustapha, who was represented by the Director (Audit) Office of the SGF, Mbaeri Maurice, stated that only officers employed as procurement officers or converted to the professional cadre are permitted to conduct procurement functions.

“That BPP is vested with the responsibility of managing careers of officers in the procurement cadre of the federal

public service and to ensure that only BPP-trained and certified procurement officers can henceforth be posted to function in the procurement cadre in the Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

“Public procurement officers have a crucial role to play in national infrastructure development, in terms of the skills and competencies that are critical to delivering a transparent and efficient public procurement system that guarantees good value for money,” he said.

He further urged all government agencies to comply with the provision of the public

procurement Act and avoid short cuts that undermine government’s anti-corruption posture.

Mustapha, charged procurement officers to step up their collaboration to decisively deal with perpetrators of corruption, including collusion amongst bidders, use of fake documents, false claims by contractors and suppliers and manipulation of the process.

Earlier in his remarks, the Director General, BPP, Mamman Ahmadu, said only trained personnel officer at all government establishments are permitted to conduct procurement function.

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DANBATTA: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION KEY TO NIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT Visafone in 2015 and later wrote the commission to take over the shares of Visafone and approval in principle was granted MTN. Having met the conditions, the approval of transfers of 99.999 per cent of shares was conveyed to MTN. Subsequently MTN wrote for the transfer of the 800MHz spectrum of Visafone and we made MTN realised the implication of transferring spectrum licence, which is a national resource.

There is another 700MHz spectrum belonging to the broadcast industry that was in the custody of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) that was long sold to MTN by the NBC, which again,has the same condition like any other national licence. There were industry agitations after the sale of the 700MHz spectrum to MTN and the spectrum was later reallocated to NCC. But instead of NCC conducting a fresh auction for the spectrum, the NCC decided that MTN should keep the spectrum since it has already been paid for, but the NCC insisted that MTN must use the 700MHz spectrum for the provision of telecommunication services only and not for broadcast services. This has been concluded and MTN is very happy about the decision of the NCC. This of course shows the true position of our human face as a regulator to MTN and all other telecoms operators, both big and small. But the Visafone 800MHz spectrum cannot be given to MTN, because it is a national resource that belongs to the NCC and there are dominant issues involved.

Other operators have kicked against giving MTN the Visafone 800MHz spectrum without auctioning it because they could be interested in the spectrum as well. To avoid dominance, we are still studying the issue and will soon come out with our position on the 800MHz spectrum.

building the critical mass adoption and use of telecommunications services in order to achieve the right broadband internet penetration. We have a National Broadband Plan which the NCC is at the forefront of pushing it to ensure that we have a deeper broadband penetration for Nigeria. We have currently achieved 22 per cent broadband penetration in the country, which is above the minimum target of achieving 30 per cent broadband penetration, with plans to achieve the maximum target by the end of this year. So the NCC is also targeting massive capacity building in schools and colleges, including tertiary institutions and communities outside the schools. The other aspect of the digital transformation for Nigeria is in the area of telecoms infrastructure. In order to boost the rollout of telecoms infrastructure across the country, we decided to zone the country into seven zones and licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) in all the seven zones.

The role of the InfraCos is to provide broadband infrastructure that will facilitate faster rollout of broadband service across the country. All these initiatives are targeted at enhancing digital transformation in the country.

Are there incentives that will motivate the InfraCos to roll out broadband infrastructure much faster?

To ensure rapid rollout of broadband infrastructure across the country, the NCC provided some

To ensure rapid rollout of broadband infrastructure across the country, the NCC provided some palliatives in the form of incentives for all InfraCos that are willing to roll out in rural communities, including underserved and unserved communities. Aside the incentives, the InfraCos licence was made very cheap to encourage InfraCos. NCC is not interested in making money out of InfraCos, but to encourage them to roll out broadband infrastructure in all nooks and crannies of the country

Danbatta

palliatives in the form of incentives for all InfraCos that are willing to roll out in rural communities, including underserved and unserved communities. Aside the incentives, the InfraCos licence was made very cheap to encourage InfraCos. NCC is not interested in making money out of InfraCos, but to encourage them to roll out broadband infrastructure in all nooks and crannies of the country. Beyond women, youths and SMEs, we also have plans for the physically challenged persons and we give them opportunities to belong to the country’s digital transformation process.

What is your view about government’s position on MTN, where the telecoms company was asked to return money it repatriated from the country between 2007 and 2015 and to pay tax arrears within the same period, totaling $10.134 billion?

Government is an institution whose actions are guided by law. For example, the CBN is a government institution that regulates the financial sector of the economy, while the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS)is another government institution that regulates the tax sector of the economy and the NCC regulates the telecoms sector of the Nigerian economy.

What is happening between MTN and the Nigerian government is based on regulatory issues in their different sectors. Although the issue is currently centred on financial and tax

regulation, but there are public fears and outcry that the action taken so far by government could cause a ripple effect on other sectors of the economy because telecommunications, as it were, which is the core business of MTN, cuts across all sectors of the Nigerian economy. As telecoms regulator, we are aware that there is no sector of the Nigerian economy that does not enjoy the services of telecoms sector, and we are concerned about the current MTN issue with government because MTN Nigeria is a licensed operator under the supervision of NCC. But I will like to say that although the alleged breach is purely on financials and taxes, the NCC as a regulator of the telecoms sector, is doing everything possible to ensure quick and amicable resolution of the matter. We are already intervening, just the same way we intervened in previous matters concerning MTN Nigeria.

As a regulator with human face, we will always provide guidance to all our licensed operators, both big and small, during crisis of any sort.

MTN has been in touch with us over the recent matter and we have mapped out strategies to address the issue, which I will not like to divulge to the media as at the moment.

What is NCC doing about additional licensing of spectrum frequency for telecoms operators?

The issue of spectrum licences is ongoing, and this is closely followed by the renewal of licences.

We had a scenario when MTN bought over

What is NCC’s view about the bank-led mobile money operation in Nigeria as against the telco-led in Kenya, where the penetration of mobile money in Kenya has been described as high and encouraging?

Mobile money in Nigeria is bank-led and its penetration level is still very low since its inception, which is put at one per cent penetration. With a population of about 190 million, one per cent mobile money penetration is still on the low side and it has not improved and not encouraging also. I have it on good record that about 40 per cent of the total 190 million population of Nigeria is financially excluded. The reason for the low penetration of mobile money service in Nigeria is because of the modules of operation, which is bank-driven, yet banks leverage on the infrastructure and network of the telecommunication operators to drive mobile money in Nigeria. It appears they do not have the capacity to drive mobile money and the telecoms operators have expressed their desire to be part of the driving processes, but this has not been approved by the CBN that regulates mobile money and financial services operation in Nigeria. The telecoms operators have said severally that they have the capacity and infrastructure to drive mobile money and that they are willing to provide additional capacity, yet mobile money is still bank-led and the penetration level has been too slow. I am convinced that once CBN licenses telecoms operators to provide mobile money service, the penetration level will increase and the level of financial exclusivity will be drastically reduced.

Mastercard Introduces Solution to Losses in Business Emma Okonji Mastercard has introduced Mastercard Track, in collaboration with Microsoft, to further drive ease of doing business. Track is a unique global trade platform that will simplify and enhance how companies around the world do business with each other.

While parts of the Business to Business (B2B) process have been digitised, large and costly gaps still remain, which is an estimated $500 billion in annual administrative costs

and rising. These costs are added to the inefficiency of the nearly half of all global business transactions, totaling $58 trillion that are still done in paper.

Mastercard Track will address these fundamental challenges by further streamlining and automating the procure-to-pay-process, enabling businesses to manage business identity, compliance and payments in a more efficient way.

Vice Chairman and President of Strategic Growth at Mastercard, Michael Froman,

said: “While there have been great improvements and innovations in the way consumers pay, the global B2B space remains highly inefficient and paper-based. “This adds hundreds of billions of dollars of costs and burdensome delays to global trade.

Mastercard Track is a tool that will help reduce frictions in the global trading system and promote increased exports, especially by small and medium-sized businesses.”

While consumers have become accustomed to a broader choice of technology

solutions, businesses too are looking for speed, security and convenience in their everyday operations.

From reducing the steps it takes to identify a business partner, to making the payments process simpler and more transparent, Mastercard Track has the potential to unlock economic growth and to level the playing field for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME).

Executive Vice President, Microsoft, Peggy Johnson, said: “Together with Mastercard, we are helping companies around

the world accelerate the pace of their own transformation by creating a more efficient buying and selling process at scale.

“By building Mastercard Track on Azure, Mastercard will be able to take advantage of our stringent security and compliance standards, our global footprint and our intelligent cloud solutions to help organisations of all sizes drive value from the back-office to the front of the enterprise,” he said.

Addressing identity, compliance and payment manage-

ment needs, Mastercard said in the beginning of early 2019, customers of these organisations will be able to maintain, retrieve and exchange key information relating to themselves and their trading partners through the Track Trade Directory, a secure, permissioned repository of over 150 million company registrations worldwide.

This central directory will integrate feeds from more than 4,500 compliance lists into one place, making the screening and onboarding of suppliers more efficient.

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11Plc Organises Promo Ugo Aliogo 11Plc formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria, has organised the grand raffle draw of the Mobil ‘super peel and win’ marketing promotion.

The campaign concluded the four months intensive travelling and roadshows that began on August 31.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director, 11Plc, formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji, said the new management recognised the role of marketing promotions in product acceptability, business growth and profitability. He also noted that the recent management restructuring gave birth to a more business inclined, refocused and reenergised company. Oyebanji explained that the grand raffle draw was the seventh out of seven planned raffle draws to reward customers.

He further stated that at various times of the promotion,

they conducted raffle draws in seven states capitals including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to him: “We started with Ibadan and moved to Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin City, Kano and Abuja.

Today, we are rounding up with Lagos.

The previous draws produced about 80 winners of the major prizes items that included tricycles, motorcycles, power generators, gas cookers, smart telephone handsets, mechanic toolboxes and cash prizes outside other hundred of freely shared footballs, Mobil NATA mechanic coveralls for mechanics, football jerseys, branded biros and key holders.”

Oyebanji explained that the promotion was the company’s way of appreciating consumers as well as rewarding those consumers with enduring faith in the Mobil lubricant brand for decades.

He commended end users

who truly have demonstrated their loyalty to the brand, not minding the lure of some cheap and low quality engine oils in our market.

Oyebanji said: “These categories of users include the vehicle/drivers, motorcycle and tricycle owners/riders and generator repairers/owners.

“But most importantly, autorepairers and mechanics who laterally play some crucial roles in persuading some of these users to buy Mobil engine oil.

This group of auto-repairers largely constitutes the membership of Nigeria Automobile and Technicians Association (NATA).

“The Mobil engine is professionally engineered and blended for the latest engine technology, the idea product for newer engines or older ones in good conditions delivering best all-round performances.

It is this assurance we are giving to you, the users of Mobil lubricant in this occasion.

Egypt Records Drop in Software Piracy, Reforms Boost Foreign Investment Ugo Aliogo Egypt has seen a two per cent drop in its software piracy rate to reach (59 per cent), the United States-based Business Software Alliance said in its recent study, released recently.

The study revealed that Egypt managed to decrease the commercial value of the unlicensed software, which declined significantly from $157 million in 2015 to $64 million in 2017.

The survey quantified the volume and value of unlicensed software installed on PCs across more than 110 national and regional economies in addition to surveying more than 22,500 consumers and employees in 32 countries who use PCs at home or at work.

Globally, Egypt now has lower piracy rates than some of other global outsourcing contenders including Morocco (64 per cent), the Philippines (64 per cent), Vietnam (74 per cent), and Sri Lanka (77 per cent).

This is the second consecutive year that Egypt’s piracy rates have fallen.

Last July, the Egyptian parliament; backed by two thirds of parliament’s 596 members, passed the cyber-crime law that helps in mitigating the cyber threats and establishes rules and measures to be followed by the local ISPs. The law, which legalises the digital evidence for the first time in the Egyptian jurisprudence, aims also at stamping out any information inciting violence or hatred, addressing various other types of computer crimes including hacking, fraud, or any attack on private and public information systems and networks.

“Over the past several years, the government has taken tough measures to crack down on the illegal use of software,” Egypt’s IPR office manager, Dr. Mohamed Hegazy said, while commenting on the BSA study’s findings.

“We have managed to

create a conducive business environment through modernizing the legal framework and law enforcement, combating piracy, and protecting intellectual property rights,” he added. Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced the Cabinet’s approval on the data protection and privacy draft law that, as reported, embraces the new EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“We are working on a comprehensive strategy for increasing the attractiveness of Egypt to international investors building on our momentum and the ICT sector’s growth which we believe will remain robust,” Acting CEO of Egypt’s IT Industry Development Agency, Maha Rasha said.

“The country has the right mix of capabilities that qualifies it to be an ideal hub for global operations and business innovation which is thriving and booming like never before.”

MainOne, Orange Seal Deal to Boost Internet Access Ugo Aliogo French Telecoms company, Orange and one of the leading West African Connectivity and Data Centre services provider, MainOne have struck a partnership that will see the French telecoms giant co-invest in two new cable landing stations in Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire while the broadband infrastructure provider will provide additional capacity via its 7000km cable system from Europe to Africa with landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal, reinforcing the position of both companies in the African telecommunications ecosystem. Due to this new cable connection, several

countries in West Africa would benefit from better connectivity, lower prices and access to new services.

Orange will benefit from multiple Terabits per second of additional bandwidth for the development of fixed and mobile data in Africa to meet the increasing demands for Internet access via 3G and 4G network. More specifically, this cable extension is an opportunity to improve connectivity and offer a broader range of services for both Orange Côte d’Ivoire & Senegal’s Sonatel. In addition, neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania will benefit from enhanced capacity.

For MainOne, the partnership underscores the

company’s vision for a better connected region, its Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke said: “MainOne continues to lead the digital transformation of our sub-region by investing in affordable connectivity to drive economic development.

“Our objective is to bridge the digital divide between and within West Africa and the rest of the world. We are committed to deepening broadband penetration across West Africa and believe our investments in technologically advanced subsea infrastructure will continue to liberalise the international bandwidth market, further support Orange and other wholesale customers, and ultimately result in improved digital services in the region”.

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BUSINESSWORLD Infinix Launches the Intelligent Smartphone In its commitment in making technology accessible to its consumers, the Infinix Mobility Limited, has launched a Note 5 Stylus in Lagos.

Speaking at the launch, Managing Director of Infinix Mobility Limited, Mr. Benjamin Jiang said that the company has proven once again its commitment to bringing the most cutting-edge technology and stylishly designed mobile devices to consumers with the introduction of its latest device NOTE 5 Stylus.

“By partnering with Google, NOTE 5 Stylus is yet another Android One smartphone with intelligent software experience and will be available for preorder from September 10 – 15 and available in-store across all our exclusive stores from September 17,” he said.

He added: “At Infinix, our mission is to keep innovating and integrate the most advanced technology and trends into our products.

That’s why we partnered with Google once again to launch NOTE 5 Stylus.

With the NOTE 5 Stylus, consumers will experience the latest technologies, such as capturing stunning photos with the 16MP AI low-light selfie camera and 16MP AI rear camera, showing their creativity with the amazing XPen, interacting with the world with the Google Assistant and many others. We are confident that the NOTE 5 Stylus will bring consumers intelligent smartphone experience to a whole new

E-BUSINESS Most ITU Scribe Urges African Governments to Invest in SMEs

level and allow them to stay ahead of the crowd.”

He further explained that NOTE 5 Stylus is designed for consumers that seek self-expression, featuring AI camey as for stunning images.

The device is equipped with an upgraded 16MP AI lowlight selfie camera with f2.0 aperture. With its intelligent pixel technology the device always supports high quality selfie images whether night or day. Its 16MP rear camera also captures more light with its larger pixels and bigger f1.8 aperture at a speed that is up to three times faster with multiple scene recognition ability. This new feature enables consumers to capture amazing pictures in all occasions.

Also speaking, the Director, Middle East and Africa (MEA) for Sales and Marketing at MediaTek, Mr. Rami Osman said: “Infinix Mobility’s dedication in bringing consumers stylish devices with cutting-edge features perfectly aligns with MediaTek’s commitment to making great technology accessible to everyone. Powered by the MediaTek Helio P23, the NOTE 5 Stylus enables consumers to bring their photography to the next level, enjoy the latest connectivity features and take advantage of AI-powered innovations like Google Assistant and Google Lens. Designed for an ideal mix of high performance and extreme power-efficiency, the Helio P23 provides New Premium Android devices with an incredible user experience.”

Stories by Emma Okonji The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Houlin Zhao has called on African governments to invest more in technology startups who are mainly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in order to fast-track Africa’s digital transformation.

Zhao, who made the call during the closing press conference at the just concluded ITU Telecoms World 2018, which held in Durban, South Africa, said ITU had long realised the importance of SMEs, even though they are not financially strong at their early stage of

development, and has decided to shift focus to SMEs, which he said, remained strong drivers of digital revolution of a nation, if given the appropriate government support.

He therefore, called on African governments to consider investing more in SMEs to enable them get the necessary support that would propel them into creating disruptive solutions that would address specific organisational, individual and national issues. “Since the inception of ITU in 1865 in Europe, which is over 153 years ago, the focus of ITU, which is the United Nation’s specialised agency for infor-

mation and communications technology (ICT) development, has not been on SMEs, but this year, we decided to shift our focus on SMEs, which are mainly young people that are using technology to not only disrupt existing ways of doing businesses, but to also create solutions that address specific challenges,” Zhao said.

According to him, “although SMEs are not economically strong at their formative stages, but they can turn out to be the drivers of economies, because they are digital natives that understand technology faster.”

He equally called on global leaders to give exposure to their SMEs by sponsoring

them to ITU conferences where they will have opportunities to showcase their solutions to the entire world.

The South African Minister of Communications and Postal Services, Mr. Cyprain Cwelle, who was also at the ITU closing press conference, said the South African government had partnered SMEs to further expose them and grow their businesses to profitability. According to him, “South Africa’s digital transformation is hinged on three pillars: Women, Youths and SMEs and we will continue to support SMEs, the same way we are supporting the youths and women in the society.”

LSETF, VISA Commit N3.5m to CORPORATE CHALLENGE Executive Director, Regulation, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Tinuade Awe; Council Member, Mr. Kamarudeen Kareem Oladosu; Drive CBN’s Cashless Initiative L-R: Winner of the 2018 NSE Corporate Challenge, Austin Ani; Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, Titi Ogungbesan; The cashless economy initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which seeks to promote financial inclusion in Nigeria, received boost in Lagos, when the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and Visa provided support worth over N3.5 million to winners of the second edition of its Cashless Lagos Hackathon.

The teams, which include Team Blended, Team Maverick, and Team LagosPay were presented with a check of N2 million, N1.5 million and N500, 000 respectively for taking the top three positions.

LSETF officials said the hackathon is in line with the Lagos State’s commitment to encourage and support the tech ecosystem in the state. The trust fund has so far issued N80 million workspace vouchers to 50 startups. It plans to issue 25 more before the end of the year.

The Cashless Lagos Hackthon was launched by Visa in partnership with Lagos Innovates - an initiative of LSETF, and Passion Incubator with the objective of creating technology based financial solutions to help Lagos MSMEs carry out daily cashless transactions.

There were seven teams that competed for the grand prize of N2 million. The teams – Akuk, Blended, Eko

Wallet, Tradekiosk, Lagos Pay, Mavericks, and Cashbox – had an opportunity to meet and interview five loan beneficiaries from LSETF. During the interview they were able to learn some of the payment challenges faced by the small business owners. With the knowledge, each of them went to build a solution around it.

Addressing journalists after the cheque presentation, the Executive Secretary of LSETF, Akin Oyebode, said: “The Hackthon is designed to solve problems around cash management for small businesses.

What we have done here is that we brought our beneficiaries - five women who are beneficiaries of our loan program - we brought them to see how we can use technology to improve their business. Over the course of this weekend the seven teams have listened to them, interviewed them and have gone to create solutions to help solve some problems they have identified, especially relating to receiving payments and going cashless.”

Although the selected ideas from the start-ups were still prototype solutions, the organisers, however, expect that the winning teams will go ahead with the guidance of mentors to translate them into real products that have market value.

Sales Executive, Rwanda Air, Daniel Ogunbote and Council Member, NSE, Patrick Adebayo Ajayi, during the 2018 Corporate Challenge held in Lagos…recently

Nigeria Makes Final List in Most Smile Assures Customers of Scalable Startups Category at ITU Innovative Data Services Dropque, one of the six technology startups that were sponsored by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to this year’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) conference in Durban, South Africa, made the final list of three in the category of Most Scalable Startups.

Other startups from Nigeria that pitched with startups from other countries of the world, included PrepClassNG, Zenafri, VoguePay, FarmCrowdy and WeSabi.

Dropque, which made the finalist in the category of Most Scalable Startups, was recognised at global conference.

Product Lead at Dropque, Mr. Yinka Akinbobola, who received the global recognition on behalf of his team, said the solution called Dropque, was designed to address employment selection process for job recruitment.

According to him, due to high level of unemployment and a rapidly growing population in emerging markets, there is an enormous inflow of applications, making it difficult in recruiting the best candidates

for the job.

The Dropque solution is Africa’s first interactive and intelligent talent exchange. It uses crisp candidate profile, unassisted video interviews and artificial intelligence (AI) to help companies find talent faster than ever, save money and make better hiring decisions.

“Dropque has an ambitious goal to transform the way interviews are done globally.

Although we are beginning from Nigeria, we are focused on improving the experiences of job seekers, SMEs, corporations and governments. On the supply side, we are attracting job seekers and enabling them present themselves in more interactive ways,” Akinbobola said.

“In Africa, we aspire to reach between 10 and 15 million job seekers over the next few years.

On the demand side, we are eliminating the frustration that hiring managers face when looking for and interviewing talent, as well as reduce communication bottlenecks inside and outside the enterprise when filling positions,”Akinbobola added.

Smile Telecoms Nigeria has assured its esteemed customers of continuous innovativeness in its data services delivery, to avoid any form of downtime in their business operations.

The assurance came just as the telecoms company was adjudged the 2018 Most Innovative Data Company at the African Entrepreneur Merit Awards 2018 held recently at the Abuja.

At the African Entrepreneur Merit Awards 2018 held recently Smile Nigeria was bestowed with the 2018 “Most Innovative Data Company of the Year Award” while the Titans of Tech Awards held in Lagos conferred on the Managing Director of Smile Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo the ‘Titans of Tech CEO of the Year Award’’.

Both awards attest to the corporate vision and individual ingenuity that have propelled Smile to the broadband leadership echelon of the nation’s telecommunication sector.

The African Entrepreneurs Merit Award is a platform that recognises African entrepreneurs and corporate institutions that have distin-

guished themselves in their contributions to the growth and development of MSME, s in Africa. According to the organisers, the award was bestowed on Smile for its knack for innovative products and consistent provision of innovative services.

The company was also commended for its massive investments in authentic 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology.

The acting Regional Sales Manager of Smile, Abuja, Nonye Obianwu, who received the award, thanked the organisers for giving honour to whom honour is due. She dedicated the award to all Smile’s customers for their steadfast support and loyalty. She assured that the company’s commitment to the provision of best-inclass Internet services would endure so as to continue to serve the needs of its teeming customers.

On being bestowed with the ‘Titans of Tech CEO of the Year Award’ Smile Nigeria’s helmsman, Efeurhobo reiterated that Smile Nigeria had been consistent in the provision of valuable products and innovative services.

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Ending 11 Years of Darkness in Ondo Coastal Communities After 11 years of living in darkness, some coastal communities in Ondo State finally get electricity, courtesy of the state government, reports Kayode Fasua The story was once told of how coastal communities in the south senatorial district of Ondo State were marooned and disconnected from civilisation, owing to inaccessibility by road. To connect with the Nigerians on the other side of the divide, you would have to sail in a speedboat or a languid, manual boat, depending on your purchasing power.

These oil-rich communities, comprising mainly Ilaje and Ijaw ethnic nationalities, recently also complained of virulent surges from the Atlantic Ocean, and have had to brave many odds, as they eke out a living by fishing.

Largely, the people reside in water-logged enclaves. To these folks, as pundits are wont to joke, mosquito bite is no longer a source of worry, but a way of life.

Once upon a time, any illustrious son of this coastal area that bought a car must park it at the Igbokoda Waterfront, and then take a picture of the luxury as he journeyed by boat to show his household in the creeks, who, upon sighting the image of the car, literarily erupt in wild jubilation, giving vent to merriment and pouring of libation.

But that setback was reversed about 10 years ago, when the administration of Governor Olusegun Agagu inaugurated a link-bridge road across the waters, to re-integrate most of the marooned coastal towns.

However, not many seemed to be aware that for 11 years too, most of the coastal communities in Ondo State had been without electricity, languishing in dark nights and slothful days. Reports indicated that for inexplicable reasons, they were cut off from the national grid and their cries for reintegration had fallen on deaf ears.

But last week, the administration of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) reversed the agelong deprivation as the state government restored power to communities in the area, in an ongoing move to obliterate outage from communities in Ikale, Ilaje and Ese-Odo local council areas. In the latest effort, which drew wild jubilation from the happy locals, the state government powered Aboto and Igbobini, two large communities overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, using stand-alone solar systems under the state’s Small Home Power Utility (SHoPU) scheme.

Declaring open the power restoration programme, which was executed by R. R. Reynolds-one of the state’s power service providers, the governor assured other communities in the area that he would not relent until power is fully restored in the entire southern senatorial district.

He explained that the solar power systems were immediate palliatives for the most deprived parts of the district, and were being deployed as a start-off point. He assured the people that the company handling the project would soon put a major hybrid reciprocating gas engine in Igbokoda. Akeredolu also promised the people that the power from the national grid would eventually reach many communities in the area, as the Niger Delta Power Company (NDPC) would be carrying out major rehabilitation works on the power distribution infrastructure.

“The solar systems that have been given to these two communities will become backups to our major mini-grids, and the power from the national level, as soon as they are ready,” he assured. The governor explained further that a mini-grid power plant would be sited for the use of the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa.

Akeredolu, who had two major town-hall meetings with the people of Ilaje, Eseodo, Irele and Okitipupa, urged them to protect the facilities from vandals.

He expressed deep concern over the long disconnection of an entire senatorial district from the national grid.

“How can I be happy when a whole senatorial district of my state is in darkness?

“The South is our industrial base and we

Ariyomo and Akeredolu during the inauguration of the project have been moving from one place to another, wooing investors.

“We’re determined to explore our bitumen and resuscitate all our moribund industries and therefore, we must have electricity,” he protested. Enthused, the community’s monarch, the Olu of Igbobini in Eseodo Local Government, Oba Raphael Oyedele, thanked the governor for the intervention. He described Akeredolu as God-sent, following years of being in total darkness. Regaling in the joy of the occasion, Oba Oyedele said, “Akeredolu, you have brought back God to Igbobini; because, a place without light does not have God. We thank you.”

Also, the traditional ruler of Aboto community in Ilaje Local Government, the Alaboto-elect, Ofoaye Oyetayo, applauded the gesture of the governor for resolving the 11-year-old blackout problem in his community.

He said: “We have been in darkness for 11 years. We are happy about your gesture, Mr. Governor. You surprised us with this good thing. It’s been 11 years we had power supply last in Aboto and the rest of Ilaje communities.

“When the company was counting houses and measuring our community, we thought it was a gimmick. Sir, God will always be with you for making this a reality.

Assuring the governor of protection of all the power facilities being installed, the Oba-elect also promised that the people would support the administration in the implementation of all its programmes.

Reacting, one of the residents of Aboto, Mrs. Jumoke Ikuomola, appreciated the governor for lightening the community, saying they had been living in darkness for several years.

She noted that the electric power being provided would have great impact on the academic performance of their children, as they would now be able to study at night.

Another resident, Mrs. Omolayo Jose, who confirmed that “the light is very bright”, called on the governor to establish a secondary school

in the community, saying, “Our children travel long distance to attend secondary school”.

She said: “We started using the solar power three days ago. It is very bright. We thank our governor; but I want to appeal to him to establish a secondary school here in Aboto so that our children won’t need to go a long distance to attend secondary school.”

In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Utilities, Mr. Tunji Light Ariyomo, an engineer, said the Igbobini and Aboto electricity activation was only a tip of the iceberg, as the Akeredolu administration has series of power projects lined up for most rural communities in Ondo State Speaking with THISDAY, Ariyomo said: “With mini-grids, we shall be providing private power for places like Igbokoda, Igbekebo, Ode Omi, Iju Odo, Ilutitun, Kiribo, Igbootu, Ala Elefosan, Ugbonla, Aboto, Oda, Aponmu, Auga, Oke Igbagbo, Ese by Ogbagi Akoko, Bamikemo in Ile Oluji, and several other places, with the communities themselves owning as much as five percent of the equity in the power plants.” He further explained that Governor Akeredolu had declared emergency on blackout in the Ondo southern district, through a two-prong approach that includes direct intervention by the state government, as well as grid-tied intervention through federal agencies such as NDPC, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

He added that the state government is currently covering over 60 per cent of houses in Igbobini with stand-alone solar systems under the SHoPU scheme.

“Apart from Igbobini, the Aketi Power Team is also currently working in Aboto in Ilaje Local Government. Over 80 percent of the houses in Aboto now have light.

“We are starting Ebute-Ipare’s this week, and not too long from now, Igbokoda will be having a major hybrid reciprocating gas engine, with a solar-farm backup, while a dedicated

Independent Power Project (IPP) is coming to OSUSTEC to power the university and certain parts of Okitipupa,” Ariyomo said.

The adviser, however, explained that the stand-alone solar system is different from the mini-grid, saying that the former was being deployed as an immediate palliative in those communities as explained by the governor at the town-hall meeting.

Meanwhile, the federal government has awarded contracts for the reconstruction of damaged power distribution infrastructure in the southern region of the state, and the project, the authorities assured, would commence this week.

This was revealed by the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical services of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Mr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, at the venue of the town-hall meeting in Aboto.

Oyedele told the gathering that the type of intervention that had been approved for the southern district of Ondo State was unprecedented in the history of the country.

He said: “I am pleased to announce that contracts have been awarded not only to restore power to the southern senatorial district, but also to upgrade it.

“In Okitipupa area, for instance, it’s tragic that OSUSTECH which was established 11 years ago has not had one unit of power supply since inception. Therefore, a child born in Okitipupa 10 years ago or in Ilaje 15 years ago will not have seen public power supply in his or her life. But today, we are moving to end this tragic story. “ Governor Akeredolu expressed appreciation to Oyedele “for his doggedness in attracting such an epochal project to my state.”

The governor also extended his appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, “for responding to the request of the state government and for prioritising the demand of the people of the South district of Ondo State.”

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China-Africa Trade Cooperation: Gain or Loss?

In this report, Ugo Aliogo examines the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) with special focus on Nigeria The Beijing Summit of the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) was recently held in Beijing, China from September 3 to 4, 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and 49 Heads of State and Government, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission and more than 240 ministerial level officials from 53 African members of FOCAC participated in the Summit, as they jointly drew the blueprint for future cooperation between China and African countries.

The summit issued the Beijing Declaration tagged “Toward an Even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future”, and also adopted the creation of a forum known as “China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021)”.

The summit was particularly aimed at building a closer China-African community with a shared future in the new era. Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the occasion, announced that the country would, on the basis of the 10 cooperation plans already adopted, launch eight major initiatives in close collaboration with African countries in the next three years and beyond.

The eight initiatives are: Industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health care, people-to-people, peace, and security.

Under the eight initiatives, many measures are designed to help the African youths. For example, in capacity building initiative, China would set up 10 Luban workshops to provide vocational training. The details are: a ChinaAfrica innovation cooperation centre aimed at promoting youth innovation and entrepreneurship would be set up; a tailor-made programme would be carried out to train 1000 high-caliber Africans; 50,000 government scholarships will be offered; there will be 50,000 training opportunities for seminars and workshops; as well as 2000 exchange-programme opportunities for African youths.

To make sure these eight initiatives are implemented, China will extend 60 billion US dollars financing to Africa in different forms, which include 15 billion US dollars grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans; and China will encourage Chinese companies to invest more than 10 billion US dollars in Africa in the coming three years.

Nigeria-China Trade The China Commercial Consular to Nigeria, Mr. Hongliang Gao, has put the present value of trade between Nigeria and China at $7.2 billion, making China the third largest trading partner with Nigeria.

However, with the increased interest in investments and trade between both countries, the value is expected to surpass Nigeria’s trade with India, which is presently the country’s highest trading partner. Gao said the Chinese government was committed to a sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship with Nigeria.

He explained that Nigeria is Africa’s ‘first population’ country and the largest economy, adding that it is rich in natural resources, fertile lands and huge market potentials.

He further stated that in recent years, the friendship between China and Nigeria had been further strengthened, and that high-level exchanges had become frequent, thus deepening political mutual trust. He also stressed that this chummy relationship has bolstered bilateral, trade cooperation between the two countries.

According to him, “From January to June this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Nigeria reached $7.2 billion. It increased by 7. 6 per cent year-on-year.

“At present, Nigeria is China’s third largest trading partner in Africa; the largest engineering contracting market, and an important investment destination.

“The continuous and in-depth development of China-Nigeria trade relations is in the common interest of the two peoples.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping shared the friendship and discussed the plans with the leaders of African countries. “The Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum is a major event in the historical development of China-Africa relations.

Buhari and Xi Jinping

“It has established as an historical monument, the China-Africa friendly exchanges; played a strong voice of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and pointed out the development direction of China –Africa relations,” Gao stressed.

Meanwhile, as part of the FOCAC summit, Nigeria and China recently signed $328 million agreement for Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone Phase II (NICTIB II) project.

This came as Nigeria’s President Buhari also sought the support of Chinese President Xi Jinping, for the building of 3050 Megawatts Mambila hydroelectric power project in Taraba State.

In the same vein, it was also learnt that a Chinese firm announced its decision to invest $200 million in an industrial park in Kano State, cotton farms in Funtua, Katsina State, and textile and garment manufacturing establishments in Aba, Abia and Lagos States respectively.

However, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the $328million concessional loan agreement between Galaxy Backbone Limited and Huawei Technologies Limited (HUAWEI) was signed by Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adesoun, and Wang Xiaotoa, Director-General of International Development Agency, and witnessed

by Buhari and Jinping.

He said Nigeria and China also signed a memorandum of understanding for One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR).

Shehu, in the statement, noted that Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and Director, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, He Lifeng, signed OBOR, which he described as an initiative of Jinping. The OBOR focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among multiple countries spread across the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.

Shehu said during his meeting with Jinping, Buhari commended the Chinese government for successfully hosting FOCAC and solicited its support for Mambila hydropower project.

Shehu disclosed further that Buhari noted that Mambilla project remained a priority to Nigeria and also sought additional Chinese funding for four airport-terminal projects, as well as the Abuja lightrail project.

He also said the president lauded China for accepting to support the international efforts to recharge the Lake Chad Basin, stating, “The inclusion of this project in the FOCAC Action Plan 2019 to 2021 will go a long way in supporting our efforts to rehabilitate and resettle people of the conflict-impacted North-East region.”

The statement also said Buhari noted that easy movement of citizens of both Nigeria and China would complement the currency swap agreements recently signed by the Central Banks of both countries.

The statement added: “Since our last meeting, two years ago, Nigeria has relaxed its visa requirements to Chinese citizens. Today, I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that Chinese citizens receive Nigerian visas in less than 48 hours.

“Another measure that will improve our trade volumes will be to introduce import duty waivers on Nigeria’s commodity exports to China. Today, our commodities such as sesame seeds, hibiscus and cassava, among others, attract import duty in China.”

What the Experts Say In his reaction to the FOCAC summit and the Nigeria and China $328 million agreement for Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone Phase II (NICTIB II) project, the Former Director-General, Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Dr. John Isemede, said in signing any international trade agreement, Africans, especially Nigerians, should ensure that they build capacity in every area of interest.

He also urged the federal government to ensure that they give targets to all government agencies, Universities, Ministries and Departments (MDs) and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to meet, in key areas of interest.

Isemede, who is also an international trade expert, advised government to give out public agencies and ministries to universities and research institutes to manage, in order to prove critical solutions to certain challenges facing the country, and also, provide roadmaps for government policies through research and data analyses.

The Consultant to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said ambassadors in Diaspora should endeavour to get vital information about countries where they operate, noting that, the government should change the concept of ‘ambassador designate.’

“They should be academically trained in foreign affairs for six months. They should collaborate with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the private sector, the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), and the airlines.”

Export promotion agencies, he said, should understand the dynamics of importaion and exportation as they affect the country’s economy.

“They need to understand International Commercial Trade (ICO terms) terms such as Free On Board (FOB), Cost Insurance and

Freight (CIF) and Delivered At Frontier (DAF),” he noted.

He explained further that every country has a foreign policy, noting that Nigeria’s foreign policy should be tied to trade, so that the foreign reserves can go beyond $45 billion.

Isemede stated that all agreements with China and other international partners must be in line Nigeria’s foreign policy, trade policy and economic diplomacy, in consonance with Section 12 of the Constitution.

He added, “All agreements with China and other international partners must be in line with our foreign policy, trade policy, and economic diplomacy, in consonance with Section 12 of the Constitution, where the National Assembly has the greatest task to the nation (which is the ratification of all agreements entered into).

“It is not a sin to enter an agreement. But it will be a sin if an agreement is one-sided.”

Another individual who commented on the issue is the former Governance Adviser/Regional Coordinator, Department for International Development (DFID), Dr. Sina Fagbenro-Byron.

He said until Nigeria has a defined national interest which is not connected to the interest of the President, or of the ruling party, but one that is connected with the people, government might not be able to protect the interest of the people in trade and development agreements.

He also stated that it is the national interest that defines a country’s trade and development policy.

Fagbenro-Byron explained that if things are not set right, what the country would witness is an incongruent approach to trade.

He noted that regardless of the international trade partner a country is dealing with-whether China, United Kingdom, and United States, they might likely lose because “under that regime, your thinking and entry into trade are not driven by a national interest.”

According to him, “Everybody is looking for trade agreements with Africa, particularly Nigeria.

“We should examine the international trade agreements we have signed so far. The truth is that, Nigeria is not gaining anything and we are not likely to gain anything because our agreements are not signed in line with the national interest.

“China is doing business with itself. It does not matter whether it is China or any other partner; it is going to be exploitation, except we define what we want and take a position.

“As a nation, we should examine what our interest is. This ideal is another form of second slavery, because, it is an agreement you enter into, where you are the weaker partner.”

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Global Hunger Continues to Rise, Says new UN Report Ugo Aliogo The United Nations report has stated that new evidence continues to signal that the number of hungry people in the world is growing, reaching 821 million in 2017 or one in every nine people.

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018, it was noted that the progress is also being made in addressing the multiple forms of malnutrition, ranging from child stunting to adult obesity, putting the health of hundreds of millions of people at risk.

The report noted that hunger has been on the rise over the past three years, returning to levels from a decade ago.

The report also stated that this reversal in progress sends a clear warning that more must be done and urgently if the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger is to be achieved by 2030.

It noted that the situation is worsening in South America and most regions of Africa, while the decreasing trend in undernourishment that characterised Asia seems to be slowing down significantly.

The annual UN report found that climate variability affecting rainfall patterns and agricultural seasons, and climate extremes such as droughts and floods are among the key drivers behind the rise in hunger, together with conflict and economic slowdowns.

The report said: “The alarming signs of increasing food insecurity and high levels of different forms of malnutrition are a clear warning that there is considerable work to be done to make sure we ‘leave no one behind’ on the road towards achieving the SDG goals on food security and improved nutrition,” the heads of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and WHO warned in their joint foreword to the report.

“If we are to achieve a world without hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030, it is imperative that we accelerate and scale up actions to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of food systems and people’s livelihoods in response to climate variability and extremes,” the report said.

Report: Nigeria, Congo to Produce40%ofWorld’sPoorest in 2050 Stories by Kayode Fasua with agency report More than 40 per cent of “extremely poor people” in the world will be living in Nigeria and DR Congo by the year 2050, a report by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has revealed.

In the 2018 ‘Goalkeepers’ Report’(GR) the Foundation said by 2050, Nigeria will have 152 million people in extreme poverty, out of a projected population of 429 million.

It blamed this on the lack of investment in human capital to correspond with the increasing population growth.

Nigeria is currently the seventh most populous country in the world, with an estimated population of 198 million.

The annual report, produced in partnership with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, USA, tracked the progress being made on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Earlier in June, this year, Brookings Institution reported that Nigeria had overtaken India as the nation with the highest number of poor people, with 87 million of its citizens in extreme poverty.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also said in March that Nigerians are getting poorer owing to the lack of coherent and comprehensive economic reforms.

The GR said while more than a billion in the world have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty since 2000, “extreme poverty is becoming heavily concentrated in sub-Saharan African countries.”

“By 2050, that’s where 86

per cent of the extremely poor people in the world are projected to live. The challenge is that within Africa, poverty is concentrating in just a handful of very fast-growing countries,” the report said.

“By 2050, for example, more than 40 per cent of the extremely poor people in the world will live in just two countries: Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Even within these countries, poverty is still concentrating in certain areas.”

It warned that decades of stunning progress in the fight against poverty and disease may be on the verge of stalling.

This, the report said, is because the poorest parts of the world are growing faster than everywhere else. “If current trend continues, the number of poor people in the world will stop falling-and could even start rising,” it said. The Foundation said to address the poverty crisis, adequate investment would need to be made in young people, especially in areas of education, health and human capital development.

The education and health sectors in Nigeria have suffered neglect over the years. In 2018, N542 billion was earmarked for the education sector while health got N356 billion – out of the N9.1 trillion budget.

“Investing in young people’s health and education is the best way for a country to unlock productivity and innovation; cut poverty, create opportunities and generate prosperity,” the report added.

“The next step is making sure children don’t merely survive but also thrive,” the Foundation counselled.

‘Proposed N10bn TBS City Centre Due for Take-off’ The Chief Executive Officer, BHS International Limited, concessionaires of Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos, Chief Olu Adenodi, has given an assurance that construction works on a N10 billion world-class City Centre proposed for the TBS would soon begin.

Speaking with THISDAY, Adenodi said the ultra-modern building project could not begin in the last five years as projected because of a legal tussle over the ownership of the TBS between the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government.

The BHS is concessionaire to the wide expanse of property which was once the seat of power before Nigeria’s capital

was moved from Lagos to Abuja.

Explaining why the legal tussle had affected the company’s ambitious project, Adenodi said: “We would ordinarily not take any step that is subjudice or can send wrong signals among stakeholders in the country.

“But I am happy to inform you that there are moves between the Federal authorities and the Lagos State Government to resolve the legal tussle, and we are optimistic that this will soon be achieved.”

He said many foreign investors had indicated interest in committing huge sums to the development of the TBS, especially, the construction of a City Centre, but that they had

been kept on hold pending the resolution of the legal tussle.

Adenodi noted that the BHS team was in the United States in March this year, where it held series of investment road shows, aimed at attracting American investors to Nigeria, using the TBS project as a launching pad.

He noted that as one of the outcomes of the US road shows, Georgia County’s Economic Development Corporation came calling on the BHS last month, with aim of forming a partnership towards investing in over 400 businesses in Nigeria.

He noted, however, that there had been series of discussions between the BHS and a conglomerate of US-based

investors, “who are willing to commit over $100 million to transform the TBS to a world-class tourist attraction.

“We have projected a city centre valued at over N10 billion for the TBS and that was one of the reasons we went on investment road shows in the US last March, where we seized the opportunity to firm up talks with a conglomerate of investors, who are bringing in not less than $300 million worth of investment.

“The TBS is a national monument that has to be preserved and protected, and that is why since the Federal Government put the Complex under our care, we are making all efforts to transform it to the pride of the nation,” Adenodi enthused.

‘Why Under-15 Child Dies Every UNICEF: Nigeria Needs N959bn to Eradicate Open Defecation by 2028 5 Seconds around The World’ An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017 or one every five seconds, mostly of preventable causes, according to new mortality estimates released by WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group.

The vast majority of these deaths – 5.4 million – occur in the first five years of life, with newborns accounting for around half of the deaths.

“Without urgent action, 56 million children under 5 will die from now until 2030 – half of them newborns,” said Laurence Chandy, UNICEF Director of Data, Research and Policy.

“We have made remarkable progress to save children since 1990, but millions are still dying because of who they are and where they are born.

“With simple solutions like medicines, clean water, electricity and vaccines, we can change that reality for every child,” the official said.

Globally, in 2017, half of all deaths under 5 years of age took place in sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30 per cent in Southern Asia.

In sub-Saharan Africa, one in 13 children died before their fifth birthday. In high-income countries, that number was one in 185. “Millions of babies

and children should not still be dying every year from lack of access to water, sanitation, proper nutrition or basic health services,” said Dr. Princess Nono Simelela, Assistant Director-General for Family, Women and Children’s Health at WHO. “We must prioritise providing universal access to quality health services for every child, particularly around the time of birth and through the early years, to give them the best possible chance to survive and thrive. “Most children under 5 die owing to preventable or treatable causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis, and malaria.

“By comparison, among children between 5 and 14 years of age, injuries become a more prominent cause of death, especially from drowning and road traffic. “Within this age group, regional differences also exist, with the risk of dying for a child from sub-Saharan Africa 15 times higher than in Europe,” she explained.

Timothy Evans, Senior Director and Head of Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice at the World Bank Group, aslso noted, “More than six million children dying before their fifteenth birthday is a cost we simply can’t afford.

Nigeria needs to invest about N959 billion to eradicate open defecation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.

The figure is said to include N725 billion household costs and N234 government costs.

Speaking at a two-day media dialogue on European Union (EU) Niger Delta Water Project, in Port Harcourt, on Monday, the chief of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) UNICEF, Zaid Jurji, said Nigeria in the past 15 years had remained among the top five countries practicing open defecation.

The dialogue was organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB), Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF. Jurji said one in every four Nigerians lack access to basic toilet and therefore defecate in the open.

He noted that only 39 per cent Nigerians use improved toilets not shared by more than one household; while only 37 per cent of health facilities in the country have at least one usable toilets for patients.

“Without toilets, people are forced to defecate in the open leading to exposure to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid,” he said.

“122,000 Nigerians, including

87,000 children under the age of five, die each year from diarrhoea, with the country losing N455 billion annually due to poor sanitation.”

Jurji noted that if Nigeria loses N455 billion each year due to lack of sanitation and needs only NGN 95.9 billion per year to eliminate open defecation, the economic gains could be about N359.1 billion or $1.026 billion each year.

Open defecation is seen as a social stigma in many countries. It also poses increased risks of insecurity and lack of privacy.

Jurji blamed continued poor sanitation in Nigeria on inappropriate technology options to meet various geographical conditions and lack of appropriate social mobilisation.

The acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Rivers State, Emmanuel Amatemeso, pleaded with UNICEF to build up its intervention in the Niger Delta region.

He lamented that the ongoing projects of the agency in the state were confronted with inadequate funding due to the peculiarities of the region.

He also urged the public to disregard the notion that Rivers State is not safe.

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Lagos Gridlock: Time to Revisit Onitsha River Port Chris Egbuna The disturbing developments at Nigeria’s Lagos ports have brought to the fore the need to revisit the idle Onitsha River Port in Anambra State.

Ten months after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo flew over Apapa to have first-hand aerial assessment of the gridlock that knocked down Nigeria’s foremost seaports – Apapa and Tin Can Island, the situation has not improved any bit.

The area remains a nightmare to residents, commuters and those who have maritimerelated business in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Osinbajo’s visit was necessitated by the lingering siege on Apapa and its environments by recalcitrant truck drivers who blocked virtually all the motor-ways leading to and fro the two seaports in what looked like a song in unison of madness.

The Vice President had directed the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing; and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to articulate clear objectives to tackle the Apapa traffic gridlock that had become a national embarrassment. Osinbajo’s directive included relocation of containers within Apapa area to holding bays and prohibiting shipping companies from operating holding bays within Apapa Ports. Also, permits for tanks farms construction in Apapa area were suspended.

In April this year, the Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode at a town hall meeting in Apapa Local Government Area, had instructed truck owners parking along the Ijora-Apapa Road and Lagos Island areas to leave.

The meeting was the second in the year towards finding a lasting solution to the menace that pounds an estimated N42 billion monthly revenue loss out of the state’s economy.

The truck operators were further directed to utilise the facilities of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Truck (ABAT) Terminal at Ijora to reduce the heavy traffic gridlock that had gripped Apapa area.

A joint operation set up by Lagos state government involving security agencies and stakeholders in the maritime sector to remove all articulated and containerised trucks on the adjoining routes ended in a failure.

This was in spite of the deployment of 1,000 policemen, 500 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), 100 officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Decence Corps (NSCDC), 120 officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and 250 personnel of the Nigerian military service – army, air force and the navy.

The negative effects of Apapa gridlock

was seen in the astronomical cost of doing business in the Nigerian maritime sector.

According to reports by a global maritime research outfit, moverdb.com, the cost of cargo or freight in a shipping container from the United States to Apapa (Nigeria) is about the highest in the world. The research body said it costs about $4,982 to ship a 20 feet container from New York to Apapa which is about twice the $2,542 it costs to ship container of same size to Cape Town (South Africa).

The report further revealed that the higher cost to Lagos is an anomaly, given the fact that New York to Lagos is only 6,516 nautical miles and approximately 27 days of sail; as against 9,097 nautical miles to Cape Town and 38 days to sail the distance. The grave inefficiency and frustration surrounding doing business at the Nigerian ports is captured in the fact that the average turnaround time for ships at Apapa is estimated in excess of 30 days. The average turnaround for the most efficient ports globally is two days.

The mess in Apapa and Tincan Island ports can be described as self-inflicted, arising from a combination of wrong political strategy and policy summersault. The Nigerian government failed to develop the eastern ports at Port Harcourt and Calabar which were created to reduce pressure on Apapa port. Instead, a second port was built at Tin-Can, within

the same vicinity, abandoning eastern ports that would have offered quick, efficient and smoother service to importers and exporters from the South East and the South South who are major patronisers of the Lagos ports.

Surprisingly, the much celebrated port reforms under the current leadership of Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director, NPA, did not reflect the Ease of Doing Business programme launched by Vice President Osinbajo for the Nigerian ports. While revenue generation is on the increase, infrastructure decay and poor service worsen by the day. The concern of the NPA leadership to erect a seven billion Naira head office in Abuja, while neglecting poor access to the ports, cannot be described as wise. Abandoning the eastern ports while pressure mounts on Apapa ports is worrisome.

This is the time to revisit the idle Onitsha River Port in Anambra State. It is over six years since former President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the upgraded facility on August 30, 2012. The event attracted global attention as the Nigerian government advertised its readiness to reform inland water transportation.

(Onitsha River Port was initially commissioned in 1983 during President Shehu Shagari-led government.)

Onitsha River Port was highly upgraded.

The upgrade includes transit sheds and warehouses of 100x55 metre dimension. There was

also a storage capacity of 10,000 twenty-feet equivalent units in addition to port operations buildings, 20 staff quarters (nine for senior, 11 for junior), fuel tank farm and borehole of 150mm diameter. Security was upgraded in both manpower and perimeter fencing while access roads were reconstructed to give the Port adequate face-lift.

Despite the huge resources invested in dredging the Lower preceding the inauguration of the N4.6 billion facility, the long-awaited take-off has remained a pipe dream. Prior to the completion of the Port, the Jonathan-led administration had embarked on the dredging of the Lower Niger in 2009, to make the 537 kilometre water channel (from Warri to Baro) navigable. This was meant to make the inland river ports at Onitsha (Anambra), Lokoja (Kogi) and Baro (Niger) functional.

Governor Willie Obiano has embarked on accelerated economic development plan for Anambra, which includes the transformation of Onitsha into a modern industrial city port.

The Federal Government should therefore take concrete actions to put the dormant Onitsha River Port into use as the nation walks the tight rope of joining the league of the world’s top economies by 2020.

Egbuna, a Development Analyst, wrote in from Nnewi.

Business Owners Urged to Explore Nigerian Travellers To Enjoy Food, Wine Opportunities in Nigeria’s Economy Channels On ICE Emma Okonji Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, the global thought leader in entrepreneurship, has called on business owners to look beyond the challenging economic climate in the country and explore the opportunities which abound in the weak economy.

President of the Lagos Chapter of EO, Mr. Sunday Gbenjo, made the call at the EO Lagos Learning Event, an experience sharing forum, featuring the President/CEO, Beloxxi Industries Limited, Mr. Obi Ezeude.

Gbenjo said: “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Rather than worrying and complaining about this challenging time, this is the real time for entrepreneurs to come together and learn about the tools to weather the storm. It is when things

are really tough that certain opportunities show up for discerning investors to tap.”

The event tagged, “Tales

by Moonlight: An Evening with Obi Ezeude,” featured the Beloxxi CEO as the guest speaker as he shared with the entrepreneurs the moving story of his company, describing his story as a pure Nigerian story.

In his presentation titled, Zero to Hero: My Success Story, Ezeude spoke on the vision and idea behind Beloxxi, the No. 1 indigenous biscuit producing company, disclosing that he was able to transform the company from a humble beginning to a multi-million dollar empire within just a few years through his uncommon doggedness and by sticking, strictly , to core business values as well as his trust in God. Speaking on his initial

challenges, Ezeude said: “The problem in Nigeria is that you have a beautiful idea but nobody believes in you. So, it’s between you and your God.” He encouraged the entrepreneurs present at the event not to give up on their dreams and visions but learn from his story, saying nothing is impossible with discipline, doggedness and trust in God. Welcoming the entrepreneurs to the unique event, the Finance Chair, EO Lagos, Saidu Basharu, urged members to learn from the business template of the Beloxxi boss, whom he described as a good role model.

“In EO, everything is possible…we like to be creative.

But as a member, you are not allowed to advise, rather, we share experience,” Basharu said.

Nigerian Travellers can now enjoy the newly introduced Food and Wine Channels on the award winning Inflight Communication and Entertainment channel in order to get the behind-the-scene view of how the airline make its on-board menus and its works with global partners. The channels give an inside look into Emirates’ US $700 million dollar investment in fine wines and its regional and seasonal food menus prepared by award-winning chefs. Both the Emirates Food and Wine Channels can now be viewed on all flights. The Food Channel showcases the detail that goes into menu development by Emirates Chefs and ingredient sourcing for onboard meals.

The airline serves about 110 million meals each year with the same attention to detail in

First Class, Business Class and Economy Class. Each episode explores how the airline brings the finest products on board through long standing partnerships worldwide, including local suppliers and artisans.

The first two episodes take the viewer to Umbria, Italy, where Emirates purchases its olive oil from Monte Vibiano and to Sri Lanka to understand how the Dilmah tea is selected to be served on board.

The episodes also feature some recipes from its regionally inspired onboard menus so customers can recreate Emirates’ signature Prawn Machbous, or learn how to make a classic crepe at home. The recipes can also be found on emirates.com.

The Food Channel was launched with two episodes and more episodes will be added next year. The Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Catering, Joost

Heymeijer, stated: “We go to great lengths to present our customers in every class with a great dining experience. A lot of detail goes into preparing the meals and choosing the wines.

The channels give viewers access to our food and beverage philosophy, the catering strategy and how we work with our partners. In addition, our tutorials and recipes give our customers something interesting to ‘take home’ with them.”

“So if you’re enjoying a fine wine like Château Haut Brion 2004 on board, there is an accompanying wine tutorial to help you appreciate and understand its nuances and what makes it unique.

Similarly, if you’ve just enjoyed the Braised Coconut Beef Short Ribs served on your flight and want to recreate it at home, we have that recipe on the Food Channel,” he added.

T H I S D AY ˾ , SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

36

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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Bringing Succor to Edo Communities Adibe Emenyonu writes on a free medical outreach organised by United Kingdom-based medical doctor, who recently brought succor to over 7,000 indigenes of Ogbona Community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State and its environs

A

lthough the saying ‘health is wealth’ might be an over used cliche, but the truth behind it remains sacrosanct. For the Ogbona Community, one of the rural villages in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, their health needs were given piority recently when a United Kingdom- based medical doctor, Benedict Itsuokor, extended warm hands of fellowship to them.

Itsuokor, in collaboration with Ogbonna Elites Forum, a socio-political group, in a bid to give back to the society, had organised a three-day medical outreach programme for communities within and outside to give free medical treatments.

At the last count, no fewer than 7,000 persons from different communities of Etsako West and Etsako East Local Government Areas of Edo, came to receive the free treatment provided. The treatments, which saw about 40 medical personnel from across Nigeria and UK, attending to patients, took place at Chief C. K. Orbih Comprehensive Health Center, Ogbona.

Chain of Events It was purely a chain of events that revealed the state of the local hospital to Itsuokor- the death of his parents.

Speaking during the event, Itsuokor, who put the cost of the exercise at well over N20 million, said he was moved to be part of the exercise to prevent needless deaths in the communities, adding that the death of his parents, who were both from Ogbona, informed his decision to assist the people.

According to him, “I was around in March to bury my mother and I was alarmed with the appalling state of this hospital when I visited. I then took a decision to do something for the community. My father died in this community and the message I got back in England, was that he died in this appalling condition because the services of this hospital were not enough to meet with his condition as at that time. Before my mother died, she begged me to come meet with her people back home in Nigeria. I called the resident doctor to ask about the specific services that she will need, but all these were not available.

All these moved me into what you are seeing here today.”

Some of the beneficiaries of the free medical outreach

Report shows that in 2015, about 17 per cent and 10 per cent of under-five deaths were caused by pneumonia and diarrhoea, respectively, suggesting that malaria is now third placed among child killer diseases in the country the first time we are embarking on medical outreach to identify challenges facing the people’s health and doing everything possible to address it. This provides them with treatment and surgery is performed on critical cases as we have experts on ground.”

The Medical Team The medical doctor said he was moved with passion to come into the community to provide these services as they were essential to preventing needless deaths in the community.

He said he came in with six medical personnel from the UK, joined by 15 from Lagos and Abuja, another 10 from hospitals in Benin and another six from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

“I also came here with two state of the art patient monitor, a diagnostic test, and other medical equipment. There is also a provision for a solar generator which is actually on transit as we speak. I bought it for £10,000, excluding shipment. It will be assembled here in this hospital, and I have spent over N17 million, excluding the cost of the generator.

All the cost is fully on me, no assistance from anywhere,” he said.

Itsuokor, who said he has the plan to sustain the free medical treatment, noted that any patient with extreme case, would be referred to a specialist hospital in Benin for proper treatment.

(ESACA), in the area of HIV counselling, which was incorporated into the free medical treatment organised by the physician.

The Head, ESACA, Dr Flora Oyakhilomhe, said the collaboration was necessary because the entry point to every treatment is to first know your health status. She said: “All we do here is carry out HIV counselling and testing of persons to know who is affected, and anyone that is affected, is enrolled into the treatment scheme that is completely free.

This is because, we believe here that problem identified is problem solved,” she stated.

HIV Counselling Apparently moved by the feat recorded during the free treatment exercise, the Ogbona Elites Forum, decided to join hands with the Edo State Agency for the Control of AIDS

Focus on Primary Health Care The Etsako Central Local Government Area Chairman, John Akhigbe, commended ESACA, Ogbona Elites Forum and Itsuokor for the medical outreach which he said

Dr. Itsuokor, the brain behind the initiative

complements the Governor Godwin Obaseki led-administration’s effort at repositioning the health sector in the state.

He said the council’s focus on primary healthcare was to improve the wellbeing of people in the council area, noting that his administration was doing everything to reduce maternal mortality. “We are bringing development to the people at the grassroots and I will support any programme that will bring development to the people”, he added.

Identifying Health Challenges President, Ogbona Elites Forum, Mr. Gilbert Erelumhe, expressed appreciation to the partners for bringing medical care to the people and putting a smile on their faces. He said: “We have embarked on several programmes to improve the lives of our people but this is

Appeal In appreciation, the clan head of the Ogbona Community, Chief Willy Idode, while commending the initiators of the free health services, called for support, especially from the government, to make it a yearly affair. He said the call became necessary as there are many sick people who stay back home, either waiting to die or be saved miraculously, as they could not afford the cost of treatment.

He said: “This initiative is a very good one; you can see the joy on the faces of everybody around. They are all happy. This is especially so, because, we have so many of our people at home, sick or afflicted with one kind of ailment or the other, but because they cannot afford the treatment, they just sit back at home waiting to die or be saved miraculously.

“Since the commencement of the programme, I am particularly overwhelmed with the level of turnout of people wanting to be treated.

This is a very strong message to the government that if an individual can on his own organise things like this, government should build on it such that it can now be a yearly programme.”

37

T H I S D AY Ëž , SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

NEWS

FG Urged to Include Rheumatic Heart Diseases in List of Public Health Policies Seriki Adinoyi Ă“Ă˜ Ă™Ă?

The federal government has been urged to pay serious attention to a silent killer disease known as “Rheumatic heart disease� which is said to be a developing stage of other cardiovascular diseases.

Executive Director of Heart Aid Trust, a non-governmental organisation based in Jos, Professor Fidelia Bode-Thomas, made the appeal in Jos when she led other members of the organisation on an advocacy visit to media establishments

in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

She said one of the ways to give special attention to Rheumatoid Heart Disease is for government to include it into existing National Health Policies for adequate and appropriate attention.

According to Bode-Thomas, “Cardiovascular disease has been identified worldwide as the leading cause of sudden death and it all begins with rheumatic heart disease. “Rheumatic heart disease is a silent killer disease which is hardly noticed at its early state

and it has proven difficult to treat in its advanced stage. But the irony is that the disease is 100 per cent preventable. “It begins with a common health problem like sore throat which everyone takes for granted and treats casually without knowing it could result to a more deadly disease called rheumatic heart disease. “By the time you realise that it is something serious, you have developed a major cardiovascular case, which leads to sudden death. “Due to serious health challenges posed by this silent killer

disease, Heart Aid Trust has taken it upon itself to raise awareness and educate the general public on the danger posed by this rheumatic heart disease and how to prevent it and even detect it at early stage. “Over the years we have tried our best to save lives of patients affected by this disease but in most cases before we know of the cases, it has resulted in serious complications that made the disease difficult to treat and has resulted in so many deaths.

“But while we are doing our best as an NGO, government needs to come in because treatment for this disease is capital intensive, but government cannot intervene now because rheumatic heart disease is not among the diseases listed in the national public health policies. “So far, we have established a center at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), where we now carry out open heart surgery on patients with heart diseases so as to cut cost of taking such patience outside the country for the surgery. “This has reduced the cost

considerably, but the cost is still high beyond the level of an average Nigerian, and this is where governments needs to come in to help save more lives of citizens. “If only this heart problem can be given serious attention by governments similar to what is done to HIV/IDS, Malaria, etc through policy formulation, a lot of lives would be saved.�

The expert however said the NGO would continue to raise awareness especially at the rural areas for people to know of the disease and prevent it.

Demographic Dividends: Osinbajo Calls for Urgent Measures to Avoid Time Bomb Kuni Tyessi Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for measures to be put in place towards reaping the gains of a large population, bearing in mind that Nigeria’s youthful population is key and serves as an advantage for optimum economic growth.

He said the roadmap which had been established by the federal government towards achieving this has been divided into four pillars which include, employment and entrepreneurship, education, skills and competency development, health and wellbeing and also rights and governance as well as youth empowerment.

Osinbajo disclosed this in Abuja at a programme organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with a theme on ‘Harnessing demographic dividend for sustainable development of Nigeria: The role of Muslim religious leaders.’ He said the relevant demographic gain shows the prospects and potentials of a prosperous future for Nigeria especially if appropriate and timely actions are put in place, as well as the successful implementation of the roadmap, which requires that all inclusive and robust stakeholders engagement and

participation are offered.

He said: “Nigeria’s population is currently estimated at about 192 million, the largest in Africa. About 63 per cent of the population is under the age of 25. “About 33 per cent are between the ages of 10-24 and 54.8 per cent, the working ages which is between the ages of 15-64. “Also, 51 per cent of that number are considered to be the female population and are in their reproductive ages, which is between 15-49 years. “The successful implementation of the roadmap requires that all inclusive and robust stakeholders engagement and participation are offered. “In playing these roles, leaders themselves need to be exposed to the prevailing policy issues, options and ideas to test these ideas against their own beliefs, and to see and discover ways of projecting these ideas into the various populations.�

In the same vein, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Salish Shehu in his address, said Islam is interested in harnessing demographic dividends and looks at it from a holistic perspective.

He said in Islam, marriage is a norm of worship and whatever comes from it is worship in itself.

L-R: Chaplain, St. Raphael Divine Mercy Specialist Hospital, Ijede (SRDMSH), Rev. Fr. Joe Ben Onyia; Vicar General, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Monsignor John Aniagwu; General Manager, SanoďŹ Aventis, Nigeria-Ghana, Folake Odediran; Coordinator, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Sister Theresa Afareha, and Medical Director, SanoďŹ Nigeria-Ghana, Dr. Philip Ikeme, at the inauguration of Diabetes and Hypertension Clinic at SRDMSH in Lagos recently

Academy of Pharmacy Calls for Safe, Affordable Medicine in Nigeria Martins IďŹ jeh The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy has made a passionate case for safer, affordable medicines and treatment regimens for diseases that afflict mankind, especially those that are endemic in the region.

Stating this at the annual investiture ceremony of the professional body in Lagos recently, the academy president, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, said this is a vehicle they created to give enduring impact to research and development in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical space.

He said: “It is for this reason that research is central to our

AFRH Set to Strengthen IVFTreatment in Nigeria Martins IďŹ jeh Following the increasing cases of quackery and substandard practice in the treatment of infertility in Nigeria, the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH) is set to strengthen reproductive health interventions across the country.

This is even as one in every four couples in the country are said to be experiencing one form of infertility or the other.

To this end, the fertility association would hold its international conference with the theme: “AFRH 2018- New Frontiers in Assisted Reproductive Technology (A.R.T)� from September 26 to 28,

2018 in Lagos. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos recently, the President of the association, Dr Faye Iketubosun said there was need to address the prevalence of infertility in the country as many cultures have exposed childless couples to suffer discrimination, stigmatisation and social isolation He stressed that children are so important that childlessness is seen as a taboo to the family and community at large, adding that these challenges have made A.R.T practice in Nigeria very relevant.

Iketubosun said to this group of people who suffer segregation from the society, any form of access to effective treatment is priority as it is their valid or

legitimate right in a democratic society to have the right to life’s treatment, which according to him is only ‘amenable’ through A.R.T. Intervention.

Highlighting activities for the conference, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee for the conference, Dr Abayomi Ajayi said it would commence with a preconference workshop with interesting and engaging contemporary topics like: Embryo biopsy in ART, 3D Ultrasound in ART and early pregnancy among other topics that would address the issue of increasing fertility awareness in terms of education, accessibility to safe and quality services.

operations and that is one of the major reasons the academy came into being. We want to complement local and international efforts that support scientific research and research activities. “Much of the work we have done in this regard has been in the area of advocacy, in engaging government and policy makers on the essence of scientific research and why it is critical to providing better funding and other moral support to scientific research focused institutions as well as individual researchers.�

The occasion was marked by the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Chief

Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe, for his huge contribution to the growth of the pharmaceutical sector in Nigeria, while General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma bagged an Honorary Fellowship of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy.

The academy’s Research and Innovation Center was also named after Akinkugbe.

Adelusi-Adeluyi described the award bestowed on Akinkugbe as a token of the body’s appreciation for his enormous strides not only in the Pharmacy profession, but in all other aspects of human endeavor.

He added that as the recipi-

ent turns 90 in December, it was only fitting and proper that his number one constituency, Pharmacy, kicks off the celebration of an illustrious role model whose legacy of love, sacrifice and service would be forever etched in the hearts and minds of pharmacists. “It was in the same vein that we inducted General Danjuma as only the second ever Honorary Fellow of the Academy. He remains one of the most passionate supporters of the Pharmacy profession and a most generous benefactor of scientific research,� he added.

Prostate Cancer: N’Assembly Urged to Enact Laws Covering FreeTreatment for the Aged Hammed Shittu Ă“Ă˜ Ă–Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă˜ Former Chief Medical Director, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Professor Sulyman Kuranga, has called on the National Assembly to enact laws that would allow the aged in Nigeria to access free medical treatment for prostatic disease.

He said in developed nations, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United State of America, when one attains the age of 60, transport and medical services are obtained free of charge, adding that the

aged were put into consideration when laws are being formulated. Kuranga, who is also a Professor of Urology stated this while delivering the 180th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin.

Describing prostate cancer as an epidemic in waiting he said: “ Government should create Ministry of the Aged or better still Ministry of Men Affairs and provide special policies that will bring relief to the aged, especially as it relates to age-related diseases like prostate cancer and BPH.

“There should be improvements in the financing of tertiary health institutions so that up-to-date equipment can be purchased and relevant training provided. This will reduce medical tourism abroad.�

While advocating for more government investment in prostatic healthcare development and research in the country, the don disclosed that the disease is one of the leading causes of death among males worldwide and it can be cured with early detection and prompt access to good medical facilities.

T H I S D AY ˾ , SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

38

INTERVIEW

Gates: Nigeria Needs Lot of Work to Address Malnutrition in the North The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the annual Goalkeepers Report, is tracking progress made by countries across the globe as they push towards meeting the year-2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In an exclusive interview with Martins Ifijeh, the co-founder of the foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, made recommendations on how Nigeria can achieve target in areas of health, nutrition, education, human capital development, family planning, among others. Excerpts: Why is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, through the Goalkeepers Report, tracking progress made on the 18 key Sustainable Development Goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were set by the United Nations to improve human conditions. So what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is doing, through the Goalkeepers Report, is to look at the SGDs every year, talk about where things are doing very well and then talk about the heroes who are doing the good job, with the hope of spreading the good practice. We also talk about where the world is falling short, and then remind everyone that there are decisions being made that will change the health, economics, and poverty level of developed and developing countries in the future.

So, the Goalkeepers’ idea is that there are a lot of people who have energy, who want to innovate and come together to share with each other. Hopefully, we will generate some broad visibility about sharing the best practices in such innovations. The UN and a lot of world leaders will be participating in this year’s Goalkeepers event. We intend to focus more on health and agriculture because that is where we have our deepest expertise, but you will see this year, we are also talking a lot about education because that, together with health, is the key investment.

We use the word ‘human capital’ a lot because it is the key investment that will determine the quality of life and economic growth that can be gotten from large young generation, particularly in Africa, including Nigeria. How we invest in the young generation will determine the level of differences we make economically.

Women and girls are key to Nigeria achieving SDG, but cultural and religious challenges have become a major hindrance, thereby leading to unwanted pregnancies, maternal and infant mortality, illiteracy and poverty. Are there models suggested in the 2018 Goalkeepers Report that can be adopted to tackle this?

Well, of the projects that have happened in Nigeria, I understand the best is polio, and that was very successful. We think we are close to making sure there is no more case. There is still work being done, but overall, it was a very impressive project. And part of that actually was working with the traditional leaders in a very intensive way.

I think the traditional leaders did a great job in all the things we asked them to do in the partnership we had on polio. So, I would expect, particularly in the North, for any changes you want to make, to engage them the right way.

I think there are people talking about whether Nigeria can have women’s groups, and whether it makes sense to get them together in a collective way. That, particularly in India and Bangladesh, has been ways that at the village level, the issue of best health practices, best agricultural practices, understanding about family planning can be achieved. And, of course, it will be decided by Nigerians whether that is a tactic they want to engage in or not. The most we would do is to be supportive of the leaders in Nigeria who think that that is a promising direction. There are some efforts along those lines already.

So, to get the word out about health, nutrition, and feedback on education system is not working well, I think there does need to be some innovation to accelerate the pace on these things, including on reproductive health, which is very important. Every country and even sub regions within the country should have different ways to approach these issues.

We are funding some new innovative tools like

kids there will be turned into an asset. The key work is all domestic and it touches on political issues like holding the government at federal, state, and local levels to account so that you are picking the most competent people to improve the education and health system, as well as the agricultural help provided to farmers.

Gates

Syana Press, which a woman can use and inject on her own, which makes it more convenient.

There are a number of tools available and making sure women know about those things, so that when they want to use them, they will have access to those. That has been an important tactic in a lot of countries.

Nigeria has almost 11 million stunted children with consequent implications for human capital formation and economic productivity. Within the context of the 2018 Goalkeepers Report, how can we turn this around?

I would say the importance of reducing malnutrition is something that the foundation and the whole field of global health has started to focus more on because, we continue to measure and view as a primary metric, trying to make sure that the survival rate is super high, that is, the number of children’s deaths is reduced.

And we still have a lot of work to do on that in the North of Nigeria. Over 10 per cent of the kids under the age of five don’t survive, and so the global average now is below five per cent, and so it is an outlier that includes not getting the vaccine coverage up at the levels that we should. But for the kids who survive, the diet and health things that they have gone through really make a huge difference. And right now, the best way that is measured, is by height. That is, stunting, but we are also working to understand how that affects mental/brain development and if you are stunted, you are not only not achieving your physical potential, but also not achieving your cognitive potential as well. And so, we do understand already that when a child falls behind in growth, that you need to get supplementary nutrition to the child. And building up systems where families see that their children have either some level of malnutrition and getting these supplementary foods to them, that is a very important thing.

I recently had a conference where I connected by video, and Aliko Dangote got the leading food companies in Nigeria together to talk about doing more in fortifying foods, that is, adding things like vitamin A to the various food products that are bought by all the people, including low-income families. And that was a really great discussion about what are the barriers.

What are the key foodstuffs to go after? What are the current levels of compliance, and how do we get that up? So in that issue, as in many

of the efforts the foundation does in Nigeria, Mr. Dangote was a huge help in getting the awareness.

So, I think on that food fortification front, there will be some real improvement and that is one element that helps a lot with nutrition and reducing stunting.

In the 2018 Goalkeepers Report, many countries were referenced to have made progresses so far. Why was Nigeria not cited? Does it mean we are not making progress?

Well, certainly, Nigeria is making progress, but in the quality of the primary healthcare system, which varies state by state, it is not functioning nearly as well as I think Nigerians want it to work, because that is the key tool to not only reduce childhood death, but also to deal with these nutrition issues and make sure that that key element - that element of human capital - is fully developed.

So, because Nigeria has got a free press, elections, the opportunity to have these human capital issues and the funding of the education system and health system and the quality of those systems, is now. This is an opportunity to talk about this and its importance to the people.

I was pleased when I was in the country the last time that the discussion about whether we need to invest more in this next generation or not came up. There was at least some coverage, including your paper, THISDAY, which brought that issue up.

And so Nigeria has some strength. It is better off economically than a lot of the countries in Africa. It has got a lot of very capable, collegeeducated people in the country that care about these issues. But today, the performance in a number of states of the health and education system definitely falls short. And in order to have this bargain where you say, ‘Hey, we are going to raise tax levels,’ people will have to get a sense that the money is being spent in an effective way. And that bootstrap where the taxation levels are fairly low because the expectation of what you get is low, getting from that mode, they will say okay we have more resources and we see that in terms of how teachers are hired or healthcare workers are hired or how the delivery is measured to make sure it is working well, there is a lot of work to go on there. I am hoping that this discussion about the number of

Has the world made significant progress when you compare the 2017 Goalkeepers Report and the 2018 Goalkeepers Report?

Not absolutely. Whether it is reducing childhood death or reducing extreme poverty, the progress continues. In many areas, the goals that were set for 2030 are very ambitious and so in that sense, you can say for a number of things, we are not on track.

But every year, more kids get vaccines, every year the attendance in school go up, which is a fantastic thing, because on that attendance issue, we have made enough progress. It is fantastic that now we can focus in on the quality of learning there and really see that, okay that will be a very critical thing. So, this is a very hopeful story. You know, in fact, the book that I have been asking people to read and was sent out to everybody who is attending this event is the Hans Rosling book, ‘Factfulness’ and I hope that lots of people in Nigeria look at that book because it tells what might surprise people about human development effort and the amazing successes we have had. And the roadmap of how countries are moving is actually fairly clear. That as the years go on, we do get more innovation, so we get some additional tools, whether it is better seeds or new vaccines or techniques for training teachers in the classroom.

But, yes, we are making progress, but then again, we are not going to achieve a lot of these goals unless we really accelerate the sharing of best practices, which is one of the key goals that we have as we get together in September 18 for the Goalkeepers event.

The 2018 Goalkeepers Report recommends more dynamic ways of farming, as a way to cutting poverty by half, and creating new jobs. What are those ways that countries with large numbers of poor and subsistent farmers like Nigeria can emulate?

Agricultural productivity is maybe the first step a country needs to take. If farmers can get better advice on agricultural extension, advice about which seeds to use, when to plant them, and how to access credit for fertiliser, you can get more than a doubling in that productivity.

And, of course, the benefits of that are very dramatic because poor farmers make up such a huge part of the people in developing countries.

Historically, the strongest examples come from Asia where China reformed its agricultural sector in 1989 and then had almost a tripling of output because they went to the better seeds and they developed the credit system, they also figured out where they should do irrigation and where they shouldn’t. Today, African agriculture, including Nigeria’s, basically has a productivity level similar to what China had before those reforms. Now, in Africa itself, we have seen strong agricultural growth. Ethiopia, off of a fairly low base, did a lot of reforms and has had very substantial growth. Rwanda, post genocide, has had pretty dramatic growth, and even Nigeria has had some growth, but nowhere near what’s possible, particularly in the Northern region of the country, where the productivity levels are still well below what is possible to achieve. So, there is a key role for the government.

One of the harder things, though, is to have some level of infrastructure. Things like roads are another part of that investment that has to be done well.

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T H I S D AY ˾ , SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

HEALTH NEWS Sanofi,Catholic Partner toAddress Diabetes,Hypertension in Nigeria Martins Ifijeh To help address the growing incidence of diabetes and hypertension in Nigeria, multinational healthcare company, Sanofi, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos has recently entered into an agreement to provide specialized care in the effective management of the two diseases in Ijede community, an Ikorodu suburb in Lagos state.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations also marked the take-off of a state-of-the-art Diabetes and Hypertension Clinic at St. Raphael Divine Mercy Specialist Hospital Ijede supported by Sanofi. The clinic is expected to provide quality affordable care for diabetes and hypertension patients in the hospital.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony and inauguration of the clinic, the company’s General Manager, Folake Odediran, expressed delight at the inauguration of the clinic, which she described as an example of the many ways that Sanofi works passionately everyday to understand and solve the needs of the people where it operates.

She described diabetes and hypertension as major public health concerns because they impose significant economic burdens on governments, patients and care-givers, adding that under the DHC initiative, Sanofi is helping

to bridge the gap through public-private partnerships to establish Centers of Excellence in the management of diabetes and hypertension.

Odediran further stated: “In setting up this Center of Excellence, Sanofi has supported the re-training of 40 healthcare practitioners of this hospital including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, ophthalmologists and laboratory scientists. We are optimistic that this will enable them to deliver good quality of care to their patients.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos for the implementation of the pilot DHC Project at St Raphael’s Divine Mercy Specialists Hospitals, Ijede. This institution meets all eligibility criteria as a Center of Excellence in diabetes and hypertension care,” she concluded.

Giving an overview of the project, the Medical Director, Sanofi-Aventis Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Philip Ikeme noted that the DHC initiative was borne out of the emerging alarming statistics of diabetes and hypertension in the country and the need to support efforts to address the gaps.

The Chaplain, Divine Mercy Catholic Chaplaincy, Ikorodu, Rev Father Joe Ben Onyia described the DHC as an access-to-healthcare initiative and has the approval of the Archbishop and Board Chairman, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, to be implemented in the hospital.

Patronise Only Registered Drug Outlets to Avoid Quackery, PCN Advises Public Seriki Adinoyi ÓØ ÙÝ Following high rate of fake drugs in circulation, Drug Distribution Inspection Committee and Enforcement (DDICE), an arm of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), has urged Nigerians to patronise only registered drugs outlets.

Thus, the organisation has embarked on an enforcement campaign across the nation in fulfillment of the mandate of ensuring that minimum standards of practice are maintained by all players in the pharmaceutical industry.

Disclosing this at a press

conference in Jos recently, the Director, Inspection and Monitoring, PCN, Mrs. Anthonia Aruya, said the raid on fake drugs was necessary as it will guarantee the provision of the optimum pharmaceutical services, sensitise all stakeholders, and enforce the guidelines put in place.

She added that, “this would ultimately promote rational distribution of drugs in line with the national drug distribution policy of the federal government and compliance to laws guiding the pharmacy profession.”

Aruya has therefore advised on the need to insist on the

registration status of facilities by requesting for licenses from any pharmaceutical outlet to safeguard them from patronising quacks.

Noting that Plateau is the 30th outing across the nation that the council was visiting this year, Aruya observed that the reports from the field in the state revealed that many people go into sales of medicines without following due process, while others do not have the requisite knowledge or skills to handle medicines in their premises or are operating beyond their approved scope.

She said the implication of these actions can be best be imagined, thus exposing patients to great danger.

She said that a total of 711 premises comprising of 184 pharmacies and 527 patent and proprietary medicine vendors (PPMVs) were visited, and over 13 premises comprising of seven PPMVs and six pharmacies were given compliance directives for various offences ranging from improper handling of controlled substances, unhygienic environment and poor documentation, dispensing ethical/prescription drugs without the presence of a pharmacist.

Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole (middle) flanked by members of Technical Working Group for Ear/Hearing Care, during the inauguration of the group in Abuja recently FMOH

Experts Calls for Mechanism toAddress Hearing,Speech Impairments

World Cleanup Day: FBRA Gets Commendation for Improving Health of Lagosians

Funmi Ogundare

Martins Ifijeh

Experts in speech pathology and audiology have stressed the need for Nigeria to intensify efforts towards promoting proper identification and diagnosis of communication for people with hearing or speech impairment.

They made this known recently, at the 2018 Speech Pathologists and Audiologists Association in Nigeria (SPAAN) conference with theme, ‘Better Hearing, Better Speech,’ held at the University of Ibadan (UI).

According to the Chief Medical Director, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Prof. Akeem Olawale Lasisi, there was need to raise awareness about the problem so as to overcome auditory and speech impairment.

In his paper entitled, ‘Overcoming the Policy, Manpower and Infrastructural Deficit for Better Hearing, Better Speech in Nigeria’ he noted that there should be recognition of the professions (Audiology and Speech Pathology) in the health sector and in the country in general.

A professor of the Depart-

ment of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Yemisi Amusa in her paper entitled, ‘Audiology and Speech Therapy Practice in Nigeria: The Past, Present and the Future’, said there must be an increase in the area of training and research in both audiology and speech therapy in Nigeria, to cope with the demands of the 21st century practice, adding that more still needs to be done in compliance with global practice.

The Social Secretary of SPAAN, Dr. Ayo Osisanya of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Unit, Department of Special Education, UI, said there is need for the establishment/ introduction of audiology and speech pathology training programmes both at undergraduate and post graduate levels in all universities.

Osisanya said: “Cases of communication difficulties should be reported early for appropriate remediation, a worthwhile scheme of service should also be put in place by the government to encourage the audiologists and speech pathologists/therapists who are practicing in the country.

The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has been commended by the Lagos State Ministry of Environment as it embarked on a clean-up exercise at the Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos recently in commemoration of the World Cleanup Day, which fell on September 15 this year.

Volunteer staff of FBRA member-firms led traders and other users of the popular Lagos market in collecting waste from used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles so as to achieve a cleaner and healthier trading environment.

The initiative, which received the collaboration of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, was organised in collaboration with Recycle Points, FBRA’s partner involved in the collection of plastic waste for recycling.

The campaign was used to enlighten traders, shoppers, as well as members of Nurses ofair Foundation on crucial issues relating to proper disposal and separation of plastic from metal and food waste, recycling, healthy lifestyle and other measures aimed at curbing environmental pollution.

Commending FBRA for the laudable exercise, the Assistant

Director of Environmental Services, Waste Management Division at the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Tolulope Adeyo, said the campaign was worth emulating.

She said the state government would be interested in working with FBRA to get rid of plastic waste from the environment, especially PET bottles from the lagoon and canals, in order to save aquatic lives.

According to her, the industrialisation level in the state has generated huge waste and raised concerns from the public and private sector, adding that FBRA’s intervention, either in collection or recycling, has saved the situation to a considerable extent.

On her part, FBRA Chairman, Mrs. Folasade Morgan, said the initiative was executed to demonstrate exemplary steps for others to follow, as PET bottles causes blockage of drainages in many Nigerian towns and cities.

Morgan, who was represented by Mrs. Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, ‘Coca-Cola’ Company Nigeria, said in order to achieve environmental preservation, Nigerians should imbibe the culture of proper waste disposal and separation for easy recycling into other useful products.

She added that the value chain involved in the recycling process of PET bottles could

lead to job and wealth creation.

According to her, the Arena Market was chosen for the cleanup because it is strategically situated with lots of people and it is a collection hub for its partner, Recycle Points.

Also, Ahmed Agbomire from ‘Coca-Cola’ , who noted that traders and shoppers were overwhelmed with the turnout of volunteered staff, urged organisations in other sectors to emulate the scheme.

The clean-up at the Arena Market was aimed at reinforcing the consciousness of the global action on Nigerians that the environment should be free from plastic pollution, especially waste from PET bottles, which hardly degrade.

40

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

‘New Transfer Pricing Regulation, Game-changer for Nigeria’ Peter Uzoho The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has stated that the new transfer pricing regulations which took effect in March 2018, will contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

The revenue agency specifically said the new regulation which was a fallout of the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and covers grey areas found in the 2012 version, would serve as a game-changer for Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking in Lagos at a stakeholders’ knowledge sharing session organised by Ernst & Young Nigeria (EY), with the topic: “The New Transfer Pricing Regulations 2018 and the Implications for Taxpayers,” the Director, International Tax Department, FIRS, Mr. Mathew Gbonjubola, noted that the new regulation would drive compliance.

Gbonjubola said: “This new regulation is a game-changer because now it’s going to drive compliance very well;

it is addressing our pressing issues – issues that are pertaining to Africa and particularly to Nigeria.

“That will drive our economy. It’s a game-changer because it’s providing clarity to taxpayers, which is very important.

“A lot of the non-compliance are arising as a result of lack of understanding, our lack of clarity in the rule. This has now been brought to the fore and now people cannot have reason not to comply.

“And also, for those who would not be complying, there are also penalties that apply for that.”

Gbonjubola also explained that the FIRS discovered some loopholes in the old regulation and was worried that the process could be manipulated to make profit from one country to the other by either over-pricing or under-pricing, hence the review.

He added: “In 2012, the federal government came up with a transfer pricing regulation which came into operation in 2013, and we have

operated that for about four years and spotted a number of flaws – some of the gaps that were not envisaged while the initial drafting was done.

“For example, certain issues like how to deal with intragroup issues, how to deal with commodities like crude oil. So, we needed to address those gaps.”

On his part, Team Lead, Transfer Pricing, EY Nigeria, Mr. Temitpe Oni, said the new draft was more comprehensive and clearer, pointing out that many of the transfer pricingrelated recommendations by the OECD were captured.

He said: “So we have codes along that line covered in the new regulations; also, they are driving compliance because we are of the opinion that, many taxpayers have not been complying with the provisions of the old transfer pricing regulation.”

He added that the knowledge sharing session was held to sensitise stakeholders on the new regulations and also to prove EY’s commitment in building a better working world for businesses to thrive.

CBN, Banks Harp on Gender Equality Nume Ekeghe Citing the importance of creating an enabling work environment for females, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and some commercial banks have stressed the need for greater inclusion of women in financial institutions and other organisations.

The Managing Director/ CEO Access Bank, Mr Herbert Wigwe, the Chairman Firstbank Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, the Director Capacity Building, CBN, Mrs. Chizoba Mojekwu, among others made this call at the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) workshop organised by Access Bank in Lagos yesterday.

In her Mojekwu said: “Organisations are still largely patriarchal, and regulations do not work. That is what we know because if regulations were working, there is a regulation of a minimum of 30 per cent on a board. Why is it not happening in some organisations?

“So, my view is that we are dealing with a major

transformational issue more than a technical challenge and that is an adaptive challenge.”

She also added: “We should also talk about hiring blind people and people with auditory and physically challenged, so it is important we drive conversations that are holding women back in organisations.”

On his part, Wigwe said the NSBP, “has come a long way from where we started from five years ago.”

“But there are still several institutions that have not attained the level of compliance that we would expect particularly as it pertains to gender equality.

“When we talk about gender equality, my sense is not about having an equal number of men to women, but it is about giving women their rightful place.

“There are just as many great women and competent women to put in any position as men.

“However, we know that these disparities occur across the entire world and some of us who have been great champions for gender equality for several

years before the banking sustainability principle started.

“The fact that you have more and more of our colleagues join us we can place women where they truly should be for me is something that would extremely gladden me. “From a professional standpoint, for a gender that we know is as good as the other, we must accommodate them for several things which they do and which we don’t have. “So, the female professional who takes time off to have children why must they have a separate pay when they are responsible for creating the next generation anyway so why can’t institutions start to think of ways to support the female gender.” He further said: “Today’s deliberation is about strengthening it as far as financial institutions are concerned but I would urge us to take it to a different level. Let us get people in manufacturing and other fields to basically embrace what is good for the entire world which is about gender equality.

Heritage Bank to Partner NPA on Ports Infrastructure The maritime sector through Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) is set to get improved infrastructural boost as Heritage Bank Plc revealed plans to provide financing for building critical maritime infrastructure in the country.

The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, was quoted in a statement, to have disclosed this as one of the panelists at the day-one of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Africa regional conference, themed, “African Ports & Hinterland Connectivity,” holding in Abuja.

He also stated that banks were willing to provide the necessary financing and support, saying that the operators must be clear on where they

are headed.

“The government will need to develop policies that will manage infrastructure programmes and we as bankers will give support. We are sure we can support, and we are sure going to support,” he said.

He added that, “the banking industry must stake in financing but we must have an understanding on what the industry wants.”

He said Heritage Bank decided to sponsor and attend the conference to understand the focus of the industry.

He also said the banks were willing to offer, and are working on the possibilities of developing long-term loans with lower interest rate for operators in the industry.

Although “there is the cabotage fund and shippers are taking advantage of it.

We are still struggling with the kind of long-term funding shippers need to attain the level of optimisation they need, and talk is in progress.

“We are engaging the relevant stakeholders to make sure we get loans at cheaper interest rates for them but that can’t happen overnight.

“The commercial rates today are in the neighbourhood of 20 to 23 per cent, but the cabotage is between nine to 13 per cent interest rate.

“But how many of them have been able to borrow from the cabotage funds given the requirements?” he queried.

L-R: Senior Analyst, Investor Relations, FBNHoldings, Simisola Eyi-Salami; Head, Investor Relations, FBNHoldings, Tolu Oluwole; Company Secretary, FBNHoldings, Seye Kosoko; Olayemi Adebayo of First Registrars; and Chairman of the Ibadan shareholders Association, Eric Akinduro and Chief Sola Abodunrin Emeritus Chairman of the Ibadan Shareholders Association- Back Row, 2nd right, Head, Internal Audit, FBNHoldings, Bode Oguntoke flanked by some members of the Shareholders association, during a courtesy visit by FBNHoldings team to the South West zone of the Association in Ibadan, 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, TUE, 18, SEPTEMBER , 2018 The price of OPEC basket of fifteen crudes stood at $76.09 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $76.19 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

41

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Forte Oil Leads 24 Gainers as Stock Market Closes Flat Goddy Egene The stock market declined by marginal 0.02 per cent yesterday despite higher number of price gainers.

Although a total of 24 stocks appreciated, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index declined by 0.02 per cent to close at 32,375.12.

Market capitalisation shed

N2.1 billion to close lower at N11.8 trillion.

Profit taking in International Breweries Plc, FBN Holding Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc led to the decline in the index.

However, Forte Oil Plc led the price gainers with 10 per cent, trailed by Cement Company of Northern Nigeria

Plc by 9.7 per cent. Regency Alliance Insurance Plc and Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc appreciated by 9.09 each.

Prestige Assurance plc went up by 8.7 per cent, just Union Diagnostic & Clinical Services Plc garnered 8.5 per cent.

Other top price gainers included Linkage Assurance Plc (8.4 per cent); Union Bank

of Nigeria Plc (6.4 per cent); AIICO Insurance Plc (6.2 per cent) and Skye Bank Plc (6.06 per cent).

The shares of Forte Oil Plc has attracted high demand lately.

The petroleum product marketing firm had ended half year to June 30, 2018 with an impressive performance.

Profit after tax from continuing and discontinued operations increased by 93 per cent to N 7.9 billion compared to N4.11 billion recorded in 2017. Earnings per share grew by 47 per cent to N1.54 compared to N1.05 recorded for the same period in 2017, while total assets improved by four per

P R I C E S F O R S E C U R I T I E S T R A D E D A S AT

cent to N153 billion, up from N147 billion recorded for the same period in H1 2017.

According to the company, the first half of 2018 witnessed a more stable operating environment with higher oil prices, foreign exchange availability and improved petroleum product supply across the country.

19/09/2018

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 30

BANKING ACCESS BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC ZENITH BANK PLC OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FBN HOLDINGS PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm) 229,977.37

TRADES

VOLUME

BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS S/N

7.95

-

44

281,080

256,495.66

7.50

-2.60

171

6,053,852

651,477.25

20.75

-1.45

258 473

24,169,907 30,504,839

TRADES

VOLUME

33

MARKET CAP(Nm) 305,109.99

MARKET CAP(Nm) DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 3,578,506.56 LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. 179,539.96

BUILDING MATERIALS

EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY PLC

PRICE %CHANGE

MARKET CAP(Nm) 357,009.32

PRICE %CHANGE 8.50

-2.86

PRICE %CHANGE 210.00 20.70

-

PRICE %CHANGE 606.70

-

31 32

193

5,450,299

34

193

5,450,299

35

666

35,955,138

TRADES

VOLUME

37

30 46 76 76

11,957 102,122 114,079 114,079

38

TRADES

VOLUME

51

321,843

51

321,843

51 793

321,843 36,391,060

36

FOOD PRODUCTS S/N 39 40 FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED S/N 41 42 HOUSEHOLD DURABLES S/N 43

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.

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

0.20

-

0

0

76,217.41

79.90

-

12

11,055

60,000.00

60.00

-

4 16

2,395 13,450

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,890.00

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,085.39

4.26

-

PRICE %CHANGE 0.63

-

10.20

2.00

44 169 169

758,487 10,736,095 10,736,095

TRADES

VOLUME

0 0

0 0

TRADES

VOLUME

33,000.00

25.00

-

8

165.00

6.60

-

0

0

8

33,649

24,014.43

9.00

TRADES 8

33,649

VOLUME 57,490

S/N 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

8

57,490

68

TRADES

VOLUME

-

0

0

69 70

-

0

0

72

0

73

-

0

71

74

0

0

16

91,139

TRADES

VOLUME

77

-

0 0

0 0

78

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

79

4

12,116

75 76

AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC

MARKET CAP(Nm) 954.53

MARKET BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS CAP(Nm) CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 13,701.62 GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. 242.22 PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC 188,372.92 INTERNATIONAL 257,875.86 BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 720,520.87

PRICE %CHANGE 0.20

1.75

-

0

1,158.30

6.50

-

0

0

49,279.55

18.60

-0.54

62

4,117,453

3,676.41

13.45

-

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,680.31 3,439.82

MARKET PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CAP(Nm) P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA 49,630.96 PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA 247,035.23 PLC.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 29,413.69

277,437

29,389.23

45.20

566,862

0

24

9,886,287

11,300.89

33

-

263,987

119

95.00

3.57

0.36

8

3.31

PRICE %CHANGE

1.45

1,340.10

49 50 51 52 53 54 BANKING

1.25

MARKET CAP(Nm) 1,900.00

11,498.79

48

50,809.99

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (REIT) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

697,580

263,987

35,262 100

-

88

VOLUME

55,959

1.70

0.78

8

2 1

PRICE %CHANGE

19.30

TRADES

-

MARKET CAP(Nm) 4,417.27

946,604

79,137.33

47

0.53 3.25

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY PLC

56

0 0

206.25 2,111.93

PRICE %CHANGE

0.36

0 0

VOLUME

MARKET CAP(Nm)

14.05

DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNA330,291.92 TIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC 47,808.42 GUARANTY TRUST 1,000,660.09 BANK PLC. JAIZ BANK PLC 14,732.12 SKYE BANK PLC 9,716.21 STERLING BANK PLC. 41,746.11 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 168,900.37 UNITY BANK PLC 11,338.66 WEMA BANK PLC. 22,373.19

3

-

289,787

168,600.00

45

TRADES

4.79

VOLUME

44

VOLUME

-

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

BANKING

46

0.89

-

0

0

86.00

-

21

571,837

30.00

-6.25

6

1,519,857

90.10

0.11

56

147,687

80 INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES S/N 81

INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE PLC GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. NEM INSURANCE PLC NIGER INSURANCE PLC PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC REGENCY ASSURANCE PLC SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC STACO INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. SUNU ASSURANCES NIGERIA PLC. UNIC DIVERSIFIED HOLDINGS PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE PLC VERITAS KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC MICRO-FINANCE BANKS FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

2,251,497

-

FOOD PRODUCTSMARKET -DIVERSIFIED CAP(Nm) CADBURY NIGERIA 17,655.10 PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 1,094,261.96 HOUSEHOLD DURABLES NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. VITAFOAM NIG PLC.

PRICE %CHANGE

87

7.60

S/N

0.41

MARKET CAP(Nm) 711.32

PRICE %CHANGE

44 PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS CONSUMER GOODS FINANCIAL SERVICES

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.

MARKET CAP(Nm) 38,000.00

MARKET CAP(Nm)

PRICE %CHANGE

0

0

283

6,618,286

TRADES

VOLUME

9.40

-

20

63,681

1,380.50

-

48 68

33,596 97,277

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

22.10

-

1

100

3.30

-

10 11

194,450 194,550

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME 319,225

12.50

-7.41

31

43.00

-

14

99,429

45

418,654

494

9,580,264

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

-

23

1,024,437

18.00

-

24

115,758

1.65

-1.20

87

6,282,595

34.00

0.89

167

4,069,378

0.50 0.70 1.45 5.80 0.97 0.58

4.00 6.06 6.42 4.30 -3.33

27 79 42 29 7 17 502

4,244,604 5,466,369 645,938 672,793 138,236 2,126,264 24,786,372

PRICE %CHANGE

TRADES

VOLUME

1.27

4,117.00

0.20

-

0

0

5,890.67

0.85

6.25

21

1,515,102

21,630.00

2.06

-9.65

7

1,016,657

2,100.00

0.30

-6.25

2

200,000

14,936.75

1.44

-

3

104,400

2,945.90

0.20

-4.76

5

282,850

2,411.47

0.53

-

0

0

1,913.74

0.50

-

0

0

1,964.80

0.32

-

0

0

487.95

0.38

-

1

10,000 1,266,000

2,416.73

0.33

-3.03

16

2,835.58

0.66

-

4

210,760

5,120.00

0.64

8.47

6

520,000

2,240.00

0.28

-

5

14,020

16,158.34 2,399.24

3.06 0.31

2.00 -

11 4

137,270 207,134

2,366.80

0.62

8.77

2

150,000

1,600.50

0.24

9.09

12

2,098,862

2,001.80

0.24

9.09

9

806,113

4,483.72

0.48

-

0

0

2,582.21

0.20

-4.76

7

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149

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PRICE %CHANGE

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2.58

-

˾ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

42

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

MARKET NEWS

Resort Savings & Loans Assures Stakeholders on Recapitalisation Goddy Egene The management of Resort Savings & Loans Plc has assured stakeholders that its recapitalisation process is on course. The mortgage banking firm had executed a $250 million financing facility with Milost Global of United States. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Following the discussions, the bank has executed a $250 million financing facility term sheet and Commitment Letter with Milost Global Inc. The facility comprises $100 million

equity and $150 million debt,â&#x20AC;? the bank said.

Before that agreement, Resort Savings said it had earlier secured the interest of a local investor which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was expected to give final approval to in due course.

Giving updates on the deal with Milost, the bank, in a notification to the NSE yesterday, said it had executed a binding agreement with Milost with first draw down of $10 million with provision for immediate

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 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sharesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the

release of $1 million. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The release of the fund is being delayed by valuation of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shares through market forces. The shares of the bank are presently on technical suspension and we believe the suspension will be lifted with the provision of constant and required information,â&#x20AC;? it said.

The bank disclosed that it has carried out some actions vis-as-vis the recapitalisation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Audit of the bank financial statements for the year 2015, 2016, 2017 by Messrs BBC

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 1809-2018, unless otherwise stated.

Professionals; execution of escrow agent with Milost Global Inc and the escrow agent in Nigeria; Forwarding of the audited accounts to Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) for approval before being transmitted to the regulators, stakeholders, general public in line with operating guidelines,â&#x20AC;? it said.

According to the bank, the board and management had been assured of both local and foreign investors the readiness to turn the bank around positively.

Resort Savings had last year expressed its preparedness to play a dominant role in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mortgage banking sector, having overcome the board and management crisis which it faced for over two years.

The bank last year appointed a new management team to steer the organisation.

Senator Sunday Fajinmi was appointed the Board Chairman, while Mr. Olayemi Rabiu was appointed the managing director/CEO and two

executive directors in the persons of Mr. Kolawole Adesina and Mr. Aliu Oshoke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bank is already normalising her relationship with various developers with a view to leveraging on them in creating good mortgages for her teeming customers in excess of 80,000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Issues are equally being resolved with appropriate agencies with a view to bringing the bank back to profitable operations within the shortest time possible,â&#x20AC;? the bad had said.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 159.37 160.07 -10.30% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 264.92 265.70 14.52% 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 0.82 0.83 -0.16% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 5.28% 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 12.27% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 132.58 133.51 -12.60% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.07% 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 10.60% Paramount Equity Fund 11.52 11.81 3.87% Women's Investment Fund 100.66 103.24 0.03% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.03% 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 11.71% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.17 1.20 11.63% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.07 1.10 3.70% 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 100.00 100.00 11.85% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 11.92% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,186.80 1,187.56 9.67% FBN Heritage Fund 138.44 139.35 0.66% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.02% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $114.32 $114.74 3.70% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $114.11 $114.52 3.62% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 149.93 152.05 -5.77% 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 1.21 1.23 -6.29% Legacy Debt Fund 3.15 3.15 9.01% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.01 1.01 1.14% 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 2,956.57 2,984.57 -0.99% Coral Income Fund 2,709.64 2,709.64 10.69% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.82% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 90.87 92.57 -8.69% 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 N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A

Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ďŹ ncon@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 3.06% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,083.20 1,083.20 9.72% 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 11.28 11.37 -12.94% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.63% 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 1.31 1.33 9.72% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.83 11.87 7.05% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.41% 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 127.12 127.58 -1.98% 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 1.64 1.64 10.72% 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 2,252.05 2,267.11 2.54% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 183.79 183.79 5.58% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.94 0.95 -6.44% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 241.49 241.52 11.92% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 162.32 164.11 -9.38% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.55% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,491.97 8,593.18 -10.71% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.09 1.09 5.50% 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 11.13 11.30 -11.19% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.16 12.28 -7.63% Zenith Income Fund 20.26 20.26 8.53% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.76%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 138.09 51.55

1.01% 4.25% 1.42%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.70 118.70 90.96

10.80 121.23 92.68

-9.68% -16.89% -16.73%

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

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THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN/DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

British Council Mandela Exhibition: Between History and Corporate Whitewash Andy Higginbottom

T

he “Mandela and Me” exhibition at the British Council in London marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth in 1918. The exhibition is sponsored by Anglo American, the mining giant that was the biggest corporation in South Africa during apartheid and has, since 1999, been headquartered in London.

This corporate connection influences the narrative that is spun at the exhibition.

For example, it completely ignores Anglo’s own role as a founder and principal beneficiary of both British colonial rule and later the apartheid regime.

A film shown as part of the exhibition features young South Africans relaying what Mandela means for them. They appear inspired. Yet, I couldn’t help feeling that this was an exercise in the construction of public memory that has connotations of manipulation.

The inter-generational theme is repeated in the form of Mandela’s image, constructed as a mosaic of young South African faces.

There is also a section interspersing anti-apartheid movement placards with protest concerns today.

Choices have been made in this selection. The British Council building is just off Trafalgar Square, close to the South African embassy, the scene of a non-stop picket to release Mandela and all political prisoners from April 1986 until just after Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990. The picket doesn’t bear a mention.

The exhibition shows video loops on Mandela’s life and apartheid. What’s missing is that Mandela was born into a British colony, founded after the second Anglo-Boer war to secure the country for immensely profitable gold and diamond mining interests. It was into this racial capitalism, already established 100 years ago, that Anglo American – the corporation – and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela – the person – were born.

For most of the 20th century, South Africans were ruled by the white minority.

Their role was accepted by successive UK governments as long as profits flowed to the City of London (of

which, again, no reference is made in the exhibition).

The narrative of black struggle against oppression has been co-opted.

“Mandela and Me” applies another lick of paint to the ever thickening layers of corporate whitewash.

Anglo’s 100 Years In 2017, Anglo American celebrated its own centenary.

The company’s story about itself is unsurprisingly sanitised. You won’t find anything about colonial labour exploitation, or even apartheid.

What is the untold history? In the middle of World War 1, Ernest Oppenheimer bought into goldfields that were being opened up on what was known as the Far East Rand. Anglo American was formed to attract US and UK finance. By 1928 Anglo was a middle ranking gold producer. In 1929 it took over the De Beers diamond monopoly, and by 1958 it had become the biggest mining company, as academic Duncan Innes wrote in his seminal study, “Anglo American and the Rise of Modern South Africa,” (1984).

Anglo paid African workers industry standard rates, which were a tenth of white workers’ pay.

Anglo’s affiliate, De Beers, had already built its diamond business by paying extreme poverty wages to migrant workers held in prison-like compounds, as Innes wrote. At the urging of mining magnate and prime minister of the Cape Colony, Cecil John Rhodes, the same labour system was transferred to the gold mines.

Mandela was born in the Eastern Cape, one of the labour reserve areas. Cheap labour required dispossession that had already been

institutionalised under British colonial rule. In 1913, the Natives Land Act was passed, designating 87 per cent of the land for white ownership.

In 1948, the National Party won the election and institutionalised apartheid.

The regime imposed even more segregation, intensifying discrimination.

Pay differentials increased up to 20 to one by 1970. Anglo American’s business boomed during the apartheid era, and by 1990 the group was South Africa’s dominant economic actor, according to David Pallister et al in “South Africa Inc: the Oppenheimer empire,” (1988).

The British Council’s wider purpose is to generate “soft power”, as acknowledged in its 2012 report, “Influence and Attraction”. The then Foreign Secretary William Hague wrote in the foreword, “Britain remains a modern day cultural superpower.”

Indeed. This exhibition begs the question, when does cultural superpower become cultural imperialism? The exhibition extracts from the anti-apartheid struggle what can be reshaped into a cultural asset of soft power empire.

The Iconisation of Mandela The iconisation of Mandela goes well beyond this exhibition, but this is a particularly blatant attempt to harness his legend to a corporate agenda.

After his release from 27 years in prison, Mandela was heavily courted by Anglo’s Oppenheimer and then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the moderate solution in the end game of apartheid. My view as an activist scholar is that the pressure worked, and

as I wrote, Mandela made a U-turn and decided not to nationalise the banks and mines, as promised in the ANC’s strategic programme, the Freedom Charter.

Huge economic interests are still involved. London is the world’s financial centre for mining majors. Anglo made $5.5 billion operating profits worldwide in 2017, of which some $3 billion came from South Africa. The Johannesburg-London axis constructed by Rhodes still revolves.

Why should this matter?

The British Council’s mission to build trust between peoples is fundamentally undermined by its co-option by corporate interest. Britons need to challenge the official narratives that leave out the imperialism of their establishment. Where the exploitation continues, the struggle continues.

– Higginbottom is Associate Professor of International Politics, Human Rights and Social Justice, Kingston University, London.

In Brief Kim Jong-Un Agrees to Shut Missile Site

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday agreed to shut one of the country’s main missile testing and launch sites. He signed a pledge to permanently close the Tongchangri facility, after talks in Pyongyang with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in. Both leaders also “agreed on a way to achieve denuclearisation” on the Korean peninsula, Moon said, according to the BBC. Kim said he hoped to “visit Seoul in the near future” – he would be the first North Korean leader to do so. China welcomed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit, saying both sides have found “new and important common ground”. The main focus of the summit was the issue of denuclearisation. While the US and North Korea agreed in broad terms earlier this year to work towards that goal, negotiations had stalled. But Pyongyang has now sought to reconfirm its commitment.

Court Orders Release of ExPakistani PM, Daughter

A Pakistani court suspended the jail sentences given to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and two family members by an anti-corruption court earlier this year, with the three expected to be released after the payment of a bail bond. Sharif, his daughter, Maryam, and his son-in-law, Muhammad Safdar, were convicted in July by an anti-corruption court of not being able to prove the source of assets used to buy a set of upmarket London flats. But on Wednesday, Islamabad High Court judge Athar Minallah ruled that the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog, was unable to prove a financial link between the former prime minister and the apartments in question. A two-member bench, led by Minallah, suspended the jail sentences while hearing the Sharifs’ appeal against their convictions.

May Urges EU to ‘Evolve’ Brexit Position

British Prime Minister Theresa May, at an EU summit dinner in Austria on Wednesday, called on fellow European Union leaders to follow her lead and adapt their Brexit negotiating stance to get a good deal. “If we’re going to achieve a successful conclusion then, just as the UK has evolved its position, the EU will need to evolve its position too,” May told reporters on arrival in Salzburg, according to the BBC. “I’m confident that with goodwill and determination we can agree a deal that right for both parties.” She defended her Chequers proposals on a future customs and trade arrangement with the bloc, saying: “It maintains frictionless trade.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Al-Makura Orders Probe of Ex-governor Adamu As the crisis rocking the Nasarawa State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) deepens, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, has ordered the probe of the administration of a former governor of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

Adamu, who is the current representative of Nasarawa West senatorial district in the National Assembly, was governor of the state from 1999 to 2007.

Al-Makura, while swearing in three permanent secretaries and three special advisers, yesterday set up a committee to probe the administration of the ex- governor.

The probe, THISDAY learnt, may not be unconnected to Adamu’s vow to stop the emergence of Governor AlMakura’s anointed candidate, Mr. Abdullahi Sule, as the

governorship candidate of APC in the state.

Al-Makura moved against the third term senate’s bid to replace him with his Commissioner for Education, Tijjani Ahmed.

However, all the APC governorship aspirants in the state have rallied round the ex-governor to stop the emergence of the governor’s anointed candidate.

In a reaction, Al-Makura directed the immediate review of the concession of agreement of all the Nasarawa State government-owned hotels and other related facilities.

The facilities include, but not limited to the New Keffi Hotel, Keffi, NIPDC conference Hotel, Lafia and the Keffi club, Keffi.

The committee is also mandated to review and

Arrest Anyone Found with Arms, Buratai Orders STF Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai has given a marching order to officers and men of the Special Task Force (STF), aka Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) Sector 9 in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State to arrest anyone found in possession of arms.

Addressing soldiers during a special defence security exercise at the Sector 6 Unit, Buratai warned soldiers not to downplay issues of security in the state.

He added that blocking of highways by misguided miscreants should be stopped, urging the soldiers to employ their professional skills to

fish out criminal elements within the communities.

The COAS commended the staff of the Nigerian Army Medical Outpost in Sopp Area of the local council, appealing to the council to assist the medical centre with drugs and some basic hospital gadgets.

Earlier, the head of the medical unit, Dr. Olawale complained of insufficient drugs and water due to the rising number of patients.

Transition Implementation Chairman of Riyom council, Hon. Emmanuel Jugul, commended Buratai for his efforts in tackling the security challenges in the country, promising to assist where necessary.

Father of Former AGF, Bello Adoke, Dies at 79 A former Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Bello Abdullahi Adoke, who is also the father of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke is dead.

The Cable reported that he died yesterday night in Okene, Kogi State at the age of 79 years.

According to Bashir, one of the sons of the deceased, the 79-year-old retired policeman had fallen ill in August 2018 and was treated at a hospital in Abuja before he was discharged yesterday afternoon.

He travelled back to his home town, Okene, where he died shortly after arrival.

The elder Adoke, who attended Government College, Keffi, Plateau state, was born on June 11, 1939.

He was an information officer in the defunct Northern Region until 1963, when he won a scholarship to do further studies at the College of Journalism, Fleet Street, London, in the United Kingdom.

He joined the police on his return and retired on the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in 1975.

Adoke was a contemporary of former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Coomassie, who died earlier this year.

While serving as police PRO in Rivers State in 1973, Adoke had the biggest challenge of his career when a journalist, Minere Amakiri, was arrested, tortured, lashed 33 times and had his head shaven with a broken bottle on the order of the ADC to the military governor, Alfred Diete-Spiff.

Amakiri, the Port Harcourt Correspondent of Beninbased Nigerian Observer, was punished for publishing an article about a teachers’ strike on a day Diete-Spiff was celebrating his birthday.

Adoke was said to have openly condemned the action of the governor’s aide.

His son, Mohammed, was the AGF under former President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015.

investigate the circumstances that led to the failure of the Farin Ruwa Independent Hydro-power plant project

as well as the Zimbabwean farmers projects.

Adamu is the owner of new Keffi Hotel and was alleged to

have started the Farin Ruwa Power project with huge amount of money without anything to show for it. The

probe committee is headed by the state commissioner for Finance, Ayuba Dogara Ayenajeh.

EROSION CONTROL...

L-R: Representative of Edo State Governor and Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability,Mrs. Omoua Alonge Oni-Okpaku; Personal Assistant to Senator Francis Alimikhena, Christopher Amidu; Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecological and Climate Change, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu; and Director, Soil, Erosion and Flood Control, Ecological Fund Office, Mr. Felix Okeke, during the inauguration of the erosion control project, in Agenebode, Etsako-East Local Government Area, Edo State...recently

Ekweremadu: INEC’s Ban on Phones in Polling Booths Unconstitutional Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday said the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ban smart phones at polling units was unconstitutional.

Ekweremadu who spoke during a condolence visit to the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at his country home in Toru-Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area, said the ban would go against provisions of the Nigerian constitution, which gave room for freedom of communication, expression as well as freedom of the press.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Mr. Daniel

Alabrah, in a statement said Ekweremadu explained that since the National Assembly was working on the Electoral Act to pave the way for the announcement of results of elections at polling booths, the ban would hamper the free flow of communication, which is necessary to have a free, fair and credible election.

“Nigeria must take full advantage of technology as it could not afford to lag behind, especially in the bid to ensure citizens’ participation through recording of results and the electoral processes,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President stressed that the international observers would need their

smart phones and other media devices to record and send back information to their home countries and therefore called on the electoral umpire to revisit the decision.

He said: “On the issue of INEC’s ban on smart phones at polling booths, that is completely unconstitutional because we have provisions in the Constitution that make room for freedom of communication, expression and even freedom of the Press.

That is what this ban is trying to abridge.

“Nigerians are free to express themselves through the media and free speech. I believe that in this age of technology, we cannot be going backwards. So we need

to take full advantage of the accomplishments of technology in our life.

“We are amending the Electoral Act to make provision for the announcement of results at polling booths and if our people are unable to communicate, it makes no sense at all. We are hoping that we can accomplish a free, fair and credible election by the use of technology.

“It is the use of technology that can help us relay to everybody the results of various elections at respective polling units. We need to ensure the people are able to use their smart phones to record results, election processes and send to everybody.

Dickson, Lokpobiri Clash over Bayelsa Debt Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Governor Seriake Dickson and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, have again traded blames over the total debt owed by the Bayelsa State Government.

Lokpobiri, an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart had maintained that the state government owes N800 billion in debt.

He alleged that the state governor had received over

N1.2 trillion from the Federation Account, with no serious achievement to show for it, arguing that Dickson had failed to live by the oath of his office.

But in a statement by Dickson’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, yesterday, the governor expressed shock that somebody of the status of a minister could show a ‘demeaning lack of capacity’ for a simple research to find out the truth about the true state of affairs in Bayelsa.

He referred the Minister to a report released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) in September 2018, which he said provided in details the debt profile of all the states of the federation as of June 2018.

He stressed that the DMO, the federal agency which is the authoritative body on states and federal government debt profile put the total debts owed by Bayelsa State at N123 billion.

According to Dickson, somebody with an analytical

mind would know from the reports of the DMO that Bayelsa State’s debt as at 2007 was N27 billion representing N1.40 percent of the debts by all the state.

According to him, the current figure of N123 billion representing 3.54 percent of the total debts owed by the states showed in clear times a drastic reduction of the debt burden in spite of the recession occasioned by dwindling federal allocation and the execution of high profile projects in the state.

NIPPS Expresses Concern over Lack of Internal Democracy among Political Parties Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) yesterday decried the lack of internal democracy among political parties, adding that the activities of the parties are based on fragile foundations, godfatherism or dominant personalities, as well as ethno-regional alliances.

It also said the political parties face considerable challenges in the area of internal democracy with party elites frequently manipulating party rules to subvert internal party democracy for their political interest.

As part of the holistic approach aimed at tackling the problems however, NIPSS, and the Political Parties

Leadership and Policy Development Centre (NIPSSPPLPDC) have revised and validated curriculum and training modules which would be used for the training of political parties’ leaders.

It said that the curriculum and the training handbooks are divided into four modules with serveral sections.

The institute recalled

that EU- Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria project (EU-SDGN) is providing support to the NIPSS-PPLPDC to implement component 3 of the project, which is support to political parties, with the overall objectives to promote pluralism, tolerance, internal democracy and equality of political parties and the political system.

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THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Presidential Aide, Leaders of N’Delta Ex-agitators Meet over 2019 Polls Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Leaders of ex-agitators enlisted in the first phase of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) met with the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Prof. Charles Dokubo, in Abuja Tuesday to

chart a course ahead of the 2019 polls.

The forthcoming presidential election was top on the agenda of the meeting, which was held at the instance of the ex-agitators at Casa De Lucy Hotel in Abuja.

A statement issued by

Artisan Drags Midwestern Oil to Court over Land Acquisition Alex Enumah in Abuja A Lagos-based artisan, Friday Okolo has dragged Midwestern Oil and Gas Company to a Federal High Court in Abuja, over an alleged fraudulent acquisition of his land for oil exploration.

The plaintiff in the suit filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Nnamdi Ebo, is claiming a whopping sum of N855million compensation from the oil company for allegedly trespassing on his land without his authority.

In the suit which has one Chief Sunday Ochonogor and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as defendants, the plaintiff is praying the Federal High Court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the oil company from paying annual rent, pledges, dues and other payments to any other person except himself, being the rightful owner of the land upon which the firm is operating.

In his Writ of Summons marked ABJ/CS/952/2018, the plaintiff asked the court to stop the oil firm from recognising or

dealing with any other person or family except himself as the lawful owner of the land in dispute and where oil is being explored.

According to his witness statement on oath, the 47 years old electrician, claimed to have purchased two plots of land from one Chief Sunday Ochonogor in 1998 and that all necessary documents relating to the land situated at OlehOgwashi kwu expressway in Ndokwa West Local Government of Delta State were handed over to him.

He claimed that the said private land was sold to him in an outright purchase from the portion of land allocated to the said Ochonogor, being an elder of Umuachi family under the Ukwani Customary Land Tenure and that the said Umuachi family members were fully aware of the sale and transfer of the land portion to him.

The said land measures 1037.9 square metres as shown in the survey plan number AOD/DT/218/1998 dated june 18, 1998 and prepared by licenced surveyor P. O. Odigili.

Murphy Ganagsna, the media aide to Dokubo, quoted Pastor Reuben Wilson, who led 31 phase one leaders of ex-agitators in the Amnesty Programme to the meeting as saying that it was to consult with Dokubo for a clear direction on political alignment of the Niger Delta people.

“First of all, we thank you because you have tried and what you have been doing in this programme, especially recogniSing the leaders and giving them empowerment.

This is something people have not been doing but when you came, you said no, your mission here is to make sure that we succeed in this programme

“Let me from this point explain why we said we needed this meeting with you. This is an hour of politics; people are moving from one political party to another,” he said. According to him, presidential aspirants are meeting people day and night, adding:” but we the committed leaders of the amnesty programme, had not have a say. The reason being that we have a leader who is the head of this programme, and the leader is no other person than you sir.

“We are here to get directive from you; we are here to know where we will dance to and to know your mind. We are here to get everything about

this forthcoming election from you so that the leaders under this programme will know what to do.

“Even though most of us here have been pressured by some groups to dance right or left, but we still believe we have a leader who is overseeing this programme and before we take a decision, we have to hear from you”.

While noting that they had been abandoned after working to support previous administrations during elections, they expressed hope that it would be different this time. “Even if the leaders and followers have been abandoned after working tirelessly for

previous governments during elections, we believe it is necessary to hear from you.

We pray that if you say we should dance to left or right, we will not be abandoned again because it is not easy for people to struggle, others win and those that suffered will remain the same. We pray that you will speak to us wisely so that we will understand”.

In his response, Dokubo described President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as reliable.

He said it was imperative for the people of Niger Delta to be at the mainstream politically, to regain loses occasioned by being at the periphery.

THE NEEDY...

Osun 2018: Why My Movement ASSISTING Wife of Enugu State Governor, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi (right), distributing school materials to indigent pupils of St. Vincent Nursery and Primary Schools, Amaigbo Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.. yesterday. is Campaigning for Omisore, Says Kusamotu Buhari’s Aide Petitions Police over Breach of Peace in Kano A former federal House of Representatives aspirant in Osun State and a prominent lawyer in Lagos, Ayodele Musibau Kusamotu, has said that he is mobilising his movement for the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, because he seems prepared for purposeful leadership compared to other candidates.

Kusamotu, who commands cult followership in the state due to his family’s history and his philanthropist gestures to the people of Boripe, Ifelodun and Odo-Otin federal constituency, said he had asked his followers to vote for Omisore because he is prepared and equipped to govern the state with his vision and ideology.

In a statement issued yesterday, Kusamotu added that the defections of many persons in the build-up to the election are an indication that there might be an upset.

He however, lamented the trend of vote buying as witnessed recently in the Ekiti State election but expressed hope that vote buying would soon fade away.

“Osun election would be keenly contested. It has become abundantly clear that

the APC has nothing to offer our state . Even though it is really late in the day, I have asked my PAK Movement members to support SDP and the governorship aspiration of Senator Omisore . There are also other elections coming which will be crucial, I foresee the opposition parties coming together as well to wrest power and deliver good governance to Nigerians,” he explained.

“Sometimes, an effort is what is needed regardless of the outcome. Senator Omisore was the only candidate that came in person to address our movement and we appreciate his sagacity for this.”

As for vote buying, Kusamotu said It is unhealthy “but unfortunately we are practicing commercial democracy. We have a long way to go and I hope that the system will evolve over time. It is however, due to demands of the electorate. It will take some time before the people realise that they are the ultimate losers when they sell their votes.

Poverty plays a big role in this unfortunate situation.

When we find ourselves in government, we will enrich Nigerians and give them back their dignity. Vote buying will eventually fade away.”

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Special Adviser to President Muhammad Buhari on National Assembly Matters, Alhaji Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila has petitioned the Kano State Police Command over alleged breach of peace accord by the Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Senator Kabiru Gaya.

In the petition dated September 18, 2018, Sumaila alleged that some supporterS of Gaya had

recently destroyed some of his campaign banners and posters during his (Gaya) recent visit to southern zone.

The petition addressed to Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr Rabiu Yusuf and made available to THISDAY in Kano yesterday, stated that “the most terrible scene of all is that of the Senator himself who was seen to be succumbing and promoting thuggery during his outing.

“Motorists were seen attacked, windscreens of cars were seen

broken while moving with impunity, “the petitioner said.

According to the petition, by these acts, Gaya had violated the peace agreement signed between the duo, pledging not to conduct any political activities with political thugs or weaponry. ”Senator Kabiru Gaya was captured amidst political thugs in possession of weapons during campaign processions “It said.

The petition stressed the need for the Police to take necessary measures to ensure

strict compliance with the agreement to avoid unhealthy conflict and chaos.

The duo had recently signed a peace pact on the order of the state police commissioner, Mr Rabiu Yusuf, pledging not to conduct political activities with weapons or thugs.

Spokesman of the police in Kano, Superintendent of police (SP) Magaji Musa Majia, said the Senator would be invited to explain the reasons behind his action

NIBSS Pledges to Enhance Banks’ Payment Services Emmanuel Otaru The Managing Director of Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), Mr. Ade Shonubi has pledged the organisation’s commitment to constantly enhance the payment systems through rendering improved payment service platforms with better value proposition that will comply with international best practice.

Shonubi made this commitment during a press briefing at their corporate office in Lagos, to herald the Hackathon 2018, with theme: “Biometrics, Key to the Future

and Inclusion.”

He said, ‘in the bid to respond to the yearnings of the industry, particularly to the Fintechs and to provide payment services and initiatives intended to ease banking service delivery, promote collaborations while accelerating the growth of the Nigerian Financial Ecosystem, NIBSS will organize its first ever Hackathon for software developers in Nigeria.’

According to him, “a Hackathon is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and other interested people together to collaborate intensively

on software projects. NIBSS Hackathon will focus on authentication, identification and validation with fingerprints.

This is because of the global adoption of biometrics as means of identification due to: Accurate identification and accountability; Easy, timesaving and safe for use; User-friendly systems, scalable and secure; and Convenience and versatility.”

The objective of this first edition according to the Managing Director, will be to develop solutions that address, “Identify and implement different fingerprint authentication and validation

methods; Payment innovation using fingerprint authentication; Valuable collaboration with stakeholders and partners like banks, Fintechs, among others.

This event which the Managing Director said will help to grow talents, is open to software developers and other interested individuals for registration, which portal opened September 17 and closes September 21, 2018, while the pitch day begins October 6 -7, 2018 by 9 a.m. He said prizes of N3million, N2million, and N1million will be given to the first, second and third winners respectively.

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

47

THURSDAYSPORTS

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

Day of Long Knives as Maigari Battles Pinnick for the Soul of NFF Duro Ikhazuagbe Finally, the battle for the soul of Nigerian football will be decided today in Katsina as incumbent Amaju Melvin Pinnick guns for a second term in office as president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Others in the race include, immediate past president, Aminu Maigari, a former General Secretary, Taiwo Ogunjobi and a dark horse amateur club proprietor, Chinedu Okoye.

Pinnick is aiming to break a jinx that has lasted over 50 years as none of the past presidents has ever succeeded in returning to office back-to-back. The former Delta FA chairman is banking on his achievements during his first term to swing victory in his favour. But football historians in the country know that winning the NFF presidency goes beyond performance in office. Extraneous factors bothering on the usual Nigerian ways of doing things take the lion share in who gets elected.

Ordinarily, Pinnickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in this first spell ending today is

enough to get him an automatic ticket for an encore on the job.

Apart from raising the profile of the federation with multi-billion Naira sponsorship partnerships, he has succeeded in putting NFF on the path to self-sustainability!

Instead of the previous beggarly disposition of the NFF, now, Nigerians are beginning to see semblance of corporate governance in the running of the affairs of the Glass house. And only a second term can consolidate all the gains recorded in the past four years But Maigari whose secondary education certificate is under scrutiny going into todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polls at the Kabir Aliyu Maska Conference Hall in Katsina, is a time-tested gladiator of the Nigerian football politics.

After high-wired conspiracy stopped him from getting reelected shortly after the World Cup in Brazil where Super Eagles matched the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous best achievement of a second-round finish, the Bauchi-born football administrator is banking on the structure he has been oiling since 2010 when he succeeded

Electoral Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ttee Puts Maigariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fate in Balance over Forgery Allegation rPolice commissioner assures on

security

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The aspiration of Alhaji Aminu Maigari to contest for the office of the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in the forthcoming Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) election has suffered a hitch after the Electoral Committee substituted the clearance certificate earlier issued to him with a provisional clearance.

Maigari is jostling to be elected for the office with Amaju Pinnick and Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi at the election billed to hold today at Kabir Aliyu Muska Conference hall located within the Local Government Commission in Katsina State.

But the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Muhammad Sani Katu, said in a statement that the resolution was taken after the committee carried out investigation into a petition of certificate forgery against Maigari.

The committee said it acted on two petitions from Chuma Onye and Ahmed Shaibu Gara Gombe on September 14 and 19, 2018 respectively, after the submission of and publication of the list of cleared candidates vying for various offices into the NFF Board.

Katu said that in the course of the screening exercise, the electoral committee discovered irregularities in the certificates presented by Maigari but cleared him and allowed the inclusion of his name in the election via a split decision of 3 votes to 2 by the five members of the electoral committee.

He stressed that the committee

reversed itself after Maigari failed to produce the copies of his original certificates for verification when he appeared on September 18 before the committee, which acted on a petition authored by Onye.

The chairman of the electoral body said there were discrepancies in the Grade Three Certificates submitted to it by Maigari, adding the documents were not the same in substance and content with each.

He said the submitted certificates contravened Article 5 (1) (i) of the Guideline for the Nigeria Football Federation Executive Committee Election 2018.du Meanwhile as the clock ticks down to the election hour into the next cycle of the board of NFF, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state, Muhammad Almustapha, has assured of adequate security.

Twenty four candidates are jostling for 11 available seats on the executive board.

In another development, Bimo FC of Lafia, the amateur club owned by Chinedu Okoye, one of the four contestants for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NFF presidential elections, has been thrown out of the Nigerian league.

Bimo FC of Lafia reportedly said it would boycott the remaining matches of the Nigeria National League (NNL) season pending the determination of its petition to FIFA and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on poor officiating in the league.

It carried out the threat and had boycotted three consecutive league matches. It is not clear what effect the sanction will have on the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proprietorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fortunes in the NFF election.

Sani Lulu Abdullahi to reclaim his mandate from Pinnick. He is also banking heavily on the previous block votes that come from the northern delegates who speak with one voice.

However, Maigariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permutation may have been punctured by the young Turks led by Shehu Dikko, an alley of Pinnick and Ibrahim Gusau who are both gunning to return to the board as both 2nd Vice President and Chairman of

Immediate past NFF boss, Aminu Maigari

Chairmen respectively. Dikko also doubles as chairman of the League Management Company (LMC).

They both know their return to these two plum positions are tied to Pinnickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fate today. Gusau has oil and gas magnate, Ifeanyi Ubah to contend with for the chairman of chairmen position.

As at last night, wheeling and dealings amongst the combatants stretched late into the night with the various camps crossing the

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and dotting the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;isâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

For the position of the 1st Vice President, two candidates from the South-west are at each others throats. Incumbent Lagos FA Chairman, Seyi Akinwunmi is aiming for return while a former member of the Pinnick camp, Otunba Sunday Dele-Ajayi wants the same position. Unless something gives in the last minute horse-trading that dove-tailed into todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polls, the Lagos FA boss is

Incumbent leader, Amaju Pinnick

as good as returned to the position.

An interesting scenario is also expected to play out in which candidate represents the South-east in the new board. While Chairman of Enyimba, Felix Anyasi-Agwu is plotting his return, Vice-chairman of Imo FA Emmanuel Ochiagha is insisting it is the turn of Imo to represent the zone on the NFF board. Another candidate from Abia, Emeka Inyama is likely to step down.

Former board member, Taiwo Ogunjobi

AHEAD OF LAGOS OPEN

Ambode Hosts Over 125 Players from 47 Tennis Playing Nations Femi Solaja

With less than 10 days to the commencement of the annual tennis festival in Lagos, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumnmi Ambode is set to play host to more than 125 players from core 47 tennis playing nations across the world.

The Lagos Open Tennis Championships, according to the Tournament Director, Wale Oladunjoye will get underway from 29th of this month to13th October, 2018 at the Lagos Lawn

Tennis Club, Onikan.

Lagos Open Tennis, which is still under the auspices of the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup Lagos Tennis Open is going through a transition to enhance Lagos and make the tournament better.

He explained last night that Lagos State Government is still a major supporter as the Lagos Open Tennis is an international competition being staged to celebrate the sitting Governor of Lagos State since the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Mr. Babatunde Fashola and

now the incumbent Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

Thisday check in the breakdown as published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) shows that 60 players have registered in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event, while 65 players will compete in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s category.

Players from notable 47 nations like USA, Brittan, Slovakia, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Cameroon, India, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Ecuador, Poland, Thailand, Egypt, Serbia, Mexico and a host of others have confirmed participation.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Tennis Federation (ITF) approved championship will see some regulars while majority of the players are debutants and are looking forward to have a feel of Lagos for the first time in their playing career.

Former champion in the women event, Conny Perrin from Switzerland is staging a comeback. She is coming as the top seed with a high rank of 148 on the ATP Circuit. Perrin was a champion in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions.

Ronaldoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Champions League Debut for Juve Ends in Tears Cristiano Ronaldo ended his Champions League debut for Juventus in tears after being sent off against Valencia on Wednesday.

However, his consolation will be that Juventus was cruising to a crushing victory against the Spanish team, despite being reduced to 10 men.

Score was 2-0 in 60th minute.

Ronaldo was shown a red card

by German referee Felix Brych in the 29th minute at Estadio Mestalla after an altercation with Valencia defender Jeison Murillo.

The decision seemed harsh.

Ronaldo was being tracked

by Murillo in the penalty box and aimed a small kick at his opponent as they tussled.

Murillo instantly fell to the ground and, after consulting his assistant on the goalline, Brych sent Ronaldo off. The striker dropped to the floor in disbelief and had tears in his eyes when he finally walked down the tunnel.

Ronaldo will now miss Juventusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; next game in Group H, which is at home to Young Boys on October 2.

The red card received by Ronaldo today was his 11th in his stellar career.

Catalogue of Ronaldoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 other Red Cards since 2004 1. Saturday, May 15, 2004, Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 2 Ronaldo scored in Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2-0 win away to Aston Villa on the final day of the season, but was booked twice for diving and time wasting late on. His first booking was eventually rescinded meaning he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to serve a suspension.

2. Saturday, January 14, 2006, Manchester City 3 Manchester United 1 The Portuguese was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on former United favourite Andy Cole as the Red Devils went on to lose the Manchester derby 3-1.

3. Wednesday, August 15, 2007, Portsmouth 1 Manchester United 1 A straight red card and three-match ban was again dished out to Ronaldo for an apparent headbutt on Portsmouth midfielder Richard Hughes in a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park.

4. Sunday, November 30, 2008, Manchester City 0 Manchester United 1 Ronaldo saw red in a Manchester derby once more, this time for two bookable

offences after a trip on Shaun Wright-Phillips and then an inexplicable handball.

5. December 5, 2009, Real Madrid 4 Almeria 2 A first red card in La Liga came in Ronaldoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut season for two petulant late bookings coming after he had missed a penalty and also scored Los Blancosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fourth goal in a 4-2 win.

6. January 24, 2010, Real Madrid 2 Malaga 0 Just a month later Ronaldo doubled his count of red cards at the Bernabeu when he elbowed Malaga midfielder Patrick Mtiliga in the face as he tried to escape the Daneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clutches. Earlier, the Portuguese had scored both Madridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals in a 2-0 win.

7. May 17, 2013, Real Madrid 1 Atletico Madrid 2 On a disastrous night for Real as they lost a Madrid derby for the first time in 14 years, Ronaldo kicked out at Atletico captain Gabi in the final few minutes and was shown a straight red.

8. February 2, 2014, Athletic Bilbao 1 Real Madrid 1 Ronaldo was given a three-game ban after clashing with Athletic defender Carlos Gurpegi and then showing his disagreement with the referee

when he was shown a straight red card as he left the field.

9. January 24, 2015, Cordoba 1 Real Madrid 2 Arguably his most violent discretion as he kicked out at Cordoba defender Edimar.

10. August 13, 2017, Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 3 Ronaldo packed plenty of action in a 24-minute appearance as a second-half substitute as he smashed into the top corner to give Madrid a 2-1 lead.

However, his decision to celebrate by removing his shirt to flex his muscles proved costly as he was booked and just two minutes later saw a second yellow card for diving in the refereeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes in an attempt to win a penalty.

RESULTS Ajax 3-0 AEK Benfica 0-2 Bayern Shakhtar 2-2 Hoffenheim Man City 1-2 Lyon Madrid 3-0 Roma Plzen 2-2 CSKA Valencia 0-2 Juventus Young Boys 0-3 Man Utd

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Thursday, September 20, 2018

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Price: N250

MISSILE Uche Ekwunife to Victor Umeh “Victor Umeh said he was going to the Senate to roar like a lion but we are yet to even see him bark like a dog. He has not provided the needed leadership in the senate and we are going to take back the position from him” – APC contender for Anambra Central Senatorial district, Uche Ekwunife, on why she will defeat the incumbent Victor Umeh of APGA at the poll

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

2019 and the Political Parties G

iven the penchant for brinksmanship that has almost become a national ideology, I am almost certain that a solution will be found on the issue of funding the 2019 general election, especially since this directly touches the interest of our politicians. Therefore, I entertain no fear that the indefinite adjournment of the National Assembly will cause any problem in that direction. My main concern today is that at a period when we need a serious and structured conversation about the future of our country, we have a proliferation of political parties that essentially represent the personal interests of their founders or more appropriately, owners. Invariably, what should serve as platforms for constructive engagement on what ails us as a nation are no more than mere vehicles for trading positions.

As at last Friday, 80 of the 91 registered political parties had notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of their preparedness to conduct primaries to select their candidates for elections into various political offices at the 2019 general election. If all the 91 political parties decide to field candidates for all the offices, there will be 141,778 contenders nationwide; that is after hundreds of thousands of others must have dropped out from the primaries.

What is particularly absurd is that in other countries with multiplicity of parties, what most strive for are local elections but in our own case, the targets of all of them, including those with no structure or appreciable support base, are usually the highest executive offices: president and governor. That has made it difficult for any serious assessment of the parties and what they stand for. Yet, political parties are more than mere platforms for winning elections, they are also there to educate and sensitise the citizens on important national issues for which they seek solutions.

Incidentally, one of the issues dominating discussions at the moment is that contenders for public offices must debate. But how do you organise a debate if about 50 individuals are contesting one position? Meanwhile, our challenges keep mounting. According to the latest projections credited to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, more than 40 percent of the world’s extremely poor people will be living in Nigeria and DR Congo by 2050. Less than three months ago, the Brookings Institution reported that our

Oshiomhole..APC National Chairman country had overtaken India as the nation with the highest number of poor people, with no fewer than 87 million Nigerians in extreme poverty.

This is a problem associated not only with dwindling resources but also growing population, an issue hardly ever discussed in Nigeria. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are producing a largely unproductive population in an increasingly competitive world and this is an issue we need to talk about. For instance, between 1911 and 1952, our population grew from 18.7 million to 30.3 million, an increase of 62 percent. But between 1952 and 2010, the same population grew from 30.3 million to 148 million, an increase of 388 percent!” This is a serious issue that should be top on the agenda of discourse in our country.

Unfortunately, the political parties are not playing their roles assuming many of them even understand what those roles are but the real challenge is that they are too many. If we interrogate results from our elections from 1999 to date at all levels, it is very obvious that we don’t need more than five political parties in Nigeria. For instance, in June this year in Ekiti State, 35 candidates contested the gubernatorial election. While the victorious APC candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi secured 197,459 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Prof Olusola Eleka of PDP who scored 178,121 votes, the remaining 33 candidates got about 9,500 votes which accounted for less than two percent of the total votes cast.

What was most revealing about the result is that 15 of these gubernatorial candidates

Beyond Kemi Adeosun’s Resignation On 24th September 1988 at the Seoul Olympics in South Korea, Mr Benjamin Sinclair Johnson, known simply as Ben Johnson, won the 100 metres final with a then unprecedented record of 9.79 seconds. For the athlete who migrated to Canada from Jamaica at age 15 in 1976, Johnson had the world at his feet. Unfortunately, three days later, the Olympic Doping Control Center found that Johnson’s urine sample contained a banned substance. In withdrawing the gold medal from a tearful Johnson, the head of the Canadian Olympics delegation, also in tears, said:

“We love you Ben, but you are guilty.”

I could not but reflect on that sad episode last Friday when I learnt that Mrs Kemi Adeosun had finally resigned as the Minister of Finance, following the scandal involving her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate that turned out to be forged. As I told those who have called me, I derive no joy in her resignation despite the fact that I wrote twice on the issue….

NOTE: Interested readers should see the online edition for the completion of the piece.

could individually not muster up to a hundred votes. I will shield the candidates and just highlight their parties and the scores: AA (41 votes); AGAP (31 votes); APGA (70 votes); BNPP (14 votes); DA (14 votes); FJP (42 votes); GNP (20 votes); KOWA (23 votes); MMN (35 votes); NDLP (84 votes); MMN (35 votes); NDLP (84 votes); PANDEL (74 votes); UDP (29 votes); UPN (33 votes); YDP (31 votes) and YFP (49 votes).

The situation was similar to that of Anambra State where 37 candidates contested the November 2017 gubernatorial election. Three of the candidates, representing the victorious APGA as well as PDP and APC, secured about 97 percent of the total votes leaving the 34 others scrambling for the remaining three percent. While readers can Google the names of these candidates if they are interested, the following are their parties and what each scored: AA (66 votes); BNPP (70 votes); DA (97 votes); GNP (41 votes); HDP (31 votes); ID (37 votes); KOWA (49 votes); MMN (79 votes); MPPP (39 votes); NCP (74 votes); NDLP (33 votes); NEPP (84 votes); NNPP (68 votes); NNP (69 votes); PPN (55 votes); PPP (87 votes); PRP (59 votes); SDP (20 votes); YDP (72 votes) and YDP (65 votes).

What the foregoing says very clearly is that we need only a few political parties that the people can identify with and engage. Here, we are not even talking about the waste of scarce resources, the logistical nightmare and the legal implications of administering elections with the current number of parties which should also compel a rethink. For instance, in recent years, INEC has been burdened with repeat elections instigated by defeated candidates who deploy technicalities like “unlawful exclusion” (which could mean something as minor as wrong spelling of name) to nullify elections which they ordinarily had no fighting chance of winning.

I am aware that there is a tension between the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association and needless cost to the larger society of a multiplicity of political parties.

Some societies have handled this by setting a threshold for putting names on ballot and even for participation in debates. Actually, in some countries where there are many parties like we have in Nigeria, majority of them exist only to canvass ideas in the public arena. Yes, people should be free to form and join associations but exercising such freedoms cannot be to the detriment of the larger society.

I know when we talk about multiplicity of parties, many would cite the example of India but not only are we talking about a parliamentary democracy that has evolved over decades, it is also one where popular participation is tempered by ideas. Even at that, it is not a perfect system. In his 2016 research paper titled, “Politics as Business: An Analysis of the Political Parties in Contemporary India”, Prakash Sarangi, a professor of political science, stated that “forming or sustaining a party seems to be a survival strategy for political activists” in which they “calculate the returns on the political and economic investments made…

Parties look like business firms in a political market.”

Given that transparency and accountability are already a huge challenge in Nigeria, such cannot be a model for our country. If our democracy must survive and thrive, we need a manageable number of political parties whose members can interrogate our problems and proffer solutions. A 2013 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) capacity assessment report on political parties in Nigeria written by Jeremy Liebrowitz and Jibrin Ibrahim (oga Jibo) underscored how political parties can advance democracy and good governance as “a vital channel by which citizens can aggregate their interests, make policies, and hold government accountable”.

But can we in all honesty say that any of the 91 political parties in the country today is playing that role?

NOTE: This conversation shall continue.

Moses Iloh in Memorian!

When I heard last weekend about the death of Rev Moses Iloh, I felt both a deep sense of loss and regret. I had encountered the old man in January 2013 for what was to be the beginning of several interview sessions but after the first engagement, I had to shelve the idea. Iloh, who headed the Red Cross in Biafra, was a witness to all the tragic drama during the Nigerian civil war and he recounted his experience to me in a piece that also underlined the fact that even in the short-lived Biafra, there were intra-elite frictions as well as issues of corruption.

The late Iloh’s revelations, however, opened a Pandora Box of sort because it provoked responses, including from the former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, whose father Iloh accused of humiliating him after the war. But what forced my hand was that I received far too many calls

and private mails from several people who felt uncomfortable with the narrative, not because they doubted Iloh’s account but rather that it was opening old wounds. Not to be dragged into a Biafran controversy, I held no further interview session with Iloh and suspended the series after two columns.

However, as a tribute to Iloh’s memory, I am recalling the 24th January 2103 column, ‘Memories of Biafran Nightmares’ and the 31st January 2013 follow-up, ‘Still on the Biafran Nightmares’ on olusegunadeniyi. com. I am also adding four other special picks from my 2012 columns, including what happened on perhaps the most dramatic day in modern football when Manchester City snatched from Manchester United the English Premiership title in the last seconds of the season. They are all on olusegunadeniyi.com for the enjoyment of readers.

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